The prophecy

"What do you see Divina?" Alexander urged as he sat impatiently on the edge of the sofa opposite to a woman.

He had blonde hair and blue eyes and wore a golden crown that gleamed under the light of the sun that shined through the windows.

His silky royal red robe was decorated with golden lines and fluttered almost magically as he readjusted his sitting position.

The lady opposite him had dark skin and wore silk purple loose-fitting clothes that enveloped much of her body.

Plenty of golden jewellery hung from her clothes, and she wore a loose-fitting hood and mask that resembled that of thin curtains.

Her eyes were closed, and her hands hovered over a crystal ball on the table, which shined subtly.

"I see a girl, clad in armour, standing against evil with the holy sword in her hands," she said in a mysterious tone as she continued. "She has soft curly brown hair and bright green eyes. She stands proudly as she faces off with the threat that endangers our world, her eyes unyielding."

"I see," the king replied with a serious expression. "Where is she now?"

The prophet's closed eyes tensed and frowned a little as she tried to dig deeper into her vision.

"I see her in an orphanage of a rural village. She is younger, much younger, around the age of ten."

"What else do you see, prophet?"

"I see the ones who fight alongside her in battle, three other figures. But they are hidden, shrouded in mystery... For now."

"So you can't see them yet. Anything else, Divina?" He said gently and quietly, pressing for more information but trying not to disturb her vision.

"I also see... a dog."

"...A dog?" The king replied, confused.

"Yes. A dog," Divina responded with a deadpan expression.

"A dog... as in some sort of magical beast? A hellhound? A Fenrir of the Legends? Or is it perhaps a werewolf?"

"No. Just a cute dog."

"I-Is there some kind of mistake?"

"There is no mistake, Your Highness. I saw a dog."

"I-I see." Alexander thought for a moment. "You are dismissed. Thank you for your service, Divina."

The lady stood and bowed respectfully to the king.

She then took her crystal ball and headed towards the door.

A servant from outside the room, somehow sensing her approach the door, opened the door for her as she left.

King Alexander was now alone in his office.

He stood up and walked over to his main desk.

He pulled open a drawer and took out a golden luxurious bell.

Alexander shook the bell, letting out pleasant chiming noises, and waited.

Soon, a wise-looking man in glasses entered the office through the door and bowed.

His hair was black and he had bags under his eyes; it seemed as if he had been working days non-stop.

"You called for me, your Highness?" The man spoke in a tired voice.

Seeing this, the king replied.

"Cedric. It seems you are working overtime again."

"Yes, Your Highness. After hearing that the demon lord has awoken, I can't seem to relax." The man replied as he smiled helplessly.

"Even so, you should at least go home and sleep, you know," the king commented with a sigh. "Divina has had a vision of the hero."

"Oh? That is great news, Your Highness," Cedric perked up relieved.

"Have Divina work together with magicians to create pictures. Search every rural village for a young girl with curly brown hair and bright green eyes. Bring any that look similar to the images," King Alexander commanded. "Go and send those orders as soon as possible."

"As you command," Cedric obeyed and headed towards the door.

"Ah. Wait." The king remembered something.

"Yes, your Highness?"

"Also search for a, uh, dog."

"...A dog, your Highness?"

"Yes, a uh... actually never mind. Forget this and go," the king commanded again.

"As you wish."

And so, the search for the hero has begun.

Back at the village, Chloe waited crouching down in front of Kai, who was currently sitting.

Chloe looked Kai in the face with a serious expression.

"Fluffy, we have a very important mission today," she said in a stern voice.

In response, Kai simply looked at her as usual, panting with his tongue out.

"Tomorrow is Marie's birthday!" Chloe exclaimed. "She's done so much for us, we have to get her a present!"

'Birthday? Marie?'

"Which is why we'll head into the forest today," Chloe commanded as she stood, turned, and pointed. "You see that mountain over there? People say that pink flowers grow up there, and pink is the same colour as Marie's eyes and hair; we have to get it no matter what!"

'Mountain?! Flower!? Sounds fun!'

Kai stood up and barked in excitement as if he agreed with whatever Chloe had just said.

"Good boy. Let's go on this adventure!" Chloe announced proudly as she led the way to the mountain, Kai trotting behind her closely.

On the way, many of the villagers waved happily and exchanged their morning greetings.

Chloe would wave and greet them back.

Kai would run up to every single one of them, giving them a few licks before being on his way.

The smiles and laughter he caused everywhere he went were like a blessing.

Everyone in the village still thought he was an odd dog, but they still happily accepted him because of his friendliness.

Chloe and Kai walked through the village, enjoying the fresh air and the sounds of nature.

During their walk, Chloe noticed that Kai was looking around.

She had seen him do this many, many times.

At first, she wrote it off as him simply being a very curious dog.

But over time, even when he had grown accustomed to the village's surroundings, his alertness never disappeared.

It was as if he was looking for something.

Of course, he still reacted whenever called or interacted with, but Chloe felt that there was more to his behaviour.

"Fluffy? What are you looking for?" She asked curiously as she scratched the dog behind the ear.

In response, Kai accepted the scratches before licking Chloe's hand, causing her to giggle.

However, he soon went back to looking around.

"Hmmm, maybe Fluffy just likes looking around?" She wondered as she started looking around as well, trying to find the satisfaction in doing so.

Soon, they reached the edge of the forest.

The dense trees of the forest rustled as the wind blew gently against their leaves.

Flowers and plants of numerous shapes and colours could be seen growing out from the ground now and then, but none of them was what they were looking for.

"Come on Fluffy, follow me!" Chloe said with a smirk as she took leadership and led the happy dog into the forest.

Picking up a stick on the ground, she pointed it heroically toward the dense forest.

"The flowers await us!"

As they entered the forest, Chloe and Kai slowed down their pace and began to leisurely take their time.

They stopped periodically to admire the tall trees and the sounds of the forest animals.

"Did you hear that Fluffy? That was the sound of a Torrap." She announced proudly as she tried to educate the dog. "They're birds that come in different colours, and they cry out like that when they're looking for a mate."

Kai looked at her, panting with his tongue out and wagging his tail.

"I'm super smart, right? Aren't you happy to have me as your leader!" Chloe said as she smiled and rubbed the dog's face excitedly.

Kai playfully licked her hands before quickly pulling his face out, running around her in circles before running up ahead.

He then stopped and looked back at her, his tail wagging almost as fast as a helicopter.

'Kai like forest! Fluffy hurry up!'

"Hey, don't leave me behind Fluffy, I'm the leader, remember?!" Chloe shouted as she ran up the hill, waving the stick in her hand.

Suddenly, Chloe felt a gaze on her, giving her the chills.

She stopped halfway up the hill and looked around.

It felt strange, but the forest was the same as before.

She couldn't see anything or anyone looking at her.

The feeling seemed to have disappeared just as she looked around as well.

"Hey Fluffy, did you feel that?" She spoke curiously.

Looking at her, Kai simply tilted his head in confusion, suggesting that he felt nothing.

"Hmmm, maybe I'm just imagining things."

Brushing off the feeling of confusion, Chloe made her way up the rest of the hill, rubbing the nose of her companion and continuing their adventure.

Chloe and Kai continued walking through the forest, their excitement growing as they got closer to their destination.