Berserk: The Prophet

Speaking of Hanks... I haven't seen him since early this morning. I wonder if he's slacking off at Edward's place, or maybe he found the capital boring and ran into that awful thing last night and went back to "Dragon's Nest" first?

Gurunberu was thinking nonchalantly, completely unaware of the impending danger.

Benedict lifted the curtain on the carriage window. After leaving Norudkavatti, her emotions calmed down considerably, and she saw light green lines filled with the power of nature in her white eyes.

If you were to describe the world through the eyes of a shrine maiden, it would probably be like a child's oil painting with various lines and colors on a pitch-black canvas.

The lines of fruits, the lines of animals, and within the lines that possess vitality and consciousness, flames of various inner colors flicker.

The wind brought the whispers and guidance of the spirits.

This foreshadows... a dragon...

Danger... Hurry... Hurry...

Benedict's expression turned serious, completely unlike her usual self. She turned to look at Gurenbelud and said softly, "The time has come to divine your future."

Gurunberdo was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, then I'll trouble you."

Since she had said so, Gurenbeldo couldn't refuse, especially since the witch had said just last night that "the time has not yet come."

So, with dust kicked up by their horses' hooves, the two hurried toward the temple located in the "Suppressing Fire Palace," and it was just noon.

After explaining the situation to the older priestess, the two arrived at the temple's sacrificial site.

The sculptures of the gods are arranged around the fountain.

The old witch concocted a psychedelic potion for the ritual using a recipe passed down for thousands of years—a hallucinogen made from a mixture of extracts from several different mushrooms.

Gurenberudo removed his armor and knelt upright opposite Benedict. They were both in the center of the fountain, half-submerged in the warm water.

Under the gaze of Gurenberudo's golden eyes, Benedict consumed the necessary medicine for the ritual. Moments later, the world before her eyes entered another realm—a space that could only be explored in this state, a space not belonging to this material world.

"Ah..." Benedict entered a trance-like state, then prepared to listen to the divine oracle—

That drug allowed her spirit to reach a deeper realm, closer to the "Heavenly Plain" where the gods resided, and to hear the voices of the gods more clearly.

The person receiving the divination, Gurenberudo, knelt in the pool, bending his waist and back to the limit, and bowed to Benedict.

Benedict rose from the center of the pool and began to dance as her consciousness sank in, performing a ritual dance passed down through generations of priestesses. When a priestess is in a trance-like state and her physical abilities are nearing their limits, her soul is more likely to leave her body.

Through the priestess's stimulating screams and swaying dance, three goddesses created human destiny. Benedict, through the power of the youngest of the three goddesses, who was in charge of the future, could see beyond time.

"Ah...ah...ah...!" As Benedict murmured her unique melody, her consciousness touched upon a corner of something enormous in this world. The end of causality. The inescapable ripples of fate.

The future of Gurunberdo. A fierce battle. Beheilly's roar.

And at the very center of everything, that pale whiteness is—

A dazzling white eagle, so radiant that Benedict couldn't look directly at it.

"—!"

"Ahhh!" Benedict screamed in agony before collapsing.

"!" The scream snapped Gurenberudo back to his senses, and he picked up the fallen Benedict.

"Are you alright?" Gurunberdo looked at Benedict, who was unable to open her eyes, with a worried expression.

"I'm fine... I just accidentally stared into the future for too long."

Gurenberudo gently placed Benedict on the soft grass mat beside the pool, his brow furrowed. "What did you see? Is it related to me?" His voice held a hint of urgency.

Benedict slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with terror. "I saw a great battle, and you were in the middle of it, surrounded by darkness and death. And that eagle of light, it was like the core of destiny, yet I don't know if it represents destruction or hope."

“...The Eagle of Light?” Gurenberu pondered for a moment, a strange thought in his mind. He remembered that the emblem of the Royal Palace was an eagle. “Regardless of what the future holds, that Eagle of Light…”

"If it poses a danger to Grant, I will definitely subdue it."

Benedict sat up and took Gurenberudo's hand. "You mustn't act rashly. The power emanating from that white eagle is beyond imagination. Perhaps this is just one of many branches of destiny, and there is still a possibility of change."

"...I see that you will follow the fate of that eagle of light in the future."

“Hmm…” Gurenberudo seemed to be deep in thought, “If this is truly my destiny, then I will personally investigate the truth behind this eagle of light and see whether it is auspicious or inauspicious.”

Benedict sighed. "You're always so stubborn. The trajectory of our destiny isn't something we can easily change or resist."

"Most of the time, it's best to go with the flow, otherwise things might get even worse when the time comes."

Gurunberudo's usually stern face softened slightly, revealing a relaxed smile. "But isn't the purpose of divination to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune?"

"Hmm...that's true."

“However, it seems that you followed the Light Eagle a long time ago.” Benedict breathed a sigh of relief that Gurenberudo still existed in the distant future.

“And those closer…” Benedict closed her eyes and tried to recall, but the closer something was to happening, the more painful it became to remember. Indistinct “threads” seemed to weave an invisible net, blocking her memories.

"The burning 'Dragon's Nest'..."

“…!” “And a real dragon, Edward’s Dark Flame…!”

The more she recalled it, the tighter the invisible threads became, and Benedict's soul felt as if it were being squeezed and contracted by them like a drop of water, causing her to feel a splitting headache.

"...Enough!"

Seeing Benedict's pained expression, Gurunberudo interrupted her.

In any case, he is still alive in the distant future. And he didn't become the king of Grant, but rather followed someone, and that's enough.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Something's going to happen at the 'Dragon's Nest,' right? I'll complete the mission as usual and return safely."

Benedict slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with worry. "...This incident at the 'Dragon's Nest' is far more serious than anything before. It seems to foreshadow something, and even you might face unforeseen danger."

"...Moreover, all I can see is the general trajectory of the future." The priestess's expression darkened; she couldn't discern the details of those events. Because those delicate "threads," carrying malice and a strong negative will, obscured and clouded the future.

That is a causal law with strong luck. Once a destiny is chosen by them, it will be bound by the "line". Even if there are millions of possible futures, it will forcibly change the course to a specific position.

But when Benedict tried to delve deeper into the fates entangled by the threads of causality, countless heads seemed to appear on those scarlet threads, whispering and screaming at her.

"Sacrifice...offering...offering..."

Benedict was momentarily stunned, an indescribable fear creeping into her heart.

Seeing this, Gurunberdo gently patted her shoulder, "Don't worry."

“By the way, that Behemoth…” Just as Benedict was about to ask Gurenbeludo.

Just then, several hurried footsteps sounded outside the temple. Judging from the sound, the person in neat armor and whose footsteps were lighter than the others, it seemed to be Hekel.

“Gurunberdo.” Hikel arrived at the sacrificial site with several soldiers.

"We are ready to deploy. The entire army is on standby at the 'Fire Dragon's Nest'." The female commander, having quickly recovered from her panting, spoke solemnly.

"What's going on?" Gurenberudo asked, seeing how anxious Hickel was.

"An urgent message has arrived from the capital; the teleportation eagle has delivered a request for a rescue operation."