He stood there before the magnificent Temple of Wisdom and cried out at its grandeur and beauty. He had seen no other place as captivating. The ceilings were perched high above his head, making him feel trivial. He walked forward, marveling the jaded sculptures. The whole temple glittered with tones of blue and green, giving him a sense of relief, calm, cool. As he continued down the spacious temple, he felt his eyes rest on a beautiful creature, perhaps twice his age. At last, he finally met her.
He stood there, poised-his soul bare and naked to the Soothsayer. She looked at his frail form and saw his life flash through her mind, all 13 years of it. The Soothsayer held the boy's gaze and smiled a reassuring smile, her face radiating with love and affection, but unfortunately, she could not say the same for the words of wisdom she was about to bestow on him.
The sunlight from outside the temple illuminated his golden blond hair and the breezes blew a few tufts in his face, which he innocently pulled aside to get a better view of her face. She laughed at his naiveté and slowly walked towards him. Usually, she didn't have physical contact with those who sought her wisdom, but for some reason, she felt like she had to be near the boy to comfort him, give him solace when she tells him his fate.
True indeed, the closer to him she got, the more beauty she saw in his face-a pure, childish beauty. He smiled shyly, but she knew that he was not a shy one. His sheepish grin when she first saw him gave his personality away. The Soothsayer laughed at his useless attempt to mask his true, troublesome nature. He stood only to her neck, but in time, she knew he would grow into a tall, handsome young man.
She stopped about an arm's distance away from him and reached out to caress his face, to let him know that he could trust her. He looked at her, understanding that she was friend, not foe. "Hear me well, my boy," she said in a motherly tone, "for I will not repeat this to you." The boy nodded, anxious to hear her words of wisdom.
The Soothsayer sighed as she stared into the boy's cool blue eyes, seeing his future in her mind. When she knew that his fate was inevitable, she began:
"You are blessed, yet cursed. You will rise to fame, but also fall from grace. You will wield lots of power even when you feel you are powerless. You will be the cause of one nation's triumph and another nation's downfall. And though your soul is pure and good, many will see it as tainted, evil." The Soothsayer paused, letting the boy digest her words. He gulped uncertainly, suddenly realizing that her words were harder to accept than he expected. When she was sure that the initial shock had diminished, she continued.
"Hide your emotions well. And when in doubt, be strong. You will endure much pain, but don't give up hope because you are the hope of many people."
The boy gulped again. It sounded like the Soothsayer was giving him a death warrant. He only wanted to know his future. He didn't expect such important revelations. He looked towards the Soothsayer, and she seemed to have more things to say. She leaned closely to him, her cheek resting against his cheek, giving him goose bumps from the contact. She whispered softly into his ears, "Be careful on your 18th birthday . . . And beware of the one with the lavender eyes."
With that, the Soothsayer lightly stroked the boy's cheeks, calming him down. He was in a stupor, not knowing how to react. This whole time, he remained quiet, not uttering a single sound. She knew he didn't expect so much from his life, but she had to tell-and warn-him about his destiny.