From the burning tree, the shining sword up to the shadow of destruction. Emery recounted as much details as he could to the High Priestess.
He asked the High Priestess with a hopeful tone and inquiring gaze, "What could this possibly mean, High Priestess?"
The High Priestess did not answer right away, which was unusual. Instead, she turned to the side and walked toward the tree. She put her hand on it, slowly trailing her finger on its trunk.
Few moments later, she turned back to Emery and calmly said, "Emery, it is my path as the High Priestess to interpret the will of Gaia and ensure it comes to pass. But the truth is, for the last few weeks, Gaia has been… different."
Upon hearing that, Emery's expression changed. He could not imagine what kind of reasons could make Gaia change. The High Priestess then continued her words.
"The things you saw… They also came to me. In fact, they've been repeating for a few times already and it's really concerning... and then, today your presence came to my vision."
She looked at Emery and asked,
"Who are you really, Emery?"
Emery truly did not know how to answer the unexpected question thrown at him.
Seeing Emery was silent, the High Priestess continued, "You... you really are a mystery… I can't see where you have been for the past few months. And when you came back, you have become much more powerful than before."
The High Priestess stared at Emery directly in the eye and said, "I do not like what I can not see through, but I will trust Gaia's judgment on you. With her giving the vision to you, it can only mean that you were chosen by her."
"Chosen? Chosen to do what, my Lady…?" asked Emery, as he was confused by it.
The High Priestess was silent for a moment, thinking if she should tell him what she thought. In the end, she decided to do so,
"This is what I interpret, Emery. The burning of Gaia can only mean a disaster is coming and the path of salvation will be the Sword of Destiny, the Caliburn."
Seeing Emery was still wearing a confused expression, she added, "The seven kingdoms have a different name for it, it's the Sword of Divine, the Excalibur."
Upon hearing the Excalibur, a thoughtful expression appeared on Emery's face. He had heard it being mentioned by his father. Apparently, the sword was the sacred sword of the Knights of the Divine Order. The sword of Kings. However, he never actually saw the sword before, he remembered his father seemed to be secretive about it as well.
"Actually, Emery. The sword was given by us to the kings of men as our Pact of Friendship."
"Friendship?" This information baffled him, as what actually happened was the exact opposite of that word.
"Emery, you have so much to learn… The story between us and the seven kingdoms, that is."
"Please, High Priestess. Tell me." asked Emery humbly.
The High Priestess noticed the eagerness and interest in Emery's gaze.
"The history of us, the Fey before they started calling us the Crutin, was spanned centuries ago, longer than 1000 years."
The High Priestess told the story of the Fey, where for a long time the ancestors of Fey were respected and worshipped in the land as gods.
However, as the time went by and humanity began flourishing across the land hundreds of years ago, the Fey decided to hand over the task of becoming the Protector of the Land to the kingdoms of men. Therefore, the Sword of Destiny was bestowed, to give them the necessary power to do the task.
"After the handover, the Fey decided to dedicate themselves to the service of Gaia, the Earth Mother. We lived in the forest and secluded ourselves from the outside world. It was only after the incident related to my sister that we began to be known by the kingdoms once again."
As the High Priestess did not tell the story in detail, Emery could only speculate what the kingdoms had done afterward. Knowing entirely well the nature of humans, he could understand what they could have done.
Emery looked at the High Priestess and with a firm gaze he said, "Tell me, my Lady. What can- no... What should I do?"
Surprisingly, the High Priestess seemed to be troubled with the question.
"Honestly, this is exactly the question I have been asking Gaia for the past month, Emery. But Gaia only gave me the same vision, the one I told you about. At first, I thought Morgana's unique situation would lead me to the answer. But after you returned, I sensed another path was at play."
Upon hearing that, Emery began to think of a possible solution.
Recalling the story of Excalibur, Emery knew the divine sword must be located in the capital of the Logress Kingdom itself. The City of Camelot.
"Should I just go to Logress and bring the sword here?" Emery blurted out the idea that appeared in his mind.
It might have sounded outrageous at first glance, as there was no way a young boy would be able to breach the capital city and take the protected sword away from the royal palace, from hundreds of royal knights. However, Emery did not joke about this, because he was confident in his current strength.
The High Priestess seemed to read his mind as she gave him a faint smile.
"Do you believe in Destiny, Emery?"
Stunned by the sudden, abrupt question that was completely unrelated to the current topic at hand, Emery was not sure on what to say.
"I… I don't know, my Lady."
As if she had expected his answer, the High Priestess' smile grew wider as she said, "The Sword of Destiny can only be wielded by those who are destined, and for this I am sure." the High Priestess added the last part, when she noticed the unusual expression on Emery's face.
"In short, you can not just take the sword, Emery. You must earn it."
An incredulous expression appeared on Emery's face.
"And, how am I supposed to do that… my Lady?" Emery was confused. Didn't the High Priestess just call him the Chosen, wasn't that close enough with the Destined one? At least for him, they were basically the same thing, with different wording.
"On that, I really don't know the answer, Emery. But I believe Gaia's blessing will guide you along your journey."
When he heard the all-knowing High Priestess did not have a clue on how, Emery released a long, deep sigh. It was clear this would be another difficult task in his list, one he had to complete.
Even so, Emery was still grateful the conversation with the High Priestess had cleared most of the confusion and questions he had. Now, it was his part to do the rest.
When he was about to leave, the High Priestess surprisingly told him another piece of information.
"Emery, I wasn't sure about this, but I believe the disaster mentioned might have something to do with my sister, Meave. I can feel her power becoming stronger every day. Unfortunately, she is currently hidden in the far north, out of my reach. So if you have any information regarding her, please tell me."
Emery nodded, he himself liked to know more about this matter.
He gave the High Priestess another respect before leaving the shrine with another weight on his shoulder. Even so, the prospect of getting a famous sword really excited him.
Emery was sure the sword must be a high tier artifact. The important question was what tier it would be.