Old Prophet nodded slightly as a gesture of friendliness.
Duncan faced Old Prophet with a wary look on his face. "Are you going to report us to the authorities?"
Old Prophet chuckled. "What? Why would I do such a distasteful thing? In fact little one you have in a way freed me of one of my burdens."
Bella sighed. "That is promising."
Duncan inquired. "Burden?"
Old Prophet nodded. "Yes, little one. Since you have become an Asterborn wielding the DreadCurse, I no longer need to oversee its safety."
Bella frowned. "Asterborn? DreadCurse?"
"Oh my, Oh my. The two of you seem to be oblivious of the type of mess you wrapped yourself in. At least this is the case for the boy." Old prophet shook his head.
"We should probably take a seat because I have a lot to explain."
Old Prophet started walking in a direction away from the door.
Both Duncan and Bella hesitated in following Old Prophet. That was when Old Prophet's voice reached their ears. "You will probably not last long in the streets if you continue to be ignorant of the ways that govern the world you just stepped in."
With reluctance visible in their movement, both Duncan and Bella followed Old Prophet to a rocking thonet. Beside the rocking thonet was a table with a book and a peculiar box resting on it. In front of the rocking thonet were two wooden chairs of similar design.
Old Prophet sat leisurely on the thonet rocker and gestured for both Duncan and Bella to do the same. As Duncan an d Bella occupied their respective wooden chairs, Old Prophet's facial expression became serious.
Old Prophet stared at the two with a piercing gaze. "What do you two know about our world?"
Duncan answered. "Our world, Terrana is divided into four quadrants namely; northern quadrant, southern quadrant, western quadrant and eastern quadrant. We are located in the eastern quadrant. The eastern quadrant is further divided into five nations which are Kingdom of Delvros, Ruins of Naman, Empire of Pagat, Ancient Tesemmi and Xake Dynasty."
Duncan took a deep breath and continued. "We are situated within the Kingdom of Delvros. Amongst the five nations, the Kingdom of Delvros is the smallest in size and the weakest in power. The kingdom is able to maintain its foothold in the eastern quadrant only due to the assistance provided by the Church of Order. This led into a situation where the church's authority in the kingdom surpasses even that of the royal family."
Old Prophet added. "The kingdom is bordered in the north by Ancient Tessemi, in the south by Xake Dyanasty, in the west by Ruins of Naman and in the east by Empire of Pagat. We are currently situated within one of the cities that encompass the lands of the kingdom, namely the city of Ashton."
Old Prophet then turned to look at Bella. Bella seemed to have shaken off the earlier wariness he had towards Old Prophet, at least most of it.
Bella shrugged. "Knowledge is not my fort Oldie."
Old Prophet took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "I will only say this once lass. You can either call me Robert, Mr. Prophet or Old Prophet. I will not entertain any other name."
Bella nodded. "Point taken Oldie."
Old Prophet gritted his teeth in such a manner that made Duncan to start seriously questioning the well being of the man's teeth.
Duncan took it upon himself to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. "I must apologize for Bella's conduct Old Prophet."
Bella grumbled. "You know that I am not a kid, right?"
Duncan rebuked. "But you behave like one sometimes."
Old Prophet groaned as he rubbed his forehead. "Just what type luggage has fallen on my doorstep?"
Old Prophet faced the duo with a hint of resignation etched on his face. "My cursed luck."
There was a stretch of silence before Old Prophet continued with a somewhat calm tone. "Listen careful to what I am about say. This knowledge may probably ensure that your heads stick to your neck, at least it is supposed to ensure that."
Old Prophet's whole domineer change as he adapted the qualities of a teacher. "The knowledge that is imparted to the public is true but not the completely truth. In fact in the grand scheme of things, the amount of truth known by the public can be considered nonexistent."
Duncan frowned as he asked. "Then, what truth is kept from the public?"
"Currently I can only tell you pieces of that truth for even I can't comprehend its full scope."
Bella tilted her head. "Pieces?"
Old Prophet nodded. "I am just a cockroach like you, it just happened to be that I'm way fatter than you. The first thing that you have to know is that the world around you does not operate in the way you believe. There are forces of unnatural power operating within the shadows, there are creatures so haunting that they redefine the very description of what an abomination is and there are humans who wield powers beyond your comprehension. "
Old Prophet puffed his chest in pride. "I am among the last group as you must have already figured."
Duncan and Bella wore an expression of incredulity as they looked at Old Prophet. At least that was true in Bella's case.
Bella turned to look at Duncan. "I think Oldie is trying his best to tell us a bedtime story."
Duncan scratched the back of his head. "In my honest opinion, it is a miserable attempt."
Old Prophet glared at both Duncan and Bella. "You do know that the person you are talking about is sitting right in front of you."
Bella wore an expression of shock. "Wow, it never crossed my mind."
Old Prophet slumped into his thonet rocker in resignation as he gazed at the basement's ceiling. "What have I done to deserve such a cursed fate?"
Bella answered. "You are just unlucky to have encountered us."