"So you now know why I think of you as the Prophesied One."
Kinnara the Garuda Priestess said to me as we were standing atop a rocky hill that oversaw the entire lobby.
I went to the Garudas' dwelling so they could help me practice with my wings.
We were getting closer to the fifth Quintal Trial, so I wanted to really prepare all my skills.
Moreover, I inquired the Priestess about my seal since she seemed to know something about it.
The Priestess surely did not disappoint in terms of her knowledge.
Apparently the Garudas had this ancient prophecy about a certain woman that will don something called the Wings of Absolute Perpetuity.
I no longer doubted the Priestess when she mentioned that name.
From the combined terms alone, I understood the prophecy was referring to my seal, Wings of Ananta, which enabled me the skill, Absolute Perpetuity.
It was truly bewildering how much information this prophecy contained.
Not only the end of the world, but the prophecy also foretold the forged land.
[She will be seized and enslaved in a land of the chosen, at the dusk of Manusha's reign.]
[Her destiny will be controlled by the one of the far star.]
The descendants of the Great Pioneer were supposed to rule over Dunia forever.
That was why it was called the Eternal Throne.
The Dusk of Manusha's Reign was something inconceivable that it could only happen if the world were to reach its end, which it did.
Land of the Chosen.
Heroes summoned to the forged land were, indeed, chosen in some way.
The Twin Goddesses certainly seized me when I accepted their contract and then brought me to the forged land.
And given the decree of that contract, it could be said that I was being enslaved.
The One of the Far Star must refer to Master.
Sigyn was a being from a higher dimension that intervened with the fate of Dunia through the forged land system created by the Moebius Company.
Nobody could interpret the prophecy to this extent before the end of Dunia.
But any hero of the forged land would be able to piece them together given what we had learned so far.
"It was one of the oldest prophecies known to the Messengers of Garuda."
The Priestess said.
She continued.
"The message was bestowed by a forgotten Primal Master, or god as the wingless would call them. It was told that this forgotten Primal Master possessed the power to see the future and was the source of our many prophecies.
"The Primal Master clearly stated it would be a woman that would don the Wings of Absolute Perpetuity.
"As the Messengers of Garuda, we regarded those wings as the greatest honor and strength any creature could receive. They would simply turn into a supreme being. Everyone must bow down to the One that donned the Prophesied Wings.
"It was for that reason we only had Priestesses to rule over the Messengers."
When she mentioned that, I was reminded of a certain organization that only appointed women as their true members.
I wondered if the prophecy had anything to do with it.
"For thousands of years we wondered who the Prophesied Woman could be.
"Would it be a Messenger? One of the Priestesses? Or would it be a wingless?
"When we heard tales of Princess Samesta's might, many Priestesses thought she could be the Prophesied One."
Everyone in the empire knew how incredibly strong and talented Samesta was.
We knew she would be destined for great things.
Just how much stronger could the Wings of Ananta make her be?
It was inconceivable.
"Whomever it might be, we knew the Prophesied One would be tasked to save Dunia from its fated end.
"It was for that reason my children and I kept hope even as our world was being overrun by darkness. So when the Serpent's Eyes offered us the contract to come to the Land of the Chosen, we immediately accepted their terms.
"I knew that if the forged land was not the place where I could obtain and don the Wings of Absolute Perpetuity, at the very least, there I would meet the Prophesied One."
With her story, the Priestess had submitted her complete allegiance to me.
I already accepted myself as the Prophesied One in the Garuda's prophecy.
Being the Prophesied One did not burden me as I dreaded it would, however.
The burden of being Sigyn's Vice-Master and being a hero of the forged land itself already pressured me enough.
Everybody in the forged land was tasked to save the world. A great duty that outweighed every noble mission there was.
That prophecy only put everything in better perspective.
Though it still gave me many questions.
"What does it mean for me to be the World's Destroyer and Final SalvationorIts Punisher and Eternal Doom?"
I asked the Priestess.
She replied promptly as if she already had the answer prepared long beforehand.
"We believe you would only save Dunia after it is brought to ruin first. And if you failed, then Dunia would be lost forever, trapped in its doomed state for eternity."
That actually made sense.
Our clash against Samesta and her followers would turn Dunia upside down.
Moreover, we would still need to defeat the actual enemies that devoured our world.
How would Dunia survive those wars?
I certainly hoped there remained a world for us to live in once it was all over.
And that was not the only thing I was dreading.
"Are you certain I would have to slay the Eternal Serpent?"
I asked the Priestess again.
She immediately nodded without hesitation.
"You would have to do that if you're going to guide the world's fate toward salvation."
The Eternal Serpent was the supreme being of Dunia. Perhaps all of Samsara!
How would I slay such being?
My seal was, in fact, bestowed by the Eternal Serpent.
What power would I have over it?
I was now certain it was the Eternal Serpent that I encountered in the Advent Dungeon.
Its mere presence practically petrified me.
And I was supposed to slay such divine being?
"Perhaps the prophecy referred to me getting my seal. In the Advent Dungeon, I did fight the Eternal Serpent's guardians. Maybe that counted as slaying the Eternal Serpent."
I told the Priestess.
She replied to me promptly again.
"Did you use a sword in that battle?"
With a click of my tongue, I shook my head.
"No. I only fought with magic."
"The prophecy told you would slay the Eternal Serpent with the Sword of Eternity. You've seen how the prophecy has been fulfilled thus far. So you should know what that means."
Sword of Eternity, another important piece of the prophecy.
I hoped it was just a metaphor for some form of magical power.
But considering the term Wings of Absolute Perpetuity, it might mean an actual sword.
I already had some idea on what the Sword of Eternity could actually be.
Even so, there was a fundamental problem to that line of prophecy.
"I'm not a swordsman though. How am I supposed to slay the Eternal Serpent with the Sword of Eternity if I don't even know how to wield a sword?"
The Priestess responded to me promptly once more, as if it was common sense.
"Then you will learn."
"I am a mage! We might be in the forged land, but I would not have enough talent to become someone like the prophecy demanded."
My father and brothers were talented swordsmen.
However, I instead inherited my mother's magical prowess.
Swordsmanship was simply not a field I was gifted at.
But Kinnara did not seem to care no matter how I explained it.
"The prophecy also said your eyes could peer into the future farther than the Primal Masters could. And yet you claimed you can't see the future.
"The prophecy also stated that your wings will be bonded with chaos. You and I agreed that meant you would master dark arts. Another proficiency you currently do not possess.
"But those prophecies will still be fulfilled, Prophesied. You will fulfill them eventually!"
The Priestess stated sternly with those sharp hawk-like eyes of hers.
After seeing other parts of the prophecy being fulfilled, I did consider those to be possible as well.
Alam said a hero could possess up to three seals.
From my second or third seal, I might be able to gain a skill that would allow me to see the future.
And I had been planning to learn dark arts.
It would be difficult without someone to guide me.
But I would try anyway.
So I could accept for those prophecies to be possible. They still made sense.
That was not the case with swordsmanship, however.
I would be extremely lucky if I could develop level 4 in Basic Swordsmanship. The bare minimum that the first floor trainees had to achieve in their training.
There was a small chance for it to happen given the laws of the forged land.
But I would have to invest a lot of time developing a new branch of skills.
Precious time that I could allocate to improve my magical prowess instead.
This prophecy had revealed something annoying to deal with.
I wondered how I would deal with that lingering problem.
"Enough with the prophecy for now. Let's do something we can actually take care of at the moment."
I told the Priestess.
She promptly gave an obliging nod while spreading her wings.
"Very well. Your flying barely passes as a toddler still. We have a lot to work on if you want to be ready for the 25th floor."
I nodded to her as I used my seal's ability.
"Don't hold back on me just because I'm the Prophesied. I'm all yours to command."
[Exclusive skill activated! 'Serafina (★★★★)' is transforming!]