518: A Brand New History 2

Karg silently processed the information.

He looked toward the lake. It had once been the gateway through which they sought power and knowledge, but now it might be an abyss that had buried countless secrets and horrors. And Raven was in the deepest part of that abyss, facing alone the monster that had nearly brought about their complete destruction with a single glimpse. Silence spread between the three of them, broken only by the clamor of the jungle at night. The relief of surviving the disaster gradually settled, replaced by a heavy, helpless dread and reverence for a confrontation unfolding in an unknowable dimension—a battle beyond their imagination and beyond their ability to interfere with. "He will win," Saruman suddenly said again, breaking the silence.

The prematurely aged young wizard's voice was quiet, yet exceptionally firm, as though he were convincing himself while also declaring an imminent fact. He turned to look at Karg and Lina, his dim yellow eyes gleaming in the night with a light that seemed to see through all things, yet remained utterly certain.

"Why... are you so sure?" Karg could not help asking, though he hoped so himself in the depths of his heart.

Saruman gazed up at the night sky, as if watching a trail of fate beyond the stars. He spoke slowly, every word seeming to strike against the silent night:

"Because..."

"He is Raven."

"The messenger who wanders between endings and beginnings, the only clear shadow streaking through chaotic darkness."

"The one who buries the Old Ones, and the raven who leads in a new dawn."

His voice carried an ancient rhythm, as though he were reciting a prophecy from some lost age.

"If fate truly has an end, then the one standing there will surely be him."

"So, against this ancient