Chapter Text
The village is enveloped in darkness and gloom, where visibility is limited to occasional bright flashes of lightning and an eerie glow emanating from the ancient totem.
It's a mysterious item with reflective gold skin and big green emerald stone eyes. Many say it's shaped like a man, or is it an angel with wings? Its shape is truly somewhat strange, something nobody really knows the origins of.
What they know for a fact is that for centuries, this totem has stood atop the fountain. Serving as the life force that powers the entire village, nestled amidst the forest of its naturally beautiful surroundings.
However, the village's beauty is obscured by a fierce storm. Raindrops pelt the ground with a rhythmic intensity, their impact echoing through the air, transforming the earth into a canvas of dots and lines, as if painted by nature's own hand.
This wasn't normal for the village. Usually, it is bathed by the gentle sunlight and refreshed by the soothing breezes, with occasional mists of rain to water the crops. The village was always in harmony, some say it's thanks to the totem that protects them from nature's wrath, and without it... many fear to imagine such a day
So, something was definitely wrong.
- What's happening?
Then came four cloaked figures who approached the vibrant sigil. "This has to be the right one," one said as they snatched it from its pedestal, the very spot where the totem had stood untouched for centuries.
"No... No, NOO!"
"PARROT!"
Parrot jolted awake, gasping for air.
"Parrot, are you okay? You've been screaming in your sleep; you're gonna wake everyone up," Planet said.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize. You can go back to sleep," Parrot replied.
"Aren't you gonna tell me?"
Parrot hesitated, "Tell you what?"
"Your nightmare. What was it about?"
"Nothing, forget about it. It's the middle of the night. Let's just go back to sleep."
"Fine. Goodnight," Planet said.
The lights flickered within the village.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
“Parrot! Wake up! Something's wrong," Planet urged.
"Ugh, seriously? It's Saturday. Can't it wait?" Parrot groaned.
"No, man, you need to see this. The whole town is gathered."
Planet tossed the covers aside and yanked Parrot out of bed. Outside, light fog enveloped the town, but the tension could still be felt in the air. Amidst the blurry figures was the mayor, pacing back and forth on the fountain's edge as all the villagers stared in concern. Light chatter and whispers about the situation filled the air.
"What's the mayor doing?" Parrot asked.
"No clue. He's been like this for the past hour," Planet replied.
As they approached the gathering, the mayor announced, "I fear to announce that our precious totem was stolen last night, but no need to worry, we are currently working to figure everything out."
What used to be chatter and whispers quickly transformed into yells and madness as people pushed around angrily at the mayor. Among the uproar, Planet couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief.
"Look at him, he doesn't even know what he's talking about," Planet said.
"I don't know, this seems serious," Parrot replied.
"Nah, some kids probably pulled some stupid prank. ... Right? ...... Parrot?........
Parrot stopped hearing him a while ago; Planet was but a distant voice, something that worried him.
"I need to leave. Now," Parrot stated.
"What? Where?" Planet asked, confused.
"I... I need to talk to Orla."
"Hold on, can I come?" Planet offered.
"No, stay here. I'll be back. Fill me in later," Parrot insisted.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Knock, knock, parrot knocked on the hard, dark oak wood of the wide-open door.
"Hello? Orla? Are you home?" he called.
As he stepped into the tavern-like house, the wooden panels creaked, evoking faint memories of his childhood. He took a minute to breathe in, hit with the familiar smell of earthiness and sweet grass of dandelion tea, just the way Orla loved to make it. An old woman's sweet, relaxing voice answered.
"I'm right here, honey. Pardon my bad vision, but who is it?"
"It's me, Parrot."
As the words slipped from his mouth, Orla's features softened with recognition, and a warm glow surfaced on her wrinkled face. "Oh, wow, sweety! I haven't spoken to you since... since you were just a child. Come right in and make yourself comfortable. I made some tea from dandelion leaves I gathered this morning. Would you like some?"
"Yeah, sure, thanks. But I came to ask some questions I thought you might be able to answer. I didn't really know who to go to."
Orla sat next to Parrot with two cups of freshly brewed tea in hand. "Have you heard what happened to the totem?" he asked.
"Oh, dear, of course. It's a shame, really. That totem has been here since the beginning of time."
"And what happens if the totem isn't brought back?"
"Oh, precious, we will be fine. It's just the village. It will lose all its power. The lights will fade, the times will get harder, and the crops might wither."
"Oh..." Parrot paused. "Well, about that, I had a dream of the thieves who stole the totem."
"Ah, yes, dreams are very magical, aren't they? I haven't really had one in some time. I'm afraid many of us have had dreams like that, Parrot."
Parrot started to feel a pang of frustration and rose from his chair. "No, you're not listening. This wasn't any dream; this was much more specific! It was raining heavily, just like last night, and four hooded thieves came to take the totem, and one of them said something along the lines of 'It's the right one.' And I don't know what it could mean. I just... I mean, what is this telling me? It could be like a warning or a..."
Parrot started to spiral into frantic questions that his own words couldn't keep up with. His nervousness was clear, and Orla cut him off, "Well, the universe truly works in mysterious ways, choosing people at random. I don't really know why that is, but I may know someone who could answer your question."
"Who?"
"He goes by the name of the Oracle."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"The Oracle? You're out of your mind! You're saying you want to walk through the forest overnight just to meet some guy who says he knows everything?" Planet exclaimed.
"Um, yeah..." replied Parrot.
"Oh, you're serious..." Planet remarked.
"Yes, I'm serious. I'm not just gonna sit here and watch my town die".
"Are you crazy? You're gonna walk hours through a dangerous forest just to meet some rando called the Oracle? Come on, the town will be fine," Planet argued.
"Tsk, pack some gear, dude. We're leaving," Parrot insisted, causing Planet to chuckle, "Unbelievable."
***
Meanwhile, as Parrot and Planet journeyed, far away in a landscape blanketed in snow, there was a futuristic spaceship. Inside, the air hummed with the soft whirring of machinery as two figures conversed.
"Why are we here? Couldn't we have landed somewhere with more sunlight to get power quicker? Like the village we were at? What if the item doesn't even work? I don't want to be stranded in these snowy mountains."
"Well, why don't YOU go ahead to that town? I'm sure you'd have a lovely conversation with the people who want us dead," replied a voice hidden behind a wall.
"Ugh whatever, it's not like those lowly villagers would do anything." BANG! A searing laser beam narrowly missed his head. The atmosphere thickened with tension.
The voice blew on his steaming gun. "You're right, they wouldn't do anything against us, but remember I can wipe you out in seconds, so don't even think about leaving. You've seen what that leads to."
The thief's voice trembled, "Y-yes, boss..."
"Keep an eye out for people who might get in our way," the boss commanded, walking steadily past the power chamber and placing the totem.
"1 day and 9 hours," announced a computerized voice.
"And remember, don't you ever forget who's really in charge," the boss added in a threatening tone.