The Celestial Hunt

CH 18 Celestial Game Hunt

Chapter 18: The Oracle's Warning

The room was quiet, bathed in the flickering light of enchanted lanterns. Yuuto stood in front of the Oracle, her body suspended above the temple floor in a meditative state, her eyes veiled beneath a silk blindfold. Runes etched into her flesh shimmered softly with every breath she took, glowing in tune with the celestial energy swirling in the chamber.

Lyra and Rei remained a step behind, sensing the gravity of the moment. The Oracle rarely spoke, and when she did, her words echoed beyond the veil of time.

"Come forward, Celestial Marked," she intoned, her voice like a thousand whispers layered together. "The stars shiver with what you carry."

Yuuto stepped forward cautiously. "You called for me?"

"Not I. The balance did." Her head tilted slightly, as though peering through the unseen fabric of dimensions. "You’ve stirred the Celestial Threads. The hunt has changed."

Yuuto clenched his fists. "Then tell me what I’m really up against. I want the truth."

The Oracle’s voice echoed. "A God fallen. A Hunt corrupted. The beast you chase is not the one you were meant to face."

Lyra tensed. "What do you mean corrupted?"

"Another has taken control," the Oracle replied, her voice strained. "An Interloper who twists fate. One who hunts not for balance—but for dominion."

Rei narrowed his eyes. "Someone is manipulating the Celestial Hunt itself?"

"Yes. They have found a way to siphon divine essence. If left unchecked, the Hunt will cease to be a system of order... and become a warpath for ascension."

Yuuto’s heart thundered. He thought of the shadowy figures, of the whispers in his dreams, and of the strange surge of power he’d felt during his last battle. "Can you tell me who it is?"

The Oracle’s body began to shake, her voice fracturing. "The name is sealed by a pact of ancient blood. But I can tell you this: one of your allies carries the Interloper’s mark."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

"What?" Lyra asked, stepping forward. "That’s impossible. We’ve fought together. Bled together."

The Oracle’s blindfold darkened, as if soaked in shadow. "Trust is a luxury you must measure with caution. Watch their eyes when the moon is split. One shall reveal themselves in the turning of night."

Rei stepped between the Oracle and Yuuto. "You said a God had fallen. Which one?"

"The Keeper of Threads," she replied. "The God who once maintained the fates of mortals. Their death was the beginning."

Yuuto felt a cold chill. If the Keeper was gone, then it explained the strange chaos building in every Hunt. The creatures had grown more vicious. The line between worlds thinner. He was being thrown into stronger realms, where the veil of death hung heavier.

"So what now?" Yuuto asked. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

The Oracle lifted her hand. A scroll appeared from thin air, inscribed in a celestial language Yuuto could barely comprehend. "This is the path to the Skyrift. The last sanctuary of the Celestial Code. Within it lies the Archive—a place where the original laws of the Hunt are kept. If the Interloper seeks to rewrite fate, you must reach it before they do."

Lyra took the scroll, her hands steady despite the weight of the moment. "Then we go. No hesitation."

The Oracle turned her head toward Rei. "And you, Twin-Sealed, your path is darker. When the Archive reveals what lies ahead, you must choose between the blade and the bond."

Rei flinched, but nodded.

"Remember," she said, her voice fading, "only when the heart bleeds truth can the Hunt be redeemed."

Her body went still, her glowing runes dimming to a faint shimmer. The room seemed to exhale, releasing the tension that had coiled within it.

Yuuto turned to his companions. "We move at dawn. No more detours."

Lyra nodded. "The Skyrift won’t wait."

As they exited the temple, the winds whispered through the leaves, carrying the faint echo of the Oracle’s final words.

*"The stars weep for what is to come."*