"At first, the moment I saw you, I intended to confront you and accuse you of treason and deception," Setarek said to Neftraya. "But now I'm not so sure."
The prince had returned to the palace with the priestess and other priests, escorted, before the pharaoh, who had stayed behind with Krarvathar.
Neftraya seemed slightly concerned. They were in her chambers within the pharaoh's palace — a small room used for handling sacred jewels and artifacts. Some of her acolytes were preparing a kind of medallion.
"What changed?" the priestess asked. The prince sighed.
"In the temple, at the moment you arrived with my father… It wasn't a simple faint caused by yesterday's events, as everyone must have thought. In truth…" He looked her in the eyes. "I saw our God. I was somewhere else, not there."
There was no excitement in his voice. That caught even the acolytes' attention; they glanced at the prince, but quickly returned to their work when Neftraya stared at them.
"Please, tell me more, Prince. Contact with the divine is the specialty of priests, and I am very interested in knowing why you changed your mind about me." Neftraya smiled, welcoming.
"You were my mother's personal priestess."
"Indeed. The late Goddess Queen Meritbaraset was the one responsible for my rise…" Neftraya ran her fingers over the rings she wore. The prince leaned against a bench near the table, feeling somewhat tired.
"My elven friend accused you of deception — of having allied yourself with evil, of bringing the creature here, and of using my father for your own purposes," he said directly, holding the woman's gaze. "That's why I felt betrayed, because my mother always said you were trustworthy. So I thought about…"
He looked away, avoiding saying what he would have done to her because of the supposed betrayal. The priestess held back a smile on the inside, amused by his naivety.
Setarek stood up again and ran his hand over some of the jewels and artifacts on the table. Neftraya kept her face impassive, waiting for him to finish.
"But at that moment… the great DiptsurRá, the light of day, appeared to me. Crowned, holding a scepter, with wings, armored in gold and flames, he floated and spoke. He told me I should ally myself with the creature."
Setarek sighed, frowning.
"So what does it mean? Why do the Gods ask me to ally with something that is our enemy and the elves' enemy? A creature of chaos, darkness, and evil… and I am supposed to accept it willingly?"
Neftraya saw the pain in the young man's eyes — something that clashed with everything he had learned. A youth who had known the elves, who admired them, and who now found himself trapped in an inner conflict. She signaled with her finger for the acolytes to leave the room.
"Prince—"
"Just tell me. Tell me if he also appeared to you, if you did what you did because DiptsurRá commanded you as well… Tell me if it's true or not."
For a moment, it seemed to the prince that the air had vanished from the room. There, alone with her.
"My young prince. What you saw is real. What you heard from your mother is true, and what you heard from your elven friend is also accurate."
That only confused the young prince more. He shook his head slightly in denial. Before he could speak, Neftraya continued:
"Setarek, when the creature fell, something strange happened. He did not cease to be what he was, but became… something more." She smiled. "I did not expect this to happen. It was a surprise to all of us, but it did. You bravely stayed in the city to confront him, and what you saw on the floor of the ruined sanctuary was no longer a winged beast, but a form like ours. Human." She stepped closer to him.
"Even so, you did not hesitate to advance, like a warrior willing to die to protect your home." She looked at his neck, and Setarek found the gesture strange.
"The marks on your neck, from Krarvathar's fingers… they are gone." Neftraya took hold of the prince's arm; he was surprised. She looked into his eyes again. "The mark of the fracture in your arm has also disappeared…"
"It was Ishara who—"
"Oh, Prince, you have always been so idealistic about the elves… believing they could do everything. But it was not she who healed you." She released his arm, ran her fingers over the spot where the fracture had been, and stepped back.
"I… still don't understand where you're going with this."
"What else did the great DiptsurRá tell you, besides that you should ally yourself with the dragon?" She raised an eyebrow. The prince frowned, staring at the floor as he recalled the words.
"You shall be, Son of the Setting Sun, the embodiment of my glory on earth. You will fight alongside the Dragon, and great shall be your story." He repeated the words and looked at Neftraya. The prince's face was a mixture of uncertainty and astonishment.
"When the dragon fell, it wasn't only he who changed — you changed as well. Many unusual things have happened from yesterday to today. Things that have been occurring for some time now, to be precise." She turned her back to him and looked at the amulet the acolytes had been preparing. "The prince was also affected… You have become something more than you already were, Setarek."
She turned to face him once more.
"But do not be afraid. This is what your mother wanted, Setarek. That is the truth. She wanted you to be something more, ever since you were in the womb. Something that lay dormant and has now awakened. Your true purpose. Your destiny."
The prince opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
Neftraya picked up the medallion shaped like an eye. The prince felt as though he recognized that amulet.
"Now, if you will excuse me, Prince, I must return to my duties." She walked past him. Young Setarek remained in the same spot, as if his mind were struggling to comprehend everything.
"Ah, Prince, if you will allow me one piece of advice on what to do from now on: prepare yourself. Who knows what the proud elves will do in retaliation? One of their counselors went to your father wishing to reinforce the old alliance."
The prince turned to her. He knew about that, but he also knew the elves had decided not to attack the humans.
"But your father refused, for DiptsurRá answered him during the sacrifice. Besides, the elf was nearly killed by Krarvathar… but he escaped." The woman had a smile on her lips that frightened Setarek.
"So we can assume they may change their minds about how to act against us. Think about that." She looked at the prince once more, bowed her head slightly in respect, and left.
Setarek leaned his back against the wall and brought a hand to his face. He felt defeated.