<em>It shall be then, when the dark one is revealed, a deadly duel shall mark a time of prosperity and the end of history.</em><br/><br/>Clyde flipped through The Book of Prophecy, picking out individual lines and reading the cryptic words of his future as given to him by The Order of the Golden Dawn.  Just a week or two ago, he would have said that it was all hokum; self-important old men and women using fear and vagueness to derive fame and fortune from the masses.  As he flipped through the pages, he reflected back upon the events that had brought him to this point.<br/><br/><em>When the day comes that the mark is revealed, a terrible act of cruelty shall usher forth depravity.</em><br/><br/>He had just been an average student, dully plodding his way through a life of barely getting passing grades.  He loved to read, loved to fantasise that he was out slaying demons, challenging The Dark Lord to a duel of single combat, saving the world with his acts of bravery.  He barely lived in this world, with how often he had retreated within his own mind.  And then she had arrived.  The transfer student had a breathtaking quality about her, one that he couldn't help but stare at.  She had noticed him, smiled at him from across the room, then had sat down in the empty spot in front of him.<br/><br/><em>Upon the day water rises to the sky, a proposition shall usher forth an end to hunger.</em><br/><br/>He had been walking home after school, after having spent most of the day staring at the transfer student's backside.  He hadn't even caught her name, when the teacher had announced it to the class, but when he rounded a corner and almost ran into her, he had known something was awry.  Initially thinking she had been bothered by his gaze, he had apologised, only to be forcefully grabbed and dragged down a darkened alleyway of the booming city, away from the bright neon signs and the crowds of people, and towards the pleading screams for help.<br/><br/><em>Once the star becomes shrouded in shadows, it shall embrace him.</em><br/><br/>A monster had been there.  Some sort of imp or the sort, he hadn't really known what any of the things were at that point.  He'd stood in shock, watching the sight before him, allowing it to sink in.  The imp was only slightly shorter than a human, with fiery red skin that glistened with exertion.  It was hunched over a figure, rocking back and forth, and it had been a full minute before the screams and pleading had snapped him from his reverie.  The monster had torn the clothes off of some helpless woman and had been fucking her.  Her back on the ground and her legs lifted upwards, she was practically folded in two as she was both held down and violated by the disgusting little fiend.  Looking back, he didn't even remember the words she had said to him when his classmate had leaned forward and whispered something into his ear, but a longsword that shone with fierce golden light had appeared in his right hand.  A hand on the small of his back had pushed him forward, towards the monster and victim.<br/><br/><em>The star shall find him, the star shall ignite him, the star shall guide him.</em><br/><br/>He had acted rashly, instinctively, and slain the creature then and there.  He'd been hurt, then, but it hadn't mattered.  He'd saved the woman from her fate and, although it looked like she had already been despoiled numerous times, he had saved her from that fate continuing.  That was when his entire world had changed.  There were monsters, and some of them even walked among us, using magic to hide their identities.  Magic existed, and was the dominion of both monsters and humans.  The Order of the Golden Dawn was a real thing too... a stonemason-y illuminati-esque cult of people that worshipped alchemy, occultism, and prophecy.  Apparently he was the Chosen One, and he alone could save the world.  According to the book, at least... although it certainly seemed to contradict itself at times.<br/><br/><em>The sun will never see what happens after sunset.</em><br/><br/>He was obviously the sun/star, he reasoned, and the dark one was clearly his nemesis.  The duel was a fateful battle that would bring peace and unity to the world.  But how was he supposed to solve world hunger?<br/><br/><em>When trees shed their leaves, the graceful woman shall mark a strengthening of bonds.</em><br/><br/>They didn't even make -sense- half the time, he mused, before closing the book with a frustrated sigh.  He was in the designated meeting place, waiting for signs of his handler.  She was showing him the ropes, and while he had been able to get a -little- bit of information about her out of the enigmatic woman, her distance only made him dream about her more.  He'd save the world for her, though.  Maybe when she saw how dedicated he was to her cause, to her Order's cause, she would warm up a little towards him.  He didn't even really know HOW she knew where monsters were in the city.  The Order communicated with her somehow, that much was clear, but her choices of hunting assignments seemed very strange... almost as if she was only sending him after weaker monsters.  He was The Chosen One... nothing could stand in his way.  He could handle more.  But he didn't tell her that.  He still didn't have full control of his power, and still needed her touch to awaken it... so he couldn't anger her, even for his own pride.<br/><br/><strong>"Ah, there you are"</strong>, he said, hearing soft footsteps approaching from behind.