Chapter 16: The Second Destined Child

“Impossible! Could he be…” Grunt exclaimed.

Lillin nodded. “Probably.”

The two rushed towards the young Gremlin and checked if he’s alright. The villagers, on the other hand, were all confused but started to return to the village.

“Leo!” a beautiful female Gremlin ran towards Leo. It was his mother.

“He seems to be completely exhausted but he should be fine,” assured Grunt.

The female Gremlin hugged her child and carried him slowly to their house. Lillin and Grunt followed. The rest of the villagers went to mourn for their loved ones who have fallen to the hands of the raiders.

“Good afternoon, Madam, can we stay here as well?” asked Grunt. “We would like to ask a few things from your son once he has recovered.”

“I am Loreen. What are you going to ask? Maybe I can answer them for him,” the mother replied.

Lillin and Grunt looked at each other, then Grunt spoke, “I’m sure you’ve seen what your child did to save your village. We believe that your son is one of the destined children who can control one of the four elements.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Loreen said. “The story of the destined children is just a legend. Nobody believes it.”

“Please believe us! One of our companions is a destined child. He can control the element of ice, an ability that has been long forgotten,” explained Lillin.

Loreen looked at her son. Finally she said, “Who are you? Why should I believe your stories?”

Grunt answered, “I am Grunt, one of the generals of the Cyclops. I am travelling with Lillin and a fellow named Chris who is one of the destined children. I was asked by our village chief to protect Chris and find the other destined children who are prophesied to save Uld…”

“Please I don’t want to hear any more!” the woman interrupted. “I just lost my husband and my son is trying his best to recover. I don’t want to hear any make-believe lore of the past.”

“I just lost my village, my friends, my comrades, and the village chief…” Grunt sadly recounted.

“What happened?” asked the female Gremlin.

Lillin responded, “Just like Steeltop, his village was also raided by the Discordians. However, unlike your village which was saved by your son, Ishrock was completely destroyed. The village chief used a spell that killed all the raiders, but also burned the village and its residents in the process.”

“I… I can’t believe it!” the mother gasped.

“It is true,” Grunt said. “The prophecy is happening and we need your son to help us protect everyone from the attack of the Discordians. Our village has already fallen and yours barely managed to carry on. We need the aid of the destined children to protect the other villages!”

“I don’t know what kind of destiny awaits my son, but I don’t want to lose him, not after losing my husband…” Loreen started to cry.

Lillin hugged Loreen. “We will do our best to protect him. Grunt and I are not one of the destined children but we have a firm resolve to protect what has been entrusted to us. Please believe in us, and more importantly, believe in your son. He is destined to protect Uld.”