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Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the final chapter in this wonderful story from the pen of enderandrew. It is entitled
“The Four Eras” , by Joorus the Scribe
Background music is by Smartsound.

Volume IV

As the Obsidians vanished, the Oracle emerged bringing us into the fourth age, Oracular Enlightenment.

The timing of these two events seems more than coincidental.

One could suggest the Obsidian Empire created the Oracle with their vacuum, or more directly that they simply created the Oracle to spy on Novia so they would know when to return. But that seems unlikely as the Titans support the Oracle and the Oracle advocates for a return to the virtues of the Avatars.

You could also suggest it was the arrival of the Oracle that caused the Obsidians to disappear, that she somehow vanquished their mighty empire with her mere presence. This seems like a stretch, but it cannot be completely discounted.

She does not command any army by conventional definitions, though she has a large contingent of clockwork servants called Watchers that keep her informed of near every activity in Novia.

For the first time since The Fall, the citizens of Novia can hope for more than mere survival. There is an optimism in some corners that the darkest days may be behind us, that we’ve been living in an age of enlightenment.

Confirmatories were erected in major cities so people could seek her wisdom and guidance, even from a distance.

Some cities have grown into peaceful kingdoms and shogunates. We have trade and growth reaching the far corners of Novia. We’ve had a return to the arts and academia (of which I am grateful evidence). We’ve had 200 wonderful years of prosperity.

But the Dirae Prophecies suggest change is coming. We have outlanders pouring in. Will they be Avatars? Will they uphold virtue and serve as defenders of Novia or portend darker days? We may be entering a fifth age.

What this fifth age might be, I do not know. But I do know that our eyes have turned to these outlanders. Will they shape our future?