Zed stared at the book in disbelief. He had to blink twice to confirm what Isadora had said was true. A frown settled on his face when he confirmed it was indeed blank. And now that Isadora saw how he behaved, a frown also settled on her face.

"How comes you don’t know the book was blank?" She asked. Zed, who was still in a dazed state, looked at her, surprised by the sudden question. He stared at the book in Isadora’s hand before he let out a sigh.

"I told you I was waiting for you all this time. Do you know why? Because you were the only person who could unbuckle that book. I can’t even touch it myself," he said with shrugged shoulders.

"That book has been lying in that shelf for God knows how long. I have lived for two hundred-plus years but no one has ever touched the book. The prophecy states that only a true member of the Crescian royal family can open that book. Everyone tried but they all failed, including your parents and His Majesty, King Griffin," Zed said and let out another sigh.

Wait! So her uncle knew about the book. Of course, he knew. Don’t be ridiculous Isadora! He is a king for heaven’s sake! And that meant he had access to almost all the information in the kingdom, including this. But why didn’t he tell her before? She was also a royal family member. Or did he know she was the one to unlock the book? And what was with her and this damn book?

"What’s with that prophecy you said about and how am I related to it and this... book?" She asked. The whole damn thing was making her curious. Was she a special being or what? Was the answer to her inner powers also in this damn book?

"The prophecy states that a man and a woman shall merge to form one united nation and bring peace at the time when the continent will be war-torn. For the prophecy to be fulfilled, either of the two must find each other and..just know what they are destined to do," he said.

Now Isadora was confused. How would they just meet each other and know what they are destined to do? That was ridiculous! Maybe they would be attracted by some inner force or something... Well, why did she care anyways. She was not that woman after all. Who were these two people then?

"And who are these two people? This... man and woman?" She asked sarcastically making Zed to chuckle.

"It is written," he began and walked closer to the parlor. He poured some wine into a cup and took a sip before he turned to face Isadora.

"The person who will unbuckle that book and read it’s contents is, The One," Zed said and took a sip of his wine, his eyes never leaving a confused Isa’s face.

"Does that mean... I am the woman in the prophecy?" Isadora asked though she knew what he would say next. Her heart hammered erratically inside her chest as she anticipated for the answer.

"Yes, and no," Zed said, now confusing her even more. Was it a yes or a no?

"Since you are the first person to unbuckle the book, then I presume you are part of The One. However, you were unable to read the contents of the book," he added. Zed held his chin as he contemplated on something. Wait!

"I think The One is complemented by two beings which means..." He said and his face lit in surprise.

"Which means?" Isadora asked. She was dying of curiosity now, and Zed was damn good at leaving cliffhangers!

"Wait," he said and rushed to the shelf. He picked ag grey book and perused hurriedly through the pages. Isadora could see the excitement on his face as he searched for whatever it was he wanted in that book.

"Yes! It is written that The One is like a two in one being, two souls, two lives that compliment each other to form what seems like one being."

"And?" Isadora asked. She didn’t understand what Zed was trying to put across the board. In fact, The One’s prophecy had been said so many times that it even turned into a myth, long forgotten. She had heard about it only once in the palace but she had not gotten the full context of the prophecy. And seeing that it was related to the royal family of Crescia, it would be unwise for the other nations to linger on it.

"What I mean is this princess. You were able to open that book because you are part of The One. However, you were unable to read it because the complete you, the complete The One, is required to read the contents of that book. That said, yes, you are a part of The One, the woman in the prophecy!" He said in a thrill.

"And why did you say you have been waiting for me? I thought you would explain to me why my inner power is not activated yet I’m a royal member of the Crescian Royal Family," Isadora asked, shoulders dropped.

"Yes. Every other member of the royal family who came here had their inner power activated except for you. Don’t you think that raises some brows?" He asked, putting the grey book on the table.

"Not that you don’t have your inner power, princess. It’s just isn’t the right time to unleash it. In fact, you would be so powerful that it would be unfit for you to have your inner power active. It would be... catastrophic," Zed said the word in a whisper.

It was now the turn of Isadora to get confused. Did that mean her powers would cause harm to the ones she loved? If that was so, she was grateful it was still inactive. But for how long? If she was a part of this The One, then that meant the other part, the man, was also somewhere around the continent.

And come to think of it, the prophecy stated that The One would be unleashed during a great war. Griffin was already gathering his troops for the war because he knew Valoria would not give in to his demands. And she knew Valoria was not as dumb to sit and watch as Crescia gathered her troops. That meant war! A great war! Many kingdoms would support Crescia because of the rule, but still, she knew Valoria had her allies. If there was a time she needed to act, then it was now!

"Thank you for everything... Zed. I have to go now," she said. Zed simply nodded and looked at the book in her hands.

"That is yours now. Don’t let that book fall into the wrong hands." Isadora nodded before she walked out of the cave with the book in her.