Journey of the Golden Paladin
An original story written by Eric42

In the middle of the cavern, the Sacred Flame burned bright. In an eerie way, it's blue-orange flames could be considered beautiful, yet mystical. But the flames were not the flames of a normal fire, but one of the magic. The origin of the magic is no longer known, having been lost over the strands of time.

But most have no clue of the Flame's actual existence. Those who have approached the flame were killed by the flame, by being greedy and not paying the price the Flame requires. The Sacred Flame is an eternal, a flame that will never die out. The magic of the flame granted wishes, but only at a price, but very few ever figured out what the price is. For hundreds of years, the Flame has burned.

Eric stood before the Sacred Flame. His venture into the cave was a treacherous one, but his determination drove him on. He stood before the Flame, hoping that the one wish he had could be granted.

He stood before the Flame in awe, scared to even speak. The flames dances before him in their mystical beauty. Several moments passed as he stood there, but finally, he walked closer to the Flame. He was just a few feet from the Flame when he heard the voice echo in his mind.

"Name your wish."

He immediately knew that it was the Flame talking. It took him only a moment to remember what he was here for.

He started speaking. "I want... no, I need a new life." He swallowed hard. "I feel as if I have no purpose in life any longer, as if life has simply abandoned me. Can you help me with this?"

The pause that followed seemed to last forever to Eric. He noticed then that he was sweating, though it was freezing inside the cave, but he felt no heat coming from the Sacred Flame itself. This, he pondered for a moment.

"Pay the price." The voice of the Flame resonated in Eric's mind. Suddenly, Eric started to panic. A price?

"What price?" he found himself saying out loud.

The voice spoke. "A price must be paid in exchange for the granting of your wish. Name what you wish to give to pay the price and your wish will be granted."

Eric's mind raced. The price. He had to figure out what he could give to pay this price. He hadn't known about a price. His mind raced over many things in his mind, but he couldn't concentrate on any one thing.

Then suddenly, one thing popped into his mind and just stayed there. The one thing that has made his life seem worthless in the past several years: Love. His attempts at romance and love in the past several years were unsuccessful and most ended with him getting hurt. He felt unloved, as if people hated him.

But no matter what he tried to think about, that word would not leave his thoughts. Is that what he wanted to give up, his ability to love? No, he couldn't do that. But then another thought struck him. He always kept his love for the women he loved close to heart. He always said he will continue to love all those that he did. And suddenly a revelation washed over him as he realized what it was that made him feel worthless... that love that he kept.

His mind stuck on that for a moment. Maybe he didn't need to have this wish after all, he thought, but the voice of the Sacred Flame echoed in his mind once again.

"The price has been paid and your wish has been granted."

Eric looked up and at the Flame. The color of the Flame changed a bit, from the orangeish-blue to a golden-orange color. Eric felt dizzy for a moment and closed his eyes and then it felt like he started to fall.

When Eric opened his eyes in what was really only mere seconds later, he found himself to be outside. A warm summer breeze washed over him. He found that he wasn't even sweating any longer. He rose to his feet and stood up tall. He looked around and realized that he was at the mouth of the cave.

That was when he realized that the tattered rags that he was wearing before were now gone and was replaced with golden armor. He was confused for a moment. It was then the voice of the Sacred Flame echoed once more in his head.

"Your chosen price was noble, so thus your wish was granted in the same fashion. You asked for a new purpose, thus I grant you a position of prophecy. Go forth, Golden Paladin."

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