"Tell us a new one, Thelin," he begged, his large, golden eyes pleading.
Thelin laughed again, correcting his earlier thought. Almost all the children were pleased at his old stories. Little Cereden always wanted a new one. He was a curious youngster and Thelin was always happy to indulge that curiosity.
"A new one, hmmm?" he repeated thoughtfully.
"Yes! Tell us a new one, Thelin!" all the little ones cried.
The old man ruffled Cereden's golden-red hair and settled back against the stone wall.
"I shall tell you an ancient tale," he began, "The story...of the Pheonix Stone."
The children fell silent, watching him with wide eyes.
Thelin coughed and continued, "Once upon a time, the planets were fighting each other. The war had been going on for generations and it seemed there would be no end to the bloodshed. Then, one day, a farmer discover a golden gem lying in his field. He gave it to the ruler of his planet as a gift and immediately that planet began to win the war. But another planet heard of the stone and stole it. The war turned in their favor. So it continued, the war growing even more fierce as the planets fought for control of this stone. At the point where it seemed things could not become worse, a man appeared. He called himself a Knight of Peace and asked the planets if they would agree to a truce and come to a meeting. The rulers came and the Knight explains that the gem was sent to the galaxy to restore peace, not aid in war. He told them that since they could not seem to understand this, the Pheonix Stone, as he called it, would vanish and appear one day in the form of one who could choose his own path. The Knight added that one of his Order would remain in the galaxy to keep an eye on the Pheonix Stone. He left the meeting and the leaders decided to call a truce that has lasted until this day. Now the planets are threatening to begin another war-" he sighed- "Many look for the return of the Pheonix Stone, for only that can prevent this horrible tragedy from happening again."
Most of the children looked dissapoited by this story, for it was more like a history lesson than the tales they were used to. They wandered back to their homes, leaving only Thelin and Cereden. The boy looked up at the old man.
"Is it really true?" he asked softly.
Thelin smiled, ruffling his hair, "Yes it is, young one. Now run home to your master before he becomes angry."
"Alright. Thanks for the story, sir!" Cereden hugged Thelin before running off.
The old man chuckled, watching the boy fade into the distance. He pulled a medallion with a dove etched into it from beneath his shirt, rubbing it thoughtfully.
"Yes, we must wait for the appearance of the Pheonix Stone-" he groaned as he pushed himself to his feet- "But it is time for the symbol to pass on to a younger guardian."