The protagonist of the story Maxim Nelidov paints a grandiose historical canvas from the life of the twelfth Caesar Rome Domitian. As is known from the book of Suetonius "The Life of the Twelve Caesars", it was to him that the Magi predicted (up to a day and even an hour) death at the hands of the conspirators. The artist is looking for his own vision of Caesar, who has been trying to deceive fate all his life. Domitian's fear of personal misfortune leads to misfortune... Where is the Truth, the artist asks, if the past is paid for, the future is vague, and the present is constantly slipping away? These torments of a talented, but tormented in search of truth and his own inner vision of the world, step by step, lead the artist to the truth he has suffered. The artistic canvas of the story "The Prophecy of Askletharion" unfolds in two time periods in history - today and in Ancient Rome. Time parallels are not accidental. The author seems to be suggesting to the thoughtful reader: sometimes history repeats what ancient legends conveyed to us...
