Prophecy

⭑ · · ᯓ 𐃈 ᯓ · · ⭑

Nobody had ever told them ascending a tower made for people who could fly would be such a challenge.

The stairs seemed nearly as endless as the questions surrounding their summons. A mysterious stranger who could supposedly see the future; they didn’t know what to make of it. And yet Felix and his two friends followed Finn to the very top floor of the spiraling tower, the Aery.

“You guys…” Kite gasped for breath. “…couldn’t have installed a lift?”

“Few are permitted beyond the first several floors,” Finn explained. “Even fewer are foreigners or non-birdfolk without the benefit of wings. That is what makes my master so extraordinary. She won the trust of the tribal council despite being a plumeless mage—respectfully speaking.”

“What’s this master of yours like?” Elora asked inquisitively as they approached the end of a long hallway. “You’ve said notably little about her.”

“I’ll have to echo Elora this time.” Kite agreed. “What gives?”

“It’s curious you ask that, since both Sir Hero and yourself know her personally, Miss Elora.”

“We do?” Felix and Elora said at the same time.

Finn simply smiled.

“Normally, I’d make the formal introduction of the Oracle of Windia myself, but we don’t have much time, and, well…” He said, pushing open the double doors. “I’ll let you three catch up on your own.”

As they walked through the doors to the library, Finn had already disappeared from behind them. They were greeted with a jaw-dropping sight.

The room itself spiraled like the outside of the tower, books stacked high until they reached the glass ceiling. Corded light crystals hung at varying lengths, resembling a starry array. The closest comparison Felix had was the library at the Studium, but even that paled beside the collection before him.

As their footfalls echoed against the stone tiles, a small figure came into view, her nose buried in a red book. She set it down as her guests drew closer, hopping down from a chair much too tall for her short legs. Felix’s eyes widened.

The young woman was catfolk, and far more feline in appearance than some of her kind. Even so, mid-length brown hair fell around her round glasses, her bangs parted in the middle. She wore a wide-brimmed, midnight purple witch’s hat with holes cut for her ears and a robe to match.

“Prim?!” Felix’s face lit up. “Prim, it is you!”

Felix broke into a jog, overjoyed to see someone he actually knew. He had only met one other person he’d remembered from the time before he lost his memories, and that was his brother, Dante. Back at the Studium, the two of them had bonded over books. Prim had been his favorite reading companion.

And later, his party member during the Hero’s campaign, though he didn’t remember any of it. Elora, who did recall those days, wore a conflicted expression.

As Felix strode up to the cat mage, he clearly intended to hug her, falling to one knee to do so. Prim had other plans, however.

“…”

Now at the same height, Prim shoved her open paw into Felix’s chest, unleashing a dark spell that sent shockwaves of intense pain throughout his body.

“AHHHHHHHHH!”

The man collapsed onto his chest, cheek flat against the floor. Elora immediately drew her spear, Kite joining her in a fighting stance as they were shocked and put off by the sudden attack.

“What the hell’s your problem, lady?!” Kite snarled, rushing between her and Felix. “Huh?!”

“Prim, what is the meaning of this?!” Elora exclaimed. “That’s Felix you just attacked!”

Prim didn’t answer at first. She held out her fist, opening her palm to reveal a threatening ball of black destruction magic that surged chaotically. The other two women gazed at it, puzzled. Prim’s expression was flat as she squeezed her hand together, the magic dissipating without further consequence.

“There. It is done.” The cat mage said. “The limiter placed upon Felix Atlasse has been lifted. A crude thing, that seal. Quite crude indeed.”

Felix gasped for air, his eyes shooting open. He scooted several inches away from the diminutive Prim with his face still grimacing all the while. He had taken some hard hits before, but the pain he’d just felt was different, deeper—like having something ripped out of his chest cavity.

“Limiter…?” Elora grew confused, finally lowering her weapon. “Prim, will you tell us what in the world is going on? You mean to tell us you’re the Oracle of Windia?”

“Start with an introduction, since no one else is gonna bother explaining who you are.” Kite hadn’t relaxed, glowering intensely. “And if you hurt my buddy again, we’re gonna have problems, lady.”

“Yes, Kite, I’d skipped the explanation to save time, but perhaps that was rude of me.” Prim shrugged, shaking her head. “I am Prim Derosier, Monarch Class destruction mage and a former member of the Hero’s party. Within the walls of the Citadel, I am referred to as the Oracle of Windia.”

“Monarch Class…” Felix’s mouth hung open. “But that would make you…”

“One of the three or four most powerful people in the world,” Kite finished, suddenly sweating. “Give or take.”

Prim had been around Saint Class the last Felix remembered. Back then, she had little interest in training up her magic for combat purposes. Prim was a natural prodigy in many academic disciplines as well. That always seemed to suit her tastes more.

“I should have guessed it was you.” Elora sighed. “I’m aware of few who share your particular divine blessing, Future Sight, but who could have guessed you’d be here in the land of birdfolk after these last several years? Tell me, why didn’t you reach out?”

“After assisting in the erasure of Felix Atlasse’s memories, I traveled for many months. Many months indeed.” Prim explained. “Though it is not a title I chose for myself, being the Oracle offers its own advantages. I provide what wisdom I can in exchange for being able to study here in peace, fed thrice per day by my attendants.”

“What are you, some kind of pet?” Kite scoffed at Prim’s mild annoyance.

“Felix informed me about how he lost his memories, or at least as his brother told it…” Elora clenched her fist at her side. “But…”

“Why?” Prim tilted her head. “Why indeed. I have asked myself that question many times, Elora Greenbriar. Many times indeed.”

Using their entire names when speaking was a quirk of Prim’s. Felix, despite his newfound fears of being shocked by her magic, was relieved that at least that hadn’t changed.

“I could excuse myself by saying that I saw a terrible future, a future where Felix Atlasse was inhabited by the very madness we fought and sacrificed much to destroy.” Prim’s tone grew dark. “I could say that the new Archmage King, Dante Valerian, gave me little choice in the matter. Would either explanation help Felix Atlasse or Elora Greenbriar to feel better?”

“No…” Felix, still sitting down, pulled himself to his feet. “No, it wouldn’t. I’ve more or less accepted that I’ll never be okay with having my memories taken away, no matter what the reasons are.”

“I thought not.” Prim nodded. “Dante Valerian and I agreed that your memories had to be removed. I did not agree, however, that you should be erased with them. The spell I administered was deliberately incomplete.”

“Incomplete?” Felix echoed. “Does that also have to do with the limiter you just removed?”

“Yes, and no,” Prim explained. “The limiter was a seal of destruction magic, designed to consume your power, should it swell to levels you could not control. Now that it has been removed, your full strength will gradually return. Your memories, however, will be tricky.“

“So, let me know if I’ve got this right…” Kite sighed deeply. “You’re saying you avoided erasing all his memories on purpose. In other words, you expected him to bust out of prison, and for all that other stuff to happen to us…?”

“Future Sight is not omniscience, Kite. I am not all-knowing.” Prim clarified, wagging her finger. “But yes. Your arrival here at this moment in time was one possibility. I see many, and they are ever-changing.”

Which leaves the biggest question…

“Then why summon us here now?” Elora asked the question Prim had been waiting for. “After you left without a word?”

“There’s a million other things I’d like to ask you about what you saw in those potential futures, especially about me...” Felix said. “And the reason why you’re returning my abilities now, after you and my brother both made it pretty clear that I was some sort of threat.”

Felix had begun to regard Battle High with real caution. If the decisions of world leaders were any indication, he wasn’t the only one.

“Precisely.” Prim nodded sagely. “I suppose we’ve danced around the matter long enough. I shall tell you the reason for your summons, and you shall listen carefully.”

The three waited with nervous anticipation. What they heard next stunned them into silence.

“Before the third day ends, at the opening of the Tribal Unification Festival, all three of you will be killed by a man dressed in black,” Prim revealed. “That is the future I have seen.”