"Assassins?" the diviner said, voice tinged in dismay. "Why are assassins coming for me? And...how-how many?" She was standing face-to-face with the person in the mirror, her fingers tapping an impatient rhythm on her elbows as she awaited a response.

A raspy and hoarse voice that sounded of old age responded, "I'm afraid I can't say. During one of my divinations, I uncovered dark tangled threads and could not sift through the knots properly. The only thing I do know is that they converge to you, and most certainly not with positive intentions."

"I see..." the Diviner paced around the room before she took a deep breath and exhaled. "What should I do?"

"Bring what you can and come to me. As you do so I'll try to find out the catalyst of this all. Though bold those assassins may be to go after a servant of a god, I doubt they would be willing to do their business here."

Without a moment’s pause, the Diviner sprang into action. She snatched a brown animal-skinned traveling bag along with a bow and arrow-filled quiver from beneath her rustic wooden desk. Then, she darted from shelf-to-shelf remaining composed. And like a seasoned forager, the Diviner collected books on each shelf with an air of predestined knowledge, as if the choices had long been etched in her mind.

"Assassins, huh. I suppose it's my cue to leave," I said.

As I got up from my chair and retrieved the golden coin on the desk, the voice in the mirror asked, "Sefya, who is that with you?"

The Diviner stopped and gazed at me. "He..." she began, then faltered, realizing she had no introduction to offer. After all, I didn't get the chance to introduce myself.

My mouth formed a grin.

"My adventures, abundant. My achievements, plenteous. Though I possess many titles unborn from my own words, I do go by one title of my own." I flipped the coin in my hand. "I...am the Sojourner. One who has traveled the realms afar and beyond. A name most travelers know."

"Ha! Haha! Hahaha!" What started out as a chuckle quickly intensified to an unending stream of laughter I wouldn't have believed possible for a beaten-down voice. It continued for a short while and once their bout finished, they inhaled deeply and said, "I wish I could say it was a blessing of Ulkina that he's there, but that may not be true. Sefya, at this point in time the god of luck smiles...no, embraces you in her arms. To think that the Seven Scabbard Fool would be there."

"Hey, I did say I possessed many titles, but I don't believe 'Seven Scabbard Fool' was among them," I retorted.

"Never mind that Fool, I have a deal for you," the voice said. "If you escort dear Sefya to me, I will see to it that you get a reward."

I put my hand to my chin, allowing for a fleeting thought. “Ah, interesting proposition. I think I’ll pass on that offer.”

I dusted my clothes and made my way towards the door.

I think I've heard something similar to that offer: Bring a Coin of Fate to a Diviner and you'll be rewarded. Taking the offer after my question went unanswered would make me an actual fool. And besides, I don’t have time to waste on another fruitless endeavor.

"I wouldn't be so quick to refuse, Seven Scabbard Fool."

I put my hand to the door.

"If I recall correctly, you still don’t have all the swords. How unfortunate would it be that I could offer you the lost keys to your quest, but was refused so carelessly?" she scoffed.

So you know of my quest. In that case...

"All right, you crone." I spun around and walked up to the mirror which reflected a person whose hood hid their face. They wore a robe similar to the Diviner's but with much more elaborate gold lacing. "If you know who I am, then you know what I want."

“How does the location of two swords sound?”

"Enticing."

"One is hidden in the dungeons of the lost kingdom, Vandir. The other I'll tell you once you bring Sefya to me. So, will you accept?"

I held a finger. "You wouldn't mind me taking a small detour to Vandir while I escort your precious oracle, will you?"

"Feel free to do so…if you can. I promise they aren't lies. But remember, I need Sefya alive. It’s your choice to take her where you will with the risks that follows along."

"Then we have a deal."

It was hasty—both the offer and my decision to accept. I hadn’t yet considered if I was capable of accomplishing the task or the perils that would lay ahead, things I would have always considered in the past. But the bait put before me was the only light I’d seen in years. There’s no way I’d be given such a deal again, not me. My soul was tired of staring into a lightless abyss. If this was the price I had to pay for a lantern, then so be it.

"Overseer Blithe, surely you don't expect me to travel with this…stranger?" the Diviner asked beside me. Her traveling pack slung across her back was filled to the brim, latch struggling to stay closed. By the looks of it, she was ready for the journey ahead, that is, if that bag isn't full of books. "And you still haven't told me where you are?"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Blithe chuckled.

"He's your hero," she said, though I'm most certain it was with a hint of mockery. "As for where I am, you will find me at—"

The following words never reached my ears. They were silenced by a bellow of destruction unleashed by a fireball tearing through the walls and engulfing the space in front of me. The once musty aroma of the abode twisted into acrid smoke as wood splintered and books ignited. In that sudden chaos, what I feared could happen came to pass as I heard a shatter that pierced both my ears and heart. The fireball came shy of a couple feet from striking me next, heat brushing against my skin, but its course altered, arcing around me instead. As I followed its path, the reason why I hadn’t become its next victim became clear as I saw the Diviner’s arms extended, diverting the ball of flames through the roof where it exited.

As clouded sunlight filtered in through the searing hole in the ceiling, I quickly turned my attention back to the mirror. Even amongst the mess of burnt pages floating in the air and black smoke filling the room, it wasn’t hard to see what became of it. The mirror laid upon the ashen floorboard, shattered, as my ears had regrettably heard so.

"That's...unfortunate," I bemoaned, my tone not fully reflecting my frustration. I turned back to the Diviner and found her wiping dust off from both her clothes and face. “I don’t suppose you could divine what her next words were, could you?”

One of her eyes twitched and I felt a glare coming my way. She was unscathed, and I was too thanks to her, but I suppose it was still frustrating for both of us that the mirror had broken before Blithe had given us a clear direction of where to go. The loss seemed to affect her more heavily though, given she was unable to prevent it.

“Actually, never mind. Forget I asked,” I said, holding up my hands.

She pointed down through the newly created flaming window of the abode and said, “Don’t you have some business to attend to?”

A quick glance revealed that I did. The burning windows provided a view of a docked boat and three figures who had finished disembarking and who most likely launched the fireball at us. They each wore cloaks that seemed to swallow the sunlight and pinned on their right chest was a badge marked by a crossed bloodstain. The Brotherhood of Blood? Why are they the ones coming to kill the Diviner? I shook my head and pushed the questions aside for later. What matters is that they’re here now, and much sooner than I would have preferred or expected.

I took a deep breath and got ready to greet the new arrivals.

…

“Hello assassins, I would like to offer a truce,” I said, walking towards them on the island shore.

“You missed. Now we have to stay here longer,” said a large lizard-man whose cloak outlined his bulk.

“You try...using magic...after getting clawed by a Shadow-lurker,” replied a figure leaning upon his wooden staff. His heavy heaves between words almost convinced me his lungs could spew out at any moment. “But you can’t use magic. So—”

The assassin ahead of them held up his hand and silenced them.

“A truce is unnecessary, Sojourner,” he said. “We weren’t after you, but rather the one you just requested service from.”

“My offer still stands then.” I eyed them. The red-scaled lizard had a hammer as his weapon of choice. The one leading them wore half a mask and had no blades in plain sight. The wizard seemed too weary to engage in combat. “I recently accepted a request to escort the Diviner, and I’m afraid it means I’m unable to let you do your work. Furthermore, I have an aversion to fighting and I would gladly agree upon a scenario without confrontation.”

Their leader stood in silence as he pondered my request. Wind blew and the scent of the misty lake wafted in the air. It was only until the wizard let out a blood-spilling cough that a decision was made.

“I accept your truce,” the leader finally said and he gave a shoulder to his wounded brother.

As they turned around to leave, I did as well.

But then I heard the kick of dirt, and that was all I needed to unsheathe a sword. I spun around and my blade collided with a hammer that by all means would’ve shattered an ordinary sword. The lizard’s weapon of choice matched his bulk; its head was massive and crude. If it didn’t have the gleam of metal, I would’ve believed it to be a chunk of rock attached to a handle the height of a man.

While his weapon was crude, mine was quite the opposite. The surface of my slightly curved saber shimmered with the deep blue color of the ocean. However, depending on the power its wielder wished to unleash, its color can change to a dark red reminiscent of a phoenix's flame. Holding it in my hand, I could feel the very essence of raging fires, crashing waves, earthquakes, and lightning storms, ready to be harnessed at my command. This was no ordinary sword; it was a conduit to nature's fury.

“What happened to my truce?” I said as I sidestepped the next effortless swing of the assassin. The hammer missed my shoulder by a hair’s breadth and displaced the dirt beside me, a small crater now imprinted onto the ground.

“You must be one the most foolish people I’ve met.” He lifted his hammer up to his shoulder. “But you’re not bad with a blade.”

His muscles tightened for a moment and then the hammer smashed down upon my sword in the blink of an eye. My arm vibrated to the bone, causing me to nearly lose my grip. While his strength was nothing to scoff at, it wasn’t worried me most. Each passing second, we traded blows, and I became increasingly afraid of what was to come. I couldn’t let the fight go on any longer. So, I reached for a different sword on my back until I saw something of interest.

“Hey, your brothers are leaving you.” I pointed behind him.

“Yeah, and the Diviner is leaving you.” He pointed behind me.

We kept our hands on our weapons, unwilling to fall prey to such pitiful tricks...but we eventually succumbed. I turned around and it was true. Standing upon a ghost-rowed boat, sailing through the ghastly fog, was the Diviner. He too glanced behind him and saw a scene similar to mine.

“What?” He lugged the hammer on his shoulder and ran to his comrades.

Well, this isn’t going to be easy.

I sheathed my blade and started to walk to the edge of the island—only to collapse to my knees. My heart wouldn’t have hurt so badly had the uninvited flashes of distant memories flooding my mind had just been that, distant memories. Time could not dull the emotions of the past, and I was left to suffer even centuries after. I was reminded of a pitch-black night penetrated by the blaze of burning houses. Then the sound of a child’s ear-piercing shriek, whose father lay dead beside them, sprouting ashen horns from their head. Then the putrid stench of a river mixed with ash and blood. Scene after harrowing scene assailed me, each amplifying an anguish so profound it threatened to shatter my very soul. My hand clutched my chest, wanting to rip out my heart if it could. I could only kneel on the floor while the wave of emotion engulfed me in its ice-cold hands. What was most worrying was the blanket of darkness that sought to spread beyond my heart, attempting to take advantage of my vulnerable state. It was only for a few moments that I had fought, yet punishment still befell upon me.

I have to get those swords before it's too late.