Waiting had never felt natural to Nikolay. He was never fond of letting things simply happen to him, which fostered his dislike of the gods and their tendency to dictate the fate of sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike. An ideal candidate for destiny didn’t act on their own accord — they simply moved as fate saw them fit, nothing but a disposable pawn in the universe’s never-ending game.

Not to mention, it was plain boring to sit still inside of their house with nothing to do. Raine took to drawing on his sketchbook, while Nikolay found himself occupied with absolutely nothing at all. Left to ruminate on his own thoughts, he could only conjure up new scenarios of the impeding Christmas Day. Would they be caught immediately upon entry? What would they see inside the laboratory? This kind of thinking was frankly unproductive, but even Nikolay knew it was impossible to stop thoughts from forming.

There was too much time on his hands, yet the prophecy’s timer continued to tick down.

As if it were trying to make things worse, Nikolay’s body automatically woke up before sunrise without fail. It was helpful when they had a full day’s worth of travelling, or a busy schedule of gathering information. In this case, the extra hours only added more time spent worrying.

Complaining about it did nothing, though, so Nikolay sat down in an armchair and waited patiently for the sun to rise. If he was to drown himself in his own thoughts, at least he’d be comfortable and have a decent view in front of him.

First, the prophecy never made complete sense to him, even though they were supposedly almost complete with it.

Irideis had briefly explained a few lines during their first meeting, like ‘When crimson light shines upon a serpent’s domain’ meaning the timing of the blood moon and the location of Serpent Isle. Despite Nikolay’s natural distrustfulness, their interpretation hadn’t been proven wrong just yet.

They’d predicted the three artifacts and their temples from ‘returns a key to its rightful place’ and ‘strengthened by the past’, but didn’t elaborate at all on what the artifacts did. So far, the only noticeable use for the artifacts allowed Raine to see magic. He couldn’t wield magic — despite his best efforts — nor could he interact with pre-existing magic, like Nikolay’s aura.

Not to mention, there was a sentence that troubled him: ‘A wild beast, released from its prison of resentment, seeks to free its brethren’.

In his memories of the past few hundred years, there’d never been any mention of a sealed beast in Kosira. He wasn’t quite old enough to have witnessed the birth of magic itself, but the era of his first life would’ve still been relatively undiluted in terms of passed down history. Along with the mention of ‘brethren’, it seemed like there were multiple of this kind of beast. If it were a species that could make ‘all creations understand the meaning of eternity’, surely this would be important enough to make it into history.

There was also the possibility that this prophecy was fraudulent. Aside from Irideis, they’d only heard it from gossip in cities they visited. The guardians of each temple seemed to know of the prophecy, though, so it seemed highly unlikely. Nikolay might not like Irideis, but they’d proven time and time again that their skills could help Nikolay and Raine.

Even still, the words from Lavender echoed inside his mind.

That white-haired fox doesn’t belong in Marque.

Was it plain animosity, or was there something deeper? Nikolay brushed it off at the time, not wanting to be a pawn in anybody’s game. But as he thought deeper about the prophecy, things didn’t quite line up.

The sound of creaking floorboards interrupted his contemplation.

Nikolay looked over at the stairs. “Fancy seeing you here.”

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As though his thoughts had summoned them, Irideis walked past the living room.

“What do you mean? I live here,” they teased. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to take this house away from me.”

“It’s rare to see you here, that’s all.”

“Is that so? Maybe that’s because neither of us enjoys staying in one place for long.”

Actually, meeting Irideis here could be turned into something beneficial for him. At a time like this, Nikolay would appreciate something that could answer his many questions about the prophecy.

“While you’re here, I want to ask you something. How did you interpret so much from the prophecy?”

“The mystery is just part of my charm, no?” Irideis winked. “A magician never reveals their secrets.”

If Raine were here, he’d try to de-escalate the situation by backing up. But because it was only Nikolay here with no threat apparent, he was free to pursue the truth he desired.

“You were the one who told us the prophecy to begin with. You knew where all the Temples were, and the artifacts inside them. Nothing you say can convince me that it’s purely just coincidence. There has to be something else.”

“Hmmm… This is troublesome. You really don’t know when to give up.”

“Irideis, where did you hear the prophecy?”

They merely sighed. “Why are people so insistent on breaking out of their ignorant walls?”

“I’ll ask one more time. Where did you hear the prophecy?” Nikolay stepping forward menacingly. “Don’t prove my doubts about you.”

At last, Irideis finally looked him in the eyes.

“I saw it.”

Irideis then pulled down the neck of their shirt, revealing a divine contract mark. Etched across their collarbone, an uncountable number of golden eyes stared back at him.

Nikolay drew back quickly, his magic flaring up defensively. “You’re the Seer.”

“Mmmm, good,” Irideis smiled, their sharp teeth flashing bright. “I was hoping I wouldn’t need to explain your close brush against death.”

Their uncannily all-encompassing knowledge now made complete sense. The Seer weaved the prophecy, so naturally, Irideis knew everything about it.

And as for their threat, it wasn’t unfounded. Out of anybody, the Seer was the closest to the gods. They were even hardly considered a human, considering how much time they spent amongst the divine.

“You…”

Nikolay’s words trailed off. He couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t lead to an abrupt end to his final life.

“I’d rather you not speak at all, if you’re going to say something inane,” Irideis said. “Clearly, you still cling onto that bargained life of yours, so I would advise against sharing what I’ve told you today.”

From the very beginning, their actions were guided strictly by a personal messenger from the gods. Irideis didn’t help them out of generosity, or even for personal profit. It all came back to pre-determined fate. The illusion of choice. The ability to make your own path, forever just barely out of reach.

The emptiness of everything you once thought important.

Suddenly, Nikolay was transported back to his days living as the King of the Damned. Although seemingly in power, he merely acted as a puppet for somebody else. The idea of free will never existed from the beginning. Every single one of their choices had been pre-determined by some stupid fucking god, loftily watching from the comfort and safety of the heavens.

Frustration guided his next movements, logic long abandoned. If he died, at least it wouldn’t be while bowing to the gods and their Seer.

Nikolay threw a clenched fist towards Irideis, aiming for the bastard’s insufferable smug face.

As expected, his fist stopped short of its target. It stuck in a half-swung position, glued in the air. No matter how much Nikolay tugged at his arm, it was lodged firmly.

“Fighting against the only living Time magic wielder is useless,” Irideis calmly stepped out of harm’s way. “Stopping your attacks is quite rudimentary compared to seeing the future. I would commend your bravery for standing up to me, but you look far too pitiful for that.”

Shortly after, time resumed for Nikolay’s fist, and he was able to pull it back to his side with a grimace.

“If you’re not afraid of death, then my Time magic can find another way. How about… reliving your days as the King of the Damned? You’ll get to watch everybody die in front of you again, and again, and again. Oh, what’s with that look on your face?” Irideis tauntingly grinned. “Weren’t you the one who ordered them to be executed?”

Paralysing despair crept up, ensnaring Nikolay’s palpitating heart. Memories buried deep in time reached up and grabbed him by the throat, stifling the words that had long dissolved into nothing. The azure magic surrounding him, no longer guided by disciplined thought, dispersed into formless wisps. His words, his magic, his calm judgement — everything left him in a sudden rush.

He was alone. Completely, utterly alone.

All Nikolay could do was stand there, tormented by his powerlessness.

He barely noticed Irideis moving away from him until they were already at the door.

“Remember, if you want to live, then follow the prophecy as written. Bye now~”

Irideis gave him a cheeky grin, the otherworldly aura suddenly gone without a trace. The white-haired guide waltzed out of the house, shutting the door behind them with a bang.