Meera stared at the sorceress, unmoving. She knew the last line from the prophecy that Veridiana had shared with her. It was the one line that stuck with her the most. And beware, for the Arbiter will birth.

"How do you know I am the Arbiter?" Meera asked.

"You are not. At least not yet," replied Veridiana. "But you will be soon enough if my prophecy plays out how I think it will. But I will not reveal that to you now. For if I did, you will try to find ways to run from it."

Meera looked away from her. The sorceress knew more than she cared to admit. But Meera saw her chance. Maybe Veridiana knows about the true prophecy of Serenya. "The great prophecy that Kalrina recited to me doesn't mention any Arbiter, and she said it's the most accurate version to be found anywhere."

"Kalrina is not half as smart as she pretends to be," Veridiana stated, with a look that resembled the one her daughter often gave when dealing with the annoying witch.

Meera snorted. "I agree with you on that one."

"What did she tell you?"

Meera recited the words that she had committed to memory. After all, they were perhaps the most important words she had ever heard.

The Great Dragon shall rise from his fall,

Cower and repent, for doom is here for us all.

Aetheron's wrath shall be mighty and endless,

The gods will pay for his love's malice.

A Savior or Destroyer shall wake,

The worlds he shall save or break.

The Champion shall lose the one he loves most,

The fault of Midiea burns through the host.

"Hmm…" Veridiana rubbed her chin in contemplation.

"What?" Meera asked impatiently.

"It's not far from the prophecy I've heard, but some of the words have been altered, and the lines about the Arbiter are missing," she commented.

Meera sat bewildered. So, Numheia was right. It wasn't like she didn't believe the goddess. After all, if anyone knew how things would play out, a goddess would.

"The altered lines mean the same thing, more or less," Veridiana continued. "I am seeing the hand of some oracle at play here, who must've seen something new. But why remove the lines about the Arbiter? They are as follows."

The Arbiter wakes to follow a futile quest,

And will make their sacrifice and eternally rest.

"Now, you see Meera, why I said that you won't be able to change the course of the great prophecy, even if you could find your brother," Veridiana said.

Meera deflated. So, her failure was already predetermined two millennia ago. She asked a question she already knew the answer to. "Where do these lines fit?"

"Above the Champion losing the one he loves most line."

Meera squeezed her eyes shut. She drew a deep breath, putting her thoughts aside, and asked, "Do you know the original prophecy of Serenya?"

The sorceress sighed. "I think the lines you've recited are a close rendition of the Great Prophecy. There is a professor at the University of Saranya who can confirm. His name is Hiral Raka. He's a professor of Ancient History. A mostly senile old man, though he may not look it. Why the interest in the original prophecy of Serenya?"

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"Because that is the one that will come true," Meera replied, but before Veridiana could ask a follow-up question, she asked one of her own. "Why am I not the Arbiter yet?"

"Because my prophecy states it—the Arbiter will birth."

"And what do you think will make me the Arbiter?"

Veridiana heaved a heavy breath and let it go with a sigh. "This I will tell you. My death…my death will make you the Arbiter, and it must be you who kills me, Meera."

Meera did a double take. "I'm sorry, what?"

"If you think on the words of my prophecy, you'll know why, especially the last two lines."

One of the lines said that only Veridiana would prove her worth, and the following line warned about the birth of the Arbiter.

Only you alone will prove your worth,

And beware, for the Arbiter will birth.

Could they be interconnected? Is she going to prove her worth by dying?

"I mentioned earlier that when I killed Akhessai, I gained the power to rival the gods," Veridiana said.

Meera nodded. It was a question that was simmering in the back of her mind, and she couldn't wait to ask it.

"You'll need that power when the time comes to stand against Aetheron. The worlds, its people, the gods, and most of all, your brother will depend on your power. And you need to be as strong as you can be."

"How does killing you make me strong, aside from gaining a ton of experience?"

"Because there is a secret that only the Gods, Cosmarians, and Archdragons know. A secret that has been kept from us, mere mortals."

Meera leaned in, as did Veridiana.

"There is a second system," the sorceress whispered. "A more powerful one than the one you possess. It automatically upgrades the power of all your skills. With this system, your power can rival the toughest of Cosmarians. Of course, that is if you can get up to their level. Only the Gods and Cosmarians are born with it, and dragons who evolve into Archdragons earn this system."

"And you have this system?" Meera asked breathlessly.

She smiled. "I do."

"How did you…" Meera's voice trailed off as the answer clicked. "You earned it when you killed Akhessai."

Her face fell. "I had to pay a heavy price for it, but you are right. We, humans, can gain this system by killing one who already possesses it. So, when I die, I want it to pass on to you so you can gain the power to face your destiny because you will need every shred of power at the end."

"I'll take all the power I can get, but I've already killed a Cosmarian before or, well, a Cosmarian spirit," Meera said.

Veridiana frowned. "Tell me everything."

So, Meera explained to her the events that had happened in Azeria in great detail—everything from the prophecy to Erenyx taking over Narikas's body to Doromar taking over the Queen. As they talked about Narikas, she wondered how he was doing and if he had ever thought about her. When she finished her tale, Veridiana sat in deep contemplation.

"The only reason for you not acquiring the Cosmarian's system is because the Cosmarian was only a spirit, as you said, who possessed the Shadowsteel Warlord's body. Erenyx was not present in her body. If she had been, you and all the wardens combined would have presented a challenge equal to an insect trying to topple a Druvis."

Meera was not surprised. Doromar had taken down all the Wardens and had nearly killed Meera. They would all be dead if Brison's summoning spell hadn't worked in time. Her conversation with Numheia was still fresh in her mind, but she was intrigued by this new system and how powerful it could be.

"Can you explain to me how this new system works?" Meera asked.

"It's hard to explain, save that it has a new level-up system for your skills, which makes them more powerful. And no matter how high someone's Identify skill is, they will never be able to see your level."

Meera's eyes widened. "That could come in handy."

"Or they could perceive you as a great threat and bring considerable forces to bear." Veridiana's eyes bored into Meera's. "This is why I implore you to stay here and train. When my prophecy comes true, and I fear it will come true very soon, you must be ready to face whatever comes your way."

Meera nodded. "I see, but if I'm going to die in the end, then does it even matter if I gain this new system or all these levels?"

Veridiana sighed. "Meera, the point of me telling you Agniaz's story was that, in the end, she chose to die for her children. She gave up the one thing that dragons never give up—her true name. Before that, no one even knew that dragons had a secret name, one with which they could be controlled. She gave up the great secret of dragonkind so she could be stopped. So she wouldn't have to hurt the ones she loved. A similar time will come for you. When you need to make the ultimate sacrifice, so the Champion could fulfill his destiny and save all the peoples of our worlds."

Meera almost immediately responded that she didn't care about the people of this world, but that was false. She wasn't as cold-hearted as that. But she also didn't want any part of this great prophecy. A month ago, her greatest worry was that her father would make it through his surgery, but thanks to a mishap by one of the doctors, he never woke up.

Veridiana placed a hand on Meera's knee. "Unlike most of my sisterhood. I stand to gain nothing by trying to trick you into staying here. I promise I have been honest with you and genuinely want to help you grow strong. In the end, I want you to succeed in your quest of finding your brother, no matter what the great prophecy might call it."

The words—futile quest—flashed in her mind again. She couldn't get them out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. It was like a slap in her face for all she had done so far.

So, all this time, I've been following a futile quest.

It certainly seemed so. She was always a few steps behind Neel, no matter where she went or what she did. She had hoped his quest to hunt dragonlings would have slowed him down so she could finally catch up to him, but now, he was on Ealisto, with Silas and Cossus hot on his tail. A pair of Cosmarians who had tricked Meera into thinking they were her friends. If she hadn't run into Eryx, she would never have known and when next they met, she would have fallen into whatever trap they were setting up.

No, I'm not the naïve, lost girl they ran into. I will find this professor, learn the true prophecy, and find my brother. These Cosmarians, Sorceresses, Cultists, or whoever else stands between me and Neel, I'll kill them all.

Meera stood. "I'll stay."