Kalrina frowned, sat forward, and rested her elbows on her knees while steepling her fingers as if waiting for something. She looked at Meera's mirror, then back to Meera.

"Nothing is going to happen to me. It's the truth," Meera said.

"Never heard of Earth before, or have you found some way to trick the mirror."

"If I had, I would have said something different."

Kalrina nodded. "Where is this Earth?"

Meera was about to tell her it wasn't her turn, but Kalrina interjected.

"Come on, don't say it isn't my turn. After I told you that juicy story about the Reflectora, you can at least answer this one question," Kalrina said.

"Fine." Meera knew she was making a mistake by telling her this, but if she didn't, she would ask it on her next turn, and the friendlier she appeared towards this monstrous person, the more information she could get out of her.

"Earth is…actually, I'm not sure how far Earth is from here, but seeing as all the stars are different in the night sky, I will say it's very far from here. It is the third planet—world that orbits the sun we call Sol."

Kalrina's frown deepened. "You don't orbit a sphere like Mirithia?"

"No, though we do have a…sphere like that in our system."

"Oh, you have a system too?"

"Not that kind of system." She sighed. "We don't have a magical system, nor do we have magic or a voice in our heads telling us how many levels we've gained or that gives us notifications."

The witch leaned away from Meera as if she had the plague. "How do you people live like that?"

Meera shrugged. "We're far more technologically advanced than you. We've invented things that to you would seem like magic."

"Like what?"

"We carry a device from which we can access all the information in the world." Meera almost reached into her Lunar Hoard Belt and pulled out her phone, but it wouldn't have a charge anymore, so to Kalrina, it would look nothing more than black glass.

"That is…hard to believe."

"I'm not coughing up blood or dying, so you know it's the truth," Meera said. "My turn." Meera was about to ask about the prophecy, but something else popped into her head. There were other things she had to know. "Where can I find the Sorceresses of Akhessai? Your sisters. Where is their headquarters, lair, castle, or wherever they run things from?"

Kalrina squinted her eyes a little. "A curious question. Most people I know try to avoid us. They go around making sure they never see the dragon keep." The witch shook her head. "To answer your question, the sorceresses live in the body of a petrified dragon, who was once called Akhessai."

Meera frowned. "How big is this dragon that you are living in it?"

"Oh, it's bigger than most castles, dearie. After all, Akhessai was an archdragon. The strongest of its kind. Archdragons tend to grow quite enormous. The analogy of us being cockroaches to them wouldn't be wrong."

"But why live in its corpse?" Meera asked, still trying to wrap her head around living in a stone dragon.

Kalrina chuckled. "Dragons are the epitome of magic—the highest-leveled beings in all the worlds. Remember, I told you about the story of one waging war against the gods. It is our good fortune that they are solitary beings and stay in their corners of the world and don't trouble us much, or we would indeed be cockroaches to them. So, when one dies, their bodies remain a strong conduit for magic. A place where we can easily level up our magical skills, which was why Veridiana decided to make it her home after she killed the thing. Over the centuries, more and more sorceresses flocked to learn from her, and hence, we earned the name Sorceresses of Akhessai."

Meera nodded. "Cool story, but you still haven't told me where I can find this dragon keep called Akhessai."

The witch shook her head. "The impatience of youth. I can understand that you don't find the feat of killing an archdragon impressive, given you're an outsider. Just don't show this indifference among some of my more fanatical sisters. Anyways, Akhessai is on Gethys. About a week's ride northeast of Drurith on horseback. It's best to stay on the road and pray you don't run into any of Akhessai's children. They've never forgiven us for killing their mother."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Meera nodded. "Your turn."

"Oh my, I'd almost forgotten. Thank you, my sweet. I would love to know more about this Earth, but I cannot get my eyes off this dazzling new armor of yours. Tell me about it."

"That's not a question," Meera said.

"You've still to ask me about the great prophecy, and trust me, you want my tongue loose for that."

Meera set her jaw. "I found it in the Cave of Wraiths, in room number thirty-nine. Edwyn made it for the special someone in his life." Meera didn't want to say anymore, but her reflection was twitching and rubbing at her ears, and Meera was beginning to feel a sharp pain in her ears. "Edwyn made it for you, but I took it as my own."

Kalrina raised an eyebrow, looked Meera up and down, and smiled. "Keep it. The color suits you. Besides, knowing Edwyn, it's probably beneath my level."

The only thing that kept Meera's anger in check was that they were both horrible people, and she didn't need to defend the mad researcher.

"Tell me about the Warlocks of Winter's Embrace and where I can find them?" Meera asked quickly.

Kalrina squinted her eyes. "You have some strange questions. Let me guess, your brother is going to them."

"He might be."

Meera could see the gears turning in Kalrina's mind. This game was costing Meera a lot more than she thought. At this rate, she would have to fight and kill this witch once she was done with her questions.

"The Warlocks are our male counterpart in a way. But they are much more mysterious than us. It's hard to gauge their true numbers. They are led by three brothers, each a master of their art. From what I've heard, they deal in elemental magic mostly. I don't know their names as I try to avoid the wintery hellscape we call Ealisto. One of these brothers must be well-versed in ice magic as Winter's Embrace lies at the northern tip of Ealisto, where it snows all year long." She shuddered. "Their nether parts must have shriveled inwards from all that cold and lack of use. They are celibate, you see. All of them." Kalrina made a disgusted face, followed by a smug smile and a wink. "Though, I bet I could make them break their vows."

Meera ignored her comment and focused on the problem at hand. How will I get to the North Pole in an already near-frozen world…

"Okay, seeing as how you're quiet," Kalrina said. "My next question is something that you did not answer before. What did you get in exchange for wasting my crystal?" Vitriol seeped into her voice as she spoke.

Meera readied herself for a fight, but the witch kept a smile on her lips, so Meera stayed still. "Five more skill slots"

The sorceress beamed. "That is…fantastic."

Meera figured her time was running out. She better ask about the prophecy and get the hell out of here. "What are the exact words of the prophecy?"

"Ah, so we finally come to it. The famous words of the oracle Serenya that got her and most of her kind killed."

Meera frowned. "They killed her for warning about the end of the world?"

"Yes, and most of the other oracles. As it turns out, people do not like to be told how they would die over and over again. It happened about two thousand years ago. Serenya hadn't unlocked her seeing abilities yet, and what a marvelous way to unlock them by uttering the words of doom. Her fault was not keeping them to herself until she became famous. She went crying in the streets, but no one would believe her. It wasn't until she went town to town that the people decided they had enough of her. It was in the holy city of Mirithiara, dedicated to the mother goddess." Kalrina scoffed. "It's ironic that the one who spelled the fate of Mirithia would be chained and stoned to death in Mirithia's own city."

"But why were the other oracles killed?" Meera asked.

"Well, as it happens, oracles before that mostly focused on a single person, read your palms, told you your future, that sort of thing, and maybe said when there would be famine or have good crops. But Serenya opened the floodgates, as they say. After her great prophecy, oracles all over started having visions of the doom. They kept adding little tidbits to it or a way to recognize the Champion or when the Champion would arise. What precisely would happen to the worlds and its inhabitants? Some people began thinking that they were waking the dragon by uttering his name repeatedly, as throughout the centuries, Aetheron has been coming closer and closer to us. And thought that if they put the oracles to rest permanently, they would forestall the doom. All this culminated in the culling of their kind five hundred years ago, in an event we call the Blood of Seers. Only a handful of oracles remain, and they are in hiding for obvious reasons."

"What are the words of the prophecy?" Meera asked, growing impatient with the witch who loved the sound of her voice.

"My, my, someone is in a hurry. Now, mind you, the words of Serenya have been added to and modified many times, to the point that I don't think anyone is alive today who could tell you what they were exactly. But this is the closest rendition of them you will find anywhere."

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.

Meera frowned. "What host?"

The witch shrugged. "Most scholars believe Serenya meant the three worlds of Mirithia that host life. Hence, host. I don't think she was very learned and just wanted to make it rhyme. Say…how is your relationship with your brother?"

"What's that got to do with you?"

Kalrina smirked. "Nothing to do with me but a lot to do with you. I'm sure you two must love each other dearly, seeing as you came rushing after him here. If I were you, I would be worried about the Champion losing the one he loves most part. For your sake, you better pray, he's fallen madly in love with a girl in the past six months, or you are fated to die, dearie."