Anya Oracle’s body shivered as hints of a dark premonition teased her senses. One of the [Obscuring] rings she’d given out had been removed.
Most Fate Mages would never dream of hampering their own abilities by sharing such items, but Anya was not a normal Fate Mage. Unlike most others, Anya could bypass the obscuring effect of items powered by her mana.
Furthermore, Anya could tell when linked items were being used – and when they weren’t.
The removal of one of her strongest rings normally wouldn’t have been cause for concern, but coupled with the bone-deep feeling of foreboding, it was enough to make the Oracle stop what she was doing to seek out the affected individual.
Anya’s eyes glowed with lavender mana as her sight shifted. The target of her search was quickly identified, and Anya sucked in a sharp breath as she saw the girl’s immediate future.
It looked like the start of one of her worst-case scenarios.
Unfortunately, her Foresight was abruptly cut when the young Earthborn was propelled into the swirling vortex of black mana that denoted a Tier Nine rift.
If it had been weaker, the Tier Eight Fate Mage might have been able to catch a glimpse of what was inside. But unfortunately, stronger rifts were beyond her ability to See within. Even weaker rifts gave her trouble, but even glimpses often provided valuable insights.
With an inarticulate grumble of frustration, Anya pulled back her focus, hoping to at least locate the Tri-Affinity Mage. Her earlier efforts at seeing the details of this particular future had never amounted to much, but she hoped that things would be different now that events were in motion.
Frustratingly, powerful obscuring enchantments blocked her ability to locate the girl beyond narrowing down the planet. Such formations were exceedingly rare due to the cost associated with creating them and the mana required to resist spells like hers.
However, the fact they existed in that location itself was somewhat telling. There really was only one place Emie could be – Sira.
Anya had no illusions about being able to rescue Emie, though they might be able to lessen the danger to the girl. Even if they managed it, the girl’s survival would still be in her own hands. There was almost nothing they could do to really help her.
But if she did manage to survive and escape… Emie would be that much stronger for the experience.
Anya shook her head as she located her brother. Things needed to be presented to him in just the right way to prevent some of the worst potential outcomes from becoming reality.
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“Henny,” Anya called out, using the nickname she’d given her much older brother when she was a younger. “We need to talk. I need you to promise not to do anything until you hear me out.”
He’d been handing off his responsibilities as Patriarch since returning from Earth in preparation for his eventual ascension. He was little more than a figurehead and deterrent for potential troublemakers than anything at this point.
Even so, being a figurehead required the occasional bit of paperwork, which she was sure he was reviewing instead of reading some mindless drivel on his tablet while he sat at his desk in his office on Aegeas.
Henlen Kairos – or Kai, as he now preferred to be called – stiffened at his sister’s comment and looked up from the device. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Alright,” and motioned for her to continue.
So far, so good, Anya told herself as she shut the door behind her and activated the privacy wards. Once they were active, the Fate Mage circled the desk and stood next to her brother.
Kai raised a brow at her actions, but he remained silent.
“She’s already in a rift, so short of killing yourself to create a new Time branch, there’s nothing you can do to change that,” Anya said as she rested a hand on her brother’s arm. Her eyes glowed with mana as she used her brother’s connection to the girl to boost her Sight. “Time magic holds her in Stasis for now. When its hold expires, she will either progress and escape or fail and die. You cannot directly assist her.”
Her brother’s body had stiffened with her first words and had only grown more tense as she spoke.
“What can we do?” he growled angrily, though he did not pull away from her touch.
Anya blinked several times as her gaze shifted through visions only she could see. The Fate Mage released a huff of frustration as she shook her head slowly.
“Not much,” she admitted. “There may be a chance to reduce the threat and improve her odds—”
“We should do whatever it takes,” Kai interjected. “I won’t let those Sovereignty bastards kill her like this. How’d they get a Time Mage to work with them anyway?”
“I believe this was former Councilor Arona’s doing. She was forced to ascend during the Council meeting you were called to, and I suspect this is the reason why.”
“Of course she did,” Kai scoffed before balling his hands into tight fists. “How many of her precious sect members were involved?”
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“The inquiry is still ongoing.” She said after dropping the spell. Seeing his dark expression, the Fate Mage said, “Henny, I know you want to lash out, but this could end up being a positive thing for your disciple. As long as she doesn’t delay long enough to violate the contract or die, she’ll come out stronger for it in the end.”
“What can we do to improve her odds?”
His focus was intense, but his sister expected it. She knew how much hope he’d placed into the young Earthborn, even if he didn’t admit it to himself.
The white-haired Fate Mage stared at her brother for several seconds as she thought back to the visions she’d had of potential futures. She wanted to warn him away from certain actions, but she knew better than to tempt Fate in that way.
Instead, she settled on pointing him toward certain outcomes.
“I’m almost certain she’s somewhere on Sira. If we can find the rift she’s in—”
“We can weaken it or find a way to maybe break into her instance,” Kai said, taking over the thought. “I know some people who specialize in rifts. I’ll reach out and see what they can do. I imagine it’s a challenge rift if it’s used to assassinate people. That’ll probably make things trickier.”
Anya inclined her head thoughtfully. “Maybe. Finding the rift will be important, regardless, if only to prevent hostile action being taken against her if she manages to escape.” The Fate Mage hesitated for a moment before continuing, “It’s going to take decades, Henny.”
Her brother’s expression hardened, though she could tell his aggressive sentiment wasn’t directed toward her.
“You said she’s in Stasis right now,” he said, causing Anya to nod in response. “As long as the system doesn’t count it against her, she’ll probably be fine. Rifts on Sira have compound time dilation, so she’ll have plenty to work with when the spell releases her.”
“You have your own contract to worry about,” Anya reminded him.
“I’ll deal with that when the time comes,” Kai replied stubbornly before looking away. “It was never guaranteed she’d reach the Pinnacle in time.”
“And until then?”
The Time Mage turned back to his sister, his expression stony. “The Sovereignty Sect isn’t the only one who can work around the Accords.”
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Anya wasn’t looking forward to the next conversation. To be fair, she hadn’t looked forward to the last one, either. However, knowing Emie’s family would likely blame Kai for the current predicament, Anya had offered to break the news to the girl’s parents.
Anya knocked on the door of a modest home in one of the neighborhoods outside the sect’s Hadier branch. The bodyguard she’d been assigned by the Council stood a few feet away, monitoring their surroundings through his perception skills.
The door opened, revealing an older woman.
“Hello. I’m Anya Oracle. Your daughter Emie might have mentioned me?”
Clearly, she had since the woman’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh! What can I do for the Oracle?” Emie’s mother asked before opening the door wider and hesitantly adding, “Would you like to come inside?”
“Yes, thank you,” Anya said with a smile. Her bodyguard followed her in but remained near the door. “I’ve come to talk to you about Emie. Let me start off by assuring you that Emie is perfectly safe at the moment, though her situation is… precarious.”
A man that Anya assumed was Emie’s father had already been seated in the living room when they entered. He immediately stood and took a step forward.
The bodyguard didn’t react since the man was no threat to Anya. Even if he wanted to do her harm, he was too weak to do much.
“What do you mean by precarious?” the man asked. “Where is our daughter?”
“Again, I just want to reiterate that your daughter is currently safe,” Anya said, emphasizing the last word. “Unfortunately, she was abducted and forced into a Tier Nine rift.” Emie’s mother gasped, but Anya continued, “I cannot be certain without examining the rift, but I believe it is one that cannot be exited without completing the objective.”
“Why? Why does this keep happening to our family?” the woman asked as her eyes filled with tears. She reached for the man, grasping his hands. “First with Justin and now with Emie…”
“You can see the future, right?” the man asked as he wrapped one arm protectively around his wife. “That means you know whether or not she’ll survive.”
“I can see some things, though nothing is ever certain. We are trying to push the odds in her favor, but there’s still a chance she won’t make it,” Anya replied gently. “Fighting a full tier up is difficult, if not impossible, for most people. Normally, I would hesitate to encourage hope in such a scenario. However, I’ve seen futures where she returns, so this isn’t a hopeless situation. I’m sorry I can’t give you a more definite answer.”
“How long?” the mother asked. “How long until we see her again?”
“Decades,” Anya replied. “The earliest is a quarter century or so, but it could be much longer than that. My visions are imperfect that way. I’m sorry.”
“Twenty-five years!” the woman cried.
“And who exactly is responsible for this?” Emie’s father asked with barely suppressed anger. “Where is her so-called Master, anyway? Why isn’t he here telling us about this instead of you?”
Anya could understand the man’s perspective, and she felt sympathy for his pain.
“The person ultimately responsible was forced to ascend when she broke a system-enforced oath. I am almost certain the abduction was carried out by a Tier Ten Assassin, but it’s too early to verify that,” she said, answering the first part of the man’s question.
“If it was an Assassin, why didn’t they kill her?”
“Even Assassins prefer to avoid being labeled as Offenders,” Anya replied. “The method used granted Emie just enough of a possibility for survival that their actions didn’t count as murder. Had the Assassin not cared about such labels, I imagine we’d be having a very different conversation right now.”
She was trying to be gentle with the information, but it was a lot harder than she anticipated. Even watching the conversation play out via Foresight wasn’t enough to prepare her for the emotional exchange.
“As far as the Patriarch goes… He is currently organizing a search for your daughter. I suspect he’ll be more actively expressing his displeasure at your daughter’s treatment soon.”
“What does that mean?” Emie’s mother asked.
“I don’t think the Sovereignty Sect is going to exist in any real form by the time Emie escapes from the rift,” Anya answered grimly.
“The Sovereignty Sect,” Emie’s dad said slowly. “They are the ones who’ve been causing problems for her since the dungeon.”
It was a statement, not a question, but Anya nodded anyway.
“I don’t understand how you let this happen if you can see the future. Why didn’t you prevent Emie from being taken in the first place?” the woman asked with a hint of anger.
Anya tried not to take the criticism as an attack. She’d expected the question and the implied accusation, after all. But that didn’t mean that she’d come up with a good answer.
“I understand your sentiment,” the white-haired Fate Mage replied. “I’ve asked myself the same thing on several occasions. Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. I try to guide events toward certain outcomes, but even I lack any real control over the future.
“Your daughter was warned, as was my brother and the Council. Efforts were in place to protect Emie, but even the best efforts can be thwarted with the right magics and enough effort.”
It wasn’t the best answer, but it was the only one she had. Even with her ability to see potential futures, Anya was not in any way omniscient. Sometimes, Fate had its own plans.