Erzebeth was away dealing with an insurgence on the vassal states to the north. There has been a rise in two completely opposite rebellion movements as of late, one demanding our country to stop interfering with theirs entirely, while the other wanted us to officially annex them as part of our territory and give their people citizenship.

—This is too much of a coincidence. There must be someone pulling the strings to destabilize us —I had told her before she left.

—I agree, but we have no idea of who it might be. And there were problems that they exploited to make both rebellious groups. We might have grown too complacent of the state of our vassal states.

—They came to us for protection and relief; we have given them more than enough. We can’t stretch our army further or starve our own citizens.

She sighed.

—I’ll find a solution, don’t worry. Take care of the kids and the capital while I’m gone.

—You know you can trust me for that.

—Also, you are going to meet up with that mysterious oracle while I’m gone, aren’t you? —she said with a sly smile.

I couldn’t keep any secret from her, and she had learned from my business with that witch almost from the start. I have called her several times over the past five years to consult on the predictions obtained from the astral observatory, and as much as I hated to admit it, her record was almost perfect.

Fortunately, Erzebeth hasn’t discovered the identity of the “oracle”, as she has called the witch. If she knew her “best friend” also was able to see into the future, the hold that witch would have over her would increase a lot. It wouldn’t surprise me if she made her into the “royal advisor” or a position of similar power. With the events predicted recently on the new astral observatory, that was something I couldn’t allow to happen.

But to be honest, she could have easily figured it out if she really wanted it. The only reason why she hadn’t investigated more into the topic was because I asked her to not do it. And she trusted me to have reasons to do so. I needed to reciprocate that by making sure that the future we had peeked into didn’t come to pass.

—Your Majesty, Lady Dragonroot has arrived —A guard said, as he came through the entrance of the office I was borrowing, waking me up from my introspection.

I thanked him and followed him to the main gardens, just next to the entrance of the academy.

—Father! —I heard my kids yell as soon as I got out of the building, and they ran towards me, followed by another small figure.

Gaius was the more outgoing of the two, and had an ease to get along with other kids and even adults. He was able to follow some of our conversations and would ask me questions about what he didn’t understand later on. He also had an artistic streak, we have gotten him teachers from all over the region and they all were marveled by his talent and dedication.

Julius was more reserved and timid, but by no means less perceptive. He had shown a talent in magic and combat that I had never seen before in anyone of his age. Everything he was able to observe, he was able to replicate… given enough time. I was very proud of both of them.

—Uncle! —a little girl shouted while jumping towards me.

I barely managed to catch her, but I still got to spin her a few times in the air before letting her back on the ground. I hated to admit, but considering how quickly she was growing, in just a few years I wouldn’t be able to do that anymore.

That small bundle of mischief was my kid’s best friend… and the daughter of the witch, Violett Dragonroot. It was really hard for me to understand how they could be related at all. I had seen her playing with Gaius and Julius practically since they were toddlers, so I knew very well she didn’t have any ulterior motive, unlike her mother.

—Are you here to talk with my mother? —the girl asked, inquisitive as always.

—Yes, we have some business to attend to. It shouldn’t take us much time. Could you keep playing with Gaius and Julius while we talk?

She nodded, and the three kids ran away, to play under the shadow of a big tree that had been there since before we started building. I retook my path, to where the witch and her bodyguard waited.

—Good morning, your Majesty —she said, with a smug smile.

—Greetings, Lady Dragonroot —I said, continuing the pleasantries.

—Your letter made this prediction sound way more important than the others. I hope I'll be able to help with it… and that we finish quickly for us to go back home.

It was my turn to grin.

—Of course, but let's deal with it properly. We’ll discuss all about this prediction, once we are in the new Astral Observatory.

—Oh? I had never been invited even to the old one. This must be a really important prediction —she said, and turned towards her bodyguard—. Alyssa, could you take care of the kids while I’m gone? And no rough playing.

—Don’t blame me, it was them who started last time.

Violett came toward us, too precisely to be a coincidence. Her mother got on her knees and hugged her very strongly, and kissed her cheeks and forehead.

—I’m going to talk with his majesty inside for a while, please be careful. I’ll be back before you even notice, but don’t get too far from Alyssa. And don’t talk to strangers, or look at them, or--

—It is fine, mother, I’ll be fine.

The witch finally let go of her daughter and followed me. She seemed like a completely different person while talking with anyone else. But that’s precisely why I couldn’t trust her. As we moved into the buildings, I saw a familiar face approaching us.

—Good morning, your Majesty —the young looking man said.

—Tiberius, excellent timing —I said, allow me to introduce you to Rosanne Dragonroot. This is Tiberius Balbillus, one of the seers working at the Observatory.

—It is a pleasure to get the chance to meet you, Madame —he said, bowing his head—, I have heard so much about you and your prophecies, it is truly an honor to work with you.

The witch had a puzzled look on her face. It was not entirely unexpected, I have seen so many people make similar expressions before. After all, Tiberius was an unusual sight, he was a member of the elven tribe, which was quite apparent considering his darker skin, white hair, and pointy ears. I remember thinking that, taking in account who she was, the witch wouldn’t be one to judge someone based on their appearances. But apparently, she was judging him for something completely different.

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—Mister Balbillus, exactly how old are you? —she asked dryly.

—Madame, that’s kind of a personal question for us, since we--

—Your clan matures very quickly and then does not age for centuries, I know —she interrupted, looking not amused at all—. In 11 years, when Prince Julius and my daughter enroll into this academy, you’ll join in too to support the prince. I need to know how old you will be then. So tell me, how old are you?

She wasn’t asking, she was demanding to know.

—I-I am twelve years old… —he managed to say.

The witch looked at me, and I nodded. He looked like he was around twenty or even older, more because he was quite tall even among his peers, but I could testify that I had seen him as a baby barely more than a decade ago.

—I’m sorry for my rudeness —the witch said—. Still, you are not allowed to be anything more than a friend to my daughter, got it?

—Y-yes?

Tiberius was too intimidated to ask or say anything more, so we continued to traverse our path towards the Observatory. As we walked through the hallways, I noticed the witch was observing everything we came across, every corner and small sight. It somehow gave me the impression she wasn’t admiring them, but rather, recognizing them, as if she had been there before.

—Your majesty, could I talk with you?

—Sure —I said. The witch was walking a few steps behind us, and seemed completely uninterested in us.

—That was it, was it? Her ability to see the future?

—That’s most likely the case —I told him—. Especially in our current situation, I have considered asking you and John to support my kids. Aside from my wife, you two are the only ones I truly trust.

But to be honest, I hadn’t elaborated my plans as far as the witch had been able to peek.

—I’m honored, your majesty. And I’ll do whatever I can to support the royal family —Tiberius said—. It is, just… I didn’t expect her to be so upfront about it.

—She is… quite the personality. Be grateful our goals align. For now, at least.

At that moment we were arriving at the entrance to the Astral Observatory. Its location was meant to be hidden from prying eyes; the only official entrance was next to what will become the office of the headmaster, and it used several magic artifacts and enchantments to ensure only authorized personnel could enter. Of course, it has other entrances underground, connecting it to other facilities, all with the same level of security. And the exterior was concealed, or at least that was the plan. At that point, there was only half a tower.

—So that’s where you hid it, inside of the clock tower —the witch said with a grin.

I wasn’t even surprised she knew what the building would become. But, she wasn’t completely right. Part of the mechanisms and devices required were housed in the tower, but the Astral Observatory was underground. The roof of the tower worked not too differently from the antennas recently developed for the radios, catching information from the firmament and transferring it downwards, where it could be analyzed.

She seemed to start to realize this as we crossed the doors and went down through the stairs, around the main body of the astral telescope. Once we got to the bottom, I saw the eyes of the witch shine with curiosity, looking at all the mechanisms we had there.

—Ah, your Majesty, Tiberius, I had been waiting for you —the chief Seer spoke.

That man was John Flamsteed, a member of the Dwarf clan. He was short and stout, with fiery red hair and a long beard. He couldn’t look more opposite to Tiberius, but they were still family, just not by blood. John had taken care of Tiberius since they came from their motherland, after a terrible war had left it almost uninhabitable. For how he had described it, whatever happened there was almost as bad as what the ancient capital went through. At least according to the legends.

—And you would be Madame Dragonroot, I have heard so much about you —he said, introducing himself—. Please, come and have a cup of tea.

—With pleasure —the witch said with a smile that looked almost authentic— I have to say, everything here looks… futuristic.

—It does, doesn’t it? All of our equipment is state of the art —John said, after pouring and delivering her a cup—, some are my own designs, others we have improved. I’m confident there is nothing more advanced in the world. Come, I’ll give you a quick tour of our facilities.

I don’t think I have heard anyone describe it as futuristic until then, but I could understand what she meant. We had a calculating system that helped automatize most of the work, a thinking golem so to speak. Several displays were hung on the walls, and there were more on the desks, all capable of being interacted through a “keyboard” made of stones with runes engraved on them.

—And of course, the jewel of the crown, the Spectral Projector! —John said in a dramatic voice.

That mechanism was in the center of the room, surrounded by panels, more keyboards, dials and levers. John activated it, and images started to appear above it, floating in front of us, creating a recreating of the firmament out of pure light and magic particles.

—A hologram? —Rosanne murmured, sounding incredulous.

—What was that? —John asked.

—Ah, n-nothing. This is pretty impressive, I have never seen something like this —she said—, but I doubt his Highness called me here just to give me a tour. What is the problem?

—This. There is a little black spot on the sun —John said—, on its own, it wouldn’t matter, but it hasn’t disappeared in years. It hasn’t changed size or moved either. It is a signal.

—I see —she said, but didn’t sound too convinced.

—We have observed and analyzed every aspect of the firmament since we detected it; the movement of the stars, their wavelength, the astral radiation, everything. Then we compared the data with historical records, and we still ended up with an incomplete prophecy.

He gave a signal to Tiberius, who pushed more buttons to make a representation of our country and its population appear below the previous one.

—We don’t know why, and we don’t know how —John continued—, but in less than a year, around twenty percent of the inhabitants of this country will cease to exist.

The projection started to show people disappearing, only one by one at the start, here and there, but as time went on, they vanished in droves. I took a look at the witch, and was pleased to finally be able to take her by surprise. My satisfaction lasted very short, as I saw her initial mild confusion turn into dread.

—T-this can’t be, nothing like this is supposed to happen! —she said.

She looked like she was having trouble breathing, and walked away, having to lean against a wall to avoid falling to the ground. Both Tiberius and John ran to her side. I was still trying to process what was happening. This was unprecedented.

She had never been caught this unaware of something that would happen in the future, even in the worst cases, she seemed to at least have a general idea of it. We had run out of resources on our own, she was really our last hope. If she couldn’t tell us what this catastrophe was, we would never have had a chance to prepare and avoid it.

—Calliope’s curse —I heard the witch suddenly say, but there was something weird with her voice.

Then she fainted, she would have hit the ground if Tiberius and John hadn’t been next to her. We took her to a nearby chair and tried to help her, but she was completely unresponsive. We had to call for a doctor. Fortunately, not only a doctor was nearby, but it was HER doctor. Maxwell Conrad was already visiting the premises, talking with the future headmaster, since we were trying to convince him to become a teacher at the academy. The doctor came running after Tiberius went to look for him, and he was able to wake up his patient and stabilize her condition.

—Your blood pressure dipped, and your mana flow went crazy. AGAIN —he said after he checked her vitals once more time with the help of his snake familiar—, you are going to be fine, but you need to stop doing this sort of thing, for your sake and mine.

—I’m sorry for making you worry —the witch weakly replied.

The doctor, in an unexpected move, pinched her cheeks.

—So, what even got you like this this time? —he asked, without letting go of her, but turning towards me. His face was calm, but his glare was demanding an explanation.

I hesitated for a moment. He was the one who helped with Julius’ birth, and has demonstrated his talent and worth since then. I felt he was trustworthy, but I still didn’t know him well enough. And he was deeply connected to the witch… yet, I didn’t feel he was working FOR her. He had also entered the Observatory, so there was no point in keeping it a secret.

—This is the Astral Observatory, where we are able to make predictions of the future —John spoke, after I gave him a signal—. We have been working with Madame Dragonroot to clarify some aspects of them, since she is able to foresee the future in her dreams.

—Is that so? —the doctor said, turning towards the witch. She tried to look away.

—There is a big catastrophe coming, and when we told her about it, it upset her.

—Hmmm. At least you found out how to stop it? —Maxwell said.

—Not quite. She mentioned “Calliope’s curse”, but then she fainted. What did you mean with that, Madame?

—I… don’t know? I don’t remember having said anything like that, and it doesn’t sound familiar.

—It doesn’t sound like any curse that I know —I said.

Nothing like that existed even at the royal private library, which I visited whenever I had some free time.

The doctor pondered for a few seconds.

—That’s because it is not a curse, not a human-made one at least —he spoke—, it is from a legend, a curse-like plague that turns people into monsters. It is also known as… Lilith’s wrath.