Chapter XIV
Ah, shoot! I was really hoping this would be the day, especially once she confirmed she was the one who killed Lord Cartigan! Tali thought as she sprinted down the spiral steps of the crumbling northern tower before bolting into a corridor, making for a particular lift. But I’m confident that if this isn’t the time for her to start warming up to us, then it must be the catalyst! I have a hunch that she’s going to use the Teritus eventually, and when she does, I’ll be ready to offer my hand once again!
She could hear the roar of the dragon off in the distance, confirming that Leiolai was properly playing her role in holding Ilirianna off so that Tali could escape. The Voice’s chest tightened at the thought of her dear friend engaging such a dangerous and powerful foe, especially given that she had no visions of Leiolai’s future with which to comfort her. As far as Tali was aware, all six of her closest allies may very well be dying or already dead. Barron and Quill were certainly doomed, but she truly wished, with all her heart, that somehow, Vesh, Keskivaara, Leiolai, and Uma would pull off the impossible and survive into the future with her. She didn’t want to sacrifice them to the brutality of King Markreas and the Masters, so when she first witnessed that horrific vision of Quill’s body exploding into gore at the hands of Rennigan Glaus, she had been unable to contain her shock—something that wound up making Quill suspicious.
But there was nothing she could do about it. She was completely and utterly powerless—enslaved to the whims of fate and cursed to bare knowledge she could not wield. Aside from her lie that Quill and Uma were guaranteed to survive, she had told only the truth when they arrived at her quarters to inquire as to what she’d do if she ever saw their deaths. She knew personally what trying to change the future would do, and that was why she could only obey it—why she reluctantly tipped off the Citadel about Ankalla’s location, why she sent out orders to remove their watchers from the road and send them all away, and why she continued to smile and reassure the others—to pretend that the Goddess Rei was a real entity and not a convenient means of control—even when she woke up on the dawn of the Kosah-Rei’s final day.
She was a liar, but if she told them, then they would stop cooperating with her. She needed them to obey, otherwise it would all fall apart. She needed to retain what strength she could for whatever rebellion she and Ilirianna would eventually lead. For years now, she had hoped that the Kosah-Rei leadership would still be at her side when that day came, but it was now apparent that those five were mere rungs on a ladder, helping her to reach her goal but not following after.
Would there be a punishment for Tali Firrik when all was said and done?
Would her obedience to her visions someday come back to bite her?
She smiled sadly to herself, her thoughts shifting to her uncle laying dead in the basement, then to her best friend fighting for her life against Ilirianna so that Tali might escape.
What am I even saying? I’m being punished right this very minute? So maybe it wouldn’t have mattered if I’d been honest with Uma and Quill? Maybe I was doomed to suffer no matter what I did…?
The young woman came to a stop at a nondescript part of the corridor, not far from her quarters, suddenly recalling something the Princess had shouted back in the common room.
“And how does this make you feel, huh, Sartella?! She’s admitting just how easily she can abandon you, yet you’re still standing there without a damn thing to say?! She’s admitted to lying to Vesh, and to Kristoff and Tyrus! Does that not mean anything to you?!”
Tali’s shoulders slumped, and for a brief moment, she wondered that very same question. Why had Leiolai stuck by her, even when she approached the changeling a few days ago to tell her the truth about the upcoming Battle of Ankalla? Naturally, Tali was able to assure her that she wasn’t guaranteed to die, but she did admit to knowing about the fates of Barron and Quill. At the time, Tali had been honest with her because she needed at least somebody around for support, and of the three leaders she didn’t know the fates of, Leiolai was by far the most trustworthy and the easiest to work with. Yet, even with that in mind, Tali had been prepared for the possibility that Leiolai would explode with rage and accuse her of deceit and manipulation. That would have been a perfectly valid response, for what Tali revealed essentially boiled down to the absurd end of their six-year long war—and end that was in favor of the Citadel.
But even so, once she had taken in everything Tali revealed, Leiolai simply said, “Thank you for telling me, Tali. I understand the situation, so just tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it. Like I said, I’ve finally mastered this form, which means I can actually make myself useful for you.”
Tali closed her eyes for a single second, imagining the confident and reassuring features of Leiolai Sartella when she made that declaration, and for the second time in the last few minutes, Tali hoped with all her heart that she would see the changeling again. Once she was prepared, she turned to face the wall to her right and gently placed a hand against what, to an ignorant observer, was a random spot on the stone. However, she wasn’t the type to not have contingency plans in place, and this was one of them.
Pressing gently against the wall, a small square no larger than her petite hand began to glow a dim blue, the charms weaved into the stone reacting to her mana signature. As it did, a secret door within the black stone swung outwards to reveal a circular shaft on the other side—a lift that would take her right down to the basement level at a spot that was a mere dozen yards away from the tunnel and led out into the surrounding countryside. If Leiolai survived, they had a planned rendezvous point where Tali would wait for a day. If the changeling never showed up, she would depart on her own. If Leiolai made it, she could rely on her for an easier means of transportation. Nobody but the two of them, as well as Barron, should know this shaft existed, so even if the Ijirians were aware of the underground tunnels and had sent somebody to defend it, they shouldn’t be prepared for Tali to arrive where she would.
The Voice hopped onto the black disk, and as she released her hand from the wall, the blue glow faded, resulting in the door gradually closing behind her and bathing her in pure darkness. Since Tali was not practiced in any sort of magic, she couldn’t use Ortumo to descend and instead had to place her hand against the left wall to trigger yet another signature sensor. Another dim blue illuminated her immediate surroundings, causing the disk to lower past all of the main floors of the fortress and towards the basement.
Tali took a deep breath, her foot tapping impatiently against the ground. She was fully confident that she would not be able to just walk out without some sort of obstacle to overcome, and while she knew she would overcome it, not knowing what she was about to face left her feeling anxious as the lift slowed to a stop.
She strode forward, using another sensor to open a second door that admitted her into one of the many storage rooms the bottom level was used for. She did her best to sense for anybody's presence, but she wasn’t terribly confident in her abilities, so even though she didn’t feel anybody nearby, she still proceeded through the dark room with caution—a smart idea given that she quickly learned she was not, in fact, alone.
A small ball of fire suddenly erupted into being a few feet in front of her right as she found herself staring down the blade of yet another sword, its tip angled at her exposed neck. However, something Tali always prided herself on was her ability to appear calm and collected, as if always in control, no matter how terrified she was on the inside. So despite being startled by this turn of events, Tali smiled pleasantly and regarded the person whose features she could now see beside the flames with curiosity.
“Mr. Kinrono,” she greeted. “When did you find out about my secret lift? And also, may I ask why you’re pointing your sword at me? I was under the impression we were friends?”
Velanor’s bearded face twisted with disgust as he narrowed his eyes. “Cut it with the performance, Firrik. You might be able to make your cultists dance on command, but I’ve never bought into your bullshit for even a second. You think, in all these many years you’ve let Rickori and I wander freely about your fortress, we wouldn’t eventually find this? I was always keeping my eyes peeled for anything suspicious.”
“Fair,” she conceded swiftly despite her internal hesitation at the thought that Velanor may have been observing her more closely than she had realized. “And—?”
“Given you’re the one at my mercy, I feel it should be you answering the questions,” he interrupted sharply, to which she could only reply,
“Okay then, ask away.”
He scoffed, as if annoyed she wasn’t reacting the way he wanted her to. “How much of this did you foresee? If your visions are real, then I find it hard to believe you didn’t know something as critical as this was coming. In my eyes, you’re either a complete and total fraud, or you’re a goddamn liar. Regardless, it’s going to take a lot of convincing to keep me from skewering you, so pick your words carefully.”
A normal person would have done as he said, but since Tali knew she wasn’t going to die, she didn’t feel the need to pick anything carefully. She just responded with what she felt like saying.
“Yes, I knew this was coming,” she admitted. “And I know that Barron and Quill are dead. As for the others, I can’t say for sure. I was not able to collect any significant visions on them before the Ijirians arrived.”
Velanor was predictably thrown off by the flippant way she confirmed that she had been hiding critical information, and continuing as expected, his rage grew even stronger. “And you didn’t think to warn us?! You thought you’d just sit on that intel until King fucking Markreas popped into existence on our lawn?! After all we’ve done for you?! After all they’ve done for you?! Kristoff and Vesh praised the ground you walked on, and you’re just throwing them into the gutter like broken toys?!”
He pressed his sword’s tip right up against the skin of her neck, and though she didn’t move any part of her body to check, she could feel a little droplet of blood beginning to roll down towards her chest.
“Mr. Kinrono, I do not control the future, and it is set in stone,” she told him. “If I had told you, it still would have to come to pass. But let me assure you, I know that you and Keskivaara are going to live, so you have nothing to worry about. I just kept it secret because I didn’t trust you enough to say for certain you wouldn’t reveal this to the others.”
She lied as easily she breathed, and was always disgusted by that fact. It just came naturally to her, especially when her life was on the line. If she admitted to Velanor that she had no idea what would become of his husband, she probably wouldn’t be able to talk him down. Of course, she wasn’t concerned for her safety, rather she was now spying an opportunity to potentially retain his cooperation, if only for a few moments longer, so she had to lie to him and pretend that Keskivaara would be okay.
And let's hope that he is. If we get out of here and find out he’s dead, I could be in danger. I might have to eliminate Kinrono regardless, just to be safe…
“Oh really?” Velanor growled. “You know Rickori’s going to live? How do I know you’re not just saying that to get me to let you go?”
She shrugged, having expected him to at least consider that possibility. “You don’t. But it’s the truth, so why don’t we lower the weapon and get out of here? You should know that I can’t fight, so all you have to do is stay beside me until Keskivaara’s survival is confirmed. If it turns out that I lied and he’s dead, then kill me. I can’t stop you, after all.”
“But…?” Velanor shook his head. “Even if you’re telling the truth now, after seeing what you’ve done to the others, how do I know you won’t betray us in the future, too?”
“You don’t,” she said again. “In fact, you don’t know anything. You’re taking a gamble no matter what you do, but I would ask you to at least let me leave. If you don’t trust me, find Keskivaara and flee the country with him. In fact, the two of you could head to Trovia and inform King Amund and Sarillia Martov that we will no longer be able to attack Harunhein. The Speaker of the Flame seemed to like Keskivaara, so I’m sure she could get you passage to Hellistoir. Killing me doesn’t accomplish anything, so why stain your hands with any more blood?”
With that, Tali stepped to the side and began walking past his blade, confident that something would happen within Velanor’s head that would result in him either accompanying her, or letting her depart safely. She didn’t need to watch her back, nor did she need any magic to use. She was being protected by fate itself, regardless of the form that fate took.
Pushing open the door to the storage room, Tali poked her head out into the firelit corridor, made sure there wasn’t anybody nearby, then continued on her way. To her mild disappointment, Velanor followed after her with his sword remaining in his hand, though no longer aimed at her. It seemed that he intended to stay by her side, most likely until Keskivaara’s survival could be confirmed, so she’d be walking on thin ice until that moment came.
“Have there been any complications down here?” she asked him with a whisper, recalling that he’d been sent to the basement with the Kosah-Rei noncombatants to help with the evacuation, though the only reason they’d done that had been to separate him from Keskivaara just in case Markreas murdered the People’s Mind.
Unfortunately, Velanor shook his head and gave a very unsatisfying answer. “No idea. I headed straight for that storage room the second we got down here to make sure you didn’t slip by me. Of course, I told them which way to go…”
Tali frowned, internally cursing the fact that she hadn’t accounted for him being as much of a nuisance as he was, and soon enough, they came to a singular door at the end of a long hallway. On the other side was the evacuation tunnel, which was around a half-mile walk before they were spit out on the surface. She really didn’t think the Ijirians wouldn’t have accounted for this, so she was silently praying that whoever was sent to guard the basement was already behind them, closer to the fortress.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
But, if they are ahead of me, perhaps I can use them to shake off Velanor…
Taking a long breath, Tali turned the knob and pushed it open, stepping into a passageway with walls that were made of magically carved rock as opposed to the refined stone of Ankalla. With torches attached to them, the surroundings were illuminated enough to reveal what was more like a cave, but Tali’s eyes were quickly drawn to the sickening sight that lay before her, causing her stomach to turn and her heart to increase its beating.
The tunnel was littered with dozens upon dozens of corpses, their red, white-trimmed robes instantly identifying them as the Pastors of Rei. Tali exhaled sharply, her hands going over her mouth as Velanor stalked past her, his sword clutched in both hands as he carefully crept towards the bloody sight, as if ready to engage whoever it was that caused it. It was a thin tunnel, so there was hardly room to step with the bodies all crammed together, and as Tali forced herself to get a closer look at them, she saw that they hadn’t simply been killed by blades or magic. The handful of bodies that were closest to her looked as if their eyes had been clawed out, with bloody scratch marks running alongside their faces, and even more terrifying was the red fingertips and missing nails. Their necks were also bathed in red, like they’d been torn out by somebody.
“I don’t understand,” Velanor muttered. “It’s like…they killed each other? Or even themselves? That doesn’t make sense, though…? Something’s going on…” Clenching his teeth, the man shot her another accusatory glare as he demanded, “Do you know something about this, Firrik? Was this in your vision, too?”
She weakly shook her head, taking a hesitant few steps forward so she could try and identify some of the victims. “N-no, I don’t—?”
“Firrik, was it?”
She and Velanor both jumped at the sudden, raspy voice that emerged from somewhere in the shadows, the man stumbling backwards and nearly tripping over the corpses as he caught his footing right beside Tali and aimed his sword in the direction they heard the noise. The Voice of Rei tensed up, her flight response kicking in with such intensity that she was shocked her feet were still planted where they were.
Wind surged up Velanor’s sword as he snarled, “Who’s there?! Show yourself, coward!”
A quiet cackling followed his demand, and seconds later, a tiny, cloaked form stepped out of the shadows on the right side of the tunnel, as if peeling off of the wall. The person was around three feet tall, and the only distinguishable features they could see were the bony fingers protruding from the sleeves and the jagged smile.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said with another laugh. “It’s just, well, I was actually hoping Tali Firrik would make an appearance and so I got a little bit excited. Do you like what I’ve done? Do you appreciate the fates of these treacherous pastors? Are you wondering why it seems like they murdered each other? Shall I show you why?”
Her body was shaking as this man elicited the strongest fear in her she had felt in a long time, and suddenly, she wondered if her visions were possibly false? He didn’t seem powerful, but the number of bodies and his unsettling demeanor made her wonder if she was actually facing some sort of ghost or supernatural entity. It took every ounce of resolve in her body to retain her typical mask of confidence.
“A-and who might you be?” she managed to ask. “You seem familiar with me, but I must admit that I do not know you. Would it be too much to ask you to introduce yourself?”
The little man vigorously shook his head. “Oh, dear me, my apologies! I should have led with that. I am Seiras Ka, the Master of the Mind. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Disciple of Rei.”
Master…of the Mind? Another spasm of fear shot through her, for while she had heard rumors that the Citadel had hired the first Master of the Mind in over a century, she knew next to nothing about him or his affinity. What should I do? I didn’t think mind magic was a combative affinity, but I also can’t disregard the bodies. He slaughtered them all. I don’t think anybody got out… This man, Seiras Ka, somehow murdered every last one of them, possibly by himself…
“Yes, a pleasure, Master Ka,” she choked out. “Um, would you be so kind as to allow us passage to the surface? I do not wish you any harm, and merely would like to live another day.”
“Aaaaaaaaaaah, no.” He clicked his tongue a few times, the sound echoing off the walls in an ominous manner, as if mocking her. “I cannot do that. You are, after all, one of the highest priority targets we’re here to eliminate. It is my duty to kill you, so kill you, I shall. I do apologize, though, for you seem like a sweet girl. A pity…for you to die so young.”
His bony hand raised, as if poised to cast a spell, and to her intense relief, Velanor suddenly Protoed off the ground, his sword snapping back to prepare to cut Seiras in half.
Then, something strange happened.
Tali felt a sudden burst of an unfamiliar magic, and the world disappeared.
She blinked a few times, startled by the abrupt shift in scenery, and for a moment, she realized that Seiras must have cast a spell under his breath, one she hadn’t been able to hear. She panicked, wondering how she could possibly get out of this if her perception was already being manipulated, and spun around to take in her new surroundings.
She in some sort of upscale lounge, with a slightly ajar window in the back of the room and a seating area containing expensive couches and recliners facing a glass coffee table. However, all thoughts regarding why she was in a lounge of all places vanished when she processed who was actually gathered in that area, for it was a very bizarre grouping. There was a halfling with long white hair and bright blue eyes standing at the front of the seating area, the window to his back, that she assumed must be Seiras himself. On the couch sat, based on the descriptions she had heard, Sinna Cartus and Nyx Rana, the Masters of Rock and Water respectively. From there, it got even weirder in regards to those occupying the chairs. One was a Kotonorish woman, and the other was Ryokumo Caeli, appearing a bit older than he currently was, with a curled mustache and his hair either dyed or charmed to be silver.
What…the heck am I looking at? Caeli? Why is he here? What’s going on? Why is Seiras showing me such a thing? And why is Caeli older? It’s like…this is a vision? But that didn’t make any sense, for Tali could not see a vision of the future without making physical contact. Unless…something happened when his mind magic connected with me?
As she was frantically trying to figure out what was going on, Sinna Cartus suddenly rose to her feet and growled, “I’ve known many people like you, Seiras—people who say whatever they have to in order to achieve their goals. You want power and the more you research, the more you have. Tell me, what’s stopping you from using your new spell on any one of us right now?”
“Sinna,” Nyx then whispered. “Is this wise?”
“It is,” she replied, then turned back to Seiras. “So? Care to answer me?”
Tali frowned, sensing the obvious tension between the Master of Rock and the Master of the Mind. However, the source of their argument was very unclear, and things were moving far too fast for her to make any sense of it.
Seiras clapped his hands together and snickered. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing is stopping me. I could have you on the ground with a mere utterance. Does that scare you, Cartus?”
Sinna scoffed. “You don’t even deny it?”
“I don’t,” he stated with a cackle. “I am nothing if not an honest man. But I would never raise a hand against my fellow Masters! You are my allies—my brothers and sisters! I love you like a family even when you toss such cruel accusations my way. After all, siblings bicker from time to time, but it doesn’t change their love for each other, yes?”
Fellow Masters? Tali once again glanced towards Ryokumo, whose jaw was clenched but who remained silent. Is he including Caeli? If he is, then he somehow reaches the Master of Wind’s position even though Rhitta has an apprentice? If this is a real vision, then does Liri actually take her out for us…or will some other misfortune befall Rhitta?
“Yes, very true,” the Kotonorish piped it, looking like she was quite amused by the argument.
“Love?” Sinna spat, ignoring the other woman’s comment. “At least make your lie more believable, you little goblin. Don’t pretend like you care for us. And don’t act like an honest man! I already know that you used the spell on Caeli.”
Seiras cocked an eyebrow then regarded Ryokumo with a meek sigh, as if he were merely expressing disappointment. “My, my, Caeli, tattling are we? And here I thought we could keep that as our little secret.”
Ryokumo narrowed his eyes, his own tone as irritated as Sinna’s. “What’s your plan, Seiras? What are you up to? What’s your damn goal in all this and hell, what’s the real reason we’re here? What are you after?”
“Why must I repeat myself so often?” Seiras inquired impatiently. “And why am I distrusted so? I merely want to get along with you all! Time and time again I am looked down upon and not just in a literal sense. So why can’t we just talk?”
“Fine, let’s talk,” Sinna hissed. “Tell me about your spell. What is it? What can it do? What are its limitations? If you want me to trust you then I want information. Your magic is foreign enough as it is and I don’t like you having some mystery spell up your sleeve. I want answers and I want them now!”
Okay, so he’s invented a spell they don’t like, Tali gathered, trying to take in as much of this as she could, for it could very well be a goldmine of information.
“Answers?!” Seiras almost screamed, a stark shift from his soft speaking of moments earlier. “Is that what you want?! You want to know what my spell does?! Why?! Do you fear what I could do to you? Do you fear me, Sinna Cartus, a man less than half your size?! Am I so terrifying to you that you’re quaking in your boots?!”
“Not in the slightest,” the Master of Rock snarled back. “I could crush your head like a watermelon if I wanted to. However, I am cautious. You’ve already proven how damaging your spell can be with Kirisan. So, if you want our trust, then answer our questions. That is my demand of you and if you can’t do that then I have nothing else to say to you and I will walk through that door.”
The halfling began to tremble with laughter, though whether he was amused or furious was hard to tell. “Is that so?! You’ll leave, will you? You’ll walk out on our precious dinner time because I won’t reveal my secrets?” He violently shook his head. “Very well then. You want to know what my spell does then I shall show you!”
Suddenly, both Ryokumo and Nyx jumped to their feet just as Seiras screeched, “Aniextiam!”
Tali tensed, ready to witness the effects of this strange spell, and was startled when Sinna, Nyx, Ryokumo, and the Kotonorish all collapsed to the ground, their bodies convulsing as if suffering sudden simultaneous seizures.
Meanwhile, Seiras Ka laughed as if he was on top of the world, his voice shaking as she shrieked, “Lay witness to it all! You wanted my power so behold it!”
Seeming to recover from what was done to her, Sinna Cartus yanked herself to her feet, an utterly terrifying expression on her face.
“How dare you?!” she snarled, but Seiras just continued to dance, as if unafraid of her.
“What ever could be the matter? You asked to see what my spell could do so I showed you! I did only as you asked, Cartus!”
“Durumi,” Sinna spat, and moments later, her hands were enveloped in a dark stone as she lunged toward Seiras.
Stunned by the fact that she seemed to be lunging to kill despite Seiras being a fellow Master, a part of Tali thought the halfling was as good as dead. Yet, he chanted Aniextium once again, and dropped Sinna back to the ground. But Nyx Rana was already moving, casting Geldai as she created an icicle she launched towards Seiras, who merely sidestepped an attack that was rather sloppy, almost certainly due to the aftereffects of the spell.
“Aniextium!” he screeched again, this time aiming his spell at Nyx, who crumpled helplessly.
He’s got them at his mercy, she realized with a twisted sense of awe. Seiras’s spell, this Aniextium, doesn’t seem to have any obvious means of defending against it. If he wished, he could assassinate what I assume are four Masters of Ijiria, all by himself! The power… If I had such an ability on my side…
As Seiras was reveling in his victory, he turned his smile toward the still unstable Ryokumo. “Would you like to take a shot at me, Caeli?” he inquired smugly. “Please, I want to see you try! I can show you more, you know? I can show you so much more of your tragic and dark past!”
Ryokumo turned away, instead gazing at the Kotonorish, who was huddled against the chair and hugging her legs to her chest, her body trembling with terror.
“Mackia?” he uttered. “Are you alright?”
Mackia? Iris Mackia? Abi’s student? She’s…? Is she the Master of Nature then? What in the heck am I witnessing right now?
“I-I…don’t know,” Iris stuttered. “I don’t…”
With the spell now wearing off once again, Sinna and Nyx both managed to drag themselves to their feet, but their defiance was all but gone. The second attack seemed to have been enough to shake even Sinna up.
“Look upon me and understand what I am!” Seiras snarled as he jumped upon the coffee table. “You Masters, the greatest mages in all of Ijiria, brought to your knees by a mere halfling like me! Do you see it now?! Do you understand how truly weak and pathetic you are?! There is nothing you can do to me! All of your threats are meaningless before my control of the mind!”
“I’ll kill you,” Sinna hissed, but her words didn’t have any of the confidence she’d previously spat his way.
Seiras was already shaking his head. “No, you won’t. You’d never get away with it! I’m far too precious to dear Prince Reigious! He’d never allow a Master of the Mind to slip through his fingers! If you killed me, you would soon join me in death, Sinna Cartus!”
Her body went cold as she latched onto yet another discrepancy. Prince Reigious? Not Markreas? Or Toranei and Liri? Or even Piura? Why would he reference Reigious preventing Cartus from harming him? Wait, but he said ‘Prince’, not King? That implies there’s somebody above him still? But who? Could it be Liri? I mean, if Caeli was appointed to be the Master of Wind like he appears to have been, then she must have ascended to the throne! Is this proof of my victory then? Is this singular line by Seiras exactly what I’ve needed? Reigious is “Prince”, and since Markreas and Toranei, or even Rhitta, would never have been caught dead appointing Caeli, then Liri made it! Yes… This is it!
Euphoria rushing through her, Tali was so distracted by her internal reverie, that she wasn’t paying as much attention to what was going on in the vision. What snapped her back out of her thoughts was the arrow that suddenly pierced Seiras’s chest, splattering blood onto the carpet of the lounge as the Master stumbled, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. He turned slightly to gaze straight at the slightly ajar window, his lips turning as he uttered,
“Aniex—!”
A second arrow blasted through his throat, causing him to collapse off the coffee table before crumpling to the carpet. Tali exhaled sharply, her head snapping towards that window just in time to see a shadow disappear from view, and as she realized she had just witnessed the death of Seiras Ka, the lounge vanished and the vision ended just as abruptly as it had begun.
When Tali returned to that tunnel beneath Ankalla, she was laying on her back, staring up at the ceiling as her mind raced, not only in regards to how she could have possibly seen a vision without touching Serias, but also as she tried to decipher one of the greatest goldmines she had ever been blessed with.
Seiras Ka died. He was assassinated by an unknown individual while flaunting some newly developed mind spell called Aniextium. He referenced Prince Reigious holding sway over decisions in Erika, implying the absence of Markreas and Toranei. Caeli and Mackia seemed to have replaced Rhitta and Grunly, implying Liri’s successful ascension. What a sight! I can’t believe what I witnessed! I—
Suddenly, Seiras was on top of her, aggressively straddling her body as he placed a dagger to her throat. His twisted face was covered in sweat, his bulging blue eyes wide as if he was panicked, the hand wielding his weapon trembling.
“Firrik…? What the hell was that?” he breathed, causing her to furrow her brow in confusion.
“E-excuse me? What do you mean?”
“That vision! Of me dying in the Niras Lounge! Of me among those Masters?! What the fucking hell did you just show me?! What mental manipulation was that?!” he screamed, sounding exactly like a man who had just seen his own death.
But that’s not possible… Nobody can see my visions but me? But…what he just said… He couldn’t know about that if he didn’t… Then…could it be…that whatever interaction took place when mind magic mixed with time magic not only allowed me to see his future without touching him, but allowed him to see it as well…
Though, if he’s seen his death, then how could it possibly come to pass? My visions are absolute! They are unchangeable! So how could that scene unfold the way it does if Seiras knows it’s going to happen?!
I don’t…understand…