“What do you think of the siblings, Ban?” A female warrior stood with her arms crossing her chest.

  “They’re clearly not from here.” Ban replied, wearing a similar outfit as yesterday.

  “Anything else of note?” The female warrior asked again.

  The water mage thought for a moment.

  “Nobody just wanders into where we are staying, weeks away from the closest civilization. Even the Free City is at least a week’s journey on carriage.”

  “I agree. Nobody enters the Forbidden Forest for no reason, though I believe them when they say they got lost.” Looking up at the sky, the female ranger bathed in the warm sunlight.

  “Asa, there are many holes in their story. I don’t quite understand why you’re so kind to them. Perhaps you believe they are related to our Lord, somehow?”

  Asa nodded, slowly.

  “When’s the last time we saw an outsider, mystic excluded, hmm? You’ve washed their clothes, haven’t you. Tell me what you found.”

  “Never.”

  “Exactly. We must have been here for a reason. Perhaps they are why. Their clothes? Ban.” The ranger reminded.

  Sigh. “They’re coarser threads than what we normally wear. Nichole’s clothes look similar to Ohm Industries’ models, even the branding is similar. Our Lord also had one set of clothes like Russel’s, except the colors were more faded.”

  “You remembered.” Asa nodded, they had seen similar clothes a long time ago.

  “How could I not?”

  The door creaked behind the women, interrupting their conversation.

  The breath of mother nature escaping the Greenhouse behind them, with it, two humans and a dog.

  ???????

  “Morning Asa, Ban.” greeted the siblings.

  “Morning Russel, Nichole.” The two villagers returned in kind.

  They scanned the siblings, Monica’s eyes were brighter and filled with a glimmer, and Morus’ eyebrows weren’t perpetually knitted together.

  “We would like to visit the mystic.” said the older brother.

  Asa nodded.

  “We have orders to bring you there as well. Come, walk with us.”

  The ranger led the way, Morus walking beside her. Ban, Monica and Vigil tagged behind.

  “So Nichole,” Ban pipped excitedly, “have you thought about what we talked about yesterday?”

  “About…?” The girl trailed off.

  “You know, affinity testing and all that.”

  Asa’s ears twitched beneath her coif, as she was also eager to know more.

  Monica beamed at Ban, “Yep! I convinced my brother! He’s allowing me to get tested!”

  “Ooh! Attagirl! In one night too!”

  Morus was unamused. “Yesterday had been the most dangerous day of our entire lives, if it weren’t for Vigil, we would have been wolf dung by now.”

  He sighed, “That’s why I’m willing to make a compromise.”

  At the mention of his name, Vigil went towards Morus and rubbed his head against the pants of his older owner.

  The women around them smiled or giggled at the sight.

  It didn’t take long for them to reach and pass Vigil’s shrine, and they arrived before the back gates of the village.

  “Hey Asa! Can I ask why the mystic doesn’t stay in the village?”

  Asa removed the drawbar and pushed one side of the gates open, effortlessly.

  “Because she’s not welcome here.”

  The siblings looked at the display of strength wide-eyed, but quickly made their way outside the village’s defenses.

  “May I ask why?”

  “It’s a personal grudge that we have.”

  “I see…”

  Once everyone was out, Asa went inside and closed the gate, leaving Ban, the siblings and their guardian outside.

  “Uhm… Is she leaving us?” Monica asked, as they could clearly hear the sound of the drawbar being slid between the gates.

  Ban just chuckled, “You’ll see!”

  Not a moment too late, the siblings heard a “Hup!” from behind the door.

  Something shot up from behind the gates, Morus had the foresight to put distance away from the gate, while Ban had to pull Monica away. Then Asa landed in front of them, soundlessly.

  The siblings’ were slack-jawed.

  “Was that how you appeared in front of us yesterday?”

  Asa smirked, “Perhaps. Let us continue.”

  “Can I learn how to do that!?” Monica grabbed onto Asa’s hand and started swaying it.

  The ranger smiled at the girl, “Of course. With training. And also depending on your affinity.”

  Monica’s eyes blazed with passion, she’s flexible and coordinated but nowhere near superhuman. “Promise!?”

  “Promise.” Asa nodded.

  Ban watched this scene with an exaggerated look of shock in her eyes, her hands hovered in front of her mouth.

  If cameras were a thing in this world, this scene would certainly be picture worthy.

  Asa, embarrassed, quickly led the way, which wasn’t difficult because there was a dirt ‘path’ to follow.

  After some light discussion about Asa’s training and the siblings being roped in to join Asa on her hunt tomorrow morning, they arrived at the mystic’s campsite.

  Calling it a campsite was an overexaggeration.

  The only thing there was a tent. A fortune teller’s tent, to be exact.

  It would have blended in nicely in a city bazaar, but here, it was jarring and extremely out of place.

  Not to mention it was just sitting there, beside the path. There was no campfire, no signs of activity or even hanging clothes.

  In a small clearing in the woods, a lone tent sat.

  The siblings’ confusion was visible, they pointed at the tent.

  “That’s it?”

  The two women nodded, “That’s it. And we’re staying here until the two of you are done.”

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  Morus and Monica didn’t push further, the two women were clearly repulsed to even be in this space, so they looked at Vigil, who looked back at them with his beady eyes.

  “Guess it’s you and us, buddy.” Monica petted Vigil.

  The siblings made their way towards the tent, from where they were, the interior of the tent was not visible. Yet, as they went closer, they were able to recognize the frames of two chairs and a table.

  As they stood at the entrance of the tent, the siblings looked inside. Nobody was there, and there was no space to hide.

  Confused, they called inside.

  “Hello?”

  No reply.

  They looked towards the sides.

  Only the flaps of the tent hung loosely to the side of the entrance.

  The siblings shrugged, and Morus led his sister into the tent.

  The flaps fell in place, shrouding the siblings in darkness.

  Vigil, their guardian, sat down in front of the tent, looking towards it.

  . ︵

  ?( - ????

  ? ? ?

  じし?, )???

  Suddenly it was pitch black.

  Monica panicked at first, but she could feel her brother squeezing her arm, so she calmed down.

  Then their surroundings sparkled, like stars shimmering in the galaxy, and they were at the center of it.

  They looked forward, a crystal ball appeared on the table, and the light was coming from it.

  “Sit.” A voice rasped.

  Goosebumps crawled all over the siblings’ skin.

  “Where did you come from?” Morus asked.

  “I have always been here.” The voice moved closer to the crystal ball, revealing a sharp nose beneath her pointed hood, not crooked or long, just sharp.

  “Now sit. Morus. Monica.”

  The siblings felt compelled to sit, Monica already sat down before she realized what happened.

  Morus resisted the urge through clenched teeth, something started to well up inside of him, but he pushed it down and took a seat.

  “You know our names.” Morus asked, his sister clearly out of her element.

  “I know many things.” The woman rasped. “I know you are here for your readings.”

  Morus took in a deep breath and exhaled, “What do we need to do?”

  “Put your hands over the table, in the air.”

  Monica looked at Morus, he nodded, and they did as asked.

  “Good. Now… You will feel a prick.”

  “What do you-” Before he finished his sentence, his consciousness faded away.

  The siblings felt a prick on their index fingers, and noticed a small bowl of water for each of them under their hands. As something dropped into the water and caused a ripple outwards, their consciousness faded along.

  Morus found himself floating in the void.

  He had no physical body. Only an observer’s point of view.

  Then he noticed within his field of vision was a glowing marble.

  The marble grew exponentially with each ‘blink’ Morus made. First a marble, then a cue ball, then a basketball, then he was inside of it looking out… But there was no ‘out’.

  There was dust everywhere within his vision, he tried waving them away. The dust collided with each other, forming larger clumps.

  The smaller clumps formed colorful balls, while the larger ones started glowing brightly.

  Morus blinked.

  One of the glowing clumps he was looking at disappeared. He might be seeing it wrong, but it seems that dust was slowly gravitating towards the emptiness where the mini-sun was.

  Then he realized what he was looking at. He had a hunch, but it wasn’t now that he confirmed with his observations.

  He watched as the mini-universe expanded. Supernovas forming left and right of his peripheral vision. Black holes that he may or may not have seen.

  He blinked again.

  Dust seemed to move away from the voids in space.

  Supernovas sucking in the matter they had expelled.

  Everything he had witnessed, was rewinding itself.

  Then he could see the basketball again, it compressed itself smaller and smaller, into a marble, and continued becoming smaller.

  Eventually, nothingness remained.

  Monica found herself walking through the darkness.

  She was walking towards the specks of light that she could see in this space.

  They called out to her.

  Of the brightest ones, she counted eight, with one so dim it almost flickered out of existence.

  What an odd number, the girl thought.

  She walked past the dim motes of light, ignoring the ones that were too far away to matter, and approached the brightest eight.

  They all called her name.

  “Monica!” “Monica.” “Monica?” “Monica…”

  They made all kinds of promises.

  ‘The smartest of minds.’

  ‘The greatest of weapons.’

  ‘To be loved by all.’

  ‘To blaze like the sun.’

  ‘Endless fame and fortune.’

  ‘Entertainment for a lifetime.’

  The girl ignored them all as she stared at the brightest of stars.

  It beckoned her.

  “Come Monica.”

  A familiar voice.

  “Say my name.”

  It smelled like nature.

  The girl blinked and spoke the word.

  “Raitenia.”

  When she opened her eyes, the darkness was gone.

  Replaced by sunlight and endless greenery. In the distance, animals were grazing, and life was abundant wherever she looked.

  “You have chosen well, my champion.”

  The Goddess — Raitenia — spoke. Yet she was nowhere to be seen.

  Monica looked to the left, to the right. She turned around. She looked up, but still nothing.

  Monica asked, “What just happened?”

  “We were chosen. You were chosen. You have chosen.”

  “That makes no sense at all.”

  “You know my name. She will answer your questions.”

  “Fine! Be cryptic!”

  “I will be beside you, my champion. Know that We are everywhere there is light, and do not be afraid.”

  The goddess paused.

  “Your time is up.”

  Snap.

  The mystic’s hand hung midair. It was an unblemished one that belonged to a young woman.

  “Welcome back.” She rasped. “Now announce your affinity.”

  “Space.” / “Light.”

  The siblings announced at the same time.

  “So what now?” Monica asked.

  “Try using it.” The mystic suggested.

  Monica raised an eyebrow in the darkness, then she willed it to existence.

  A ball of light the size of a marble floated up from Monica’s fingertip.

  The mystic chuckled, but it sounded more like someone choking or coughing.

  “You’ll get better with practice.”

  Morus had his arms crossed the moment he regained consciousness, and was now staring at the marble of light his sister conjured. He was organizing his thoughts and filing what he had seen away in the back of his mind.

  “Your affinities are tested. Do you have any questions?”

  “Who are you?”

  “Who is Raitenia?”

  The mystic turned towards Monica first.

  “Monica, you know who she is, why ask me a question you know the answer to?”

  She then turned towards Morus.

  “Morus… We are called the Spekvokis.”

  “I’m not familiar with that term.”

  “We are aware. You might be more familiar with the term… Sisters of Fate?”

  “Moirai? Or Parcae?”

  “Yes… We share similar roles, but we are not the same.”

  “I understand.”

  “Our sister would have been delighted to see you.”

  “Okay? Well, thanks? If you’re done, I think we’ll leave now.”

  Monica already stood up, clearly creeped out by the woman across the table, she made her way towards the exit.

  She looked back, seeing that the ‘Spekvokis’ was not trying to keep her, she immediately dashed out into the light.

  Morus also stood up and made his way outside.

  “Wait.”

  “You have something to say?”

  “Yes. Prophecies.”

  “I’m listening.”

  The Sister of Fate sighed, “You bear a heavy burden, Morus. We believe that you will see it through to the end.”

  “You meant plural. That was one.”

  “What is bound to happen, will always happen. One may not escape fate. Do not anguish. Trust that this world is kinder than it seems.”

  “I see… Thank you?”

  Morus looked at the mystic, or where she had been sitting. But the woman or whatever she was, was already gone. With a shrug, he walked out as well.

  water magic and animal taming personally! Who doesn't want to ride a tiger!?

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