Chapter 15

The Garden Seer looked pretty much how William had guessed, based on what he had seen so far from the front yard and the inside of the house, all colors and rainbows. The old woman looked like a gypsy, plain and simple, greying hair, colorful dress, a varied colored bracelet.

"How have you heard of me?" She asked. She was sitting in her chair looking tired, the symptoms of someone who's used their ability for long periods of time, exhausting most of their Aura. Aura that would then require sound rest to replenish.

"A friend of ours." Glaudia said. "He mentioned you to us."

"Orion." William said.

The petite woman who had been serving as the Seers handmaid perked up. "You know Orion?!"

William ignored her, looking at the Seer. "Shouldn't you know this already? You knew our names already, and knew we were coming."

The old Seer was silent for a moment, staring at William, her eyes searching for something. William waited, Claudia stood next to him, probably wondering the same as him. Whether this Seer was another Royal spy, tagging potential Users hiding their abilities, to be hunted by Royal Guards.

"My... gift does not work like that." The Seer said at last, in response to what William had said, shifting in her seat. "I saw your arrival through Tally's eyes." She gestured at the petite woman, William now seeing the similarities, recognizing her as the same Tally that Orion once helped years ago. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, Orion would be proud.

"So, have you come for a reading?" The Seer said, looking at the siblings. "I may have enough strength left for one or two more."

Claudia shared a glance with William, then nodded. "I'll go first."

William returned the nod, understanding. 

Claudia walked up the small flight of stair and approached the Seer, standing in front of her. The Seer stood, hands and feet shaking slightly due to exhaustion, her eyes tired. "Please kneel and close your eyes, I shall place my hand over your head and glimpse your future."

Claudia did as requested, the Seer placing a wrinkled hand on her head as she knelt. Then William saw it, the Seer's Aura, it ignited within her, a golden fire coming to life, spreading from the center of chest, outward throughout her body. William ignited his own Aura, feeling the warmth that accompanied it spread through his body, giving him supernatural vigor, strength, agility, his senses enhanced. Igniting Aura alone felt like taking a stimulant, only without the negatives. He activated his ability, allowing him to modify his Aura, matching the Seers, copying her ability as her eyes turned white. William tried to use the copied ability himself, but nothing happened. It probably needed to meet a certain requirement. Certain abilities, usually the ones with greater benefit, were like that. Like his own Aura Manipulator, which required him witnessing the ability he wished to copy being used, before he could use it himself.

A minute or two passed, William watching the Seer closely, her hand on his sister's head, eyes white as marble. Claudia knelt there, eyes closed, nothing special was happening to her. Then, the Seer's eyes returned to normal, her hand retreating. She fell back back on her chair, looking shocked. William noticed her Aura diminish a little, the golden fire becoming smaller. 

"Well?" Claudia said, standing. "Did you... see my future?"

"I see..." The Seer looked like she had seen a ghost, her face white, a mixture of fear and concern visible through her expression. She took a long moment before talking again, composing her, then nodding to herself. "I... saw you standing atop a building rooftop... with three others... I believe I heard one of their names... Obex. This meeting will be important to you, as well as these men, but you mustn't comfort your doubts, not yet. Patience will be your ally."

"So its true..." Claudia said. "It is an ability."

The Seer looked up at Claudia, a bit anxious and nervous. "I... do not know what you mean. If you are referring to my gift... then there its nothing more than a talent I possess..."

William knew for a fact she was lying, but didn't blame the Seer for hiding it. She didn't know Claudia, at least not outside her visions, and if that reading was any indication, it probably showed her something that made her suspicious.

"If you say so." Claudia said, stepping away from the Seer and her golden wooden chair, she walked over to William, then looked back at the Seer. "You said you had enough strength for two readings, can you do one for my brother?"

"I... could." The Garden Seer said, though her tone suggested caution, and a bit of worry. "It will depend. I will ask you a simple question, Ms. Dia, and depending on the answer, I will, or will not."

"Sounds fair." Claudia said. "What's the question?"

"Are you a superhero?"

"Yes." Claudia's answer came without hesitation, without a moment's thought. "I'm sure you've already seen me on the news a couple times. I'm the Time Witch."

The Seer nodded, then, with a fragile hand, waved William over. "Come then, let me read your fortune."

William felt a Claudia's hand on his shoulder. "You know what to do." She whispered in his ear. William nodded, then walked up to stand before the Seer. He already knew what to do, watching his sister, kneeling and closing his eyes. He kept trying to activate his Seer's ability, but the requirements were not met, yet. He continued to do so, like flipping a light switch on and off, over and over again, hoping that eventually, the light will turn on.

"Let's begin then." The Seer said, her voice tired, exhausted. William felt her hand touch the top of his head, then it happened-

 Suddenly, and without warning, he found himself standing on the rooftop of a building, rain pouring heavily from the night sky. To his right stood the petite woman, Tally, staring up at something far away. He followed their gaze to look at what she staring at. it was Imperium. But it wasn't the building that had grabbed her attention, it was the massive golden bird, bigger than a house, flying up the building, golden wings beating against the rain. It rose to the top and spread its wings.

Then, just as suddenly, his surroundings shifted again. He now found himself atop another rooftop, the rain still fell heavily on and around him. Behind him, he noticed two large golden wings unfold in the back of his vision, but his attention was fixed on the person standing in front of him. A old man with white hair, wearing a white tuxedo, soaked by the pouring rain. The old man was saying something. William tried to control the vision, to hear, but the vision shifted again. 

This time he found himself inside a car, sitting in the back seat, staring out the window towards an imposing building. At Imperium. It wasn't raining this time, but it was night. From the peak of Imperium exploded a golden light, and like a soap bubble, a barrier expanded, covering all of New Miami.

What the hell is going on? William thought, once again attempting to fight the flooding visions, to control them, and once again being swept by another.

***

"What's happening to them?" Claudia yelled, rushing over to hold her brother, his eyes white, body falling limp from where he had been kneeling.

"I... I'm not sure." The woman called Tally was holding the Seer, whose eyes had also turned white, and was now on the floor, same as William. Both stuck in some sort of spell.

"This is how the Madam usually does her readings." Tally said, looking very concern. Clearly, this had never happened before. Then again, Claudia was sure the Seer had never tried using her ability on someone who could use it against her.

"Her ability," Claudia said, looking at the Seer, then back at Tally. "How does it work?"

Tally paused for a moment, looking at Claudia, then back at the Seer. A tinge of nervousness clear in her worried expression. "W- what ability?"

Claudia understood immediately, Tally was protecting the Seer. Understandable. So she tried with another question. "Her readings, Tally. When she does them, does she always do the hand thing?"

"Y-yes." Tally nodded nervously, looking confused and worried. "She always places a hand on the forehead for hear readings."

So that's it, Claudia thought, having a better idea of what happened. The Seer had used her ability to read William's future, and William had done the same when she touched him. Touch was the requirement. They were probably stuck in sort loop, the Seer reading William's future, while William reading hers.

"Do you know how to wake them?" Claudia asked Tally.

"I... It... it usually passes after a few minutes."

***

William found himself in that rooftop again, watching the golden bird fly through the rain, only this time, the Seer was next to him, falling to her knees. Am I seeing through the eyes of another? Tally? William tried to look at his hands, to figure it out, but the vision shifted again. Now, he found himself driving a car, unable to control his body. He recognized Zale immediately, sitting on the passenger seat, and when he, or whomever was driving, looked through the back mirror, he saw Jake and Maya sitting on the back seats. Then-

SMASH!

Someone landed in front of the moving vehicle in a fiery explosion. It was Beodulf. "How do I stop this?!" William yelled, though he couldn't hear, it felt like he was screaming inside his mind. The visions continued to flood his mind, changing, they came faster and fasted, like the slides of the slideshow changing at increasing speed. He was no longer seeing visions now, but images. One of which was a the great moon Lunam, a tiny golden sun that burn with its golden fire that did not illuminate. He could've sword he saw eyes too. Were they staring at him? Then- 

The slideshow ended, the visions stopped, just as abruptly as when they began, feeling himself snap back to reality. He gasped, eyes snapping open. 

"Hey, hey." He heard a faint, familiar voice. Claudia. "You're back. You're okay. It's okay."

It took him a moment to grasped his surroundings, for his mind to understand that he was back in the Seer's Audience Chamber, Claudia kneeling by his side. The Seer was on the ground, like him, Tally kneeling beside her. Had she seen the same visions as he?

***

"Will she be alright?" William asked Tally, moments later after having helped her carry an unconscious Seer to her bedroom. He watched Tally gently lay the old woman on the bed. The experience had left William oddly exhausted, but had left the Seer unconscious, probably because she had already overused her ability already. Her Aura was a tiny fire in her chest.

"I'm sorry." Claudia said, apologizing for both William and herself, though it was clearly William's fault the Seer was unconscious. Their abilities having clashed in a feedback loop.

"It's fine." Tally said, tugging the Seer in, then looking at Claudia. "She'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

"Right." Claudia looked at the Seer, then back at Tally. "Listen, before we leave..."

Tally nodded, anticipating what Claudia was going to say. "My lips are sealed. You can trust me." To show her trust, Tally walked over to a shelf by the wall, and touched a lamp. William saw her Aura ignite, her ability activate. The lamp, all of it, changed color, from grey to pink, then purple.

Claudia nodded, understanding. "Okay. Well, we'll be leaving now. When she wakes up, let us know. I'd like to talk with her again."

Tally nodded, then showed the siblings out, waving once they walked out the door. William followed Claudia, they rounded the house, finding Claudia's car parked right were they left it. 

"To the Golden Corral then." Claudia said, getting in, William taking the passenger seat. They left the Seer's colorful house behind, driving through Garden's green roads, heading towards High Tier, where their meeting with the Guardian awaited. 

Obex was going to have a surprised meeting tonight, and unlike their first meeting with the man, atop the building where they were attacked by Royal Elites, this time will be different. Much different.