Preparation against War (1)

Seon held the cup of booze to her lips, but the only thing she tasted was a lingering bitterness she couldn't quite swallow.

Here she was, surrounded by villagers celebrating their success, oblivious to the death flag they'd managed to dodge themselves.

But one thought kept nagging her.

'Three hours. That's all they had.'

In her mind, the vision replayed like a prophecy she couldn't ignore.

If she did nothing, the future was clear:

the men would be slaughtered, their heads displayed as grim trophies. The women would be dragged away as prizes, forced into servitude. The children—would be either sold into slavery or killed, and the entire village would be razed to the ground. The lush greenery surrounding them would soon be nothing but a wasteland, a part of desert.

A deep sigh escaped her as an unidentifiable weight settled in her chest.

It wasn't pity; she didn't care enough for that. In fact, up until now, Seon had been dead set on leaving this village behind, letting fate play out exactly as she'd seen.

'It'd be easier that way,' she told herself. 'No guilt, no lingering attachments.'

Even when she'd met that pompous man, Istar, her plan had been simple: get what she wanted, deal with him, and leave without a second thought.

Yet here she was, watching the villagers who'd risked their lives to shield her, despite her indifference.

Their willingness to protect her had been laughable, yet somehow... it stuck with her.

'Do I still have faith in humanity?'

The thought felt foreign, almost laughable.

She, who had sworn off caring about this world long ago, was now hesitating to let these strangers suffer.

"Ugh…" She rubbed her temples, annoyed by the tug-of-war within her.

The world could burn for all she cared—in fact, she might enjoy it.

And yet, leaving this village to its doom left a bitter taste that wouldn't go away.

"Why am I even wasting time thinking about this…?" she muttered, staring into the golden liquid as if it could reveal some hidden answer.

But then, unbidden, a memory resurfaced.

***

She could almost smell the soft scent of cherry blossoms, and hear the whisper of petals falling to the ground.

Underneath that pink canopy, she had once buried a friend—a friend she'd tried so hard to forget.

In her 20th life, she had been a priestess, and a persistent traveler had visited her temple multiple times.

The traveler would offer her sweet rice and sake and, despite Seon's open distrust, continued to visit her, never discouraged by Seon's cold demeanor.

"Young Priestess, what goes on in that heart of yours?"

Seon remembered suddenly what her voice sounded like. And what are the words that struck her back when they met for the last time under the cherry blossom tree.

"Priestess, perhaps you mistake your hatred. It's not that you hate them. Rather, you are afraid to get attached once more, afraid they will disappoint you—or betray you."

"Wasn't that the reason you kept distancing yourself?"

How laughable, Seon thought, as the memories swirled in her mind. Even now, she found herself disagreeing with the woman's words. 

'How dare she assume that she had mistaken her hatred! She's completely wrong!'- that's what Seon believes even to this day.

Still… Seon couldn't deny the truth in one thing: she hated getting attached.

Just like she'd gotten attached to that traveler—who, after sharing a few fleeting moments of kindness, had died the very next day.

***

"Prophet, would you like a refill?"

The voice jolted her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Ortos standing there, a bottle of alcohol in hand

She blinked, realizing her glass was empty, lost in her daydreams as she'd drifted off, letting time slip away.

A faint smile tugged at her lips. Was it really so strange for her to feel something—anything—in times like these?

This wasn't the Seon she knew, and yet, the emotion felt… right.

She pushed herself up, stretching as her bones cracked, her joints loosening in anticipation.

Setting her glass down, she met Ortos's questioning gaze.

"No need for a refill," she replied. "I need to discuss something more important."

Seon strode to the center of the gathering, every pair of eyes in the room drawn to her.

Repaying a debt wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

"Everyone!" she announced. "I received a vision."