New Mission

Krain's POV

"Did something happened here?"

We arrived in a silent Capitel. The establishments were closed. People usually make the street busy, especially on weekdays like this.

I walked towards one house and Krace did the same. We must have heard the same thing. He also has enhanced hearing sense.

"What are you doing outside?"

We both face the old woman who is peeking through her door. She looked around before motioning us to go to her. She welcomed us in her house so we followed her in confusion.

"Are you alright? I was so worried when I felt your presence outside!" She exclaimed.

Krace and I exchanged looks. Why would she feel worried?

"What happened? Where are the people of Capitel?" Krace asked.

She told us to sit on her long sofa. She also handed us a glass of water.

"Haven’t you seen the newspaper that Capitel published? The author who saw the future of Epiliar is back! It was stated that something big will happen. What’s make it worst is the action of the authority. They took the newspaper back so it means it is true!”

Yes, something will happen..

"What was written in the article?"

"Thousands will die," she whispered. "A district will commit treason and invade the whole continent of Epiliar. It means we’ll become slaves of that district.”

A district... It must be Guerreier.

"For now, we have to be careful. I know Zenia’s daughter will come back to save us."

"Ma.."

We both look at the woman who went out of the room. She’s holding at the door frame, facing us but I know she can’t see us. Her eyes are both white, the eyes of Heilsenian after they oath to offer their lives for Epiliar. They tend to use their ability to its extent that it makes them blind.

"Cynthia," the old woman held her hand and guided her to us. "She’s Cynthia, my daughter," she said.

"Have you heard the news?" Cynthia asked gently. I was just staring at her eyes so Krace answered her.

"Did you see the future too? Is the article accurate?”

She sighed. "Our family is the relative of Heilsenian’s ruler but I can’t see a future in my dreams. I can’t see so I can’t receive visions randomly. I could only see the future of the things that I get to touch.”

"My daughter stays here inside for years since all of the future seer from Heilsen started disappearing.”

Why did they disappear?

"Cynthia took after her father who can see the future. Only a few are born with that ability, so she served in Quintessence for ten years," the old woman explained.

"Ma, can you prepare us some snacks?" Cynthia asked to which her mother attend to right away.

"So you can't see the future unless you touch a thing or two?" I asked seriously.

Her face throws me the same level of seriousness. "You’re right."

"Then touch me," I said, receiving a nudge from Krace.

"What are you thinking?"

"We need to know if the article is telling the truth. Look, Krace. We can’t just bump into a future teller. This opportunity may never come again so we should find the truth now."

"Aru.." He called so Aru went out of my sleeves. She saw Cynthia and gasps loudly.

"Cynthia!" She said, running closer to the woman. "Your eyes.."

"Aru? Is that you?"

Aru covered her mouth to stifle her sobs but she failed to conceal her sound.

"Aru, I'm alive. Don’t cry for me just yet," she said. "If you are with Aru.." She faced us despite not seeing us. "It means you are Miss Fenanie’s daughter and you’re with Miss Xhora’s son."

"How did you know?" Krace asked.

"I saw this happening." Her smile widened. "I may not see you now, but I’ve seen you even before you were born."

"C-Cynthia.." Aru cried. "Do you know that Fenanie and I went back to the woods to look for you. W-we searched for you for months. We thought..."

"Miss Nathalie helped me. It was around the time when her son disappeared so she went to the woods and found me instead." She faced us. "Do you know Miss Nathalie?"

"I’m not acquainted with any Nathalie-"

"Nathalie Laurel?" Krace suddenly said and Cynthia nodded. "She's the late Queen of Guerreier."

Nathalie..

"You’re right," she answered. "Now that you’re here, it means it is the time where the fated will happen." She looked up and smiled sadly. "You’ll face the upcoming war."

She offered a hand. I was about to put my hand on it but Krace stopped me.

"Why?"

He didn’t answer me but he questioned Cynthia.

"Tell us about the late Queen," Krace ordered. "Any information about Guerreier could help us."

"Any information about her will be of no importance, no use. It won’t help you in facing the war." She let out a deep breath. "It is a battle between yourselves. You are meant to betray yourselves because you can't betray the others."

"Then, what are you telling us to do?" I asked. She surely has an advice or two since she can see what will happen.

"Go back to Quintessence."

My forehead creases. Why would we go back there?

"I know you’re considering going to Kauma. But it will take time to do that. You can save anyone if you go there, it would be too late for you.”

I stood up and offered my hand this time. "Touch me and tell me what is written in front of me. Everything."

"I refuse," she said, changing her mind. "It is better to go blindly than being distracted by things that are fated to happen. If it is fated, it is fated. Knowing it will not change anything."

"Aru.." Krace called. "Can we trust her?"

Aru nodded. "She’s the most trusted person of Fenanie.”

"Then we are leaving," Krace said before standing up. "We'll go back to Quintessence and trust your words."

He went outside first so I was left with Cynthia. That’s it? He trusts her already?

"No doubt. You’re really Fenanie’s daughter."

I look at her after she commented. She smiled and offered her hand this time.

"May I see the future?" I hesitated. She must have felt it so she continued. "This could be our first and last meeting. Grab the opportunity while it lasts.”

Right. It is not a common thing to see a future seer. Might as well make the best out of this moment.

I held her hand. She closed her eyes and tears started to fall to her cheeks. She let go of my hand and looked down.

"Cynthia.." Aru called sadly.

"I saw the end," she whispered. "Instead of saving them.." She faced me so I could clearly see her crying white eyes. "Save yourself first, Krainarie."

.

"It would be selfish."

"No, it wouldn't be. We have a long way to go before we arrive at Quintessence so it is better to eat a lot."

I nodded at Krace. I wasn’t talking about food. It was about what Cynthia said. Does she mean I need to hide to save myself? What about the others?

"How will you face Nashin once we arrive there?" Krace asked while we are eating. We are currently waiting for the next bus that will travel to Quintessence.

How will I face him?

"You are not going to run into his arms the moment you see him again, are you?"

My eyebrows formed a line. What kind of question is that? Seriously?

"Mind how you'll go back to Quintessence as Krace and not as Ember, will you?" I answered back. He just shrugged and walked in the line as the bus arrives.

We were standing outside the bus when Ashinaida went out of it. She run towards me and gave me a tight hug.

"I am so glad you're safe," she whispered in my ears. "You’re going back to Quintessence?" She happily said but I know it wasn’t sincere. Something must’he happened when I was away.

"Yes," I answered. She looked at Krace and smiled.

"Take care," she said before pulling me into a hug. She walked away but came back. "Hey, listen."

I felt uneasy with her tone. Did she realize that Krace is Ember?

I look at Krace who went inside the bus but still looking at us, probably listening to our conversation.

"I have nothing against you, Chimsy, but please.." she sighed. "Please stay away from my brother. Never talk to him and if possible, never see him again. Ever again, please?"

Did.. she knew what Nashin has done? His betrayal towards Quintessence.. does Ashinaida knew?

"Please promise me, Chimsy."

Her pleading eyes stared at me. She found out something, doesn’t she?

I saved my question and smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I can do that."

She smiled back. "Thank you, Chimsy."

She left right away without looking back. That's so weird of her.

Krace and I didn’t talk until we arrive at Quintessence. And to make things worse, Nashin is in the admission room when we arrived. I remained standing in the door while looking at him blankly. A betrayer.

"Krain.."

Krace stepped forward and hide me behind him. Aru went out of my sleeves to look at him.

"Krain," he called.

"First name basis, huh? Since when did the two of you became close?" Krace sarcastically asked. I hold his hand and shake my head.

"Did you go back to Dauthi? Krace came to bring me back here so I didn't get to wait for you. I'm sorry," I said, pretending not to know anything.

Instead of speaking, his gaze dropped at my hand that is holding Krace so I automatically let go. Krace saw it so he grabbed my hand.

"You know that only those people who belongs to the same district are allowed to be together, don't you?" He raised our hand. "And for our case, we are the only Dauthinian left. You know what it means, right?"

Did he just.. revealed that he is also a Dauthinian? In front of Nashin?

‘He is an enemy! Why are you telling him that you are a Dauthinian? Are you crazy?!’

They stared at each other, so I look at them, confused. Do they know each other?

"Laurel.. and you two."

My eyes widened when a mist appeared and a woman in suit showed up. When I saw her face, my head automatically bowed down. The two did the same.

"Headmistress..." Nashin said. The mist spread and covered us. After a few seconds, the mist disappeared. I looked around and realized that we are not in the admission office anymore.

"Take your seats."

We took our sits in front of Miss Xhora who is seriously looking at Nashin, then to Krace. When her eyes met mine, her gaze softens.

"Krainarie," she smiled. She walked towards me and pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad you're alive."

"These two must have known," she concluded after hugging me. "You know her real identity," she said to the two.

"Yes," they answered in chorus.

"With that, I'm sending the three of you to an important mission. A long-term mission."

I look at Krace who is obviously not aware of what his mother is saying.

Is she really giving us a mission? Us three? With a betrayer?

"I want you to leave in three days, after the ranking exam." She went back to her table. "After you take your ranking exam, to be precise."

"What is this mission all about?" Nashin asked in a calm tone.

Miss Xhora gave us a piece of paper. In it is a picture of a woman. She has long, wavy dark brown hair. She’s wearing an elegant dress with a crown on her head.

"The late Queen of Guerreier," I read the writings on the lower part. My gaze moved to Nashin. It is his mom.

"Nathalie is the person behind Laurel Rodrigo. She wrote everything that Cynthia Laurel saw in the future."

The.. Laurel Rodrigo.. is her?

"Cynthia Laurel is my aunt, a half-blooded Guerreier who can see the future," Nashin said. "She died a few days after my mom's burial."

Can see the future.. isn’t she the Cynthia that we recently met?

"Your mission is to find Cynthia."

Krace and I looked at each other. We already found her. But why would we look for her?

"She's already dead—"

"No, she's not," Krace said. "We met her before we came here."

"How sure are you that it is her?"

Krace pointed the picture of Queen Nathalie. "She looks exactly like her."

"We had reports about her hidden daughter in Meriandin, our neighboring continent. She's a future teller like her. Escort the two of them and bring them back to Quintessence safely. That's your mission."

Why would we bring them here when they are in the hiding?

"Meriandin is not a safe place for people from Epiliar. They are way more aggressive and ruthless compared to us. Are you sure about this lineup?"

My forehead creases because of Nashin’s reply. Is he worried or simply underestimating us?

"Don't you dare say that in front of a Dauthinian."

My attention went back to Miss Xhora.

"As I've said, you are going to escort them safely. Am I clear?"

"Are we.." I inserted. "Are we being sent to a mission despite the emerging problems all over Epiliar?"

Miss Xhora took a deep breath before sitting down in her swivel chair.

"We need Cynthia or her daughter for us to see the future. There's no other future teller in Quintessence who could help us see what's waiting for us."

No future teller?

"There's Snyp Tan of Heilsen—"

"He disappeared two days ago."

I was stunned. He can't just disappear, can he?

"We received a withdrawal letter with his penmanship and seal. We looked for him after we received his letter but, he is nowhere to be found. Our last choice is Cynthia."

She explained the things that we should do for the mission but I wasn’t listening. How did Snyp disappear? He wouldn't leave Quintessence especially that he promised to protect me. He even said that he will wait for the time when I am ready and he'll support me in all ways just so I can change the future.

"I'll see you again on the day of your departure."

Nashin and Krace left first but I remained in my seat.

"Krain.."

"Did he really leave Quintessence?"

Silence embraces us. Miss Xhora stood up and sit beside me.

"I met him a few hours before he was taken."

My eyes widened in shock. I knew it! He was taken!

"Guerrerian," I whispered before aggressively heading for the door but Miss Xhora called me.

"He has seen that this will happen. It has to happen. It is the only way for us to get your mom out of Guerreier."

My anger was replaced with pain. It is my first-time hearing about mom since I left Dauthi and it is not the nicest news to hear.

"She's being held captive in the insides of Guerreier. She's being tortured so that they'll get some information about your whereabouts. You know you are meant to save the future, right?"

My tears made their way to my cheeks. She's being tortured..

"We'll all die in the future. But when you were born, the future keeps changing. You are the only one who have the ability to change the future, Krain. You can’t fall into their hands." She carefully wiped my tears. "You have to save us in the future."

I left her office as I try my best to stop my tears. I was on my way to the ground floor when a cloak covers my face.

"I know you wouldn't want anyone to see you in this state," he whispered. "Then at least, let me bring you home."

I felt his hands on my shoulders, guiding me out of the building. After some steps, I felt the movement of the ground beneath my feet. It is the platform that is taking the underground road.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

That makes me cry even more.

It seems like I can't keep my promise to you, Ashinaida.

I'm sorry.

...