Solavane held Rita up by the throat, her body writhing in the air as she struggled to break free.
I stepped closer, circling them both, my gaze fixed on the brutal scene unfolding before me.
Solavane twitched, her eyes catching mine briefly before she slammed Rita back into the earth with a resounding crash.
Rita spat blood onto the dirt, her body twitching as she gasped for air.
Solavane stepped on her neck with a crushing force, making her choke and struggle to inhale, her breath a shallow, desperate wheeze.
I leaned over Rita's body, my gaze never leaving Solavane. "Caelum, I ask you to back away," she said in a calm but eerie voice. "She might have a Trump Card."
Rita managed to choke out a defiant laugh, spitting blood once more. "Don't… just kill me, you bastard."
Solavane didn't respond. She pressed harder, and with an audible snap, Rita's neck shattered under her weight. Rita's body went limp in an instant.
Solavane turned to me, her face expressionless. "Go... go to Dally. I don't want to waste any more time with her."
I tilted my head slightly, studying her. "You know, the future is a troublesome thing. I can see it, I can control it... I see you plunging your blade into my heart in five minutes. But for some reason, I'm not sure why."
.
I looked down at Rita, her body beginning to glow with a strange, ethereal light. Solavane twitched, instinctively reaching for her blade to strike her down.
But before she could, Rita vanished, leaving only a lingering trace of light in the air.
"Damn it," Solavane muttered under her breath, frustration seeping into her tone. She glanced at her vanished weapon, her eyes narrowing. "Caelum, what the hell are you talking about?"
I chuckled softly, my eyes flicking back to her. "Heh, I don't know, my lovely War Priest. Can you tell me the theory of relativity?"
Her confusion was palpable, but then, clarity seemed to hit her. Her eyes widened in realization. "Damn it… Caelum... are you from Earth?"
I laughed again, a soft, knowing sound.
As I glanced at the future once more, the vision shifted, now showing Solavane choking me to death.
I raised an eyebrow and spoke, more to myself than her. "Solavane, you must be a very special person."
Her face contorted with anger. She paused for a moment before summoning her odachi once again, the weight of her next words heavy. "I'm tired of beating around the bush. Who the hell are you?"
I straightened, my voice taking on a deeper, more confident tone. "I am omnificent. All knowledge lies within my gaze… I am a mutt of knowledge."
In that moment, Solavane's eyes flickered with understanding. She froze, then muttered to herself, the words barely audible. "He's The Seeker."
Then, I spoke aloud as I read her thoughts, "You now realize that not only do I see the future, but I also live in it. And with that, you've come to the conclusion that you're… weak."
She flinched, her eyes narrowing. The realization hit her harder than any blow I could have dealt.
The War Priest, whose power had been formidable until now, had just understood her place in the grand scheme of things.
Solavane stared at me for a long moment, the silence thick between us. I could see her mind racing. She thought to herself, Caelum Ashbane… He could not only see the future, he lives in it.
I didn't wait for her to react.
As she lunged toward me, I dodged backward, narrowly avoiding the slash of her odachi. I flipped back three times, landing with ease.
She appeared behind me faster than I expected, slashing at me once more.
I ducked under the attack, then pushed my body back, causing her to lose her balance and fall.
I shook my head as I turned to face her. "Solavane, right now you're trying to capture me. You're going to have to try a little harder if you want to kill me."
Solavane rose, brushing herself off, but her eyes were filled with barely-contained fury. "Caelum, I'll ask you this once—what do you mean by 'take your throne'?"
I paused, taking a deep breath. My hand slowly reached up to remove my blindfold. As it came off, I embraced the world around me, the clarity of sight opening up with each breath I took.
"I am the Sight, the Fate, the Goal, the End."
I blinked a few times, a soft laugh escaping my lips. "Take my throne? Isn't it obvious? I wanted you to kill me, and I wanted you to sit upon my throne... my Throne of Eyes."
"Your a monster, aren't you, did you plan all this, no its impossible your not that strong what's going on?"
I laughed again, peering into the future. Oh, she's dead.
My gaze drifted upward, the stars scattered across the night sky like fragments of a broken dream.
With a calm voice, I spoke to the heavens. "Aubrey is constantly telling me to be wary, telling me to wait until I was strong enough to say this... but I think now's the perfect time."
I walked up to Solavane, my steps deliberate, as I glanced back at her. My eyes met hers, and with a devastating revelation, I leaned in and whispered, "I want to… LIVE!"
The words hung in the air for only a moment before she was sent flying back, tumbling across the ground, as though my declaration had physically struck her.
I levitated off the ground, my form floating effortlessly above her. I held my hand over her body, and a calm, focused look overtook my face. "I'm going to send you somewhere. Make sure that he doesn't kill you."
Before she could react, before she could even process the weight of my words, she vanished from my sight. The vision that I held was limited by thought, and she was no longer in it.
I collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood. My chest burned, but a voice, soft and concerned, echoed in my mind. "You're going to die."
I chuckled weakly, spitting out a little more blood. My hand trembled as I glanced down at it. Aubrey was right.
I needed more life force after feats like that. Even seeing her fight against Rita had drained me—more than I would have liked to admit.
Looking at the village in the distance, I let out a long, defeated sigh. "It seems these people are going to meet an unbearable fate."
I shook my head, disregarding Aubrey's warnings to hold back. I had already made up my mind. No more waiting.
No more hiding.
I set my sights on the village, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I walked towards it.
***
The village was alive with the laughter of its people, the scent of roasting meats in the air, and the soft glow of lanterns hanging from the buildings.
It was a quaint place, the kind of village that reminded me of simpler times.
I mingled with the villagers, enjoying their company and hearing their stories.
I listened to the local blacksmith boast of his latest work, watched a group of children run past with a carnival balloon, and shared a quiet laugh with an old man selling trinkets.
Despite the revelry around me, a strange, hollow feeling lingered. I could feel it deep within me—the future was already written, and nothing could change what was coming.
Soon, the music of the festival grew louder, and I found myself drawn to it.
The villagers had set up a grand feast in the center of town, the night air thick with the sounds of dancing, music, and celebration.
I joined them without a second thought, enjoying the fleeting escape from the weight of destiny.
As the night wore on, the moon rose high above the town, casting a silver glow over the festivities.
But the joy was short-lived. When the first rays of dawn began to break, I could feel the weight of my decision pressing down on me.
I sighed, standing at the edge of the village square, my gaze sweeping over the people who had been so kind, so unaware of the impending doom.
The festive atmosphere faded into the background, replaced by a sense of inevitability.
I took a deep breath, letting it fill my lungs before I leapt into the air. My body soared upwards, higher and higher, until I was a mere silhouette against the horizon.
As I reached the apex of my jump, I spoke, my voice calm, detached, almost as if I were talking to no one at all. "Soul World."
The moment the words left my lips, everything changed.
The entire village was engulfed in a dense field of goldish-blue mana, swirling around with an intensity that made the air itself seem to hum with power.
The light flickered and pulsed, rippling outward in a wave of energy that tore through the village.
The buildings disintegrated, the people vanished, and the very ground beneath me cracked and burned.
The village was gone, erased from existence like a forgotten dream.