Kaelen fixed his eyes on the girl, his voice filled with a mix of curiosity and gravity. "Are you a seer?"
The girl, barely acknowledging the direct question, turned her head and began devouring the meat Liam had brought. Her movements were hurried, almost feral. Driven by a hunger that shaped her appetite, she tore into the piece of meat before her, heedless of her hands. In the surrounding silence, the only sounds were the grinding of teeth against the meat's fibers and faint chewing noises. Despite her delicate appearance, the petite girl presented a strikingly contrasting image.
Kaelen watched this scene in silence for a while. He could see how ravenous she was, but something within him felt uneasy. As he kept his eyes on her, he slowly turned to Liam. There was a hint of surprise in his expression as well. Liam swallowed hard as he looked at the girl. "She's either incredibly brave," Kaelen thought, "or she knew from the start she wouldn't be harmed."
When the girl finally finished eating, the juices from the meat had dripped from her fingers down to her wrists. Without trying to hide her dirty hands, she looked at Kaelen with a slight, guilty smile and spoke: "Ahem… I'm sorry about that. I was really starving. Up until now, we've only been getting by with those dried nuts Liam brought. It's been a while since I've seen proper food. And, to answer your question… yes, I'm a seer."
"So that's the deal." Kaelen didn't respond for a few seconds. His eyes roamed over her face, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, searching for a reflection in her onyx-dark eyes. But… no. He didn't remember. None of the seers he had encountered in his previous life looked like this. Neither her appearance, her name, nor her demeanor felt familiar.
Seers had been significant figures in his former life. Each one was carefully protected by the Council, wars were fought for their prophecies, and the future was shaped by their words. Because who wouldn't want someone by their side who could see the future? But this girl… This girl was a stranger. Kaelen couldn't recall a black-haired, black-eyed seer from his past life.
Kaelen's expression grew increasingly serious as he sank deeper into his thoughts. At that moment, Liam interjected, as if sensing Kaelen's mood. "This girl… Olivia Nightshade," he said in a cautious tone. "She's the child of a family friend. She came with us in exchange for my protection until the Eldorian exam. That was our deal. You could say I was hired as a sort of mercenary. The Nightshade family helped us a great deal in the past."
Kaelen's face twitched suddenly. The name "Nightshade" slipped from his lips with an icy sharpness. His lips pressed into a thin line as he clenched his teeth, his hands trembling involuntarily. Though he tried to suppress this anger, hiding the fire within was becoming difficult. "Nightshade… I see." That name began to haunt the room like a ghost from his past. The Nightshade clan… A cornerstone of memories Kaelen wished to forget. A cunning, mysterious family that always operated in the shadows. Even in those dark days of the future, people whispered their name—with fear, with respect… but mostly with hatred. Kaelen had once sensed the intentions of this clan but had been powerless to oppose them. Their power, their hidden connections, and their seer daughters… Yes. Now he understood. It was no coincidence that he still felt their influence even after his death. Because standing before him now was this girl—a seer who protected her family and shaped the future for her clan. "What a pity," Kaelen muttered, letting out a sigh.
Liam continued speaking in the meantime. "Olivia asked me to go to the riverbank and leave a few skyberries there. She said I'd meet someone afterward and that I should bring them here." "Ah, that explains why you did what I told you. I was thinking I might have to rough you up a bit." Liam let out a deep sigh and smiled. "That was hilarious…" Then he added: "That was a joke, right?"
Kaelen turned his gaze to Olivia. There was no longer anger or suspicion in his eyes—only pure inquiry, deep curiosity. "So you never intended to oppose me from the start," he said. Olivia nodded slightly. "Yes… that's partly true." Kaelen took a step forward, his voice now sharper. "And the other part?" This time, the response came from Olivia. There was a glimmer in her eyes that carried the weight of the past, her voice soft but unsettling. "Have you ever been trapped in the web of fate, Kaelen?"
The question pierced Kaelen's thoughts like a knife. He froze. He didn't answer. In that moment, he wondered: From which future had this girl learned his name? Or did she already know it from the past? Seers' abilities varied, but what set them apart was how far they could see—into the future or the past. And Olivia… her intuition was clearly far beyond that of an ordinary seer. "I've heard a few things about that," Kaelen said finally, averting his eyes from Olivia. "But… no. I've never experienced anything like that." A lie. Or a half-truth. Because, in fact, he had. In his previous life, he had been caught in a seer's vision. He had been trapped in the cycle of fate, ensnared in events he couldn't redirect. Defying fate required extraordinary power and fearless resolve. Even if he managed it… fate always came back. It always found a way to pull him back into its cycle. It was an endless loop. And Kaelen still hadn't fully escaped its chains. That's how he felt. "I couldn't share this with anyone. Not yet."
Seers often resorted to various methods to break free when they felt ensnared by fate's web—sometimes complex rituals, sometimes long, silent meditation sessions. The goal was to see the unseen while avoiding being seen. But this didn't always work. Fate, at times, flowed with a will beyond all foresight. When Kaelen noticed the surprise in the girl's eyes, he furrowed his brow slightly. Such a reaction was incomprehensible to him. Most seers already knew the future; naturally, his reactions should have been part of that knowledge. In that case, there was no need for her to say anything—or so Kaelen thought.
"Being trapped in fate… It's a problem seers can't escape," the girl said, her voice weary but clear. "It's normal that you don't know. Unfortunately, in the futures I've seen… we all die on the morning of the second day. I'm sorry, but I couldn't find a way to prevent it." The doubt coursing through Kaelen had now solidified into certainty. It was exactly as he'd thought. "Then why did you call for me?" he asked, his voice slightly harsh. "I'm a mage who hasn't even reached the first mana seed. What can I do in a place where fate has already swallowed you? How could someone like me possibly defeat fate?"
"I called for you because… we need someone to protect us," the girl said, her voice softer and lower now. "If you help us, we'll owe you." "That's a big request. Why do you want this so badly? I haven't heard much about the Nightshade family, but even under a great clan, it shouldn't be an issue for you." "Passing this exam is incredibly important for me and Liam. After all, even just six months at the Eldorian Academy will ensure our survival with the mana seed and allow us to form alliances with other mages." "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Kaelen responded with a brief silence. His eyes were fixed on the girl's face, but his mind was drifting elsewhere. "I see," he said finally. "But you still haven't answered my question. How do you think I could destroy a knot of fate?" The girl answered without hesitation. "I don't know."
This short response caused Kaelen to raise an eyebrow. It was said plainly and confidently. The black-haired mage's expression became completely blank at that moment, as if he had hidden his emotions behind a mask. "What did you say?" Kaelen repeated, a trace of surprise in his voice. "I don't know," the girl said with the same calm. "I have no idea whether you can break this cycle of fate. But I do know one thing. The threads of fate… they bend around you. That's rare. Sometimes, people become the center of fate, and—" "Enough," Kaelen interrupted, his voice sharp. "I don't need to hear more. Ugh, what they say about seers is true. You're all fate-obsessed maniacs."
The girl's words had disturbed him deep down. He knew he didn't belong to this world. Seers could sense such beings. Detecting someone like him, who came from beyond time, was part of their abilities. That's why fate's threads couldn't fully ensnare him. But that wouldn't last forever. As long as he continued to exist in this world, fate would eventually wrap around him too. For now…
Kaelen stood up slowly and walked toward one of the beds spread out in the corner of the room. He didn't sit; he let his body sink onto it, lying on his back. The rustle of dry leaves beneath the wooden floor echoed in the room's silence. The creaking whisper mingled with the darkness of the night. Olivia leaned toward Kaelen with curious eyes. There was clear concern in her gaze. "Will you help us?" she asked, her voice low but hopeful. Kaelen answered with his back turned, his voice carrying a weary sharpness. "Stop asking questions you already know the answers to. It's annoying." The girl responded to this with a small giggle. "Hehe…" This light laugh caused Kaelen to slightly open his eyes. For the first time in his life, he was witnessing a seer laugh like that. He thought it was, in itself, a strange stroke of fate.
There was another movement in the room. Liam, who had been silent all along, had been trying to follow their conversation, squinting at times, but had eventually given up. With a sigh, he collapsed onto one of the beds Olivia had prepared. He, too, had been through a lot today and deserved a bit of rest.