Chapter 63
Wolfe
“Visions of Truth and Fate”
The Seer stood in the center of the Hollow Room like a vision torn from the dawn. Her sun-kissed brown skin gleamed with an inner light, as though the sun itself had left its blessing upon her.
Her silver gown poured over her frame like mist, its unbroken lines spilling to the floor, shifting on the breath of an unseen wind. Her hair, braided with threads of silver and crystal charms, shimmered faintly as if starlight had been caught in each strand.
Her presence was a celestial hymn, one without words, thrumming through the air. But it was always her eyes that held me.
Her ancient, fathomless gray eyes locked onto Elariya and me as we entered the room.
Every time I saw her, those eyes reminded me of one truth: though she looked no older than a mortal in their prime, she was older than kingdoms, and older than crowns. And she was one of the few remaining beings I could trust.
Bound by the gods as a protector of the realm, and bound to my lineage through the ancient magic woven into her very essence, she was more than a Seer. She was a covenant made flesh.
When Elariya and I reached her, I inclined my head and dropped to one knee. Beside me, Elariya bowed low.
"Welcome, Lady of Sight and Memory," I greeted her. Though my voice was steady, my chest tightened with the weight of the questions gnawing at me. "We are honored by your presence."
The Seer's smile bloomed with a warmth that soothed the soul. She lifted her hands with prayer-like grace. "Rise, Prince of Shadows. Rise, Daughter of the Hourglass. The honor is mine."
I turned toward Elariya. Her lips parted, eyes wide with surprise, yet a soft glow of pride touched her features. She looked pleased by the title. As if, for the first time, she was being called by a name that truly belonged to her.
"I see much has changed since last we met, Prince Nightblade." The Seer's gaze shifted to Elariya. "You have found your tracker."
"Yes, my Lady."
"I apologize for the lateness of my arrival. I was beyond the reach of this world, tending to what has proven to be a common goal between us." Her brows pinched and unease rippled through me.
That didn't sound good. "What is happening?"
"The Darkness," she said, her voice low. "Those who see with no eyes and speak with no lips."
Gods. Those were the same beings Marcus had spoken of at the rebel camp. Elariya and I exchanged a worried glance.
"Who are they?" I pressed.
"I do not know. And that is the very problem. I should know... The gods grant me sight of many threads, but there are forces that shroud themselves in veils older than mine. It blinds me where I should see, cloaked in a dark magic without signature."
"No signature." My gut twisted. It all tied together. "That's the same pattern we've been seeing here."
"I traced the first appearance back to your father's death, at the palace.
The magic disguised itself then, weaving its true nature within the threads of the realm.
" Her gaze flickered, a shadow of fatigue dimming her light.
"My sight could not detect it. Only now, with its strength growing, can I see it for what it truly was.
That is why I couldn't give you the answers you sought from the start.
The same cloak has kept you from reaching me. "
"So even you can't see the full truth?" The words tasted like ash.
"No."
Gods above. That explained why she couldn't simply name my father's killer or locate the ring and be done with it. Fuck, if even she, with all her sight, could only glimpse fragments, then what hope did the rest of us have?
For a moment, the Seer’s gaze softened. "But destiny has a way of mending what is torn. Your message came to me from the afterlife. Through your mother."
My spirit lifted, a moment of reprieve in the dark. I recalled the strength my mother had given me on the mountain. I felt it again now. “You actually saw my mother?"
"I did. We are fortunate to have some light still on our side. Through her help, far more has been revealed to me than any of us anticipated. And yet much remains shrouded. I will cast what light I can. One truth is clear: our fates rest on finding the ring."
I dragged a hand through my hair, my shoulders bowing under the burden of defeat. "We have tried everything to find it, but there's a block we can't break."
Her gaze settled on Elariya. "There is a reason for that. Come closer, girl." Elariya glanced at me, her eyes seeking permission. I gave a slight nod, and she stepped toward the Seer.
The Seer pressed her palm to Elariya's brow. Silver charms chimed, then the Seer's eyes opened and she gave a small nod.
"What did you see?" Elariya asked eagerly.
"The extent of your power, child. I needed to see it for myself." Her focus sharpened. "The ring was clever. It tethered you as its tracker, and then it borrowed your magic to guard itself."
"What does that mean?" I moved closer, keeping Elariya in my sight.
"Time," she said. "Your mage's gift is time."
Elariya paled. "Time? I can control time? In what ways?"
"As you did the other day when you aged the rebels by calling the years owed to them."
"I... thought I was just conjuring."
"No. Your power runs deeper. In a mix like yours—half human, half mage—the human blood gave a blank slate.
But your ancient bloodline fed the magic inscribed in you, waiting to flourish.
Crossing into the magical realm awakened it further.
That is why you hear the dragon-song, why they answer your call.
And now your strongest ability has risen: time magic. Yet it has always stirred within you."
Elariya's lips parted. "Always?" The single word lingered in the space between us, fragile and unbelieving.
A knot of ache pulled through me at the sight of her. So strong in spirit, yet trembling now beneath the weight of what she carried.
"Always," the Seer answered, her tone reflective. "Even when you portaled back in Stormfell, you slipped a few minutes back in time."
Elariya's eyes flew to mine. I had no words. The ability to control time was incredibly rare and more coveted than any other power I'd ever known.
She pressed a hand to her heart. "The memory loop..."
The Seer's expression dimmed. "Yes. The ring used your time gift to cast you into the loop."
Fuck. Of course, the damned thing would sink its claws into the very power that made her extraordinary.
"My own magic caused it?" Elariya's voice shook.
"With the ring's help. You could not have done this alone, which is why you cannot break it alone. Curses take a piece of us and bend it to their will." Her gaze cut to me. "The ring hides on a temporal plane, out of step with this world."
My stomach dropped as cold understanding spread through me. We'd suspected the ring was hiding on another plane of existence, but time itself? Gods, I wasn't prepared for that.
"Time planes shift by the second, and there are countless of them." I sighed.
"Which makes it the perfect place to hide." Her eyes softened with understanding.
"No wonder I couldn't find it." The truth scraped like iron in my throat. There was never a chance of locating it on my own. Whatever this threat is, it must be dangerous if the ring sought such drastic measures to protect itself. "How can we find it safely?"
"Elariya's blood can guide you to it, but only her ability to control time will open the door. Not her blood."
"Her power?" I murmured, the truth slotting into place. "That's what we were missing."
"Yes."
"But if I've had this power all along, why didn't it work?" Elariya asked, her brows knitting in confusion.
"It has only now awakened, child. You've barely touched it. You must master the essentials. Enough control to steady the hourglass, then the door will yield. That is the key."
"My lessons have only just begun." The words left her in a whisper.
"You still have much to learn, but it can be done. You'll know when you are ready."
"What should I focus on first?"
"Your magical studies will help you, but the Nyzith strands will guide you to what matters most." The Seer's gaze drifted beyond us, as if she were speaking to the strands themselves.
"They answer the ring's call and will continue to lay signs in your path.
The last message drew you to the dragon caves.
Because there, you will find your familiar. "
Elariya gasped. "As in a soul-bonded animal?"
"Yes, my child."
"There was nothing there," I cut in. "I searched everywhere. My dragons couldn't find anything either."
The Seer's mouth curved. "Because you looked in the wrong place. It is not where. It is when."
"When?" I breathed. "It's on a temporal plane."
She nodded. "Elariya must learn to walk between the temporal planes and manipulate the elements that bind time. There she will find her dragon. Not one of the Nightblade's brood, but the one set apart for her, out of step with this age. It will call to her when it deems her ready to bond."
My scalp tightened while Elariya's smile broke wide.
"I have a dragon," she whispered, her voice filled with longing.
"My Lady, this... is a lot to take in." I held her gaze. "Dragons are vicious creatures."
"Indeed. But you have already seen how they answer her blood. A familiar will answer more deeply still, especially one bound through the threads of time."
I exhaled. "I have faith in Elariya. That's never wavered. But she's only just begun to touch her magic. Even with her... gifts, she's untested."
The Seer's gaze softened. "Your faith does you honor, Wolfe Nightblade.
And she will need it. For strength and love may shield her heart, but mastery must sharpen her hand.
The road ahead is perilous, and before she can claim her true power.
.." Her eyes darkened, the silver gleam swallowed by shadow.
"...you must survive. For it was through the creature wearing Zyrra's face that your enemy learned of the power stirring within her. "