Aurelia nodded, her starry face solemn. “Yes. If only I did possess the power of foresight. Maybe then I could have known what would happen. What my attempts at balance would cost Arcanis.”
“If balance is what you sought, why create the peoples of Arcanis with such an imbalance of power in the first place?”
Nox leaned forward in their chair. “Who says she is the one who created them at all?”
Aurelia’s eyes flashed at the nocterrian’s words. “The Crucible was designed to repair the flaws in an already flawed system, the cracks of which were only widened by my interference. My siblings agreed to help me restore the glory of Arcanis in a way that could draw out only the truly worthy, someone strong enough not only to wield power, to reign with truth and justice, but one who would be able to resist its darkest temptations upon their success. One to herald in the dawn, one to bring a new day.”
Cedric inhaled sharply, his eyes going glassy. “The prophecy.”
Aurelia nodded. “Granted to Arcanian oracle and human seer alike, in the hopes that one day, the worthy would be called, their path forgedthrough strife and unity, to lead them to the crown.”
Elyria bit the inside of her lip, trying to remember the lines of the prophecy. And despite the celestial’s protestations of not being able to read minds, it seemed like Aurelia knew exactly what Elyria was thinking when she began her recitation, her many voices sliding together like silk.
“In the twilight of Arcanis’strife, long past a luminous fall,
Visions pierce the veil of time, foretelling the stars’ plan for all.
A shattered crown shall be united, a sundered land restored.
A severed people shall be made whole or fall to darkness once more.
From shadow and fire, champions rise, forged in the Crucible of fate.
Strength, spirit, magic, and concord test the trials beyond the Gate.
From bitterest rivals to heartbreaking ends, two bloods shall find their way.
Through sacrifice, darkness, and friendship betrayed, as dawn brings a new day.
So will they reclaim the One True Crown, wielding its terrible might.
A choice will be offered, an offer then made: Heal the realm or cast it into night.”
The celestial exhaled, a sigh of the ages, and it was as if a great weight lifted from her shoulders when she finished speaking the words. Elyria’s chest deflated, as if the prophecy pulled the air from her lungs. She glanced around, taking in the reverent bow of Thraigg’s head, the wetness glistening between the lashes of Zephyr’s closed eyes. Even Tenebris Nox had wiped the mirth from their expression, solemnity carved into the planes of their striking face.
Cedric’s brow was furrowed, the top of his upper lip curling under his nose like he smelled something noxious.
Elyria smothered her desire to grin. “What’s wrong?”
Aurelia tipped her head to the side, like she, too, was curious about his reaction.
“It’s just a bit different than the version I was taught,” he said, his eyes not meeting the celestial’s.
Elyria snorted. “I didn’t even remember half those verses existed, so I think you’re in good company, Sir Fretful.”
“It is understandable that some parts might have been altered or lost in translation,” Aurelia said.
Elyria’s amusement at the knight’s reaction was swept away as she considered the prophecy, the difference between his version and the one she’d just heard. Words she’d been fretting about for days now.
Through sacrifice, darkness, and friendship betrayed . . .
“Well, I suppose if there were any doubts as to the veracity ofthisversion, they can be laid to rest. I don’t believe the lines you recited for me, Sir Scholar, included that part about ‘friendship betrayed,’ and yet...” Elyria cast a long look at a still-unconscious Kit, then thought about the line that preceded it.
From bitterest rivals to heartbreaking ends, two bloods shall find their way.
Evander had broken Kit’s heart—and her own—with his betrayal. Hopefully that meant they were well on their way to seeing the end of this damn prophecy come to fruition. Granted, Elyria cared little for the “One True Crown” and its “terrible might.” All she wanted was to leave this stars-damned Sanctum with Kit and move on. Let the rest of the kingdom worry about healing the realm. All she cared about was healing her friend—her sister.
That was what she told herself, at any rate.
