The gift of prophecy is more often less of a gift and more of a burden.
Knowing what the future holds, it is impossible to rationalize failure as a result of chance or circumstance, with the only real conclusion being your own glaring lack of ability.
Prophecy dispels the fog covering the unknown abyss of the future, and in the end, all you are left with is a looming deadline of promised disaster and the desperate yet hopeless resolve to try and prevent it all.
Cassie didn't know exactly why her memories of the future had become so fragmented and blurred, but she knew for certain that it was utterly unnatural.
Future deadlines and dates that should've been grafted to her memory had become so muddled and distorted that she couldn't make heads or tails of anything past the present.
It was strange.
It felt as though a veil had been cast over her— as if her already sightless eyes and ears had been covered by large, impenetrable hands.
Cassie had gone months without ever realizing this.
But why?
Cassie was someone who was burdened with knowledge— someone who was forced to bear the heaviest thing in the world.
She was a prisoner of the future.
A powerless witness of fate.
Yet, she had grown so used to the taste of freedom that she had forgotten this fact.
'But how?'
A voice whispered in her ear.
Cassie furrowed her brow.
'... I don't know.'
The voice spoke once more.
'No, you do know. You just don't want to acknowledge it.'
Cassie frowned.
'Acknowledge what?'
'The truth.'
The voice grew louder.
'You cannot change fate.'
'You never could.'
Cassie unconsciously drew in a deep breath.
'What do you mean? The future has changed, has it not?'
'That may be true, but was it a result of your own meddling?'
'Huh...?'
The more Cassie listened, the more the voice seemed to resemble hers— though it felt a bit more mature.
'Think carefully, Cassia. What was your role in this play?'
'... I don't know...'
The furrow in Cassie's brow grew more pronounced as she felt an uncomfortable pang in her temples.
There was something there, preventing her from grasping the answer to the voice's question.
A few moments passed before a small, exasperated breath tickled her ear.
'Ah, well, I guess it's only natural for you to be unable to immediately shatter the veil. You're still a dreamer after all.'
Cassie felt confusion build in her chest.
The voice continued.
'Cassia, listen carefully.'
'You have been caught in the web of a transcendent. If you wish to have any hope of escaping their grasp, you must delve into your soul sea and try to perceive the veil they have cast over you.'
Cassie tensed.
'... Perceive the veil? 'They'...? What—'
The voice cut her off.
'Look, someone is tampering with your psyche. They're obscuring your vision, restricting your information, and guiding you to a future different from the one they promised you.'
Cassie's breath hitched as her mind wandered to the lonely star residing in the future.
'Wait, are you talking about—'
'Don't say their name!'
A flicker of urgency bled into the voice's tone.
'It's who you're thinking of, but if you say any of their names, any chance of preventing the coming tragedy will be lost.'
'Cassia, just listen to me. Please.'
'Enter your soul sea and uncover the veil covering you. Only then can I restore your connection to the future and show you the path forward.'
Cassie fell silent for a few moments, awareness growing in her muddled consciousness.
'... Who are you?'
'...'
The insistent whispering of the voice in her ears ceased for a moment.
'... You would not be able to hear my name with their hands obscuring your perception. If you do as I say, you will naturally find out who I am.'
'I can, however, guarantee that I have no ill will towards you, Cassia.'
'....'
Cassie delved into her soul sea and opened her eyes, taking in the sight that she had grown so used to.
Her single core shone brightly, with little pearls of light orbiting it like small moons.
The ocean pooling beneath her core rippled gently, with the occasional wave disturbing its utter calmness.
All seemed to be in order, yet that voice had claimed that there was something wrong.
Since the first time she delved into her soul sea, Cassie hadn't paid much attention to the scenery with each subsequent access— at most sparing a passing glance at the accumulating memories.
Now, presented with the same sight she had seen a thousand times, Cassie couldn't help but regret not paying more attention.
'... Percieve the veil...?'
'What does that even mean?'
Just as Cassie let out a sigh, the voice once again whispered in her ear.
'It's just as I said before— they are tampering with your perception.'
'They have hidden the veil they used to cover your eyes with certainty— the promise that everything they say will lead to a better future. If you wish to see it, then you must question everything they have told you.'
The voice continued.
'Question it, Cassia. Question the script that they gave you. Find faults in their reasoning.'
Cassie did as she was told.
She closed her eyes and began to recall every interaction she had with them.
From the very first moment she had met him, there had always been an instinctive trust between them.
Why?
Was it because of her connection to his past version?
Or was it because of the relationship that she would inevitably have with him in the future?
Cassie didn't know.
Since their first meeting, she had listened to his every word, trusting his account of the future and aligning it with the one that she saw in her visions.
Sure their had been some discrepancies here and there.... but....
Cassie furrowed her brow.
He had said that he had sought her out to change the tragic fate that had befallen them as they were leaving the Forgotten Shore.
She had believed him without much thought and helped him carry out his plans to change the past— moving the pieces and influencing events in his stead.
Yet, she hadn't stopped to consider why things had to happen the way he said.
If his past self could already fell the terror with only two stars, why did she need to get him to unlock another two?
Why did Sunny need to become so strong?
To match Nephis?
He would've eventually gotten there without anyone's help.
Why had he told her that she had to have his past self operate in the shadows when his past self was infinitely stronger than anyone else on the forgotten shore?
It was almost as if he were trying to keep his past self on a leash— forcing him to babysit the cohort instead of making real progress towards their escape.
Cassie frowned.
Her conversations with him were always limited to the events of the Forgotten Shore, with her never hearing him speak of anything past that.
Now that she thought back, every time she tried to ask about anything further into the future, he would guide the conversation back to what he needed her to do.
It didn't make sense.
If he were trying to change the tragedies of their past, why would he not mention or help her plan for anything past a mere year and a half?
Knowing Sunny's traits, there is no way that they wouldn't encounter worse in the coming years, so why did he treat the end of the Forgotten Shore with such finality?
The seed of doubt that had begun growing in the pit of Cassie's stomach began to blossom.
'That's good, Cassia! Keep going!'
The voice's encouraging cries barely registered in her ears.
As Cassie opened her eyes, her Soul Sea no longer resembled the calm ocean she had grown used to.
Splotchy patches of hazy platinum light obscured much of the scenery, and the calm body of water that she had seen earlier had become agitated and aggressive.
Large waves disturbed the surface of the water and splashed against the hazy, yet evidently solid, patches of light, as if her soul sea was trying to wash away the starlight tainting it.
And— as Cassie looked up— her lone Soul Core had become blurry.
The usually lively and bright star that hung at the apex of her Soul Sea was distorted— shimering like a mirage.
Cassie felt goosebumps shoot up her arm.
'What... is this...'
As she gaped, the voice that had guided her to this point spoke once more— though this time, rather than a disembodied whisper, there was more substance.
Cassie turned towards the noise, catching a glimpse of a familiar figure.
Despite having only ever seen them once, their visage was burned into Cassie's memory.
Before her was a 'nothingness'.
A pitch-black void possessing the general silhouette of a human.
'You did well, Cassia.'
Despite being unable to make out any of the 'nothingness's' facial features, Cassie could tell it was smiling.
'Now, allow me to lend you a bit of a hand.'
The 'nothingness' raised its arm towards the Soul Core hanging in the sky with an almost beckoning gesture.
In that moment, the entirety of Cassie's Soul Sea responded.
Thick pillars of ocean water rose up and slammed into the splotches of platinum light, washing away the celestial impurities that had taken hold in her soul.
After the 'nothingness's' first round of cleansing, they brought their hand down and formed some sort of seal with their fingers.
A murmur escaped their form, but Cassie couldn't quite catch it.
Instead, she watched as the thick pillars of ocean water began to entwine and converge, forming two titanic arms.
The nothingness formed another seal and let loose another whisper, causing the appendages to shoot into the sky and grasp the lone star hung at its peak.
Cassie watched as titanic fingers dug into the mirage and tore it apart as if it were fabric.
A vivid ripping sound echoed as a blinding flash lit up Cassie's soul, forcing her to avert her gaze.
It took a few moments for the light to dissipate, but when it did, a grim sight filled her view.
Chains.
Her Soul Sea was filled with an endless number of chains.
'No... This can't be...'
Cassie heard a sigh from next to her.
'Damn. He really went the extra mile, huh?'
At her side, the 'nothingness' began to fill with 'something'.
Doll-like features framed by pale blonde hair.
A demure and delicate form dressed in an intricate cloak, the shade of midnight.
The figure before her possessed such ethereal, otherworldly beauty that Cassie had a hard time admitting that this person was—
Well—
Her.
The only difference between the two was their eyes.
Cassie's eyes were a beautiful shade of sapphire blue— whereas this future version of her...
Her pupils possessed an unfathomable transparency, as if part of her eye was constructed from flawlessly clear glass.
The longer you tried to gaze into them, the more you got lost in them— like an abyss was waiting for you on the other side, drawing you deeper in.
Her future self smiled.
'Nice to meet you, Cassia. I hoped that we would never have to meet, but things rarely go my way.'
'Now, I think we should address the elephant in the room.'
She gestured towards the sky— toward her Soul Core.
It was shackled by heavy platinum chains, with its own brilliant light being obscured by the overwhelming starlight.
Cassie swallowed.
'Then... It's true?'
'What part?'
'That he lied to me.'
Her future self nodded.
'Yeah. My fiancé, unfortunately, did a lot of that.'
As she said those words, Cassie couldn't help but blink as her future self flaunted her adorned ring finger.
Sensing her past self's incredulous gaze, the Cassie of the future coughed into her fist.
'Sorry, sorry, force of habit. Let's get back to business.'
She formed an odd seal with her fingers, and an intricate magic circle began to form at her feet.
'We don't have that much time left. As soon as I unshackle your Soul Core from his chains, all the visions that were stripped from you will come back all at once.'
'It'll probably hurt a bit, and you'll feel a bit disoriented— but as soon as you gather your bearings, you need to assess the situation in reality and try and figure out what exactly that Idiot changed. Remember, you cannot, under any circumstances, trust his account of the future.'
Cassie quickly shook her head in bewilderment.
'Wait, wait, wait— Why are you even helping me? If we're in... 'that' kind of relationship in the future— why are you standing in the way of his plans???'
Her future self smiled wryly.
'You can think of it as a lovers' quarrel.'
The magic circle at her future self's feet was completed, and Cassie's Soul Sea began to tremble violently.
The sounds of shattering glass filled her ears as, one by one, the chains filling the space began to fracture.
Like one of her visions, Cassie's sight began to fracture and crack.
She began to lose control over her soul form, but as she was about to be ejected from her Soul sea— her future self turned to her.
She gave her a stern look.
'I'm trusting you. Even though I don't know the full extent of his plans, I can't say I'm a big fan of the result.'
As she was kicked out of her Soul Sea, Cassie only managed to catch her future self's last few words.
'I won't be able to interfere any more than this. Please, Cassia, I'm begging you to stop that idiot from—'
As Cassie once again embraced blindness, a splitting migraine assaulted her temples.
She could feel a wet, hot liquid stream down her face— its consistency too thick to be tears.
Her ears began to ring as images flashed through her mind.
Most of them were too full of symbolism for her to fully translate in her current state of mind, but among them, there was one scene that held little room for interpretation.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
She let out a blood-curdling scream as Sunny and Nephis, who had just reentered her range of detection, ran to her out of concern.
The ringing in her ears began to subside as cold, numb dread settled in her stomach.
"Cas! What is— Holy shit, your eyes!!! They're bleeding!!"
She felt Sunny's hand grip her shoulder, but she brushed it off.
Nephis gazed at her with wary concern.
"Cassie, what happened?"
Cassie's breath accelerated as a single image burned itself into her memory.
Even if that bastard in the future tried to erase her memories once more, he wouldn't be able to rid her of this one.
With shaking hands, she clutched Sunny's arm.
"A-Audun! Where is Audun!"
Sunny responded, a little flustered.
"He went up the Spire to fight the terror."
Cassie felt some strength leave her body.
"No... Nononono...!"
Nephis, with a serious look, repeated herself.
"Cassie. What happened?"
Grasping her head, Cassie's breath grew heavier and more labored.
With her glaring lack of sight, the vision felt far too vivid.
The skies of the Forgotten Shore were split apart, with an endless expanse of stars peaking through the torn tapestry.
Among the stars, there were three constellations that shone the most brilliantly.
One, shaped like a sword.
Another shaped like a staff.
And the final, in the shape of a wheel.
The towering spire had turned into nothing more than a pile of rubble, and the vortex containing the Dark Sea churned fearfully.
And lying next to the rubble,
Basking in the celestial light cast by the triplet of constellations,
Was a corpse missing an arm.
There was a hole in its chest— right where a heart would be.
Despite the grievous wounds covering its body, the final expression frozen on its face was one of happiness... One of boundless joy.
Cassie's heart panged with pain as she witnessed the final moments of Audun, the Star of Solitude.
___________________________________
(A/N: Sorry for the wait, I got bent over and booty raped by my finals.
I think I deadass barely passed, but we got through them.
C's get degrees, I guess.
I took a few creative liberties with the Soul Sea stuff, but I think it turned out decently.
My plan for the end changed so many times cause I had a hard time connecting all of the gibberish I wrote earlier in the fic, but I think I managed to bring all of it together for a relatively decent end.
I kind of regret writing a bunch of stuff so carelessly since it made it a little hard to make an impactful end, but I'll try my best.
If any new readers would like to review the work, that'd be great.
I hope you guys comment a bunch too.
I'll see you all in the next chapter, and I'm sorry for the cliffhanger 🤟😭!)