“Greetings!” the stranger shouted.

Raine stared at the cloaked man blankly. He raised a hand in a half-hearted wave.

“Hey,” he managed to say semi-casually.

Both men had dismounted from their horses, which made Raine even more wary of any attempts at attacking him. Instinctively, Raine scanned the several folds and flaps in the man’s clothing for any hidden weapons. This didn’t go unnoticed by the stranger, who seemed more amused than offended.

“Ah! Did my appearance startle you?” the man’s eyes crinkled up with mirth. “Apologies. My skin is sensitive, and the sunlight is particularly harsh today. That is why I’ve bundled myself in such excess fabric. I’m aware that I must seem rather menacing in this getup.”

Raine audibly exhaled in relief. We’re being too paranoid. It’s only because we’ve been training in anticipation of a fight.

Nikolay, on the other hand, wasn’t so easily convinced. That doesn’t explain how he’s been able to travel without any possessions.

“Normally, I wouldn’t be approaching people, but I’ve run into an emergency of sorts. My horse fell into a ditch and all of my stuff spilled out onto the ground. Almost all of it has been unsalvageable, and I’m left with nothing but the clothes on my back. That being said, would you mind sharing a small portion of your food and drink?”

Raine nodded enthusiastically. “Of course!”

He was more than happy to oblige, given the alternate outcome that could’ve arisen from this encounter.

Raine rummaged through their bags for morsels of food and bottles of water. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the man’s intent stare at Gull’s silver compass, gleaming brightly in the harsh sunlight. Come to think of it, Lysandra had frowned at the compass too. Was there something about the compass that they didn’t know about?

Pushing aside his speculations for now, Raine handed over a few cans and bottles in a small plastic bag. As the bag was passed over, their hands briefly touched. An odd sensation bloomed from the contact, like a less painful version of pins and needles. It persisted long after their hands parted.

Interesting.

If the other recipient had felt the same thing, it didn’t show on their face — though it was difficult to tell any emotion, considering the scarf and wide-brim hat.

“Many thanks for the help, fellow traveller. I’d like to give you something in return, but alas,” the man gestured towards his lack of possessions. “I’m afraid that I have not much to give.”

“That’s okay,” Raine smiled. “I would feel bad if I asked for something in return, anyway.”

“But I can provide something arguably more valuable than material goods,” the man said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “This is a secret that even I wasn’t aware of until recently. There is a wise sage who has mastered her connection with the gods; apparently she’s even a prophet. If you visit her, I’m sure that she can grant you anything that you want. Money, fame, success, she can give you priceless advice on how to achieve it. She’s located not far from where we are. Here, pass me your map. I can mark out the area.”

Raine passed their map and a marker to the man. While they waited for the man to mark out the sage’s location, Raine heard Nikolay scoff in the back of their mind.

I know you’re not the biggest fan of the gods or fate, but she sounds like someone who would know about our prophecy.

Anyone who claims to be a prophet is a money-hungry scammer.

But surely, our meeting with this guy isn’t just a coincidence. A sage sounds pretty aligned with the whole prophecy thing we have going on. Besides, if it turns out to be a scam, we can always return to Veritas afterwards.

Hmph. The final decision is yours, but just know that this is a waste of our time.

We’ll have to see about that.

A brief glance at the new black cross on their map revealed that the sage was quite close. It was within a day’s travel on horseback — if Rascal was feeling like adhering to Raine’s instructions.

“I hope that was enough payment for your help,” the man said, mounting his horse. “I’ll be getting out of your hair now.”

Nikorai watched passively as the stranger rode off in the other direction, towards where he was heading before.

No time like the present, I guess, Raine sighed.

He wasn’t looking forward to spending another ten hours on horseback, though it didn’t present itself as much of a choice.

They spent the rest of their day travelling to the sage’s location. As they went, they neared the edge of the plains in north-western Kosira. Soft dirt was gradually replaced by gravel, turning the wheat-coloured land into a bleak grey. A mountain range loomed over the horizon, a set of jagged teeth that threatened to bite into the clear blue sky above.

The wind seemed to die down, which left zero protection from the burning heat of the sun’s rays. Raine’s awareness of the date was a little fuzzy after the fiasco of being assassinated and thrust into a new vessel, but he was pretty sure that they were entering Summer soon. If his memory wasn’t to be trusted, the sweat dripping from his forehead was enough of a testament to the changing seasons. Rascal was feeling the temperature just as much as Nikorai; her coat was slick with sweat, and her pace was slower than usual.

Raine almost missed the cabin at first. It was unassuming amongst the much more menacing features of the landscape; a small, quaint wooden shack that seemed to fold in on itself. They gradually pulled to a stop in front of the house, hopping off Rascal and tying her to a nearby tree stump. Raine walked up to the wooden front door and knocked hesitantly. Looking back, he saw Rascal longingly looking at him, almost as if she was hesitant to be left alone outside.

The instant that the door opened, Nikorai was hit with the potent scent of cloves and sandalwood. In front of them stood an old woman, hunched over a gnarled wooden staff. Peering behind her revealed a dark parlour, only illuminated by candles and the sunlight streaming from the open front door.

She peered up at Nikorai with a knowing gaze. “Hello. I presume you are here for my services? Please, come inside.”

She continued to speak while they followed her inside the cabin. Her voice was gravelly and powerful despite her frail figure, reverberating off the darkness shrouding them.

“It hasn’t been long since I’ve last seen someone in need of my divine gifts. I suppose word has gotten out about my abilities,” she chuckled. “Oh, don’t mind the incense smoke. I find the outside aura too intruding at times.”

Outside aura, huh? Nikolay repeated in a dry tone. Seems very magical.

“Please, sit down! Pick a seat, any seat. I find that it speaks volumes about your character,” the woman crowed, gesturing at the various chairs in the room.

Raine perked up. Beanbag!

No, not the bean- Nikolay sighed. Whatever.

Nikorai plopped themselves down on the squishy beanbag in satisfaction, while the sage settled herself on an ornate armchair.

“Now, tell me why you seek my assistance,” she croaked.

Raine uneasily shifted his weight on the beanbag, the quiet rustling noises interrupting the silence. “I... need guidance on what to do next. There’s something that I need to do, but I don’t know how to do it. If you have any information about things related to magic, that would be helpful.”

He wasn’t sure how useful his vague answer was, but he sensed that openly talking about the prophecy wasn’t the best idea.

The old woman thoughtfully stroked her chin with a wrinkled hand. “I see. I have a suggestion for you, though it is a rather general one. There is a shrine near Kilorn Forest that can gift power and information in return for a blood offering. I can mark the location if you have a map. In the meantime, I can easily answer questions about magic itself, if you have any.”

Questions about magic... Raine could always ask Nikolay if he had any pressing inquiries.

Now would be a good time to ask about Kosira. I know enough about magic, but my knowledge is severely limited regarding this country.

Raine supposed that he would address the elephant in the room, then.

“Why is magic so open in Kosira and not the rest of the world?” he asked.

“An interesting question,” she smiled. “Firstly, this is the ‘hotspot’ for magic, if you will. It’s believed that this is because magic originated from Kosira. There’s also the matter of world history, which is a rather complex subject which I will refrain from touching on. In essence, it was a mutual agreement between the two parties, magic and non-magic, to keep the worlds separate.”

Suddenly, a burst of anger exploded from Nikolay.

Is that what they’re saying nowadays?! A mutual agreement, huh? A peaceful little talk sorted everything out?

As he spoke, Nikolay’s consciousness rushed to take control of Nikorai. Raine, startled by the abrupt outburst, didn’t immediately react to the harsh impact. His surprise allowed Nikolay to put a figurative foot into the door, but Raine fought to stay in possession of the vessel.

Nikolay! We’re not supposed to let people know that you’re here!

Bullshit! This bitch needs to know the truth, instead of spreading fucking lies!

By all means, feel free to correct her! Just- not when you’re this riled up, Raine pleaded in a placating tone.

His efforts went unheard. Nikolay’s anger still burned fiercely, an uncontrollable wildfire that spread and grew with no sign of stopping.

Now you’re gonna be on my back about it too? ‘You can protest against injustice, but just don’t do it where I can see.’ Fuck off with your fake sympathy, Nikolay spat out.

Raine was far from a confrontational or aggressive person, but even he had his limits.

If you don’t pipe the fuck down, we’re going to face much worse than misleading recounts of history, he growled. Not everything has to be addressed the instant you see fit.

Raine was well aware that a storm of emotions was showing plainly on Nikorai’s face, but he was too busy attempting to corral Nikolay to care.

...Fine, came the unsatisfied response.

Despite all of their struggling, Raine realised that the sage hadn’t moved a single inch since she last spoke. He quickly plastered a polite smile onto his face, ignoring the internal war of emotions coming from both himself and Nikolay.

He cleared his throat before simply saying, “Ah, I see.”

As if nothing strange had just happened in the past few minutes, she clapped her wrinkled hands together and smiled widely.

“Do you have any other questions about Kosira, then?”

Not any that wouldn’t anger Nikolay further, at least.

Raine shook his head. “That’s fine. Could you tell me more about the shrine that you mentioned earlier?”

This caused the sage to purse her lips and stare into space. “It is rather... elusive in terms of its finer details. I am only aware of its ability to impart knowledge and the sacrificial element it requires.”

Then, she seemed to remember something as she sat up straight. “There is something else about the shrine. It likes to test the faith of those who enter — a sacrificial shrine is daunting, after all. If at any point you feel doubt, remember to persevere through its challenges.”

“I’ll be mindful of that,” Raine said, digging through his pockets for his map. “Could you point out where the shrine is?”

The sage marked the location of the shrine and passed the map back to Raine.

She then stood up and bowed deeply. “May you receive the information that you are seeking. I shall be praying on your behalf. Farewell, Raine.”

Did I even tell her my name?

He wasn’t expecting Nikolay to respond, but to his surprise, a reluctant answer echoed from the depths of his mind.

...No.

Well, Raine wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass by. I told you she was a prophet.

Nikolay grumbled, It’s entirely possible that she has the gift of magic, no matter how blatantly wrong she is about history.

When Nikorai stepped out of the dim cabin, Raine was surprised to see that the sun had already begun sinking into the horizon. The temperature had also dropped significantly, which was a bonus.

Rascal instantly perked up at the sight of Nikorai and nuzzled them. She seemed apprehensive about being left alone, after all.

“Hey, girl,” Raine chuckled as he gingerly pat Rascal. “You seem more nice to me than usual.”

They set off again, seeking to cover as much distance before it became too dark to continue. While they travelled in silence, Raine’s thoughts inevitably drifted towards Nikolay. That was the first time he had experienced Nikolay truly being angry at him. Even if the rage was mostly directed at the sage’s words, he couldn’t deny that some of it deflected onto him.

It was probably fine. Raine sure wasn’t about to bring it up on his own, anyway.

(Part 2 of this chapter is released simulataneously)