Amaya didn’t know how she ended up reading six academic journals in one sitting, especially since they were so bland. She wanted to throw the book against the wall for the headache it gave her, but decided against it. She gently placed it back on the table and let out a groan.

“Sounds like you are having a hard time finding what you are looking for.”

Amaya looked at her friend who sat across from her, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Despite the abruptness of their meeting, Orion Grimspell still looked very composed. While he wasn't wearing his full uniform with the cape, still decided to keep a majority of it on,

A few of his onyx black locs were pulled back into a bun, leaving only a few to frame the side of his face. these were decorated with refined gold pieces. The remaining locs were was left untouched.

He looked very professional, which is expected of a high-ranking mage such as himself.

“I have just finished looking through the medical section,” She said to him as she rubbed her aching temples, “But it seems like there is nothing there…”

After hearing those words, Orion got up from his seat, and walked over to one of the many bookcases in the room. He scanned the various book spines before landing on one, but hesitated. He takes the book into his palm, and bringing it back to the table.

“If you are not finding anything in Medical, perhaps the Magical will be of help.” Orion said before stopping, “This is a good book to start with, however I would suggest you take whatever is written inside with a grain of salt.”

Amaya takes the book into her hands and examines the cover. Written fancifully on the front cover was the title; ‘Elements and Their Relation to the God of Oether’ by Serpens Grimspell.

“Thank you Orion.” She said with a bit of heat on her face.

“If something is not making sense, I can do my best to explain it to you.”

As Orion turned his attention back to his book, Amaya couldn't help but smile. He seemed to be enjoying their time together. She looked down at the book, and started quickly scanning through the passages of the book:

'According to the research conducted by the Ivywood Mage Tower, it seems that the God of Oethr had more supernatural abilities than originally believed. As most of the people on Oethr are aware, these elemental blessings come from the benevolent God of Oethr, Lucrel.'

'Currently, 6* categories for elemental blessings have been discovered and identified so far. 4 of these elemental blessing categories are as follows: Aquis, Ignis, Aeris, and finally, Terris.'

Amaya rolled her steel grey eyes as she flipped the page. It’s pretty standard information given all the books she had read this entire evening. The room was bathed in a comfortable sunset glow as sunlight filtered in through the window, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. She could understand why Orion would choose to spend his time here on his breaks.

Amaya glanced away for a moment before reading the next sentence.

'Through the history of Oethr, many cultures have used their 'blessings' as a way to advance their developing societies.'

“Orion?”

He lets out a hum.

“Can people turn back time?”

Orion looked up from his book and seemingly stared off into the distance. Amaya watched as he pondered the question to himself.

“It is not something a normal mage can do.” Orion defined carefully after a few moments, “...Not without dire consequence.”

Amaya nodded thoughtfully at his reply before going back to reading. Orion’s statement aligns with all the academic books she flipped through, so she decided not to let it bother her. She’s not here to spend all of her time studying ‘theoretical’ dimension and time travel.

She already went through that before, and it never amounted to anything.

'This caused the people to split into two groups: the 'Fortuna' and the 'Malfortuna.' Nowadays, magicless humans are referred to as ''Starless,' but it depends on the region of Oethr you are residing in.'

Amaya felt herself grimace as her eyes lingered on the word ‘Malfortuna’ before quickly moving on. She didn’t know the mage tower had such outdated books.

'Now that we have established 4 out of the 6 main 'blessings,' it is time to cover the one 'blessing' that manages to stand out amongst the rest: Light Magic.'

“Why do you ask?” Orion abruptly said after she completed the sentence she was reading.

“I was just simply curious.” Amaya explained offhandedly, “We talked about dimension travel so maybe time travel is possible?”

Orion let out a polite ‘oh,’ and the pair continued to read in silence.

'It is the 'blessing' that allows humans to heal damage done in a 'battle' or a 'dungeon.' However, this privilege is supposedly granted to those most 'devoted' to Lucrel.'

'These "Light Magic" users are often referred to as "Star Saint" or "Star Paladin" depending on their role. This unique 'blessing' allows their user to heal others. This has been especially useful in dealing with the abyss monsters lurking in the dungeons.'

Amaya looked at the passage with mild interest. She knew of a ‘Star-Bringer’ who resided in her village. She’s not too close to them, but she has seen the young teen walking around with their uncle from time to time. Sadly, she lost contact with them after the ‘War Against the Demon King’ began. Amaya made a mental note to check up on the family once she returned. Their uncle tends to get injured when he gets stuck in his own head.

'If we are to believe the legends, Light magic, as well as the other elemental blessings, came at the cost of the God of Oethr's delicate lifespan. After sealing away [The Beast With No Name], they went into a deep slumber to preserve the last of their power.'

'However, before the God of Oethr fell into their eternal rest, they gifted one last ability to their devoted followers: the Gift of Prophecy.'

'These followers would receive the God of Oethr's prophecies in their dreams and carry them out to the end.'

'As of the writing of this book, God of Oethr's most recent prophecy has been fulfilled.'

"The Heroes of Light have succeeded in defeating the Demon King for good. Humanity is still recovering from the heavy losses and mourning the people lost in the crossfire."

"Thankfully, all 7 heroes have returned safely to the Fyrenalda Empire from Destiny Isles."

"The names of those unconventional yet brave individuals are…"

Amaya’s eyes widened at the passage before looking up at Orion in bafflement. The color of her eyes almost resembling rumbling grey storm clouds.

“When did your father write this book?” Amaya asked immediately.

Orion did not look up from his book, but still let out a sigh. “Five months ago.”

“Five months ago?” Amaya said in exasperation, “And they let him publish it with those terms in it?”

“He claimed it was for ‘educational purposes’.” Orion said in an unimpressed tone, “Perks of rubbing shoulders with the magic high council it seems…”

“Education from fifty years ago,” Amaya grumbled. She paused for a moment before speaking again, “Regardless of your father’s….’infinite wisdom’, he did give me something to work with.”

“Despite his best attempts, he still remains helpful to us,” Orion said in a dry tone, which made Amaya laugh.

Amaya gently closes the book, not needing to read past that. She started to reflect back on what she had read, and prepared to ask her second question.

“Do you think it’s possible,” Amaya asks, “…getting a vision through dreams?”

“I mean, hypothetically, sure.” Orion responded with a half-hearted shrug, “So who’s to say?”

“So, I have a theory… that could possibly relate to Kani’s…” Amaya said in an even tone, “ ...‘condition’.”

Orion stares at Amaya tentatively, silently urging her to continue.

“You said ‘time magic’ isn’t something a normal mage can do?” Amaya said, and Orion nodded, “And if they did, there would be catastrophic consequences, yes?”

“I did.”

“So…what if ‘Lucrel’ or some other god gave Kani a vision, and that’s why she’s acting so weird?” Amaya suggested, “They healed her before she could die from the fever, and now she’s acting according to that.”

Orion hesitated for a moment before responding, taking in the words that Amaya was expressing.

“It is…a bold theory.” Orion stated evenly.

Amaya stared at him with a pinned stare.

“Orion, she survived a high risk fever," Amaya said slowly, “She could have died and she is currently taking walks around the estate’s garden like it’s nothing.”

“… Perhaps your healing helped her recover faster?” Orion gently suggested after a moment of contemplation, “It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened.”

“Even with my healing abilities, Kani would be bedridden for at least a few more days,” Amaya explained again, “So there has to be more to this situation, if we take the ‘magical’ approach to this situation.”

“Kani could have just had a bad nightmare while having her fever,” Orion gently countered her previous point, “and that she’s just a bit frightened after experiencing something like that?”

“It doesn’t necessarily disprove what I’m saying,” Amaya said as she pressed on. “Her prophecy nightmare could have been why she was acting strangely towards me.”

“One nightmare doesn’t mean she received a prophecy from the God of Oether," Orion said bluntly.

The blunt phrasing of his statement caused her to cringe, and it seems Orion to have noticed this and softened his expression. Amaya felt a pang of guilt as she looked at Orion's sheepishness and looked down at the book.

“I know I am looking too deep into this,” Amaya admitted, “...but with everything we experienced during the war…”

Amaya takes a deep breath in, before exhaling.

“I… I would rather just be safe than sorry.” Amaya elaborated, “I just do not want to be caught off guard like last time with Al….”

Amaya looked up to see Orion looking at her solemnly.

“Amaya, I know you mean well.” Orion assured calmly, “I am willing to trust your conclusion.”

“But?”

“You have been working on this relentlessly for days.” Orion added, “You need to rest, take a break.”

“...I have been tired as of lately…” Amaya admitted with an exhausted chuckle, “I will make sure to get some more rest.”

Silence fills the room for a moment before Orion speaks again.

“...Is this the only thing that has been bothering you, Amaya?”

Amaya blinked and looked at him with a confused glance.

“You normally do not look this… Frazzled?” Orion said, before stopping to rework his sentence, “Wait… 'frazzled' is not the right word… Maybe stressed...”

Amaya felt a smile form on her face as she watched Orion try to find the ‘right word.’ Her heart ached with guilt before she shook it off.

“I’m fine, Orion,” Amaya assured with a weary smile. "Nothing wrong on my end."

Nothing she could confirm concretely, at least. Just strange bouts of paranoia when she would stand near a window or when she left the house. Or when she was doing her daily chores. But she doesn’t want Orion to worry about her; he has enough on his plate as it is. The magic high council has been running him ragged recently.

Orion’s hickory-colored eyes softened as he made eye contact with hers. The color reminded her of the old dungeon libraries she would find him exploring, taking in every piece of information and turning it over like it was a rare artifact or jewel. How he would share what he learned with her during their turn to keep watch over the campsite at night. She felt her face warm up slightly as she recalled those memories, easing her heart.

However it was intterupted when something crossed Amaya’s mind.

“Oh, right, I just remembered.” Amaya said quickly, “Do you have the healing potions I commissioned?”

Orion snapped out of whatever trance he was in. He started to ponder for a moment before confirming her order.

“Yes, they are in my office.” Orion said, “You will be seeing Kani again in… Two days?”

“Yes, and if everything goes accordingly, she should be good to attend the festival.” Amaya lightly joked, “I'll go put these books away, and then we can go get them.”

Orion’s attention turned to the stack of books in front of Amaya’s exhausted face, and he huffed.

“I can take care of them for you.” Orion insisted as he waved his hand.

Suddenly, a sapphire blue glow enveloped the books around Amaya, and they started floating to their proper locations. Amaya watches in awe as they slip into place on the shelves, which Orion seems to have noticed.

“Amaya, that was just a simple levitation spell,” Orion flatly dismissed. “It wasn't even that impressive.”

Amaya turned to him and shook her head.

“Hey,” Amaya huffed, “I still think it is pretty impressive!”

Orion didn't seem convinced, given the blank expression he was giving her.

“At… At least to me anyway.”

Orion stared at her before bashfully glancing away.

“Let us go to my study and return that book where you found it…”

Amaya smiled softly as she got up from her seat and walked around the cozy study.

“So… If I were a book on prophecies...where would I go?” Amaya mused, “...Maybe in the…”

Amay found herself looking outside the window, the bright sunset peeking behind two large mountains that surround the Ivywood Mage Tower. For a moment, she saw her reflection, and smoothed out her charcoal blue vest and light blue dress shirt. After she was done, she resumed staring in awe at the scenery as Orion made his way over to her.

“The mage tower is so high up, it always has the best view.” Orion comments before softly adding, “You should visit more.”

Slowly, Amaya turned to Orion before speaking.

“Orion?

“Yes, Amaya?”

“I wanted to ask you, after the Starlight Festival,” Amaya said, “Would you like to..."

Suddenly, a large knock was heard at the entrance of the study, and they let themselves in without little warning. A woman with mint-green hair and deep emerald eyes stood at the door, looking rather miffed by the situation. 

Orion was a bit caught off guard by her appearance, "Hello, Morgan."

Amaya, feeling a bit shy, quickly focused back on her goal of placing the book back on its shelf.

“My apologies for the sudden intrusion, High Mage Orion.” Morgan said, “But you have two back to back appointments to attend to.”

Orion seemed confused by the news but recovered his composure. Amaya looked at him with a puzzled expression. He had told her schedule was cleared for the day and that they could spend the evening together while she researched.

“Ah, I see.” Orion said, “Thank you for the reminder. Amaya will be accompanying me to my office before I start the next meeting.”

Amaya gives a small wave to the assistant, but Morgan is more focused on her clipboard.

“Let us hurry then,” the woman said sharply. “We are on quite a tight schedule.”

“I understand,” Orion responded calmly. “Who is the first person I am meeting with?”

“Let me see,” Morgan said as she flipped a few pages on her clipboard. “It seems to be a noblewoman who goes by… Cordelia Hartlase?”

Amaya and Orion turned to look at each other before Amaya looked back at Morgan, trying to make sense of what she had just heard.

“....What?!”