Through the Hall of the Lightsworn…
Ethereal light spills from the chandeliers above, casting a soft, shimmering glow over a lavish expanse of antique furnishings. The air is thick with opulence, every inch of the chamber steeped in grandeur. Ornate mirrors line the walls from floor to ceiling, their crystal-clear surfaces warping our sense of space… creating an illusion of infinity.
Returning to this place feels… surreal. The endless reflections make it seem like I’m standing in some illusory realm of wonderment where reality and enchantment blur into one. And maybe… just maybe… that’s why my head feels a little light.
Or maybe that’s just my nerves acting up! Meeting the Oracle, Lady Nhaka Mezalune, for the second time… it’s enough to get my heart racing. Gosh, I wonder how she’ll react when she sees me now – and my mastery of the Order of Selene’s magic.
Hopefully, Rinnah willing… she’ll be happy to see me again. But this meeting isn’t just about me. No, we’re here for something far more important.
Eris Aintree… and what she forgot.
Anna walks beside me, silent and pensive. This task, this burden… it weighs on her mind like the weight of the world. I may be a Hero, but for this… I’m following her lead.
And I know she’s got this!
Eris herself is still with us. She’s our ever-dutiful guide escorting us through these grand halls. Following her lead, we reach a set of towering, jewel-encrusted doors… and the Sacred Shield guards flanking them step aside, granting us passage.
“Ah. Here we are,” she says, her tone perfectly cordial, polite to a fault as she turns to us. “Lady Nhaka is expecting you both. And umm…”
“We’ll get your memories back,” Anna promises without a lick of hesitation. Her voice is steady, her eyes unwavering as she meets Eris’ gaze. “I promise we will.”
“Yeah,” I add, keeping my tone casual and cool. “We’ll see you soon.”
Eris nods, though the worry in her eyes lingers. “I’ll be in my suite. It’s the one down the hall, two floors below. I… I’ll be there.”
“Stay strong for us,” Anna says, placing her hands firmly on Eris’ shoulders. There’s a quiet intensity in her expression, a promise unspoken. “We won’t be long.”
“I will. I… I’ll try,” Eris says, letting out a quiet breath before mustering a small, fragile smile and giving a hesitant nod. “Good luck in there, Anna. Arisa.”
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She turns, walking away with measured steps. For a moment, she glances back – her gaze uncertain and anxious. But she steels herself and presses on, leaving us to our task… our promise to her.
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An audience with the Oracle of Sharmarli, Lady Nhaka Mezalune…
Towering columns of white marble stretch towards a domed ceiling painted with celestial murals while golden chandeliers bathe the chamber in soft, ethereal light. Every surface gleams… from the intricately carved walls to the immaculately polished floors.
Perched upon a white-gold throne, a petite figure awaits, surrounded by robed attendants and ever-vigilant Sacred Shield guards. Her deep violet eyes glimmer with unmistakable delight when Anna and I enter her presence.
She’s dressed elegantly in a cream-coloured, gold-trimmed strapless gown, its silken fabric shimmering faintly like a sky filled with stars. Her detached sleeves glisten with enchantments, and her dainty feet are adorned with jewelled slippers set with amethysts and diamonds. Flowing pink hair cascades over her shoulders like spun candyfloss, woven with delicate chains of enchanted jewellery that sparkle with divine radiance.
Yup, without a doubt – that’s her! Lady Nhaka Mezalune, the Oracle of Sharmarli. She who was ancient when this world was young… seated before me like a pretty doll on a grand throne. Looks, however… can sometimes be very, very deceiving!
Hey, I oughta know. She’s a Conjurer beyond compare – the very one who summoned me to this world of Nisha to be a Hero. Seeing her again in this new timeline…
I’m glad. Truly!
I remember the first time we met. She had practically thrown herself down the marble steps of her throne, skipping two at a time, and flung herself into my arms like an overjoyed child. It was quite the first impression, I’ll say!
But over time, her eccentricities grew on me. Beneath her childlike demeanour, she’s wise and kind – much like Lady Iris… but in her own peculiar way.
“Hi there! My, oh my… you’re a tall one, aren’t you!?” Lady Mezalune chirps, her voice ringing through the vast chamber. “Or perhaps it’s those pretty, pretty heels of Little Miss Alyssa’s that you’ve inherited! Lucky, lucky you!”
But this time, she doesn’t bound down the stairs. Instead, she descends them carefully, measuredly… her servants and guards flanking her every step. With each step she takes, an unfamiliar feeling seeps into the air – cold and heavy, laced with creeping darkness that grows stronger and stronger… sending a shiver down my spine.
Anna… she senses it as well. I see it in how her shoulders stiffen and the slight hitch in her breath as she stands beside me. This cold, creeping presence unsettles her… but she doesn''t know whether to brace herself or wait and see.
Neither do I, to be honest.
“You’re wondering why you sense what you do from me…” Lady Mezalune says, tilting her head with an impish smile as she stops at the base of the steps. “Don’t be alarmed! It’s why you’re here before me with my beloved Healer Hero, right? Little Miss Anna Silverlight of the Order of Selene.”
Beneath that usual playfulness, there’s a faint weariness in her eyes, a subtle weakness in her stance. It’s like a burden is weighing down on her. That ill aura… perhaps?
Anna inclines her head respectfully, though her expression remains taut with tension. “Miss Mezalune…”
“You have something burning in your heart that you wish to ask me, don’t you… Little Miss!?” Lady Mezalune muses with a coy smile, baring jagged, shark-like teeth. “So, let’s hear it! Because what you and I want may very well be one and the same!”