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To be reborn is to be freed from a cage they inhabited

She will be the end of all we know

Destruction to the kingdoms of Elloryon

A power will be awakened by a knife’s blade

She will hold the fates of everything

Those should bow to her magic, for there is none like it; it is unmatched and unbeatable

Elite magic so grand that even the heavens above and hells below do not know where it belongs

She will not fail, so be wise, for she will determine fates

And all should bow to Thea Alzara, for she possesses power that will make kingdoms crumble and destroy all we know. She will kill kings.

His words wrapped around my mind. That could mean anything. I admit that it didn’t sound great for me. It made me sound… unstable.

“It sucks, huh?” he sighed. “So much left for interpretation.”

“They concluded I was a monster from this,” I muttered.

“Like I said, idiots,” he scoffed with disgust. “They do not like that you hold this power, Thea. They will always see you as a threat, and make no mistake, a threat you are. But that does not mean you are evil or bad. Maybe Elloryon needs a little... restructuring. But change scares others and is generally unwanted. It also makes men in power do stupid things.”

“I have witnessed that firsthand,” I nodded. “You can’t tell me anything else?”

“Afraid not.” He stopped rocking. “Some will see power and crave it. Others will cage it, tame it, use it for pointless things, beat it to submission... Then there are those who will protect it, love it, and be in awe of it, but still know to be cautious. Just remember that not everyone sees your power as a way to cage you.”

I looked at this frail man in front of me and felt a connection that seemed to have been forged long before we met today. Perhaps we had met in a different life. Or maybe he was the only one who could see me without having to even look. He seemed lost in thought as I watched the crackling fire.

“Fine, you twisted my arm,” he said suddenly, surprising me and making me sit up straighter in my chair. “This prophecy cannot be fulfilled until you break the curse.”

“But–”

“Your mother unintentionally cursed you with the binding of your magic, but Cassius freed you from that curse long ago.”

I shook my head, trying to form a question to ask. Freed me, he had freed me?

“I don’t understand.”

“You are not the only cursed soul in this, Thea.” He turned his cloudy, white eyes toward me. “Cassius was the one who angered the god, Mikel, not you. I believe Mikel was trying to give you mercy by taking away the memories of Cassius’ betrayal.”

“So, this is Cassius’ curse?”

“You are both cursed.”

“Does Cassius know that it belongs to both of us?”

“Cassius is a clever man, but it doesn’t matter if he knows that particular fact. He knows how it must be broken, and that is what matters. Your prophecy happens because you are able to see the truth of others on this journey, which allows you to save both Cassius and yourself.”

“Cassius needs my bloodstone, doesn’t he?”

Brim’s cloudy eyes shone brightly.

“Yes… You figured that out?”

“I’ve been piecing together information, and it all circles back to the bloodstone. My father told me Cassius was cursed too. He said Cassius needed my bloodstone so he could take his crown and bear an heir. He claimed that Cassius would lose part of his elite magic every year that passed if I did not break the curse, and that it would only break once I gave him my bloodstone. Is that true?” I frowned as I glanced toward the large flames of his fire.