Time 7:54:29 (Accuracy 1/10 to that of Forerunner), eighteenth sunrise shift of the first month (Sanghelios Time Unit), 8th Age of Reclamation (Covenant Time Unit, based on Forerunner Time Unit)

0450 Hours, December 16, 2548 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Location: State of Vadam, Yermo, Sanghelios

•••

The Vadam Keep was not as glorious in appearance as it was in reputation for renown. It was not a place of best comfort, or a well-defended estate by means of design or security. Its physical condition was far below the glory that the Vadam family had earned through the ages.

We are not to be judged by such simplistic things, Autel 'Vadam thought as he trudged down the staircase. A warrior earns his own glory. I do not believe in following my family's legacy and living in their collective reputation. I believe in making my own.

Indeed, the Vadam family was well known for its individuals who were distinguished for their accomplishments and lofty titles. Back in the Age of Reconciliation, Arbiter Ther 'Vadam led the armadas that hunted down the Evaniptii to near extinction after they spread lies about the Halo rings. The revered Covenant Fleet of Particular Justice was led by the legendary Thel 'Vadamee, and not even the San'Shyuum had been able to erase them back in the days when they fought wars against the Sangheili. Having recently graduated from the military academy, Autel had yet to join the ranks in the Covenant to earn his honour and glory. But this did not concern him greatly. I will leave my own stories in time to be remembered.

Grasping his belongings, Autel opened the doors and stepped out of the keep. Taking in the breathtaking view of the Kolaar mountains that concealed the Vadam Keep, he could see the first sun rising over the distant horizon. The State of Vadam was below the mountains, where the non-military Sangheili and the females lived. And on the other side of the mountain range were neighbouring states, bays, and oceans that lined the countryside. He remembered taking in the view many times in his childhood, and it was still as spectacular as it always had been. His mentors had taught him to observe his surroundings, not just to see it, but to fully appreciate it. It would be a long time before he would stand here again, gazing across the land to watch the sunrise.

"Autel!" someone called. He turned towards the voice, and saw two Sangheili standing at the top of the path that wound from the Vadam Keep into the state. One of them was Lak 'Vadamee, an elder Sangheili who was a very powerful warrior back in his day. The other, younger than his companion but still seasoned, wore a set of golden armour that glinted in the rays of the sun. Autel held back a gasp when he realized who it was. Unmistakably, the person standing before him was Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee! What brought him here?

"The Kaidon has agreed to escort you for your departure, Autel," Lak explained. Autel was speechless for a moment, unsure whether he should say something. Then he remembered to be respectful, and clenched his fist, set it over his own chest, and bowed his head. "Your presence is an honour, Kaidon," he said. It was odd. Thel must be extremely busy, what was he doing at the Keep? Nonetheless, it would sound impolite, even downright impudent, to question him about such a matter. Thel gave a curt nod, and said, "Come," and began walking down the path. Autel looked back at Lak, who said, "Until we meet again."

"And the Journey shall reunite us if otherwise," Autel replied, hurrying down the path after Thel.

As the estate faded out of sight and the young Sangheili descended the mountain, the only sounds were the rustling of the thickening forest and the light thuds of Thel's footfalls. Autel walked up beside him, trying to read the warrior's expressionless face. The Supreme Commander's dark eyes glinted with the shafts of sunlight that peeked through the lush leaves, but he remained silent and impassive.

Finally, after almost reaching the outskirts of the state, they stepped onto a narrow path that split off from the mountain's main ridge. Thel said, "There is someone we will see before we leave the state."

"Who is it, Excellency?" Autel enquired, careful to be respectful.

"The Seer of Sanghelios."

The Seer of Sanghelios lived in the State of Vadam. She lived alone like all females of the Sangheili, but preferring the solitude of the Kolaar mountains, she was particularly isolated. The Seer could predict the most obscure things, and determine outcomes of an event long before anyone would even know of its beginning. Disconcertingly enough, she always right, even if it wasn't in the way most expected. She preferred to be discreet, however, and her subtlety was something not many could fathom. "You cannot become dependent on my vision," the Seer had said to many who asked her for advice, "You must rely upon your own." Wisely stated, Autel thought. Strangely, the Seer was also his mother.

Autel had wondered why he was not dark-skinned like the rest of his species. It may have had something to do with the Seer, but she had never spoken of it. When he asked, she had replied, "You are what was meant to be. Do not become discontent with the way of things."

Thel stopped at an ancient, low-roofed cabin, and gently pushed open the door. As he stepped inside, Autel followed, squinting to see into the almost windowless room.

Close by, a light suddenly flickered and formed a bright ball. A short female Sangheili with dull but watchful eyes held a candle in her long fingers, standing next to Thel. The light was reflected on his armour and in the Seer's pupils.

The Seer wasn't particularly aged, but her isolation had not kept her healthy. Her eyes and skin was a lighter shade of grey than most, her clothing was old and tattered, and her voice was slightly raspy. A mark was branded above her collarbone: two opposing arcs, with three overlapping circles and a dash through them. Autel recognized it as a mark of mating. Her spouse would bear the same mark upon his skin. "You have come," she whispered.

If Thel was spooked by her behaviour, he gave no sign of it. "Yes," he said, "but our time is scarce. So do not hold us up."

Autel had rarely entered the Seer's quarters, and was slightly unnerved by its appearance. Sanghelios did not lack technology, but he could see that she had not cared for light simulators, and opted for candles instead. The only room was cramped, and he could not identify the few objects he could see.

"If you would wait outside, Supreme Commander," she said. Thel nodded, and stepped out, shutting the door with a creak.

"Autel," the Seer whispered. "You are to become one of the Covenant."

"Yes," the young Sangheili said. Most of his kind didn't know their mothers very well, but he found it especially difficult to know what to think of her. She was strange, of course, but when thinking about her, he found that he saw her not as a mother, but someone he merely knew of no more than anyone else did.

"What are your feelings upon this phase in your life?"

Autel was silent. He did not expect a Seer to ask him of his feelings.

"Are you eager to prove yourself? To become a warrior to create his legacy, unforgotten for eons?"

"I wish to serve loyally, and to find the Path," Autel replied. "It would satisfy me to bring salvation to the Covenant."

The Seer sighed. "The Path...the Great Journey...such promises. The San'Shyuum judge upon the physical creations of the Forerunners. I hold no such hope for them in my heart."

Autel knew of the Seer's scepticism of the Journey, and had a member of the Covenant repeated her words, they would have been punished for their heresy.

"Be wary, my child," she said, "the Covenant have fought the humans throughout the Age of Reclamation, and none of us have seen why." The female Sangheili's eyes flashed with a startling brightness, and she spoke as if in a trance. "There is treachery among the Hierarchs...one who seeks power over the others...he will turn his back upon them when his Path is clear to him...his secrets are dark..." The Seer blinked, gazing at the astonished Autel. She has spoken ill of the Hierarchs! What does this mean? He could not believe that the High Prophets would be treacherous, but he could not doubt the Seer either. Hesitantly, he asked, "What else do you see?"

The Seer closed her eyes. "There will be betrayal within the Covenant. Calamity will strike Sanghelios. You will meet your closest ally, who will not fight alongside you when you are needed most." Autel had not expected her to suddenly speak of him, but when she had said was no less surprising.

Sunlight filled the room as Thel entered. "We must go," he said.

Calamity will strike Sanghelios...

Autel moved to leave, then looked back at the Seer. "Will I see you again?"

Calamity...

He could have sworn she appeared hesitant for a moment, but she said, "Yes." Autel considered asking her if something was wrong, but decided not to. All the same, he wondered if she was hiding something. But Seers could not lie, and before he could say anything, she slipped something into his hand. He stepped outside, awkwardly saying, "Goodbye." She did not believe in the Great Journey, so it would have been an insult to speak of it to her as he left. Still, the young Sangheili wondered if she had known something he didn't.

Then again, that is what makes Seers so extraordinary, he thought, and decided not to dwell on it too much.