"Visions of the Future"
Umbra...
A voice called out to her. Suddenly a dark mist appeared out of nowhere and enveloped her in darkness. She started to choke and all she could do was to scream out loud.
Join me umbra...
Umbra woke up and jumped up from her bed. She was sweating all over. She had another nightmare. She has been having nightmares ever since Icon absorbed the Shadow Lord's power. She wanted to tell the Master about the nightmares and the voices but decided against it.
Her room in Jeuno was magnificent, fit for a queen. Not that she craved for material possessions but sometimes she needed a break from her life. The path she chose hadn't given her much rest all these years. She stood up and changed. It was still dark outside when she stepped out of her room. She had a strange feeling someone was watching her; quickly turned around and saw Icon staring at her. She had noticed something weird about Icon recently. His eyes seemed pitched black at times like it was now. Both of them stood there staring at each other for quite awhile. Finally Icon smiled and turned around to leave. There was something really wrong with Icon Umbra thought. Should she tell the Master about her nightmares Umbra wondered?
One of her subordinates came looking for her. "Lady Umbra, the Master needs to see you right away."
Umbra went up Ru'Lude Gardens and saw the Master sitting down at one of the stone benches. She went to him and bowed. "Good morning Master. Is there anything you wish for me to do?"
"We need the Yagudo's cooperation if we are to sack Windurst. They seemed reluctant to join our partnership with the Orcs and Quadavs.I need you to go to Castle Oztraja and talk to the Yagudo High Priest there."
"I thought Icon can control beastmen with his powers?" Umbra asked.
"Yes he can but I want the Yagudo's to freely join us. The Quadavs and the Orcs joined willingly after you talked with them. The Yagudos have declined our invitation time and time again."
"I will go and talk to them Master." Umbra replied.
"If they still refuse, I will have to send Icon to teach them a lesson they will not forget."
-O-
Umbra strapped her scythe behind her back and got ready for her journey. She went to the chocobo stables in Port Jeuno and jumped on a chocobo. It would not take her long to reach Castle Oztraja. She commanded the chocobo to run faster. How she loved the feeling of the wind in her face while riding a chocobo. Soon she saw the familiar structure that was Castle Oztraja. As she arrived at the castle, she saw a Yagudo sitting in lotus position blocking the entrance. She got down from her chocobo and approached the Yagudo cautiously. She focused her mind and started to talk with the Yagudo telepathically. The Master had given her a small part of his energy before, giving Umbra the ability to talk with beastmen.
"Take me to the High Priest." Umbra said to the Yagudo.
"What are you looking for the High Priest for? I'm the one you should be looking for. I can help you with your nightmares." the Yagudo answered back.
Umbra was dumbfounded. This Yagudo knew she had nightmares. Umbra held her scythe and started to walk to the Yagudo. "You better tell me all I need to know or else the blade of my scythe will force you to do so."
"Violence isn't the answer to everything. All you have to do is ask nicely." the Yagudo said.
"Then tell me what the meaning of my nightmares is." Umbra demanded.
"I lost my interest to help you." the Yagudo answered back.
"Stupid Yagudo. You dare make fun of me. I will show you the folly of making fun with Umbra." Umbra said as she started to strike the Yagudo with her scythe.
Suddenly a fog appeared out of nowhere, it was so thick that the Yagudo disappeared from Umbra's sight. She slashed wildlyat the fog hoping to hit the Yagudo. "Stop playing games Yagudo!" Umbra angrily said. She kept on swinging her scythe blindly in the fog until she got tired. She stop for a second to catch her breath when she felt two feathery hands touched her head.
Visions streamed forth into her mind. Umbra was overwhelmed by what she saw. She screamed at the top of her voice. "Make it stop! Please! Make it stop! I can't take it anymore! Stop!" the Yagudo would not let go until Umbra saw all what she needed to see. She kept screaming until the Yagudo finally let go of her. She slumped down and kneeled on the ground. She was shaking and sweating all over profusely. She saw visions, visions of her future. And she didn't like what she saw.
The fog dissipated and Umbra saw the Yagudo was still sitting down where he was minutes ago. She stood up using her scythe as leverage. She was still shaking and sweating. The Yagudo looked at her and she could hear the Yagudo in her mind. "You saw that you needed to see. Are you satisfied? Does that answer the questions about your nightmare?"
Umbra, for the first time in her life was scared. She never knew the feeling of being afraid. After she saw the visions, she finally knew what fear felt like. She couldn't find the words to answer the Yagudo.
"If you have no more questions, I suggest you leave. The High Priest will not see you." the Yagudo said.
"Wait, I have something to ask. The visions, how can I prevent it from happening?" Umbra asked.
"It is the path you have to take. It is your penance for all the evil you have done in your life." the Yagudo answered back.
"The future is not yet written, I can still change my destiny. I refuse to believe I cannot do anything to stop what I saw from happening." Umbra replied.
"For most their fate is theirs to make. But for some people like you, your fate has long been sealed before you were even born. There is nothing you can do to change you fate." the Yagudo said.
"No. No. No. I refuse to believe it. All these years I have made my own destiny. No I refuse to believe it..." Umbra said clutching and shaking her head then warped back to Jeuno.
-O-
The Master impatiently strode back and forth inside the throne room in Jeuno. It's been hours since Umbra left and she still hasn't returned. The Master yelled to his followers to find out if Umbra had already returned to Jeuno or not. One of his followers stepped forward and said. "Lady Umbra had returned more than three hours ago. She was last seen running towards her quarters Master." The master stopped walking upon hearing the news. Umbra came back and didn't report to me? He then strode out of the throne room and walked towards the direction of the living quarters in Jeuno with his followers hurriedly running after him. After a minute or so he was standing outside Umbra's room. He banged the door to her room but no one answered it. He pushed open the door and went inside. He surveyed the room and saw Umbra, face down lying on her bed with a pillow covering her head.
"Umbra... Umbra..." the Master called her.
Umbra didn't move a muscle. The Master was now angry and yelled at the top of his voice. "Umbra! Don't you hear me calling you?"
Umbra slowly got up from her bed. When she faced the Master, he saw her eyes were red from crying. "What happened to you?" the Master asked. "What is the result of your meeting with the Yagudo High Priest?"
"I didn't get to meet the High Priest Master." Umbra replied.
The Master was furious upon hearing her answer. "You didn't meet the High Priest? What were you doing all this time? I heard you returned hours ago and didn't even report to me. Are you starting to disobey my orders?"
Umbra's eyes looked at the direction of the floor, afraid to look at the Master directly. "No Master, I do not dare disobey you."
"Then give me an explanation of this foolishness! And look at me when I am talking to you." the Master said, now fuming mad.
"There is something you should know. Something i have been meaning to tell you." Umbra replied.
"Say it!"
"I've been having these recurring nightmares since Icon absorbed the Shadow Lord's powers. There is this black mist that envelopes me in my dreams. I could do nothing to fight it, it would choke me and all I could do is to scream. I haven't been sleeping well ever since." explained Umbra.
"And what does it have to do with the task I sent you to do?"
"A Yagudo was sitting down at the entrance to Castle Oztraja when I arrived. He cast something that made the whole place foggy all of a sudden and did something to me."
"What did he do to you?"
"He placed his hands on me and I saw visions. I saw my future unfold before my very eyes. Master it was so terrible. I have always been fearless but today was the first time I felt fear in me."
"What did you see in your future?"
"I saw you die Master."
The Master stared at Umbra as he heard what see said. "You saw me die? How?"
"I killed you. By the blade of my scythe."
The Master laughed out loud. "Preposterous. Even with one of my arms missing there is no way you can kill me. My magic is far greater than your power will ever be. Besides I have Icon on my side."
"That is why I killed you because of Icon. He is not the Icon who you think he is Master. He is different, not human. Several times I've watch him stare at me. I could feel something very evil in him."
"Preposterous. If he weren't in control of himself, he wouldn't have helped me conquer Sandoria and Jeuno that easily."
"I speak of the truth Master. I saw him in the vision. He is not Icon, he is the Shadow Lord."
"Have you become mad? I think you've gone crazy. If he were the Shadow Lord as you say he would not bow to me. The Shadow Lord has too much pride to do that."
"I am not crazy Master. Trust me I speak of the truth."
"Nonsense, I have lived for 300 years. I've seen things you've never seen before. If I say Icon isn't the Shadow Lord then he isn't."
"But Master..." Umbra tried to explain more but the Master cut her off.
"Enough of this crazy talk, I tire of this. Get some rest. Maybe you are just stressed out that is why you are seeing things." The master said as he left the room. Umbra could not do anything to stop him. The Master would not believe her. There was so much more she wanted to say to him.
She sat down the edge of her bed and put her hands on her face and started to cry. What was happening to her? Why was she so scared? Where did the fearless Umbra the Dark Knight go?
"Do not cry dear Umbra. I am here."
Umbra looked up and saw Icon standing at the door. He slowly closed the door behind him. Umbra stood up and started to point at him. "You. You are not Icon. I know who you are."
A smile appeared in Icon's face. "I'm not Icon? Come touch my skin and see if I am human or not." Icon then moved towards Umbra.
"Stay away from me!" Umbra yelled as she snatched her scythe and pointed it at Icon. "One more step and I swear I will kill you."
"Do what you must." Icon said as he moved even closer to Umbra.
Umbra started to swing her scythe towards Icon but Icon was fast enough to cast a spell of Stun at Umbra. "No…. my visions are starting to come true. I saw this in my vision." Umbra said to herself.
"You should be honored I chose you dear Umbra." Icon said, now directly in front of Umbra. He kissed her lips and smiled.
Umbra wanted to scream but no words seemed to come out from her mouth. Icon then cast a spell of Sleep on Umbra and darkness enveloped her.
-O-
It was dark already when Umbra woke up. The last she remembered was Icon kissing her in the lips. She looked for him but he wasn't around. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to have happened in her room. Her scythe was where she remembered she placed it and yet there was this faint recollection she had taken it and tried to hack Icon with it. Was she having a dream?