Igneous was in his bedroom, taking a nap out of boredom more than anything else, when he was shaken awake by Leigh. Clutching one of his many pillow, Igneous let out a yawn but he decided to stay in the safety and warmth of his blankets. He glared at Leigh. "What took you so long?" he asked quietly and calmly, despite his feelings. In truth, he was worried and exasperated, even though he didn't see anything from his gift that would warrant worry but he couldn't help it. It was just unusual for Leigh to disappear like that and not send any word back. The fact alone was enough for Igneous to be a little concerned that something went wrong.

"I was busy," he said simply. "I know I may have worried you but I've gone to seek the two individuals that helped us out when Zahan attacked. I also had a print shop make some posters to recruit more soldiers, if there are any willing to come. We should try to recruit help before entering dangerous territory. Whenever you're ready, we do need to leave."

"I know," Igneous mumbled, his grip on his pillow tightening. "It would have been nice if you told me that you had plans like that. I hate that you never come to me with your plans when your plans involve me. I shouldn't be the last to find out when it's about my well being and safety."

Leigh offered a sympathetic smile. "I understand. I will keep that in mind for next time," he said softly. "Now, get out of bed. I didn't come home empty handed. I want you to meet some people."

Igneous slowly moved out of bed, throwing on his favourite jewelry; bracelets embedded with red gems, a necklace that hung low and wrapped around his neck several times to make it look as though he was wearing several necklaces, and a circlet with small red ornaments hanging off it. When he was pleased with his appearance, he followed Leigh out the lobby that was relatively empty. He could see rain outside but despite it, people covered themselves the best they could and were outside working on the frames for a home already. He didn't know where the others were being held for the time being but Mira and Reina were there again, trying to keep the children from being too hyper.

It was impressive how fast determined people could make something happen. An attack from Zahan did not seem to harm their morale, even though it hurt Igneous' morale and made him rethink what the meaning of his gift was. He supposed that the people were so satisfied with their life in Dosia that they would not allow anybody to take it away from them. It must have helped that nobody died and there were no serious injuries aside from the ones Igneous ended up with. The citizens, in the end, seemed to have taken the attack as a challenge.

But Igneous had a feeling that the rug would be pulled out from under their feet so fast that those citizens who see it as a challenge may not notice that anything happened. There had to be a reason that one of Princess Lauren's futures held one free of extravagant clothing, a reason for Prince Darren's long winding path in life, and a reason that through it all, Igneous didn't see any death. Somehow, the monarchy would be replaced but everybody else would be alright. Maybe... the citizens would just be too defeated to truly fight back?

Near the door, which was open but not a lot of rain actually made inside the temple, Igneous saw just who Leigh wanted him to meet. Two men, one with brown hair that had white highlights and aqua colourd eyes. The other man was clearly older and seemed to have more experience man with dark hair and squinted eyes. Leigh indicated at the former.

"This is Arder. The older one is Garath," Leigh mumbled. Garath held out his hand but Igneous just held up his hands in front of him. "Don't be offended, he's the oracle so he doesn't like to touch because he will see your future with a handshake."

"Ah, none taken," Garath said with a sympathetic smile.

Leigh cleared his throat. "I notice we have some new guests here."

"Reina, Mira!" Igneous called suddenly, waving the two girls over. Reina picked up a child who seem particularly clingy and made her way over. "This is Leigh, the last of my guardians you guys haven't met. Leigh, Reina is the one holding the kid and Mira's the one in the dancer clothing."

"Are these girls going travelling with us too?" Leigh asked.

"I will be. I... will find my family," Mira said quietly but calmly, her voice full of determination.

Reina hesitated for a moment before offering a small smile, one that looked a little sad to Igneous but he truly didn't know her. She was pretty and kind but somehow, she was more than she appeared to be. It was a combination of that mysterious air, not one that was bad but one that was more aloof, and the wisdom he just noticed in her eyes. "I want to help in whatever way I can."

"It's settled then. We're all going... but this still doesn't quite explain why you were gone for so long," Igneous mumbled. "You worried me. The last few days..." He left that thought alone, even though sitting alone in his own thoughts was what was hurting him the most. He liked Elena, Reina was very kind and helpful, and he loved watching Mira but whenever he was alone, that was when his thoughts trailed backed to the topic of his gift. He was the only Oracle of Death. Mayon and Vulcan were both spared that title but he was not so lucky.

"That might of have been me," Arder said with a small shrug. "I wanted to see the full extent of Zahan's presence here. Lucky for us, they all seem relatively inexperienced and they seem to lack any sort of central command. I'm not sure what you guys plan on doing but we should probably do it soon before Zahan can send good reinforcements. They only need a good commander to rally them into trying harder."

"I agree," Saikur said suddenly, appearing from behind. "But that's a conversation for later when we have everybody we plan on is here. Did you see anything else? Something that may help determine what they were thinking? Or do you think that sent out a low-level commander, who probably died at Gerben's hand, and used fire to try and lure Igneous out of the temple? Or maybe they were just mean and wanted to set Dosia on fire? I thought Zahan's attempt at war would be a bit more than half-assed."

"That might sound about right, on both guesses," Garath muttered. "I guess they underestimated us and just sent all the new guys."

"They were pretty weak," Leigh agreed. "I bet they had a mission that would be nice if they accomplished it, but perhaps Zahan was just measuring us."

"The ones we got were a bit tougher than 'weak'," Mira said. "If Gerben didn't come, I'm not sure how much of a chance I stood. I'm still rather new with the sword."

Igneous was about to respond when he spaced out, his vision filled with a vision of water. It was a large body of water that was indoors, with a beautiful woman resting at the edge of it while still being submerged in the water. Her hair was long, blue and wavy and lighter at the ends. She was still clothed, with a blue cropped top that went up to her neck and had a keyhole in the front. She had matching shorts. She smirked, and gestured towards him, inviting him to come inside. The thing that got him though was that she was clearly a manakete. Igneous shook his head. He felt like he had to meet her, it was a sharp sting in his chest.

"Igneous? See something else?" Leigh asked. "You zoned out."

"A manakete and water..." he mumbled.

"There's a rumour in Vedia," Reina started as she let the child in her arms down. She whispered into the girl's ear and gestured towards the other kids. When the kid ran off, she continued. "They say that the royal family is guarded by a sea serpent. I always figured that the sea serpent might just be a unique looking manakete. Maybe... that is who you saw. A manakete in water matches the rumours."

"Yeah, I remember hearing about the serpent when I was there. Merchants around ships sometimes say that they saw it in the water too, whenever Queen Raila was out there," Garath mumbled. "Do you travel around too, Reina?"

She merely nodded.

Arder glanced away for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Is that information reliable? Not the rumour," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But what Igneous saw or whatever that was."

"It depends," Igneous said. "Just because I see something doesn't mean there's a guarantee that it will happen. The future can be changed but sometimes, things are up to fate and in that case, it cannot be changed. At least, that's the best explanation I can come up with. Sometimes, there are clues that something is fate or if it's something that can be changed but in this case, I feel like I should go meet her. It's a strong feeling."

"I think we can trust his abilities. It's not like I told him I was separated from somebody but he still got it. It just... felt personal," Mira stated. "Are you a skeptic?"

"I... I didn't say it it was impossible! I was just, uh, curious," Arder mumbled. "That's all."

"It's fine, I'm not offended by skeptics," Igneous muttered. He could understand why people would doubt his abilities. He didn't even know how it worked and why he was the only one with the visions of the future. If he wasn't living it, he may even doubt it. He was only truly offended when people were rude about it and he didn't think Arder was trying to be mean or even was mean. Arder just didn't spend enough time around him for Igneous to really display his ability. Garath though, didn't question anything. He just seemed satisfied with the answers he got.

"Anyway, we should probably wait until Gerben is done for the night before we make any more plans though, and maybe ask Elena if she wants to come," Saikur mumbled.

"Elena?" Leigh asked.

"She's one of the priestesses here. She took care of Igneous and has an idea of what happened with the other oracles before him, so she might come in handy in figuring this whole thing out. Besides, she's a healer and she doesn't have that longing look when she looks at Igneous like some of the other priestesses do," Saikur responded curtly, wrapping one arm around Igneous' shoulders defensively. Igneous liked Saikur but that was a little too close for comfort – he was not used to being touched in such a manner, so he shrugged his friend with his shoulders off and Saikur was quick to let him go.

"I see your point," Leigh said with a nod.

"Well, you guys figure this out, I'm going back to my nap," Igneous mumbled. It wasn't so much that he was tired, but rather he was bored and didn't mind the extra sleep. It was a way of passing time. Usually, he wasn't so bored because he would read futures for so long that it really did occupy most his day but since Dosia was in a state of rebuilding, the readings were more less done for now. He also didn't mind if he wasn't included when others figured out who they should bring along because he wasn't the type to really disagree with people. Some people disagreed with him and that was inevitable but for the most part, he didn't have trouble getting along with people.

They could bring whoever they wished. He didn't want to leave, at least not because of Zahan, but he did want to see who that manakete was. Maybe a manakete could help him figure out why he was the one who ended up being the oracle. He understood his guardian's worries but he had his own reason for leaving too.

Igneous didn't wait for anybody to respond and padded his way back to his room. He remembered to take his jewelry off and gently put them away. He hated it when the necklaces became tangled and the jewelry just wouldn't last as long if he didn't treat them well. He took off his shirt and slipped into bed.

He was waken up for dinner, so he put a shirt on and moved into the common area. This common area existed on the first floor in the addition and was accessed through two doors on either side. The addition was setup like a rectangle, with the bedrooms and washing areas along the edges and the common areas in the middle, with the floor plan being identical on the first two floors, except the common room on the second floor acted more as a storage room, and the third floor had no rooms, just a library that held records and books. The history books were limited in a way, describing only previous kings and the brief history that Haelin had.

Igneous only really took a peek at the spines of the books, he never did read them. He saw, aside the small number of history books, books on plants, animals, anatomy, medicine herbs, memoirs, books about research, and many books of legends, myths, and fairy tales. He figured they must have some truth to them, otherwise, where would he fit in all of it? He could not dismiss a fairy tale with his abilities.

He joined everybody in the mess. He liked to sit by the ovens because it was warm there. Saikur often joined him there, opening his tunic a bit whenever he did because he seemed to get warmer faster than Igneous did. He also, for the first time in what felt like a long time finally saw Gerben, sitting across from him. He was always careful to make sure that his stone gauntlets didn't put too much weight on the table since the priests were worried about it.

"So what's the plan? I'm sure you guys have been thinking of something," Gerben mumbled. Igneous was going to answer when he was forced out of the conversation due to another glimpse. He could clearly see the full moon from a broken window. He could make details on the curtains that billowed out around it and he could even make out a figure, who seemed very tall for what he assumed to be a human. The figure, Igneous decided, was definitely a male and he could make out the icy blue fabric under his armour, indicating him as a man of Zahan. There was dark hair that seemed to be slicked back.

There was another man that he recognized as King Jarid, laying on the ground with a sword up to defend himself. The man, with hard brown eyes, lifted the lance and stabbed into the king.

Igneous gasped when he regained himself. He felt his blood rush and his heart beat into his ears. He had to breathe deeply until he could calm himself.

"Iggy...?" Gerben asked cautiously, his eyebrow cocked in concern. "You usually don't react like that," he mumbled, focusing his attention back down to his plate of food, fish that was fished out from the oceans of Adoss. Gerben was fond of fish but he stated before that what he got just wasn't as good as the kind he could catch in Vedia. It was served along side some fruits and vegetables.

"King Jarid's death..."

"But didn't you already see that?" Saikur asked.

"Not how it happened, just that it did... full moon, that's when it will happen," Igneous muttered quietly.

"There's like... three days until the full moon? Obviously I'm not great with numbers but I'm close," Gerben answered.

"Where's Leigh? And the others?"

"Right here," Mira said as she gracefully moved to sit down at the table. "Everybody else will be down shortly. Leigh was just outside testing Arder and Garath again and I think Reina and Elena are talking about something. Why? What did I miss?"

"We should wait for everybody to get here," Gerben mumbled as he bit into his fish. His face was serious.

It didn't take long for the mess to fill up with Igneous' new friends and allies. They were mostly alone from those who worked there, with the exception of Elena but Igneous thought her less as one of the priestesses and more of a friend. He wasn't exactly sure when that shift happened but when he had a name and a face, the person meant more to him. He was usually closer to those people, except King Jarid's children stood out in his mind as exceptions. Igneous repeated what he saw and Leigh frowned.

"Does that mean there's a chance to save him? Leigh said that you saw him die before," Arder asked, his aqua coloured eyes focused on Igneous. For somebody who was apparently being tested by Leigh, he hardly looked like he lifted a weapon at all. He only looked a little winded, and Igneous could see that he was breathing deeply, but that was it. Garath looked more like a man who worked – his face gleaned with sweat and he looked happy that he had food, but since his eyes were squinted, he had to go off of everything else in his face.

"I don't know. I want to tell him but I'm not sure if it would change anything," Igneous said with a frown. "I think... if I saw the man right now, I could probably point him out. It was rather detailed so..."

"I will send somebody, Igneous," Leigh said. "If that makes you feel better. At least then, nobody can say you didn't try."

"It may be possible that somebody like him, somebody who was told that they will die, is already resigned to death," Elena offered. "He may let it happen because he believes it has to happen." Igneous blinked at her. He didn't want to think that he caused death just by telling somebody what he saw. If he saw a way to save King Jarid, he would have told him. All he knew was what he saw.

"That is a good point," Garath said. "It's unfortunate."

"I don't think telling him will accomplish anything. He must have already increased security at the palace because Zahan attacked and there's no reason why they wouldn't try again. What more can he do?" Saikur asked with a shrug. "Igneous, you have to stop taking what you see to heart. I don't know why you're so bothered with King Jarid but you've done all you can. It's time to let it go."

Saikur often had a point. He was rather insightful for somebody who was essentially the same age. Then again, both of them grew up fast, Igneous losing a childhood due to bullies and eventual work and Saikur due to his family circumstances. There was a silence in the air until Garath broke it.

"Leigh, how long have you been with Igneous for?" Garath asked suddenly. Igneous figured it was just something to break

"Only for around six or seven years, I believe," Leigh answered quickly. Igneous could remember being approximately ten when Leigh first made his appearance as his first guardian, instead of just a caretaker.

"Only?" Gerben asked. "You were his first guardian. Then it was me and then Saikur became official once he had enough training."

"Why did you help out, anyway?" Saikur asked, completely interrupting the flow of the conversation. It was like he really wasn't listening, he just had a concern and vocalized it.

"I helped because Zahan's actions were far from honourable. They shouldn't have involved civilians with the fire," he stated.

There was a sudden knock on the door. A girl they didn't recognize walked in, with one of the priests closing the door behind her. Her white hair was pulled into a ponytail, though Igneous could see some light brown strands running through it, and she had golden eyes that remind Igneous of his own. Her upper body, shoulders and armours were all covered in red and gold armour, but underneath it all, she wore what looked to be either a short dress or a tunic with belts at her waist and long boots that went past her knees. These were white. She had a satchel attached to one of the belts on her right side. However, the most noticeable thing about her appearance was the ugly scar that ran up her neck, still visible despite her armour. In her arms, she held a book and a piece of paper.

Elena looked shocked. "Oh no, let's take a look at that," she said, immediately moving from her place at the table to the women's side. She focused in one the scar. "Does it hurt? Do you need anything for it?"

She opened her book and withdrew a writing utensil from her satchel and scribbled something into her notebook. Elena watched. "Only when you talk then? That's good, I was worried it was more painful than that. I guess it's an older scare... either way, it wouldn't do for somebody like you," she said.

"What is her name?" Gerben asked, leaning back from his position to get a better look at her. The girl squeaked and immediately ran behind Elena.

"What the heck did you do to make her so scared?" Elena asked, her voice accusatory. Gerben blinked at her.

"Heck if I know! All I did was ask for her name!"

Leigh got up and moved over to her. Leigh, with his giant bulky armour, effectively blocked the woman from their view. "I know ursurines can look intimidating but Gerben is very nice. He wouldn't hurt you. Why are you here though?"

None of them could see her response and for a moment, neither Elena or Leigh said anything. Mira shifted uncomfortably in her seat while Reina looked rather empathetic, her hand over her chest. "I hope she will be alright," she said quietly.

"I just want to know what I did wrong. I wasn't trying to scare her," he said just as quietly.

Leigh turned around, holding the piece of papers in his hand. "This is Caalya and she'll be joining us. Gerben, try not to scare her," he stated. Gerben let out a low growl, one that only those at the table could hear. "She says she's a dark flier, in case you guys are curious."

"What did I even do?" Gerben asked carefully. Caalya bit her lips and then scribbled something down in her book and presented it to Elena.

"She says she scared of bears. Sorry Gerben, looks like you just have to be patient with her."

"You should sit and eat, Caayla!" Mira called cheerfully. Caalya nodded, going behind Gerben for what Igneous thought was a way to avoid his gaze, and sat on the same side he did. She did seem more relaxed, but it was going to be hard for them to travel around if she had a hard time even looking at Gerben, somebody who never personally harmed her. He was curious about what happened but at the same time, he respected the sort of privacy one could find from their past because it belonged to them. He spent so much time invading privacy by reading somebody's future anyway. He thought of Saikur for a moment but he let the thought go.

He managed a smile though. It was fun to watch Gerben be miffed about Caalya but he wasn't angry with her. It was fun to be surrounded by people in an occasion outside of work. It was fun to listen to others, even if they didn't talk very much.

When night rolled around and everybody had more or less gone to bed, Igneous walked into the lobby with a lit candle to guide his way. He placed the candle down on the floor in front of the statues of Mayon and Vulcan. He couldn't sleep, and his previous naps throughout the day where probably to blame but his thoughts on his own didn't help make him sleep. He was bored, wide awake, but most of all, lonely. He didn't expect anybody to really be up, so he was alone with his thoughts again.

Or so he thought until he heard bare feet move towards his direction. He turned his head and found Reina in the doorway, pulling the curtain aside. She silent joined him. Unlike him, she didn't have a candle but the candle he brought brought an orange glow to her white hair and dress. It made her hair and dress look more blue than when she was more light. "What are you doing up so late?" Igneous asked.

"I could ask the same of you. I couldn't fall asleep again when I had a nightmare," she said with a sigh. "But I'm not that tired right now. I usually stay up late anyway. What of you?"

"I couldn't fall asleep," he answered. "I'm glad you're here though. It's lonely around here right now."

"Lonely in what way? The fact that everybody else is probably sleeping or because the only people who know what is like to be an oracle are dead?"

"Both, I suppose," Igneous mumbled. When he was alone, he always thought about his abilities. In the end, it came down to the fact that he was the oracle and he didn't know why he was the only one in Haelin. He had questions but nobody could give him any answers. The more he thought about, the more he wanted to be around people to distract himself.

"I know that loneliness well, the kind where nobody is like myself."

Igneous looked at her oddly. He knew there was something about her, something that made her seem off when he compared her to somebody like Mira. Both of them were kind, seemed to love to help when they could, but there was something more... closer and warmer about Mira.

"I always felt that you were different but I couldn't tell why," Igneous said. "You are also joining us but it doesn't look like you do any battling, unless you're a mage."

"In truth, I didn't want to come but I already fond of this group so I will see this through with you. It would have been less painful to go my own separate way but I always do this to myself," she said sadly. She looked upset, especially more so in the candle light. She was more interested in looking at her hands in her lap than at Igneous.

"Reina... you can tell me anything. I'm not sure if it will help but we're both unlike the others in one way, aren't we?"

"I'm part manakete. My father was a human and died of old age a long time ago. My mother was... taken before her time due ungrounded hate. I've never met anybody who was part manakete like myself," Reina answered, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm fortunate enough to have rounded ears like my father. I can pass for a regular human."

A manakete, or at least half manakete. Igneous would not have guessed that just by looking at her. Aside from her wise eyes and that air she had, she looked like a normal human. She looked kind of like Caalya, with white hair and an uncommon eye colour, but not even she had the air around her. Igneous would have considered himself like Caalya but he couldn't be called normal. It must have saved her. He could also understand why she thought it was so painful for her to travel with them – she would make friends with humans who would only die before her.

"You must think I'm strange," she said.

"Don't forget, you're talking to somebody who can see the future," he said with a small smile. "We're all a bit weird, aren't we? But I'm sure that along the way, you'll meet somebody more like you... at least, somebody that has more than seventy years or so to begin with. We have to at least see that sea serpent that you spoke of."

"I would enjoy that. I've never had the chance to really meet other manaketes since they seem so rare. On the other hand, I also enjoy the friendships here too, even if pain is inevitable. I can't help but to make friends, no matter how much that might hurt in the end."

"At least you can say it happened when it ends. Isn't it better to have had friendships like these than to have been alone the entire time?" Igneous asked. "At least that's how I would have it if I lived a long life."

Reina was destined for a long life. Perhaps she would not as long as a full-blooded manakete but she had the opposite problem he may be facing. The other two oracles didn't see their fiftieth year and while Elena noted some differences between him and the other two, he didn't think he was different enough to last past fifty. He was probably doomed to have a short life. Maybe his differences would make his life even shorter.

"Maybe we should both try to get back to sleep," Reina said after a few moments of silence.

"That sounds good," Igneous said, raising to his feet. He grabbed the candle. "Hey, Reina."

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're coming with us."

She smiled warmly. "Me too."

Sorry guys, I didn't mean to go a whole month without an update. I'm working way more than I thought I would (I need to learn to say no) and just ended up being too tired to write a lot. I hate missing a month because that's my bare minimum but hopefully that gets better!