Nightblade (Darkest night)-Chapter 215: Oracle

For a brief moment, nobody spoke.

An all-out war between the Talented and the Crows...the very thought of it was horrific.

"It is precisely because of the delicate nature of this matter that we'd ask the Brotherhood for assistance. Because of the Crows, the number of Talented we have in Zolaris is quite few.

And even then, the Crows possess quite the silver tongue.

I suspect it's something to do with the abilities that they wield.

Most of the Talented they've come into contact with have been swayed to their cause... As a result, we were already at a disadvantage

before the fight even began..."

"I can see what you're driving at," Liu Zhen muttered.

"Partnering with the Brotherhood on this matter would prevent unnecessary relocation of our forces while strengthening our relationship with the Brotherhood."

Aisha smiled nodding slightly.

"My point exactly. "

A foe that could win a fight without ever raising a weapon or engaging in combat of any sort was quite rare.

And in this case, the foe turned out to be quite insidious. This was because their ability allowed them to turn weak-willed allies into foes.

The boon was that assassins were exceptionally strong-willed individuals, whose minds had been hardened through the threats of brutal combat, often leaving them at death's door with just enough vitality to allow them to survive.

A slight frown appeared on Victoria's face.

"While she's not saying it aloud does that mean there's a Neural Talented in Zolaris capable of giving Aisha a run for her money?"

Victoria subtly shifted in her chair, focusing intently on everything that was being said. Her eyes narrowed slightly, several thoughts running through her mind.

" That actually makes a lot of sense."

In her mind, several pieces were falling into place. It almost felt like a massive jigsaw was slowly shifting around in her mind.

What if...

"That said, Aisha Lorke," Thrain's cold voice rang out. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

At the sound of it, the darkness in the great hall shifted subtly.

"I hope that in all of this, it is not revenge that drives you..."

Aisha remained still for several moments, the light in her eyes glowing unwaveringly.

I can assure it's not," she said coolly.

If it was revenge I wanted,

I'm more than sure I could have obtained it on my own. That said,

the number of casualties would have been quite mind-boggling

Thrain studied her for a few moments, then leaned back.

"How can you be so sure that this is their intention...to start a war i mean..."Seth asked, a small frown appearing on his face.

"She's telling the truth and she's right..."

A quiet stillness swept over the hall at the sound of the seer's voice.

Victoria barely suppressed the expression of surprise she felt deep down.

She's finally getting involved...

Despite her wondrous power, Ophelia rarely involved herself in matters she considered trivial.

In hindsight, that made sense. While others would consider it arrogance, it actually wasn't arrogance.

Rather it was cold practicality.

In the grand scheme of things, intervening in small crises was child's play compared to witnessing the future before it even happened.

Victoria scrutinized her warily, a subtle shiver going down her spine.

Sometimes she couldn't help but think about whether the cold and distant Talented was still sane.

The thought that Ophelia could be mad was quite unsettling and frankly even frightening.

Of course, the thought that the single most powerful seer on the planet could be mad was positively disturbing but not exactly surprising given the nature of her ability.

" We both carry different burdens I guess..."

Ophelia continued speaking.

" The Crows intend to extend their reach much further than you can fathom and their ambition is much greater than you can possibly imagine. They..."

A wave of palpable energy washed over the large chamber,

the very air around them vibrating with power.

Suddenly the atmosphere was filled with a palpable tension.

Norvax frowned,

silently scanning the chamber for any threats. He was instantly on high alert, his hand subtly shifting for the weapon beneath his cloak.

" What the hell is going..."

His mind suddenly went blank.

"Wait, Norvax..." a voice suddenly echoed through my mind.

"Here it comes..."

The large chamber suddenly went silent.

Ophelia's gaze drifted past them, as if the walls of the room had suddenly ceased to exist.

The shifting colors in her eyes intensified...violet bleeding into gold, then into a raging crimson.

When she spoke again, her voice sounded distant, hollow, like an echo traveling from somewhere far away.

"I see… cities," she murmured slowly. "Great cities… towers of steel and glass... crumbling like sandcastles before a rising tide."

Leaning forward slightly,

her fingers subtly trembled.

"The sky is burning. Not with fire… no… with color. A thousand colors. Lights tearing across the heavens like wounded stars. Purple. Emerald. White so bright it blinds the world."

Her breathing grew uneven.

"And the streets…" Ophelia whispered.

Silence stretched for a moment before she finished the thought.

"Bodies. So many bodies."

The colors in her eyes flashed again, faster now, unstable.

"I see people running. Screaming. Shadows moving through the smoke. Something vast… something wrong… spreading across the world like a sickness."

She tilted her head slightly, as though listening to something only she could hear.

"And the Videntis…" Her voice faltered for the first time.

A long pause.

"They stand against it."

Another pause. Longer this time.

Then Ophelia's lips parted in quiet horror.

At first, the feeling was subtle, then it slowly reached a crescendo, the feeling of overwhelming, blood-curdling fear washed over the hall then abruptly reached a fever pitch.

Several covert agents, groaned, swaying on their feet, and then fell to the ground.

The Videntis watched with rapt attention, waves of power humming through the entire chamber.

Then...an eerie calm gripped the hall.

Ophelia's eyes suddenly snapped back into focus, landing on them with a chilling stillness.

"The Videntis…" she said softly.

"…are no more."

The colors in her eyes faded, leaving only a dim, haunted light behind.

"And when the last of them falls…"

Ophelia's voice dropped to a whisper barely louder than breath.

"The darkest night will finally claim the world."