I'm sitting in front of her, separated by a table. The interior of the tent is a little dark due to the lack of lamps; instead, candles are used to illuminate the space. The atmosphere is surprisingly relaxing for what I expect when I walk in. It may be a little creepy or suspicious, but this place emits an aura that magically calms me and shows no hostile intentions.
Seers are rare and have the ability to see into the future. Every kingdom has only one seer, and when the reigning seer dies, the next seer is born. They are working under the Manteis Temple to write the Book of Prophecy based on what the world will reveal to them.
Not all seers are gifted with the ability to foresee everything that will occur in the future. They can only see a speck of it, and at times they are unable to comprehend the message of the world's will. The world will appoint a Saintess with the ability to clearly understand and see the future.
The gods bestowed power on magicians, priests, warriors, and knights, but the power of seers comes from the world's will. They claimed that even gods could not defy fate and that no one could change it except the creator, who is above all and creates everything living and non-living.
"What's your name child? Or do you have your sacred name?" She asked me as she sits on a chair and looks at me.
"Sa-samuel... That's my birth name and I haven't been baptized yet." I answered stuttering.
"Samuel your name suits you and you can call me Bhavisha. It means 'One who can see the future'. The world's will have given me that name."
Every child over the age of 12 who has been baptized will be given a sacred name, but only those who have been recognized by the gods. They will be given a name that reflects who they are as individuals as well as their magical abilities. However, not everyone has a sacred name. Those who have not received the gods' blessing through baptism do not have a sacred name.
"I don't have money for this and I don't think I can afford it." I don't know if she is a genuine seer, but the aura around her is so gentle and calm like nature.
"I don't need your money. I'm willing to do it for free just for you." She smiled at me and gently traced the lines on my hands.
"You're kind of interesting. My intuition told me that there is something in you since the first time I saw you and I have never been wrong." She looks into my eyes as if she is looking directly into my soul. "I'm going to start it. You need to relax and close your eyes."
I suddenly feel as if a foreign force is trying to enter my body. "W-OAH," I exclaimed, startled by the disturbing energy attempting to enter my body. I'm becoming increasingly uneasy as the minutes pass by. It felt like I was laying myself bare for her to see my deepest secrets. I dislike and hate this feeling.
"I know it's strange for a first-timer. Your body is sensitive to mana. Just relax and let me. Please be aware that I have no desire to harm you." She gently grasps my hands, and I nod and agree.
The strange force is surging rapidly through my body and compressing my heart. Even though it's strange at first, it gives a soothing feeling, but the closer they get to my heart, the more it hurts. It's painful, and it was bearable at first, but now I can't breathe.
"W-ait... It h-urts... STOP!"
Inside my body, there is an unfamiliar yet familiar force that forced her mana out, causing a small circuit to bounce towards her and forcing Bhavisha to bounce back. Fortunately, Bhavisha regains her balance, preventing her from falling.
I gasped for air as I felt my heart being squeezed. "Are you all right, Samuel?" She rushes over to my side and hugs me, calming me down. It hurts so much that I can't help but clasp my chest to catch my breath.
"How is this possible? How can you have mana if you haven't been baptized?" She looks at me, taken aback by the sudden revelation.
My heart is still aching, but it is now bearable. Even though I was gasping for air, her words did not escape my ears. "Mana? Why would I have mana? I haven't received any blessings yet." Knowing that I have mana baffles me.
"You do have mana, and it is quite powerful for your age. So this is why the world's will has been acting strangely." She muttered to herself as she realized what was going on.
"We must resolve this issue. Samuel, the world's will have assigned me the task of meeting and assisting you. This meeting was predestined, and I need to keep your identity a secret. Nobody should know that you have mana. Nothing like this has ever happened before."
"What will happen to me if they find out?" I asked her because I was sheltered and enclosed in the orphanage and was still naive about the reality of this world.
"Make a promise to me, Samuel. Do not expose or tell anyone about this, regardless of the situation or who they are. Your life will be in danger, and it will not only be the greedy people who will hunt you down, but even the gods will capture you. You shouldn't put too much faith in the gods. They are greedy bastards who leech and use anyone for their own benefit."
"..." I'm speechless right now about this situation, and I'm not sure what I should do if my life is in danger.
"Don't worry, I'm not as powerful as the gods, but I have the ability to deceive and conceal this from them. Even the most powerful gods do not have access to the Book of Prophecy. I despise their guts. Some of them genuinely help humanity, but not all of them."
"You can do it? But will they not discover me? What have you seen when you look at my future?" I need to ask her about this as I want to know if I'm in danger.
"I can't see your fate, I have never experienced this before even gods can't escape my eyes. I can only catch a glimpse of endless white within you. You're fateless Samuel, only you can choose your own destiny and I don't know if it is good or bad, but we need to hide this."
"I-im... Fa-teless?..." I tried to calm myself, this is not the right time to be frightened in this situation. But I can't grasp this situation, how can I encounter this revelation after leaving the orphanage?
"What will happen when I will be baptized? How can I deceive or receive the gods blessing and they will discover that I have mana."
"Don't worry, I can assist you. This is the mission that the world's will has assigned to me. I only need a trace of your blood. I don't know who you are, but the world is willing to protect you for reasons I don't understand." She reassured me that I should trust her.
"W-aah! Ouch!" She grabs my right hand and pokes the needle into my thumb. The blood rushed out and floats in the air. She let go of my hands and clasped her hands together in silent prayer.
Bhavisha opens her eyes, and the golden dust inside her golden eyes moves violently. Two golden tears fall from both of her eyes and float toward my blood. It combines with my blood and emits a gold light, forcing me to close my eyes because the brightness blinds me.
I open my eyes and look for my blood, but all I see is a gold ring with a ruby red stone in the middle. Bhavisha picks the ring and holds my left hand, placing the ring in the center of my fingers. I examine the ring and notice that the ring's golden metal contains a speck of gold dust that sparkles when light reflects on it. The red gem in the middle has a dark red color, and when I look closely at it, I notice a purple flower inside.
"That's the flower of the Westeria tree." Perhaps because Bhavisha saw my puzzled look, she told me what flower it is.
"Westeria? The painting at the entrance?"
"Westeria is not a common tree and only a handful of people knows about it. You can only see this tree in the inner garden of the palace but only the royal or important people can see it especially when it blooms. I don't know why but the Westeria tree represents you. Westeria tree is known for its beauty but its flower and seeds are poisonous."
She is holding my thump, which she has poked with a needle, and I can feel the soothing energy that is healing the small wound.
"No matter what happens or where you are, don't take off this ring. It will shield you and conceal your identity from the gods. This Wisteria flower will protect you and keep demons at bay. Demons are terrified of the Westeria tree, which is why they never attack the palace."
I'm not sure how I'm going to adjust and accept this situation, but I'm going to hide the fact that I have mana without receiving any blessings from the gods from now on.
"Thank you for helping me Bhavisha. How can I repay you?" Bhavisha smiles at me, but the smile quickly fades and a troubled expression appears on her face.
"Samuel, you must leave immediately. You don't have to thank me. It's my responsibility to keep you safe. We'll meet again when the time is right, but you must leave now, Samuel. It is not safe for you to remain here." She grips my wrist and pulls me out of the room.
"Return to your friends as soon as possible. You must stay away from this location, it's for your own safety." She pushed me away and smiled at me, assuring me that everything was fine.
"Thank you," I said as I looked at her and ran away from that place without looking back.
***
Samuel I can't keep you safe. This is the only way I can assist you. It is now up to you to protect yourself. I clenched my right hand, and a round shiny black gem appeared on my palm, which I used to suck the tent inside the gem. I need to leave here and go back to the temple. My job is done here, and I don't want to jeopardize Samuel's safety.
"My Saintess, we must depart immediately. They are already aware that you are not in the temple and they already know your location. We need to get out of here because they're going to arrive at any moment and Captain Riverwood will handle everything." The carriage is now being driven by the Manteis knight who is protecting me. I need to clean the temple because the traitors are on the loose. I can only leave it to Ken for now.
I climb into the carriage and begin my trip back to the temple. My life is always in danger from demons and gods because I have the ability to see the future, but I know that everything will change from now on. It will mark the beginning of a period in which the balance will deteriorate. I'm not sure if it will work out well, but this is the world's will, and this is my job to follow what the world's will decide. I'm hoping Samuel will make things right. Being fateless gives him an advantage because no one knows what choices he will make.