Blackness. An empty void. No light, no sound. No feeling. It was as if they were floating, in a vast emptiness. Alone.
There was no body. No form. Barely any thought, or consciousness. Just the empty...
And then.. Boom! A loud, universe-shattering explosion, centered on them. There were vibrant colors, and sounds, the likes of which no mortal of Aesoria had ever seen.
They witnessed the birth and death of countless stars. The shaping of worlds far from their own. And the horrifying destruction of those worlds.
Then it all slowed down.
Looming, massive above them, was a bright, yellow star. Incalculable in size and heat. Burning anything that drifted too close. Near by the star were spheres, of various colors. One, blue and green in coloration, stuck out. It was small, the size of a tomato.
Without warning, they fell, into that blue and green sphere. It grew larger, and larger. Until they recognized green, brown, and white shapes. It wasn't a sphere. It was Aesoria. The very world they lived in.
They fell, or flew, rapidly to a section of frozen, wood covered land. A city began to come into view, on the coast. Chillreach, and it's surrounding kingdom.
Their perspective fell towards the roof of a building, and suddenly, they were inside. Briefly, they saw the slowly moving image of Danson, and Faria, dancing in the open space of the home. It smelled of fresh bread, and the building was new, and clean.
The vision shifted violently. Until two young children were mixed into the space. The smell was of cooling baked goods, and the area was growing cluttered.
Another shift in time and space. They saw the two children, slightly older. Both alone, crying, in the dark living space. It smelled of burnt toast, and the building was empty, and covered in soot and dirt.
Again, the entirety of the image shifted again. This time, they saw the two children, now grown, back to back on a battlefield. The boy, now a man, dressed in elaborate red and silver robes, summoning hellfire down onto an army. The girl, now a woman, covered in shining full plate armor, severing a dragon's head with a beautiful long sword.
Another swirl of sight and sound.
Now, they saw something quite strange.
The two siblings, themselves. But with them were three other individuals. Their feature's were obscured by haziness. And their form's shifted. Always humanoid, in shape. Sometimes larger, sometimes smaller. Sometimes with a mighty weapon or shield. Sometimes wielding magic, Arcane or Divine.
Other times they held dual blades, or an axe, or a bow and arrow.
The five figures of the vision, Cassandra, Lewis, and the three shifting people, were thrusted through time. Exploring dungeons, fighting mystical monsters. There was one scene where the five companions fought a massive, five headed Dragon. Another scene showed four of the five, crouching or standing around the fifth, who was either unconscious, or worse...
All this was flashed before the mind of the siblings. They saw countless stories unfold around them. Innumerable outcomes of the same situations.
Then it all faded, just as quickly as it was shown to them. In the dark void, a face arose. Gargantuan from this perspective, whatever that perspective was.
The face was Fiendish in nature. ugly, and blood red, with shadings of black. Two thick horns curled out of its head, like a bull's. Its features resembled a horrifying mixture of hound, bull, and pig. with sharpened teeth, as long as human arms.
The demonic face laughed, though no sound came forth. Fire flared in it's mouth and eyes, yet there was no warmth.
A voice rang out through the emptiness, while the demon silently laughed. The voice was that of Daerma, the Seer. But it was as if she were speaking a hundred times at once. Some whispers. Some screams.
"To find those who sired you, and those who trained you, look to the island of ice. Where demons hunt, you will find solace.
Your story has only begun. You will meet many friends, and many more foes. You will taste defeat, and you will drink to victory.
But be warned, when the shattered bloodline is reunited, he shall crawl from the depths of the abyss, and lay siege to the frozen city.
Go now, siblings of dispair. Go into the world, and fulfill your destiny."
When she was done speaking, the demonic face burst into flames. And those flames consumed the vision. Once they had died down, two red glowing eyes could be seen distantly in the void. The eyes of a watching fiend.
- - - - -
When she awoke, Cassandra was blinded by the brilliance of the sun, high above her. The ground was cold, and wet. And her head was ringing with the echoing words of The Seer, which began to fade away once she stood and stretched.
About five feet away, also coming to consciousness, was Lewis. He looked around, as if lost and confused. Then looked up to his sister. "What in the Hells..."
Cassandra extended a hand, helping Lewis onto his feet. They had all their gear and equipment. And neither one of then seemd hurt, or in pain.
Lewis' eyes widened with realization. "A prophecy! She showed our purpose, I think." The words of the Seer, she said, 'Look to the island of ice...""
"'...where demons hunt.' I think I saw it too." Lewis' eyes grew even bigger, causing Cassandra to question whether or not they'd pop out.
"A shared vision! The herbs, and the pipe! I remember now. Yes, she did a ritual of sorts, and the herbs must have connected us. Allowing her to look into our past, and future."
"Future?" Cassandra definitely remembered seeing their past, the memories of abandonment were still fresh in her heart. But those other images, and people. "Who were they? Those, people?" She asked her intuitive brother.
Lewis offered a shrug in answer. "I couldn't say for sure. At best? Allies. At worst?" He let the rhetoric hang in the air, the both of them knowing its implications.
They both stood in uneasy contemplation, trying to remember the details of the vision. Cassandra looked around, as if she felt eyes on her. She had suddenly remembered those eyes. Glowing. With hatred, and hunger. "Whoever they were, they cant be as bad as that demon. That things scares me."
Lewis nodded his affirmation, staring off into nothing, remembering the flames and the face. "Let's hope that one's far from the present." He grabbed his satchel, digging into it with purpose. Finally, he produced a quil, an ink well, and some parchment. "Ok, try to remember her words. I'll write them down, maybe we can dechipher them at another time."
The siblings spent an hour writing the prophecy down, reciting it over and over. Until they were certain it was correct. When they were satisfied.
Lewis rolled the parchment, and wrapped it in sturdy twine. "Right then. Now where the fuck are we?"