(Outer Regions- Hidden Location)
(Merean Swamp)
A figure stood quietly at the entrance to the soothsayer's private room without saying a word.
A dark elf warrior stood at her side and kept glancing at the confused expression on his leader's face.
The mysterious figure was a tall dark elf with a slender physique and two small bumps in front of her chest.
Long black hair fell below her shoulders and her fingernails were well maintained.
Her facial features bore a striking similarity to the former saintess Elisa's true form, but a vicious scar ran from one side of her face to the other.
This scar did little to diminish her beauty but added a sense of ruthlessness to her soft and gentle facial features.
Queen Bracieth Liadi.
The mother of Princess Keya Lidia and the leader of the once powerful dark elf tribe.
Unlike her daughter, the queen had little interest in affairs outside of her domain.
She spent her days wandering the nearby forest and taking in pretty elf males as consorts.
She knew that many of her people were disappointed in her actions, but the queen lacked both the ambition and means necessary to lead.
Fortunately, her daughter had quickly won the hearts of the tribe by infiltrating human society and rescuing a few dark elves who had been captured as slaves.
Did Queen Bracieth sometimes wish that she could become a hero like her daughter?
Maybe… but she cared about her own safety too much to take any risks.
Besides although life was hard in the outer regions, it was at least peaceful since an alliance had formed between the remnants of the foreign races.
If there was any benefit to humanity's rise, it was the fact that the other races of the continent were able to come together to face a powerful enemy.
Of course, the leaders of each faction were aware that even their combined strength wasn't going to be enough.
That's why their fates lay at the hands of the prophecy….
Queen Bracieth let out a heavy sigh as she pondered what to do next. Loud shrieks and screams came from the room on the other side of the door.
The soothsayer was the most important figure in their tribe but now she had apparently gone completely mad.
Queen Bracieth nodded at the dark elf warrior next to her and he stepped forward to open the door.
Inside the room, the respected soothsayer was pinned to the ground by another dark elf while desperately struggling.
"The prophecy! I see it! I SEE IT ALL!" the soothsayer screamed as her hands clawed at the sides of her neck.
"The blade and the shield! They will fail! The rise of the dark elves… cannot be stopped!"
Queen Bracieth frowned slightly and raised up her right hand. She opened her mouth and chanted a few incomprehensible words.
A beam of dark energy burst out of her fingertips and slammed into the temples of both attendants in the room.
They collapsed to the ground unconscious and the queen unceremoniously dragged them outside before slamming the door.
The soothsayer continued to convulse and twitch on the ground as drool slowly leaked from the corner of her mouth.
"Nexrium Solarien Barieum!" Queen Bracieth whispered as she made a series of complicated hand gestures.
A zone of black magic spread out from her feet and covered the room in a heavy barrier that none could penetrate.
The soothsayer got up from the ground with jerky wooden movements and stared off into the distance.
Queen Bracieth had only seen her like this once before and it was for this reason why what she said next had to remain a secret.
Two hundred years ago, this mad prophet had burst into her palace and said that her future daughter would cause the downfall of humanity.
The young Queen Bracieth did not believe her at first, but the prophet's words began to spread throughout the rest of the clan.
In order to maintain her unstable grip on the throne, the queen had no choice but to birth a daughter and become known as the 'Mother of the Saviour'.
God knows what this madwoman was about to say next, but the queen had no desire to be made an unwilling puppet of fate this time.
"The shield and the blade of Lord Varion have descended…" the soothsayer hoarsely muttered as she swayed back and forth as if she were possessed.
"The twist of fate… the hand of the outsider… the poison flower blooms… golden eyes…"
"The shield will be corrupted, and the blade will be shattered…"
"The princess… will break... the blade…"
Queen Bracieth did not understand what the soothsayer meant but at least it sounded as though her daughter would still be able to succeed.
The soothsayer violently trembled and her clear words turned into incomprehensible mutterings of madness.
"Reerur Melrin Dorena," the queen chanted as she gestured towards the prophet.
Shadowy hands rose up from the ground and gently carried the elderly dark elf to the bed.
The queen turned around and was about to leave the room when something caught her eye from the corner of her vision.
It was an open envelope on a desk in the middle of the room. The envelope was open, and the queen saw a letter with familiar handwriting.
Why was her daughter in contact with the soothsayer?
The bond between mother and daughter was quite weak but the queen could still recognise her writing.
Queen Bracieth curiously walked over and picked up the letter. She flicked her fingers and a small flame appeared at her fingertips.
Her crimson eyes gleamed under the light as she read the contents of her daughter's report. One section in particular made the queen hum thoughtfully.
[My guardian knight seems to have unusual powers. Two translucent wings sprouted out from behind her back and her strength rose to a level beyond the tier two stage.]
[The holy aura surrounding her body reminded me of the pope in his heyday as the most powerful member of the Varion Church]
[And her eyes shone with a golden light…]
Golden eyes? Wasn't that the description of the so-called 'sword' and 'shield' of Lord Varion?
The queen put down the letter and stared at the prophet who was now fast asleep on the bed.
After the soothsayer got into a trance like this, she would not remember the prophecy that she had spoken.
It was only because she had sought out the queen in her palace did others hear her words and spread her message around the tribe.
Now the queen was faced with a choice.
She was the only person in the room who had knowledge about the new prophecy and could use this information to help her daughter.
But why would she?
A dark hatred surfaced in the queen's heart as an expression of jealousy flashed across her face.
Her daughter was the almighty saviour and chosen one while she was nothing more than a birthing tool in the grand scheme of destiny.
Wasn't life good with the current status quo?
The queen spent most of her days in comfort and her male lovers pampered her lovingly.
If her daughter truly ended humanity, then it was obvious that she would take her place as the next queen.
Queen Bracieth brought her hand closer to the letter and the flame hovering above her fingertips spread to the piece of parchment paper.
It quickly burnt the letter to ashes as the queen silently made a decision in her heart.
She could not let her daughter succeed.