The night breeze was chilly, causing me to wrap my arms around myself to stay warm. The sound of leaves crunching under our feet was a pleasant addition to the peaceful atmosphere, but my anxiety was in stark contrast to the tranquil surroundings.
"The sky here is so different from Zephyrus," I commented absentmindedly, gazing up at the starry night sky.
"You're right. In Zephyrus, you can barely see the sky," Leonelle agreed, his gaze also fixed on the heavens above.
"I wonder how Magnar and his daughter are doing," I suddenly voiced my concern, still staring up at the sky.
"I believe he's still in Zephyrus with her. She's about the same age as Leon, isn't she?"
"She's actually a year older than him," I corrected him.
A moment of silence descended upon us, and I could feel the weight of Leonelle's gaze on me. It was as if he was expecting me to say something more.
I decided to break the silence and ask the question that had been on my mind. "Do you think...fate could change?" I asked, still looking up at the stars.
"Why do you ask?" Leonelle asked, his expression becoming serious.
"I just want to know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "When I saw our friends die back then, I tried so hard to prevent them from entering the dungeon, hoping that my dreams won't happen. But I failed."
My father once told me that fate is like a river, flowing in a certain direction with its course predetermined and its path unchanging. Just as a river cannot be stopped or diverted, so too is the course of fate.
Fate is a fickle mistress, capable of bringing both fortune and misfortune. Once it has been set in motion, no one can stop it. So, even if I tried to warn them, if fate already decided what to do with them, then there was nothing I could do.
I looked up at the starry night sky, watching as a shooting star blazed a trail across the darkness. Without thinking, I reached out my hand, as if trying to catch the falling star, even though I knew it was impossible.
"Changing fate is impossible," I said, my voice filled with resignation. "Even though it may seem like it's within our grasp, in reality, it's not. When I told Hetrea about my dreams, she immediately went to safety and didn't join us on that expedition. You know Hetrea was a bit of a scaredy-cat, right?" I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, but Leonelle remained serious, his gaze locked on me.
"She didn't join us," I continued, "but somehow, when that monster attacked us, she was down there in the dungeon with us, helping us fight it off. And as a result..." I trailed off, my heart heavy with sorrow.
Leonelle remained silent, his expression one of deep concern as he listened to my words.
"Crie, Sandy, Elia, Tonie, Ricks, Brise, and...Hetrea," I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I listed the names of our fallen friends. "They died. They were killed, just like how I saw it in my dreams."
I still vividly remembered Hetrea's last words to me. 'Please take care of Leonelle for me,' she had said, before taking her final breath. Her voice had been weak, but her words were clear, and it had brought tears to my eyes. It had been hard to watch her die, and it was even harder to accept that there was nothing we could do to change her fate.
As I stood there, lost in thought, I couldn't help but wonder if fate was truly unchangeable. Was it really like a river, with a predetermined course that no one could alter? I had tried so hard to prevent the deaths of our friends back then, but all my efforts had been in vain. Even when I tried to warn them of the danger that lay ahead, fate had its way, and they had met their untimely end.
"Just like trying to catch a falling star," I continued, "changing fate seemed impossible. No matter how much one tried to grasp and reach it, it always remained out of reach," I said, my voice trailing off.
I lowered my hand that had been outstretched for so long, and took a deep breath before looking Leonelle in the eye.
"So, tell me Leonelle. Do you think fate could change? Do you think that, even if it seemed hopeless to change it, is it still possible?" I asked, hoping for an answer that would put my mind at ease.
"Are you perhaps worried that Leon had seen something in his dream? Something that is similar to your dreams and visions back then?" he asked, a question of his own.
I took a deep breath before answering, "To be honest, I never believed in any of these legends in our home. The power of premonition was rare even among high elves, and only those who had survived or escaped death could awaken it. The only person I know that has this power was the chancellor in Lefriedin, but even then, I didn't believe that she had such power."
The chancellor of Lefriedin was an enigma. She was rumored to have lived for almost two centuries and possessed the rare power of premonition. Her visions were said to be infallible, and every time she foretold of a future catastrophe, it would come true.
She would warn the people of Lefriedin about the impending disaster, and if someone was destined to die, she would inform them, and they would accept it with resignation. The people of the kingdom had grown to accept the inevitability of fate, believing that death was simply a part of life's natural cycle.
As for me, I was skeptical of the idea that fate was predetermined and unchangeable. I didn't believe that anyone had the power to see the future, let alone change it. But when I began having premonitions myself, I was forced to confront the possibility that fate was not as fixed as I had once believed.
As I looked down at my hand, which was still tightly clenched in a grasping position, I slowly began to release my grip. Disappointment crept over me as I realized that there was nothing there. The falling star that I had been trying to catch had vanished into the darkness of the night sky.
"Now that I have experienced firsthand how it feels to see the future, I know that this power is indeed true. It's a power that comes with great responsibility and burden, and one that I wouldn't wish on anyone. To witness catastrophic events, to see the death of loved ones, and to witness one's own demise, is something that you wish you never see. That's why I can't help but feel anxious about what Leon might have seen in his dream," I said, my voice trembling slightly.
When I was feeding Leon back then, I had noticed something strange in his eyes. They had started to glow, just like mine had when I first discovered my premonition ability. It was then that I realized that Leon had awakened his premonition ability too. Suddenly, he had vomited, and it was clear that he had seen something so gruesome in his vision that his stomach had to release all the food he had stored.
It was clear that whatever he had seen in his dream was not good. When he jolted awake screaming at the top of his lungs, I knew I had to ask him what he had seen. I couldn't ignore it, not when I had gone through the same thing. But what if his vision was worse than mine? What if it was something so terrible that he couldn't even put it into words?
"What if...what he saw was his own death? Or yours? Or Tessia's?" I couldn't help but voice my worst fears.
"Calm down. You don't need to think about it." Leonelle grabbed me in the shoulders and looked at me in the eye. "Let's not jump to conclusions, Elisa. It's possible that Leon's premonition was just a random dream and nothing more. We don't know for sure."
"But you saw how his eyes glowed, Leonelle. It's a sign that he saw something in the future!" I retorted, my voice raising slightly. "And the fact that he screamed like that... it just confirms that whatever he saw was not good."
Leonelle pulled me closer and locked eyes with me, his voice gentle but firm. "Elisa, you need to calm down. We can't let our fears consume us. If Leon's dream was truly a premonition of a catastrophic event or if it involved any of our deaths, then we must do everything we can to change the course of fate."
"But can we truly change fate? Isn't it said that no one, not even powerful beings, can alter the outcome that destiny has in store for us?" I questioned, trying to grasp the reality of our situation.
Leonelle's grip tightened slightly, his expression unwavering. "Perhaps you're right, but that doesn't mean we should simply accept our fate. We'll find a way to protect those we care about, no matter what."
I couldn't help but be in awe of Leonelle's sense of responsibility. Even though I was much older than him, he was more mature than I was. His words had a calming effect on me, and I felt reassured by his presence.
"You asked if fate could change, right?" Leonelle began, his voice steady and reassuring. "Let me answer you. Yes, you can change fate. With enough willpower and determination, you can alter its course. You can defy it."
My heart skipped a beat as he looked into my eyes with a determined gaze.