Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 169. The Stars Aligned

Triss stared into her Earl Grey tea, feeling its warmth soothe her uneasiness. Even the ripple on the surface distracted her from the stark prophecies that had unfolded.

Steeling herself, Triss focused, knitting her brows, “Epopteia!” She invoked the spell and the essence of Proleptis materialised in her palms. Aurora’s eyes widened as she studied the essence with genuine wonder.

"I... I saw death. So much death, on a scale I can't even... The streets they were just filled with them. Humans, elves, Wildren... everyone. Their bodies... just lying there. And the ones who were left alive? They were just... suffering. Starving, or sick with some awful plague that came after. Everything we've ever built, every city... it was all gone. Wiped out. As if it never mattered at all. It was the end. The final apocalypse." She concluded, her voice was uneven and breathless. But there was this genuine bleakness in Triss’s tone that made Aurora believe her.

Aurora leant forward with her elbows on her knees, fingers laced and tucked beneath her delicate chin.

Besides Triss, Celestia Vivian had ordered her maid to bring out a stack of hardcover tomes. She sat on the carpet floor with Cartier, and they both began to frantically skim through the records of prophecies.

For a long time, no one spoke a word, instead offering a supportive presence to the distressed young lady.

Eventually, Vivian struck up a conversation. “Cartier, how is it going on your side? Any record, um, or prediction of an apocalyptic event?”

Cartier shook her head, still skimming through pages. “None at all, Celestia Vivian. I’ve read through the works of the Epicureans, Sextus Empiricus, and the Megarians. None made such a claim.”

“Same here. Even the most renowned bearers of Proleptis only managed to pinpoint events up to the Black Death,” Vivian stated, her voice tinged with desperation.

“That’s understandable. Throughout my years of research, I have never heard of another bearer until now,” Aurora repeated, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her pointed ear.

Then Vivian directed her words to Triss, making the girl flinch. “Triss, from what you have witnessed, this was no longer an ordinary clairvoyant experience. Would you be able to give us more specific details to help our search?”

Triss jolted. “O’ Mother Gaia! I saw a…” She paused and reframed her thoughts. “I think I saw a flash of the moon before the destruction. Famine, death, disease…” she said, not very confident in her words.

The Empress straightened up, giving her an odd look. “You mean the split moons? The one Ignius destroyed?” she asked sternly, her tone almost angry.

Triss visibly jumped. “Um… It was red, and whole… So I think it can’t be ours,” she confessed, her voice as soft as a whisper.

“Hmm… the red moon…” Aurora sighed loudly, “I still can’t make any educated guess from your vision,” Aurora said, her voice frustrated.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“My apology…” Triss spoke, her tone self-deprecating.

“Empress,” Cartier whispered and tugged on the hem of Aurora’s nightgown.

Taking the cue, Aurora spoke again. “You don’t need to apologise, Terissa. I should be thanking you for giving us this warning.”

Then they exchanged a faint smile.

“Now, I need to keep this potential cosmic threat in mind. Or perhaps, something is already at play and I just fail to see it,” Aurora muttered to herself, closing her eyes.

“What she had seen hinted at something that would mark the extinction of all mortal races, something far darker than the terror of the Ventiff. Was this the level of apocalypse foretold in the age of mythology? The divine dissonance?” Aurora contemplated deeply, a vein visibly bulged on her fair forehead from all the burden and stress.

Vivian raised her head from her book. “Triss, what about the being who showed you this vision?” she asked, switching the subject.

“She admitted that she was a mere echo of Thesmoria, whatever that means,” Triss replied promptly.

“Thesmoria? The Moirai!?” Cartier exclaimed, energetic despite midnight having long passed.

“Yes, Little Cartier! I vaguely remembered she claimed she was the echo of the Moirai, too!” Triss responded, scooting closer in anticipation.

“I know, I know! So you must have met Clothia, the Fate Sister of the Future,” Cartier said in glee. “That’s fascinating!”

“From the ages of Mythos?” Vivian exclaimed in puzzlement, and Cariter returned with a smile.

On the side, Aurora also shot a smile at the girl like a proud mother. “It seems your addiction to books is beginning to bear fruit, Cartier. I do believe the clairvoyant essence has its roots in Sister Clothia.”

“Oh!” Triss gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth as if she had just remembered something. Everyone in the room glanced at her with wonder.

“I forgot to mention that I heard her final words…” Triss admitted, ashamed of herself.

The weariness fell away from Aurora in an instant. She was on her feet, her posture radiating a sudden, coiled energy. "What did you hear?" she demanded, her eyes wide and alight with fierce curiosity.

Triss’s lips began to move on their own volition, her voice echoing with a divine quality, like a heavenly hymn.

"The Goddess of all creation requires her Champion. Do not search for a new thread of fate. The one you need is already woven into your past. The person you seek is not an answer to be found, but a question you forgot to ask."

“Did you just remember all of that now?” Cartier frowned at Triss in incredulity.

Sheepishly, Triss looked down at her untouched tea. “Sorry, I was distracted, um, by all those horrible things.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Triss,” Cartier apologised, and Triss shook her head in understanding.

“The Goddess of all creation couldn’t be anyone other than our Allmother, Gaia. Who is the champion of Mother Earth? The champion of Gaia?” Aurora mused, putting the puzzle pieces together.

“Yes! The Champion of Gaia sounds about right,” Cartier exclaimed with ecstasy.

“Maybe that’s the answer. We must find that individual!” Vivian suggested, a hopeful smile on her lips. “Perhaps we might have a chance to stop this impending doom.”

“To me, ‘already woven into my past’ is quite clear.” Triss nodded vigorously, gaining confidence. “I must seek out those I have met in the past!”

“That sounds like a more logical plan than reading through all the books in the library!” Cartier said, smiling.

"Terissa, let's journey together," Aurora suggested and paused abruptly. A moment later, a new thought seemed to occur to her. "Actually... we do have that upcoming diplomatic visit to Solis Aeternum. Hmm," she mused, her eyes fixed on Triss. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone there, would you?"

Triss’s cheeks began to blush a rosy red. “Actually, Empress. I do…”