The Seer – Part 5

This is part 5 of our short story, “The Seer”. If you haven’t read the beginning of the story, you can find it here!

…

We find our way back to Tamniirt and fill him in on what occurred. The Redeemer introduces herself as Alora, and we let her know who we are and what we have discovered. FInally, we grow quiet and await the story of how she came to rescue us. It’s then that I notice how much her face has fallen as we spoke.

Liam must sense the air of sadness that seems to suffocate Alora, because he speaks up gently. “How did you learn how to use your powers like that?”

Alora blinks and looks at the ground. “I had training,” she replies vaguely. “I can train you, as well.”

“Then, we could kill the last creature and be done with all this,” I say. I was shaken by the close call we just had with the dhaceen. Without Alora, I don’t think we would have survived.

“Not quite,” Tamniirt says. “More dhaceen will continue coming through the hole. We need to find a way to seal it. Whatever the dhaceen are looking for may be the key. I think the only choice we have is to continue following the one that is here, and strike as soon as he finds what he is looking for. Then, we have to hope the item will help us, and that we can figure out how to use it.”

Alora clears her throat. “That’s not our only option.” She sets her jaw before continuing, seemingly making a decision to trust us. “I know what they are looking for and how they created the hole.”

“The other Celestials, the Seer and Revealer before you,” she nods at Liam and I before continuing, “they are the ones who made the hole in the barrier between worlds. The Seer was enticed by a beautiful creature he saw in Vaarn. The Revealer tried to tell him that humans were not meant to live among the creatures of Vaarn, and that’s why our worlds were separated by a barrier, but he didn’t listen.” 

Alora pauses here, wiping a tear from her eye.

“The Revealer didn’t want him to go alone. She thought she could protect him. They were supposed to just go for a short visit, long enough to meet some of the beautiful creatures, but they…” She exhales a shaky breath. “They never came back.” 

We are silent for a moment before Liam speaks. “Maybe we can go find them?”

A sob bursts from Alora. “If you are here…it’s too late for them,” she manages to get out. 

Tamniirt finishes the thought for her. “There can only be three Celestials; one Seer, Revealer, and Redeemer at a time.”

After a time, Alora continues. “I wanted to go with them, but we needed someone to stay here and guard this side of the barrier and the final piece of the artifact. They needed two pieces to open a temporary hole in the barrier. The dhaceen must have taken the pieces from them, if they are able to continue opening holes. If they were to find the third piece, they could remove the entire veil between worlds.”

Liam squares his shoulders. “We won’t let that happen.”

…

We come up with a plan to train with Alora until the next quarter moon. We know at that time, the dhaceen will have to use the pieces of the artifact to open another portal. That is when we will need to strike. Then, when we possess all three pieces, we can seal the veil between our worlds. 

I thought I had known the full extent of my powers, simply close one eye to see what is on the other side of the veil, but Alora tells me that there is more. She says that my first sight of Vaarn, of the dhaceen, scared me into not exploring my full potential. She says if I want to see more, I can.

I do my best not to be afraid of what I might find if I extend my sight further into Vaarn. I know when the time comes, I will need to be the one to discover where the next dhaceen will enter our world, since the others cannot see past the veil. I practice deep breathing, and remind myself that what I see cannot cross over, at least not yet. It’s the fear of meeting these monsters in the future that hinders my powers.

Liam takes a break from trying to reveal Tamniirt’s true form to come to my side. I blow out a breath and smile at him.

“I can see a little further now, but I’m not making much progress,” I tell him. “Alora says I am too afraid of what I might see.” I look down at my feet.

Liam watches me for a moment, and then takes my hand. “You don’t have to be afraid,” he says. “I’m here with you.”

Without reading too much into it, I close one eye and squeeze Liam’s hand, my tether to this world. The feel of our fingers interlaced allows me to focus my sight on the other side of the barrier. I breathe and, for the first time, allow myself to truly see. 

The veil begins to clear, as if a gust of wind swept through the fog, pushing it further away. At first glance, it looks like our world, but brighter. The colors are more pronounced, like when the glinting sun alters the world at dusk. A horse gallops past before unveiling white wings of shifting colors, like turning a pearl in the sun. It rises effortlessly into the air, landing on a cloud and curling up to rest.

A large, brightly colored bird soars past. Its wings are blue at the center and shift to shades of orange at the tips, flickering like a flame. The beauty of these creatures makes me understand why the former Seer would be tempted to visit this place. 

The flaming bird abruptly changes the direction of its flight, and I look down to see a dhaceen prowling unnaturally through the grass. I tense up, and the mist closes over Vaarn once more. I open my eye and shake off the vision of another world. 

I turn to Liam. “I think I can do it. I can spy on the dhaceen and find out where they will enter our world.”

…

What do you think of “The Seer” so far? Let us know in the comments below! Check back next week for part 6! If you enjoy our short stories, feel free to buy us a coffee. We promise to share!

Thanks so much for reading!

-Clever & WTF