It was over.
When Arwen's claw ripped through his heart to break their seven-year bond, Sees knew the world had truly cast him away.
They had promised each other a year ago that they'd break their bond with the Meleth Flower when Arwen's true love, Reuben, returned. Sees had even scoured the world to find it as insurance. As promised. For them to break cleanly… safely…
But no.
Arwen just had to rip out his heart, where the bond mark resided, and stole away the Meleth Flower he'd so thoughtfully brought with him.
"Why?" he asked, with everything he had left.
"Reuben accidentally bonded with Nicola. This way, he can break safely from her."
Ah.
Of course.
Because of Reuben. It's always because of Reuben.
So that was why Arwen went out of her way to bring him to this beautiful forest, under the stars. How poetic. The very place they first met.
He laid there, alone now, waiting for his end. What else was there to do?
Meanwhile, Arwen had left, surely to find the very man in her heart, the real Prophet, Reuben Vaiva. A man who could see the future and was blessed by gods. The real Blessed Son of Heaven.
Why would they need Sees the fake Prophet now? His services were clearly no longer required.
Sees scoffed in his last moment. So, the way he predicted and deduced people's fate with his mind alone to help them was worth nothing in their eyes. All that cleverness, just to be outdone by a magical cheat code.
But perhaps his sharp mind couldn't compare to Reuben's supernatural foresight. Obviously.
Perhaps that bastard knew he had the Meleth Flower and deliberately bonded with Nicola and made Arwen do this for him.
To finish off the one and only thorn on his side. Sees.
Fair.
He was the loser, and Reuben was the winner.
This was simply how the world was. No need for a prophecy to see that.
Sees's eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Cold. Everything… Everything was cold.
It was time to just… rest.
And close his eye—
"Impressive."
Sees's eyes darted to the source of the voice.
It was hard to see, but there was a woman laying on her back in the shadows with one arm ripped away and one leg having its bone exposed. She was hidden in some kind of ditch under a tree, and he couldn't see her face that was covered in something dark.
"...who…?" Sees asked.
"Forgot about me?" The woman asked, then scoffed weakly.
"...were you… already here… the whole… time…?" He rasped.
"Yep," the woman said, her voice low and heavy. "Saw everything. Tragic."
Sees coughed into a weak, pathetic laugh. "...seriously… who are you…?"
"Still having so much energy for questions, Prophet?" She asked again. "Well, this is the first time I see a human able to control his own blood to keep circulating without a heart with sheer will and telekinetic power alone. No. Not even a beast can do that."
"Fine… don't answer… my question… But shut… up…" he coughed. "Let me… die… in peace."
Silence.
…
…
…
"Fine, what do you want?!" Sees snapped.
"BWAHAHAHHAH—COUGH—COUGH—COUGH!" The woman burst out laughing and suddenly vomited blood.
The two of them were dying, huh?
"It's fate, Prophet Cecilius," she said with a broken voice. "Seventeen years ago… we once met."
"For God's sake, I was eight. How would I remember you?" Sees's patience waning, which was impressive given he had minutes to live. "Spit it ou—"
"You said you'd be the one killing me one day," the woman's voice suddenly turned gentle, the tone softening into something that belonged by a fireside, not here in the dirt. "I got halfway to your place, thinking I'd have to die like this. Who knows… you'd be killed around here too."
A weak, bloody chuckle escaped her, barely a breath.
"Fate, right?"
Seventeen years ago… ah.
The day he was crowned the Prophet.
The Dragon Empress, Oathria, went to find him and sai—"I don't want to transition into flashback right now. I'm dying," Sees deadpannedly said. Some narrative conventions are just too much to bear.
"BWAHHAHAWHSHSHAHWAHHWA—COUGH—COUGH!"
Oathria the Dragon Empress had to lay back to look at the stars to hold herself from cough-laughing.
"Hey. The sky looks nice," Oathria suddenly said.
"Yep," Sees managed.
Silence.
…
…
…
"Oathria, are you dead?"
"Not yet."
…
…
…
"Dying kinda cringe."
"You think?"
…
…
…
"I'm hungry."
"Me too."
…
…
…
"Let's treat ourselves to bone broth soup in the next life, alright?"
"Cool."
A smile dragged itself to existence on Sees's lips. Tears he didn't know he had left streamed down his temples, tracing paths through the grime and despair.
"Hey, Prophet, can I scoot over and hold your hand?"
"Sure."
Painstakingly, Oathria dragged herself closer. She settled beside him, a ruined queen facing the uncaring stars, and grasped his limp, cold hand. Closer now, Sees could see the blood caking her entire face. The dark thing covering her earlier was dried blood, dirt and moss, shrouding the smell of death.
"Good job getting halfway to get killed in my hand, Your Majesty," he whispered, the old prophecy feeling like a cruel joke now.
"Concentrate. You can do it. With your skill, without a heart—"
"No," Sees shook his head, the movement costing him dearly. He smiled. "Humans store our magic from the bond in our hearts. I'm forcefully using the residue of mana in my entire body to maintain this."
It was a miracle that was running out, drop by drop.
The woman looked at him, her eyes dimming. One of her horns was broken, and a part of her jaw was mauled, a grotesque window showing the inside of her mouth and teeth through the hole in her cheek.
She saw the end was near for him, and she felt her own approaching. Then, Sees saw it. A warm smile in her eyes.
"What kind of bone broth soup do you like?" she tenderly asked.
Sees's glassy eyes met hers. "Cow's…"
"Hm," she nodded, the hand grasping his gently rubbing the inside of his palm. "Is that the only thing you want to eat, my dear Prophet?"
"No…"
"What else—cough! COUGH—" Oathria's body wracked itself, and she vomited more dark blood.
Sees shook his head weakly. "I want… to eat… what you… want to eat…"
"An orc meat is nice," Oathria shrugged.
"With all due respect… Gross."
The two laughed raspily.
A black cloud slowly covered the sky, and the night became darker than ever. Perhaps the heavens themselves could not bear to witness this.
"If you keep me talking, I might actually die in your hand."
"While holding my hand?"
"Yeah."
The two faced the black sky once more.
Unfair.
He felt his eyes grow heavier than ever. This was truly the end. His existence would cease to exist.
"It's nice… to die like this… with you… Prophet Cecilius Araceli."
DING!
[Capturable Love Interest detected! Would you like to roll for Five Star Love Interest, Oathria Alicei? You have 10 free rolls!]
[Yes/No]
"Hey… Your Majesty…" Sees complained. "Don't joke around like this…" But when he turned his head, a movement that took all his will, he saw the woman had closed her eyes peacefully. Too peacefully.
"Oathria…?"
[Warning! Five Stars Love Interest Exclusive Banner is about to expire! Roll?]
[Yes/No]
Sees looked at the floating, shimmering words hovering just beyond the darkening veil of his vision. He blinked incredulously. Was this the final delirium? A last cruel trick of the mind?
[Warning! Five Stars Love Interest Exclusive Banner is about to expire! Roll?]
[Yes/No]
The words pulsed with an urgent light.
"Can you save her…" he breathed. "Whoever you are…?"
[Warning! Five Stars Love Interest Exclusive Banner is about to expire! Roll?]
[Yes/No]
Sees turned his fading gaze back to the woman beside him. To the broken Dragon Empress who had offered him a hand in the dark. This couldn't be how her story ended. Not like this.
"Whoever you are… god, devil, anything…" his vision tunnelled, the world dissolving into a single, desperate point of light. "Yes. Save her…"
His consciousness started to fray at the edges, unraveling into nothing.
[Rolling!]
DING!
[Four stars miracle elixir!]
DING!
[Three stars frost steel spear!]
DING!
[Three stars magic stone!]
DING!
[Three stars magic stone!]
DING!
[Three stars frost steel spear!]
DING!
[Three stars magic stone!]
DING!
[Three stars magic stone!]
DING!
[Three stars frost steel staff!]
DI-DI-DING!
[Five stars Oathria Alicei!]
DING!
[Four stars miracle elixir!]
[Warning! Your captured Love Interest's HP is about to deplete. Your HP is about to deplete. Would you like to use two miracle elixirs to—]
[Automati—]
[Proce—]
[Warn—]
[—ing]