Ivy was quietly pondering at her desk in the depths of the night, idly waiting patiently as her back lazily sunk into the cushion of her chair.
A solemn sigh left her lips, as her vision drifted towards the wooden ceiling.
Memories came flooding into her mind as she watched the certain future of the very wood above her replay over and over again inside of her head.
The terrible curse that was actively eating away her mind... Continued to play its part, no matter what she looked at.
She could even see her own future if she were to look in the mirror.
Which is why she was brought to such a confusing conclusion.
Her future had been certain in the ruins of Rider's kingdom...
And yet... The odds of being rescued by someone outside of the chains of fate...
Someone unbound by the laws of nature...
When she looked at Chase of House Phoenix with her destined gaze... She could only see fear...
Although his true powers were no doubt sealed by some sort of powerful entity... She had seen him defile Rider's very existence with her own eyes. Overpowering a force such as corruption with his own flames...
The image of his green flames continued to gnaw at the edge of her mind, continuously posing as more and more unanswerable questions...
She set her cold palm atop her forehead, silently wondering what a future ruled by such a force could bring forth.
Such a powerful force that it could render her twelve star output completely useless...
It was true...
Ivy had already reached twelve star output-meaning that she essentially had the power of a Paladin at her fingertips.
And yet Chase's unidentifiable power could instantly shut her immense power down just by simply existing outside of her divine range.
'I just cannot understand the logic behind it...' She thought, biting her lip as her vision locked onto the large window of her office...
The newest constellation was staring down at her through the glass panes...
She stood up, taking several steps forward as she neared the great window.
Reaching out, she rested a single finger against the glass, looking up with awe at what Zephyr had called The Constellation of Blaze...
Then it struck her...
A terrible migraine.
The aches in her brain started to tremble within her very skull, as her heart began to race violently.
Sweat build up on every inch of her skin, and her eyes began to glow a faint green...
"Damnit! What- What now!?" She cursed, feeling her knees buckle below her. She tried to grab hold of a nearby wooden shelf, but missed terribly.
Once her body hit the ground with a thud, she pressed her pained forehead into the wooden floorboards as hard as she could, denying whatever future was trying to present itself.
Several questions gave themselves away from that very moment, such as how a constellation had given her a possible future...
Her eyes snapped close instinctually, but unlike previous visions... That method of denying her power had simply been overpowered, automatically forcing her eyelids open.
Then the next thing she knew... She was standing in a large cavern, deep under the earth's surface.
Fear began to eat away at her heart and mind, bypassing any logical response her brain could use as natural argument.
A terrible crimson mist rose and fell within the massive space; however, she could make out a figure beyond the mist.
A giant humanoid being...
With crimson eyes and horns that wore the look of antlers...
"Chase?" She asked, but received only silence.
Then time began to distort and she found herself looking at a horrific scene...
A terrible and awful fate had presented itself from the unknown.
Chase's weakened body was grasped by the throat by an awful monster bearing nothing but an awful rage.
"I- I'll kill you..." Chase growled, burning the monster's eyes with his own gaze.
"A pathetic last attempt at salvation?" The monster chuckled, with a deep and monstrous voice.
Then...
She watched in horror as the beast pulverized Chase's throat with the raw power of the strength in his singular giant hand.
A bloody mist splattered across her vision, as her heart simply stopped.
When the vision ended, Zephyr had rested a hand upon her shoulder.
She was panting raggedly, fixated on the floorboard, trembling as she pointed at the silk veil resting upon her desk.
Zephyr sighed.
"Don't worry... I will send reinforcements... I have no plans on allowing his death..."
Ivy swallowed back a sob, and turned her vision towards the elder man, seeing through his human form.
A mighty dragon was consoling her as if she were his own child, and yet she could not ignore the terrible stench of death from the monster.
"No..." Her voice cracked.
"What is it?" He asked, raising his grey eyebrow.
"That monster... There is nothing in this world that I've foreseen that could kill it..."
A terrible grin crept its way onto the man's usually angry face.
"That monster? I am assuming you mean the Troll that lives at the bottom of Olympia? Well if we are using that logic, no one had foreseen that Chase would have killed Rider? And yet he prevailed. Why do you think I told Chase to search for the ruins?"
She shook her head, unbeknown of the reason for Unity's new quest.
Zephyr focused his own gaze outside of the window, softly watching as the constellation of Blaze lowering beyond the horizon.
"Rakshaa wields two weapons... And Chase is very very close to breaking the second seal within his ruins... Although Chase and his friends have no way of killing Rakshaa... I have no doubt that they will escape with their lives as well as a mighty weapon capable of unleashing some of Chase's hidden combat potential... But there are worse challenges that await Chase within the trials of Olympia..."
Ivy tilted her head in confusion, eyes locked onto the distant horizon as she thought about his words.
"You mean?"
Zephyr grinned.
"The trials that await Unity within those ruins... Are something that they NEED to overcome in order to face what the future holds... After all, how can a group of powerful figures call themselves Unity if they are not truly united under one cause? How can a group of people destined to save the world... If they themselves do not want to save each other?"
Zephyr then left the room without saying another word, leaving Ivy only to her worrisome thoughts...