Entering the colorful and familiar home of Miyara the seer, the atmosphere was much lighter than Mana and Cobal had anticipated. Visiting someone who was on their deathbed wasn’t an easy task in the best of conditions, but knowing that the person in question had a reason to call them over in their final moments made things even scarier. Still, they couldn’t afford to just wait and collect themselves, and so they were pleasantly surprised when the energy they brought didn’t match with the energy in the room. Many different people were in the tavern itself, with Miyara’s two grandchildren rushing about between patrons. Miyara was laying down on a bed that was set up in the corner of the room, looking on at the festivities. When she noticed Cobal and Mana enter, she smiled and beckoned them to come over.
“I am so happy you two found the time to come visit an old woman like me.”
“Of course, you’ve been a great help to us,” Cobal said.
“You’re such a different young man than the first time we met. I’m very pleased to see your growth.”
“Well, I’ve learned some truths about the world since we last spoke.”
“Not everyone can take those truths as well as you have done, and that’s to be commended.” Her voice was soft, softer than the last time they spoke and it was hard for Cobal and Mana to hear her over the sound of people enjoying themselves throughout the room.
“We heard you asked for me,” Cobal said.
“Yes, I’ll get to that, let me just ramble for a bit first.” She turned her attention to Mana. “It’s good to see you again, I hope you’ve been successful in your endeavors so far.”
Mana smiled. “Depends on what you call successful, but I’ve met Dionil, spoken to Abu and have heard the final name you told us as well.”
“Good.” Miyara’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think I made sure to tell you this last time, but the Lady of Knowledge never told me if these people will be allies, only that you should meet them.”
Mana nodded. “That makes sense. At least Dionil has become a good friend.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” She turned her attention back to Cobal. “As for why I called you here, it seems like my lady brought me one last vision before it’s time to go.”
“You’re still young.”
Miyara cackled. “I’m beyond old, child, I can feel it in my bones. I’m tired and it’s not good to keep the afterlife waiting.”
“What do you think happens when we die?”
She shrugged. “I can’t see that far ahead, but I hope it’s comfortable.”
“I’m sure it will be.” Cobal said.
“My lady visited me a few days ago, in my dreams. She told me of your family’s plight and that you should be the one to continue what your forefather started.”
“What does that mean?” Cobal asked.
“I don’t know, but the best I understood was that it is something to do with why your family came to this continent in the first place.”
Cobal looked at Mana. “I guess that adds another reason to return to the capital.”
Mana sighed. “Not looking forward to it.”
Miyara slowly looked from one to the other. “Does the past still haunt you?” She asked.
Mana shook her head. “No, we’ve fortunately moved past that. What haunts us now is the present.”
“As it does for so many. I empathize, but I am too tired to be of any help.”
“You’ve already done so much for us,” Mana pulled the amulet from her pocket that Miyara had given her when they first visited. “I can’t say I’ve made use of it, but I’ve always been happy to have a gift to remember you by me at all times.”
Miyara smiled. “That’s good. Not everything in life needs to be useful, sometimes it just needs to be. And there’s a very good chance it’s done more than you think.” Her eyes narrowed. “I appreciate you taking the time to visit me, but I must nap now.”
“Of course, rest up well, it seems like there are many people here that still want to talk to you.”
“I’ll keep the nap short.”
Cobal and Mana sat down at one of the empty tables, ordering some tea from Melissa. “What do you think she meant?” Mana asked.
Cobal shrugged. “I always thought we came here to create a new kingdom and claim the land for our own. But somehow I don’t believe Owlana would tell me to continue conquering the nearby lands.”
“It doesn’t seem like her thing, no. Although you are annexing the peninsula through marriage soon, so maybe you are becoming a tyrannical colonizer.”
“Spare me your jokes, I’m still trying to get used to the idea.” Cobal paused. “I have a question if that’s alright.”
“Sure.”
“When we first met and traveled here, you knew to visit Miyara. How did you know, I don’t think you ever told me?”
Mana fell silent for a while. “I don’t really know all that well. I heard a voice telling me to find the seer of Arana. I don’t know where the voice came from. I’ve honestly assumed the voice came from Owlana, but I have no evidence of that, it’s purely the most logical thing I can think of.”
“Strange, if it were Owlana’s voice, why would she not simply deliver the message that she delivered to Miyara to you instead?”
Mana shrugged. “Miyara said it was my first test to find her, so maybe it has something to do with that. Maybe the voice was something else. It could also be as simple as not wanting to overwhelm me immediately. Telling me to find a single person in a known location is a lot easier than telling me to find three people that I would have no idea where to start searching for.”
That made sense to Cobal. Although most people here considered Arana to be long lost, the fact that Mana was told to visit someone there made her convinced it existed and she ended up being correct, of course. “It does feel like we’re being messed with by someone who isn’t telling us their honest intentions.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Owlana told us to visit Miyara, then visit Dionil after and although we didn’t search out Abu, we are likely to cross paths. What is the end goal? Just to make you a powerful hero? Is the journey the real reward, what are we doing?”
Mana thought about this for a little while before replying. “I don’t know. I definitely feel like there are things being kept from us. But right now, I have no real reason to not do what is being suggested to us. For starters, the only thing that Owlana has really asked of us is to meet three different people. Meeting Dionil helped me come to terms with this world and it changed you for the better, so I choose to believe in this prophecy for now. It’s also a good excuse to look into your family’s past. As for Abu, I think meeting another person from my world was always going to be inevitable. Just the curiosity alone would likely pull me in that direction eventually. So I don’t know what to think, but as long as I have no good reason to stop following this path.”
“That’s fair. So we go home, then we go find Mirgia and have a chat with this Abu person to see what he’s up to?”
“Sounds like a plan. If you have the time to squeeze that all in before the wedding.”
“Could you stop reminding me every five minutes.”
“Really though, what do you think? I’m joking about it, but it’s a pretty serious decision that you had to make.”
Cobal let the sound of the room wash over him as he connected his thoughts. “Diana’s great. She’s dedicated, she’s kind and she’s not afraid to stand up for herself and her people.”
“Great body too,” Mana added.
Cobal looked shocked at the comment and Mana burst out in laughter. “Too much?”
“Didn’t expect you to be the type to make those comments.”
“Am I wrong though?”
“Didn’t you tell me it was wrong to objectify people like that?”
“Did I? Well it’s alright if it’s all in good fun.”
“So you make the rules now?”
“Correct, and don’t you forget it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Miyara’s funeral was a simple one. Cobal was curious about Arana’s funeral traditions, but they weren’t that different from their own. Bodies were often burned or buried, depending on where you came from and who you left behind. Miyara’s grave was dug into an underground bed of sand on the outskirts of Arana. Apparently they had excavated a very deep cavern when the village was first founded and then started burying their dead there. The cavern was about three quarters full and Cobal heard some people talking about how they would need to find a new solution in the future, but probably not during their lifetime. Arana was a rather small community after all. Besides the underwater part, the rest of the ceremony was mostly the same as for the people above ground which made sense as they were once the same people. Mana was asked to speak a few words and did so despite her immediate anxiety for the public speech.
“I didn’t know Miyara well. As a matter of fact, we only spoke on two occasions, but I could tell from those interactions that she was a kind soul. She welcomed me home where she had no obligation to do so. She served me tea with a smile and gave me this amulet to hold. I’ve treasured it ever since. As most of you here know, I am originally from another world. I was summoned here to be a hero, which is something I still don’t quite think I’m suited for. But Miyara was the first person here to give me direction and help me find my way. For that I will be forever grateful. May she rest in peace and may Owlana forever remember her.” She smiled and put down a piece of Coral on top of the sand, which was tradition.
After Mana’s speech, a few other people spoke, including Miyara’s grandchildren. A lot of people were present at the funeral, including Kiiran and Vandra. It seemed like many people really loved Miyara and wanted to pay their respects. Cobal felt a little bit awkward at times, but he was glad he could be in attendance.
After the funeral ended, everyone made their way back to the Seer’s Ballad – the establishment that Miyara’s grandchildren ran – to eat, drink and remember. Towards the end of the afternoon, Kiiran tapped Cobal on his shoulder. “I wish to speak with you in private a moment before you leave.”
“What’s wrong?” Cobal asked. “I can see on your face that this isn’t something pleasant.”
Kiiran smiled. “Perceptive young man.”
“I’ve spent enough hours at court to pick up a few things here and there, unfortunately.”
“Well, let me not beat around the bush then. We were made aware of a disturbing fact recently.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Although we are a secluded people, I have a couple of friends above the water that know quite a few things about the world, and one of them sent me this letter.” He handed Cobal a scroll which Cobal read through quickly.
“This is very troubling news indeed, are you sure it’s real?”
Kiiran nodded. “At the very least I believe that our source wouldn’t fabricate it, so if it is fake, it was planted somehow.”
“Can I take this with me?” Cobal asked.
Kiiran hesitated. “How will you explain getting your hands on it?”
“That’s a good question. Perhaps I’ll just tell my father about it. Besides, all it proves is that someone in our nobility is working with Sapher and the cultists, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.”
“Do you have any idea where he is?”
Cobal shook his head. “No word of him after we parted ways in Marsolin. He could be anywhere in the world right now.” He paused. “Although this letter makes me believe he might be near Blueyerd. I will inform my father, thank you for sharing this with me.”
“Of course, although we’re not particularly close, you’ve done right by my people and that is valuable to me. Know that you’ll have friends here as long as you continue to honor this friendship.”
Cobal smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Opal Kaharis 