"How amusing. You are not the first person I've heard that from. Your friend also said something similar. But, you should keep one thing in mind. Whether or not I remind you of someone is none of my concern. However, be aware… In this world—only I alone am worthy of being me." Izroth declared with a natural air of confidence.
"I see… Indeed, to compare you to someone else was quite insensitive of me." Helilatiaa said as she placed the flower in her palm onto the table as its petals scattered with a gentle gust of wind.
After a brief pause, she continued, "I sense that you are wary of me, Izroth. Have I done something to betray your trust? Or, perhaps, it has to do with the warning you received from that little one, Tal'Nis."
Izroth maintained an indifferent expression; however, he inwardly frowned.
'She knows? No, I suppose it's not too surprising given her title.'
Tal'Nis' warning was part of the reason why Izroth was somewhat cautious of Helilatiaa. But, what truly bothered Izroth was that he knew exactly what kind of person Helilatiaa was after their brief exchange.
She was someone who could peer into the past, present, and future. Not to mention, since she appeared before Izroth as a Guardian of the Equinox, even if it was a distant memory of her past, it was obviously one she cherished dearly.
Based on everything up until this point, Izroth came to a conclusion regarding the all-seeing goddess.
Helilatiaa was neither good nor evil at heart. She was what one would call a "Balance Keeper". Light and darkness, good and evil, life and death—each could not exist without the other. However, the "perfect balance" that most Balance Keepers sought to obtain was an impossibility.
The only way to achieve a state of perfect balance was to control or destroy chaos itself!
To a Balance Keeper like Helilatiaa, Izroth was an anomaly—something Balance Keepers were not fond of. It's why Helilatiaa's first thought was to erase Izroth when she could not fully see the path he would take. But, for some reason, Helilatiaa decided to forsake the conventional methods of a Balance Keeper.
Not only did Helilatiaa not interfere with him, but she also allowed Tererestiaa, one of her followers, to grant Izroth her blessing. It may have not been a blessing on the same level as Mazi's or Tal'Nis; however, if not for the additional point of luck he received early on, Izroth could only imagine the number of opportunities that he would have potentially missed out on!
Still, a Balance Keeper that was willing to leave an anomaly untouched—Izroth was curious as to what made Helilatiaa change her mind.
"Do not be alarmed. Who do you think gave Tal'Nis that message to deliver?" Helilatiaa said with a light smile.
She then continued, "Naturally, I have my own reasons. As of now, there are still certain things that I can not tell you. If I did, I fear the future that I once glimpsed upon may vanish without a trace. I will not ask you to join my cause; however, there is something I wish to show you."
Helilatiaa reached her hand towards Izroth, but she stopped halfway.
"May I?"
Izroth gave a slight nod in response. It would be a lie to say that he was not interested in what someone like Helilatiaa had to show him.
Helilatiaa proceeded to reach out as she gently touched the center of Izroth's forehead with her index finger.
The next moment, Izroth felt as if he were floating in mid-air. Then, the world around him changed.
RAAAAWR!
Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar entered Izroth's ears as the world around him was dyed in a red hue.
Izroth furrowed his brows as he observed his surroundings as he saw a city in ruins. And, despite its ruined state, it was a city Izroth recognized immediately.
'This is… The capital city of Amaharpe. But, what is this scene?'
There was not a single building left standing in the wake of the destruction. Even the grand palace had been razed to the ground!
But, what stood out more than anything were the numerous creatures roaming the streets with their dark red skin and piercing crimson eyes—it was the Shadahi!
However, they all walked right past Izroth as though he did not exist. And, when Izroth reached out to touch one of the passing Shadahi, his hand went right through the creature.
At first, Izroth believed that this was the scene that unfolded during the Mortal Realm's previous clash with the Shadahi. But, based on what Izroth's knew, the current capital city of Amaharpe was not built until after that war!
'An illusion… No, is it something she foresaw?'
"Are you telling me this is Amaharpe's future—the Mortal Realm's future?" Izroth questioned.
However, there was no response from Helilatiaa.
'What is it that you want me to see?'
Izroth took a few steps and planned to follow after the Shadahi, but as he did so, Izroth abruptly jumped to a new area of the capital city. This time, he appeared at the back of the ruined grand palace.
This was a place Izroth never visited during his trips to the palace, but he knew of its existence because it was one of the areas that were deemed off-limits.
'The resting place of Amaharpe's heroes, the Eternal Dream Cemetery. There are fewer graves here than I imagined.'
The cemetery itself was massive compared to the number of tombstones. Though this was not unexpected as being buried in the Eternal Dream Cemetery was reserved as the highest of honors.
Eight tombstones were lined up in an orderly fashion in close proximity to one another as Izroth walked over.
But, as he went to read the names written on the tombstones, Izroth noticed that most of them were smoothed over. It was as though someone intentionally damaged the area where the names should have been located.
Nevertheless, there were three tombstones with names that were still readable.
[Terminus Dawn]
[Gerald Whitelight]
Izroth narrowed his eyes when he saw the names written on the tombstone.
Terminus Dawn, one of the seven heroes who once fought against the eternal darkness of the shadahi. And… Gerald Whitelight, another one of the seven heroes. Though he went by another name—Gear.
The fact that Terminus and Gear were buried here, meant that they both would die sometime before the city's destruction!
As he observed the tombstones, Izroth's gaze landed on the third. However, seeing the name engraved on the tombstone caused him to inwardly frown.
Terminus and Gear being buried in the Eternal Dream Cemetry made sense given their contribution to Amaharpe and the Mortal Realm in general over the years. But, this last name was one that should not have been anywhere near the Eternal Dream Cemetry!
[Aeacus Jestal]
What was a member of Proximus' Jestal family doing buried in a resting place for Amaharpe's heroes?!
However, before Izroth had time to fully process things, he shifted locations once again.
To Proximus, Tempest, O'Tohelm, Pzenium, Rosentarus—no matter where Izroth was transported, there was only destruction and death with little to no signs of life.
After moving for what seemed to be a neverending number of times, Izroth found himself at the heart of the Demilitarization Belt. Though it was nothing like the Demilitarization Belt he remembered.
In fact, it resembled the environment of the Shadahi Realm more than anything!
Surprisingly, there was not a single shadahi in sight. But, there were humans, trephasias, and zensanas living in the harsh conditions. Most of which looked to be approaching the gates of death.
After that, Izroth was placed into total darkness. From that darkness came an indescribable chill that made the air around him feel like ice.
The next moment, a pair of giant crimson eyes opened in the darkness above Izroth as an overwhelming amount of pressure descended upon him. It was like staring into the eyes of the end.
…
Izroth's eyes shot open as Helilatiaa removed her finger from his forehead.
"What you have just witnessed is something you should keep to yourself, Izroth. If you were to disclose the contents of what you have witnessed to another, the situation would become somewhat erratic." Helilatiaa stated calmly.
"You expect me to keep what I saw a secret? It involves the end of the Mortal Realm as we know it. I made a deal and I intend to keep my word." Izroth replied.
"That may be. But, it will only do you more harm than good. As I've said before, you are an anomaly—a part of the equation that should not exist. That is why I made an exception." Helilatiaa said as she stood to her feet.
She then continued, "The Mortal Realm will not be the only place that suffers. However, if you truly do wish to protect it, you will heed my words carefully. Eventually, you will have a choice to make. And, depending on that choice… The future you saw shall unfold without fail.. As for the answer, it is something no one else in this world or the next knows—except you, Izroth."
