When Lucian went inside the Oracle, it was completely vacant. The pedestal was gone, along with the Orb it had held. He blinked in surprise. Whatever happened, it must have been a vision. Unless the pedestal had somehow retracted into the floor below. Lucian went to where the pedestal once stood, but there was nothing he could see. The smooth surface was as unbroken as any other part of the structure.

  He couldn’t help but be disappointed. He’d had his chance to take the Orb, and he’d ruined it. Now, it would never be his.

  He hurried outside the columns, finding Plato and Linus waiting for him at the bottom. He was glad to be out of that place.

  “Nothing?” Linus asked.

  Lucian shook his head. “Empty.”

  Plato nodded. “That’s what we expected. It was a vision.”

  “I don’t see how this is possible,” Lucian said.

  “It’s magic, boy,” Linus said. “Sometimes, it can’t be explained. We should go. We’ll figure out what to do with your vision when we get back to the cave entrance. I need some time to stew on it.”

  “And by stew, you mean eat, right?” Plato asked. “I’m hungry.”

  The three set off back in the direction of the cavern’s entrance. Before the tunnel hid the Oracle from view, Lucian turned back to look. It was no longer glowing, and its state seemed far more dilapidated than before. Most of the columns still stood, but they had lost their luster. Pockmarks riddled the entire structure as if corroded by acid. The steps were broken, and piles of rubble were strewn about. The roof held several large holes. Had it always looked like that, the glow obscuring the imperfections beneath?

  Lucian no longer knew what to think.

  “Has it always looked that way?” Lucian asked.

  His two companions stopped and looked back.

  “What do you mean?” Plato asked. “It’s been that way for as long as we’ve seen it. And it’s likely been like that for tens of thousands of years.”

  They both looked at him, but Lucian could only stare incredulously. Had his very perception of the Oracle, with all its glory, been a vision as well?

  Lucian wanted nothing more than to be away from this infernal place. Something wasn’t right about it.

  “Let’s move on,” he said.

  They left the Oracle behind, and with every step, Lucian felt lighter.

  A snowstorm was blowing by the time they reached the cave entrance. Plato built up a fire, and the three crowded around it.

  With luck, they might make it to the home cave in time for dinner tomorrow.

  They heated a stew and ate around the fire. It was cold out here, but the last thing Lucian wanted was to seek shelter deeper in the cave. That would only bring him closer to the Oracle and his vision of the Orb.

  Linus threw on more fuel to better warm them as they settled down to sleep.

  But Lucian found sleep impossible. It wasn’t only the cold. He couldn’t get the Oracle out of his mind. Nor could he stop thinking about the Orb.

  He could still go back. He could still try to figure it out. Now that the idea had taken root, he couldn’t get it out of his mind. The passage down would take three hours. Two, if he ran most of it. If he waited too long, the opportunity would pass forever. Two hours there, two back, and an hour to investigate.

  It was madness. Was he already fraying to consider such a thing?

  But he was already standing. He watched the two older men, both fast asleep by the light of the fire. Odds were they would notice he was gone. But he couldn’t stop now. He had to see if the Oracle had reverted to its former glory, or if it had only been his imagination.

  Before he could doubt himself, Lucian lit a spare torch and began his long descent into the darkness.

  About fifteen minutes in, he paused and decided to go back. What if his torch went out in the tunnel and he became lost down here? What would happen if Linus and Plato discovered him gone? Despite these questions, he found himself running. He had to know, or he would be wondering “what if” for the rest of his life.

  There was something about that Oracle. It was connected to everything. He didn’t know, but he had to get down there to find out. If the Orb had anything to do with Arian’s vision, he had to find it again.

  So, he continued to run. At least an hour passed, and then two. He was grateful for all the physical training he’d gotten over the last few months. Without that, he would have collapsed an hour ago. He was getting close.

  At last, he came to the final bend. He could see the blue light emanating from the crystal cavern ahead. His heart thundered in his chest. In moments, he would be confirming the truth. He sprinted until he was out of the tunnel. Upon entering the cavern, he smiled.

  It was as it had been. The radiant Oracle shone in its full splendor, its marble columns and steps glowing while its cerulean-domed roof shone with sapphire beauty.

  Lucian didn’t understand how it was doing this or why. There was only one way to solve the puzzle.

  The Orb was in there. It was waiting.

  Lucian hurried down the trail, and within minutes, was standing before the steps. This time, though, he didn’t feel alone. Someone, or something, was watching him. Despite his fear, he climbed the steps. He tried to ignore the feeling that he might be a bug crawling into a flytrap.

  Once again, he stood within the hallowed space. The radiance was again blinding, emanating from the central pedestal.

  The Orb awaited.

  He had a vision of Plato and Linus heading down the tunnel, having discovered his absence. He didn’t know whether it was real, but it was enough impetus for him to step forward into the light. He was only a meter from the beautiful blue artifact. If he could reach out and grab it, it was just small enough to fit in one hand. But when he did reach, the Orb repulsed him once again.

  This time, however, he meant to have it. Compulsion drove him. It was necessary.

  For the first time since entering the cave, Lucian reached for his Focus. He felt his magic waiting beyond. There was a block. But there were weaknesses, cracks in the dam he could exploit if he truly wished.

  The Orb would show him the way. He knew it.

  Why was he doing this? Assuming he attained it, what would he do with it? For all he knew, the Orb burned hotter than a neutron star and would obliterate him as soon as the field dissipated. Maybe the Builders had placed it here because it was too dangerous. Perhaps it was a religious relic, and the building was a shrine. Whatever the case, it seemed to Lucian they meant to hide it. Why else would it be so deep underground on such a remote island? Then again, at the time Ancients had built the shrine, it might have been above ground, visible for all to see.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” came a musical female voice.

  Lucian almost jumped out of his skin as he pivoted. And there stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She shone with blue brilliance, her appearance like a goddess from myth, so perfectly formed as to be eerie. Her wavy, raven-black hair fell past her shoulders, while her creamy skin was free of wrinkles and disfigurement. Her face was the glory of youth, but at the same time, it had a strange, ageless quality. When her steely blue eyes gazed at Lucian, they seemed to see far more than the surface. Those eyes saw into his very soul and knew that he wanted her treasure. He stood paralyzed, unable to speak.

  She looked familiar, but Lucian did not understand why.

  “Who are you?” Lucian asked, his voice coming out cracked. It was a struggle to even meet her eyes. He was unworthy of them.

  “Who am I?” she asked, smiling. “I’m the one who called you here. I’m the Oracle of this shrine. You can think of me as a spirit. A manifestation of the Manifold.”

  “A goddess?”

  “If you please.”

  Lucian found another question on his lips, but at that point, she moved past him. Her hair brushed his arm, and in her wake, she left a sweet fragrance of apple blossoms and cinnamon. He lost his train of thought then and took a couple of steps back to gain some distance, and hopefully, his mental clarity. Her eyes met his again before her attention returned to the Orb. Its bright blue light reflected in her eyes, like sapphires in sunlight.

  “What is it, then?” Lucian asked, doing his best to keep his eyes off her and on the Orb. “What is this place?”

  She placed her hand upon the Orb. For her, there was no barrier. As she touched it, her entire body emitted radiance. When she removed her hand from the Orb, the radiance receded.

  “Do not be alarmed, but I can see into your mind,” she said. “I know your thoughts, your desires, your fears, your memories. And I will use that information to tell you a story that can make sense to you, in a language you can understand.”

  Lucian found he didn’t have a response. What could he say to such a thing?

  The Oracle continued. “Long, long ago, the ones you call the Builders, or perhaps the Ancients, had an empire encompassing a thousand suns. They called it Starsea. Like your kind, they discovered the Manifold and learned to use it. They used the Gates to settle the Worlds. They used magic for various arts—star sailing, construction, and the craft of war.” Her face twisted. Even that expression was beautiful. “But after a time, the Madness visited them. As more awakened to the Manifold, more were taken by the Madness—and they destroyed each other. Their temples, their mansions, and their towers became dust. And their thralls rebelled.” She smiled grimly and looked at Lucian. “Some like you were among the thralls. But that was long ago, and your kind looks different now. Starsea fell, a shadow now consuming itself. The broken empire could not be reforged. The Time of Legends passed into the Time of Madness. And the Time of Madness, into the Time of Darkness. Each generation, smaller than the last, grew ever sicker, ever more devolved, ever more depraved, ever more ignorant. Until one day, centuries after the Desolation, none of us remained.”

  Us? So, she was one of them. And what was the connection between this Starsea and the Starsea he knew, the short-lived insurrection led by Xara Mallis?

  The Oracle paused to allow Lucian to absorb this information. What did any of it mean? Despite the thousand questions he had, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. To interrupt her was a travesty too great for words.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Their fall was as great as their power,” she went on. “They did things with magic that humanity could never imagine. But like humanity, the Builders could not free themselves from baser instincts. And magic only served to magnify everything ugly about them. The galaxy became a dark place, even at the height of the Time of Legends. Power begets power; conquest begets conquest. The Lords of Starsea were locked in a bitter war with one another, only subservient to the Immortal Emperor. But at last, they had reached their limit.”

  She paused, seemingly to give Lucian a chance to ask questions. He finally found his tongue, his former paralysis melting away. “What do you mean, they reached their limit?”

  Her eyes became distant, even sad. “The Alkasen came. Despite the Ancients’ power, no amount of magic could compete with that dread menace. The Manifold . . . turned against Starsea. The Pristine Worlds were sieged and ran with blood. The Temples of Nai Shairen, which had never felt the pain of war, crumbled into ruin. Hundreds of worlds fell to their onslaught. Starsea disintegrated before the Alkasen hordes.”

  Lucian didn’t understand a word of what she was talking about, though he sensed the sadness of her words and almost mourned with her for those bygone days.

  “You were one of them,” he said. “Right?”

  She gave a slow nod. “And I am now bound to this place.”

  “Why?”

  She nodded at the Orb. “I’m to guard that. Until I find one who is worthy to bear it.”

  Lucian realized that she was the key to gaining the Orb. He had so many questions, but all he could think to ask was one.

  “What is it?” Lucian asked. “Is it one of the Seven Aspects of Magic?”

  She smiled as if that were funny. “I feared a time might come when knowledge of them would pass out of all memory. It seems you know something about them.”

  “There was a man,” Lucian said. “Arian. He delved the Manifold, and had a prophecy about Orbs and Aspects . . .”

  She nodded, as if already privy to that knowledge. Lucian wasn’t sure how that could be, but she seemed to be a being of incredible power and knowledge.

  “Do you not feel the desire to hold it, Lucian?”

  She knew his name, but he did not find that fact surprising. After all, she said she could see into his thoughts and memories. He looked at the Orb again. “I do. But I’ve committed to not using magic. And I will have to stream if I take that Orb.”

  The Oracle watched him. It was hard to read those beautiful eyes. “This is an artifact of great power. One of seven in Starsea of its kind.” She looked at it, with a strange mixture of pain and longing. “It was the dream of many to hold all seven. For a time, the Immortal Emperor did—he who ruled Starsea. But even in his great power, he was brought low by the peoples he subdued, despite the power of the Orbs. Upon his death, the mages fought over his remains, and the Seven Vigilants took the Orbs, rending Starsea asunder. But unknown in those days, when the Orbs were separate, the Madness took hold. If all are held by one, the Madness is kept at bay. There were none strong enough to regather what was lost, nor were any Vigilants willing to give up their Orb for the greater good. When one died, another usurper took his or her Orb, becoming the new Vigilant. Thus several of your centuries passed. This was the Time of Madness, where Starsea slowly, but surely, disintegrated. When the Alkasen at last came, there were none left who could resist them. Starsea was laid waste, and the Ancients were no more.”

  “The Alkasen. Who are they?”

  “The ones you call the Swarmers.”

  Lucian felt a chill at those words. The Swarmers he knew? Then they had outlived this Starsea Empire for hundreds of thousands of years, long enough to begin hunting humanity. If an empire of hundreds of worlds with inconceivable magic could not survive them, what hope did humanity have?

  Lucian decided to ask about something else. “You said if one person holds these Seven Orbs, the Madness is kept at bay. You mean the fraying, right?”

  “Yes,” she said. “Gathering the Seven would end the maddening effect of magic. Each Orb grants a further boon, too. Whoever holds one can stream the magic of its Aspect without fear of the Madness visiting.” She nodded toward the blue Orb before her, which Lucian watched with renewed awe. “This is the Orb of Binding. It is . . . mine. But my dream of holding all Seven is as dead as I am. Only the power of this Orb allows my spirit to abide. To await one worthy of bearing it.”

  “And the other Orbs do the same?” Lucian said. “If I were to have this, I could stream Binding without fear of fraying?”

  The Oracle nodded. “This is so. It is not easy to wield. It requires competence, and the Orb’s spirit must respect your power and your heart. But, assuming that, its strength becomes yours.”

  Lucian’s heart raced with the implications. This was power beyond power. “Yes, I can see how that might be useful.”

  The Oracle gave a sonorous laugh. “An understatement. The Vigilants fought wars, with billions of dead on either side, for the mere dream of holding a single Orb. Empires rose and fell in the bleeding carcass of what was once the Empire of Starsea. The Vigilants were nigh unassailable in their Aspect. Furthermore, each Orb extends the life of the one holding it, but true immortality, that which is out of reach of all those cursed to dwell in the Shadow Realm, is not granted until all Seven are held. It is from this that the Immortal Emperor of old derived his title.”

  “I guess he wasn’t so immortal if he was overthrown.”

  She stared at Lucian as if he were supremely stupid. “A being of his power does not simply die, Lucian. The Immortal lives on in the Manifold itself now. His spirit endures, for I can hear his whispers in the darkness of my mind.” Her eyes focused intently on his. “And I see that you have heard those whispers, too.”

  Lucian thought of that dark Voice he’d heard during the metaphysical—and on this very island. A chill passed through him.

  “Why am I hearing him?” Lucian asked.

  “Because, Lucian, you are a mage of unusual strength. And if my instincts are correct, I believe you are the Chosen of the Manifold.”

  Lucian felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. He didn’t know what that meant, but he didn’t like it. “The what?”

  “Once every Cycle, the Chosen is born. The Chosen is the only one with the power to gather the Seven Aspects of Magic, the Seven Orbs, the Jewels of Starsea, and end the Cycles once and for all. Or not.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  But Lucian thought back to yet another conversation he’d had with Vera on the Burung. She had said the Manifold had “marked” him in some strange way. Could this be the same thing, just with different words? The whole idea made him feel sick.

  “I’m not saying you are the Chosen of the Manifold,” the Oracle said. “Only that I believe you may be. Nonetheless, there is always one—just as our Immortal Emperor was the Chosen of our Cycle. But you are unusually gifted with magic, though you are still limited by a lack of training. Surely, your masters noticed unusual progress in all or most of the Aspects of the Manifold?”

  “Only toward the end of my training, but . . .” he trailed off. “This can’t be real!”

  “It is real,” the Oracle said. “Just as real as you talking to an Oracle of Starsea who was the Final Vigilant of Binding.”

  Lucian felt as if he might faint. He needed a whole canteen of Sea Drink right about now.

  “So if this is me, then I’m the only one that can end this Cycle . . .” He shook his head. “What the hell is a Cycle, anyway?”

  It felt wrong to curse in her presence, but Lucian was done mincing words. If she was going to tell him he was one in a billion chance to be some sort of “chosen one,” then she had better give him the evidence.

  “As I said before, each Vigilant dreamed one day of holding all Seven. But holding a single Orb, or even six, cannot keep decay or the Madness completely at bay. At times, the Vigilants needed to stream other Aspects. The Vigilants could be sure of no one’s loyalty, as every mage of Starsea coveted the Orbs. Friends and family, overcome with greed, turned against the Vigilants. Some even succeeded in gaining the object of their desire, becoming the new Vigilant.”

  Tears streamed from her eyes. Lucian knew then she was speaking from experience. Had she been the one who was betrayed or the betrayer? There might be ugliness beneath that beauty.

  “You were a Vigilant, then. And then you became this Oracle. How? And why?”

  She hesitated a moment. “When a Vigilant dies, their Orb bleeds out from their heart. And by heart, I mean the point where soul meets magic, the gateway through which the Manifold streams: the mage’s Focus. Whether that death comes from the cut of a blade, from magic, the Madness, or simply old age . . . the Vigilant loses the Orb. And the Orb goes to whoever finds it next. Even if that person possesses not a shred of the Gift, they possess the Gift as soon as they accept the Orb as their own."

  “The Gift is magic itself,” Lucian said. “So rather than die with the Orb, you created this place. So none may have it.”

  “All of us agreed to such. I was the Final Vigilant of Binding, just as the others were the last of their kind. The Alkasen were coming, laying waste to all. Even combining forces, we were too weak to defend the tattered remains of Starsea.” She fell silent. “So, we made a pact, and we bound our word with magic, that our very Orbs would destroy us should we not go through with it, barring us from eternal rest and glory in the Light Realm. For such was the distrust sown between us. We forced ourselves to work for a far distant future, where the future Chosen might find all Seven Orbs and end the Starsea Cycle once and for all.”

  Lucian could only think to ask one thing: “How long have you been here, then?”

  It was a long time before she spoke again, her face a mask of sorrow. “Countless epochs. Terrible epochs, passing in silence. I . . . can’t say how long it has been. I’ve been waiting for someone worthy to come. Someone strong and wise enough not to fail, as the Immortal Emperor did.”

  “What about the other Vigilants? How do they factor into this?”

  “Those Vigilants are now the Oracles, what remains of Starsea. They each have their secret places, where they took their Orb to hide. They wouldn’t make themselves easy to find. After all, it is necessary to prove one’s worth to gain each Orb. This world was my home, my chosen place. As with the other Oracles, you must prove your worth to me if I’m to relinquish the Orb of Binding to you.”

  “You said if a Vigilant dies with their Orb, it bleeds out from their Focus. What would happen if a Vigilant died with an Orb, alone, with no one around to find it?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve often wondered that myself. It has never happened, for a Vigilant was always surrounded by sycophants. I suppose it could have happened, as each Vigilant departed the summit to create their place to guard their Orb. However, the Manifold sleeps with the sleeping of the Orbs. The Starsea Cycle comes to a pause, and mages are no longer born.”

  “What do you mean, it comes to a pause?”

  “Magic itself ends, except within the confines of each Oracle, and with the Gates—though one day, given time, their magic will end, too. They are far too powerful to be affected so easily by the sleeping of the Orbs. And since magic slept after we each went our separate ways, it’s safe to say each Vigilant accomplished their mission, staying true to their word given at the Summit.”

  Lucian was confused. “But magic hasn’t ended. And humanity can use magic. A few of us, at least.”

  “The return of magic coincides with the beginning of a new Cycle,” the Oracle said. “As well as a new Chosen of the Manifold. Magic only returns when at least one of the Orbs is active. Which has been the case for greater than one of your centuries.”

  If that was true, then it could only mean one thing. And Lucian reeled at the implications. “That means . . .”

  “Yes,” she said. “Somehow, somewhere, a human has found an Orb. The Starsea Cycle has begun anew. Magic has returned, the Manifold imparting its Gift on select members of humanity. The Madness has also returned, and with the Madness, the Alkasen.”

  The thought seemed unbelievable. Someone had another Orb. Who could it possibly be?

  “Someone found an Orb over a century ago,” Lucian said. “And that caused magic to be released again?”

  The Oracle gave a regal nod.

  Some mage out there had unlimited power with one of the Aspects. Someone out there exploring the Gates probably happened upon one of the Oracles all those years ago. And by taking that Orb, they had unwittingly released magic upon humanity, along with the Madness—the fraying. The Starsea Cycle had resumed, the Desolation foretold by Arian.

  “It seems unreal,” he finally said. “Who could it have been?”

  “I don’t know,” the Oracle said. “Nor do I know which Orb was found.”

  “Where did the Orbs come from, then?” Lucian asked. “Where did the Manifold come from? How did this Immortal Emperor find them all?”

  “The Manifold is the unmoved Mover, that which remains still when all else is in motion. That is why, only with Focus, it can be sensed. As for the Orbs, we don’t know where they came from. They were from even before we Ancients. They exist in both Light and Shadow, the meeting of the Ethereal Background and reality itself. They are the Seven Aspects of Magic, so far as they can exist physically in the Shadow Realm. Somehow, the Immortal Emperor, who lived far before my time, discovered them, thereby preventing the Madness from destroying my species while he held them. He was our Chosen—he gathered them all before the Madness could take hold and wielded them in power and glory. But he could not save himself from the Insurrection, nor could his heirs save themselves from the Alkasen.”

  She was quiet then for a long while. Lucian almost thought she wasn’t going to say anything else.

  “The real question, of course, is whether I should grant you my Orb. If I do, you will be able to use Binding Magic without fear of being destroyed by it. But first, I must deem you worthy.”

  “And how would I do that?”

  She smiled. “I sense a purpose in you. The potential for greatness I haven’t seen since I imprisoned myself in this place.”

  “Why would you give it to me, anyway? What would you have me do with it?”

  “That is what you are to tell me. Of course, you have every right to refuse it.”

  “I’m not following.”

  “The Starsea Cycle has resumed since an Orb was discovered after all Seven lay dormant. The Cycle pauses when all seven lie dormant. Who’s to say how many times we’ve gone through these cycles of desolation? When one holds all Seven, the Madness is stopped. And the one who holds the Orbs becomes the Immortal, the Chosen of the Manifold. Nothing will kill them, save a grievous wound.” She watched Lucian carefully as if to see whether he was following. “Magic has been dormant for over a million of your years, Lucian. But now, it has awoken. The Cycle has resumed, and the Madness will take your mages one by one until someone holds all Seven Orbs.”

  Despite all this overwhelming information, Lucian understood the reason she had called him here. She thought he had the strength to find the Orbs. To gather them.

  She thought he was the Chosen of the Manifold, just as this Immortal guy was back in the time of Starsea.

  But what did she want from him? Did she expect him to be strong enough to be this Chosen?

  There was absolutely no way. But even if Lucian wanted to say as much, he couldn’t speak at all.

  “This is what I wish of you, Lucian. I want you to find all the Orbs. But not to become the cruel master of a new Starsea Empire.” She watched him closely, the intensity of her gaze unsettling. “I want you to find the Orbs and end the Cycle. To end magic itself. To sever the connection between the Light and Shadow once and for all.”