On a hill far from the brutal conflict, Cassie sat on a rock feeling rather uneasy.
At her side was Audun, who was empowering their fellow sleepers with his stars, and from the sounds of it, the subjugation of the crimson spire was going quite well— with the dreamer army practically tearing a hole through their ranks.
And yet— She felt this odd emptiness in the pit of her stomach, the same ill omen she felt whenever some imminent disaster was about to occur.
It was strange.
Truly and utterly strange that this persistent gnawing anxiety kept eating away at her when she knew everything that was supposed to happen.
From her connection with Quiet Dancer, she knew for a fact that Nephis and the others were doing just fine, and her faith in Sunny's ability to accomplish the task they had laid out for him was unshakeable, but even then— even when factoring in their overwhelming dominance in this battle, the uneasiness just refused to go away.
"You ok? You look a little pale."
The blind girl stiffened slightly as she vaguely perceived the swordsman's gaze.
"I'm uh... Fine. Just a bit overstimulated, I guess."
"Mm— fair enough. If it gets to be too much, we could always just retreat a bit further back, y'know?"
"No, no, it's fine. Over here is alright, I just need a bit more time to get used to it."
Cassie heard a subtle rustle of clothing— meaning the swordsman had probably just shrugged.
"Suit yourself. Saves me a trip."
Silence fell over the two once more as the swordsman continued his task, though, eventually, Cassie couldn't hold back the anxiety building in her heart.
"Uhm... Audun?"
"Yeah?"
"I've got this really bad feeling... Like something is gonna go seriously wrong."
Though she couldn't see it, she could almost sense the frown on the swordsman's face.
"Do you have any idea what that something could be?"
Cassie shook her head.
"So it's genuinely just a feeling... no vision or anything like that, right?"
Cassie nodded.
"Look, I know it might sound weird and all, but—"
"You don't have to convince me. I trust you."
Cassie heard the swordsman at her side chuckle.
"I've gambled my life on far less than the gut feeling of a literal prophet. If you think that there's a disaster coming, I'll be extra vigilant. Though— if you can manage— a little heads up would be nice, even if it's only a few seconds before impending doom."
This earned a weak chuckle from Cassie.
"I'll try my best."
"And that's all I ask."
The swordsman's confidence dulled the slight anxious pang in her stomach, though it didn't cause it to completely disappear.
"You'll be fine, Cas."
Accompanied by a small chuckle, Cassie felt a hand pat her shoulder reassuringly as the same warm scent she had grown so used to over the past few months wafted through the air around her.
"I... I hope so."
As the last of the words left her mouth, a sudden quake shook the prophet and the swordsman to attention.
The entirety of the Forgotten Shore began to tremble as the dark grey veil of clouds blanketing the sky disappeared like the morning mist— allowing white rays of light to beam down on the sleepers like spotlights.
In a way, it was a very triumphant scene— with the dreary gray sky that the sleepers had grown so used to, giving way to a furious white sun.
However.
Cassie, a being deprived of sight, was not privy to the scene before her and thus was not fooled by this deceptive victory.
The uncomfortable pang of her heart told her that something was clearly wrong— a sentiment that Audun clearly seemed to share.
The swordsman audibly cursed as he raised his arm, exerting his control over the quartet of stars hanging in the sky.
Deluges of starlight poured down on the sleepers, shielding them from the blinding soul-reaping radiance cast from the sun.
Before Cassie could even process what was going on, Audun grabbed her and tucked her form underneath his arm— reminiscent of the way you'd carry luggage— and summoned a large shield memory to protect them from the light.
Swathing the shield in the color of his soul, Audun burst forward at a blistering speed, leaping from their vantage point on the cliff and making a mad dash for the Spire in the distance.
"Audun?? What's happening?"
"The Sunlight— it's attacking our souls."
Cassie stiffened.
"What??!! The Sunlight??? T-that's not supposed to happen!!"
In that instant, the aching pang in her chest intensified.
Audun sighed as he sped up.
"Well, the forgotten shore isn't exactly known for its predictability. By changing so many things, we might've accidentally triggered some random event that resulted in all this happening."
"No— That's not possible..."
Cassie had been receiving guidance from someone who had besieged the Crimson Spire personally— and they hadn't mentioned anything like this could happen.
Everything had played out exactly as they had said it would, with every part of her script being written with the information they had given her.
From the very beginning, since the very first time Cassie had dreamed of that constellation, nothing they said had ever been wrong.
So, with this single deviation in her seemingly flawless script, the uneasy feeling that had been plaguing the blind girl turned into a blaring alarm.
Audun jostled the seer in his arms.
"Look, I still have enough starlight to protect everyone long enough for them to get to the shade of the Spire. I know that you're feeling uneasy and everything right now, but there's nothing we can do about this. Let's just keep our guard up and be more cautious from here."
Though Cassie nodded, her thoughts were in a state of utter disarray.
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In the distant future, in a realm disconnected from the confines of reality, Audun took a small sip of wine as he watched the lingering traces of Cassie's projection disappear.
"You can come out now. She's gone."
A small, knowing smile spread across the swordsman's face as he manifested another wineglass on the table.
A rift opened in the room as a hand tore through Audun's realm- an endless starry night visible between the ripped fabric of reality.
A knight with eyes the color of dawn's light stepped out as the rift mended itself behind him, his cloak and armor covered in regalia and honors.
There was a cross-shaped spear strapped to his back with a banner bearing the symbol of a forgotten knight order tied to its shaft, and his shoulder-length hair was tied up with a band that glowed with platinum light.
The Knight smiled.
"It's been a while."
"Indeed, it has."
Audun set down his glass of wine as he rose from his seat, offering the knight before him a salute.
"I pay my respects to the Knight of Knights, the Star of Dawn."
The knight responded with a salute of his own.
"I greet you, the last Son of Ole, the Star of Solitude."
Audun chuckled as he offered the Knight a seat.
"So- To what do I owe the pleasure? Is this perhaps because of the request I made?"
"What else?"
The Star of Dawn flashed Audun a wry smile.
"You know- when you took it upon yourself to slew the Dragon of the Abyss, I thought that the oath I made to you that day had been fulfilled."
Audun chuckled.
"I did as well."
The knight chuckled as well, but soon his expression turned a little complicated.
"So then, I would just like to ask... Why?"
The knight continued.
"If Merlin and I truly do as you say, then you, the Star of Solitude, will—"
Audun cut the knight off.
"While I appreciate your concern, it is unnecessary. I've already made up my mind."
The knight regarded Audun for a brief second before, inevitably, a sigh broke free of his lips.
"I see then. If that is the case, I will start preparing."
With a single wave of his hand, the knight opened another rift in Audun's realm and left, leaving the Star of Solitude on his lonesome.
Audun picked up the wineglass he had set down and drained the rest of it's contents before letting out a small sigh.
"I guess it's about time to begin."
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(A/N: There were a lot of things that I felt like I should've written better or a bit clearer in the earlier chapters since I feel kind of at a loss now, but I'll just clarify it here now so you all aren't super duper confused.
The Future Audun is the one that's been helping Cassie make her plans, and her knowledge of the future events of the forgotten shore are all sourced from him.
Any inconsistency and/or oddness is also related to him, but I feel like I did a pretty poor job forshadowing it earlier.)