Transmission Interrupted

Alastor wasn't part of the prophecy! Right...?

[Flashback: The Oracle's Cave, 2 years before]

The air in the Oracle's cave felt thick and electric, like the moment before a thunderstorm. I stood at the entrance, heart pounding like a drum in my chest. This was it—the moment I had been both dreading and anticipating.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare stood in the center of the cave, her eyes glowing an otherworldly green that shimmered like emeralds. It was both beautiful and terrifying. «Welcome, daughter of Phoebus Apollo,» Rachel intoned, her voice echoing off the stone walls. «I have a prophecy for you.»

A chill ran down my spine. I backed away instinctively, my mind racing.
«Uh, ya' know what? I think I'm in the wrong cave...» I stammered, turning on my heel. I mean, who wouldn't want to avoid a prophecy? I was almost out the door when Rachel's voice cut through the air again.

«Miss, you're not going anywhere! Come closer and listen to what the Oracle has to say.»

I hesitated. My feet felt glued to the ground. The last thing I wanted was to end up in a riddling mess of doom and gloom.

But there was something in her voice—an authority that compelled me to step back into the cave. So, with a deep breath, I approached Rachel, who had returned to that strange, distant look.

«Great, I'm going to regret this,» I muttered under my breath.
As I stood in front of her, Rachel's eyes flickered back to that mesmerizing green. She began to whisper, her words flowing like a river that I was afraid to cross.

"In shadows cast by love's cruel hand,"
I blinked, trying to process what I was hearing. Love? Seriously? I wasn't even sure if I could handle a crush without turning into a puddle of awkwardness.

"A daughter of the sun shall stand."
"Okay, that's me," I thought, trying to focus. "Daughter of the sun. No pressure."

"Through trials dark, her heart will strain,"
I felt a twinge of anxiety. Trials? Strain? This was starting to sound like one of my mom's lectures about high school drama—except way more ominous.

"Yet fate will weave through joy and pain."
"Joy and pain? Can't I just have a smoothie and a nap instead?" I quipped in my head, trying to mask the creeping dread that was sneaking up on me like a monster in a horror movie.

"When light and darkness intertwine,"
I glanced around the cave, half-expecting to see a shadowy figure lurking behind a stalagmite. "Great, now I'm getting paranoid," I thought.

"A choice will come, the heart's design."
My heart skipped a beat. A choice? What kind of choice? I wasn't even good at deciding what to order for lunch!

As Rachel's voice faded, the weight of the prophecy settled over me like a heavy cloak. I was left standing there, my mind racing. What did it all mean?

Just then, Rachel's eyes returned to their normal hue, and she blinked at me as if waking from a deep sleep. «So, uh, how did that go?» she asked, her casual tone contrasting sharply with the gravity of what had just been said.
I opened my mouth to respond but found I didn't have the words. Instead, I managed a weak smile. «Well, I think I'll need a lot more snacks to process this.»
Rachel laughed, and for a moment, the weight of the prophecy lifted, but deep down, I knew I couldn't shake off what was coming. Whatever fate had in store for me, I had to face it head-on. But first, snacks. Definitely snacks.

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[in the meantime, in the present]

The days following our explosive argument felt like an endless loop of tension and unresolved feelings. I could sense Alastor's presence in the hotel, his energy a constant reminder of our confrontation. Whenever our paths crossed, he would try to catch my gaze, but I refused to let him in. My eyes would flare with the energy of the sun, bright and fierce, a visual warning. And then, with a deliberate turn, I would ignore him completely, walking away as if he were just another shadow in the hotel.