The Crimson Legacy (In Progress)

Chapter 21: The Mind of a Prodigy

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The interior of Seraphine's house was a shadowy maze of shelves filled with ancient scrolls, dusty books, and relics whose origins Clara couldn't begin to guess. The place was chaotic, a strange amalgam of old tomes and fortune-telling artifacts, all littered amidst the remains of the guards' invasion. Kuro and Zoe fanned out, each searching for clues in the aftermath of the attack.

Clara's eyes scanned the room methodically, taking in every detail. The place felt suffocating, haunted by Seraphine's presence even in her absence. Every inch seemed to whisper secrets, stories left untold. Her instincts told her to look deeper, and so she did.

As Kuro rummaged through a pile of overturned chairs, Clara's gaze landed on an intricately carved chest of drawers. She approached it and gingerly opened each drawer, one by one, rifling through the contents with steady fingers. Most of it was mundane—faded ink bottles, dried-out quills, old parchment—but at the bottom drawer, her fingers brushed against something unexpected. She pulled out a stack of neatly folded letters, tied together with a thin piece of twine.

She held the stack in her hands, staring at it with a frown. Who would these letters be from, and what could they contain? Curiosity urged her to untie the twine and open the first letter.

As she unfolded the parchment, Clara immediately recognized the elegant handwriting as Lucius'. Her heart tightened, remembering his calm voice and the wisdom in his words. She began to read:

"Seraphine,
If the day comes that you meet a masked woman with silver hair, know that she is of great importance to Eldrid's fate. I believe she belongs to an ancient, lost bloodline—one that holds the power to either save or destroy our world. Be patient with her; the weight of destiny can be crushing. I trust you, dear sister, to guide her if she comes to you. But be cautious—her path is fraught with shadows, and we do not yet know which side of the blade she will walk."

Clara's fingers tightened around the letter. Ancient bloodline... save or destroy Eldrid? Questions began to race through her mind. Lucius had written this only a week ago. Did he know her fate before she even arrived? Clara rifled through the letters again, searching for anything else, and another one slipped free from the stack. This one was addressed to Lucius, written by Seraphine herself.

"Lucius,
I am troubled by what I have seen. In the patterns of fate, I saw fire and blood entwined with the silver-haired woman's journey. I fear that this path she walks could lead to untold destruction. The flames of this vision burn brighter with every passing day. You have always believed in her potential, and I want to believe, too. But these visions are relentless—what if Eldrid's downfall is inevitable?"

The final lines sent a chill down Clara's spine. Fire and blood—the words echoed in her mind, stirring something deep within her. What did Seraphine see? And what part was Clara meant to play in this foreseen chaos?

"What are you reading?" Kuro's voice cut through Clara's thoughts.

She folded the letter and turned to face him. "Who exactly is Seraphine?" she asked, her tone laced with both curiosity and urgency.

Kuro sighed, his face lined with the weight of old memories. 

"Seraphine is—was—Lucius' sister. She's a great fortune-teller with an unparalleled gift for foreseeing the future. Her ability isn't like any seer you've heard of—she can see hours, sometimes even days, into the future with frightening clarity. Her prophecies have prevented great disasters in the past. But there was one vision... one that shook the foundations of the Magus."