959 Importance of a Seer (1/2)

Xuan fell back into Daneel's arms after speaking the prophecy, even though her words were continuously echoing all around the Endless Sea which only seemed to be getting more and more furious with every second they spent there, defying its mindless fury to destroy each and everything that ventured into its domain.

Her back had been arched to the point of breaking, and her entire body was filled with sweat, completely exhausted from the harrowing experience that each and every prophecy was accompanied by. Even after her eyes went back to normal, she kept glancing around, as if unable to understand where she was, but this was mostly because of the state she had been in until now.

Daneel's face still held the shock that was being kept in place using the system, but as soon as she glanced at it, she seemed to have found a beacon of hope and light within the darkness that had enveloped her for so long.

She reached up as if it was the most natural thing to do and clung on to him as if she was drowning, and seeing that this was enough of a stimulus, Daneel disabled the system and instantly hugged her tight.

Now, he did not need to fake any of his emotions, at all, as he was truly feeling relieved that the woman who had changed so much in him was finally awake.

She clutched at him almost desperately, and he also held her as tightly as he could, letting her know through his actions rather than words that she was safe, and that she was with him.

It was only many seconds later that she finally managed to begin to calm down, and seeing this, Daneel used his hand to caress her face gently while saying, ”Welcome back to the living world, Goddess. I… missed you. And I'm truly grateful for… Everything. Well, we will have a lot of time to speak later, but right now, I have something important that I must attend to. I'll be sending you to Eloise – she'll take care of you. Await my return – it won't take too long.”

While he spoke, Daneel could see that doubt had appeared in Xuan's eyes, and right away, he knew that it must be related to that moment they had shared. It was very likely that she was questioning whether it had been a dream or reality, and realizing this, he was truly tempted to give her a small peck on her lips.

Only, this would be one of the dumbest things he could do. In front of him was someone who might potentially turn into one of his strongest enemies, and it was never wise to expose such personal things to someone who might want to take advantage of them. Already, he must've given quite a lot away due to the way that he had responded to Xuan, but that had been unavoidable – if he had shown her the cold shoulder, that might have undone months and months of healing, and that was definitely something he did not wish to do.

Without any hesitation, though, he began to cast the spell to teleport her away while sending a message to Eloise. Xuan's mind was still very delicate, so for the time being, it was best that she be treated like a vase that might break easily if not handled with care.

Thankfully, she and Eloise shared something that was truly special, and knowing what she had suffered at the hands of someone she had thought she could trust with her life, a true friend who could show her that the world wasn't filled with individuals like those was exactly what she needed.

Eloise responded with enthusiasm right away, exclaiming with delight and then asking for details, but as the Basilisk seemed to have finally returned to her senses, too, Daneel said that he would explain later and cut off the connection.

His plan was to talk to the ancient being when they were alone again, but suddenly, she raised her hand, and the spell that he was casting fell apart.

A sense of danger once again came to Daneel, and it was stronger now, as he had someone he cared about in his hands. Until now, the only thing at stake had been an apparition that could be sacrificed, but because of Eloise's condition, he had had to bring her real body along.

Asking the system to be on standby to deploy everything that he head in order to gain a chance to teleport her away in case the worst happened, Daneel opened his mouth to ask why the Basilisk had acted in that way, but before he could do so, she gave the answer herself in a level tone.

”Sometimes, being overly cautious can be just as harmful as being completely careless. Be still, and do not worry, child. I must check something. Seers are so rare in the Mainland that each and every one of them are treated like princes and princesses who would be vied after by any and every force which cared about their future. If it weren't for the fact that seers can only give prophecies regarding the World that they are born to, this woman would have been taken away long ago. Prophecies are so powerful that they can cause a hitherto unknown force to grow to have enough strength to contend with the top organizations in the Mainland, as just a sign that they would be favored by destiny at some point in the future is enough to attract powerhouses who seek that which goes against the Heavens. However, because of their nature and how much importance they are given, many try to fake them. Long ago, itself, an extensive checklist was created in order to ensure that a prophecy is genuine. No one yet understands exactly how seers and prophecies work, but what one can confirm is that there is no external influence. Wait while I go through the checklist.”

Daneel's heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard this, even though it was a positive sign that the Basilisk had put aside the prissiness that had dominated most of their interactions until now and had given a long explanation that exposed quite a few things about the Mainland.

He had taken all precautions that he could to ensure that the prophecy would seem as real as possible, but still, he couldn't help but be worried.

Just like before, the Basilisk did not even need to come close to do something that would normally require physical contact. She simply stood where she was and closed her eyes before raising your hands.

Even though he was seeing it for the third time, Daneel was still completely shocked: once again, no elementary particles moved at all, but something was happening.

Typically, the system had the knack of picking up on something if it saw it multiple times, but this time, it was truly stymied. He kept getting messages regarding how the Phenomena Analysis Module was failing, and at one point, he even wondered whether the system, itself, would crash, just like normal ones were wont to do back on earth.