The bus slowed down as we entered a wide area, a sort of magical intersection where other buses from across the continent began to converge. Each one bore multiple flags painted along its sides—not just one like ours, but several grouped together. Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay; Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru; Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela; Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana… and more kept arriving, bearing emblems from Central America and the Caribbean waving in vibrant colors. Each bus honked its distinctive horn as it approached, as if greeting the others with a friendly, melodic code shared by longtime road companions.
And so, we began to move forward together, one after the other, forming a long, multicolored, magical caravan on the way to Castelobruxo.
The scene was fascinating for us and for the new students, while for the older ones, it held a touch of nostalgia.
From that point on, the journey slowed: all the buses matched speed to move in sync. Even so, we were still traveling fast, and from what we'd heard, we'd be entering the Amazon region in less than an hour.
The landscape flew past the enchanted windows, and the hum of conversation once again filled the air. It was then that Hannah took an interest in a group of girls sitting not far from us. They were playing with a crystal ball and several carved, hollow sticks—thin and resembling fragments of wooden or bamboo flutes—hanging from threads. The whole arrangement looked like a cross between a crib mobile and a handmade carousel. The girls were attempting a divination, though the smoke inside the ball barely moved.
Unlike at Hogwarts, at Castelobruxo the subject of Divination is taught from the first year, though only in an introductory way. In the second year, it becomes more practical and demanding, and from then on, it becomes an elective. Still, there seemed to be a great fondness for it.
Driven by curiosity—and perhaps by boredom—Hannah opened her backpack and pulled out her own crystal ball. We had bought it at the Passage of Arches, drawn in by the floating glyphs inside, like living illusions. She couldn't remember how much it cost because it was my money that vanished in the transaction… but I do remember. It was expensive. Very expensive.
The curious thing about these luxury crystal balls is that they don't guarantee anything. If you have a lot of talent, they might be somewhat helpful. If you have a little, they can become necessary tools to work well… But if you don't have a shred of skill… well, not even if it were a relic enchanted by the very oracles of Delphi. It won't work. It's like staring into an overpriced rock.
What Hannah didn't know was that, by taking it out, she had caught the attention of half the bus. Several second- and third-year students—already familiar with the subject—immediately gathered around, fascinated by the luxury of the object and the chance to use it. Hannah, who barely understood what all the fuss was about, froze, overwhelmed by the number of hands wanting to touch it or ask her for a demonstration.
"I don't know how it works…" she murmured, holding the ball in both hands, trying to make something—anything—happen. But the crystal remained still, the inner glyphs spinning aimlessly, with not even a wisp of revealing smoke.
Thankfully, the same girls with the magical mobile stepped in to help. They guided her with gentle movements, whispering instructions. Hannah took a deep breath, tried again… and this time, the glyphs slowly faded, revealing a faint mist forming inside. Everyone held their breath. But just a few seconds later, the ball returned to normal.
A collective sigh of disappointment rippled through the group.
That was the perfect moment for those who had been waiting for their chance: several students skilled in divination stepped up, eager to show off—and try out the expensive artifact. They had nothing to lose and plenty of attention to gain.
But to the misfortune of all those eager to impress with Hannah's crystal ball, it was me she turned to.
"Want to give it a try?"
I shrugged, pretending it didn't matter, and asked her to hold it. By then, the curious crowd had gathered around us as if we were about to put on a show.
Though I'd picked up some knowledge of divination, my real connection lay more with the force of destiny that drove it. It was an uncontrollable current, much like Time or Death—concepts often tied to divinities.
I had no formal training, no outstanding talent, but I did have a natural versatility and experience with unorthodox methods picked up during various campaigns.
Knowing that all those others just wanted to use Hannah's ball to show off annoyed me a bit. Maybe it was a mix of territoriality and jealousy toward the woman I already considered mine, but in that moment, I decided that if I was going to do something, it had to be impressive enough to shut everyone up.
So I chose a few of the methods I knew. I wasn't aiming for a true prediction—though it might end up being one—but rather to channel, with precision, that invisible force some call "fate." If I could direct it through the crystal, that would be enough to produce a convincing result. Anything that could crush the egos of the onlookers would do.
"Hold it steady," I told Hannah, while adopting a serious expression and releasing my [aura of mystery], more for theatrics than anything else.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Some people stepped back; others leaned forward. My presence grew heavy, magnetic. Hannah stood still, holding the ball out in front of me, as if she knew something important was about to happen.
Then I closed my eyes, stood motionless for a few seconds… and suddenly extended my arm toward the ball with force—my best imitation of Saruman with the Palantír.
The reaction was immediate: the illusory glyphs engraved on the crystal disintegrated into white particles that began spinning rapidly within the sphere. Though they were purely aesthetic decorations, contact with my mana dissolved them as if they couldn't withstand the intensity, unleashing a swirling mist inside.
I had no idea what I had just triggered.
My understanding—limited but intuitive—of the concept of "destiny," combined with the particular nature of my magic, various abilities, and my constant exposure to divine energies (thank you, Elise), had fully activated the power of the crystal ball. And not only that—it had overloaded it. Had it been an ordinary ball, it would've shattered by now.
At the same time, at the front of the bus, a professor felt a sudden chill. It was as if an invisible wave ran down her spine, a buzzing in her soul. She didn't understand what was happening, but she recognized the feeling well: the power of a prophecy was in the air. Silvia, professor of Charms for the younger years and a regular substitute for Divination, stood up abruptly. Without hesitation, she began moving through the bus, following the strange vibration that seemed to radiate from the center of the crowd.
Meanwhile, I remained focused. I slowly opened my eyes. Arcane sounds escaped my lips—words that didn't belong to any living language. They were whispers in tongues so ancient that even Morgana rarely used them, though she did leave records of them.
My hand stayed on the crystal, now engulfed by increasingly intense whirlwinds. The scene was surreal. I didn't have a concrete plan—just a bit of basic knowledge—so I let instinct guide me.
And that's when something more began to emerge.
Unintentionally, my words began to take on a rhythm. My tone shifted. And without knowing why, I began to hum—a soft, almost hypnotic melody. I had activated [music] without realizing it, as if the magic had a will of its own and decided to accompany the moment. As if it were syncing itself to the swirling clouds inside the crystal.
Then my humming started to take shape, matching the instrumental I was hearing in my head. To everyone's surprise, that same sound began to emanate from the crystal ball—faint at first, but growing louder with every second.
The clouds inside the crystal slowly began to clear, giving way to an image bathed in light. Without realizing it, I had started to sing. (Sob o Sol, by Marcus Viana.)
"Sobre as nossas cabeças o SolSobre as nossas cabeças a luzSobre as nossas mãos a criaçãoSobretudo o que mais for o coração"
The image within the crystal wasn't static. The desert looked real, like a high-definition recording. You could see the wind lifting the sand, dunes shifting as if they were waves, and farther ahead, a gleaming oasis. The invisible "camera" showing the scene flew low over the ground, moving steadily forward. We saw strange, majestic structures, with architecture reminiscent of the Egyptian style—though not exactly. Then the vision changed: we were back in the desert, but now three human figures and a camel could be seen walking across the golden vastness.
"Luz da fé que guia os fiéisPelo deserto sem água e sem pãoFaz de pedras um rio brotarFaz do céu chover forte o maná"
Suddenly, a storm appeared. Clouds closed in inside the crystal ball, and a torrential rain fell over the desert. But it wasn't ordinary water—it was a rain of light, a radiant, ethereal substance, as if each drop were charged with magic.
The vision continued. Now there was a campfire lit under the desert's starry night sky. The same figures who had walked among the dunes were now seated around it. They looked humanoid, but appeared only as silhouettes. No faces, no defined features. Just shapes wrapped in soft shadows, as if they weren't fully formed yet… or as if it wasn't time to know their identity.
Quebra o vaso de barro do teu coraçãoCom o melhor vinho do teu amorPois quer a lei que ele se perca no chãoE floresça o deserto aos seus pés
The scene inside the crystal ball shifted once again.
The camp faded until only the silhouettes remained… a particular pair embracing, moving in an intimate dance that several students instantly recognized. But no one said a word: the energy radiating from the vision didn't allow for mockery or interruption. It was too real, too powerful.
Regando as areias recriando o regato e as luzes doÉden das floresNa terra dos homens do circo dos anjos guardiõesImplacáveis do céuDançamos a dança da vidaNo palco do tempo teatro de DeusÁrvores Santa dos sonhosOs frutos da mente são meus e são teusNossos segredos guardadosEnfim revelados nús sob o SolSegredos de Deus tão guardadosEnfim revelados nus sob o Sol
The couple danced, made love, and through their union, life itself began to awaken. Fresh, green grass sprouted from the ground, spreading outward like a wave of vitality that transformed the lifeless sand into a living oasis. Flowers bloomed. Shrubs rose. Everything the crystal ball displayed was soon covered by a new, warm radiance. Then, like a flag waving in slow motion, hundreds of reddish threads began to stretch across the vision—like strands of hair covering the scene.
They weren't the same intense red as mine, but rather a softer orange hue, closer to the shade of a more typical redhead.
And with those final notes, the image began to fade. The music slowly quieted. The reddish strands vanished. The crystal ball returned to its normal state… though the glyphs that decorated it were now slow to reappear.
Then, in the midst of the reverent silence, a voice said:
"Wow…"
And as if that word had broken a spell, the murmuring swelled into an uproar. All the students started talking at once—laughing, whispering, shouting in astonishment. No one had ever seen a divination like that before. Even putting aside the slightly risqué content—which definitely added to the shock—the experience had been simply extraordinary.