[ Prognostication (Inferior):
• Extremely minimal ability to prophesize future events. ]
This was what all Sybillans were born with, with only very few being blessed with higher grade versions of the same Talent. The most outstanding of these, who held considerable promise, would then be raised as Oracles and taught how to dip into and control these powers for the benefit of themselves and for their kind.
Having just gone on a slaughter spree, Theodore had been showered in countless copies of 'Prognostication', ranging all the way from Inferior- to Legendary-grade.
To his dismay, as always, he couldn't fuse these surplus, duplicate Talents into higher grade versions of themselves before accepting them, else he could have no doubt obtained a Heavenly Dao-grade Talent at this point. Heck, he might have even been able to go beyond, in case that was somehow achievable.
Instead, all that he could do was to accept one Inferior-grade Prognostication Talent and combine it with another, bringing it to Average-grade. From there, he continued all the way until he got to fuse his own Legendary-grade with a second one, elevating it to Mythical-grade.
[ Prognostication (Mythical):
• Exceptionally superb ability to prophesize future events.
• Immunity to the effects of similar Talents at or below Mythical-grade, as well as Divination Proficiencies at or below Perfection-level. ]
The second part overlapped with his own Fate Suppression Talent, slightly reinforcing his defences on that end. It wouldn't lead to a qualitative change, but it was an improvement nonetheless. Theoretically, if he stacked sufficient numbers of mutually supportive Talent effects of the same grade, then he could elevate the result enough to eventually equal higher grade ones.
But that was still a long way off. For now, the first part was what his attention was primarily focused on. Just like many extremely powerful Talents, the description was simple. Yet, when the Heavenly Dao referred to anything as 'exceptionally superb', it would definitely live up to those expectations.
'The only real question is... where and how do I begin?'
Due to never having had any sort of divination Talent of his own, Theodore was comparatively in the dark with this one. He had been taught about a few relatively wide-spread methods of foreseeing the future, yet he was still merely a novice when it came to the field. All of the theoretical knowledge that had been crammed into his head was of little use until he could actually successfully put it into practice.
'It would be best to ask Cristyn for help. The Sybillans–and especially their Oracles–have been studying this Talent for a long time. By standing on the shoulders of these giants, I should be able to get a significant head start.'
Setting aside a part of his mind to check whether or not the blindfolded Oracle was busy at the moment, he merely intended to ascertain if now was a good time to distract her with a message. What he hadn't expected was that she was already rushing to his location, an unprecedentedly terrified expression on her face.
'... what is it that she saw?'
Narrowing his eyes, he instantly realized that her own Prognostication Talent had to have shown her something horrible. Cleaning up a little, he prepared a comfortable seat for her, anticipating her report in no hurry.
-----
For ages now, Cristyn had fantasized about how she would change the political landscape of the Sybillans if she ever got the chance to do so. Having been stuck in a corrupt 'democratic' system that had been exploited by those at the top pretty much ever since its inception, it was no wonder that her mind had dabbled in such flights of fancy.
The biggest issue was that people were inherently prone to tribalism. By manipulating them based solely on that weakness alone, one could play them like a fiddle and achieve absolute control, even making them engage in some of the most depraved, deplorable acts imaginable. Worst of all, they would feel as if their own inexcusable crimes were fully justified.
Naturally, other forms of brainwashing, mind control or innumerable Talents could lead to a single individual or organization to come to rule over the people as well. The average person was very vulnerable, and oftentimes ignorant to the fact that even their own musings were the result of others' machinations.
How could anybody protect these easily malleable minds from outside influence, or from their own flaws? Unfortunately, Cristyn had never found a perfect answer to that.
If she shut her eyes and ears to reality and lived in a world of fantasy instead, then she would have loudly proclaimed that the people should have the right to decide their own futures, basking in ultimate freedom. Yet, she wasn't an idealistic idiot–she knew that if left to their own devices, the masses would always end up in a self-destructive situation sooner or later.
This brought her to the sole reasonable option, which was also the most dangerous one. If everyone was fated to be controlled in one way or another no matter what she chose, why not try to hold the reins herself? As long as her own mind didn't get corrupted, that should lead to the most ideal result.
Still, even then, she had to admit that she could never create a perfect world for everybody. There were those who took pleasure in harming others, who would judge reality to be unfair to them if they couldn't partake in these urges. And those were just one example. There were as many different kinds of people as there were numbers–she could simply not satisfy them all.
But if she transformed society into practically a dictatorship under her control, what would make her different from those who came before her?
'It's that I'll genuinely be in that position for the good of the people, not for my own.'
The answer had always been that simple. There couldn't be a paradise for everyone, as the word 'everyone' also included those who sought vileness and instability. But the overwhelming majority of all would prosper under her rule–and that was good enough.
Given the chance to have the Sybillans start anew, she prepared many official statements explaining the culling of prominent individuals that took place today. Surprisingly, she did not hide the truth whatsoever–nay, she openly shared the various inexcusable atrocities that had been committed, alongside undeniable evidence.
Airing a speech to every last corner of Pytho, she honestly stated her intent of creating a fundamentally different world order. With her agenda out in the open like this, naturally, a lot of backlash followed–but she had expected this a long time ago. Whether the people wanted to or not, she would force them to adapt and comply.
Fortunately, her promises to the populace did sway the vast majority–mentally simple as they were–and kept a huge portion cautiously optimistic. With the saviour on her side and so many evident evildoers brought to justice, it was clear that Cristyn didn't want to harm them.
However, many still rung the alarm bells. Whether that be due to generally being vigilant and wanting to avoid a potential disaster if she or those who succeeded her went astray, or because they harboured their own selfish aspirations, it didn't matter. All of their objections were overruled.
It was during this time when she was neck-deep in paperwork that her Mythical-grade Prognostication Talent triggered. Over the long years, she and many of the more proficient Oracles had learned to train it to automatically reveal major happenings of the coming days to them.
Initially, she expected to witness a part of the future that she was trying so hard to create, but what met her mind's eye ultimately shook her to her very core.
A fleet of countless enormous Voidfaring Vessels surrounded all of Pytho in multiple rows, making it impossible to slip through their net. The troops disembarking from them gave off a threatening, bestial aura. At first glance, the furs and pelts that they were clad in caused them to appear like savages, yet the pitch-black, highly advanced, form-fitting armours underneath made it clear that this was merely a stylistic choice.
In comparison to the sparse numbers of Theodore's Subordinates who went to face them, they were practically an inexhaustible flood. There were even those amongst them who seemed to be on par with the saviour's people, at least in terms of Standard Attributes. Being at the peak of the Advanced Ascension Stage herself, Cristyn knew that she wouldn't even be able to fully defend against a single blow of theirs.
But all of this wouldn't have rattled her all too much. After all, whilst some collateral damage would be inevitable, and her people would suffer, she was confident that with Theodore's involvement, this obstacle could be successfully surmounted.
No, what terrified her to the extreme was one singular figure who had disembarked from the flagship of the fleet and casually strolled through the Lesser True Void. Even though her prophecies were usually pretty clear, she couldn't exactly make out their features. However, the mere slightest of traces of their aura caused her soul to shudder.
She knew that this wasn't reality, yet even still, she almost instinctively began to kneel. Fortunately, she managed to stop herself. Somehow, she was certain that there would have been no going back for her if she had actually gone through with it.
To her utter disbelief, this action of hers made the figure turn its head, staring directly at her. The simple interlocking of gazes almost caused her mind to shatter, yet before something irreversible occurred, she forcefully terminated her vision of the future.
'... that being, it definitely saw me. And even now, it should be aware of that fact.'
Drenched in cold sweat, many a heavy breath escaped her lips. Only minutes later did she manage to somewhat calm herself again, yet the fear that she felt did not lessen at all.
'I've got to let Mr. Winter know about all of this!'
Hastily informing her people that she had an important matter to discuss with the saviour, she sped over to Theodore's side at her maximum speed. By the time that she arrived, he was already expecting her, a cosy bean bag waiting for her to grace it.
"Take a seat. I'm all ears."
The calm, tranquil smile on his lips helped to dispel a small portion of her worries, yet she didn't allow herself to feel secure. As well as she could, she recounted every single detail of her vision, making absolutely sure that the precariousness of the situation was conveyed in full.
'Come to think of it, in that future, I didn't see Mr. Winter at all. Why is that? Did he simply not yet take any action before I was forced to leave?'
Observing the gradual change in Theodore's expression, she couldn't help but wonder. As the central pillar of his own people, why is it that he hadn't fought at their side? Even his ice had never appeared.
Naturally, she couldn't possibly know that his Fate Suppression and Prognostication Talents had exempted him from being perceived by her as she peered at the events that lay ahead. But as soon as he revealed having obtained the latter, she would be able to put two and two together and come to that conclusion. Now, however, they had more important matters to focus on.
"... if I'm not terribly wrong, then you've come across a 'divine' being. And since they already know that you're aware of them, mentioning some more information about them won't make a difference any longer. They should be at the Celestial Stage, which I hypothesize to represent the very limit that could possibly be achieved during the second round of the Heavenly Succession."
For a moment, his gaze remained solemn, then his smile widened and a hint of excitement replaced the slight wariness.
"In other words, if they arrive too early, then we're screwed. So that's what Nye was relying on, huh? Hmm, no, that can't be. A single 'divine' one wouldn't be enough to make me feel that much of a threat. There should be more where they came from. Heh, nice! I'll get to exercise a little!"
With a wide grin, Theodore rose to his feet, then patted Cristyn's shoulder reassuringly. In stark contrast to her, he took this news in stride.
"Don't worry about a thing. I won't let Pytho be the stage of our confrontation. Let's hit the Archives for now–we need to find out as much as possible about this foe of ours."
With a bit of a spring in his step, he dragged the poor Oracle along, whilst informing the rest of his inner circle about everything via Kiran's network.