"Earth we came and earth we shall return to " She said sprinkling a handful of sand on the coffin.

"let the fire light your path " She said looking at the four standing bonfire torches surrounding the coffin . Suddenly the flame shortened, its color darkens, hisses and roars as If oxidized.

"Let the wind direct you to the right path" She called and a fresh soft wind flew past her and tossed her hair but the woman remained unmoved.

"Water to refill your thirst " She called forth and a drizzle fell on her momentarily, disappearing as if it never happened.

The woman closed her eyes and muttered some incantations, her words an incoherent music to the ears. "Rest with the gods now " She finally said and stood from her kneeling position.

Gesturing with her eyes, an able-bodied group of men, naked from the waist up, wearing only pants emerged from the small crowd. They grabbed shovels from a corner and began filling the grave with sands.

This action drew sobs and grieving murmurs from the crowd. Some palmed their mouths to prevent them from sobbing uncontrollably, others shook their head pitifully while the brave ones remained neutral but their hearts were in pain.

Cassie didn't know how to feel - infact, what to feel. She couldn't even remember the number of nights she cried herself to sleep. It was all her fault ! . If she wasn't so obsessed with being a seer this wouldn't have happened.

After her aunt's death, everything became clear, she now understood why she didn't possess the gift. It wasn't that she didn't possess the gift of seeing rather it wasn't handed down to her yet.

Seers are rare humans that possess the ability to see events. They are descendants of witches who couldn't wield magic, so were gifted with this ability to makeup for their loss.

The seer ability is hereditary and never dies off unless the death of that particular linage. Though they could not be considered full witches but as individuals who could see things hidden from others and also predict the future , they are quite valued and respected.

Born as the niece of a seer and losing her mother to the purge, she knew she was eventually going to be the next seer since her aunt never had children . Growing up, she always dreamt of having mind-blowing prophesies but when she didn't even have a vision for once, she knew something was wrong.

She became to doubt herself eventhough auntie told her it was just a matter of time but she was never satisfied, she wanted it quickly.

Now she had it but at the cost of her aunt's life, they hid the truth from her. It turned out , there can never be two seers from same linage. The death of a seer results the birth of another , there can never be a new seer unless the death of the former one .

The gift of seeing was great but unfortunately all good things comes with a cost and that was the cost her aunt Miranda paid .

Being a seer comes with long life but not immortality, because the visions itself sometimes takes a huge toll on the mind and the body.

Her aunt had lived past her given age but abdicating her gift was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Thanks to her impatience, her aunt miranda relinquished her ability and gave up the ghost.

"How are you holding up? " Amala, one of the oldest and strongest witch asked. Amala was also the leader of the falcon coven and had a notable position within the council.

"I feel like a murderer " Cassie answered, running her hands through her hair, ruffling it in the process. She was slowly losing it.

"It's not your fault, Cassie. She choose to transfer her powers to you " Amala consoled her, rubbing her shoulders affectionately.

Cassie sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand . She looked up "I pushed her into this, she would've lived longer if I wasn't so obsessed with this goddamn gift "

Amala frowned, tightened her grip on her shoulder and scolded her " Listen you naive child , I will not stand here and watch you riddle yourself with guilt " she warned

" This is a price every seer has to pay . It is a choice she would've made later if she was alive but I'm sure she had an important reason for abdicating sooner"

Cassie laughed, painfully. Of course, she knew why, it was all because of Lia ! If she hadn't met Lia, all this wouldn't have happened.

Cassie clutched her fists tightly. Aunt miranda wasn't seeing visions anymore, she was dieing until she dreamt about Lia. She knew there was something wrong with the girl and wanted to investigate her, she couldn't tell if the girl was a blessing or a curse.

Sadly, her ability was failing her, she didn't have time on her side. So what other way to fulfill her last mission than to dump it on the soon to be seer - no scratch that, the new seer. Her.

"No offense but did you notice anything that could have triggered Miranda to abdicate early?" Amala asked with a frown on her face.

Eventhough she and Miranda weren't besties but working together all these years, a bit of Miranda's character had rubbed off on her. One thing she knew about Miranda is the fact she wasn't impulsive but a thorough and careful person. So she doing this out of nowhere was definitely suspicious.

It took every strength she had not to mention Lia , she just couldn't, she promised her aunt.

"No "She replied Amala calmly but beneath , her heart was bleeding.

"Fine then " Amala said regarding her slowly "Call me if you need anything " She said, patted her on the shoulder and left.

Cassie felt like throwing up, she just lied through her teeth. She just hoped her aunt was right , else she will deliver Lia to the council herself.