Chapter 6 - Decision

While sitting in the rented car and heading back to the airport Sainna felt fatigue settling in. She had been on the move for the sever months, moving from one country to the next, meeting different people and deciding if they were worth the trouble of inviting to the gathering which would take place after the Ring had made its call. She knew that there would be no shortage of those who will hear the calling, but how many would answer it was hard to tell.

It was also questionable if she will manage to steer the meeting in a direction she wished for. “Sigh... Why is it so hard to read anything happening under the influence of that loop?” Sainna didn't know. She always pretended to more knowledgeable that she actually was. It helped for the young her to convince others, give her voice that they had to hear. Even now when she was almost an adult she often had problems of people not taking her seriously.

Well, Hall and Melita did help with that as well. They could be very scary when called for and someone with a secretary and bodyguard left a impression that she was someone important.

Being a seer people tended to take her words to the heart. At least when she felt like telling it to someone that she was a seer. She often decided of whom to tell upon meeting that person.

“This night too... Who would have thought that Theodore would overcome the other personality, all the visions before pointed of someone else being in control of his body, except for the last one...” Sainna pondered to herself while biting her lip. “Good thing that there was Mana Well there, loosing my sight before next meeting would suck.”

Sainna had experienced another vision as she was waiting for Theodore. In this vision she saw Theodore laying on the ground, in the spot she was standing in, where mana seemed to gather in. She saw him overcome the other personality in his body and becoming the one who was in control. Then shadows flared around him, covering Theodore from her sight.

At least it was not one of the more outlandish visions she experienced, sometimes she only saw frames she had to interpret herself. Other times, the was only smell or sound, without any visuals at all.

What she saw gave Sainna confidence, that Theodore could become very useful to her. Even if those shadows continued to cover his path, it was not something that Sainna was concerned about. This vision also gave her conviction in her previous guess, that the other personality was something supernatural, not just a psychological condition of Theodore's.

She didn't enjoy seeing how someone's else life would play out and when someone had an ordinary path ahead of him she found it to be easier to glean onto that path.

Not so with people she was looking for. They were often dangerous, had great determination, luck, heritage or all of those things, or sometimes none. It also made it hard for Sainna to meet them, not even mentioning actually convincing them to ally with her.

The other personality of Theodore was dangerous and Sainna was ready to make great concessions in his favor because as she knew time was running out. She only had successfully convinced two other persons to her cause and that would most likely be not enough.

“Miss, are you feeling well?” asked Melita with concern in her voice.

“Just a little weariness from all this traveling.”

“Maybe you should take a nap then, its still couple of hours till we get to the airport.” suggested Melita.

“Maybe..., how does preparations are going at our new house?”

“Good, we have stocked up with nonperishable food that would last for good few years if we kept population at that place in hundreds.” was Melita's answer. “The land around has been cultivated well, and should bring the first harvest in a few months.”

“And the weapons?”

“We have bought all the swords and armor you were asking for. We also managed to get more ammo for the guns you managed to get from your fathers stock.”

Sainna frowned, that old coot really had stuck his fingers in every illegal activity he could manage to. Sainna really hated the fact that she had to use his fathers contacts for some of the goods she had need for.

“Say Melita, haven't you gotten really good at being a secretary lately?” Sainna added.

“There have not been any good movies coming out, so I have more time to work.” Melita grumbled.

Sainna was left speechless, she knew Melita could be quite shameless, but for her to so clearly state that as a reason... Sainna could not help laugh out loud!

After Sainna finally stopped laughing, which didn't happen for a good few minutes because of Melita's continuous grumbling about bad directing and shit action scenes, Hall asked Sainna question that had occupied his mind for a while now.

“Miss, do we have to look for these people?”

“Oh, did Theodore scare you?” Sainna feeling better after the Melita's antics asked.

“He was... unnerving. Didn't feel as dangerous as the one in mountains, but more... unnatural.” Hall shuddered. He had a good intuition he had honed in his younger days, when he was just a common street thug with a penchant for fighting with his bare hands and Theodore was someone who would rather not meat again.

Sainna was silent for a moment before answering.

“Yes, I alone would not be enough, even with the help of you two the other parties involved would squash us under their fingers.” “Or at least if I interpreted my visions correctly they will.” Sainna added in her mind.

“Hmm, if you say so Miss. Where are we heading next then? Hopefully not to meet someone else that weird, are we?”

“Oh, don't worry, you may actually like the next person we are visiting.” Sainna answered.

“So, it is some weirdo again.” Hall sighed.

Melita turned on her tablet to look at the information in it of the next target, but before she could give read it to Hall Sainna reached over and turned it off again.

“Ah, that would be no fun, let me have some fun on Halls expense!” Sainna admonished Melita.

Hall sighed again, and wondered what had he done wrong to deserve this teasing.

Meanwhile Sainna laid down the seat.

“I will take a nap then, wake me up when we arrive at airport.” Sainna closed her eyes hoping that she would not have any more visions in her dreams and the dark nothingness would guard her from the world and problems that came with it.

---

“This has been one of the stranger nights I have experienced.” Theodore thought. His mind, frankly, was a mess. The trio came and was gone like a wind. This Sainna person left a deep impression to him, well, she was the only doing most of the talking. Theodore could not help but to cringe when he remembered how he had let her lead the conversation all the way trough.

Right now Theodore was walking back home. He had recharged his spent mana, but right now he didn't enjoy his favorite spell “Shadow Mind” as he usually did, especially when he was full of mana.

He was looking up to the nightly sky, ignoring the Ring that gave off a soft ever-changing glow.

He was thinking about the future. “She said we can make a deal. Resources I would need, so she probably knew I am researching magic, otherwise she would have said money. Not that I don't need money.” Theodore frowned, there still was a little bit of school left until graduation. Before his father would stop supporting him, as per deal. He certainly had no actual knowledge of how to make a living. He for a moment wondered of what the Other had planned, but soon threw that thought in the back of his mind. It wasn't of any importance anymore.

“So, that's good and all, if she is indeed some kind of prophet she probably can support me, but what would I have to do for her? Kill someone? But I am no killer and those two behind her probably can do that for her. I didn't even notice the gun that woman was holding. Not to mention that dude who looked like someone who fought bears for a living.” Not that Theodore had any of them clearly in the dark. He cursed the fact that today was no full moon hanging in the sky.

“Then what else, if she thought she was meeting the Other, maybe something to do with mind magic? In the end I don't know how much she knew about me. Maybe all she wants from me is my knowledge on magic and will ask from me to help with research. Not that I am any great mage by any definition. But maybe she knew that too...” Theodore really wished Sainna had told him more about... everything really. “She clearly knew a lot, she knew what is mana, could sense it too, she knew about other, knew about my affinity, my name, how did she got all that information?”

Theodore started to kick a pebble while walking. “And what did she say? Collapse of governments was it? How would that come to be? What world ending scenario would cause that? And what about that gathering? Who would be the ones that gathered? And it would be a result of a call? What call? She said “that” call? “That” what call?.”

At this point Theodore threw his hand in the air and screamed

“I don't fucking know! And why didn't she said anything about time! Is there a time frame I have to make my decision in? Aarghh!” Theodore was getting very, very irritated.

“Why are there so many questions!?” He shouted at the sky.

After he had done that he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. “In the end what matters is, do I believe her enough to make a jump from this bridge. So do I?” Theodore started to think to himself.

“I don't think she lied to me, she also has something planned, but it also didn't seem like I was a pivotal figure in it. She would have tried harder to convince me otherwise, no? In the end the lack of dealing with other people came to bite me in the ass. There is no way I can actually guess someones intentions without knowing them.”

Theodore found himself standing before front door of his apartment building. As he started to head up to his place he finally reached a conclusion. “In the end I actually want a friend don't I? She said she could become one didn't she?”

The next day he made a call. After a moment the call was connected.

“Is it you Theodore?” asked Sainna, her voice distorted by interference in connection.

“Yes, I have made my decision.” Theodore answered steeling himself for what was to come, reassuring himself about his decision. “I am in!”

“Good, there is only month left for us to get ready, I am happy to see you on board Theodore Michael Savo!” Sainna's voice sounded positively happy, much to Theodore's chagrin.