Watching Lily get scolded was a delightful experience. Everything from the shy smile and guilty blushes to the incessant tapping of her feet was priceless. She resembled a schoolgirl getting caught breaking the rules by a teacher. The scene should have been stern, and it would have been if it wasn't so comical.

"...absolutely, disgraceful, preposterous! You are the Saintess! Oh, hide your face, child. Heavens know you need another one after losing it in the palace. What were you thinking? Ah, dear me, I'm sorry. Pardon me for asking, you clearly weren't thinking at all." Satora's voice bit like a snake.

Lily squirmed in her chair. "He insulted me!" She protested. But her voice told both of us that she didn't believe it at all.

Satora's blank stare made her red face even redder. "Did he now? Tell me, my dear, what did he say?"

"He... he called me silly." She sounded so much like a schoolgirl that I couldn't hold back my laughter any longer. It was a wonder that such a spoiled woman existed in a world like this. She acted more like young girl.

Satora's sigh sounded like a groan. "Oh, and he was right. Yes, I think I'll call you that until you prove you can handle a better name, Silly."

Lily's red face turned white. "You can't!" She gasped.

"I'm your teacher, Silly. I can call you whatever you like. If you like, I can tell your dear father just how naughty you've been."

Lily's face went as pale as milk. "Um,no. No, no need. Of course not." She squeaked.

"Go to your rooms." Satora ordered. Lily bowed and zipped off faster than I could blink. Satora began breathing, fast at first, and then slower and slower until her breaths became calm. "Ah, I'm sorry you had to see that. Please, forgive me, the girl is childish."

I grinned. "Oh, I don't mind at all. It was quite the sight to see if I do say so myself. She really is cute."

"Cute. Who would not wish for a world where being cute was enough. Oh, if only this there were more people like you."

My grin faded. "A world full of naive young fools like me would be great indeed. But then, that world never existed did it?"

"Oh, I really am quite glad to see you are aware. No, it would never. In this world those few men who are good come to ruin amongst the many who are not. You, my dear, seem to be no exception." She said.

"Alas, even if ruin is the price if being a good and honest man I must pay it, because that is who I am determined to be." I said.

She chuckled. "Oh, how admirable. I do wish that my son----maybe not my son, I would want him to be a happy man; but any young boys I could find to be like you." Her face turned dark. "But then, when did we have a choice in who we would become? The world chooses, for all of us."

Satora pulled out a box. It was black, with purple trimmings forming multiple sigils of every plant and animal I could think of, and many that I could not. On top of it I saw roses, trees, grass, and lions. Tigers, falcons, and even dragons. She set it atop the marble table. "What do you know of prophecies?"

"Not much, Silvana told me a little about them."

Satora waved her hand in dismissal. "Silvana told you nothing. You seem to believe prophecies are some divine sight showing an event to come. Quite ridiculous, and laughable. A prophecy is a prediction. The most likely and accurate prediction, yes, but a prediction nonetheless."

"You mean, it can be changed?"

Satora chuckled. "Changed? I would not say so. Prophecies are made so unclear that it is almost impossible for them to be wrong. Ah, I'm confusing you. How about an example then? A prophet tells the great king that should he bring his army forth to attack his enemies he shall destroy a great empire. What do you suppose will happen?"

"He wins." I said.

"But he lost. The words I just spoke were from an old prophecy long ago. One that was not false. Can you tell me why, my dear?"

I frowned. "That makes no sense. Unless... the great empire he destroyed was his own? What's the point of the prophecy then?"

"You, my dear, are smarter than you seem. Yes, his empire fell into ruin. That, is the art of prophecy. The great king assumed the prophet's words to speak of his victory. In reality, the prophet only claimed that one side would be destroyed as a result of the war. That no compromises would be possible once it began. But there is more."

Satora opened the box. Light began spilling out, every single color I could see streaking high into the sky. "Do you suppose the prophecy influenced the great king? If he had not been so certain of his victory, would he have fought like he did?"

"He may have asked for a treaty, or maybe tried to compromise. That's if he started the war in the first place. Wait, so the prophecy was self fulfilling?" I realized.

"The young hero Peros was destined to save a princess. Had he not known, would he have left his village?" Satora asked, not seeming to hear me.

"So it is! So prophecies show us where to go? Or what to do?"

"Yes, in many ways. You are learning, my dear. Very good. For many people reading their fate makes their lives turn for the worse. For others, the better. The more powerful the method of reading is, the more a man's fate can be shaped. There are very few methods of reading more powerful than what you see now. It is called the bottomless deck, and it shows with clarity who you shall become."

Cards began overflowing, shuffling and squirming in the box that held them. It was stuffed full, so full it looked as if it were about to explode. Satora's voice rose, and the surrounding garden turned still as if the wind itself were listening. "The souls of celestials are coins that purchase lives by the millions. Whenever they receive a reading they are flipped, and the gods themselves shake when they land. I offer you knowledge of your fate, Leon Marshall. Shall you take it?"