Lightning struck without end, filling a small blue orb with otherworldly power. Jamie climbed the mountain as though he held the center of an exploding universe in the palm of his hand. All of the lightning that plagued Azul Mountain; came to a single point targeting Jamie's palm.

"Shit! Shit! Shit."

Cold sweat had broken out on every square inch of his body as he rushed to the peak.

"Where is she? Where? Come on, damn it! Come on!"

Jamie desperately looked toward the peak but saw nothing. All he knew was that the great seer was at the top of the Azul Mountain Range.

Not where she was, specifically on the mountain...

"Shit! We don't have a lot of time!"

"How much time do we have, Lord?" Aramesh, usually calm and centered was practically panicking at the immense power on display before him. It was as if hundreds of 6th Circle spells all coalesced and struck a single point. That kind of power was the stuff of legends and myths, and he knew it.

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out!"

Jamie and Aramesh pushed up the mountain with every ounce of magic and strength they could muster. They made it past a massive gorge in the mountain and climbed to the peak overlooking a vast mountain range. Still, there was no sign of the oracle.

"This is the highest peak! She has to be here! Shit! Shit! Shit! We might have to try again later! This isn't right!" Jamie looked down at the small pearl collecting so much light and heat that it seemed to glow brighter than the sun in his hand.

And that glow was only getting brighter and brighter with each passing second.

Aramesh stopped in place, focusing on a sound. "Wait, Lord! There's something here! Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Jamie closed his eyes and tried to listen to the sound.

"Hmm! Hmm. Hmmm! Hmm. Hmm!"

Below them maybe one hundred meters south in an inconspicuous little alcove, a rhythmic humming echoed past the thunder. The humming was just loud enough to get past the uproarious shrieking: that came from endless lightning. As he struggled to hear Aramesh, Jamie had to concentrate and summon his full concentration.

"There!" Aramesh pointed directly at the alcove and started to move toward it.

Not wasting any time, Jamie leaped after Aramesh, diving toward the entrance of a small cavern. The cavern entrance was small enough to fit maybe two or three people if they walked shoulder to shoulder. Suddenly, the humming abruptly stopped.

"Miss Oracle! I know this is presumptuous of me, but is it possible if I could take some of your time? I have come far in hopes of asking you a few questions! If I bring offense, Miss Oracle. I'd like to apologize now for wasting your time!" Jamie waited nervously at the foot of the dark cavern. Still holding an orb of devilish light above his head as streams of lightning poured down.

Jamie's neck felt cold as he looked at the ominous darkness in front of him. It looked like the open maw of a beast of old waiting in the dark.

"Gulp."

A childish voice tinged with age and wisdom echoed out of the abyssal cavern. "Jamie Melhorn Vallas and Arameshi Shadi Mustafabad? Hmmmm." The voice paused, before saying, "Place your stone at the entrance and come in."

Aramesh froze as though he had seen a ghost. He had never given anyone his full name. Not even Jamie knew his full name until now.

He couldn't help but mutter, "Impossible." under his breath.

Jamie looked no better as his skin seemed as pale as a man pulled straight out of freezing cold water.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Jamie slapped both of his cheeks two times before patting Aramesh on the back. He walked to the cave entrance and placed the lightning magnet down. All lightning ceased to strike the orb and seemed to immediately retreat from them, cascading down the mountain like deathly blue snakes.

The seer was not a being to leave waiting too long. Jamie and Aramesh gathered their courage as they entered the dark cavern together.

They were greeted with the sights of a massive chamber filled with fine marble columns and swaths of fine golden linen. The chamber itself was massive. Large enough to hold a small city within, and was filled with gold, jewels, bookcases, and all kinds of rare treasures sprawled about in organized heaps. The entire cavern was filled with a mysterious golden light and smelled of fresh flowers and wine. It seemed more like the appropriate hiding place of a dragon of old, not an oracle...

Jamie froze.

A thought had entered his mind. One he couldn't shake. It was something to think about later, but right now he needed to focus.

"Please come in. Sit, children. I've made some tea."

There in the middle of the treasure-filled chamber sat a small child. She looked almost corporeal in appearance. As though she didn't quite fit in with reality. Long white hair draped over the child's body and lay scattered on the floor, ghostly white eyes holding no emotion held the attention enough to suck away the spirit, and a southern-style dress with golden filigree bore the appearance of an Empress ready to make her judgment.

Jamie thought he might have entered a situation even he couldn't prepare for.

"I was expecting you, Jamie. Hmmm, you like being called Jamie yes?"

Jamie walked with a trembling Aramesh in tow and sat in front of the seer. He bowed his head and said, "Yes, that is right Oracle! Thank you, for granting me an audience!"

"Of course, you've been looking for me for..." The child looked into space as her white eyes seemed to gloss over for a moment before looking back at Jamie. "Ten years, nine months, three weeks, four days, thirteen hours, forty-seven minutes, and... twenty-three seconds. That is quite the search. Though you should have seen me about three months ago: before I arrived at Mount Kai. You seemed to have made a detour along the way." Her eyes glazed over once more for an uncomfortably long time as a frown marked her face.

Aramesh was shaking uncontrollably, though Jamie couldn't blame him. The southern warrior had always had an inhuman instinct that couldn't be discounted. It was the reason he was here in the first place, and for all the horrible monstrosities Aramesh had witnessed. None made him react like this.

"Ahhhhhh. I seeeeee. You took a detour because of the singularity. So many, many things have changed and continue to change. I almost feel mortal again. Too much chaos. Too many possibilities." A terrifying inhuman smile marked the child's face as she gazed at something unseen.

In an attempt to gather some information, Jamie asked, "Singularity?"

"Ohhh. That is not the question you intended to ask, is it? I thought you came to ask about your father?"

The hairs on the back of Jamie's neck stood up like his every thought was laid bare. A sickening feeling of being naked seemed to overpower him for a moment before he recovered.

"O-oracle, that is one of my questions, but I had several others I wished to ask."

"Yes, you did. Hmmm. Too many questions. Too much of my time. You can ask me three questions, and little Shadi: you may ask me one."

Jamie's heart froze. There were so many questions he needed to ask, but... there were a few that took precedence.

"How much time do we have until the ancient evil Lamashtu escapes her seal, and how can we stop it?"

"That is two questions, Jamie. Would you like to ask them both?"

"Yes." Jamie bit his lip. He needed this information no matter what.

"Well, I'll be nice, child. I'll make it one question for you. Lamashtu is already partially released."

Jamie gasped, "No! No! No, that's impossible! The seal is still in place!"

The Oracle raised her eyebrow before saying, "Well, I have no reason to offer you this information, but there is more than one seal for Lamashtu. She is an ancient evil, not an ordinary evil. Her soul is split into seven different pieces and each one holds a different power. The one you are thinking of is responsible for widespread plaques and death. If you are asking about her full release then..." The oracle looked into space for a long time. Minutes passed as Jamie's knuckles went white from gripping his thighs. After what seemed like an hour, her gaze returned after a distortion in space.

"The timeline has changed. She should have been released in about twenty or so years, but... Now it looks as though the singularity has changed things. She will fully descend in a little over four years. Though that could be faster or longer depending on the singularities actions."

"Four!" Jamie's lip bled from biting it too hard. His family had been responsible for guarding an ancient threat for centuries, and now he finds out he was only responsible for a small portion of that entity. And that entity was about to be released in four years? There was no way to be prepared for the situation devolving as much as it had.

Despite declaring the advent of an ancient evil that could end life as he knew it, the oracle seemed to have zero vested interest in it. Like she was talking about a neighbor's cabbage patch and not the end of the world.

"How to stop it... Hmmm. There are two methods available to you currently."

Jamie waited with bated breath.

"There is a possibility of the singularity stopping this being on its own. Though, the very nature of the singularity is a mystery to me. However, even if that is possible the singularity will need time. Time to grow. The singularity grows stronger by the day. Burning brighter and brighter like a miniature sun, but I know very little of its nature. If you wish to avoid mass death and leave this to fate there is another way."

"What is it?"

"In the Empire currently known as Argon, deep within a certain ancient cathedral in its capital is an entrance to a chamber such as this, and in the deepest corner hidden amongst untold treasures, there is a rusty sword. This sword is the sword of Lamashtu. Holding the power of death; it is the ancient evil's greatest power and also its only weakness. If you can use this sword on Lamashtu before it awakens then you can kill her before she completely descends. Though it may work on her even if she does. This is the only tool within your reach that could stop her, given your current timeline."

Jamie digested the information, trying to process everything he just heard. His perfect memory allowed him to remember every word and every detail, but the information itself was difficult to process. He waited a long time before asking his next question.

"Is there a way for me to stop the war with Argon?"

"Hmmmmm. That is an easier question. Ally yourself with the Beast Kingdom and Elion. They should provide just enough power for you to stop the war, but you are already well on the way to stopping it. The heaviest casualties seem to be in Lome. If you wish to reduce casualties you might want to focus your attention there."

Ask stupid questions and get stupid answers. It wasn't completely useless, but it was no more helpful than telling him what he already knew. Chiding himself: Jamie thought of his next question. He wanted to ask about his father, but... He knew the value of the question he had left. He had wanted to ask for the location of ancient treasures and powers and maybe even ask for secret knowledge. There were many questions he wanted to ask, but now he was left with one.

"What is the singularity? You keep mentioning it, and how has it changed things. What is it?"

"You don't ask of your father? Interesting. I suppose even this question was caused by its existence. As for what it is. I don't know. It is a foreign beast or entity that has entered our realm, and its actions directly influence the fate of this realm. Whether that be good or bad I am not yet sure, but all shall be revealed in time."

Jamie looked so disappointed with the answer he could barely resist the urge to frown. This was not the place to act out in any way.

"Well, I can give you an additional piece of information since I do not know the exact nature of the singularity. I can see how disappointed you are."

"No! No! I wouldn't dare be disappointed, Oracle! Thank you for your consideration!" Jamie bowed his head quickly as the seer smirked at him.

"I can tell you where it is."

"Really? That could be very useful." Though Jamie wasn't sure how it could be used. Information was always useful. Especially with something as mysterious as this singularity. If the information weren't worth the risk, he wouldn't have gone out of his way and taken such to meet the oracle in the first place.

"The singularity came into being about five years ago in the human Kingdom Elion. If I remember correctly...hmm... long ago that land was ruled by a tyrannical elf with mind-rending power." Her eyes glowed for a few seconds before she continued, "I seem to have made a mistake the land with the tyrannical elf was Ayes. Interesting. Both lands have been split in recent years. Deep within the kingdom lies a burning star. It grows more powerful by the day, and changes the fate of our world with its every action."

It made sense to Jamie. Whatever was happening in Elion even he could feel it. He thought it was because of the powerful Red Tower Master, but there seemed to be even more going on than he initially thought.

"Thank you."

The oracle turned her gaze to Aramesh and said, "You may ask me any question you so desire."

"Where is the current location of the Temple of Teseka?" He looked to Jamie and bowed his head, "I am sorry my lord, but this information was one which you said was a priority. If I could ask about your father. I would."

Jamie did not look disappointed as he nodded at his attendant. He knew he had not fully utilized his questions properly. There was no way of knowing the limitations or the type of answers one would get from the seer.

"The Temple rests in the sea. Off the coast of Brightmouth one hundred and thirty-seven miles north lies the temple of Teseka deep within the ocean within the many trenches of the sea.

Her eyes stopped glowing as the chambers they sat in grew dim and dark, "Now that you have had your questions I will leave you a prophecy of sorts. One of which I suggest you share with as many as you can." Deep power flooded the chamber as her voice boomed with thunder and power, "Deep is the Darkness of Lamshtu and Deep is the dread brewing amongst the stars. Gather thy forces, lay waste to fools and heroes and watch all the rise of a singularity. Like a phoenix that rises from the ashes so too will Mirth rise again! All the ragged skins and retched souls shall gather, and all the wicked hearts shall converge. There comes a winter made of flame, and there comes a summer filled with snow! Let the stars converge as Mirth blocks the sun."

A great flash of light overcame Jamie and Aramesh's eyes as they covered their faces with their arms hissing from pain. When the sound and light vanished they were outside of the chamber at the bottom of the mountain. All they could see was the endless storm of lightning and the dark clouds above. There was no sign of the cavern of golden light or the mysterious oracle.

"Well, that was both extremely helpful and also not so helpful." Jamie sighed. His clear-cut questions weren't answered in the ways he had hoped.

"How the hell are we going to get to the bottom of the sea, and what the hell is the singularity?" Aramesh seemed to shake his head as he looked at the mountain with Jamie.

He avoided talking about the prophecy as that was something worth deciphering later.