Chapter 291: Visitor from the Divine
The night chill permeated the air, creeping through the quiet streets of Heartland City. But it wasn’t the Anomaly’s power that sent a shiver through my tail, but the white-robed figure standing before us. The priest was middle-aged, with a touch of grey at his temples, and a soul around third-level. His eyes glowed with a familiar power: gold, and laced with stars. Most discomforting, however, was the presence he exuded, a foreign, unfathomable depth that could belong to mortal.
"Perhaps I was hasty in calling you heroes, Korra, and Rachel. One has forsaken the gods, while the other lay forsaken."
The voice that boomed forth out of the man’s mouth was deep and masculine, resonating like a violin’s strings pulled taut. It sent shivers down my spine, not from fear, but from a primal recognition. This wasn’t the voice of my goddess, but it held the same undeniable weight–the power and dominion of Fate itself. It was like hearing the warbled cry of a ghost, and I stumbled back a step, my tail lashing uneasily.
"No, this isn’t right. Who are you?" I took another step back, nearly bouncing off of Korra. She laid a hand on my back, steadying me, her warmth reassuring my spirits as much as her hand my balance.
The priest smiled, clasping his hands behind his back. "I come bearing an oracle from the Divine. A warning, perhaps, to more accurately describe it. You are to cease your intentions at once. If you persist in meddling in the affairs of this world, and proceed to Brithlite, nothing but calamity will follow. Tens of thousands shall die, their homes and families consumed by blade and fury. Their blood will be on your hands, Xiviyah, and nothing will ever scrub them clean."
My tail coiled uneasily. "You’re lying. You have to be! I’m going to save her, I’m going to save Sari."
The priest extended his arms out to either side, baring himself to me. Though his lips teased a condescending smile, his voice was cold and demanding. "You would deny your god? It seems the council was right, and you have been allowed to run free for far too long. I will tolerate this behavior no longer. By the order of Fate, Oracle of the Future, you are to return to the Divine Throne and submit yourself to the Pope."
The priest nodded succinctly, folding his arms behind his back. I shivered as his golden eyes bored into me, seeming to read my deepest secrets. For once, I finally understood how others felt when I looked at them: naked and exposed, completely vulnerable.
Suddenly, Korra’s laugh filled the air, slicing through the tension like an unsheathed blade. "Well, I’ll admit. This is a new one. Just who the hell are you, and what gives you the right to tell her what to do?"