Symphonic Odyssey
: Vol. Four: Odyssey’s Outset: Verse One-Hundred Sixty-Five

It took her a few minutes, but after her coffee was made, she rushed upstairs to change. When she came back, she was wearing something much more appropriate. She now wore flowing grey robes, which clung tightly to her frame thanks to a series of belts. It was still strange, but much better than being almost completely naked.

Elaine sat back down on her couch and tucked her legs under her. She took a sip of coffee and exhaled slowly as she savored the flavor. “So, these dreams,” she took another sip and continued. “Mmh, do they seem to defy the normal standards of time? Like, if you have multiple visions, does it take days or hours in the real world?”

Cypher thought for a moment, a little confused about what she meant, “Well, tonight, for example, it took several hours, but I must have experienced the scenario thousands of times. So I guess, hours?”

Elaine nodded slowly and sighed, “So you’re about as powerful as your mother. Look, I know it must have been tough growing up without your parents and all, but I want to make something clear right now. I’m not gonna coddle you. Expect me to be very blunt and don’t think I’ll spare your feelings.

“If I say or do something that upsets you, just know I’m not doing it on purpose okay? It’s just how I am and I’m not gonna change for you or anyone else. Got it? Now, as for your mother, well. How much do you know about her past?” asked Elaine as she refilled her cup from the coffee pot on the table.

Cypher recounted the story Galex had told him about his mother and Tyrina, and when he was finished, Elaine was nodding. “Yeah, that sounds about right. However, what he didn’t tell you is that your mother was disowned for a specific reason. She was an Oracle. As in, she could see and predict future events.

“Most of the so-called, ‘Oracles’ you’ll meet in this world are only charlatans. They have no real power and can’t truly see into the future. They just make vague guesses about a person and give loose predictions given what they learn. While others truly do have some predictive power.

“Your mother on the other hand, well… She was the real fuckin’ deal. Her power was stronger than most in this era, but it still had its limits. Most of the legit oracles take weeks to sort through a single session of visions, and by the time they awaken, they can only give sparse details and most of it is useless since the events have already happened.

“It takes time to see every individual outcome of an upcoming event, and if their visions only pertain to the following day, they can only provide hindsight. Which is fuckin useless and worth fuck all. But your mom? Eh, that’s much different. When she would have one of her visions, it would sometimes last for minutes, but more often than not hours.

“That said, when she finally came back to her senses, she could predict with almost perfect certainty the events of the next day or so. That kind of accuracy? Now that is worth something. Her dickhead of a father was adamant about marrying her off to some high-class family. If his plans had been successful, it would have catapulted him to the doorstep of the royals.”

Cypher was listening intently and drank his water slowly as Elaine spoke. Every so often she would yawn and stretch, pausing in her tale. “A true Oracle is rare. It isn’t something one can just become, only certain people in this world have the ability and among those that do, only a few are any good at using it. Your mother’s grandmother was a powerful Oracle, and she was married off just like Serenade’s father was attempting to do to her.

“It runs in the blood you see, and it sometimes skips a generation. That’s why Rachmaninov tried so hard, he couldn’t benefit from his own wife since the power was so weak in her, but Serenade? Well, with her he saw a real chance to climb the fame ladder. The man was quite a piece of shit if I do say so myself.

“Anyways, when she met Fenix and decided to be with him, Rachmaninov went into a rage. He almost even killed your mother just to keep her power from falling into the wrong hands. However, Fenix intervened and stopped that shit right in its tracks. Your dad was quite the fucking force to be reckoned with, and Rachmaninov stood no chance. Since he couldn’t gain anything from Serenade, he banished her from the family and took away her rights and title as a noble.

“That cut off the possibility of other nobles gaining the upper hand, since commoners, no matter how powerful, could only rise so far. Most nobles won’t even associate with them, and in that way, he closed off a lot of opportunities for Serenade. Your mother didn’t care though, her only regret was leaving behind her sister.

“My point is, you have that power and it seems just as potent if not more so. Although, it doesn’t seem like you can use it properly just yet. You mind telling me what you saw?” Elaine set her cup down and looked earnestly at Cypher for the first time, which made him feel a little weird.

“Well, a couple of my friends and I were in some kind of building, and we were being attacked by…” Cypher paused. He wasn’t sure if he should mention the Order of Eternal Night, but he decided that Elaine probably already knew about them given her past.

“We were being attacked by members from the Order of Eternal Night,” Cypher saw Elaine stiffen up and she scowled.

“Ah, those fucking shitbags. Let me tell you a thing or two about them,” Elaine stopped and shook her head, “Eh, never mind, go on,” she motioned for Cypher to continue and suppressed her rage.

“Anyways,” he continued. “They kept killing us over and over again. There was nothing we could do to stop them and every single time it always ended badly. Either my friends were killed first, or I died sometime before or after them. There was nothing I could do. I’m wondering to myself, if I am an Oracle, and can see into the future, is there anything I can do to change that outcome? Or is the future set in stone?”

Elaine looked upset and thought for a moment. Her finger swirled around the lip of her mug and she sighed, “The future isn’t set. That much I know. When your mother talked about her visions, she always said, ‘These are only possible outcomes. I have the knowledge, but what I do about it will determine the course of events.’ If I’m remembering right.

“I was never quite sure what to do with her tips about the future, but I always made sure to deviate from the norm as much as possible. Look around you, what about this place seems normal? Even after she vanished, I always made sure to keep being as random as possible. I might not have the inside scoop anymore, but I can be damn sure that I’m not predictable.”