Chapter 722 Walking With The Oracle [Pt 1]
'She's perfect!'
Now that he was in her presence once again, Rey became reminded of how he felt the first time he laid eyes on the epitome of beauty.
The Oracle's every frame was perfection itself—from her perfectly beautiful face, to her shimmering blue eyes, and the dress she wore which was adorned with gold and all other forms of jewels.
Her hair was whiter than all else, and the fact that her body was bathed with the brilliant golden rays of the sanctuary around her only increased her appeal. Her very posture was full of elegance, and the way she stoically gazed upon Rey made her appear all the more majestic.
"So, you've returned…" She broke the silence, her eyes trailing to the Elf that Rey tightly had close to his chest.
It was only when she said this that Rey ceased his light gawking and cleared his throat in a slightly unnatural fashion. He felt like an idiot for staring that long, but there was just something about The Oracle that made it almost impossible not to be engrossed in her.
"Yes, so… I brought your Vessel." He raised Ciela high, showing the Elf in all her glory to the epitome of perfection before him.
"I can see that. Now, hand her over…" As The Oracle stretched out her hand to receive Ciela's unconscious body, Rey pulled it away and made a slight glare at The Oracle.
"Esme first. I've done so much already for this deal, so it's only right that I get her first, right?" He knew The Oracle was much stronger than he was, but he also remembered their last battle quite vividly.
'As long as I maintain control over the space around me, it won't be easy for her to grab Ciela from me. And, at this point, there's no need for her to refuse the deal since I'm in her domain with the prize.'
Just as Rey expected, The Oracle gave in.
"Fair enough." She said, moving away from Rey as her lips parted a second time. "Follow me."
Without wasting any time, Rey thrust his body forward and trailed behind the flowing hair that danced behind The Oracle.
They traversed the golden palace until they reached a door, which The Oracle opened. Its content was pure white, and she stepped inside, allowing Rey to follow suit before the doors closed behind them both.
'H-huh…?'
Upon entry, Rey was greeted with an entirely surprising sight.
The white point led them to what appeared to be a dense forest, filled with so many plants, shrubberies, and endless trees that seemed to stretch on forever. The door they came through had long vanished, and only the forest seemed to exist.
As Rey was silently wrapping his thoughts around what happened, The Oracle ceased walking and turned to face him.
"Don't waste time." As she said this, her eyes glowed blue and she slightly creased her brows in a glare.
"I was just observing my surroundings. That isn't a waste of time." He responded rather swiftly, refusing to be bullied by her.
Inasmuch as she was stronger than him, he couldn't dismiss the fact that he had certainly worked hard to qualify for this meeting. It wasn't like he was asking for some kind of favor this time.
This was something he earned! Besides… "It's ironic that, for someone so particular about time, you delayed me for so long before responding to my appearance in the Shrine."
He had spent at least thirty minutes there, and yet… she only responded when he was growing justifiably paranoid. Something told him The Oracle did this intentionally, but her constantly passive and detached attitude told him she wasn't the petty type.
So what was it? Why did she take so long?
"Synchronizing this realm with H'Trae takes time. It's why I took a while before bringing you here and sending you back the last time." The Oracle said with a calm, impersonal tone.
Once again, she didn't seem to care, but that wasn't what struck Rey.
'So she was taking it easy on me last time? Or rather… she didn't take too much action until she could send me back to the normal world, huh?' It somehow felt like bullshit, but since Rey had no other answer to his question, and he saw no reason why The Oracle would lie to him about such an inconsequential detail, he accepted it.
Once they walked a little more, the atmosphere suddenly changed. The dense forest vanished, replaced by the dry and hot climate of the desert.
Grains of sand suck to Rey as he moved, forcing him to kick them with every step he took. He was tempted to fly, but after seeing The Oracle walking, he decided to just continue.
'It's not like I'm growing tired or anything…'
The sand was just really uncomfortable, but since the fair maiden could endure it… so could he.
Not long after, the desert became an icy realm—surrounded by tall snow-capped mountains, with lands littered with snow.
The change was so swift that Rey didn't even notice it until it happened.
'Is this some sort of amalgamation of different spaces? Or do spaces of various kinds overlap here?' It was difficult to tell, even with his senses and spatial control.
Perhaps that was because The Oracle had more dominant authority over the space than him.
Rey planned to remain silent and simply observe, but after doing this for a while, his curiosity got the better of him, so he blurted out the pressing question on his mind.
"How long till we get to Esme?"
"...."
She didn't answer him, and kept walking instead. 'Tch!' Not liking the fact that he was ignored, Rey stopped moving, and not long after, The Oracle stopped as well. She didn't turn to look at him this time, but she did so anyway.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became a thunderstorm—with heavy rain descending from the darkened heavens, and swirling winds dancing all over the area. The immense darkness was illuminated by The Oracle's presence, and despite the heavy rain that fell, she did nothing to stop herself from getting drenched.
Instead, she uttered words that stopped Rey from uttering anything in protest. "You already know the truth about the Dragons, don't you? About their identity as Otherworlders… and their role in this world."
Rey's facade was that of stoicism—at least, that was what he hoped. He also ensured to keep it that way as he gave his response.
"What of it?"
"You must have an idea of how this world operates, then. It is a story… with a start, a middle, and an end… all of it determined."
Rey didn't know why The Oracle was telling him this, especially when his question was about Esme, but he wasn't going to waste such an opportunity—especially when she was being so talkative.
"Determined by who? You, right?"
"No."
Her flat answer caught Rey off guard, but he only followed up the response with another question.
"So who is the—?"
"I do not know. I only know a little more than you do about all of this… and the purpose of this world." She responded before he could even finish his words.
Then, as she turned to look at him, the dropping rain that cascaded down her face made it appear as though she was crying heavy tears.
"Just as you had no say in becoming a piece… I had no say in being a player."