Seer stared off as another Vision crept into her mind. This one felt… different. It felt like fire burning, burning at her eyes, and she'd squint against it.

Fire licked up dozens of places among the country, each notably a cavan settlement, each one filled with the screams that would claw at Seer's eardrums. She could see herself. could see the airship sailing through the skies, could see Jem's stoic face, could see the black sparking lightning leaping from their hands curled into fists. There were no shackles. Just burns ringing their wrists.

Seer felt the grief, the horror, as a bird of flame rose above the chaos. Rose from an island that was just beginning to burn, to storm. Jem would stare it down as it spread its talons, ready to drag them through the airship's body.

And Seer felt true, untouched anguish as she watched Jem walk off of the observation deck, without so much as a goodbye.

Even the phoenix would change course, diving its trajectory, its massive form plummeting but not fast enough. Seer felt herself scream as Jem disappeared under the trees, and as the phoenix's fiery talons crushed the entire area, screeching and digging to find the Caverna's body.

Tears fell in both vision and life, Seer's hands trembling as they cover her mouth, black-stained lips trembling. She'd never moved in sync with a vision, not like this, but the ache in her heart turned her dim glow to nothing, to darkness, and she felt something break. Something that wasn't supposed to.

Seer closed her eyes, fingers curling into fists and pressing into the backs of her eyes as if to force herself back into the present, as if FIGHTING the vision. Black lightning springing up from under the phoenix, crawling up its form and leaving it writhing in agony. She pressed harder, until spots danced in the vision. She didn't want to see what was next.

Colour draining from the phoenix's massive body until it was a monochrome heap, no more, no more, a form all too familiar, produced of darkness and shadow rising up, please stop, Please Stop, it rose further, higher, back toward the observation deck, its eyes only glowing spots of blue, its face shadowed and featureless, its form deathly, its hands stained red red red as they reached for her -

ŞŦØР!

She felt nauseous as she had sank her pointed teeth into her arm, bringing her back to the present with tears streaming down her face, she was so afraid of this future, so afraid of this becoming her present, and she didn't need Istus whispering in her ear to tell her this future was so close to being set in stone that she couldn't bear to let another vision come, not while these terror-filled sobs wracked her thin frame. If that happened, everything she's ever done would be for naught. This was worse than letting her clan die —

Her clan.

It felt like a years-strong dam shattered at the thought. Her /clan./ She'd forsaken the sweet, kindly smile of her Mate, of her Caretaker, she'd dismissed her Chief's warm heart, she let go of her Provider's adoring laugh and kindly embrace. Oh, Istus, what have I done? What have I let /happen?/ My Mate, my Home, my Caves, not even one proper burial rite or farewell, just gone.

She couldn't voice anything, not with how she sank against the wall of her room, of these foreign smooth walls of a construct, not a cave, never a cave, she couldn't find her voice as she curled into herself and trembled, hiccupped, choked herself into a quiet and perfect bereavement.

For the first time, Seer realised she was alone.

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