The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Fifty

Darkness, Blood, gore, fire. Wazir's dream would have to be the most intense one he ever had in his whole life. His body felt like it was torched, his temperature above normal. He couldn't open his eyes, was finding it hard to breathe. The choking sounds he was hearing couldn't be him, as he couldn't even open his mouth to make a noise, but then again, he couldn't be sure what was real and what wasn't. What is causing this intense reaction? Why does he feel what he had never thought for a long while? Fear?

"Arise seer! A powerful voice boomed, somehow dragging him out from the dangerous space he was in. He opened his eyes and gasped loudly, like a drowned man who suddenly had a breath of air. He took deep breaths, hitting his chest as he tried to calm down. What was that dream? Why did he have it? He looked around, thinking to call for a maid who would attend to him. Instead, he found himself in another room, everything a mixture of colors both blindingly bright and Cringey dull. The room looked like it was there and was not. It was almost as if it was waiting for him to command how it should look.

"Where am I? He asked loudly. Wazir has been in so many situations before that merely rose the feeling of surprise or intrigue in him. Maybe because he had foreseen what would happen to him. Although he can't see what would happen to him in the far future, he can see what would happen to him in the recent future. He had grown so used to predicting moves and thoughts with the aid of his power. But now, after that dream he had, coupled with finding himself in a place that wouldn't be classified as normal, to say he was disoriented would be an understatement. He looked down at where he was and saw that he was floating in the air. Swallowing down the zap of shock that coursed through him, he tried to move, but the action seemed futile as if something held him in place.

"Wazir, Son of Neba." The booming voice that had woken him up sounded even louder than when he had been in a semi-conscious state. It seems to surround him from every corner, making it hard for Wazir to know who-or what spoke, and where they were.

"Who is there? Who are you?" The silence seemed to echo as loud as the voice had, and

no one answered. Time stretched a bit too long for Wazir in that environment, and he wasn't sure

if mere minutes had already passed or days. Suddenly, a figure shimmered out of nothingness, its form shaping to resemble a woman. Once she appeared, Wazir's eyes widened in recognition. "It's you!" The female seer who had appeared to him to warn him of what was to come stand in front of him, all the way at the other side of the room, dressed in a black flowing and somewhat large gown.

"Were you the one who spoke earlier?" She remained quiet, her pale white eyes looking at him.

"What is going on? Why did you bring me here?" She didn't reply, just stood, studying him.

"Answer me, damn it! What's the point of bringing me here if you won't talk to me?" The

woman moved, staring at Wazir with so much intensity, which shouldn't have been possible, as there was no pupil in her eyes, only the white areas, and she had also been staring at him from the beginning.

"I was seeing... possibilities." She replied, her calm tone mocking Wazir's angry one.

"You were seeing a vision?"

She kept quiet again, and Wazir could have sworn that she seemed confused, almost as if

she didn't know what to do or which path to take. For all the times she had appeared in front of

him, she had expressed no emotion. To see it flash across her face was shocking.

"A war is coming." She stated as if talking of the weather. At this point, Wazir had given

up trying to rush her up to say what she had to say.

"You think I don't know that? I am a seer myself."

"A war which would change the balance of history again. At first, there was sixteen, and

then four. Now this war, would cause the whole kingdoms to become one. Both the hidden ones and the obvious ones."

At that, Wazir straightened, his expression serious. He had thought that the Allikans were

the only threat, but to think that there was more? Enough to cause another one like that of his ancestors? He wasn't born then, but even he had heard the gruesome tales. He could only imagine

how bad it had been. He shivered, wishing he could move so he would hold himself.

"Hey, uh while I love the heads up you are giving me, can you remove any bind that is restricting me from moving here?"

"You are a stranger. You would not be able to make any move. The more you appear

here, the lesser the hold on you would be."

"So there would be other times that I would come here?" He asked, aghast.

She remained quiet, merely giving him the same blank look she had on her face. Wazir sighed.

"You mentioned hidden kingdoms. What do you mean?" He asked after a while. "After the war of the sixteen tribes, not every tribe was vanquished. Some escaped, building their own settlements and taking care of them for generations. Some still retained their powers; others lost theirs. Still, they refused to come to the spotlight of any kingdom. The men you fought with are just one of those tribes. They are the kick-starters to the main war, and they have a formidable weapon, a weapon strong enough to bring down cities at a single thought. "How can we guide ourselves against them?"

"You cannot." She deadpanned. "The only thing you can do would be to protect

yourselves for as long as you can, but even a kingdom as formidable as yours can only go for so long. Your armies are made of living, breathing men, not puppets you can control at your mere will." Wazir's thoughts swam, already thinking for alternatives.

"But there is only one way to turn this war to your favour."

"And what is that?"

"Your niece is the key that would determine the outcome of this war."

"Elena?" Wazir breathed, fear for his niece crowding him. He had always known that

Elena would play a more significant role, but after hearing how brutal the war would be, he wasn't sure he wanted her to be part of it.

"Find the close dead and bring to life. Find the living and bring to death. This is the only

way to save yourself and your Kingdom. It would also play a huge role in tilting the outcome to your favour."

Wazir gulped. "So there is still a chance that we might not be able to win?"

"I have told you all that I can. It is up to you now." Her eyes moved to a place behind

him, but he knew she wasn't staring at anything and just in deep thought.

"I need to go. I am needed somewhere."

"Wait!" Wazir called out. Had he been able to move, he would have run over and grasped her arm.

"Since you are helping me, why don't you show me your real features? You know mine, isn't it fair that I know yours?" The woman looked at him, cocking her head slightly. "You are sharp, seer. No other would have been able to notice my fake appearance, even

if they looked as much as they liked, and you did that with just a few glances. Unfortunately, though, your plea cannot make me give up my shield. Win the war, son of sight, and you would see me for who I am."

At that, the world changed, his vision mixed with haze and dizziness before finally, he landed in a soft area. He opened his eyes and found himself back in his room, on his bed, and no one looking at him as if he was about to die. But people would die if he didn't get to work immediately, and with the way the woman spoke, the deaths accompanying his actions didn't seem too far away.