Chapter 173 THE PROPHECY'S WARNING

Chapter 173 THE PROPHECY'S WARNING
CHAPTER 173

THE PROPHECY'S WARNING

Michal stood behind his desk, both hands flat on the surface. The morning light coming through the windows did nothing to soften the tension in his shoulders.

“We need to find a way to make this happen,” he said. “The seal is cracking. Ember is the only one who can repair it.”

Mordecai stared at him. “You just finished saying we can’t force an awakening. It could damage her mind. We need it to happen the natural way, the same way her other elements appeared. While that happens, we look for anything that can slow the portals from getting worse.”

Michal let out a long breath and pressed both palms against his forehead. He stayed like that for several seconds before dropping his hands.

“Go through the book again,” he said. “Search for anything we missed. I’ll contact the officials and find out how they plan to handle this on their end. It can't just be ny headache.”

Mordecai nodded once, picked up the old volume, and left the office. The corridor outside felt colder than usual. He walked straight to his own quarters, locked the door behind him, and sat at the heavy wooden table near the window. He opened the book and started from the beginning.

The pages were stiff and smelled of dust and old ink. He read every line carefully, running a finger under the text when the script grew small. Hours passed. The light outside shifted from morning to afternoon.

At one point his eyes started to burn. He stood, walked to the small side table, and brewed a cup of thick black coffee. The bitter smell filled the room. He carried the cup back to the table and kept reading.

Most of the sections repeated history he already knew. He turned page after page until he reached a short passage near the back that he had skipped earlier. The writing was older, the letters formed in a dialect only a handful of scholars still understood. He slowed down and translated each word in his head.

When fire awakens, darkness follows.
When air joins flame, shadows hunger.
When earth rises, balance trembles.
When water flows, the Queen shall rise.
Four elements, one vessel, infinite choice.
She will bring dawn or eternal night.
But her rising shall not depend on the power she wields but on the decisions she takes along the way.

Mordecai leaned back in the chair. The wood creaked under his weight. He read the lines again to make sure he had the meaning right.

The prophecy made one thing clear. Ember’s choices mattered more than the strength of her magic. The Fire Queen was not born good or evil. She was a force that could be steered by the person who carried it.

History showed the different paths. Some Fire Queens became heroes. They stopped wars, protected cities, and left long stretches of peace behind them.

Others turned into tyrants. They burned kingdoms that refused them and left the ground useless.

While a few lost control completely. Their own power consumed them and everything they cared about.

Mordecai rubbed his face with both hands. Most of those queens had been older than Ember when they came into full power. Even then, many of them made terrible decisions.

Ember was still young. She was kind, but she was also inexperienced.

If Brienne or whoever stood behind the shadows learned this prophecy, they wouldn't need to kill Ember. They would only need to convince her she was making the right choices.

And the right pressure could lead her in the wrong direction without her realizing it until it was too late.

He closed the book and stood. He needed to take this to Michal immediately. Before he reached the door, a knock sounded. The door opened and Michal stepped inside.

Michal looked at him and raised one eyebrow. “You found something.”

Mordecai rolled his eyes. “Were you concentrating the sight on me the whole time?”

Michal smirked and walked farther into the room. “Don’t start thinking I care that much.”

Mordecai wrinkled his nose. “That’s actually disturbing. Why would I think so? I’m old enough to have a child your age.”

Michal’s smirk widened. "There have been younger people who've fallen for someone older. It happens. Some of those relationships even work.”

Mordecai stiffened and frowned at Michal. “Michal, stop playing games.”

Michal laughed, the sound loud in the quiet room. He was clearly enjoying himself. He winked once. “Relax. I won’t confess any undying love today.”

Mordecai ignored the comment and waved him over to the table. He opened the book to the marked page and pointed at the passage.

Michal leaned down and read in silence. When he finished he stayed quiet for several more seconds, then sat on the edge of the table.

“Her character is the best chance we have,” Michal said finally. “She’s still kind after everything she’s been through. She protects other people even when she’s afraid. If anyone can carry the Fire Queen’s power without letting it turn her into something worse, it’s her.”

Mordecai crossed his arms. “She’s also young. She can still be manipulated.”

“I know.” Michal tapped the open page once. “That’s why we don’t leave her to figure it out alone. We will talk to her. We tell her what the book says. We make sure she understands the weight of every choice before the fourth element appears.”

Mordecai looked at the prophecy again. The words sat heavy on the page. Outside the window the academy grounds were starting to empty as the afternoon classes ended.

Students moved along the paths in small groups, none of them aware of the seal that was slowly failing above their heads.

“She needs to know,” Mordecai said. “Soon.”

Michal nodded. “We’ll bring her now and inform her about it. We should not wait any longer.”

Mordecai closed the book with a soft thud. The decision was made, but the risk remained the same.

They could prepare Ember as much as possible. In the end the choices would still be hers.

And if she chose wrong, the portals would not be the only thing that broke.

The fate of two worlds rested on choices only Ember could make.