Chapter 42 Her dream

Erica stared the woman right in the eyes. She couldn't show her a hint of fear. She needed to process her thoughts, all this came too much as a rush. This woman sure looked the part of a witch, but her coming to tell her, her future? She already knew her future. There was nothing hidden from her, she'd lived it once and it wasn't all fun. The reason she was given a second chance, she knew in her heart was to change her future.

"Did you think I wouldn't know about your little time heist?" she told Erica.

Erica raised her eyes, she knows?

"So fortune teller, tell us about our fortunes," Loki said with an indignant look.

"I am not a fortune teller. I mostly do not care about your fortune. Your misfortune however is all I can see."

"I think if you know about me, you should know that a bleak future is not something I haven't seen myself."

The woman laughed. "The future, my child… or should I say Little One?"

Erica was shocked again. "How do you know that?"

"Like I said, I am a diviner. It means I am clairvoyant to some extent. All that is hidden and uncertain is exposed to me. I see almost everything. I hear almost all that is. Even the squabbles of your inner thoughts, even the ranting of the god." she said with a little more seriousness.

Loki was the most on edge, he didn't like the fact that anyone was able to walk into Beatrice's bedroom unhindered. The fact that it was a psychotic old woman put him more on edge. He wanted to skewer her immediately and be done with it, but Erica seemed to be interested in whatever she wanted to say.

"Then what have you seen?" Erica asked.

"I do not speak of it. No. I am past the age of riddles and the time of poems. I will show you," she said. "Whatever you see is just a symbol. If you cannot interpret them, I will help you," she said.

"Then show me."

She raised her eyes, "Tell your demon to stand down. He's already killed me four different ways in his head."

Loki smiled widely.

"Don't touch her, Loki."

Erica was more poised to believe the woman than Loki, due to her secrets being slammed in her face. She knew the woman was no fake and she wanted to hear whatever this new future held for her.

The woman turned to her after Loki stood down, "Stretch your hand out."

She complied. And like a ravenous hungry lion, the old lady grabbed her hand, holding it so tight, that Erica could feel her bones cracking. She dropped to her knees from the pain, but the pain seemed to tear open something in her head. Her eyes turned white. She opened her mouth as her breathing stopped.

The next thing she would see was a castle. Her castle, white walls covering it. Then fire erupted from within it, causing a loud expulsion.

Just as that scene stopped, another took over and this time she was in a serene garden with flowers wafting around her, responding to the gentle breeze. A little whistling could be heard from afar. She turned around, trying to understand her situation.

She looked around to see four people sitting in the grass and talking with each other. Birds danced around them as they said something inaudible to her. She ran towards them, maybe they could tell her where she was. The moment she reached them, they all turned to her with a smile.

Erica almost fainted at seeing their faces. It was her family, all of them. She was shaking, her eyes couldn't contain the tears as they kept on rolling down.

"Mum?" she called out and the grey-haired woman nodded.

"It is me, my cute Ri," she affirmed.

"Dad?" she called again, her voice shaking now.

He nodded, a little grin on his face.

She didn't think twice, she jumped and hugged them. "How am I here?"

"Don't worry," Dreykov said this time. "You are not dead."

"I have so much to tell you guys. So much to speak to you about. So many questions to ask. I.. I…" She had no idea what to say, her entire throat was blocked by a lump. She was way too excited.

"We can talk when it is time for you to come here," her mom said. "But sweetie, it is not your time yet."

She nodded. "Dreykov," she said.

"Crybaby," he said in the same way he'd laughed at her when she was a kid.

Even in this medium, Dreykov was still annoying. She giggled involuntarily," Bye for now," they said and a wind erupted in front of her.

She opened her eyes, her clothes soaked in sweat. She breathed heavily, panting from extreme lack of oxygen. When she would get herself together, she found Loki's claws pressed against the neck of the old woman. "Wake her up!" he shouted. The woman pointed at her. "She is awake."

Loki turned back and exhaled.

"I thought I told you to stand down. Are you obsessed with me?" she chipped in a joke.

"You've been in that trancelike state for an hour," the woman's voice echoed through Erica's mind.

"Huh?" Erica blinked, her vision adjusting slowly to the dimly lit room.

The woman standing before her was bespectacled, her gaze piercing yet compassionate. Erica felt as though she had only closed her eyes for a moment, but the truth became clear as she glanced at the small hourglass on the table—it had indeed been nearly an hour.

"What did you see?" the woman asked softly, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.

"A castle," Erica began, her voice trailing as she tried to grasp the fleeting images. "Exploding from within, and my family..."

The woman nodded thoughtfully. "If I am to admit it frankly," she said after a pause, "I didn't expect you to be out for that long. But now I understand."

Erica's brows furrowed. "So what does my dream mean?"

"An exploding castle signifies betrayal," the woman explained, her expression grave. "But it's more complex than that."

Erica leaned forward, eager to unravel the mystery. "What is the complication?"

"It suggests," the woman hesitated, choosing her words carefully, "that external forces are influencing those within your inner circle, leading to destruction."

"It could also mean..." The woman's voice trailed off, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes. "That your castle might actually explode," she finished with a faint laugh.

Erica shook her head in disbelief, the weight of the interpretation settling in. She sank to the ground, the gravity of her dream pressing upon her. In the midst of her thoughts, a faint voice called her name. It was barely audible, yet unmistakable. Turning towards the bedside, she saw Beatrice's eyes flutter open.