David's hand froze on the ornate door handle, the princess's words echoing in his mind like a challenge to reality itself. "The one who walks between worlds..." How could she possibly know? The system notification still burned in his vision, confirming what he'd begun to suspect: this wasn't just about royal bloodline anymore.

This is either going to be the best decision I've ever made, he thought grimly, or the one that gets me killed.

"Master," Vespera whispered behind him, her ethereal form shimmering with unease. "Something feels off about her voice. Are you sure we should trust this?"

David adjusted his Umbra Veil maid disguise one final time, steeling himself for whatever lay beyond. "Too late for second thoughts now."

He slowly opened the chamber door.

The room beyond was a luxurious prison, gilded cage bars disguised as decorative elements lined the walls, while tapestries couldn't quite hide the reinforced stone beneath. Tall windows showed the beauty of the outside world while keeping their occupant firmly contained within. It was elegant captivity, but captivity nonetheless.

****

Princess Elyssira sat by a tall window, moonlight cascading over platinum-blonde hair that fell in loose waves past her shoulders. An ornate silver mask concealed her eyes, adding an air of mystery to features that would have been beautiful even without the otherworldly aura surrounding her. Her dark gown with gold embroidery and flowing cloak spoke of royal elegance, but her slightly frail posture hinted at long years of confinement.

She turned toward the door without seeing, her voice carrying that same temporal displacement that made David's skin crawl. "You may drop the disguise, David De Gor. I have no need for sight to recognize a soul I have seen in the streams of tomorrow."

David allowed the Umbra Veil to fade, returning to his true appearance. The transformation released some of the magical strain, though his headache remained a constant throb. "How do you...?"

Her lips curved into a gentle smile that somehow managed to be both innocent and knowing. "I am Princess Elyssira Aurealis, though I suspect you know me by another name from your... previous understanding of events." The way she said it carried implications David couldn't quite grasp.

Previous understanding? What the hell does that mean?

Suddenly, text blazed across his vision with unprecedented intensity:

[SYSTEM NOTICE – ARC COMPLETE]

You have found the Last Seer: Princess Elyssira Aurealis, Oracle of the Distant Stars.

Final Arc: INITIATED

David froze. This wasn't just a door, it was a fault line. Whatever he'd triggered was bigger than he'd imagined, and it was already rewriting the rules.

Final arc, he thought. Of course, it had to be messy.

****

Elyssira gestured gracefully toward an ornate chair across from her sitting area. Despite her blindness, her movements carried a confidence that felt slightly unnatural, not the hesitant navigation of someone learning to live without sight, but the assured motions of someone who perceived the world through entirely different means.

"You carry within you the essence of three paths, David," she said as he reluctantly took the offered seat. "The lost and anguished hero, the mad destroyer, and the last hope. I have seen all three futures."

That sounds familiar... David frowned, something tugging at his memory. Three paths... wait, didn't someone mention that before? The recognition was there, hovering just beyond reach, but he couldn't quite make the connection.

"You're talking about destiny, aren't you?" he said carefully. "About paths I might take."

Her silver mask caught the moonlight as she tilted her head slightly. "Destiny is a river with many branches. Some flow toward redemption, others toward ruin. But all rivers eventually reach the sea." Her voice carried that same otherworldly quality that made time feel fluid around her. "You were sent here by forces I cannot fully see, but their resonance with my sun blessing tells me they mean well."

"I do not know who 'they' are," she continued, "but I trust in the warmth their influence carries. It speaks of hope rather than despair."

Vespera floated closer, studying the princess with newfound respect and wariness. "There's something about her that feels... timeless, Master."

That makes two of us feeling unsettled, David thought, watching how Elyssira seemed to exist slightly out of phase with normal reality.

****

"Why are you telling me this?" David asked, confusion bleeding through his strategic facade. "What do you want?"

Elyssira stood gracefully, moving toward him with that same supernatural confidence. Her spatial awareness was too perfect, her navigation too smooth, she moved like someone who could see obstacles before they appeared.

"I want you to take me on your journey," she said, her voice carrying a warmth that made David's pulse quicken despite his wariness. "This meeting was meant to be, David. Our paths... they converge in ways that matter."

The intimate tone in her voice was unmistakable now, and David caught the soft blush that colored her cheeks as she continued. "In the streams of possibility, I have seen many futures. In some, we stand together against the darkness. In others..." She paused, her blush deepening.

Is she... flirting with me? David's mind raced. That sounded like flirting. But she's a seer, maybe that's just how they talk about destiny? What the hell does she know that I don't?

"Together?" he said, fighting to keep his voice level. "I mean, I need your help with something, but I'm not sure what you're implying here."

Her mysterious smile widened, carrying implications that made his chest tight. "Our deaths were set in stone in the original tapestry. But that tapestry... it can be rewoven."

Our deaths? The way she said "our" carried a familiarity that David definitely didn't understand. Why does she keep talking like we have some kind of history?

****

As David processed Elyssira's cryptic words, the princess suddenly turned toward where Vespera floated, ostensibly invisible to normal perception.

"You hide in winter's embrace," Elyssira said directly to the Winter Devil, "but I see the spring that awaits you."

She reached out and gently touched Vespera's ethereal hand.

"How can you...? I'm invisible!" Vespera exclaimed, her shock evident.

The moment their skin made contact, Vespera's entire form went rigid. Her eyes widened in terror as images flashed before her, brief glimpses of possible futures that David couldn't see but could feel through their bond. Fragments of redemption, trials that would test everything she'd become, choices that would define her existence beyond servitude.

Vespera jerked back as if burned, her ethereal form trembling like leaves in a winter wind. "Master, she's... she's terrifying. Not evil, just... she sees too much. Knows too much."

"Forgive me, Vespera," Elyssira said with genuine remorse. "My power grows stronger each day. Sometimes the visions come unbidden when I touch others."