Just as Drayce guessed, Yorian went to meet Evanthe.
Martha led the High Elf to a chamber where the Queen of Witches was waiting for him.
When Yorian entered that stone chamber, his gaze was welcomed by the familiar back view of a woman with long honey blond hair. Though they had not come across each other for more than a century, it was impossible for him to not recognize the most powerful witch to walk the lands.
In fact, the moment their group had entered the underground river behind the waterfall, he had sensed the aura of her power on some of the spells casted along the way.
Since then, he had decided to be patient and not seek her out, knowing the White Witch would call for him when the time was right.
Caramel eyes met his blue ones, holding nostalgia in them. It had been a long time since Evanthe had met an old friend.
Yorian courteously bowed like a gentleman.
"I find it unfair that every time I see you, I still cannot see through how strong your powers are. It's a little upsetting, as if the growth of my powers was nothing but a lie in front of you."
Evanthe laughed as she gestured for him to sit down on one of the chairs. "Still as competitive as ever."
The elf straightened himself, his smile easygoing. "My long life will be boring without spicing it up with a little competition."
"I see you still follow your mother's philosophy."
"How have you been, Evanthe?" Yorian asked as he sat down.
"Just as you can see," she replied calmly. "Good to see you after so long."
"I shall say the same," he said. "I can see once again you are here to protect a person. You take your responsibilities a little too seriously."
"Such is the life of a supernatural," She walked towards the chair opposite his and sat down. "It was a pleasant surprise to meet you like this. I see once again you have found something to interest your curious mind."
He waved a hand and commented, "Habit of a bored supernatural like me."
Evanthe understood. Her elf friend truly had nothing to do with his life but explore the vast world. Most times, he himself would seek trouble just to entertain himself, forging connections with individuals destined to carry heavy burdens out of a whim.
"How did you become acquaintances with the King of Megaris?" she asked.
He didn't reply immediately as he stared at her, those blue eyes of his trying to see through her thoughts. "Do you want me to pretend that I don't know about your relationship with King Drayce?"
"I will prefer it that way."
"As you wish." He shrugged. "To be honest, we became acquainted because of his wife. That little girl is way too special for me to ignore."
Evanthe smiled. "I guess this too is destiny. I am glad that you joined their group. Having you with us will ensure less unexpected trouble will disrupt us. We will need your help tonight. I am willing to compensate you with a treasure of equal value."
"I cannot say no to my old friend," he agreed. He then briefly told her his experiences from roaming the continent.
"Have you returned to Agartha after that war?" she asked after a while.
"I haven't," he replied, "but I didn't know you had left as well."
"Things turned out like that."
Yorian sighed. "Because you had to protect others."
"A sin is a sin as long as you break the rules. Doesn't matter the intentions."
"I can't deny this, as this is how things work for us," he said with a wry smile. "I don't think you merely called me to reminisce about the old days. Are you worried about something else?"
"I have been having a vision for a while now and it's related to Agartha."
Yorian was aware high-ranking witches could get a glimpse of the future, and chances were high that those visions were omens of death or disasters.
"Don't tell me another war is about to erupt?"
Evanthe shook her head. "In this situation, war would have been a lesser evil. A calamity will befall Agartha on the day of mourning."
Yorian was surprised. He then calculated the days. "That's tomorrow?"
"Yes, Seren's coming of age and the day of mourning falls on the same day, and I cannot leave things here to go to Agartha to oversee the situation."
"What did you see exactly? How can a calamity fall on Agartha?"
"The death of a being carrying divinity in his blood. That person is a spiritual pillar sustaining the kingdom, and his death will bring massive harm not only to his loved ones, but to the kingdom as a whole."
"For that person's death to affect Agartha that much, don't tell me it's about Draven Aramis."
"I cannot deny it."
The two remained silent for a while, and Evanthe smiled bitterly. "As always, we cannot do anything to stop it."
Yorain sighed. "One's destiny cannot be changed."
"If it was possible, I would have stopped so many of my visions from coming true."
"How can I help you? We cannot prevent his death even if we go."
"Once we take care of things here in Abetha and make sure Seren is safe, either you or I should head back to Agartha to stabilize the situation."
"Let's do that," he agreed. Seeing the worry on her face, Yorian asked, "You can't even leave despite knowing the danger Agartha will face. Are the enemies targeting Queen Seren truly dangerous? Can I ask who exactly we are going to face?"
"I suppose, you must have scried about that child's identity."
"I did, and I only found the existence of hellfire inside her, nothing about the people who sealed that inside her or the enemies hunting her. The one who has twisted her destiny to that extent is truly a cruel person. I cannot help but pity that young girl."