Syryn was wrapped up in a shroud of chill. He couldn't feel his arms and legs. Everything around him was white and cold. The mage looked around and saw nothing but white light. And It felt like he wasn't seeing with his eyes.

"Syryn Syryn Syryn Syryn Syryn Syryn"

​​

His name echoed through him; multiple echoes of the same voice that changed in volume and intonation.

"Syryn Syryn Syryn Syryn Syryn Syryn"

"Ugh stop!"

"Syryn"

"Thank fuck. What?"

"Hi!"

"Kill yourself."

The voice was annoying. It sounded like a little boy one moment, and then a little girl the other moment. Somehow the voice remained unchanged and yet different.

"Aww, Syryn, I'm here to help you!"

"Help with what?"

"Your long hard-"

"..."

"Future!!"

"That was so disturbing. Are you a child or pretending to be one?" He still couldn't see anything beyond white. Syryn felt like a soul drowning in an ocean of white.

"I'm very old. Very very very old!"

"Then why do you sound like a child?"

"That's because I never grew up."

"Okay...? What do you want from me?"

"Eh? Syryn, why would you ask that?"

"I'm not stupid."

"Unnn true true true."

"What do you want?"

"Alright, I'll get straight to it. I have a vested interest in your future, Syryn."

"Oh? How so?"

"Some people don't want you and Rowan to succeed. But you have to succeed. Otherwise... I might cease to exist."

"Okay... It's a nice story. I want to believe you but I find it very difficult to accept your explanation."

"Syryn Syryn Syryn, come on!! I'm not lying!"

"I don't trust mysterious voices that suddenly appear after I've been ambushed by some bitch who wants to kill me, voices that claim to want to help me."

"What can I do to prove myself to you, Syryn?"

"What do I know? That's your problem."

"You're so mean!"

"Can you stick to one voice? It's annoying."

"Fine! Which voice do you like?"

"Neither."

"... Ugh. I'm leaving!"

"Bye."

Syryn floated around wondering if he was trapped here for eternity. Did he just piss off the one entity that could get him out of this place? Was he trapped inside his mind? This was probably how Luci and Red communicated, he thought.

"Hmph! Syryn, if you're so rude then I won't help you."

"Fine. How do you plan to help me?"

"I can see bits of the future and the past. I can warn you when something wrong is about to happen!"

"I see. Clairvoyance is indeed a powerful tool that I could use."

"Right?"

"Right. So what's your deal?"

"Nothing. I just want you to succeed. And that would ensure that I live on as well."

"So you have no demands from me in exchange for your information?" Syryn found it suspicious despite what the child said about its survival being contingent on Syryn's.

"Well, there's one thing. You can't tell anyone about me and what I offer to you. If the others find out somehow, I'll be banished. So please! Keep it a secret, Syryn."

"You're really really suspicious. But you know what, I'll take your offer."

"Great. Don't be surprised when I sometimes pop in to pull you into this dimension." The entity sounded relieved that Syryn had agreed.

"Can you tell me who that woman was? The one that tried to kill me."

"Oh her? She's Elius. Don't get on her bad side."

"Elius?" Syryn waited for further information. Details. Anything.

"Yes, Elius."

"That's it? That's all you're willing to tell me?"

"Sorry. Just don't get on her bad side."

Syryn thought the entity was a bit stupid. "She tried to kill me. How much worse can it get? I might as well fuck with her if she's already out for my blood."

"Syryn, that would be a bad idea. Very bad!"

"Whatever," the mage sounded annoyed. "Since that's all I'm getting out of you, warn me if she comes around again."

"Only if you make an oath that our deal will never be revealed to a third party."

"Ok, I, Syryn Nigh'hart, swear that I will never tell anyone about the deal I've made with you. Is that it?"

A gold light flashed in his vision.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"A seal of oath. Now you can't break your oath, Syryn!"

Syryn had a lot to say. Seal of Oath was powerful magic and he wasn't happy about it being cast on him without having been informed of it before it happened.

"Uncast it."

"Eh... What's wrong?"

"Don't you think it's only appropriate to let me know before you cast a contractual spell?"

"But you said-"

"I said I'd swear an oath, not that I'd agreed to enter into a pact with you."

"Isn't that the same?"

"Tell me then, what is the difference between asking me to stay inside the house and locking me inside?"

"Fine... But I can't uncast it."

"How useless are you?" Syryn didn't feel bad about being mean to the entity that had forced the oath on him. His words would have been more scathing if the power difference between them wasn't so vast. The child was acting cute, but from how they'd been able to cast the seal of oath one-sidedly, he understood that they were much more powerful than Syryn could ever hope to be.

He was inclined to believe that it had been a deliberate action on their part to intimidate him.

"I don't believe you."

"It's not like you were planning to break the oath you made so what harm have I really done?" They asked, seemingly oblivious to having violated Syryn's autonomy.

"Forget it." He would have to find a way to undo the oath himself. "What is the consequence of breaking the oath?"

"None. You can't break it though."

"Help me make sense out of what you just said."

"Well, you just can't. You'll find out!"

"Get me out of here." Syryn was annoyed now.

"Already? Don't you want to know what's in store for your future?"

"Not really." If the entity's claim was real, they would freely aid Syryn. He wanted to wait and watch before believing their words.