The One Who You Fear

Chapter 12: Oracles

Jack fought the electrical power to draw his sword, and the second he touched the hilt, it stopped. Harry and the well were gone, and everything was back to the way it should be. It was another dream. But this time he was awake! It was more than a dream; it was a vision. Jack shook his head and groaned. He had to learn the meaning of these visions.

He heard the new "Weasley is Our King" version as he reached the common room, but the moment Jack walked in, it fell silent. Neville took one look at him and ran straight up to the dorms. The Creevey brothers looked at him uncomfortably. Lavender, Parvati, Katie, and Alicia avoided eye contact with him. A few people patted him on the back and said, "Good job," quietly, but nobody was cheering.

"Well, Jack," Angelina said, "you did some interesting stuff out there, stuff I didn't expect from you. I guess some things are more important than a stupid old Quidditch cup anyway. I'd rather have all of the team safe. And WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!? YOU GOT BANNED, DIDN'T YOU? YOU'RE THE FOURTH! DON'T YOU SEE, WE NEED YOU!"

"Angelina, it means nothing. I will not be here next year."

She cocked an eyebrow. "You won't?"

Jack shook his head. He thought about mentioning he wasn't even supposed to be there that year, but he decided against it.

"Well," Ron said, "I reckon we know now why the One Who We Fear is so afraid of you."

Jack smiled. "I see you have triumphed over your fear, Ron."

"Yeah. Just seeing you in trouble woke up part of me somehow. I guess I thought that in order to help you I needed to play the best I could. I was surprised at what I could do."

Jack gave him a small bow. "You have done well."

Ron looked very surprised. "Thanks," he replied quietly.

Hermione called him aside to speak to him privately. "Well, I didn't see what happened. Is it true? You really charged on the broom with a sword to destroy some extra Bludgers on the field?"

"Yes."

"Jack come here for a second." Jack came in closer, and Hermione whispered, "I just want to say thank you, or should I say domo arigato?"

Jack smiled. "You are trying. I appreciate that. But how do you know?"

"I did some guess work based on the evidence, and I, er, did a report on ancient Japan while I was in Muggle school, most on it on samurai. I never thought I'd actually see one. Didn't think they were around anymore."

"You are sharp. Please, though, I must ask that you do not tell anyone."

"Don't worry. I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Why didn't you see?"

"We really wanted to, but Hagrid got Harry and me and showed us something in the Forest."

"He showed you? He would not let me in!"

"Well, it's called the Forbidden Forest for a good reason. We didn't like what we saw, but I'll tell you about that later. So, who did they say made the Bludgers duplicate?"

"Professor Snape tried to blame me. He said my bat was saturated with the Duplicos potion we learned yesterday. But I think Undertaker--"

"Just a second. Duplicos Potion? He wouldn't teach that. I've read about that potion. It's too advanced for Hogwarts, and some of the ingredients are extremely rare. Wait. I have a friend in that year from Ravenclaw, and she said they learned a potion to treat soar throats. I bet Snape set you up!"

"What do you . . . ?" But just then, Harry came in and stood right beyond Hermione. Jack waved at him. "Hello Harry."

Harry walked up to him and bristled with fury. "I hate you."

"Why? I just saved several lives out there."

"You cost us the cup!"

"Oh, come off it Harry!" Ron interjected. "Look on the bright side. Ravenclaw and Slytherin don't have it either."

"Ron, remember what the Sorting Hat said about inner house unity?" Hermione yelled back at him.

Ron didn't have a chance to reply, because Harry said, "Yeah, well Ravenclaw didn't have twenty points taken off. Besides, they don't have a sword-carrying maniac in their house!"

"I am not a maniac!" Jack replied. He got everyone's attention. "I am here to protect you from the One Who You Fear!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot, he's the One Who I Fear, is he? Well, if you're not afraid of him, why don't you say his name?"

"I'm not afraid to say his name. I keep it quiet to be courteous."

"Well then, say it."

"NOOOOOO!" nearly everyone else yelled at him.

"You see?" Jack said quietly.

"Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself," Harry said defiantly.

"Do you think I do not know that? Besides, what if I said his name? You would still hate me, would you Harry? I will not fight over something like this."

Harry just shook his head and stomped off into the dormitory. Jack sighed and sat down in front of the fireplace. He didn't move until well after bedtime. As he was passing Harry's bed, Jack whispered, "His name is Aku." Harry groaned.

**************

The next morning, as Jack walked out of the Common Room, he nearly walked into Umbridge. She looked very pale, her hair was very tangled, and her hat was askew. "Jack!" she said too quickly, then cleared her throat. "Mr. Samson, rather."

Jack bowed. "Good morning, Headmi--"

"I am here to let you know that your ban remains, and the points against Gryffindor still stand. However, all your detentions are hereby revoked." She looked as though she was trying to say this in a composed manner but was not succeeding.

"How come?"

She looked him square in the eye. "Do not question me, or I may change my mind." Then she turned on her heel and walked down the hall.

"Yes. Thank you, Headmistress," Jack called after her. He left thinking how strange that meeting was. Little did he know that his day would soon get stranger.

"Jack can I talk to you a minute?"

The last person Jack expected to hear that from was Draco Malfoy, but he said it while Jack was eating breakfast. It's possible he was starting to come around. Jack stood from the Gryffindor table and followed him into an empty classroom.

"Now, what I'm going to say doesn't leave this room, alright?" Draco said.

"Yes."

"I just have to say, what you did yesterday was bloody cool. I've never seen anything quite that bold. One of those Bludgers went right for my face in the Slytherin stands, but you got it out of the way just in time. I'm sorry I wrote those awful verses about you. I . . . owe you one."

Somehow, this speech sounded terribly forced and artificial, but Jack decided to go with it anyway. "No, you owe me nothing. I was just doing what destiny has set out for me to do."

"Tell me more about it. You're from Japan, right?"

"Yes."

"Wow, I've never been. I guess that's means that those aren't pajamas."

"No, it is a gi."

"What about that sword? Where did you get it?"

"It was my father's."

"Whoa. My father has several swords, but he's never allowed me to handle one. Can I see it?"

"No."

"Oh, come on. Can't I just take one look?"

"It is not fit for untrained hands."

"That's what my father says. Come on."

"No!"

"I must see it! I'll take another twenty points from Gryffindor!" Jack was not relenting, so Draco pulled out his wand. "Accio sword!"

The sword started tugging toward Draco. Jack grabbed it and pulled it back in his direction. "Why do you want it so badly?"

"Why don't we duel for it? Come on, you chicken?"

That struck a nerve. "Absolutely not!" Jack stood to defend himself.

He came up to fight Draco and managed to strike the child once on his face. "Expelliarmus!" Draco yelled, which knocked Jack back. "Quit fighting like a Muggle. Get out your wand!"

Jack refused to move.

"Come on, Samur--er, I mean Samson. Show me your true strength!"

Jack stood and looked at Draco in amazement. "What did you call me?"

"Huh?"

"You know who I am? How? Did Undertaker tell you?"

"What are you talking about?" It was obvious in his eyes that he was lying.

Jack remembered his dark side's words. "He knows. There are no more secrets." He understood what the dream meant now. What Jack did at the Quidditch match gave his true self away.

Jack stood and looked in Draco's eyes. "Listen to me, do not go back to Undertaker. He will destroy you."

"I think that's my business. And really, I don't know what you're talking about."

Then Jack noticed for the first time a snake on the emblem of Draco's robes. "Oh yes you do. I know you do." Before Draco could protest, Jack left the room. He should have remembered that Veritaserum in Professor Umbridge's office.

It just so happened that as he was going out, Jack bumped into--"Cho!"

"Oh, hey Jack! Fancy meeting you here."

"I was hoping to meet you so I could give this back." Jack took off the chain and put it back in her hand. "It didn't give me much luck yesterday, I suppose."

"I wouldn't say that. Nobody was hurt too badly, were they?"

"That's true."

"I could have used that luck, really. You probably didn't see Ginny catch the Snitch. I got pretty mad before I knew the match was cancelled. But it's ok.

"Cho, I am sorry I frightened you so."

"Frightened? I wasn't frightened, just surprised. You see, I know how I know you now."

"How?"

"I've got to show you. Come on."

She led him to parts of the castle where he had never been and had him stand before a statue that looked like Shakespeare. "Wait here." She walked over to a young man standing at a distance that Jack vaguely recognized as Anthony Goldstein from D.A. She argued with him for a few minutes. Jack caught her saying, " . . . fragile . . . it's important!"

Finally, she came back. "All right, Anthony, who's our prefect, will allow you to come in just this once, but you have to hold your ears while I say the password." Jack nodded and put his fingers in his ears as Cho said, "Cogito, ergo sum."

The statue bowed and stepped out of the way, and Cho showed Jack in. It was another common room. It looked much like Gryffindor's, but it had a primarily blue color scheme rather than red. Next to the squashy armchairs were tiny tables filled with puzzles and brainteasers, some enchanted and some Jack had seen several times before.

"Have a seat. I'll be right back."

Jack took a seat then realized that he was not alone. Someone was sitting in a chair adjacent to him reading a magazine upside-down, and Jack knew who it was by the long hair hanging over the armrest. "Hello, Luna."

She put down her magazine and surveyed him with her misty eyes. "Hello, Jack," she said in a sigh. "You're not supposed to be here, you know."

"Anthony approved it. Cho has something to show me."

"Oh. Well, Cho is nice. Why do you have a sword? Weapons aren't allowed on the grounds."

"Dumbledore allowed me to have it."

"What do you need a sword for? Bludgers don't attack every day."

"I have reasons. Do you know you are reading your magazine upside-down?"

"Yes," she answered as though she couldn't believe he didn't see the obvious reasons why.

She went back to reading, and Jack tried working one of the puzzles. "That's a tricky puzzle," Luna said without looking up. "It's a color changing one. The object is to make it all one color. I solved it a couple of times. There's like a secret to it." Jack couldn't figure out the secret; it changed everywhere he touched it.

Cho came out of the girl's dorms walking backwards with her wand held out. Some kind of blanket was floating before her. "That's it. Careful, careful. Just a little further." She looked at Luna out of the corner of her eye. "Luna, do you mind? This is kinda private."

"It's ok," Jack said quietly. Luna hid her face behind the magazine again.

"Alright," Cho said. "This is another two thousand plus year old family heirloom. This one technically isn't mine until I marry, but Mother let me borrow it this year. The preservation charms are wearing rather thin on it, though, so I have to be careful. Almost got it. There."

With a flip of her wand, she hung the blanket on the wall. It was an elaborate Chinese tapestry. Jack couldn't remember seeing anything like it. He knew it was the Chinese style. He recognized the symbols in one picture, telling a story.

It was partly HIS story.

In the lower left corner were two children in a wheat field, one child handing an origami cricket to the other. In the middle of the tapestry was a samurai drawing his sword on a creature that looked much like Aku. Luna secretly peered over the magazine, and her eyes grew wide with amazement.

"Who made this?" Jack asked.

"My ancestor. It's the girl. It's very magical. According to legend, it took her three years to make. On the second year she cried and sewed the tears in. The third year she bled and sewed the blood in. The white in the warrior's robes and the gleam in his sword were made out of her tears, and the red in the flame was made out of her blood. It made it more vibrant, almost lifelike. You see, her friend returned as a samurai to defeat the demon monster. He vanished, and she fled to a nearby country, now China. She hid in a cave quite safely, only four Chinese Fireball dragons inhabited it. However, they knew she was hiding from the demon monster, so they protected her. According to our family legend, one dragon gave up its life to protect her and gave her permission to drink its blood. Ever since then, the Changs have had magical powers.

"The demon monster knew that she had powers. So he invaded China, and her family fled again. They continued to flee until they came here. Unfortunately, I fear that we are going to soon flee yet again. I don't know if my parents agree, but my grandmother fears that You-Know-Who has some kind of connection with the demon, perhaps a partial reincarnation, and he will come after us. But now that you are here, perhaps you can defeat him. Because, you must be a reincarnation of that warrior."

"There is no reincarnation. The warrior never destroyed the demon, so he lives."

"He can't be immortal, can he?"

"He is. The sword alone can destroy him or at least bind him for a season. I agree with you, though. I believe that the One Who You Fear is that demon, and the samurai warrior will defeat him and undo the future that he has caused."

"You do believe this?"

"Yes. Cho, I am that warrior."

Cho gasped. Luna dropped her magazine. "No!" Cho whispered. "How can that be? The demon monster destroyed him."

"Not quite."

"I reckon that's so. There is so much about this story that we don't know." She broke to yawn. She covered her mouth and stretched her arms. "Sorry, I haven't been sleeping well lately. I've had disturbing dreams."

"Have you?"

"Yeah. It's like what I've told you before, but they've been even stranger. Mostly I get attacked by You-Know-Who, and then Death saves me, uh, I mean Undertaker"

"No!" Jack cried and grabbed her shoulders. "Not you too!"

"Uh-huh. He's not a hero, though. I mean, in real life he creeps me out. In my dreams, he's controlling and frightening. A few nights ago, he harassed me. He said I owed him a favor, and it was a strange favor. I had to put some sort of green stuff onto a bat."

"That was you?" Then Jack eased off. "No, it was not you. You are being controlled in your mind. I do not hold you responsible. But I believe you are a good girl, and you are trying to fight this evil. Just keep fighting. You will honor your ancestor."

Jack turned to leave when suddenly Cho grabbed his elbow and dug her fingernails into his arm. He cringed.

"Help me," Cho said in a struggling voice.

Jack turned around. Cho had a look of desperation on her face. Her eyes had tiny pupils. They looked exactly like Draco's when he was under the truth potion, only she was clearly hurt and afraid.

"I don't want to be under his power. He's forcing me! He's killing me from the inside, stealing my soul! I'm dead! I'm asleep!" Luna jumped out of her chair and rushed to help her, but Cho pushed her out of the way. Cho pressed in to whisper in Jack's ear. "Resurrect me! I know you can! I've waited on you for so long. I've taken care of your family behind Aku's back. I've given water to your weary father, the emperor. You have his sword. You will save us from what we have become!"

What was Cho doing? Was she acting like her ancestor? But she didn't know if that girl served his father. Jack didn't even know that. "What must I do?"

"Beware. He wants to kill you! He is not who you think he is."

"Who is he?"

"He is . . . " But then she fell to her knees and burst into tears. "Oh, Jack, what's wrong with me?" she sobbed in her normal voice.

Jack knelt to comfort her, and he noticed an emblem of a bird on her robes. So, Draco lied. She was one. But this was not a meek bluebird; it was a strong bird of prey. He thought about asking her about what she was telling him, but it was clear to him that it had been forgotten.

Luna got up again. "Cho is nice, but she cries a lot. Every time I've heard her cry, she's always saying for us to--"

"GET OUT!" Cho cried. "WHY WON'T YOU GET OUT?"

"You better go," Luna said quietly.

Jack didn't think Cho was talking to him, but he nodded. "Goodbye, Luna." He turned to Cho and said softly, "As I have said before, keep fighting." He patted her hand and went on his way.

He couldn't sleep that night. He could still hear Cho's pleas in his head. What did it all mean? He tried to think of the visions in an attempt to decipher them in his own mind. The animals stood for students that were chosen by someone for Aku's purposes. Was it Aku that chose them? No, it was Undertaker, or was it Snape or Umbridge? Draco was one of the students. He is the snake. Truly Jack learned that he was more than what he seemed. He can be dangerous. Cho was one of them. She is fighting a strong force, and she does not feel confident. That is why she appears as a weak bluebird, dependent on his strength and protection. Perhaps Jack can help reveal to her the true strength within. What of the other creature? That must be a student from the other house, Hufflepuff. The few students Jack knew from that house have not seemed to be in this scheme. Nonetheless, one must have been chosen. Perhaps that is why Jack could not see it clearly. It is possible that whoever it was is serving as a spy. Jack just did not know.

What about the lion, the part of the emblem left out entirely in his dreams? The lion stood for Gryffindor. Jack saw it on his own robes. Did Undertaker, Snape, or Aku completely ignore Gryffindor? Why?

One thing at a time. Jack concentrated on the Quidditch dream. Surely that was a warning. His dark side represented that the trouble that would befall him would involve duplication. The evil samurai turned into a Bludger to show that it would happen at Quidditch. Jack turned into his dark side because he would be blamed. But who really did it? Of course! It was Undertaker. He handed Professor Snape the weapon. It must have been instructions or permission or both to teach that particular potion to his class and then to blame Jack when this happened. But Jack couldn't accuse Professor Snape, no matter how little he trusted him. That would only cause more unnecessary trouble, and no one will listen anyway. They did not listen when he accused Undertaker.

Then there are all the other dreams. What did Aku want with these children? Was he changing them? Why? Are they somehow spreading his power?

Midnight came, and Jack still did not have answers. The air turned bitterly cold. Jack tensed. Evil was near again.

This time he heard no cries from Harry, but he did begin to hear movement. The curtain opened. Jack turned over and prepared to draw his sword, but it was not an intruder. It was Harry. He was under a trance. He held up his wand and began to say something, but Jack grabbed Harry's wand. "Harry, what are you doing?"

Harry snapped out of the trance. "It's you! I knew it!"

"Harry, you were dreaming again."

"No, I saw him asleep. Undertaker gave me the power to destroy him, and it was you!"

"You were under a trance, Harry. Trust me. I'm not who you saw."

Harry didn't answer but sharply turned away and went back to bed.

Jack closed his curtain and rested. Then, it occurred to him. Gryffindor was not left out. It's possible that Snape or Undertaker chose the other children at random, but Aku chose the Gryffindor himself. He wanted Harry. Why? If he killed Harry's parents all those years ago, wouldn't he try to kill the one who got away? Maybe Undertaker had plans of his own for Harry. It was all very strange.

The sleepless night took its toll on Jack the next morning. He didn't know how he managed to stay awake as he ate his breakfast.

"Hey Jack," two voices shrilled together.

"Hello," he muttered without looking at them.

"Oh, are you sleepy?" one asked.

"A little," he answered.

"I'm sorry."

He looked up and saw that his visitors were Lavender and Parvati. "Are you not scared of me anymore?"

"Oh, we were for a while there," Lavender replied. "But we had a little talk in the dorm last night, and we decided that you were just protecting us from the extra Bludgers."

"And that was cool," Parvati said. "It makes you a hero."

"Really?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Lavender answered. "So, we were wondering if you would take us up on our offer to tell your fortune."

"The sibyl has already done all she can do. How do you know you will fare any better?" Jack mumbled.

"Well, Professor Trelawney is amazing but not perfect. We figured she might have overlooked something," Parvati shrugged.

Jack finally sat up. "Yes. Yes she has."

"Oh good!" Lavender clapped. "Can we help?"

"Absolutely. Let's go now."

"Go?" Parvati said. "Go where?"

"The forest, of course."

Lavender gasped. "The Forbidden Forest?"

"There is no other forest here, is there? Do not worry, you will be safe with me."

"Why would we want to go to the forest?"

"To find an animal."

Parvati gulped. "And why would we want to find an animal?"

"To kill it."

Lavender paled. "And w-w-why would we want t-t-to . . .?"

But Parvati was catching on. "Oh . . . my . . . goodness," she said flatly.

"What?"

"He wants us to--" Parvati looked around suspiciously and whispered in Lavender's ear.

"EWWWWWW!"

"We can't do that."

"The sibyl has not taught you?" Jack asked.

"No, and we hope that she never does," Lavender answered.

"Maybe Professor Trelawney knows how, or Firenze. Good luck getting them to use it though." Parvati and Lavender quickly left. Jack didn't want to come on too strong. He just heard that many seers could do it successfully.

The more he thought about it, the more Jack thought Firenze would know more about the art than the sibyl. He asked the centaur after class, but Firenze promptly shook his head. "No, we centaurs do not harm innocent beasts, not even for divination."

"But it works for humans," Jack observed.

"You think it does. But there is something I need to tell you." Firenze looked up to the star-filled ceiling. "Things are happening very quickly, Hunter. It is not good."

"What will happen?"

"That I cannot say. Yet, I have some advice for you. When the sun is lowest in the sky, just before the stars appear, take a walk in the forest. There are things you need to see."

"I would love to, but Hagrid--"

"Hagrid will not stop you," Firenze replied in a mournful voice.

Jack nodded and went out. It didn't occur to him until much later that it could be a trap. Maybe Firenze told the rest of the centaur herd what they had talked about before so that they would be ready to catch him. Jack kept this in mind that he would be prepared. He still wanted to take the walk, however.

Later that afternoon, he ventured to the sibyl's chamber to make his proposal. When she understood what he was asking, she screamed "NO!" and fell upon a bunch of cushions.

Jack looked at her questioningly. "It's accurate, I hear. All true seers are able to do it, except for Centaurs evidently."

"I'm not skilled in that field of predictions. Besides, I'm an old woman, and seeing a poor little animal die right in front of my eyes, my heart would not be able to take it. And I'm not sure if it's even legal anymore. I am sorry, dear, but there is still nothing that I can do."

Jack sighed. "Very well. I believe Dumbledore when he said he was doing all within his power to find my time. So I will get home somehow."

"Wait! What is this I hear about time?"

"I come from the past. Do you not know this?"

"You should have said something. No wonder I couldn't see anything on you. I cannot see into the past, only the great beyond, that which has yet to happen."

"Well, I have been sent to the future against my will. I was hoping you would see how I manage to get home, because that is in the future."

"Now, I cannot explain that dear. Yet, there may be a ray of hope to this. When I was crystal gazing for you, remember how the vision cut short? Perhaps this is saying that your future is the past, where I am not allowed to see."

"I think I understand." He sighed. It would have been much more helpful if he had the chance to see the Oracle at Delphi. "There is something you can do. Since I have come here, I have dreamed dreams."

The sibyl sighed and shook her head. "Dreams, dreams, dreams. All throughout the year, I have heard depressing dreams. What can I tell my dear students, that Death is truly coming to take their young lives so quickly? I should have never ventured down the royal road to the fates." Yet she sat in her armchair and said, "Nevertheless, it was part of my destiny. Have a seat, dear. Tell me your visions, and I will tell you what they mean."

"Actually, they are like one large dream divided into several small visions. I am sure they are all linked so."

From there, he described his troubling dreams. The sibyl looked on in interest, but she never commented nor asked questions.

"Well, I must say," she said as he finished, "your dreams are rather dramatic. Not quite as dramatic as the dreams of that poor Potter child, but still--"

"Potter," Jack said to himself. "Potter, Potter, Potter." He whispered the word over and over. He knew he heard it somewhere before. After he was changed back from a chicken just about a month or two before he came to Hogwarts, he went around wherever he could learning about people who could do magic so nothing that crazy would happen again. He heard so many terrifying stories. Someone said something about a young magus named--

"POTTER!" He turned back to the sibyl. "Who is Potter?"

"Surely you know, my dear. You speak to the child daily. Do you not know that Potter is in your house?"

"I cannot believe it."

The sibyl wrung her hands. "Tragedy, tragedy, tragedy! Long have I seen it! Oh, the poor dear."

"Yes, I know what you mean." Jack wasn't looking at her. He was doing his best to recall all the details of what he had been told. Yet as he looked up again to comment, something strange happened. The sibyl's eyes focused on a point in the distance. Her body went rigid, and her mouth sagged. "Sibyl? Sibyl? Are you all right?"

The sibyl's eyes rolled in her head, and she spoke in a voice not her own, the same kind of voice Draco and Cho spoke in when they were fighting an irresistible force. The sibyl's voice was loud and harsh.

"FOR MANY YEARS, THE SHOGUN OF SORROW HAS BEEN DENIED INTO OUR WORLD. TONIGHT, AT MIDNIGHT . . . THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED TO HIM. HE SHALL BE REVEALED. HIS SERVANTS SHALL BE CHOSEN, AND HIS ENEMIES SHALL BE DESTROYED. OUR WORLD WILL FOREVER BE CHANGED . . . TONIGHT. HE TEARS THE BARRIERS AWAY . . . EVEN NOW . . . WE SHALL BE SLAVES, FOR TONIGHT . . . WE WILL . . . BE HIS . . . "

A familiar chorus of trumpets and drums that Jack heard from Hermione's book, a song he believed was called "Thus Spoke Zoroaster," was blaring in his head. This is just like what travelers said happened to the Oracle at Delphi! He had heard a real prophecy! This was a true sibyl after all.

The sibyl's head fell upon her chest and then snapped back up. "I'm sorry dear. In the heat of the day, I drifted off for a second. Please continue. My dear, what are you doing groveling on the floor?"

"Truly, I have heard the words of the fates this day," Jack said in a low voice.

"I do not understand." Jack told her what he had heard. "The Shogun of Sorrow? I have never heard of that! This is not something to joke about."

"I understand why you would not remember. You were in a trance. I have seen many under a trance lately, and none of them remember what they do or say."

"Perhaps you were the one who was under the trance. Rise, and speak again."

Jack rose and made his way down the staircase. "Normally, I do not play with fate, but this time sibyl, I promise you this. Whether or not you remembered them, I will see to it that your words never come to pass."