Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Chapter 3 A New Start By Shiina Ai

"So am I to get this right? You can see the future?" The head priestess narrows her eyes, her cheekbones move a fraction of an inch higher with her hands clasped in front of her lips. Her eyes pierce through me, as if trying to see any falsehood, any lies in my words.

But there is no lie. I have not uttered a single lie. My words have been the truth and nothing but the truth, as far as my knowledge goes. And I know, very well, that seven years from now, the world will meet its doom.

If we, the sentient creatures of this world continue to bicker among each other, that future will come true again. Humans enslaving long ears. Long ears killing humans who enter their forests. Mountain folks isolating themselves from the other races. Short folks who steal, rob and murder. The fae folks and their mischievous tricks. The forest maidens who jealously guard and propagate their sacred trees. The bird folks who look down on the land dwellers. The merfolks who prey on fishermen and sailors. And the red and gold dragons who constantly fight each other for dominance.

This must all come to an end. If we are to stop the end of the world, all the races must work together. We cannot afford to lose any of the sentient races again. But before all that can happen, I must first convince the head priestess, Sister Jihan the Unforgiving, that our future is bleak.

"I do not see the future, I am from the future, Sister Jihan."

It is amusing to see her left eyebrow tick upward hearing me speak her name so casually. I actually forgot that as a mere Listener, it was rude of me to speak her name so casually. It's because I've been at the top of the clergy for several years that I forgot that right now, I'm only at the second lowest tier of the ordained priestesses of the Starsilver. In comparison, Sister Jihan is at the highest rank, a Keeper, as only a Keeper may lead the sanctuary. She is a Starkeeper, one who foretells the coming events by watching the stars.

It is at this point that I hope that Aria who is standing beside me will stop fidgeting at everything. I don't remember much about Aria of this time, but had she always been this nervous? Or is it because we are in front of the high priestess? Regardless, if she is this nervous, it's like she's admitting that everything is our fault.

Instead of making an issue about my transgression, she decides to drop the issue. "Am I supposed to believe the predictions of a Listener without any evidence?"

"What kind of evidence would you like to see, high priestess?"

"Anything that proves you are from the future, of course."

I say nothing as I look back into my past trying my best to find evidence that cannot be doubted. I have no items from my seven years of wandering. I have no friends to vouch for me, for I have not met any of them yet right now. I have no wealth to show. What can I provide as evidence other than my own knowledge?

And therefore, I look into my memories and find the answer. A prayer that I had sung hundreds, thousands of times, that I now know by heart. Every word, every syllable, every note, every single meaning, I knew them all. I knew the Call of the Dead Queen more than I knew the Path of Starsilver, the sendoff prayer for the faithful of the Starsilver. For the Starsilver was lost, what reason would I have for praying to a lost god?

And so I sang, just like I had done hundreds, thousands of times before. Pleading for the Queen of Death, Halleb to honour the ancient covenant and provide safe passage for the souls to their final destination. To never corrupt, to never mislead and to never refuse.

Listen to my call
Oh wandering soul
My voice
shall guide you home

Leaving this world
Eternally

"I see," the head priestess looks at me with a glare, "Is that a challenge, brat?"

"What? What do you-"

My blood goes cold as I notice the atmosphere change. The air turns colder, my breath comes out as fog. Her blood filled with magic, carrying the mana around her body to complete a magic circuit. I know what this is.

She wants to kill me! The thought appears in my head as the blade of ice in her hand becomes longer and longer before my eyes.

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*Thank you Eric for editing this chapter.
**Your comments and feedbacks are much appreciated. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better. I do enjoy reading all your comments and your speculations. Please keep them coming.
***Sorry about the wait. The truth is, the song Call of the Dead Queen was lost somehow. Wrote that about a month ago and either I lost the document or I never saved it in the first place. Unfortunately I couldn't remember how it went, so I had to rewrite everything from scratch. Such a pity, the original was very good if I may say so myself :(