SPELLBOUND

The tent was protected by Evie's barrier so no one could hear a single word coming from the inside. Evie was surprised that Vera would insist on this level of confidentiality.

"Alright, what is it?" Evie asked Vera gently as the ladies held onto each other's hands. Curiosity was brimming in Evie's eyes as she looked expectantly at Vera. She wanted to know the reason why Vera did not want anyone else to hear this conversation apart from her, not even her own mate.

"Evie…" Vera's expression was a bit severe now. "I… I actually saw the future too."

"…!!!" Her words made Evie's eyes grow wide and her mouth dropped open in surprise. "You saw… how?" Evie's heart was beating furiously within her, and she squeezed Vera's hands that were in hers. Vera squeezed back and nodded slightly, confirming what she heard was true.

"During the mating ritual." Vera answered and Evie immediately remembered what her mother-in-law had told her about the mating bond. That during the ritual, the couple might see each other's past. But apparently, for Vera, things went in the opposite direction.

"You and Gideon saw the future instead of your pasts!"

"Actually, I think Gideon saw the past. Only I was shown the future." Vera murmured softly to Evie.

"And… you seem to be able to say it out without any restrictions, right?" Evie's heartbeat hastened a little. This news was so huge that she could hardly believe it. However, she needed to know first if Vera could speak about it freely before she starts celebrating. "Please tell me you can talk about it without any problems." Evie added, hoping so badly that Vera's case would be different from hers as the way they saw the future was completely different.

"I think I can make mention of it… I…" Vera's lips began to tremble, causing Evie to feel worried now that they were the same. "I saw my future with Gideon… and… and…" a tear began to fall from Vera's eyes no matter how much she tried to hold back and not cry. "I saw him leaving me… behind… he… Gideon is going to leave me, Evie!" Vera wailed and she broke down and threw herself into Evie's arms for support.

And she wept. And as fat tears fell like raindrops from her eyes, Evie instantly remembered the look on her future self's face when Gav took his last breath.

Evie quickly pulled Vera closer into her arms and hugged her tight, hoping that her embrace would help comfort Vera a little. It dawned upon Evie that Vera must have held these tears within herself for so long. She could tell that since that mating ritual had started, Vera had never shed a single tear despite the things she had seen in her vision just so she could hide it from Gideon. How agonising it must have been for her!

For a while, Evie just let Vera cry her despair out as she shook with loud sobs that broke Evie's heart. She knew her friend was in turmoil right now, but Evie was just so glad that it seems unlike her, Vera could share everything that she had seen in the future without restrictions with her. Perhaps because of the mating ritual, though rare, was like a more natural way for someone to have a glimpse into the future.

After patiently rubbing comforting circles into Vera's back, she finally managed to calm down enough to speak again. "Vera…" Evie called her name gently. "Could you tell me more about this? What happened? I need you to share everything you had witnessed with me." she cupped Vera's face and wiped her tear tracks away. "Trust me… I know exactly how you feel about all the anguish you're feeling right now. But fortunately, what you saw is still in the future… it has yet to happen. I believe… that just like me… you were shown the future instead of the past for an important reason. You know what that means right? It means that we are still able to change it. This bleak future ahead of us… we can still do something about it, Vera." Evie's voice started to become more excited. She had thought that only she alone had to bear this burden of seeing into the future and doing something to help change the unfortunate events that led to so much death and despair. But now she had Vera! The both of them could work together on this!

The words Evie said seemed to have quickly seeped into Vera. She pulled away and wiped her tears away determinedly. "You… you're right." she said and Evie smiled at her.

"Yes, Vera. We still have time. Though we cannot afford to waste time, it's not too late yet. We will find a way to change the future and save… our loved ones. But in order for us to do that, we need more information. I want you to tell me everything Vera. Don't leave a single thing out. Every little detail is crucial."

Vera nodded. She took a deep breath, and she finally began to recount every single one of the details of what she had seen in her vision.

"The scenarios are a bit messy, but I think the future I saw happening is not too far from now. I saw that Gideon and I lived together in peace here in the Under Lands… I don't for how long though… as some scenes were like images passing through in my head at a very fast pace. There were also some gaps in the timing, I think. Like the memories right after the ritual until now and I think the future coming days too were skipped. After the fast-paced flashes of blissful memories… the flashes slowed. And that was when I started seeing the chaos. The Under Lands were being attacked by monsters. I saw fighting everywhere… and… then and I saw Gideon started becoming weird." Vera's voice began to shake. "I saw him start screaming then his darkness blazed all around him. After a few more fast-paced flashes… I saw him taking me with him towards the Abyss. The monsters were not touching us at all. Then I saw myself fighting him, trying to wake him up from his weird behaviour. I also saw a glimpse of you… I know that bright light belongs to you.. But I couldn't tell what you were doing as my memories seemed to be focussed only on Gideon and I alone."