Fourth Wheel ||Qinter||

Chapter 4 - Visions

"Three moons," Qibli breathed. "Where in Pyrrhia did you get a DREAMVISITOR from?"
"I'm not sure," Moon admitted. "This morning, I woke up, and it was there, right in front of me."
"This seems like a trap," Qibli worried.
"Don't worry, Qibli," Moon assured him. "It works, I'm sure of it. Can't you feel the magic in it?"
Moon gingerly placed the enchanted sapphire into Qibli's talons. Sure enough, he felt the hum of animus magic course through his body, and felt a pang of longing. I wish I was an animus, he thought.
Moon furrowed her brow. "Don't wish that. Turtle probably wishes that he wasn't an animus."
Qibli had forgotten that Moon could read minds. Whoops.
Qibli stared at the tiny, glittering jewel in his talons, when a realisation hit him. "Moon, what if he doesn't like me back? What if he doesn't like me back, and he discovers my secret?"
Moon blinked. "Pretend he was dreaming. Pretend it was just his imagination."
"Do you think he'll believe that?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe?! Maybe isn't good enough. We have to come up with something, Moon."
"Don't worry, we will."

After coming up with and discarding plans over and over again, Moon was beginning to get a headache.
"What will we do?" Qibli worried.
"We'll come up with some thing eventually, Qibli. Just be pa-" Moon fell to the ground clutching her head. She writhed on the ground. The headache was getting worse, stronger and stronger and-

There was fire everywhere. Scrolls were burning in the once-peaceful library, and Starflight's burnt corpse lay smouldering on the cave floor. Clay flew bravely through the flames, rescuing injured students. Qibli lay dead in a corner, and Winter looked at the chaos hopelessly. Moon clawed the stone floor in the centre of their Winglet cave, and a SeaWing stood over her, fire in his eyes. Was that- no, the glimpse of his face was too brief. There was no way to tell for sure.
Suddenly, the rasp of a dragon voice reverberated through Jade Mountain.

"Descendant of evil's love beware—
Sea is coming to burn the heir.
Hidden away in a shell of death;
His magic will give you your very last breath.

Born silvery under the heavy night sky,
Away from the ashes of a dragonet's cry,
Seek the one with infinite life,
Or you shall live in everlasting strife.

Before twilight on Thremb's Day end,
Find the light in Pyrrhia's night—
Else, a soul you must now spend.
Before he begins history's end."

Moon's dark green eyes snapped open, and she saw Qibli kneeling over her with his brow furrowed. "Moon! Three moons, are you okay?!"
Moon got up and rubbed her head. "I think- I think I just had a vision. A- and there was a prophecy..."
"We have to tell the Dragonets," Qibli urged. "If what you say is true, someone has to fufill the prophecy."
"We can't tell anyone." Moon said quickly.
"Why not?! Are you out of your mind, Moon?"
"I get a feeling it's going to be us. You, me, Turtle and Winter." Moon explained. "And I get a feeling something will go terribly wrong if we tell them. Like- like they'll try to save us but die in the process."
Qibli sighed. "Okay then. At least tell me what you vision was about."
Moon began to explain her vision, from the fire and dead bodies everywhere to the prophecy.

"I get what you mean," Qibli said. "Starflight was dead, and everything was burning, and I was dead..."
"Yeah. Not pretty."
"What the heck is Thremb's Day?"
"I have no idea."
"How do we even start, and where?"
"I don't know, Qibli."
"Who's th-"
"Qibli. Stop."
"Sorry," Qibli apologised sheepishly.
Moon sighed. "We need to get the other two."
"Winter and Turtle?"
"We need them to fulfill the prophecy. I'm sure of it."
"Do you know where they are?"
"Yes. History cave. I can hear their thoughts. Turtle is freaking out about tomorrow's history test and wondering if Winter would do better than him, meaning they're in the same class."
"Alright then. I'll bring them here," Qibli said, before galumphing off.

Winter glared at his desk as Webs rambled on about the Myth of Darkstalker.
Oh. My. God. WHY DOES WEBS HAVE TO BE SO BORING?!! He thought, glancing at Turtle, who looked very uncomfortable.
He heard the voice again. Hello, Winter. Winter blocked his ears, but the voice still spun around in his skull. Shut up. He thought.
Suddenly, Qibli came stumbling into the cave. Winter studied his small, golden freckled snout for a moment before Qibli looked up and Winter averted his gaze.
"I need Winter and Turtle," Qibli said.
"What for?" Webs asked.
"Can't say," Qibli replied. "But it's an emergency."
Webs squinted accusingly at Winter (who was his least favourite student) before sighing, "Fine."
Winter had never been so relieved in his life. He grabbed his scrolls and dashed out of the cave, Turtle shuffling out of the cave a few seconds later. "Thanks," Winter mumbled to Qibli. "I can't stand that SeaWing."
Qibli blushed and looked away. "No problem."

"So," Turtle said slowly. "We're involved in a prophecy?"
Moon nodded. "You don't have to come if you don't want to, but... you know. Pyrrhia may rely on all four of us agreeing to fulfil the prophecy. "
"No pressure, then." Winter said, his cold voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Moon?" Qibli asked. "How likely will we die?"
Moon shrugged. "I have no idea. But Qibli, my sixth sense tells me that your chance of death is the highest out of all four of us."
"How reassuring."