Shauwn's answer was nothing extraordinary, just extremely simple, without any preconceived notions.
"I don't think anything about it, I don't know?"
Astrid furrowed her brows. She didn't speak but stared at him as if urging him to continue. He sighed and spoke as he felt.
"I mean… I've never experienced it, so I can't say whether they really predict the future or not, or if they're scammers, you know," he commented, subtly glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
She listened and nodded in approval. Satisfaction could be read on her face.
"You don't mince words, I appreciate that. Just remember, those were opinions from the old world… even in today's world, it's intensified…"
Astrid took his hand, and the two of them moved toward a table seemingly made for divination, with a crystal ball.
"Tell me, what changes did the Primordial Fracture cause?"
"Geography and technology?" he replied almost instantly.
"Mainly, yes, but unfortunately that's only what humans can perceive. The world has changed much more profoundly. The concentration of spirituality has increased; things that were supposed to be hidden have revealed themselves, and those who, in the old world, were accustomed to perceiving certain things to a certain degree have undergone… a boost?"
Shauwn didn't know why, but he was surprisingly focused. Perhaps because he found it fascinating, he also wondered where Astrid was going with this.
"All this to say you should doubt that claim about fortune-tellers and seers. So, what do you say about trying with me?" Astrid added, her tone excited and impatient.
He no longer understood what had just happened—she had talked about all that just to come back to this? But the real question was: did he believe what she had just said? And if he did, would it affect the way he saw the world? What would change? Maybe nothing—but what use would it be, then? Shauwn didn't know yet. Through this, he realized she wasn't crazy, not even a little; people just didn't understand the depth of her knowledge.
Astrid was not stupid; she wanted to instill very simple notions in him: doubt and open-mindedness. He had to doubt everything he thought he knew—his knowledge, his preconceived ideas about the world and the world itself.
As for open-mindedness, she would observe Shauwn's reaction—the choice to accept the divination and how he would take it afterward.
"I have nothing to lose, so let's try…"
"Good, give me your hand so I can start."
He complied, and Astrid placed her fingers on his palm, inhaled deeply, and closed her eyes. Moments later, Shauwn felt it: a slight breeze rose through the shop, not the usual one… it was colder, sharper, more violent.
He felt Astrid's fingers tense; soon her hand closed around his. Frightened, he tried to pull away but couldn't.
How can she be this strong?
Shauwn was stronger, but he held back so as not to hurt her too much. Finally, she returned to herself—or so he thought—because when her eyes opened, they were lifeless and immaculate.
He trembled at what he saw. The woman in front of him was not Astrid. He could feel it; he literally trembled, not physically but deeper, as if it were his soul. He reasoned with the being that had taken Astrid's place.
The shop, previously silent, began to emit incomprehensible whispers coming from the void and everything in the room. The longer it went on, the closer the voices crawled toward the consultation table. Shauwn heard them climb, slither, and creak toward him.
A mass of unease and discomfort formed in his torso and exploded, spreading malaise throughout his body. He was sweating. Moreover, the voices now seemed to slide over his skin toward his ear, penetrating his mind.
Extreme fear, combined with his racing heartbeat, prevented him from thinking rationally. His teeth chattered irregularly, and he was gradually losing consciousness. At that moment, he began to understand the voices.
The more he understood the voices hidden in the whispers, the clearer the fog that clouded his perception became. He was about to grasp and comprehend what he was facing. Then, a sudden, sharp pain struck his mind; his thoughts scattered, and a headache began.
His instinct tried to tell him the nature of what was in front of him, but it was too vague, too foreign, too other. Shauwn understood: it was not something his psyche could grasp or conceive.
"Good."
This single word from the entity swept everything away: the malaise, the pain, the whispers in the room. Shauwn felt freed from a burden, though a faint sense of unease still lingered deep in his chest.
"What can I do for you, my boy?"
The entity's voice was calm, cold, and multi-toned. The whispers that had been dispersed returned, this time accompanying the interrogative tone directed at Shauwn.
"What… what are you?"