As soon as word spread about the latest summons and who the Oracle Reader named as Brilliance's savior, Hicante dropped everything. "Is that Oracle Reader insane?" He shook his head, furious when he heard the news.

"Hicante, why are you so angry?" His oldest sister, Mihaela, studied him with a frown. "Does this have to do with your reincarnation theory?" She was the only one who believed him or his entire family. No one else thought he was sane and banished him from the manor.

Hicante hadn't cared. He preferred a simpler life rather than lazing around as a nobleman since this continent didn't have a future at all. No one bothered to penetrate the fog, and the culture became stagnant. As a result, a unique alteration in men and women occurred.

From Hicante's point of view, none of these changes were for the better, but rather a wrong turn of events. He blinked when hearing Mihaela's question and sighed. "Rather, I fear that we've reached the end of our survival." His tone was glum when he thought about this odd civilization and shook his head. No matter if it was a man or woman, once they were in a certain status, they were forced into a political marriage when the time arrived as soon as they achieved adulthood.

Mihaela sighed. "We're soon going to be announced as marriage candidates again." She folded her arms with aggravation. "Yet a new law prohibits men and women above twenty-six from remaining single." She rolled her eyes. "The only concession they're making now is that same gender can marry...if they're omega and alpha. If they aren't, they can only enter approved cohabitation contracts."

That wasn't an improvement in Hicante's view. "They're desperate to open new bloodlines to mix with the inbred ones." He grunted in disgust.

"As for this latest oracular prophecy, I can only conclude this Oracle Reader has gone insane, or someone finally found a weakness to blackmail into announcing his arrival on the scene." Hicante sighed. "Once, he was a good man. However, with all of the changes occurring, this will only lead to apocalyptic disaster." He shook his head wearily.

Mihaela tilted her head. "Ah, he is supposedly the cursed one?"

Hicante nodded. "I knew this day would come eventually, but I'd hoped it would be avoided long enough for us to have found an alternate solution."

Mihaela frowned. "There are omegas and alphas in rut roaming the woods today." She shivered unhappily. "I fear one of them may find that man first. I don't think we need any further complications." Her voice quavered with fear. "Is it true that he prefers men as his partner?"

Huh, Hicante blinked as he considered the question. "Yes, maybe that will prevent an unpleasant confrontation from occurring." He nodded slowly. "Well, I'd better go quickly. I don't know many other people who would recognize him."

Mihaela sighed. "Raj will." She confirmed Hicante's shock. "He remembered his past and connections with Greyness." She glanced at Hicante nervously. "Yes, he was reincarnated into this world, but strangely enough, he still doesn't care to find a woman as a partner. Not only that, but he's also rejected all the omegas and alphas that're within his age range." She spread her hands. "Could he have his heart twined to Greyness, and no one was aware of it until this point?"

Hicante grunted. "Well, anything is possible." He granted. "Though only time will tell." He shrugged. "The only reason Greyness has lived this long with that curse intact is that he's not fallen in love." He rubbed his jaw in agitation. "Once he conceives a child through a love match, will the curse end? Unfortunately, it will also kill him in the process."

Mihaela was silent. "It could be something he is willing to face now after that last tragedy." She pointed out at last. "Though maybe it is something that no one else wants to face."

Hicante was one of those who didn't want to face that reality. He winced a little when she glowered at him in reprimand and sighed. "I'll go look."

Mihaela nodded calmly. "That is fine. I will also concentrate on fending off the marriage requests and contracts that're beginning to flood the mail system."

Hicante scratched his head. "Deal with the ones coming for you. I'll figure out something on my end." He reassured her. "Right now, I don't view any of them as too important."

Mihaela nodded. "Fine, I'll await your return." She closed the door behind him and sighed. "What a mess."

Until now, only Hicante and Mihaela remained single as they'd been banished from the noble house of Trejenes. They'd taken on a humbler ancestor's name that wasn't aristocratic and took on a simpler lifestyle. That aside, Hicante heard unpleasant rumors that even now, the supposed lower classes would soon be swept up in the forced marriage system.

*

As soon as Mihaela knew her brother was gone, she connected to the Oracle Reader. "I distracted him as long as possible, but he's gone." She growled. "You'd better have a damn good explanation for all of this, Oracle Reader since you've effectively brought the end of the world into our laps."

Her hostile tone made the Oracle Reader blink in shock. "How is that possible?"

Mihaela related everything Hicante told her. "So, I suggest you start searching for new alternatives to breaking those clouds now. This can't be a natural phenomenon."

The Oracle Reader cursed. "I'm not able to make the changes." She sighed. "However, I will consider what you've told me." She paused. "By the way, do you think any of those marriage prospects seem a bit suspect?"

That question baffled Mihaela until she saw some distinctly familiar names. "Are they kidding me?" She fumed. "I would not touch some of these assholes for all the wealth in the world." The same went for some of the females' names. "Do they think I'm that desperate for my old life in the nobles' factions?"

The Oracle Reader sighed. "They do believe it of both of you." She warned Mihaela. "None of them are above dirty tactics either. Use your available protections to set up a shield to prevent the rutting omegas and alphas from breaking down the windows and doors. I assure you they are that desperate to mingle bloodlines with either of you."

Mihaela shook her head. "I hope that Hicante can remain unaffected." She muttered. "I still think those results for our tests were sabotaged."

The Oracle Reader sighed. "They might've been in the first set, but I assure you they weren't in the second one you received directly."

Mihaela's shoulders slumped. "So, it is true that we're both the extreme dominant Alphas?" That was the worst news possible since she could quickly escalate out of control when her first heat hit.

The Oracle Reader's voice turned firm and grim. "Yes, sadly, and eventually, there will come a time when you'll fall prey to those desires unless you can find a partner you favor before it happens." There was fear radiating from her demeanor when she sighed. "Your time will decrease substantially if you don't raise those protective wards now." The two women stared at each other.

Mihaela lowered her head. "Thank you, oldest sister Renata, chosen Oracle Reader. I will heed your advice accordingly."

The Oracle Reader offered one last bit of consolation. "For what it's worth, what I saw in the prophecy showed that, at the moment, Greyness broke his curse through some inventive trickery on someone else's part, I might add. It will be the breaking of those magically held clouds over Brilliance." She hesitated. "I don't think he'll die, but he's not going to be very forgiving either of what else happens."

Mihaela snorted. "Well, I'm just happy that he's not gonna die. As for the other parts, that is just something in the line of wait and see, yes?"

The Oracle Reader shrugged. "Who knows anymore? At any rate, my successor will be taking over for me soon. I can return to the world of the living. You might wind up with another cohabitant if you're not careful." Her teasing warning made Mihaela chuckle.

"Eh, I feel Hicante won't return a single man after this day's events end," Mihaela admitted. "Though I'm beginning to think that won't be bad either." She waved off the Oracle Reader and raised all the protection barriers against physical, emotional, psychic, and scent attacks. The last thing Mihaela needed was for her hormones to fall prey to the scents of either Omega or Alpha. "I hope my brother catches or is caught by a decent partner, not some stray piece of trashy scum roaming around right now."