The Order of the Olive Branch: Book Two Order Up Chapter ##: Jackson Fate

Ick sets the kettle of water on the stove in his study. Picking vials of leaves for his tea, he decided to greet the unexpected visitor standing in the doorway. Without even turning, Ick said, “I am assuming that you have not stopped by for a cup of tea.”

“I was just on my way out, ” Jackson who was about to turn and leave deciding this was too weird just now realized it was too late to leave.

“Sit down,” Ick states flatly. “I will be with you in a moment.”

Jackson decides that his best course of action is to see what happens, so he steps into Ick’s study. Despite spending plenty of time in the Order’s base Jackson had never stepped anywhere close to Ick’s study because it was creepy: jars full of strange creatures and plants, fifty-three polished skulls of different humanoid species, books older than Jackson’s bloodline, artifacts that are definitely cursed or soon to be cursed, and it belongs to Ick.

“I would not sit there if I were you,” Ick says without even turning around as Jackson is about to sit on a green sofa. “Not there either. Just sit on the red armchair.”

Jackson picks this chair because he does not doubt that Ick would own cursed or haunted furniture. Ick continues making his tea while Jackson sits awkwardly, waiting for him to finish. While waiting, Ick King’s black cat, Cyclops, walks in and sits fairly close to Jackson, staring directly at him with his single chartreuse eye. Jackson loves animals, but he’s convinced there’s something off about this cat. King found the cat five years ago in bad shape in an alley, and it hasn’t changed since, showing any signs of aging or growth. Then there’s the fact that Ruby isn’t allergic to Cyclops. Whenever Ruby is near where a cat has been, she sneezes, and if she gets cat hair on her, a rash appears, but not with Cyclops. On top of all this, during the worldwide incident last spring, King’s apartment complex was leveled, and somehow, this cat came out of it completely unharmed.

After Jackson had a staring contest with the cat for several minutes, Ick finally finished making his tea and sat in a wingback chair across from Jackson.

“May I have some tea?” Jackson asks.

Ick takes a long sip, “No.”

“Okay, ” Jackson replies a bit disappointed. “So, um, how are you doing?”

“Small talk is a waste of my brain power and time, especially since I know that you are not here to participate in that pastime.,” Ick explains waving aside the idea. “If you are looking for the Order members, they all left on a mission yesterday to check out some ruins they should be back in a few hours.”

“That’s not why I-” Jackson starts to say as Ick puts up his hand and sips his tea.

“I know because you would have just asked the two young Smith sisters,” Ick counties. “Both of whom are currently listening in on this private conversation when they both have homework they should be doing at this very moment.”

From behind the open door, two voices and sets of footsteps quickly rush off down the hall as Sid and Chris can both be heard arguing about whose fault it is for their being caught. Ick stands up and closes the massive study doors.

He sits back down, facing Jackson straight in the eye. “Now stop dancing around what you came here for and get to the point.”

Jackson sighs, “Okay. Look, this might sound, and I need you to hear me out before you judge for thinking this, I just need an expert opinion about this.”

“Ahem, the point.”

Jackson takes a deep breath, “I think I might be seeing the future.”

Ick said nothing for a second before saying something, “The magic ability of prophecy is rare, why do you believe that you are one of the lucky, unlucky few to be born with it?”

“Look, I have never told anyone this, but ever since I was seven, I have just seen things, and then those things would happen. Sometimes, it was a few seconds or months or years,” Jackson explains, reasoning that he sounds a bit nuts. I thought it was weird dreams, so over the years, I kept track, and well—” He hands Ick a worn journal. I dreamed and wrote anything I could get from these visions.

Ick pulls out a pair of reading glasses and begins to study every page of the book with much detail. He begins to explain something to avoid silence, “True future sight is the opposite of empathy and healing magic. While empathy magic is connected to the arcanas of earth and nature, and healing is more often associated with fire and water but not always; fortune magic is linked to light arcana and shadow arcana…”

At the mention of shadow arcane Cyclops turns his attention to Ick for a second before looking back at Jackson.

Ick continues without noting or carrying on, “… Interestingly enough, precognition is similar to illation, being connected to the sky and reflection arcana. Out of everyone in my life, I have had the unfortunate luck and inclusions to get to know Jackson Quil. You are the fourteenth last person I would assume to gain the ability to see the future.”

Jackson has no idea what to think of this.

“My reasoning is how you are overly connected to detail and people but not in the sense of action but in the sense of the moment,” Ick explains like this is a normal point to bring up in a conversation. “You study a variety of topics and learn various skills that have little to no similarities and common threads as to why you would learn them. You also are drawn to people and would do anything for those you care about you and Lizzy have that in common, but at the same time, you have a high amount of indecisiveness and self-doubt. After the incident last spring, you were given the same choice to form the new Order of the Olive Branch with others, yet you turned it down because you didn’t think you deserved that opportunity and you had to prove your to earn it. But who are you proving it to?”

“Well-” Jackson began to define his choice.

“That was rhetorical. My point, Jackson, is that you are unable to detach yourself and your emotions when rationalizing ideas, which means you should be completely rejected by both the shadow arcana and the light arcana. That said, I believe you are seeing the future.”

“Wait, really?” Jackson’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“You depicted many events long before they happened. While someone can fake dates and art any alchemist worth their salt can tell the age of graphite and ink on paper, so this is real,” Ick holds up Jackson’s journal.

“What do you think I should do?” Jackson asks with some relief but growing worry due to his more recent visions. “You did look at the visions I have been having in the last few weeks and-”

“Trying to avoid for-seen futures usually leads to through futures playing out exactly as seen if not worth,” Ick waves off Jackson’s ideas.

Jackson is not stratified with this response, “But Ick you did see the second to last page, you-”

“And it is about me yes.”

“Are you not worried?” Jackson is shocked by Ick’s nonchalance about this.

“Of course I am, but I have learned that no future can be planned and controlled without sacrificing the present,” Ick explains, finishing his tea. “My suggestion is to try to train this ability and study how this new ability of yours works. If you need more assistants, I will be willing if you call seventy-two hours beforehand. Now, if you would mind showing yourself out, I have work to do.” Ick stands up, walks over to the green sofa, and sits back down before disappearing. Jackson grabs his journal and heads out of the study with Cyclops at his heels.