The Oracle (short story)

 was the seventh story in The Boulevard: Volume One.

Summary
Cousin Ravensbrook, one of the newest recruits of Faction Paradox, is met by Cousin Gaval. One of her first duties is to keep The Boulevard functional, to work with Gaval to keep everything locked down properly. Gaval notes to her that though this is a prison, not everyone here is a prisoner, some inhabitants are just.... guests. Guests who need to be kept safe from the rest of the universe. And themselves. Gaval takes Ravensbrook to one of these guests, one whose visitors always go in pairs, just to be safe, The Oracle.

Two Faction operatives, Mother Hangaku and Cousin Gottfried come to a town on a human colony world modeled on the old west. Originally here due to concerns about enemy activity, they find an advert for an Oracle. Interested in perhaps finding a new recruit, they go to see her show. As it begins, the Oracle walks onto the stage and disappears behind the curtains. The first audience member to want to see the future walked up and in as well, and when they re-emerged looked disoriented.

Hangaku decides to enter the tent to talk to the oracle. Hangaku commiserates how tired all the divination must make her, but the Oracle insists that it's really nothing, it's the others who do all the work. And Hangaku looks into the Oracle's eyes. She sees stars, the past, the present, the future, all of it, her timeline as it would have been had she not been chosen by the Faction. The Oracle falls back in shock and orders her out.

In a local hotel room, Gaval and Hangaku discuss both Hangaku's experience, and Gaval's interview of the first audience member to talk to the Oracle. The two accounts are somewhat similar, though the audience member's didn't end as violently. Hangaku insists that this is a massive discovery - the information that can be gained from this gift is invaluable, the Oracle must either be convinced to join them or she must be kidnapped.

Thea felt exhausted, the last customer was different, instead of being able to push her in the right direction, well, it felt like Thea was overwhelmed by what she saw. She had to break contact. After going to sleep, Thea is woken up in the middle of night by Hangaku and Gaval, who hold a knife to her and insist on knowing about her gift. Thea recounts how she discovered it and experimented it, but as she does so, gets details of her life wrong.

She then explains what happened with Hangaku from her perspective, she saw all of Hangaku's possible lives, born but died of malnutrition, born and served in an army, all things, all true. Gaval says that this is a version of the Observer Effect, seeing a paradox has changed her way of seeing the world. Hangaku offers her a choice, to come with them to in order to better understand her skills. She accepts, and as they step back, multiple different scenarios play out, only one of which ends in Hangaku capturing Thea and taking her to The Boulevard.

The door of the cell is open and Ravensbrook and Gaval are tangled in the Oracle's story, watching, watching themselves watching. Hangaku is livid and insists that the door be closed, wondering why it was even open. Cousin Beatriz says that Gaval was showing the newbie the ropes, and perhaps the guards should be informed that the Faction doesn't actually have access to the Oracle's visions. Hangaku rejects this, as it would embolden their rivals. Let alone the issue that they now don't even know if the Oracle has escaped, her power reacted explosively being kept in The Boulevard. The best thing they can do for now is just live.

Characters

 * Cousin Ravensbrook
 * Cousin Gaval
 * Thea
 * Mother Hangaku
 * Cousin Gottfried
 * Cousin Beatriz

Continuity
to be added