"An advance prophecy?" Pandora seemed to half understand and half not. She asked, "Prophecies are already in advance, so doesn't an 'advance prophecy' mean 'in advance of in advance'?"
"You could put it that way," Richard said. "You should know very well that you possess prophetic abilities. But you should also know that you cannot fully control them. Especially when prophesying complicated matters, there is a great deal of interference. Only when the time draws close enough do you sense anything and receive an answer.
Because of certain suspicions, I guided you into giving an answer now that ordinarily would have come later. That is why I call it an advance prophecy."
Pandora blinked and fell into thought. She murmured, "Then does that mean everything I said just now was true? This place really is dangerous right now? What should we do?"
"Didn't you already give the answer—leave immediately? And I agree completely," Richard said. He took a deep breath and spoke gravely. "Although I do not know what exactly you sensed, and perhaps even you cannot explain it clearly, leaving at once is the safest choice, just in case.
I had originally planned to leave tomorrow morning, since that would have allowed for more thorough preparations. But with your advance prophecy, we cannot risk even a one-in-ten-thousand chance. Some preparations can be made up for after we leave. In short, we must get out of here as quickly as possible."
Richard had thought it through clearly: regardless of what Pandora's prophetic warning was related to, and regardless of whether it was real or false, given his current circumstances, the sooner he left, the safer he would be.
He had no desire to experience another White Stone Tower incident. He could overcorrect now, and he could be excessively cautious, but