Having asked a question related to his own origins, Shade had thought one of two things might happen: either "the Crystal Ball would explode and he would receive double the coins," or "the divination would yield a result, letting him learn something about the Ancient Moon Tower that collapsed in the Kalas Mountains in the spring of Year 1853."
But this time, Shade had been completely wrong. After less than a second of waiting, a genderless voice that hissed like a Snake whispered into his ear:
"The mist parts, and the past appeared: you appeared because of an absolutely impossible accident; you appeared because of the chaos caused by the collapse of Time and Space; you appeared because of someone's desperate wish; you appeared because of a chain of errors. Welcome, audience beneath the stage."
A moment of stunned silence:
"What?"
Shade had not been prepared to actually hear an answer. In the first second after the voice fell silent, he could hardly believe what he had heard. Then, as his thoughts raced, before he could even process the meaning, he immediately tried to place the last two coins in his hand back onto the Scales:
"I want to continue the divination."
But this time, the shadow seated behind the table moved faster. It raised its hand, picked up the Crystal Ball and its base, then stood and made a gesture to send them away.
Shade stared at the scene in Shock, coins still in hand. Behind him, Miss Higgins did not dare ask any questions, afraid of hearing something she was not meant to hear.
"Seemed the divination is over. Let's go."
She reminded him carefully. Shade did not even realize he had nodded instinctively, that sentence still echoing in his heart:
"What does an impossible accident mean? Chaos