Chương 113: Broken Fate

Once the dinner ended, Joe sat alone at the side of the lake, lost in thought. What he had seen still rattled him. His fate line, an immense black river that stretched upward only to be cut short, as if sliced from existence. What the hell did that mean? Was that the end of his fate? The end of him? No. He tried to steady himself. No. It couldn't be that. He was an anomaly, a man outside of fate. That had to be the answer. It was the only thought he was willing to accept.

He rose to his feet and wandered, mind tangled in turmoil. As night fell, he found himself deep in the southern forest. On his mini-map, Corel's dot lingered not too far, watching. She didn't come closer. He was almost thankful; he had no words for her at this very moment, no way to explain his thoughts. Tevenny had likely told her what she'd seen. Better to let silence hold.

'Fate is hard to understand,' Uriel whispered in his mind.

"Fate? What even is fate? Why should I care? I am in control of my life. Fate doesn't determine when I end. I do."

'Yes. You control your fate. Don't let what you saw make you forget that.'

"Did you see it?" he asked.

'Yes.'

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

'A friend.' His heart skipped a beat.

"Veda? Is that you?"

'No, silly. Var roos so pa.' Joe pressed deeper into the forest, Uriel's voice mumbling like static in his head. Eventually, he reached a clearing and sank onto the grass, staring up at the stars. He didn't know how long he stayed like that, but at some point, Corel appeared at his side. She didn't speak. She simply wrapped her arm around him and held on.

'I like her,' Uriel said.

"So do I," Joe answered before he caught himself. Damn it. He'd promised himself not to respond aloud, not when Corel was near. He didn't want her to know about the voice. Didn't want her to think he was losing his mind.

'You aren't mad,' Uriel scolded.

"Aren't I?" Joe growled, his voice sharp with sudden fury.

"If I'm not mad, then who are you?! If I'm not insane, then tell me… what are you!" Corel froze, staring at him in shock as he stood shouting into the empty night. A silence stretched. Then, at last, Uriel's voice came, calm and certain.

'I can show you,' she said. The world turned black. __ Uriel Est Von Aero awoke on the morning of Moonsong with her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst through her chest. Today, she would become an adult. Today, she would receive her blessing. She dressed in a whirl, forgetting to brush her hair, forgetting to wash her face, nothing would keep her from seeing the dress she'd dreamed about.

She barreled through the village and skidded into her grandmother's house like a fox in a chicken coop, rushing up the stairs two at a time. She burst into the room where her grandmother sat waiting; to the right, on a hook, hung the blue dress, exactly as Uriel had imagined. She squealed, undressed without a care in the world and dropped her clothes in a pile before slipping the gown on with childish, giddy clumsiness.

"Now now, Ur. You'll ruin your hair," her grandmother chided gently, but with fond amusement. Uriel let herself be fussed over, let her hair be brushed into place. Her hair was short, shoulder length; it took only a moment before she was ready, spinning from the room like someone newly born. When the Moonsong began, Uriel stood at the centre of a circle, a bundle of nerves, facing her parents and kin. Years of anticipation suddenly condensed into this single trembling instant. Had she built it up too much?

What if the blessing did not come? What if she… The old fears tightened her chest as she waited for the inevitable, doom or glory, either would be easier than silence. The ceremony was, mercifully, ordinary. The priest intoned the old words, the moon rose like it always did, and the family cheered. The blessing came, soft, intimate, folding into her mind like a warm hand. Her secret name whispered itself into being: Eternal Spark. She smiled until her cheeks ached. Fast forward ten years.

Uriel, now twenty-six, stood on a mountain's edge, the world spread beneath her, and watched the sky catch fire. The horizon boiled with flame; light rained down like a slow, patient wrath. Nothing in her training had readied her for the sight of the heavens burning. She clung to her mother's arms and waited for the end… But no gods descended. No final horns sounded. Instead, a voice rolled out, cold, impossibly vast, across the continent, across the world itself.

'Mortals!' it said, and every hair on her arms rose.

'You are chosen as the first to join my consciousness. You will be the first, but you shall not be the last. Hear me! For I am the system! And I have arrived!' The years that followed reshaped Uriel's world. The system, this so-called god, poured its strange blue substance into every corner of their land. Mana, it called it. With it, Uriel discovered she was faster, stronger, sharper than ever before.

She could leap rooftops, outrace the swiftest mammals, and send suitors sprawling with little more than a slap of her hand. One boy, in particular, never learned. She'd beaten him bloody more times than she cared to count, but still he came, determined to win her hand. When he appeared yet again, puffed up with hope, she couldn't help but laugh in his face.

"Why have you come again? When will you give up?" she teased.

"I won't stop until you're my wife!" he declared, charging headlong. Uriel only laughed harder as she put him back in the dirt, bruised and stubborn as ever. Decades slipped by, and with them came a revelation: she no longer aged. Fifty years had passed, yet she still looked twenty-six. She wasn't the only one. Her parents, who should have long since returned to the memory rites, were as youthful as ever.

It was strange, unsettling even, but she was grateful, grateful that time itself seemed to have bent around them.

"Ur! Dinner!" her mother's voice rang clear from half a mile away, carrying easily on the strength of a skill. Uriel darted home in a blur, skirts fluttering as she arrived breathless at the door.

"Mother, guess what. I killed a dragon today!" she boasted, eyes alight.

"Only one?" her mother laughed.

"Your father slew two yesterday. That's why we're having dragon steaks tonight." Uriel's mouth watered instantly. Not all wonders came with claws and fire. One day, wandering through a quiet forest, she stumbled into a glen unlike any she'd ever seen. At its heart grew a flower of living flame, blazing bright amid curling brown vines, lush green leaves, and clusters of purple buds. Each bud bore a single pink petal at its centre, glowing softly with a soothing energy that calmed her soul.

Overhead, a great willow spread thick black leaves, its branches draping the clearing like a mother's embrace. Uriel stepped closer, transfixed. The flame-flower shone brighter, its glow washing over everything, until the world itself dimmed, colours fading, and the vision dissolved into black. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

__ Joe opened his eyes, the final image still burning behind them, the tranquil glen, the glowing buds, the single flower of flame. It lingered in his chest like a weight, equal parts wonder and dread.

"Are you okay?" Corel's voice was soft as she squeezed his hand. He turned to her, momentarily struck by the calm beauty in her moonlit eyes. He nodded but didn't trust himself to speak. The vision had felt like weeks, yet here, only moments had passed. They sat together in silence. Corel rested her head against his shoulder, her warmth grounding him. She didn't press, though he knew she must have questions about who he had been speaking to. Instead, she simply held him, and he held her back.

'I am not your enemy,' Uriel's voice whispered. An hour passed before Joe stirred, brushing his fingers gently against Corel's cheek.

"Sorry about that, Rel. I was just… a little stressed." She straightened, slipping his sunglasses from his face so she could study him properly.

"Tell me what happened," she said, tender yet unyielding.

"Her name is Uriel," Joe admitted, the words catching in his throat.

"I've been hearing her for a while now…" And so he told her everything, the voice in his head, the strange language, and the vision he had just witnessed. The following day, Joe woke to an uncomfortable truth. He had naively thought that after sharing, Corel would accept his choices and life would return to normal. Instead, she had drugged him. Slipping something past his lips when they returned. He could have burned the drug away with Uriel's light, but he hadn't. Some part of him had accepted her judgement.

So when he awoke to a bed tangled with five bodies, he simply sighed. Gao and Esha, he expected. But Alice? Felicia? He groaned, rubbing his temples before vanishing for a bath. Thankfully, his drugged sleep had left him with perfect clarity. He knew nothing improper had happened. Corel simply liked the company in her rest, a Voldura thing, perhaps. He accepted it with weary resignation. Cleaned and dressed, Joe used the quiet morning to refocus. He had a plan forming, but first, he needed guidance.

His feet carried him toward the old Volduran Seer, a question heavy on his tongue. As usual, Zevra was waiting outside her house.

"About time you got here. I don't have all day to wait for you," she grumbled the moment he arrived.

"I didn't ask you to wait…" Joe began.

"Bah. Shut it and pour me some tea before you ask your…" She cut him off. He chuckled as he helped the old voldura inside, and poured a cup. Zevra settled into her favourite chair and studied him with the same impatient curiosity she always wore.

"So you want to make a staff?" She mused.

"Quarterstaff. And yes," Joe corrected.

"Same thing," she waved her cane.

"Show me this branch you have. Put it on the table and help me up." Joe blinked. Quarterstaffs were not the same as staves, but he didn't argue. He eased her up and set the Magical Branch of the Fur-Caved Tree on the table for her to inspect.

"You got this from the system?" she asked after a few moments.

"Yeah. A kill reward." She nodded, turning the branch over in her hands.

"Not bad for your current power. You'll probably be able to use this well into the next grade." He opened his mouth to ask how she could possibly know that, but she went on before he could.

"You'll need a mana forge, two hundred mana crystals, a peak E-grade beast core, a peak E-grade sapling, and twelve focused crafting gems." Joe made a quick list in his head. Mana crystals and a forge were easy, plenty in the village. Peak E-grade beast core? He already had three. The sapling and the crafting gems, though, were new. He could ask Anthony about the gems, but the sapling puzzled him.

"Do you know where I can find a peak E-grade sapling?" he asked.

"No. That's your problem," Zevra said brusquely.

"Go away. Come back when you have everything." She waved him toward the door. He shrugged and left. Outside, his excitement grew. Forging his own weapon might be doable after all. However, Anthony burst his bubble within minutes of arriving in the village.

"Focused crafting gems?" Anthony repeated, eyes wide.

"Yes, twelve of them," Joe added. Anthony sank onto a stool, shaking his head.

"Just a single one of those is rare. Twelve… that's beyond anything I can assist with."

"But you know what they are?" Joe pressed.

"Sort of. If you're lucky, a condensed, powerful mana vein can crystallize them into being. We use mana veins to produce crystals for crafters; there are two under the village. That's partly why so many mana crystals are available here." Anthony rubbed his forehead.

"But one focused gem? Extremely unlikely. Twelve? You might as well be asking me to pull a star from the sky."

"There are two veins below the village?" Joe repeated, surprised. He hadn't known such things existed. Anthony nodded.

"You learn something new every day," he mumbled. Joe purchased a high-grade mana forge, and the hundred mana crystals Anthony had agreed to provide and left, mind ticking furiously. If focused crafting gems could form from mana veins, and there were veins beneath the village… He headed home with a plan forming, a dangerous idea rolling through his head. When Joe returned home, he went straight to the detailed map Hakeem had made for him. He studied it carefully, searching for any sign of a mana vein.

Nothing obvious stood out, but the more he looked, the more he began to notice a strange pattern. The densest forests around Landradad seemed to form circles around the village. Could that be a sign of the veins hidden beneath? He decided it was worth investigating, and he continued scanning the map for similar anomalies. By the time he was done, he had marked twenty possible locations on his map. He started to grin as… an adventure began to call to him.

If he could confirm that any of the spots he marked hid a mana vein, that would be a victory. And if he stumbled across one of the 'seven wonders' hidden gates Hakeem told him about, even better. That only left one decision: who to bring along. Naturally, he sought out Corel first.

"I promised Rai I'd help her with something personally," Corel said when asked. Joe's face fell.

"No worries. Can't be helped if you have plans." He had been looking forward to travelling with her again.

"Try not to get into any trouble. Maybe take Locke with you? Meris is coming with me," she added, giving him a look he knew all too well. He put a hand to his heart.

"I will do my best to keep out of trouble." She rolled her eyes. Locke wasn't a bad idea, so Joe set off to find Alice and the brats. He found them at the training grounds. Shanna and Travis were in the middle of a 'sparring match', though it was mostly Shanna tossing the poor boy around like a sack of grain while Alice looked on, amused. Joe decided to rescue him and strode onto the field.

"Gather round, brats! Who's interested in going on an adventure?"

"An adventure? Oooo, where are we going?" Shanna practically bounced with excitement. She pointed at Travis.

"Four Eyes! You have to come with us!"

"Can I sit this out?" Travis groaned.

"No," Joe said flatly.

"Hahaha, see!" Shanna grinned wickedly, "You're coming anyway. So… where are we going?" Joe spread his hands wide.

"We are going in search of mana veins," he declared. To his surprise, Travis suddenly perked up.

"Did you say mana veins? What… What is a mana vein?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Joe admitted.

"From what I've been told, they're condensed rocky formations born from mana. I need to find something that forms around them, so we'll be travelling the entire continent in search." He smiled, enjoying the way their eyes lit up.

"The whole continent? Oh my god, that sounds so exciting! When do we leave?" Shanna clapped her hands together.

"That's the spirit, Shanna. Locke, you in?"

"Yes," Locke said simply.

"Why does he get to choose?" Travis complained.

"Because he's not a chicken," Joe said matter-of-factly.

"First things first, none of you are dressed for an adventure. We need to get you some proper attire and weapons."

"Weapons? Will we have to fight?" Travis asked, his enthusiasm already waning. Joe only shrugged.

"Who knows? Anyway… We'll head to the village, get everyone outfitted, my treat, and we leave today. Any complaints?"

"None!" Shanna yelled before Travis could open his mouth, shaking him by the arm.

"Right, Travis? No complaints." He hung his head in defeat.

"... Right."

"Can I come?" a voice asked from the side. It was Alice. Joe considered for a moment. Honestly, it wasn't a bad idea to have another adult along, someone to help keep the brats in check. Even if technically, they were all adults.

"Sure," he said with a dastardly grin.

"I'll even buy you some gear so you can look the part."

"Look the part?" Alice asked, suddenly regretting her decision to join the adventure, but Joe only laughed. Alice sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror aboard Joe's skyboat just before they set off. She was dressed head to toe like a heroine out of an old adventure movie, sturdy boots, tight-fitted leather, shorts, a wide-brimmed hat, and even a whip on her hip. It was ridiculous… yet not entirely unflattering. Her legs looked amazing.

Joe, on the other hand, looked like he'd stepped straight out of a hero's tale. His own wide-brimmed hat shaded his face, his leather outfit well-fitted, rippling over his impressive muscles, his usual sunglasses tucked away. For the first time she could remember, Alice saw his eyes unobstructed. Starlight shimmered in them as he gazed toward the horizon, and for a fleeting moment, she forgot her worries and let her mind wander. Against her better judgement, she felt a spark of excitement.

She was actually looking forward to this adventure.