My Fate System

The information he received should be enough for the report Saint Maria needed. First, however, Nikolai wanted to know more about the other gods. Specifically, Val. If there were a way to learn more about the god he was aiming to inherit, it would help him in the trial.

"I need to go back," Taly said all of a sudden as she kept glancing back. Nikolai followed her gaze, but he could only see an empty alley. There were no presences there. Before he could say anything, Taly had already walked away. "Ask the union to summon me tomorrow, and we'll continue our talks."

Nikolai looked at the sky, and it was barely the afternoon. However, it seems that he couldn't pester the archeologist with his questions for now.

'Maybe it's time to see that vision,' Nikolai walked through the alley before choosing a corner to disappear into his stealth. Then, he waited.

There was no reason for his suspicion other than Taly's glances at the alley. That's why Nikolai waited to see if there was something out of the ordinary.

There was nothing until there was. Then, after a few minutes, a flash of light passed through the alley, rebounding off the walls before pausing in the corner that Nikolai disappeared it.

The light had no form other than a softly glowing sphere floating in the alley. Nikolai could feel its puzzlement over his disappearance, but it seems he wasn't a priority. The light resumed its trajectory following the direction Taly took.

Nikolai frowned as he stepped to stand in the middle of the alleyway. However, the light was traveling at a speed he couldn't keep up with, so it was futile to chase it.

'Is she in danger?' Nikolai wondered, but he didn't know if this was just a skill user traveling home or someone pursuing the archeologist.

Even if he wanted to help her, he lacked the reason and the method. He paid her two golds for her services, but it wasn't worth it to risk his life.

Nikolai turned around and left the alley through a different route. Since he still had the time for it, he decided to visit the ritual. This time, there will be no strategist to mess things up.

Carriages were prohibited near the ritual grounds, so there was no way for him to hitch a ride. Nikolai passed the gates, unseen, as he wondered if he should simply run there.

Even though the ritual grounds were far, the distance wasn't enough to deter him from traveling on foot. Furthermore, it was the best way to avoid detection or being followed.

Nikolai sallied on his journey toward the ritual grounds. The sun was slowly hiding from view, taking away its blinding light. Nikolai took several detours and waited, hidden, for any signs of being followed.

By the time he saw the walls of the ritual grounds, there were parts of the forest that had dark slipping between them. Nikolai studied the forest destroyed in the vision and marveled at how powerful the system was to take him back in time.

However, the length of the terminated branch was relatively short, only involving the vision and his encounter with the old monster. It made Nikolai wonder why the system didn't take him back in time further, but it didn't matter.

Unlike what he expected, the termination saved him. It did once before, but there must be a cost of which he was unaware. The system said that there were terminations left for him, but he didn't know the exact number.

"Halt!"

A voice asked him to stop as Nikolai's mind wandered into possible outcomes for running out of terminations. When he looked at the person, he found that it was one of the ground's guards.

"I am here to inspect the grounds, answering the wishes of her highness, Princess Maria," as he declared, he took out his badge and showed it to the guard.

Just as before, the guard hesitated to let him in, despite the badge. The beastman hurried to call over the captain, who turned out to be a different person than the one in the vision.

"What brings the royal family here?" the captain said after glancing at his badge. It was a beastwoman that had tiger-like hair and eyes. A simple glance seemed enough to check the authenticity of his badge, so Nikolai placed it away.

"Her highness wants to make sure the ritual grounds are secure and that it is safe for the nobles of our kingdom to visit the place. If you are unwilling to allow us to inspect the grounds, then I can only relay that message to her highness."

"What qualifications you have to inspect our security?" the tigress growled at him, showing off her fangs.

"I am the retainer of her highness, tasked with keeping her safe as well as serving her. I don't need any more qualifications than my badge. I will take my leave."

After his threats, Nikolai turned around to disappear into the forest. As long as they targeted the princess's life, they couldn't afford for such a rumor to go out that there was a possibility of danger on the grounds.

"Wait," she called him over, true to his expectations. "How did you arrive at this place? There is no carriage, nor any flying ships."

"I am capable enough to travel such a short distance," Nikolai turned around with a wide grin. "Don't worry about me. I will find my way back and report what happened here in detail."

"There is no need," the tigress woman said coldly. "You may enter. However, we can't allow any outsiders after dark. You'll have to inspect the grounds in what little time you have left."

"I don't need much," Nikolai said with confidence as he turned and walked past the captain. The guards were hesitant until their captain raised her hand, and they hurried to open the gates in front of Nikolai. 

***

[Activating the vision requires 10 Fate Points to see the events that would transpire here.]

The system did not need to analyze the phenomena like before. The tigress should have been accompanying him, but she grew less cautious after Nikolai knocked on every tile and pillar to check for traps.

Nikolai glanced back at the tigress woman, who was talking to some underlings. His fate was consumed as the cluster of fate was activated. Without hesitation, Nikolai grabbed into the cluster.

The same as last time, Nikolai's consciousness was pulled into the vision. However, this time, he didn't need to stop the Temporal Divergence like before.

There was no need for him to do anything except see the future of the events that transpired that night. However, it seems that the cluster of fate ripped across the ritual grounds, alerting all of the guards.

"What are you doing?"

The tigress captain shouted behind him, but Nikolai had his eyes closed. Instead, she drew her sword in alertness and pointed it at him in a threatening gesture.

"Answer me!"

The tip of the sword was touching his back by the time the vision ended. Nikolai's eyes were shaken, and a myriad of emotions flashed through them of what he just saw.

"I should be the one asking you," Nikolai disappeared from the tigress's vision before reappearing behind her, a few feet away. "If you dare draw your sword at me again, I'll make your whole kingdom regret it."

"Answer my questions!" she almost shouted, even though she retracted her blade.

"I already told you before I entered the grounds," Nikolai smiled. "I am here for inspection."

***

The mansion's lights cast his shadow long over the tiles as he passed through the gates. The guards blocked his path, and Nikolai almost lost his temper and attacked them.

"Know the face of her highness's retainer," Nikolai waved the badge in their faces, and they grew pale as they allowed him entrance. "I apologize," he said before he walked in. "I know that you are just doing your job."

  The guards were bewildered by the young man's apology as he left them to walk into the mansion. Nikolai went straight toward his room, where he allowed himself a moment of rest in his pocket dimension.

It became his ritual to untie the silk around his head after every long day. The black silk fell to the ground of his dark dimension, pooling beside his feet.

The place looked a lot more like a room than a pocket dimension. Nevertheless, Nikolai ensured that he had the necessities like water and other things inside his pocket dimension.

As he looked at the headband, Nikolai infused it with his darkness to make sure that Master Edward wouldn't find out his real race. There was a giant mirror in front of him, which he had stolen from the room.

"My existence is the reason for her death," Nikolai muttered as the vision replayed in his mind. The vision had blood, devoted followers, and ancient gods.. Now, Nikolai needed to figure out how to change the future.