Chapter 1062: Alternative Fates |
"You are now one step closer to your birthday." The Will laughed while spreading out his arms.
Though his actions didn’t impress Alice.
"Of course you’ll know the perfect way to creep a girl out." Alice pulled a face of disgust while looking at the cake between them.
"What do you want?"
"How cruel. And here I thought we were close enough to be casual with one another. You make it sound like I only approach you when there’s something to be gained." The Will laughed, appearing next to Alice with a hand around her shoulders.
However, Alice had also aimed her finger at his chin. And on her fingertip glowed a single spark ready to fire on her command.
"Am I wrong? Every time you’ve shown up, it’s always to mess with things for some mysterious goal. And now you suddenly show up saying I’m one step closer to my birthday." Alice narrowed her eyes.
"What exactly are you playing at?"
"That’s a little harsh. There are times I’ve shown up to help you. Remember that girl with the Moon? She would’ve died had I not done anything. You would’ve earned the ire of a Cardinal of the Moon and... let’s just say your journey would’ve been far more difficult without her survival." The Will snapped his finger.
Alice stood upon burning rubble. The Moon hung overhead while a Cardinal led the charge towards her.
Behind him, Apostles of the Moon granted him support.
Tristan twisted his body, bloody tears in his eyes as lunar chains rained down from above.
Alice twisted her body, dodging the chains, but Nanna was faster.
She spun the chakram around her body, restraining Alice in a field of energy while Griselda slammed her palms against the ground.
A theatre burst to life around her and puppets started to lunge towards Alice.
"With the death of his sister at your hands, Tristan fully delved into the blessings of the Moon and became the greatest Cardinal Lumiria had ever seen. In fact, what could only be called a fleeting love became nothing short of infatuation." The Will snickered.
"That burning desire, that longing in her eyes. She gave him everything. Her blessings, her power, her authority and even her life. And Tristan embraced all of it. Including Lumiria.
"He ascended as the God of the Moon, leading the charge against the Abyss and uniting the surface against you. That was what would’ve happened had I not stuck my nose into your business back then." He laughed, dispelling the scene with a flick of his finger.
This was merely one possibility of the future. A scene interpreted from the Cogs that had long fallen dormant due to Alice’s actions.
Of course, fate could still lead to that kind of battle, but the requirements were now much harder to fulfil. Especially since the ties between Griselda and the Moon were hanging on by mere strands.
Even if a battle did play out in a similar manner, having Tristan lead the charge with two Apostles behind him was nearly impossible. Someone else would need to take his place.
Alice exhaled softly.
She knew how dangerous the operation was back then. But this kind of ending... she hadn’t expected it.
"I don’t believe the actions I’ve taken have been detrimental to you. If anything, they were beneficial. Why don’t we have a look at another future?"
Swiping his finger, a different battle unfolded. One held in the East.
Alice could be seen buckled over with her body mutating to an insane degree. Eldritch energy running rampant while Golden Chains lay broken around her.
Tears flowed from her eyes as she mumbled a single word in desperation.
Alyss.
"This was another kind of future that awaited you. The balance within your vessel broken beyond repair. The chains unable to suppress the mutation of Eldritch energy within your body and, in the end, a soul with whom you share a body became a casualty in the exchange.
"In your grief, you were unable to hold yourself back and unleashed destruction upon the East. The land now a flaming ruin thanks to your rampage. Cayla tried to snap you out of it but, with much of her power sealed, she was consumed when Eldritch energy took over. Such a shame..." The Will let out a sigh of pity.
"But because of the actions I took, because of the warnings that I gave you up to that point, you managed to avoid such a fate. Where is my thanks?"
Clapping his hands together, a new scene interrupted.
Two suns clashing in the sky before being interrupted by a demon of wrath.
"Your identity discovered too soon and thus you parted ways with young Guinevere. A battle between her and the Sun is unavoidable, but yet she lacked the power to finish him off. Not only that, but Wrath was granted to the grieving soul. Confused by his own hatred, he hunted anything and everything containing even a sliver of Divinity.
"Thus, with his fury, many of your allies were swept away as collateral damage. Another fate we avoided. With my intervention, how many of these requirements were discarded? Had I not intervened, the path to these fates would’ve been oh so easy to fall into."
*BANG!!!
Before the Will could say anything else, blood erupted around Alice, forcing him away.
Her hair flared around her as a pair of angry eyes glared at the featureless man.
"So your bullsh*t. If you could interfere with fate so easily, you would’ve done so long ago. You would’ve made it much easier for me to accomplish these requirements that you seek. To force the vessel into completion. Yet you didn’t." She narrowed her eyes.
"Because you couldn’t. You couldn’t tamper with fate. You couldn’t f*ck with it. Until recently, that is. My guess is that you probably figured out a way to mess with things and see what the choices of the past could’ve led to. With Nyer making his own moves and the fragments of Yvael doing whatever they wish...
"I’d much rather believe a theory that the Cogs are losing control than you orchestrating everything. So why don’t you stop taking credit for something you didn’t do."
The Will lost his smile and stared at Alice in silence.
"It seems like you are severely underestimating the power I hold. Have you forgotten? The Abyss originally belonged to me." He spoke coldly.
It lacked the usual playful tone he carried and, had it been in the past, Alice might’ve felt scared.
But not now.
Alice had no doubt that the Will was strong. Probably stronger than anything she had ever seen and ever would see. Perhaps even stronger than the Cogs of Fate. But he wasn’t without his own restrictions.
There must’ve been invisible bindings in place that prevented him from doing whatever he wished. Something that made sure he didn’t step out of line.
And that must be exactly what he wanted her to accomplish. To become a vessel of power that could possibly break this binding on him.
"Pft..." The Will hunched over before swinging his head back, letting out loud laughter. One that came from the pits of his soul, one that shook the entire realm as Alice flinched slightly, covering her ear.
He continued to laugh as the realm split apart. Black chains broke through, trying to restrain him, but a single eye snapped open on his face.
"This isn’t your place to intervene."
*RUMBLE SHATTER!!!
Energy whipped out from the Will’s body, faster than Alice’s eyes could capture, and shattered the chains lunging for his body.
Alice’s pupils constricted.
She hadn’t expected him to destroy the chains so easily and in such a manner. These were the same methods used to restrain anomalies in their world and yet... the Will could ignore them!
Something had gone terribly wrong. The course of fate had no doubt diverted and the Cogs were losing their influence.
"What’s wrong? You look scared. Am I really that scary to you?" The Will appeared in front of Alice.
His singular eye stared deep into her soul.
Beneath this gaze, she felt naked and devoid of defence. It felt as though nothing she did mattered and even the notion of trying to fight back seemed laughable.
The Will raised his hand and...
Patted her on the shoulder.
"Breathe, girl. We’re not enemies here. We still have use for one another, don’t you agree?" He finally grinned. His eye slowly closed until his face was featureless as usual.
Yet Alice couldn’t quite calm down.
She hated to admit it but she had lost the initiative in this conversation.
"Honestly, I hate it when ants speak out. They just don’t realise the gap in power, don’t you agree? But I’m giving you preferential treatment. If it wasn’t for that... I would’ve had you listen to every. Single. Word. I say. You get me?" The Will continued to pat her shoulder with a smile.
"If I tell you to jump, you’ll answer me with ’how high?’ If I tell you to run, you’ll tell me ’how fast?’ And if I tell you to get a certain Sigil, you’ll respond with ’yes sir’. But it’s not like that, is it?" He let go of her and took a step back.
"Instead, our relationship is similar to that of a friendship. I give you suggestions in the best interests of both of us. So when I congratulate you, the only thing on your mind should be ’thank you’ instead of accusing me of using you. It hurts my feelings too." He laughed.
Alice creased her brows, cold sweat dripping down her back.
"I think I’ve given you enough to think about for one day. Let’s see..." He paused.
"Next we meet, I hope it’ll be when you get your seventh Sigil for Lordship. I’m sure we’ll have a very fun moment when that time comes." The Will chuckled.
With a snap of his finger, the realm faded away and Alice was back in the royal hall.