Chapter 21: The First Is Chance, The Second Is Fate
Chapter 21: The First Is Chance, The Second Is Fate
Fortune teller Airi Haven.
The last descendant of the God of Destruction, she came to this land with a mission and etched the horrific scene shown in the crystal ball into her eyes, holding her breath.
A scene of everything in sight burning and collapsing.
But among them, what particularly caught her eye was the gray dust covering the ruins, of which not everything had burned yet.
Was it sand or ash?
Whatever it was, it could also be a clue to the one that caused this scene.
Such an absurd thing to suddenly occur, altering even the existing future
Events like this dont usually happen.
For an event that devastated a whole country to occur, there must be preceding signs, and a fortune tellers foresight takes all such signs into account.
The fact that the future she foresaw changed in an instant meant that the other party suddenly decided to act without giving time for such signs to appear.
It was so sudden that even the being beyond the vast universe, who revealed prophecies to her, only just noticed.
Ancestor, is this the future you foresaw?
The Goddess of Destruction, Angolmois.
A being who descended to this land long ago to destroy the world as per a prophecy but ascended back to the heavens for some reason.
Her bloodline remained on this land, and as a result of the Goddess of Destructions union with humans, her descendants gathered their powers to bestow upon her.
Indeed, she was in a state of having awakened powers similar to those of Haven, the first demi-god.
Being born with such powers, she knew.
The ability of her clan to read the movements of the stars was valid because of the intervention of the Goddess of Destruction, beyond this world.
Oh Goddess of Destruction.
Airi, sensing such intervention, soon gathered her power into the crystal ball to communicate with her.
Until now, our clan has only been able to read the movements of the stars and see the future, not understanding how to modify it in the desired direction.
Even if the future could be changed, fate would split into countless paths at every moment.
With their powers fading through generations, it became challenging to find the correct path of fate.
Even now, with their powers combined, they were still limited to discerning the way forward to the future they sought through sentences or blurry scenes.
It was as if they were not directly confirming the possibility but rather as if someone was indirectly conveying that fact.
We have gathered our powers to prevent the imminent doom of this land. Originally meant for destruction by your hands, we now seek a different path, diverging from the moment of destruction we foresaw and intended to retreat from.
The ability to read the future and teach ways to alter it is only possible because a being, whom we may call a Goddess, watches over this land.
Having realized this, Airi, akin to the first demi-god, who had long harbored this question, seized the moment to ask,
Have you continually given us revelations to prevent annihilation because you also wish for this land not to be destroyed?
[]
There was no answer in return.
Yet, Airi asked again.
Or, do you see the struggles of your descendants as mere amusement, believing that the future is predetermined regardless of our struggles?
Despite feeling her presence each time she read the movements of the stars, she couldnt fully bring herself to trust her.
After all, her very existence had longed for the destruction of this land.
Even the intention behind creating her bloodline through a human on this land could have been just a diversion. How could she, raised as a human, unconditionally trust her intentions?
Is this altered future one that will soon happen if I do not intervene?
Still, she asked her earnestly.
Not knowing her intentions or feelings but wondering if they, mere mortals, had the right to struggle.
[Yes.]
When the answer appeared in the crystal ball, Airi let out a heavy breath and put strength into her hands.
Still not knowing her full intentions, Airi found solace in a partial answer about the power to read the future.
For now, that would suffice.
If it were a responsibility she bore, she would follow and change as much as she could.
Such a future is too sudden, but I cant entirely blame her for it.
With her thoughts collected, Airi once again became fixated on the tragic scene displayed in the crystal ball.
The future, as revealed by the movements of the stars, was precisely the outcome predicted by the Goddess of Destruction, who watched over this land from the universe.
Did the future suddenly change because of an error in her judgment?
No, that wasnt it.
Having communicated with her and perceived her vastness, Airi believed that, as an absurd being, she could instantly account for any changes in the outcomes.
This was, after all, the caprice of entities known as transcendents by the Haven Clan, whose actions even she found difficult to forecast.
The results she gives us are like someone using a magnifying glass to watch an anthill and then writing a journal.
They would observe the ants behavior and meticulously record their findings.
Once enough data had been collected, one could roughly predict the entire ecology and processes within the anthill without examining each sectionjust a glance at the compartments would suffice.
Even a mere human could achieve that, so predicting the future of a single planet should be effortless for a God.
But thats only true for a normal ecology. No matter how controlled the observation environment, variables can always emerge.
What would happen if an unexpected mutation appeared in that anthill?
Or if a natural predator infiltrated from outside or if disasters like torrential rains or earthquakes struck?
Such variables would complicate predictions and could lead the observer to discard or completely revise their accumulated data.
Thus, the immediate reflection of these alterations was a drastic change in the future.
The term transcendents, as interpreted by the Haven Clan, referred to beings who acted unpredictably and without any specific forewarnings, thereby defying the anticipations of the Gods observing them.
Of course, after noticing such whims, she would make adjustments. Given the influence to drastically alter the future, reading signs from that moment would be easy for her.
The crucial question was, to what extent could she, who had become aware of such a future, change it?
Ironically, as a fortune teller, she could read the future but had limitations in changing it with her own hands.
To overcome this limit, help from others was essential, but as was often the case with fortune tellers, gaining trust from ordinary people was not easy.
Even if she told the truth, if it wasnt what people wanted to hear, they accused her of fraud and rumors. Often, those who pretended to comply betrayed her, adding to the challenges she faced.
Oh great ancestor.
But now, she was in a state akin to the first demi-god.
Her power went beyond reading the movements of the stars to communicating with the Goddess of Destruction, who possessed the power to read fate.
As your descendant, I dare to ask. If my voice reaches you, teach me how to avoid the future that is now revealed to me.
The moment a bright light shone on the crystal ball, it responded to her intense prayer.
The ritual interfered with the universe beyond the clear skies, eventually reaching the remnants of the Goddess of Destruction and leading to communication with her.
[Wait. Then you shall meet.]
It was just a fragmented message.
Meet? Who do you mean?
[You will know when the time comes.]
That was the end of the message.
Feeling drained the moment she withdrew her power from the crystal ball, Airi furrowed her brows and sighed deeply.
More specific questions might have brought more precise answers, but my powers are not infinite.
Reading mere movements didnt deplete much power, but what she aimed for was to accurately discern her desired future among countless possible fates.
Even reading about a predetermined future was challenging, let alone pinpointing the path designated by the Goddess of Destructions answer among numerous fates.
She was also aware of such limitations and condensed her responses as much as possible to convey her intentions to her.
But if that is the answer youve given then I will choose to believe it.
Her revelations had always been accurate, except when altered by the whims of the transcendents.
Thus, sitting quietly in her place, following her message, she soon noticed someone approaching from a distance.
A man roamed the streets, clad in splendid armor, with a lance that had a bluish blade slung over his back.
The moment Airi set eyes on him, she instantly guessed. Yes, this man was the protagonist of the revelation she had received.
Hey, passing adventurer. Could you come here Oh?
She had barely opened her mouth to call him when, upon recognizing his presence, familiar images began to surface in Airis mind.
It was a natural ability of the Haven Clan to faintly perceive the experiences or memories of someone just by facing them.
While not delving deep yielded only brief glimpses, the more vividly she remembered that person, the more clearly she could discern them, as if documented in records.
From personal details to chronic concerns and even the issues that he was seriously considering at the moment.
Uh, you are?
Huh?
The man, recognizing Airi from the past, approached her with a dazed expression.
Although she recognized him immediately, the man could not recall her right away, tilting his head in confusion.
Hmm? Ive seen you somewhere, but who are you?
Of course.
It had been several weeks since they had parted ways.
She should have forgotten him too, but
Wow, wow
Why was it?
Since that day, whenever she was not conscious of other things, she kept thinking about him.
Wow, wow-wow-wow! Wh-why are you here?!!!
Oh, you do know me, right? I just remembered who you are Youre the fortune teller lady I met recently, arent you?
Ah, yes. That, um So, its like this!!
Startled by the sudden encounter, Airi Haven flailed her hands in surprise.
Her gaze then quickly shifted to the crystal ball in front of her.
Somethings wrong No, theres nothing wrong with what he said. The whims of transcendent beings do not occur that frequently.
Indeed, from the moment she read the future, this was no coincidence.
The Goddess of Destruction had foreseen his arrival here, predicted their current meeting, and was confident that by meeting him and offering advice, she could prevent the future she had read.
But, that means if we meet like this again, I and this person might, you know
For them to read the second time after she had read such a future.
If this wasnt a coincidence, then it was almost as if it was foretold that the two of them would be bound together, wasnt it?
Um, are you okay? Your face is really red
Ahem.
A cough escaped her before her doubt even ended.
As she coughed, Airi lifted her head swiftly, a composed smile on her lips, and spoke to him.
Although we parted due to unavoidable circumstances last time, its quite a reunion to meet again in such a place. It must be destiny guided by the stars in the sky.
Ah, yes. Its been a while. Youre Airi, right?
Yes, thats correct. I am Airi Haven, a being who sees the past and reads the future through the movement of the stars
She was utterly calm and utterly serious.
Maintaining such an atmosphere, Airi chuckled softly and met his gaze with half-lidded eyes.
Come to think of it, I promised to read your fortune for free once, but I let you go without realizing it.
Indeed, even though the future was predetermined, it could be changed by variables.
Although she didnt know why the Goddess of Destruction had foreseen such a future and relayed it to her, she believed that if she remained cautious, it wouldnt come to pass.
Her purpose in coming to this empire included finding a partner for the revival of her clan, but she knew she had to choose such a partner carefully.
But she decided it wasnt the time to ponder that. With this thought, she soon began to smile leisurely, ready to continue the consultation with the man before her.
If its alright with you, shall we finish what we couldnt last time?
Whatever would happen in their relationship afterward was irrelevant at the moment.
For now, she focused on the possibility that this man could be the key to preventing the Great Disaster that loomed over the empire.
Then, please wait a moment while I prepare.
Ah, yes. The preparation
Airi Haven, the fortune teller, gestured before the crystal ball that faced her.
As memories associated with his name began to surface, she tried to shift the mood by referring to their previous encounter.
Excuse me, Ms. Airi. I was just wondering about last time, about that incident
It was an accident.
Pardon?
It was an accident. Please forget about it.
Ah, yes.
Ms. Airi stated firmly and returned to her task.
He had hoped to lighten the mood by bringing it up, but it seemed to be an unpleasant memory for her.
Regardless, it was hard not to be affected when a client catches you with an adult video file, no matter how composed you try to be.
Deciding not to bring it up again and to show understanding, he resolved to focus on the consultation ahead with her.
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