Chapter 8- Fate token

[Ding]

[Host has completed a hidden quest]

[Change the fate of Liara Faren Elgarwyn]

[Host has obtained a fate token]

Huh? A fate token? What's that? Lucious furrowed his brows as he internally asked the system.

[Fate tokens can be used to make minor alterations to one's fate]

Control fate?... What does that even mean? Is fate even something that can be controlled?

Lucious couldn't believe what he was hearing. Until now, he had always thought of fate as a predetermined path. Something that he couldn't change, no matter what.

And now, the system is telling him that he suddenly had the power to change people's fate.

Can I use the fate token now? A small part of him was still suspicious, but if true, he would abuse this ability to its fullest extent.

[Yes Host but be advised that you can only alter the fate of people within close proximity. Right now, only Liara is in range.]

[Does Host wish to use a fate token?]

"Sir Lucious? Is something wrong?" Liara asked, as he suddenly stopped walking without warning.

"Nothing's wrong. I thought I heard something, but I must have been imagining it." Though he felt bad for lying, this wasn't exactly something he could share.

No, save it for now. Lucious wasn't sure what would happen when he used it and didn't want to risk being vulnerable.

If they were attacked while he used it, then they might both die. He decided to wait until reaching a village first.

They had already left the forest together and there's a village was less than a day's walk, judging by the map the slavers had on them.

"I have to say, I didn't expect you to be strong Sir Lucious." Her brutal honesty was a blow to his pride.

He knew it wasn't her fault. She's just an overly sheltered princess who doesn't even know how to fight.

In her eyes, Lucious is just a overweight beastman who managed to kill her captors and deal with the few monsters that attacked them on their journey.

"You can drop the Sir. I'm neither knight nor noble. Just Lucious is fine." He could already tell it was going to be a long journey to the elven Dynasty.

**********

"Everyone is staring at me..." Everyone, no matter their age and gender, stopped what they were doing and turned to Liara.

"They're not used to seeing a beautiful woman like you. Just ignore their stares and let's go." He replied while walking towards the counter.

The duo had reached a small village protected by a large stone wall.

Upon entering, they asked a guard for directions towards the Inn which he happily provided. However, from the moment they made it to the main street, all eyes have been on Liara.

She was feeling really uncomfortable and had hoped that the one person who wasn't looking her way would do something.

"...B-beautiful? You think I'm beautiful?" She quietly muttering to herself as her cheeks turned a rosy pink.

Lucious heard her muttering something but ignored it as he kept walking. By the time they reached the Inn, everyone stopped to stare at the elven beauty.

"Hello, two rooms for one night." Lucious said while grabbing some silver coins.

"Huh? Oh... two rooms, right? That will be forty copper coins." Snapping out of his daze the potbellied man at the counter replied.

Lucious paid him a silver coin before being led to their rooms which were just opposite each other.

"OK, Liara, I need to... meditate for a bit so head into your room and ill check up on you later." He told her nonchalantly.

"Can I stay and watch? ... I promise to be quiet." She asked while giving him puppy dog eyes.

Lucious agreed so long as she remained quiet before heading inside his room. The inside was very sparse with just a simple closet, chair and a door.

There was also a large double bed in his room which Lucious guessed the innkeeper gave him on account of his size.

After getting comfy on the floor, Lucious sat in the lotus position to give the illusion of meditating as he closed his eyes.

[Does Host wish to use a fate token on Liara]

Yes

As soon as Lucious gave his confirmation, his entire vision blanked. When he opened his eyes, he was stood in a white room.

"Where... where am I?" he asked the endless white void. But nobody was there to answer him.

He then noticed a series of pictures playing out various scenes, thousands quickly became millions as they flooded his vision.

They were all connected by a series of different coloured strings and the only thing these scenes had in common, were they all featured Liara.

[Host now has one minute before he is forced out]

"Wait, what am I supposed-" before he could finish his question, a shooting pain struck his head.

All the information about this place flooded his mind but it was too much to comprehend all at once.

[50 seconds]

Fuck, I need to do something. He quickly grabbed one of the many strings and as he did, information about Liara flooded his mind.

[Liara Faren Elgarwyn – Princess]

[Race – High Elf]

[Age – 19]

[Rank – Mortal]

[Elemental Affinities – none]

[Mana – 100 units]

[Aura mastery – none]

[Talent – none]

Woah. It's pretty similar to my stats screen. Due to a lack of comprehension of this power, he could only make a couple small adjustments but they would make a world of difference.

[30 seconds]

Yes, thank you for the countdown, it's not at all distracting. His thoughts dripping with sarcasm as he tried to make the changes.

His first change was to her talent. If he couldn't finish in time to make the second change then anything else would be pointless.

Five seconds after and he finally made the change. He finished his second change a few seconds before his timer ran out.

[Talent – medium]

[Elemental Affinities – Light, Ice]

Just as he finished reading this new information, he was forcefully ejected from that strange room.

As he opened his eyes, Lucious saw Liara laying on his bed while staring at nothing.

"If you're done staring into space, scoot over. It's time you learn to protect yourself." He said while standing up from the floor.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Her face was filled with curiosity as she made room for him to sit.

Too close, much too close. He tried to calm his thoughts and ignore how she was invading his personal space.

"I'm going to teach you magic"