I Shall Help You Defy Your Fate [Part 2]

Exactly two days had passed since Amy's visit and Ethan couldn't help but reminisce about the events that had led him to his current predicament. From a tender age, Ethan had discovered he was born a prodigy in this world, blessed with an uncanny wit, exceptional magical abilities, and a natural talent for cultivation. His sensitivity to mana was unparalleled among his peers, allowing him to progress at an unprecedented pace.

Ethan's thoughts drifted back to his sixth birthday, when he had astonished his parents by achieving the fifth level of the Vitalis Stage. He chuckled wistfully, wondering what their reactions would have been if he had continued to soar to even greater heights.

Ethan's reverie was abruptly interrupted by the bitter memory of the beast that had ruined his life.

"Morsus Venator…," he muttered aloud, his voice laced with venom.

That was the name of the deadly mythical serpent whose devastating venom slowly consumed the cultivation of its victims. Ethan had fallen prey to one such snake during a training expedition in the forest near his family's villa, just weeks after his sixth birthday. He had wandered too far from his cousins and encountered a young Morsus Venator at the peak of the Vitalis Stage. Ethan had desperately tried to defend himself with all he had, crying out for his cousins to find him. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, it was too late.

Ethan shuddered at the recollection of his grandfather's fury upon learning of the incident. The reason for his rage was the venom's cruelty: it would completely devour Ethan's cultivation, leaving his mana veins in a permanent dormant state.

Essentially, he would become a cripple and with no mana to combat the poison, the venom would relentlessly consume his body until death claimed him. This was the deadly venom currently ravaging Ethan's body, the very reason as to why his family had abandoned him. There was no cure and no way to safely extract the venom and save his life.

Ethan's fists clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms as he recalled every hurtful word from his so-called family. His father, mother, uncles, aunts, siblings, and cousins – not one of them had spared him a second glance after his injury.

"What's the use of looking after a genius if he is as good as dead...?"

"Although a little regretful, I do have other children. This matter is of little concern to our household..."

"Good riddance. The little eyesore simply got what was coming to him, that's all..."

"Fate makes no mistakes. If he is to die, then that is that..."

"Poor little thing. May the Gods look favorably upon you in your next life..."

In their eyes, his fate had been sealed the moment he was bitten. Their words of mockery and ridicule were cold and hurtful. However, the words that cut him deepest were his grandfather's:

"I have no need for someone so weak in my house." Cassius's piercing gaze had sent shivers down Ethan's spine as he declared, "Weakness is sin. Because you are weak, you have sinned. For that sin, you must die." With that, Cassius had turned his back and left, leaving a distraught and broken child in the hospital room that day.

"It's ironic how that single event shaped me into what I am today," Ethan mused, his gaze drifting toward the sunset outside his window. "I still remember those nights of tears, screams and pleas for them to come get me, to tell me I'd get better and that I could still meet their expectations...the naivety of a child is indeed quite something. "He closed his eyes, his breathing labored, and whispered, "Less than an hour left..."

Perhaps due to his innate talent or the traumatic experiences he had endured, Ethan had developed an acute awareness of his being, not just his physical body but also the state of his soul. This awareness allowed him to sense the poison's progress and because of this he knew his time on earth was dwindling.

As the venom finally reached the muscles of his heart, Ethan opened his mouth once more:

"Out of all the regrets I have, not being able to bid you a proper goodbye is my biggest one," he said weakly, recalling Amy's radiant smile. "You were the only light that kept shining in my dark world when no one else would. For that, I thank you, Amy."

With a final, painful breath, Ethan whispered, "If there is any mercy among the gods in the heavens...please grant me your favor in my next life..."

And with that, his body relaxed, the darkness closing in as the last embers of his life flickered out.

°

Minutes before Ethan's final words...

Hundreds of feet above Cygnus City, a middle-aged man in gray and white robes floated in the air, his arms crossed. He had arrived on earth just a day after Amy's visit and had been observing Ethan without rest.

"Some things never change...," he sighed, shaking his head helplessly as he listened to the black-haired boy's dying words.

As Ethan's soul began to dissipate, the man decided it was time to act and fulfill his purpose. Without a word, he vanished from his position and reappeared in Ethan's hospital room, just a few feet away from his bed.

Ethan didn't acknowledge the newcomer, unable to sense his presence at all. The man's ears perked up slightly as he heard the young boy's final words:

"If there is any mercy among the gods in the heavens...please grant me your favor in my next life..."

The man's expression turned solemn as he slowly approached the bed, pulling out an object from the air in front of him.

"Alas, lad, you shall find no mercy amongst the gods...for their cruelty is no less than that of your brethren," he said softly, his voice laced with a hint of bitterness and sorrow.

The man gently placed the object, a strange-looking cube carved with intricate glowing runes, on Ethan's chest. Almost instantly, the wisps of Ethan's soul that had dissipated earlier began to gather, drawn to the cube. Once he was sure every bit of Ethan's soul had been pulled back, the man nodded in satisfaction.

"With this, I have kept my promise to you, old friend," he said, his voice filled with a sense of duty. "May your fate be yours to decide from now till the end of time."

The glow of the cube on Ethan's chest brightened for a moment, as if acknowledging the mysterious man's words. The man smiled, a hint of warmth in his eyes, and gave one last nod before vanishing once more, leaving earth and returning to his affairs.