Chapter 33

Kiyotaka stood at the entrance of the Throne Hall, a sense of trepidation washing over him as the heavy doors swung open. The room was dimly lit, with flickering torches casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. At the far end of the hall, Gunlaug, the third Bright Lord, sat on his ornate throne. He exuded an aura of command and cruelty, his eyes piercing as they settled on Kiyotaka.

Kiyotaka refrained from looking at the mirror-like golden armor and stood there with a bowed head. He knew that the armor had a mysterious ability. Anyone who looks at their own reflection through the armor experiences a mind suppression that makes them want to submit to the user.

There, next to him, was Harus, the hidden blade of the Bright Lord, also known as the Executioner. Excluding the Bright Lord himself, Harus was considered the strongest. There were even reports of him killing fallen creatures.

He was a strange, pale man with a bony face and glassy, emotionless eyes. His spine was twisted, making him appear deceptively short. The hunchback wore simple black clothes with no adornments, holding himself with a bit of awkwardness, as though uncomfortable with all the attention.

As Kiyotaka approached, he bowed deeply.

"My Lord, you summoned me."

Gunlaug remained silent for a moment before speaking in an authoritative tone.

"Vice Captain of the Hunter Corps, Kiyotaka. Tell me your thoughts on the future."

Kiyotaka remained silent, showing that he was thinking deeply, then he finally broke the silence.

"The war is coming. Lady Changing Star is determined to leave this place, no matter what it takes."

The Bright Lord's face couldn't be seen behind the armor, but Kiyotaka could feel Gunlaug's heart rate slightly increasing.

Kiyotaka knew that Gunlaug didn't trust him as someone who came here with Nephis and her cohort. Kiyotaka also knew that Gunlaug was probably aware of his connection with the cohort, and the fact that Kiyotaka would probably betray him. Yet, he didn't act at all. He didn't order Harus to kill Kiyotaka despite knowing the potential danger.

"Harus... leave."

Harus, without even questioning his lord's words, left the room.

Now, there were only two people left in the room. Perhaps the two strongest humans in this accursed place known as the Forgotten Shore.

Gunlaug dismissed his armor, showing his features for the first time. Without his armor, Gunlaug was surprisingly handsome. He had a short beard and long blond hair. He looked surprisingly young, no older than late his twenties.

As Kiyotaka looked at Gunlaug, Gunlaug looked back at him. The darkness in their eyes clashed with each other. As time passed, no one spoke, then the Bright Lord broke the silence.

"Kiyotaka, the darkness within your heart is no weaker than in mine. All these years I have seen many people with different eyes, but never someone like you. I can't see your heart, but I can feel a vast feeling of emptiness within it. There are small sparks of light I see in you from time to time, but mostly you look just like an emotionless machine. Like a human Echo."

Hearing Gunlaug's voice, Kiyotaka felt a resonance. Gunlaug was feeling empty, lonely, and broken. Surely, maintaining close to 1000 sleepers had taken a toll on him, turning him mad over the years. Gunlaug continued.

"Still, I can feel there is a desire in you to leave this place... no, to be exact, a desire to get stronger, and this place is limiting you. I envy you, Kiyotaka."

Gunlaug revealed a soft, melancholic smile.

"I... tried. In the beginning… I really did… I also had the same thoughts as you have now, Kiyotaka."

He looked towards a direction where the Crimson Spire was located.

"In the end, I failed... just like the others."

Kiyotaka, who remained silent throughout the conversation, spoke quietly.

"Fate never repeats itself indefinitely. It always brings us some surprises."

Gunlaug smiled at his response, but then returned to his usual self. He summoned his armor again, and all traces of the broken, lonely figure seemed to disappear.

"Then I will await my fate."

---

Kiyotaka was training in his room with his sword. He never stopped his training since the day he acquired the bloodsword as a memory, honing his skills to the maximum possible.

However, today he wasn't able to solely concentrate on swordsmanship. His conversation from yesterday with Gunlaug occupied his mind.

Cassie's dream, his own fate, the fate of others, fate...

'Fate. It's a word we often use to rationalize the unknown and the uncontrollable. We attribute our successes and failures to it, as if our lives are but threads in a preordained tapestry, woven by an unseen hand. It's a comforting thought, perhaps. A way to absolve ourselves of responsibility, to believe that everything happens for a reason, and that our paths are fixed, no matter the choices we make.

But what if fate is just an illusion? A convenient construct to make sense of the chaos that governs our existence? From the moment we are born, we're bound by circumstances beyond our control—our family, our environment, our innate abilities. These factors shape us, mold us into who we become. Yet, within these constraints, we make choices. Small, seemingly insignificant decisions that ripple through the fabric of our lives, altering our course in ways we can't always foresee.

I don't believe in fate. Not in the sense that everything is predestined. We are shaped by our experiences, influenced by those around us, but ultimately, we are the architects of our destiny. Every action we take, every word we speak, creates a multitude of possibilities. Some paths are harder than others, some lead to despair, while others to triumph.

Yet, even as we carve our own paths, we cannot deny the influence of chance. The randomness of life can elevate or destroy us in an instant. A chance meeting, a random event, these can set our lives on a trajectory we never anticipated. It is this interplay between choice and chance that defines our existence.

So, is it fate that determines our lives, or is it our will, our resolve to shape our destiny in spite of the odds? Perhaps it is a dance between the two—a delicate balance of control and surrender. To accept this is to understand that while we may not always control our circumstances, we can always control how we respond to them.

In the end, it's not about the destination, but the journey. The choices we make, the paths we forge, and the lessons we learn along the way. This is what defines us. Fate may be a convenient excuse, but it is our will that truly defines our destiny.'

Remembering Cassie's dream and the part about a knight that went mad and slaughtered everything in his way, he mused.

"If my fate is to go mad, then I will accept it, reshape it, and then utilize it to the fullest... then I will break away from madness and shape my own, unique fate."

"Fate may be an illusion or reality, but I'll use it as my tool no matter its nature. I'll shape my destiny with the choices I make, harnessing fate to carve my own path."

---

Sunny's [Fated] Attribute never left him bored and always made him experience the strangest phenomena a human can ever see in multiple lifetimes. With the Midnight shard in his hand, he desperately tried to escape yet another stupid catastrophe. As he and the cohort desperately tried to climb over the fourth headless statue of 'heroes' they saw and run from rising water, they finally managed to climb on top of it.

When he thought everything had ended for today, he felt something inexplicable coming from the depth of his soul. He looked into the distance towards the Dark City they left behind. From the corner of his eye, he saw Cassie also looking with confusion towards the distance.

'Damnation... I don't feel good about it.'

Unknown to them, the blood-red strings of fate on each of the members of the cohort stirred.