"Thenshowme."
I grinned, raising my Blue Crystal Chaos Sword. "With pleasure."
The blade hummed as I slashed forward, a drive of Chaos Energy igniting from its edge. The power surged like a tidal wave, ripping through the space between us.
BOOM
A violent explosion erupted on impact, shrouding the battlefield in dust and raw energy. For a moment, I thought I'd landed a clean hit.
Until-
[Fate Adjustment Detected.]
[Your opponent has negated its own injury.]
[You never landed that strike.]
A deep, menacing laugh echoed through the air.
"Youthoughtitwasgoingtobethateasy, didn'tyou?"
The smoke cleared, revealing the clone—completely unscathed, standing exactly as it had before. As if my attack had never happened.
"Let'smakethisalittlemore… fun."
Its form twisted, rippling like disturbed water. Shadows coiled around it, shifting, reforming—until it wasn't my opponent anymore.
No.
It had taken the shape of someone I knew all too well.
My ex of five years. The same one who killed me.
She stood before me, unchanged from the last time I saw her. 5'4", long curly black hair, hazel brown eyes. Beautiful, alluring, dressed in a form-fitting black dress that accentuated every dangerous curve. Dangerous, being the key word.
A smirk curved her lips as she slowly stepped forward in matching black heels.
"Ohh, Aries…" Her voice was like silk wrapped around a dagger. "HowI missedyou~"
I clenched my jaw.
Enticing as ever… but I'd be a fool to fall for that shit again.
I forced a casual smirk, tilting my head.
"…Really? Is that the best you can do?"
Her expression didn't falter. "Whatdoyoumean?" She took another step closer, eyes brimming with false longing. "Don'tyoumissmetoo?"
I let out a chuckle, stepping toward her.
"Of course I do, baby girl.."
She brightened instantly, her confidence returning in full force. I reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
"I knewit." she whispered, eyes fluttering shut as she leaned in.
Her lips barely brushed against mine-
And then I whispered against them:
"But I got over your crazy ass a long time ago."
[Absolute Edict – CommandEngaged.]
[Rule Established: No movement for 10 seconds.]
Her body froze mid-action, trapped in place. I stepped back, watching her carefully.
Even knowing she wasn't real, my grip tightened around Aeternus. The weight of memories—of betrayal, of the cold steel sinking into my skin that night—burned in my mind.
But I wasn't the same person anymore.
With a grunt, I swung my sword—right at her neck.
[Fate Adjustment Detected.]
[Fate Adjustment… CANCELED.]
The blade met its mark.
A head rolled across the ground.
For a long second, silence reigned. Then, the lifeless form morphed back into the clone's face, eyes frozen in utter disbelief.
"H-How?! How could you cancel out my ability?!"
I flicked the blood off my blade, resting it on my shoulder. "Aeternus," I said casually, "resonates with all Charisms. Applying Fate to a sword that can cut through existence itself?" I smirked. "Yeah, that shit was never gonna work."
The clone's severed head twitched, glitching.
Then—it laughed.
A distorted, warped chuckle, layered with multiple voices.
The sound rippled through the air, bouncing off unseen walls, multiplying. The golden eye in its face flickered violently, its form beginning to disintegrate into golden shards.
"Youthinkyou'vewon?" The voice warped, shifting between mine, hers… and something else entirely.
Even as the head crumbled, its presence remained.
"You'veprovenyourselfstrongerthanyourpast, Aries-" It mocked.
A deep hum filled the space.
"—butwhataboutyourfuture?"
The laughter cut off.
And then—
The ground split open.
Darkness oozed from the widening crack beneath me, shadows twisting into grotesque, writhing figures. They rose, taking shape.
And the moment I laid eyes on them—
I knew exactly what the clone was trying to pull.
These weren't people from my past.
These were people I hadn't met yet.
The future.
And every single one of them was dead.
Lifeless eyes. Blood-stained bodies. Some cut down, others collapsed in unnatural positions—betrayed, abandoned, slaughtered in ways I couldn't comprehend.
But the worst part?
I was at the center of all of it.
Among them, a future version of myself sat slumped against a throne of bones.
My own lifeless gaze stared back at me.
"Youmayhavebrokenfreefromthepast…"
The fragmented voice of the clone whispered directly in my ear—even though its head was long gone.
"…butfateisn'tjustbehindyou, Aries—"
"It'saheadofyou, too."
The corpses moved.
Slowly at first—then violently.
Future bodies lurched forward, their hollow mouths open in silent screams.
And I realized—
This was it.
The final 'test.'
I gritted my teeth and grew serious, gripping Aeternus and my Chaos Sword, both pulsing with power in my hands.
This wasn't about the past anymore.
This was about what was to come.
I didn't know these people. I didn't know if they were real, or illusions, or destined to die because of me.
But one thing was clear.
Fate wanted me to accept this.
That these deaths were inevitable.
That no matter what I did, I was already woven into the tragedy of their stories.
And I refused.
My grip tightened. The first corpse lunged-
And I swung.
The blade carved through the air, slicing the first specter in two.
Instead of blood
Golden light erupted from within them.
More of them charged. I didn't hesitate.
I moved like a storm— cutting, dodging, striking down everything that came my way.
But no matter how many I cut down, more took their place.
The world around me warped further, distorting like a shattered mirror.
I could feel it
Fate was trying to drown me in this moment.
It wanted me to hesitate.
To doubt.
To believe these deaths were unavoidable.
But I knew better.
I took a deep breath.
And then
I did something different.
I let my blades lower, just slightly.
And when the next figure lunged for me
Instead of cutting it down
I caught it.
Firmly.
With intent.
The golden glow in its lifeless eyes wavered.
[Fate Adjustment Detected.]
[Fate Adjustment… REJECTED.]
Aeternus pulsed violently, feeding off my defiance.
The corpse in my grasp froze.
Then, one by one—
The rest of them did too.
The golden threads binding them to Fate's will snapped.
And then
They shattered.
Silence.
No more corpses.
No more whispers.
Just me. Standing alone.
Swords in my hands.
[Trial of the Forgotten: Complete.]
[You have broken free from both past and future.]
[You are no longer bound by Moirai.]
[You have earned the unique title: Weaver of Unwritten Fate.]
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair.
"Damn." I let out a small chuckle. "That was anticlimactic at first… but ended up being intense."
Even now, I could still feel the ghostly weight of those futures pressing down on me.
[New Charism Unlocked!]
[Fate (Morai)] Fateweaver's Dominion LV.1 (A-Rank)
Negate the predetermined outcome of an event. (Usable three times per day.)
Cost: 30,000 Aether Points