“Now then, where do we start… What would you like to know?” Renet said, her cheek leaning on her hand, elbow at the table.
“Since when have you been observing me, and why did you do so?”
“Well… For a while before your birth, I had seen omens that the world would be plunged into great chaos. Catastrophes and disasters would occur one after another, leaving the broken world battered and unable to take a breath of respite before the next calamity strikes.”
She sighed, then took a sip from the cup in front of her. A content sigh later, she continued.
“The threads of fate are difficult to interpret and are not set in stone, so trying to steer the outcomes of the future with these predictions is rarely successful. In fact, you often end up making things more complicated.” Renet said, tapping her fingers on the table.
Then the corners of her lips moved upwards, and she looked pointedly at me.
“As I was pondering what to do to prepare for these threats, I noticed that a creature’s threads of fate are right in the center of that storm of carnage. That creature is you, child. Imagine my surprise to see that an unborn Abyssal Lizard was connected to this upcoming mayhem. I could not believe my eyes!” she said, laughing heartily.
Immediately, I looked to Azoth, terrified now that my origins as a mere critter were exposed. Azoth took me beneath her wing under the assumption that I was born a dragon; was she going to abandon me, or worse, kill me for daring to pretend to be one of them?
However, despite my concerns, Azoth remained silent, her eyes closed. It seemed that she was not going to act on this information immediately. Visibly unnerved, I also realized that the goddess’s response raised more questions than it answered.
“Are you saying that you were watching me from before I even hatched? And that I am the cause of these future calamities?”
“Regarding your first question, yes and no. I saw an outline of what you were, and when you would appear in the Abyss. However, I cannot simply watch your every movement or read your thoughts, nor would I want to. That would be dreadfully boring!” Renet chuckled.
“As for you being the cause of the calamities, not necessarily. All that I can see is that your fate is deeply intertwined with these events. Perhaps you are the perpetrator of them; perhaps you are the one to save the world from disaster. You might even be both! That said, fate is not set in stone. Even if you were destined for a path to cause great harm, it could be changed as long as it had yet to happen.”
“Which brings us to why I intervened. The scale and number of these calamities indicates that there are many root causes to them, so simply eliminating you would not prevent them entirely. I decided to take another approach instead; By setting you on track to lead a stable, happy life before the calamities strike us, we can raise the odds that your involvement in these events would be positive. While that may not directly address the issues ahead, a well-adjusted and kind individual is much more likely to help matters than aggravate them, as opposed to a traumatized and bitter one.”
Azoth frowned, and then spoke to the Goddess of Fortune.
“Were you the reason I ended up meeting this child when they were on the brink of death?”
“Well, once again, yes and no. I am not powerful or knowledgeable enough to create an encounter like that. If I did, I would have been almighty and omnipotent! All I did was give a gentle tug to the threads of fate, to make it so that you can arrive to see a wounded child rather than a dead one being eaten by a Frost Eagle.”
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A silence permeated the gathering as everyone digested Renet’s words. After a while, the Goddess of Fortune spoke once more.
“Well, that should explain the how’s and why’s of everything I did. Is there anything else you would like to ask of me?”
“Could you tell me about these coming disasters so that I can prepare for them” I asked.
“I can only see vague outlines of potential futures. Trying to prepare for them anymore than what I did is unwise. Just live your life the way you always would have, as if I did not tell you anything. The rest of the world would benefit from you growing up to be a virtuous person, although you are free to do otherwise. It is your life, after all. Not anyone else’s.” Renet said as she rose from her seat.
“Now then, I know better than to overstay my welcome. Enjoy your meeting with these two!”
The goddess snapped her fingers, then she vanished into thin air in an instant as if she were never here.
“…Well then, I suppose it is my turn.” The old deity spoke grimly, heavily weighed down by whatever it was he wished to speak about.
“As you have heard from my fellow gods, my name is Hurun. I am the God of Mercy, and the matter I would like to speak to you about is personal in nature. Simply put, I owe you both an apology and an explanation.”
Still reeling from the weight Renet dumped on my head, surprise manages to take root in me once again.
“What do you mean? Why would a god owe an apology to a mortal like me? And what do you need to explain?”
“Answering those questions is why I am here today. In truth, the God of Death, Amn, is also involved. However, her duties keep her occupied for the time being, so I am here to speak for the both of us.”
“You may or may have not access to the skill [Appraisal], which allows you to inspect yourself and other objects and creatures in the outside world. If you used it on yourself, you would have most likely noticed the existence of a title named [Sapient Monster].” Hurun said.
“Yes, I had that title. That seemed strange to me. The description of the title said that I ‘somehow’ managed to obtain it. I also realized that other Abyssal Lizards did not have any kind of intelligence comparable to my own, and that title was probably the reason, although I never managed to figure out why I had it.”
“That is where my involvement begins. The reason you have that title is because of my and Amn’s intervention. Due to events that occurred in your past life and shortly after your passing, I asked for Amn’s aid with ensuring that your next life is a kinder to you, since you had suffered greatly. However, given that your soul had already departed from this world, Amn’s powers could not change your fate to be born as an Abyssal Lizard. Reluctantly, the only thing that we could do was grant you a small boon: that is the ability to live as a sapient being once more, even if it were as a critter at the bottom of the Abyss.”
“I had patiently waited for your reincarnation for a long time, but I held little hopes of being able to save you after your birth. Even the gods cannot manage to be omnipresent. Little did I know that you would not only manage to survive, but also thrive and evolve into a sapient being on your own!” Hurun exclaimed.
He shook his head and continued.
“I am certain the trials and tribulations you faced left a traumatic mark on you, but I suppose that an unseen benefit would be that they will serve as a foundation for the fate Renet seems to think you will face. That said, I am still determined to do what I can to make your life a little easier, although I presume that you do not need my protection, given that the Frost Dragon is your guardian. Regardless, I ask that you allow me to watch over you anyway to make up for my failure to save you in your former life and in this one.”
The god bowed his head to me, deep sorrow and regret evident in his voice, leaving all three of us in shock.
I had a previous life? I used to be human, led a tragic life, and the God of Mercy failed to save me?
“Hurun, how exactly do you wish to watch over this child?” Azoth asked, a complicated look on her face.
“With permission, I would like to give this child my blessing.” Hurun said, as he turned towards me.
“Any who worship me are permitted to cast a number of incantations in my name for a cost in mana, but those who possess my blessing are permitted to gain a power of my choosing from my own abilities with no such limitations. I would like to grant you [Hurun’s Mercy]. When you leave the Garden of the Gods, you should be able to see and use my blessing as you wish, although each use will require a period of time for the blessing to regain its power before you can use it once again. Please visit my temple often, dear child. If you do not mind indulging me, it would give me comfort to see that you are well every once in a while. You are always welcome here, no matter the time, place, or circumstances. Now, I will not take any more of your time, seeing that Aanat also wishes to speak with you. Please raise this child well, Frost Dragon.”
Hurun vanished as well, leaving only the Goddess of Fertility behind.