CHAPTER 30: STRINGS OF FATE

The beautiful lady picked the hems of her skirt on each end and bowed down courteously. Her illustrious pink-hued eyes had a hint of gray to them, adding substance to her elegant pose.

"Elizabeth Lysange... Pleased to meet you..."

'So it's her... Her accent is similar to the other nobles I have met so far. I knew she was of high status.'

Hermes reciprocated her introduction and gave her a gentlemanly bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Elizabeth." He decided to not add any flowery words. Not only did he not know her well enough, but he also felt that with her beauty, she had probably already heard them all.

"Alright then, Miss Lysange. I will be excusing myself." He bowed once more and turned around to face the exit.

"Wait."

Hermes stopped in his place and tilted his head back. Elizabeth's clairvoyant eyes continued to stare at his figure.

"Yes?"

The graceful lady scrutinized his figure in puzzlement. "What... are you?"

Hermes tilted his head to the side in confusion. ‘What kind of question is that…’ Not willing to be discourteous, he decided it was best to ask her about it directly.

"What do you mean?"

"I... cannot see your fate..."

'Hm? What does that even mean…' Hermes decided to turn around and walk back to where she was. Something told him that the conversation he was about to have would be important.

"Lady Elizabeth, how about we find a place to converse? Let's go sit at that table there. I am curious about what you mean by that."

Elizabeth nodded promptly, much to Hermes' surprise. The library closed at 9:30 PM. With no one else left inside but them, the air carried with it glimmers of solitude and repose. Sitting opposite each other on a wooden table, Hermes waited for her explanation fervently.

"... For as long as I remember, I could see strings around people…"

"Strings?"

Elizabeth nodded her head swiftly, shaking the glimmering, honey-textured blonde hair.

"Yes… I never told anyone about this... Not even my parents know..."

Hermes' brows furrowed. "Then... Why are you telling me?"

Elizabeth looked down at the table. Confusion plastered her face. "I... Don't know... It's just like you… A gut feeling..."

"Your gut feeling is telling you to trust me?"

She nodded once more. "Yes... And also... One of your many strings connects to me... But I cannot tell what it may mean..."

Hermes clenched his chin as he began pondering the meaning behind her words.

"And so... These strings, I am assuming, represent fate?"

Elizabeth slowly nodded. "Yes... They come in different colors. For example, a purple string tells me that something bad will happen to that person. A blue string means they are prone to succeed in something... The interpretations themselves depend on the context of the person. It is up to me to make interpretations..."

Hermes nodded his head swiftly. "I see. And I am assuming these strings interconnect between people to represent social relationships and how the fates of people intertwine?"

"Yes... For instance, a blue string connected to someone's family members could mean that the person's success will impact their family as well. A purple string connected to someone else could mean a conflict between these two may irrupt at some point… Or it could be that a disaster may fall upon them both… It's hard to know their meaning unless you find out more about the person's circumstances..."

Hermes sat there silently, absorbing the information she had provided him. "That makes sense. But what does this have to do with me not having a fate? Didn't you say that one of my strings connects to you?"

Elizabeth organized her thoughts before answering his query. "Your strings... they are transparent in color... I can somewhat see their outlines, but I cannot perceive their color..."

"..."

Hermes did not say anything for a whole minute. 'What could that mean?... Could it be that my destiny is not accounted for? Or is it being purposefully hidden? Whoever put me in that coffin may have the answer…'

After contemplating his circumstances, he decided to get back to the topic at hand.

"Miss Lysange, this may be rude of me, but are you already a Celestial?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No... I haven't taken the Elysian Monolith test yet."

'Strange... She has abilities at Stage 0? What Domain does her abilities even belong to?' He decided to ask her directly.

"Did they tell you what domains you have an affinity with after the exam? I have never heard of an ability in either the Knowledge nor Technology domains that allows one to peer into the fates of others..."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She nodded her head in confirmation. "Yes. I have equal affinities in Knowledge, Stars, and Dreams..."

"Hm? Equal? Shouldn't one of them be dominant?" Her answer completely baffled him. According to Viktor, every living being has an affinity with one of the 6 domains. Some even have affinities with multiple. All beings, however, must have at least one affinity with a domain that is stronger than the rest.

Becoming a Celestial with your submissive domains will work, but you will be weaker than someone in the same domain as you who chose it as their dominant one. Some decide to choose them anyway for a chance to become Guardians.

Elizabeth's answer confused him greatly. How can a person exist with multiple domains that all hold the same amount of power inside her? There had to be something wrong with the machine, in his opinion.

Noticing his confusion, Elizabeth nodded her head. "Yes... Equal. I was also confused by their assessment."

"Hm... Could your abilities with fate have something to do with the Stars domain? I heard they have elemental affinities with space and time. Maybe the Stars domain also peers into fate?"

Elizabeth looked directly into Hermes' eyes and sighed. "I tried researching the Stars domain. The records show no mention of fate being utilized in their arsenals..."

Silence permeated in the air as both went into deep thought. Suddenly, a thought startled him. He began looking left and right with suspicion.

"Lady Elizabeth, are you sure it's wise to speak about such things here? What if someone heard us?…"

Elizabeth looked up into his eyes, which were filled with concern. She nodded slightly and spoke in a harmonious tone.

"No need to worry... This library is closed after 9:30... Only I am allowed inside during this period. It’s so no one disturbs me while I read..."

'No wonder it's so quiet... Now that I think about it, I was confused as to how or why she entered the library so late at night. It must be hard being a noble who everyone tries to curry favors with…'

"I see... About your ability to see the strings of fate, I will not tell a single soul about it. At the same time, I expect you to also not tell anyone about me being a supposed 'Fate-less'. Is that fine by you?"

Elizabeth nodded elegantly. "Yes... No problem." The book she was previously holding was hidden beneath the table, sitting on her lap. Hermes decided to stand up and not continue disturbing her private reading time.

"Alright, I shall not bother you with my queries anymore. Your circumstances have intrigued me. I will try to research the subject myself. If I find anything, I'll be sure to tell you."

Seeing the young man straightening his collar, Elizabeth nodded her head towards him in silence. Seeing him walk away after bowing in her direction, she let the symphony within her voice resound across the room.

"Be careful of Charles..."

Hearing her warning, Hermes tilted his head back towards her beautiful visage. He nodded his head slightly, indicating to her that he had heeded her advice.

Seeing him leave the library, Elizabeth lifted the book she had sitting on her lap and placed it on the table. Its dark blue leather, full of cracks and shreds, produced an image of a vortex. Text written in Luminaric is displayed underneath the artwork, forming a single ancient word.

['Ginnungagap']

...

Walking back to his dorm room, a dizzy look filled his expression. His thoughts churned at the conversation he just had with Elizabeth. Taking a deep breath, Hermes let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"Sigh... So much happened in a single day... I first fought against Ming Xue, then I went to the forge to obtain Dawnbreaker. After all that, I still had time to go to the library to learn about Sanctuary City's history, and in the process, I met Elizabeth, of all people. The strings of fate thing too..."

Stepping out of the elevator and into the hallway, Hermes made it to his destination. Sliding the magnetic key card, he stepped inside the room. He quickly took another light shower and changed into pajamas.

Because of how many commoners make it every year to become Guardians, many of the dorm rooms are already fitted with clothes to change into. Laundry is also done by workers who come in to pick them out of the basket that's positioned next to the drawers.

Hermes quickly unraveled the sheets and threw himself onto the bed. His weight sank into the mattress, bringing comfort to his body. 'Ahhh... This is bliss... I am so glad I became a Guardian…'

Even though the bed felt heavenly, Hermes was still having trouble falling asleep. A combination of the worries he had about his future and his fate as well as the effects of using the Nano-Biotic machine, which replenished him with energy, hindered his slumber.

To pass the time and tire himself out, he started scrolling through his picture albums on his phone. Photos of his family, friends, and the woman of his life continued to spread their light on his face. He would do this every night to remember their faces.

'Sigh... My phone's percentage is slowly going lower and lower... I tried my best to limit its usage, but it's still draining... I probably have about 3 hours of constant usage before it completely dies. That is, if I make sure to keep its power usage to the lowest settings... Maybe I can try to ask Dorian to make me a charger for it? Surely USB-C is still viable... Right?'

Feeling his head slowly drifting away, he placed his phone underneath the lamp on the bedside table and fell asleep. A thought suddenly began to fill his drowsy mind.

'Didn't Kevin say Elizabeth is highly competitive? I hope she doesn't challenge me to a duel…'

...

6:00 AM, Training Facility B.

Hermes was busy doing stretches in the fortified room. When he first entered the space, He was surprised to find it completely repaired. According to Arthur, the metallic walls that cover all six sides of the fortified training facility are conjured using the abilities of a Celestial Engineer. Because of this, repairs only facilitate someone recreating them.

In front of him, Arthur stood resolutely with his arms crossed, staring at the young man before him. Finishing his stretches, Hermes decided to ask a question that had encompassed him the moment he entered the wide expanse.

"Say, where is Battalion Commander Ming Xue?"

"He is out on a mission. From now on, I will be your instructor. Every day, you will come here from six AM till ten AM for training. His teaching will start once you reach Stage 3."

"Yes, sir!" Hermes straightened his back to show his resolve in adhering to his instructions.

"Alright. Before you do anything with your weapon, you must raise your body's strength to handle it. For the next hour, you will be running laps around this room while lifting it over your shoulder."

"Yes, sir!" Hermes did not hesitate and immediately began following his commands. Sprinting in his tracksuit, Hermes continued to preserve his stamina as much as possible to continue the jog. After the hour of jogging was finished, he was promptly given muscle training and told to utilize his cosmic force to ease the difficulty.

Cosmic Force is both the lifeblood of the Universe and also the life force of a living organism. All beings, even those who are Stage 0 have Cosmic Force inside their bodies. Before they become Celestials, this Cosmic Force will take the shape of different kinds of domains that represent their affinities. Only when someone becomes a Celestial does their Cosmic Force become solidified to a certain type.

Because of this, it could be useful for invigorating the body. Only when someone becomes a Celestial do they hold the power to manipulate it to a certain extent. Hermes used this to his advantage to allow himself to handle each lift.

It wasn't exactly making his muscles themselves stronger, but because the cosmic force was being concentrated around those areas, his vigor around those body parts would become higher than the rest, effectively increasing his stamina.

Using this, Hermes was able to last much longer during his workouts. After finishing his assigned training regime, Hermes rubbed his face with a towel to clear the sweat. He then turned his head toward Arthur and voiced the question that had been plaguing him the entire previous night.

"Commander Arthur, how should I utilize [Martial-Study] to create a brand new sword art for the Gunblade?"

End of Chapter