Fate was something impossible to break. No matter what someone did, its course could not be changed. Many said that if a person was destined to die, then their death was inevitable. After all, those who held power over the world would never allow anyone to escape what had been determined.
Anyone who dared challenge Fate would be hunted by that disgusting being, a creature who delighted in watching people struggle against the inevitable, only to later devour them, break them, and destroy them mentally until they regretted ever daring to challenge what should never have been opposed.
'Imagine throwing a stone into the water. No matter how much you wish for it to float, because of its own weight, it will inevitably sink.'
That was the phrase it always repeated when offering a contract to its victims. It always gave them a chance to challenge their own Fate, although, to that creature, it was nothing more than a simple game.
'It's simple. Make a deal with me. Fight against Fate... and I will be the one who ensures that everything remains in its rightful place.'
It always found that amusing. There was something fascinating about watching people so full of hope believe they could overcome the inevitable. Some even managed to alter small events along the way, but that never mattered. In the end, it always found a way to guide everything back to its original course.
'Of course, there are some limitations. I cannot kill with my own hands the one who made a contract with me. After all, without rules, the game would lose its charm.'
That restriction had been created by the creature itself. Not out of necessity, but because making the hunt more difficult made it far more interesting.
'I also won't remember who made the contract. I'll have to hunt them until I find them. And when that happens... the real fun begins.'
It was exactly like the metaphor of the stone it used whenever it sealed a contract. The person was the one throwing the stone, believing their will could change the inevitable. The stone was Fate itself. And the weight that made it sink... was that creature. No matter how much someone wished to see it float. As long as that weight existed, Fate would always sink back to the place where it belonged.
"It's so beautiful..."
Around it, an immense hall displayed countless futures. Lives being born and coming to an end, people sacrificing themselves for one another, warriors fighting battles, kings raising empires upon ruins, and heroes changing the course of entire eras. Death was not the only inevitable fate it enjoyed observing.
"That too is fate."
In its eyes, those events filled with hope possessed a beauty of their own. Even so, they were predictable. It was far too easy to know how they would end. That was why nothing interested it more than those who insisted on challenging the inevitable.
"I cannot alter a hero's story. I made an agreement with the God of this world... but, to be honest, I would never do that."
Even though such a fate was monotonous in its eyes, it almost never became the target of its contracts. After all, who would ask to abandon a future in which they would become a hero, a legend, or a great king? Almost no one would give up such glory. Humans were like that... or at least the ordinary ones.
"I also like those who accept their own fate... even when that fate is death. I always feel that those people understand the true beauty of the inevitable."
It felt a certain admiration for those people. They neither fled, nor resisted, nor tried to force a different path. They simply accepted what had been reserved for them. That admiration had not appeared by chance. Throughout countless years, it had offered contracts to many of them. Even so, every one of them refused.
Some were satisfied with the life they had lived and everything they had achieved. Others believed their sins were so great that not even a second chance could erase them. They preferred to accept death and face hell as a form of atonement.
"The ones who surprised me the most... were the latter."
Walking through all those memories spread throughout the hall, it examined each one to discover whether it had made a contract with someone. There were so many images that the place seemed endless, gathering countless futures and destinies before its eyes. As it calmly analyzed everything, something unexpected caught its attention.
"Oh... An inevitable fate was changed, and a new inevitable one took its place. Who is this person?"
Before it, the image of Leon Solfyr slowly appeared. This was only the second time it had witnessed something like this. Honestly, it was unbelievable, because it had already witnessed a change caused by another person during that same period. That person was Valeria, a girl from another world who, apparently, had been brought by that God.
"But even though she created a different path... the ending remained exactly the same."
For that reason, it had never paid much attention to Valeria's change. She had merely diverted the course of the story, but the inevitable fate had remained unchanged. It was exactly the kind of small change it had spoken about earlier.
"This Leon, however... is different."
For the first time, an inevitable fate had not merely been diverted. It had been replaced by another. Its hands, formed from pure dark magic, touched the image of the young noble. As it closed its eyes, Leon's entire life passed before it. His past, his present... and the new future that now awaited him.
"There are several... but they all end the same way. He dies."
As it observed the memories of the original Leon and this new Leon, it realized that their personalities differed in many ways. Continuing to go through his memories, it found the image of a young man with golden hair.
"I see... so he also came from another world, just like Valeria."
However, his situation was completely different from hers. While Valeria had died and been reborn in another body, Leon could still return to his original body. Everything had been transported by his own will. There was no doubt that he came from his original world, a world that not even it was capable of touching.
"How interesting... wait."
The memories continued passing before its eyes. In every one of them, the same girl appeared again and again, trying to save him. It was as if she knew exactly what was about to happen. A smile appeared on its face—or rather, on what could be called a face. Aside from the countless white eyes and mouths scattered across its form, there was almost nothing that resembled one.
"I found you."
Elara. She was the one who had made a contract with it. There was no longer any doubt. In every future it observed, Elara remained the same, desperately fighting to prevent her parents' deaths, a fate that was supposed to come true on that very day. Without wasting another moment, it left the Hall of Destinies and descended into the human world. Its body appeared in the skies as it watched the young woman leave the mansion. Leon, on the other side, was also staring at it with a serious expression.
"Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Magnus... and I have come to ensure that the inevitable happens."