Life didn't get easier, even in another world-Chương 419: One fate, two contracts

Red dyed the skies.

Crimson dome, crimson thunderbolts, crimson cracks. This ominous hue shaded the whole land. The whole world. His whole world. The body lying still in his hands, all crimson.

"....."

Despite the hot, trickling blood, the boy's body was frozen cold. No pulse, no breath, no energy. Dead.

It didn't take much for Roy to understand the situation. He wasn't surprised, and neither was he in denial. He'd already witnessed too many ends and experienced many more losses for him to lose rationality over a young boy's passing.

He was accustomed to death.

Even so... What was this itchy feeling in his chest?

"Fool..."

No response, no retort. It was as quiet as the void.

The redhead's lips quivered as he voiced his words in low whispers.

"Didn't you want to travel the land? What about the orphanages you talked about?"

The lifeless body being pressed to his chest remained as silent as the corpse that it was. The corpse was in a gruesome state. The whole thing had deep scars all over as if it was cracked from head to toe. Its limbs and meats threatened to fall apart at any second. Making direct contact with Chaos was equivalent to experiencing the most painful and dreadful death one could have.

The man didn't care about the blood drenching his clothes or the damaged condition of the boy as he held it close to his heart.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Ring Ring

Bzzzz

ZZZZ

The accessories dangling from the boy's body vibrated and made weird little noises. The color they gave off had changed, they were all covered in the same ominous shade of crimson.

"Contaminated by chaos."

The power within the artifacts had disappeared. They were devoured by chaos.

"Just like,"

The boy's soul.

The soul that was damaged long ago due to his negligence, the soul that was forced to live barely by supplying universal powers to it, through suffering and pain. That soul was now shattered; beyond repair.

This child was in the point of no return.

With his soul in such a state, he wouldn't even be able to enter the cycle of life and death. He'd be trapped in The Void for eternity, forced to exist until he eventually lost his all and perished.

Until nothing remained of 'Him'.

"Fool..."

Droplets of water dripped down on the young face, washing away a trail of blood with them as they oozed down.

"You didn't struggle to live on to face such an ending."

He had a bright future ahead. An unmatched genius. A kind heart, a gentle existence, a ray of hope.

This child didn't deserve such a fate.

"...Fate."

What would it take for him to twist one single soul's fate? Would he be punished?

His hand moved to the pocket inside his coat. Once he pulled it out, a silvery gray ring lay within his palm.

Fate.

The man squeezed the ring with no hesitation. Soft gray light burst out as several strings appeared all around his palm.

"I ought to use our contract."

The beam of light flashed upon the spoken words and expanded in all directions. The gray light drove away the crimson shades, leaving behind a serene and quiet atmosphere.

-Is this what you desire?

A voice echoed within the blurred space.

"Yes."

-This isn't what we agreed upon.

"I know."

Roy held the lifeless body closer to his chest.

"I'll find another way for that."

Despite them finally reaching an agreement after a long discussion, he was about to violate their contract by using Fate's token on something other than what they'd decided upon. The token was a gift from Fate, something that granted him one wish, something that was supposed to be used to save his life if things turned for the worse.

Would Fate punish him after this? Roy didn't know, neither did he care. That was something to think about later. He needed to finish things here first until he still had the time to.

-What is it that you desire?

"...Allow this soul to reincarnate. Let it have another life."

-Twist universal laws for a single shattered, beyond-lost soul?

The redhead's fingers caressed the boy's head, wiping the blood off his wounded forehead.

"I'll repair his soul."

-That's not possible, you know full well. Even if you manage to gather the shattered parts together, it'll only last for a little while; and after his reincarnation, the baby's body won't survive the conflicted powers within the soul.

"...."

Well, of course, he knew full well.

"Won't you lend a hand?"

-Lend a hand?

The light shimmering in the area flashed intensely for an instant, forcing Roy to squint his eyes shut. Once he opened them back up, a figure was standing in front of him.

-Why would I?

It was a young man with gray eyes and gray hair. His skin looked like a half-erased painting and his clothes resembled random sketches of an artist. His whole being was dyed gray, like an old sticker detached from the world.

Fate

"I'll give you more than what you asked for."

Roy cast his gaze up at the sky above their head.

"I agreed to help you wield Chaos through the modified ritual."

Which was interrupted by this stupid child.

"That would only save a single world."

And end up seriously harming him, if not forcing him to his grave. His contract with Fate was a means to escape certain death, but he wasn't even sure if Fate could help him or not.

"The Reason is dead. The universe won't be in peace until it's eventually destroyed and born anew."

He'd figured it out after holding a conversation with The Reason before she perished. The universe was on its course to destroy itself. That was the only way to achieve a new balance after the chain got damaged. Once the whole chain gets devoured by the universal powers, it starts to form again by consuming the same powers and creates a new chain, a new wheel, a new universe, and a new Reason.

The calamity won't stop until the universe completely eats away at itself till everything is gone and a new Reason is born.

"I'll replace The Reason."

That was the only way to stop the destruction before it devoured the whole universe.

-Hmmm? Someone else promised to do that, though.

Was he talking about Samuel? There was no one else besides him and that man who could hold a conversation with The Reason and Fate. So he promised something similar.

"You won't like his methods."

Samuel just wasn't the kind of person to go to such lengths only to help save the universe.

The Fate chuckled.

-I don't.

"Then,"

-Alright.

The sketch-like figure's expression didn't change one bit, as if he was already aware of this human's decision.

He did know everything, didn't he? He was Fate, after all; a new deity born from The Reason. He wasn't omnipotent or omnipresent, but he could be called omniscient. The entity was in the possession of all fate in the universe. He was the fate himself.

He probably knew, from the very beginning, how this token of fate would be used and how their contract to grant one favor to this man would be utilized. He must've also known about this stupid child's ending.

The fingers running through the boy's hair came to a halt. As Roy let out a shaky breath, an enormous glow of gold lashed out from his body, illuminating the area clad with Fate's power.

"May the world grant you a new beginning."

As he spoke, golden cracks, covered with gray light, seeped into the lifeless corpse.

"May the universe give you a new home."

He was sure that Fate wouldn't ignore the prayers he made. Thus, he spoke his truest wishes for the child.

"May the Nature bless your body. May the Time gift you longevity. May the Principle allow you deliverance."

Naming each and every one of the newborn deities he knew, the man pleaded with the token of Fate in one hand, hoping his voice would reach the entities' ears.

"May the Fate protect your destiny."

At least, let his last words to his son be the most sincere.

"May you find what you've lost here."