Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 86: Charming Time

Reinhard lay on his side in Sirin’s bed, both of them smiling at each other.

They faced each other on top of the covers with barely a foot of space between them. Her long blonde hair spilled across the pillow, catching the soft lamplight. Those bright blue eyes watched him with an openness that made his chest feel warm in ways he wasn’t entirely used to.

Sirin reached out to gently trace her fingers along his arm as she began quietly talking more about her sister.

"She was always dragging me into trouble." Sirin said with a small smile, her voice carrying that brightness that felt aimed directly at him. "One time she convinced me to sneak into a Duke’s garden to study some rare flowers that only bloomed at midnight. We got caught by the guards."

"What happened?" Reinhard asked.

"Sylvia talked our way out of it by explaining the importance of the flowers so passionately that the Duke himself came out to listen. He ended up giving us permission to return anytime we wanted."

Reinhard chuckled. "She sounds like she was good with words."

He noted how her expression shifted between fondness and sadness with each memory, her touch never quite leaving him.

"Too good sometimes." Sirin admitted. "She could convince anyone of anything if she tried hard enough."

There was something in Sirin’s tone that caught Reinhard’s attention. A deeper layer to the story she wasn’t sharing yet.

"Your family..." He said carefully while reaching out to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "You’ve never mentioned where you’re from originally."

Sirin’s expression shifted, surprise mixed with something warmer. She caught his hand before he could pull it away, holding it gently against her cheek. "I didn’t think you’d noticed I was avoiding that topic."

"I notice a lot of things about you," Reinhard said simply.

Her cheeks colored slightly, her blue eyes brightening even in the dim lamplight. "My family is Baron-level nobility. Similar to yours in status."

"But?" Reinhard prompted gently, his thumb brushing across her cheekbone.

"But we’re not from this continent," Sirin said quietly, her voice soft but still carrying that warmth. "We’re from Lusches."

Reinhard’s eyes widened in surprise and shock

Lusches the continent to the east of Astralisis. It was a week’s travel across the ocean, even by the fastest ships. Completely different culture and values compared to this continent.

"You came all this way? But why?" He furrowed his brows.

Sirin nodded while intertwining her fingers with his, the simple contact grounding them both. "My family moved here five years ago. Specifically because only Astralisis was taking the Void Distortion problem seriously."

That caught Reinhard’s full attention. "The other continents aren’t concerned about distortions?"

"They have troubles of their own," Sirin explained, her thumb absently stroking his hand as she spoke. "Lusches are dealing with magical corruption spreading through their forests. Some other continents like the north are facing the eternal winter storms. Or the southern islands are fighting monster surges from the ocean depths."

"Wait, so the Void Distortion isn’t appearing on the other continents?"

"They are but it’s vastly small compared to other disasters." She sighed softly, the sound somehow still bright despite the heavy topic. "Every region has its own crisis... Void Distortions were seen as Astralisis’s problem to solve."

Reinhard shifted closer until their foreheads nearly touched, his free hand moving to rest on her waist. "Then why did your sister want to research Void Distortions instead of Lusches’s forest corruption? That was your homeland’s problem."

"I asked her the same thing," Sirin said with a sad smile, her fingers tightening around his. "Sylvia told me it was better to start with Void Distortions since they appeared first. She believed they were most likely the trigger that led to all the other disasters across the world of Astra."

"She thought the distortions caused everything else?" Reinhard asked thoughtfully, his hand on her waist pulling her slightly closer.

"It was," Sirin confirmed, shifting so she could rest her head against his shoulder. "She had evidence too. Records showing that Void Distortions started appearing about ten years ago. Then within two years, every continent began experiencing their own unique catastrophes."

Her voice grew softer as she nestled closer to his warmth. "Sylvia believed that if we could understand and stop the Void Distortions, we might prevent the other problems from getting worse. Maybe even reverse some of the damage."

Reinhard wrapped his arm more fully around her, feeling the way she fit perfectly against him. Her blonde hair tickled his chin slightly as she spoke.

"She sounds like she was pretty brilliant," he said quietly, his voice rumbling through his chest where her ear rested. "I can see why she is your sister."

"She was," Sirin whispered, her hand moving to rest over his heart but she had a blush from his last words. "Too brilliant for her own good sometimes. She’d get so focused on research that she’d forget to eat or sleep. I had to remind her to take care of herself."

"Remind you of someone?"

"I wasn’t that bad in the past!"

"Of course, you weren’t." Reinhard said with a teasing smile, making Sirin huff.

Then her voice grew brighter as she shifted topics. "But she wasn’t always serious. Sylvia loved causing harmless trouble in the city we lived in. She’d organize elaborate pranks on other noble families."

"Like?"

"They weren’t bad! Just clever tricks that made people laugh."

Sirin’s stories painted vivid pictures in Reinhard’s mind.

Two sisters running through market streets while being chased by guards after releasing dozens of colorful birds during a boring ceremony. Sylvia convinces young Sirin to help her rearrange a rival scholar’s entire library alphabetically by book color instead of subject. The time they’d snuck into a formal ball disguised as servants just to steal samples of exotic desserts.

"You guys were stuck to the hip." Reinhard observed with amusement, his fingers threading through her blonde hair gently.

"We were," Sirin agreed with a giggle. "I complained constantly about her dragging me into things. But honestly? Those were some of the happiest times of my life."

Her smile faded slightly. "I miss her so much it hurts sometimes."

Reinhard tilted her chin up gently so their eyes met. "She’d be proud of what you’re doing. Continuing her research and trying to solve the mystery she couldn’t finish."

Sirin just leaned into his touch, her hand coming up to cover where it rested against her face. "Thank you," she whispered. "For listening and being here."

They continued talking for a while longer, wrapped in each other’s warmth. Her voice grew quieter and slower as exhaustion caught up with her, but she kept her hand intertwined with his.

"The library there had seven floors." She murmured drowsily, her head tucked perfectly beneath his chin. "And you could borrow books for a whole month instead of just two weeks..."

Her words trailed off before soon she fell asleep.

Reinhard watched her for a moment. She looked peaceful now, her usual brightness softened but not gone even in sleep.

He continued gently running his fingers through her blonde hair while his mind drifted to his own thoughts.

System?

The familiar blue screen appeared in his vision with words already in place.

[Host! Congratulations! You have done it again and so quickly too! You have captured another Minor Fate!]

Reinhard hummed thoughtfully. Are you sure you’re the Fate System? This feels more like a scumbag system with how I get power and strength from capturing girls.

The system’s text flashed with what almost seemed like indignation.

[Host! That is lies and slander! Fate can also be seen as those close to you influencing your life! The bonds you form and the connections you make shape your destiny!]

Reinhard smiled with amusement.

[Host, please believe me! I would never lead you astray!]

Alright, I will. Reinhard thought with an inward laugh. Which seemed to make the system sigh in relief as it quickly changed the topic.

[Would you like to see what you’ve gained from this Minor Fate capture?]

Show me.

New text appeared on the screen.

[Phasing]

[Source: Minor Fate - Sirin]

[Sigil Ability: Allows the user to make parts of their body intangible, allowing them to phase through objects, people, and even attacks.]

[Duration: Ten seconds of phasing state]

[Cooldown: Thirty seconds between uses] [Note: Will grow stronger with Host’s development]

Reinhard nodded with a pleasing smile, this would be very helpful in the future.

[Would Host like to integrate this Sigil now?]

Do it, Reinhard thought without hesitation.

The world shifted around him like reality was folding in on itself. When he blinked, Sirin’s quiet room had vanished completely.

He stood instead in the vast awakening chamber with the familiar walls stretching impossibly high with a ceiling that disappeared into darkness. The Obelisk Crystal rose before him and around him in a perfect circle were the stones.

Just like before, they began rotating around him like planets orbiting a sun.

The Obelisk Crystal’s color shifted from its usual blue to a dark-blue shade that pulsed with energy.

The stones began glowing with terrifying intensity as their rotation speed increased. The wheel of stones turned dark blue then started becoming transparent like ghostly afterimages.

The entire wheel struck his chest.

Reinhard blinked as magic poured into him in overwhelming waves. The familiar warmth rushed through his body, flooding his existing three Sigils. Somehow the new power moved to the side, finding space that shouldn’t exist, filling a gap he hadn’t known was there.

Then came the flash of emotions that weren’t his. He felt warmth toward others and a fierce protectiveness of those she cared about.

Just like with Rika, Victoria, and Yor, he felt Sirin’s core emotions for exactly one second. A glimpse into what drove her at her deepest level.

The vision shattered.

He was back in the bed with Sirin sleeping peacefully beside him. The awakening chamber vanished like it had never existed.

Reinhard took a breath then called up his status screen one final time.

[Reinhard Malvin]

[Gender: Male]

[Rank: Initiate]

[Sigils: (Precognition), (Spatial Lord), (Void), (Phasing)]

[Stats:

Strength: Extreme

Defense: Very High

Stamina: Extreme

Agility: Very High

Magic Reserve: Extremely High

Magic Potency: Extremely High]

Reinhard smiled at this and knew it was time he visited the arena tomorrow. He planned to not only train his control over the Void and Phasing. But to also see if I can fully reach the peak of more of his stats tomorrow.