Chapter 53 - Fate's enforcer (2)

Hati was getting increasingly annoyed with this woman as his eyebrows twitched, "I feel like you're being ominous on purpose. Can you just get to the point? I hate it when someone is being cryptic. Am I somehow important to this ominous-sounding ultimate ending?"

The woman actually smiled a little at that; it seemed she wasn't entirely emotionless, "You'll have to excuse me; as I said before, I'm not really used to interacting with others.

But you should know that telling you about your connection to the ultimate ending is bound to create a backlash for me, which means I probably won't be able to talk about anything else afterwards. So, do you have any other questions you want me to answer first?"

Hati stared at this woman for a while, thinking about precisely what he wanted to ask and also how trustworthy her answers were likely to be. When he decided on what to ask, he spoke up, 

"First of all, you say you didn't have anything to do with that essence. Do you know who does? Second, are you the one that caused my reincarnation, and if so, did you put that Calamity wolf blood in my heart focal? Third question: did you have something to do with my three sin shards? And where do they come from?"

The woman once again put on her indifferent expression and began answering his questions while she shook her head in denial, 

"I don't know how that essence got there; I don't even know what it is or what others might call it, and since this essence is now stopping me from inspecting your body like I did when you were ten, I can't find out more about it either. The only reason I even know about it is through your parents.

As for your rei-"

But she was interrupted by a suspicious Hati, "Hold on, what do you mean, you know about it through my parents?"

The woman once again shrugged her shoulders, a gesture that was becoming an increasing source of annoyance for Hati, "Simple, as fate's enforcer, the minds of all beings connected to the fate I enforce are like an open book to me."

Hati recoiled a little, "So what, my parents and everyone else in existence is basically your spy? What about m- no, wait. The first time we spoke, you mentioned you couldn't read my mind and that it was a good thing because otherwise, your plan had failed."

The enforcer nodded, "Right on both counts, but we should save this for the final topic, as we're getting dangerously close to backlash territory.

As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted; although I was planning to reincarnate you, someone else was faster than me." 

At this point, she frowned, "I don't know who they were or where they are now. The entire area around your death became a blind spot for me as if it was filled with the energy of someone not connected to the fate I enforce."

She shrugged again as if it had nothing to do with her, "Regardless, it didn't take long before you and your little wife suddenly started your reincarnation without even needing my interference. 

However, I did nudge you in a direction that suited both our needs since your father will be important for the role I need you to play. But we will get to that in the future. The wolf blood did come from me, though; it was the best I could do without risking more backlash."

Hati felt surprised, both at the fact that there seemed to be two different forces at work and that this enforcer seemed to care very little about it, so he asked, "You seem to care very little about how I got reincarnated."

The enforcer shrugged, "I am curious, sure, but in the end, they did me a favour; since I didn't have to reincarnate you myself, I could save myself some backlash, and since I can't seem to find out who this person is, no matter how hard I try, I might aswell just let it be until they show up again.

Either way, I know you don't know anything about it because I watched your memories through your parent's eyes."

Hati was having trouble keeping his wrath and pride shards under control; he had to close his eyes so as not to have to look at this hateful woman's face anymore. How could she so casually talk about invading his parents' minds like that?

Still, he knew he needed to find out more before he flew off the handle, so he took a deep breath, and after about a minute, he opened his eyes again, ready to hear the rest.

The enforcer had been looking at Hati with an amused smile; very little could phase her, mainly because she had lived as long as the Six Worlds themselves, but she enjoyed annoying the one person whose mind she couldn't read.

She continued, "As for your final question, I don't know much about sin shards, except that I have little influence over them, and they did not originate in the Six Worlds. As for your sin shards specifically, I guess you could say they were an unintended consequence of my plan.

But to discuss that further would initiate the final topic, so think carefully if you have any other questions."

Hati kept suppressing his feelings about this enforcer, knowing he had to make the most of this. Even if every word she said was a lie, important information could still be hidden between the lies.

He asked, "Do you know anything about Luna's memories?"

The enforcer shook her head, "I do not; I care about that woman only as a carrier for your pride shard; all I can tell you is that she really does not have her memories of your time on Earth."

He then narrowed his eyes for his final question, knowing he probably wouldn't receive an answer, "Final question, is there any way to stop you from reading people's minds?"

The enforcer smiled, "Figures you would ask about that, and yes, there is, relatively simple, in fact. All you need to do is make them intricately connected to you somehow. For example, being connected to your little wife through your pride shard once again would do it.

Besides that, your father has created a technique for you, which includes a skill that will allow you to do something similar." 

She once again shrugged in that annoying, signature way that made Hati's eyebrows twitch before she continued, "But I doubt you would want to use that skill on your parents or that they would let you."

Hati almost growled at this point, "So, is there no way to prevent you from knowing what they know?"

Seeing the enforcer shake her head, Hati commented, "I hope you don't expect me to take your word for that."

The enforcer just smiled condescendingly before she asked, "Are you ready to discuss the real topic now?"

Hati nodded, "Fine, lay it on me then. Why go through all this trouble?"

The enforcer snapped her fingers, and a thick red thread appeared between them. At first glance, the thread looked like any other, but looking more closely, Hati felt as if various scenes were playing out on top of it, all in a row, following the thread. 

The enforcer gestured towards the thread and said, "Most people believe that everyone's entire life is pre-determined by fate, but that is a false assumption.

Think of fate like the red thread of an entire world; the only thing fate cares about is for the world to follow that thread, and as long as the world as a whole is still on the right course, the people living in that world can do whatever they please.

Still, sometimes a course correction is required, and while fate will handle all the big stuff, small-scale things will be dealt with by fate's enforcer, me."

Hati shrugged, realising too late that he was imitating this enforcer, and said, "That's very interesting, truly, but get to what this has to do with me."

The enforcer snapped her fingers again, and this time, the thread started moving quickly in one direction; Hati tried to look at the various scenes being played out, but it went by too fast.

After a few minutes, the thread reached a frayed end, as if someone had torn the rest of the thread off through sheer force.

Hati scratched his head, "Am I right in assuming that the thread representing the fate of Asgard being frayed, damaged and, well, ending, is bad news?"

The enforcer smirked a little, "Figured that out, huh? Yes, it is bad news, although you are wrong in assuming this thread only represents Asgard; both I and this thread represent all the Six Worlds.

And in two hundred years, it will all end; you, me, and everyone you've come to care about will die unless this fate is stopped. Well, that or you manage to find a way to leave the Six Worlds, although I personally have no idea what else might be out there or how to get there."