The First Chains of Fate
The scent of death lingered in the air, mingling with the acrid smoke that rose from the ruins of Raen's past. Every step he took away from the remnants of his village felt like a severed chain, an unraveling thread from the tapestry of the life he once knew. Yet, the further he walked, the heavier the weight on his shoulders became. He was free, but freedom had come at a cost.
The black butterfly fluttered beside him, its presence a constant reminder of the power now coursing through his veins. It spoke in whispers, its voice like silk woven from shadows.
"You have embraced your fate, Raen. But fate is a cruel mistress. It never lets go so easily."
Raen clenched his fists. "Then I will break it."
The butterfly's wings shimmered, reflecting a darkness deeper than the void itself. "Bold words, but even gods are bound by chains."
A rustling in the trees ahead made Raen halt. The wind carried more than just the scent of burning wood—it carried the presence of others.
---
A group of figures emerged from the foliage, clad in dark robes adorned with intricate silver patterns. Their eyes glowed faintly under the dim light of the moon. The insignia on their chests—a coiled serpent wrapped around a burning star—marked them as envoys of the Order of Fate.
One of them, a tall man with streaks of silver in his dark hair, stepped forward. His voice was smooth, almost hypnotic. "Raen Earthon. We have been watching you."
Raen's expression remained unreadable. "You're from the organization."
The man smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "The world is in chaos because of you. That alone is impressive. Most who awaken to their gifts do not survive their first night. Yet here you stand, a harbinger of destruction."
Raen remained silent, waiting.
"You intrigue us," the man continued. "You possess an SS-ranked spirit, an anomaly even among the strongest. But more than that, you have disrupted the very weave of destiny itself. That cannot be ignored."
The butterfly whispered in Raen's ear. "They fear you."
The man's eyes flickered to the dark insect hovering by Raen's side. "You wield the Black Butterfly of Fate. Do you understand what that means?"
Raen's lips curled into a smirk. "That I am beyond fate's grasp."
A chuckle. "A dangerous belief. Even those who seek to control fate eventually become its pawns."
Raen tilted his head. "And what do you want from me?"
The man clasped his hands behind his back. "To join us. To learn. To master the powers you now wield. Alone, you are powerful. But with us, you could be unstoppable."
A low chuckle rumbled from Raen's throat. "And if I refuse?"
The smile faded. "Then you will be deemed a threat. And threats must be eliminated."
Silence.
Then, Raen took a single step forward.
"Try."
---
The moment stretched, an eternity packed into mere heartbeats. Then, the attack came.
The first envoy moved at a speed beyond human perception, his blade slicing through the air like a viper's fang. But Raen was faster. With a flick of his fingers, the very threads of reality twisted, and the attacker's movements were rewound mid-strike. His body jerked violently, as if the universe itself had denied his existence for a split second.
Before the man could react, Raen's hand closed around his throat. Power surged through him, and the butterfly's wings pulsed with energy. The envoy's body convulsed, his lifeblood drained by the abyssal force Raen had unleashed. With a hollow gasp, his form withered, his soul consumed by the power of fate itself.
The other envoys hesitated, horror flashing in their eyes.
"Monster..."
Raen turned to them, his gaze cold. "Your turn."
The forest exploded into chaos.
The envoys moved in unison, their attacks synchronized in a deadly dance of steel and sorcery. Spells ignited the night, tendrils of shadow and fire entwining in a deadly waltz. But Raen did not falter. He bent time and space to his will, unraveling their magic before it could even form. Every move they made had already been predicted, every strike countered before it began.
One by one, they fell.
Raen moved like a force of nature, untouchable, unstoppable. The last envoy, his robes soaked in blood, collapsed to his knees, his eyes wide with terror.
"You... you are not human..."
Raen crouched before him, tilting his head. "Perhaps I never was."
With a final breath, the envoy's body crumpled, his existence erased from fate's ledger.
---
The battlefield was silent once more. Raen stood amidst the carnage, his chest rising and falling steadily. The butterfly fluttered around him, its whispers pleased.
"You are growing, Raen. But this is just the beginning. The world will not stand idle while you rewrite its rules."
Raen exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Let them come. I will break every chain they try to bind me with."
The butterfly's wings pulsed once more. "And what of the gods? They, too, will notice. They do not take kindly to those who meddle in fate."
Raen's smirk widened. "Then let them fear me as well."
As he stepped over the corpses of those who sought to control him, the stars above seemed to dim, as if the cosmos itself had begun to acknowledge his presence.
And so, with blood on his hands and darkness in his wake, Raen Earthon took his first true steps toward the abyss of divinity.
The world would never be the same again.