Destiny

The whisper of the nightmare spell about the Storm God's Blessing still echoed in Konrad's mind, but it was drowned out by something far worse—a voice, smooth yet laced with hidden amusement, speaking from behind him.

A chill ran down his spine.

Something was there.

Right behind him!

Slowly, stiffly, he turned.

And he saw it.

A raven, but not of this world.

Its onyx feathers shimmered as if woven from the void itself, absorbing the pale blue light of the hall. A pair of wings extended outward, each feather rippling like liquid darkness. Its eyes—twin rubies—burned with an intelligence so vast that Konrad felt insignificant beneath its gaze.

A dreadful entity. The bird tilted its head, observing him with an expression that was almost amused.

"How amusing! How amusing!" The raven cawed, laughter woven into its voice. "Who's ploy is it? Is it her resentment or his backup?"

Konrad's mind raced. Her? His? Who was it referring to? Is the her Storm God and the him Weaver?

But before he could piece anything together, he blurted out, "Who is her and him?"

The raven's gaze locked onto him.

Its ruby eyes flared.

Konrad trembled violently as an overwhelming force pinned him in place.

He felt exposed—as if every layer of his being was being peeled away, his thoughts, his memories, his very soul laid bare.

Then, the raven chuckled.

"Ah! A foreigner! How rare!" Its voice was both mocking and intrigued. "Welcome, guest from beyond the Primordial Chaos Sea."

Konrad's breath hitched.

It knew.

It knew he wasn't of this world.

The raven chuckled again as it said with some vemon in his voice, "Her is an enemy and Him is loathsome fellow."

Konrad's body trembled as he forced himself to speak.

"Who… what are you?"

The raven spread its wings, its form shifting slightly, distorting like an illusion that defied reality.

"Me? I'm just an insignificant being." Its voice was laced with mock humility, but the weight of its presence said otherwise. "Although I have many titles, my current one is the Lord of the Stygian Manor—Neither."

Konrad's breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened.

The ruby eyes of the raven gleamed as it said, "Would you mind telling you what you know?"

Neither.

Prince of the Underworld.

The last-born of the Forgotten God.

The Daemon of Choice.

The Daemon of Destiny.

The Divine Smith, creator of the Stone Saints and the Diamond Weave.

The first one to make the gods bleed.

The words spilled from Konrad's lips before he even realized it.

Neither's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Oh my! It seems you're quite well informed."

Konrad's voice shook. "What… what are you going to do with me, now?"

The raven flapped its wings once, a lazy motion that sent shadows swirling through the hall.

"Nothing much, really!" It said, "But since you're here, I must also make my move. No matter whose pawn you are, I choose to invest in you and I would really like to mess with their plans."

Konrad clenched his fists. "What if… that's exactly what they expected?"

Neither's laughter rang through the hall, sharp and delighted.

"No matter the outcome, the choice is mine. And that is what matters."

Then, it tilted its head. "But you are quite courageous. As a reward, I will allow you to ask two questions and a boon."

Konrad's mind spun, but he steadied himself. He needed to make these questions count. But he couldn't think steadily

He took a deep breath and asked the first question came to his mind.

"What is destiny, if fate exist?"

Neither's amusement faded slightly.

Its ruby eyes dimmed, turning from predatory delight to something far older.

"Destiny? Fate?" The raven mused. "Ah… such a tasteless thing."

It ruffled its feathers, considering.

"In this world, every moment countless things happen. Seemingly mundane things to the most improbable things. There are countless living their choices. Creating infinite possiblities. But every possiblity is linked with each other. And this is Fate."

"Fate is like flow. No matter how many possibilities there are, no matter how many choices living beings make, fate will let them guide towards some nodes. These nodes are destination. And this destination is destiny."

"Everything has their own Destiny. No matter what choices they make, they will and must reach heir destination.... Or maybe not..."

"The Destiny that Fate imposed on all lives in the world, even gods. It comes before the beginning as it planned all the movement in the world. Being one of the stronger types of phenomenons in the existence, those who felt like breaking from it, did they really do that? Maybe they were destined to break from destiny and they jumped from a smaller web to a big one? Who knows."

"To the weak, destiny is a chain, an unbreakable path set before them from the moment they are born."

"To the strong, destiny is a weapon, something to be forged and wielded."

"To the foolish, destiny is a lie, a fantasy spun by those who wish to control them."

"And to me… destiny is nothing but a series of choices. It's my choice, my own and the consequences are only mine to bear."

Konrad shivered.

"There is a loathsome fellow who claimed dominion over fate," Neither continued, its voice carrying an ancient weight. "Another arrogant fellow who thinks themselves capable of controlling the flow of history."

"They create paths, mold events, twist souls to their design."

The raven's wings expanded, and the air seemed to warp around it.

"But here is a truth for you, little guest—Even the grandest design can be shattered by a single choice!"

Its glowing eyes bore into Konrad.

"That is why I exist, why destiny exist. Now quickly ask your second question."

Konrad swallowed as he couldn't think anymore. He just asked the question that came to his mind. "Am I courageous?"

Neither was silent for a moment. Then, it laughed.

A long, drawn-out cackle that made the shadows twist violently around them.

Then, it spoke.

"Courage?" It echoed.

"Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the will to act despite it."

Its voice darkened. "The ones who never fear are either fools or monsters."

It leaned closer, whispering. "Courage is knowing that the abyss might consume you, and yet you step forward anyway."

Konrad felt the weight of the words sink into his bones.

Neither's voice took on a more sinister tone. "Some might call it foolishness. Some might call it madness."

"And you, my guest from far away—"

The air twisted as darkness started falling from ceiling.

"You will soon become a madman."

Konrad stiffened. "What—?"

Before he could finish, Neither's form blurred—a shadowy streak rushing towards him.

It struck his forehead.

A cold, searing force poured into him.

His mind exploded with visions—

Visions about everything, visions about nothing, visions about past visions about present, visions about future, visions about time, visions about death, destruction, dread, dream, space, time, hope, despair, desire, design, direction, oblivion, corruption, fate and destiny.

The Visions of Madness.

Konrad screamed.

But no sound came.

No air, no light, only blackness—a void that stretched endlessly, swallowing all hope, all meaning.

And in that void, he saw.

---

He saw dreadful beings, they looked back at him, shattering his mind, he saw forbidden things, taboos lost in time, secrets and knowledge. He saw the abyss and it looked back at him, making his soul bleed.

He saw the empty future, terrors laying within. The forsaken land where hope is nowhere to be found, only despair! Only Despair! Only Despair!

He saw cities crumble, their towers swallowed by tidal waves of writhing horrors. He saw armies march, only to be consumed by creatures that should not exist. Men, women, children—none were spared.

He saw gods clash, their celestial forms torn asunder. Worlds shattered, heavens burned, oceans dried to dust.

He saw the end.

An empty future.

Not just destruction—but something worse.

Erasure.

Existence itself snuffed out. Devoured by a primordial nightmare.

A void where nothing would ever be again.

And in that emptiness, he felt them.

The Misbegotten Horrors.

Entities that should never awaken.

Things that should never exist.

Yet, they were coming.

To feed.

To feast on humanity's final breath.

DREAD.

DESTRUCTION.

DEATH.

DREAD!

DESTRUCTION!

DEATH!

HOPELESS! HOPELESS!

IT IS A NIGHTMARE! NIGHTMARE! NIGHTMARE!

True Horror! He felt it all! He experienced it all! He felt the dread and the desire! He doesn't want to know it! He doesn't want to see it! He doesn't want to feel it!

But Konrad saw it all.

He felt it all.

He experienced it all.

He knew it all.

And his mind broke.

A mortal was not meant to bear such knowledge.

A mortal was not meant to witness the end of all things.

---

His soul fractured. His sanity crumbled.

His thoughts were nothing but fragments, floating in a sea of madness.

He was nothing.

He was no one.

He was gone.

Oblivion claimed him.

A mercy.

A kindness.

And time passed.

---

A voice.

Not a whisper. Not a scream.

A voice.

Deep. Commanding. Filled with mirth and malice.

[Feel the hopelessness.]

The voice of Nether.

[Witness the empty future.]

Konrad drifted in the darkness. His thoughts were shattered pieces, his soul a hollow shell.

[Will you stand up? To struggle against the flow?]

A flicker.

A tiny ember in the abyss.

[Or do you want to find solace within death?]

A choice.

The first thing that was truly his since the nightmare began.

And from somewhere—he did not know where—he found it.

Not courage.

Not bravery.

Maybe it was just fear of disappearing into nothingness.

But he opened his eyes.

They bled.

But he saw.

His soul, broken and tattered, rekindled.

And he stood.

His legs trembled, his body screamed, his mind was in ruins.

But he stood.

And he spoke.

"I want to live."

His voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

"So I will struggle. I will live until I die."

His vision swam, but he forced himself to stay conscious.

"I want to live even if the future is nothing but a nightmare."

---

Laughter.

Laughter that shook the void.

Laughter that made reality tremble.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Nether's voice echoed inside his soul, ancient and amused.

"Then, very well…!"

The voice faded.

The darkness vanished.

And suddenly—

Konrad was alone.

Standing in the grand hall, as if nothing had happened.

No raven. No visions. No end of the world.

But his body remembered.

His soul remembered.

His mind…

His mind would never forget.

And then—

The Nightmare Spell spoke.

[You have slain an Transcendent Titan, Stygian Lord.]

Konrad gasped. His chest heaved. His body ached as if it had been torn apart and stitched back together.

[You have received an Attribute.]

His blood boiled. Something ancient and powerful was now part of him.

[Wake up, Konrad. Your nightmare is over.]

The world shook.

Reality twisted.

And everything—

Everything disappeared.