Chains of Destiny

Alistair nodded to himself. The System's designation of Thorne as a warrior approaching the prowess of a Sky Knight was apt. Power levels, he knew, were merely a guide; the quality of one's Combat Arts and the potency of their Aura were what truly defined a warrior.

What use is this reputation, though?

"What else is there?" Alistair spoke to the void, his voice laced with impatience. "Surely this entire ordeal wasn't for a single new function."

A chime resonated in his mind, cold and clear.

[Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked the ability to acquire Chains of Destiny. The Host will gain one Chain of Destiny for each mortal fate successfully evaded. Current fated death: The abduction and defilement of the beastkin saintess, Lena.]

"Chains of Destiny?" Alistair's brow furrowed. "What in the hells are those?"

[The Chains of Destiny are instruments used to seal the Destiny Veins of a Child of Destiny. Once all Veins are sealed, the Child of Destiny can be slain. Current Child of Destiny: Riven. Number of Destiny Veins: Five.]

A cruel smile spread across Alistair's lips. Excellent, he thought, a weight lifting from his shoulders. If I were forced to play the doting antagonist, forever guiding his path, never permitted to strike the final blow… it would be an inescapable loop of folly. Even in the most tightly woven tapestry of fate, there is always a loose thread to pull.

"So, I just need to cheat death five times," he mused aloud, a predatory gleam in his eyes, "and I can eliminate this so-called Child of Destiny?"

An exhilarating hope surged through him. He offered a silent, mocking salute to the shameless System. Moments ago, his predicament had felt suffocating; now, the path forward was illuminated.

[A new set of directives will now govern the Host's actions.]

[Directive I: It is strongly advised that the Host does not initiate an attack on the protagonist, Riven, based on subjective will. As a Child of Destiny, Riven is under the protection of ???. A direct assault may alert ??? to the Host's identity prematurely, inviting targeted countermeasures and risking the collapse of the World-Line.]

[Directive II: The Host may engage players freely. To ensure the Host's survival, it is imperative to suppress the growth of the players by any means necessary.]

[Directive III: Within the constraints of Directive I, the Host possesses absolute autonomy and freedom of action.]

[The main storyline for the first phase has been unlocked. The Host may review it at any time via the System panel.]

Alistair had no objections. In truth, aside from the first limitation, the other two directives were a liberation. What sort of self-respecting villain would crush the hero while he was still a fledgling? The destiny of a true antagonist was to serve as the crucible—to provide trials, offer treasures, dangle temptations, and ultimately, become the stepping stone upon which the hero ascended.

In his past life, Alistair(Alexander) had missed the First Wave of players. He had been consumed by the grind, by the endless cycle of slaying beasts and bosses. The story had been little more than a blur. Now, within the System's archives, the full tapestry of this world's prologue unfurled before him.

It began with a war among the gods. The aggressor was Dracoth, the God of War and Flame. His victim was Silvana, the Goddess of the Wilds.

Silvana's power was no match for Dracoth's. She was grievously wounded, her godhood shattered. Her chosen people, the beastkin, saw their kingdom overrun by the Pyrian Empire, the mortal followers of Dracoth.

But Silvana refused to fade. Her divine soul, clutching a final shard of her broken godhood, fled across the planes until it struck a bargain with a mysterious entity.

With her last vestiges of power, Silvana forged a mystical crystal from the shard of her own divinity. This crystal, she entrusted to her new ally.

This crystal was a key—a login device. And the mysterious entity, in turn, delivered it into the hands of a human named Riven.

Silvana's sacrifice was made for a single purpose: that this chosen human, with the aid of the otherworldly Awakened he could summon, would lead the remnants of the beastkin, restore their glory, and end the Pyrian Empire's brutal persecution.

As a player, Alistair(Alexander) had never questioned the plot. It was a game. But now, as a creature of flesh and blood, the narrative struck him differently. This was history.

Could it be, he pondered, that this 'storyline' wasn't crafted for entertainment, but is a chronicle of actual events?

If so, which god summoned me? Is this audacious System their gift? And what is their ultimate goal?

Perched on the back of his griffin, Alistair stroked his chin, his mind racing.

"It seems my death twenty years ago was not a curse, but a singular invitation," he declared to the open sky, his voice booming with false reverence. "To be a pawn in a divine game… what an unparalleled honor!"

Met with only a profound silence from the System, Alistair's lip curled into a smirk. He returned his attention to the details of the first phase.

The Chosen One, Riven, possessing the power to summon the otherworldly Awakened… guided by the goddess's oracle, he will meet the beastkin saintess in hiding within Silversky Town…

Moved by the saintess's tales of the beastkin's tragic plight, the Chosen One, Riven, will be filled with righteous indignation, swearing to help restore their honor…

Thus, Riven will summon a great number of Awakened from another world and, starting from the borders of Frostfell, begin to amass his power…

…

"The audacity," Alistair hissed, an eyelid twitching uncontrollably. "To conspire right under my nose! Do they have any idea whose domain this is?"

As a villain, he could appreciate the drama. But as the lord of these lands, he felt a surge of personal offense.

Next, with the help of Riven and the Awakened, the saintess Lena will begin to gather and rescue the beastkin who wander the borderlands as refugees.

However, while the Awakened are liberating beastkin from a slaver, they will inadvertently alert the militia of Silversky Town…

The guards will attempt to capture the beastkin saintess to present her to their lord, leading to a conflict with Riven and his followers. The guards will be overwhelmed and slain by the fearless, undying Awakened. Riven and Lena will then seize Silversky Town, establishing a foothold on the border of the earldom.

…

"The Awakened, is it? They dare to strike down my men?"

A playful, yet utterly cruel, grin spread across Alistair's face. The System itself had ordered him to suppress the players' growth. So why should he be polite about it?

The time for courtesy was over. It was time to act.

"I wonder," the Lord of Frostfell mused aloud from his perch atop the griffin, the cold wind whipping at his words, "what expressions the 'players' will wear when, in the midst of slaughtering trivial beasts, they find they've struck a true dragon?"