Threads of Fate

“Oh my heavens…”

The middle-aged woman twisted her heavy body, speaking in shock.

“You should leave. Quickly!” she said, looking at the boy with a hint of pity.

“What do you mean?!” Eugene asked, confused.

Wasn’t that reaction a bit too extreme?

For the others before him, she hadn’t reacted like this at all.

Sure, she would say things like “Oh my” or “Oh God,” but she would always follow up with a prophecy.

She even blessed couples and lovers from time to time.

Only him—

She told him to run.

What was that supposed to mean?

He felt a trace of irritation.

“No, you must leave! For your life!” she insisted.

“Wait! Explain clearly! Why should I leave?!”

He suddenly grew angry.

What nonsense was this charlatan spouting?

“Do you really want to hear it?” she asked.

“Of course!” he replied without hesitation.

“Then don’t blame me for speaking bluntly…”

The woman swayed her thick waist and leaned her head closer to Eugene.

She seemed about to whisper something.

Eugene understood and leaned in as well.

“You… will die.”

She spoke each word firmly, one by one.

Eugene’s body trembled.

He had heard this fortune teller was extremely accurate—her predictions never failed.

That was why he had followed the long line and paid a gold coin just to enter this tent.

He wanted to see his future.

But instead of good news—

This was what he got.

“What kind of nonsense is that?!”

He snapped angrily.

“I never speak lies,” she replied calmly.

“The goddess has cast darkness upon you. The aura of death around you is growing heavier. In the near future, you will fall into this swamp-like darkness… and you will die.”

She spoke as if reciting scripture.

Her expression was solemn—like a messenger sent from the heavens.

It made his heart uneasy.

“…Really?” he asked.

“Really.”

“Then what should I do?”

He didn’t believe her—

Not really.

He just wanted to see what she would say next.

Maybe she would try to sell him something.

He was almost certain of it.

“Run… run… foolish child… don’t look back…”

Her gaze turned eerie.

Each word “run” sounded like a death knell tolling in hell.

This didn’t feel like a joke at all.

“I… I’ll step outside for a bit.”

He fell silent.

It was too frightening.

He needed air.

“Don’t ask why. Run toward the imperial capital, and you may survive,” she added.

She took out a handful of beads from her bundle.

“Take this, child. You will need it.”

“How much?”

He couldn’t help but feel a little pleased.

So she finally revealed it.

“No charge. It’s just a charm.”

She looked at him with pity.

It made him feel uncomfortable.

Without another word, he turned and left the tent.

“What’s wrong?” Luna asked.

She noticed something off about his expression.

“Nothing…”

He clenched the bead silently.

“…Alright. Let’s walk around. I’m hungry,” she said with an awkward smile.

It felt like a wall had formed between them again.

“Thank you, Uncle Savage.”

Arian had calmed down.

Her voice no longer trembled, though her complexion hadn’t fully recovered.

Still—it was better than before.

Earlier, she had nearly cried herself into dizziness.

At least now she could speak.

She quietly observed the man called Savage.

He wore a wine-red robe—slightly dirty, yet neat.

He kept his hood up, his face veiled, like a traveler from the northern sands.

It matched his introduction.

“What are you looking at?”

His eyes met hers through the veil.

They were warm—like sunlight.

In that instant, Arian felt enveloped by a gentle warmth.

It was like being wrapped in soft, glowing clouds.

His gaze carried a constant, kind smile.

He looked at her with quiet care.

His back was warm.

Carrying her, he felt like a ferryman guiding her across the river between hell and the human world.

For a moment, she felt bathed in light.

After meeting his gaze, she lowered her head.

That feeling—

It was as if he truly cared.

For a fleeting second, she even thought he looked… handsome.

She immediately shook her head.

That was too embarrassing.

A hero—

And she had shown such weakness in front of a stranger.

And just now—

She had even blushed.

Too embarrassing.

Truly too embarrassing.

The more she tried to forget, the worse it got.

Her face burned hotter and hotter.

It felt like it could cook an egg.

A hero, clinging to someone’s back, blushing…

She almost wanted to disappear.

It felt like her body was mocking her will.

She began to feel afraid.

Her consciousness…

Was slowly merging with her body’s instincts.

She…

Was becoming her.

How had he turned “him” into “her”?

She didn’t understand.

But she knew—

Her awareness was blending into this body.

A terrifying thought emerged.

What if “he” was just a memory inserted into this body?

What if she had merely forgotten her past—and what remained was only a fragment?

The more she thought about it, the more horrifying it became.

Because it made sense.

Why had she lost three years of memories?

Why had she been captured?

Everything felt unnatural.

She clearly remembered—

She had been pierced through the armor gap by the Demon King’s rapier.

Killed by pain.

But if that were true—

Then what was her name?

Arian…?

Or…

Just… a girl?

She was weak—

Yet she hid behind the shell of a hero.

But that shell was fragile.

Easily shattered.

Which meant—

She wasn’t Arian.

Once that thought formed—

It refused to leave her mind.

What was a “hero,” anyway?

A hero slain by the Demon King—

Nothing more than a few lines in history.

A joke.

Yet she still carried that burden.

She refused—

And feared—

Letting it go.

She was Arian.

The real Arian.

She didn’t want to be consumed.

Deep inside her—

There was something she could never abandon.

That belief remained unchanged.

In just a few minutes, her mind went through a fierce struggle.

In the end—

She chose to believe she was Arian.

“We’re here.”

He hadn’t noticed her inner turmoil.

Only then did he realize she had been lost in thought.

“…Miss?” he asked.

Arian jolted back to reality.

“Ah—yes!”

She quickly jumped down—

And immediately regretted it.

She had no shoes.

Her bare feet landed on the rough, stony path.

In an instant, tears welled up again.

It hurt—so much.

Savage understood immediately.

He placed the shoes he had been carrying on the ground and helped her put them on.

“There. I should be going now. I have things to do.”

After helping her, he prepared to leave without delay.

“Okay… thank you…”

Arian watched his fading figure blankly.

“Miss… you…”

The plump woman hesitated, looking at Arian.

“I will…?” Arian asked nervously.

“You have forgotten someone important,” she said.

“Yes… many important people,” Arian replied.

“No. There is one person you should not have forgotten—yet you did.”

Arian suddenly felt it too.

As if someone was missing.

But she couldn’t remember who.

“I want to know my future,” she said.

“Do you truly want to know? Even if it’s not good?”

The woman hesitated.

“Yes.”

Arian answered calmly.

“Your fate will be difficult.”

She spoke truthfully.

“Your friends… one by one… will leave you. Only you will live on—forever.”

Arian felt a chill.

Could that really be true?

She was already exhausted.

How could she endure such a future?

“Someone will suffer… and it will be related to you.”

The woman stared straight at her—then returned to her normal expression.

“But… if you persist, the ending will surely be good,” she added.

“Persist…”

Arian murmured to herself.