Chapter 21: The First Is Chance, The Second Is Fate

Chapter 21: The First Is Chance, The Second Is Fate

Fortune teller Airi Haven.

The last descendant of the God of Destruction, she came to this land with a mission and etched the horrific scene shown in the crystal ball into her eyes, holding her breath.

A scene of everything in sight burning and collapsing.

But among them, what particularly caught her eye was the gray dust covering the ruins, of which not everything had burned yet.

Was it sand or ash?

Whatever it was, it could also be a clue to the one that caused this scene.

Such an absurd thing to suddenly occur, altering even the existing future

Events like this dont usually happen.

For an event that devastated a whole country to occur, there must be preceding signs, and a fortune tellers foresight takes all such signs into account.

The fact that the future she foresaw changed in an instant meant that the other party suddenly decided to act without giving time for such signs to appear.

It was so sudden that even the being beyond the vast universe, who revealed prophecies to her, only just noticed.

Ancestor, is this the future you foresaw?

The Goddess of Destruction, Angolmois.

A being who descended to this land long ago to destroy the world as per a prophecy but ascended back to the heavens for some reason.

Her bloodline remained on this land, and as a result of the Goddess of Destructions union with humans, her descendants gathered their powers to bestow upon her.

Indeed, she was in a state of having awakened powers similar to those of Haven, the first demi-god.

Being born with such powers, she knew.

The ability of her clan to read the movements of the stars was valid because of the intervention of the Goddess of Destruction, beyond this world.

Oh Goddess of Destruction.

Airi, sensing such intervention, soon gathered her power into the crystal ball to communicate with her.

Until now, our clan has only been able to read the movements of the stars and see the future, not understanding how to modify it in the desired direction.

Even if the future could be changed, fate would split into countless paths at every moment.

With their powers fading through generations, it became challenging to find the correct path of fate.

Even now, with their powers combined, they were still limited to discerning the way forward to the future they sought through sentences or blurry scenes.

It was as if they were not directly confirming the possibility but rather as if someone was indirectly conveying that fact.

We have gathered our powers to prevent the imminent doom of this land. Originally meant for destruction by your hands, we now seek a different path, diverging from the moment of destruction we foresaw and intended to retreat from.

The ability to read the future and teach ways to alter it is only possible because a being, whom we may call a Goddess, watches over this land.

Having realized this, Airi, akin to the first demi-god, who had long harbored this question, seized the moment to ask,

Have you continually given us revelations to prevent annihilation because you also wish for this land not to be destroyed?

[]

There was no answer in return.

Yet, Airi asked again.

Or, do you see the struggles of your descendants as mere amusement, believing that the future is predetermined regardless of our struggles?

Despite feeling her presence each time she read the movements of the stars, she couldnt fully bring herself to trust her.

After all, her very existence had longed for the destruction of this land.

Even the intention behind creating her bloodline through a human on this land could have been just a diversion. How could she, raised as a human, unconditionally trust her intentions?

Is this altered future one that will soon happen if I do not intervene?

Still, she asked her earnestly.

Not knowing her intentions or feelings but wondering if they, mere mortals, had the right to struggle.

[Yes.]

When the answer appeared in the crystal ball, Airi let out a heavy breath and put strength into her hands.

Still not knowing her full intentions, Airi found solace in a partial answer about the power to read the future.

For now, that would suffice.

If it were a responsibility she bore, she would follow and change as much as she could.

Such a future is too sudden, but I cant entirely blame her for it.

With her thoughts collected, Airi once again became fixated on the tragic scene displayed in the crystal ball.

The future, as revealed by the movements of the stars, was precisely the outcome predicted by the Goddess of Destruction, who watched over this land from the universe.

Did the future suddenly change because of an error in her judgment?

Of course.

It had been several weeks since they had parted ways.

She should have forgotten him too, but

Wow, wow

Why was it?

Since that day, whenever she was not conscious of other things, she kept thinking about him.



Wow, wow-wow-wow! Wh-why are you here?!!!

Oh, you do know me, right? I just remembered who you are Youre the fortune teller lady I met recently, arent you?

Ah, yes. That, um So, its like this!!

Startled by the sudden encounter, Airi Haven flailed her hands in surprise.

Her gaze then quickly shifted to the crystal ball in front of her.

Somethings wrong No, theres nothing wrong with what he said. The whims of transcendent beings do not occur that frequently.

Indeed, from the moment she read the future, this was no coincidence.

The Goddess of Destruction had foreseen his arrival here, predicted their current meeting, and was confident that by meeting him and offering advice, she could prevent the future she had read.

But, that means if we meet like this again, I and this person might, you know

For them to read the second time after she had read such a future.

If this wasnt a coincidence, then it was almost as if it was foretold that the two of them would be bound together, wasnt it?

Um, are you okay? Your face is really red

Ahem.

A cough escaped her before her doubt even ended.

As she coughed, Airi lifted her head swiftly, a composed smile on her lips, and spoke to him.

Although we parted due to unavoidable circumstances last time, its quite a reunion to meet again in such a place. It must be destiny guided by the stars in the sky.

Ah, yes. Its been a while. Youre Airi, right?

Yes, thats correct. I am Airi Haven, a being who sees the past and reads the future through the movement of the stars

She was utterly calm and utterly serious.

Maintaining such an atmosphere, Airi chuckled softly and met his gaze with half-lidded eyes.

Come to think of it, I promised to read your fortune for free once, but I let you go without realizing it.

Indeed, even though the future was predetermined, it could be changed by variables.

Although she didnt know why the Goddess of Destruction had foreseen such a future and relayed it to her, she believed that if she remained cautious, it wouldnt come to pass.

Her purpose in coming to this empire included finding a partner for the revival of her clan, but she knew she had to choose such a partner carefully.

But she decided it wasnt the time to ponder that. With this thought, she soon began to smile leisurely, ready to continue the consultation with the man before her.

If its alright with you, shall we finish what we couldnt last time?

Whatever would happen in their relationship afterward was irrelevant at the moment.

For now, she focused on the possibility that this man could be the key to preventing the Great Disaster that loomed over the empire.

Then, please wait a moment while I prepare.

Ah, yes. The preparation

Airi Haven, the fortune teller, gestured before the crystal ball that faced her.

As memories associated with his name began to surface, she tried to shift the mood by referring to their previous encounter.

Excuse me, Ms. Airi. I was just wondering about last time, about that incident

It was an accident.

Pardon?

It was an accident. Please forget about it.

Ah, yes.

Ms. Airi stated firmly and returned to her task.

He had hoped to lighten the mood by bringing it up, but it seemed to be an unpleasant memory for her.

Regardless, it was hard not to be affected when a client catches you with an adult video file, no matter how composed you try to be.

Deciding not to bring it up again and to show understanding, he resolved to focus on the consultation ahead with her.