"Fateless? What do you even mean by that?"
"It's like I said—you are Fateless. You are not connected to anything. Whatever you do is your own decision. But this comes with a flaw. Before I tell you what it is, please—sit down."
Uriel was still confused by what the Seer was saying, but something in Eliam's voice carried weight. He glanced around the broken-down church and dragged a shattered pew closer. Sitting down, tense and silent, he waited.
This time, Eliam spoke first.
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Eliam, and as you've guessed, I can see the fate of others.
What I see is a golden string, moving along a path. That string drags behind it the future and the past. That's how I can tell what will happen to someone.
But imagine my shock when you came along—with no string whatsoever. It's the first time I've ever seen that."
Eliam leaned forward and suddenly gripped Uriel's leg tightly. His next words dropped like a stone in Uriel's gut.
"Uriel... you are an Anomaly. You're not supposed to exist. Your very being is like adding a needle into a haystack."
"being Fateless," Eliam said slowly, "is both a blessing and a curse. Because wherever you go, whatever you do—it is entirely your choice.
But that also means... you can interrupt someone else's fate.
For example, if a boy was meant to live to the age of ninety, you could come along and kill him early—cutting the thread of fate.
Or if that boy was meant to die at fourteen, and you saved him... you would be giving that boy freedom from fate."
Uriel tilted his head slightly.
Before he could speak, Eliam responded to his unspoken thought.
"No, it's not a good thing. Because there are beings that control the very concepts of our existence—Life. Death. Time.
And the most terrifying of all... is Fate.
Now imagine you controlled all that power. You shaped lives. Moved destinies. And suddenly, an ant came along... and started cutting up all your work.
How would you feel?"
Uriel didn't even need to think.
"...Well, angry, I guess. I'd probably just kill the ant that was destroying what I created."
Eliam's expression darkened. His voice dropped.
"Before I continue... I need to ask. Have you encountered and survived things you should never have been able to survive?"
"I mean… yeah," Uriel shrugged. "Who hasn't, in these slums?"
"No!" Eliam snapped. "You know that's not what I mean."
Uriel hesitated.
He looked down, lips tightening.
"...I try my best to keep this secret. I've only ever told one person. So please—keep it to yourself.
My name... is Uriel...Alvariad"
Eliam froze. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait... do you mean to tell me that you're the Uriel of the great Alvariad family?!
But... you look nothing like them. From what i heard, Lady Aurelia had blonde hair and blue eyes. Sir Lucien had black hair and green eyes.
You have white hair. And golden eyes. It makes no sense."
Uriel's gaze darkened. His voice grew heavier.
"The reason I'm telling you my real name... is because what you said—about me not being supposed to exist—hit home pretty damn hard.
And then you talked about surviving things no one should've survived... and it made me realize I might finally get the answers I've been looking for.
When I was a boy... my mother always told me I was a miracle. That doctors said she shouldn't have been able to have a child—because of an old injury.
But then I was born.
She said I had blonde hair like hers. But soon after, I got sick. No one could cure it. My mother traveled to other nations looking for help. Nothing worked.
And then one day... the sickness just vanished.
After that, my hair started turning white. My skin became pale. And... beautiful. She said I started to shine like the sun."
Uriel reached up and wiped the dirt from his face.
Eliam nearly fell from his wheelchair. His eyes widened, his mouth hung open.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. That someone like this could exist someone so beautiful.
"This is what became of my face after surviving that sickness," Uriel continued. "But that wasn't the only change.
My eyes... they used to be blue. Like my mother's.
But even that was taken from me.
If you know my family, then you know what happened in this city. And why it became like this."
Eliam, still recovering, finally spoke.
"Y-Yes... of course I know. Your family... they were heroes. They loved this city. Protected its people with everything they had.
From what I've heard... they died fighting off the great calamity of the Withered Rank."
"YES, YOU'RE RIGHT!" Uriel roared, suddenly standing.
"THEY FOUGHT IT OFF ALONE! THAT DAMN BEAST—IT COULD DESTROY A NATION—AND THEY FOUGHT WITH NO HELP!
NO NOBLES. NO ROYAL FAMILY.
THEY ALL WATCHED WHILE MY MOTHER, MY FATHER, AND EVERYONE I LOVED DIED!
AND YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S FUNNY?!"
He gestured to his face.
"MY DAMN EYES TURNED GOLD!
EVEN AFTER EVERYTHING WAS TAKEN FROM ME, THE ONE PIECE THAT REMINDED ME OF MY MOTHER—WAS GONE!
AND WHEN I TOLD THE NOBLES WHO I WAS, THEY LAUGHED!
THEY CALLED ME TRASH! SAID I WAS LYING!
I COULDN'T EVEN SPEAK MY OWN NAME!"
His voice cracked. His body trembled with fury and grief.
Eliam looked at him with sorrow—and something else. Confirmation.
"Uriel..." he said quietly. "You need to calm down. Because what I'm about to say next...
You need to be ready for."
Uriel sat back down, still shaking.
"Uriel, those beings I spoke of earlier... the ones who control concepts?
They didn't always exist in our world.
You see, humans weren't always governed by Fate.
We used to be like you—Fateless.
Free.
We created what we wanted. Lived how we wanted. Because all the concepts—Life, Death, Time, even Fate—were governed by one being:
Luminary.
He held every thread, every law. And as long as he reigned, we were safe.
But then... the invaders came.
They weren't just from another world. They were from another universe. And they wanted to rule.
They brought monsters. Fire. Ruin and took it all over.
But Luminary fought back with all his might.
Until they cursed him.
That curse weakened him enough to wound him deeply. And as they prepared to steal his power, Luminary, with one last act of will...
Cursed them back.
He made it so they could never interfere in the lives of humans—unless it was through trial and reward."
Uriel interrupted again.
"Wait... does that mean the Structure comes from this Luminary being?"
"No," Eliam said firmly. "The Structure... is something else. It's not part of them. Not part of him. It appeared... when we humans needed it most.
But that's a story for another time. Let's stay focused.
As I said—they can't act without trial and reward.
So now, tell me, Uriel: why do you think, every time you went through hell, you got a 'reward'?"
Uriel's fists shook.
"DOES BECOMING PRETTY SOUND LIKE A REWARD TO YOU?! IT'S BEEN A DAMN CURSE!
AND CHANGING MY EYE COLOR? WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THAT?!
ARE YOU SAYING MY FAMILY DIED BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID DAMN TRIAL?!"
"Uriel, listen!" Eliam raised his voice, not in anger but urgency. "I think I know why you were given those things—even through the suffering.
Isn't it obvious to you now?
Something has been trying to kill you since the moment you were born."
Uriel froze again.
"It must have been Fate. All along.
Your first trial from Fate the sickness because you survived, Fate was forced to reward you—with beauty.
It hated you. Didn't want to help you. But it had to rewerd you so it gave you something that wouldn't benefit you.
Then it sent the Withered rank beast—your second trial from fate. And when you survived that, it had to give you something even more valuable.
Your eyes.
They're not just beautiful.They most likely have meaning.
Uriel slowly realized the truth.
Eliam's voice was quiet. Heavy.
"Uriel...
I'm sorry.
But you are hated by Fate.
No matter where you go, no matter what you do...
Fate will hunt you.
Because you are the only one who can undo what it has built.
You are the Fateless One.
And Fate... wants you dead."