Chapter 92: Fate Weaver

"Where is the Professor? The Captain? And the other members of the Night’s Edge? Why us?" Wang Yu sprinted through the "Interstice," racing toward the location Edward had provided.

Truth be told, Wang Yu would have preferred to bring Avia or a few believers from the Nightfall Church to help; after all, there is strength in numbers, and a brawl is always more effective than a solo fight. But he was the only one capable of traversing the "Interstice," and he could not take anyone else with him.

Wang Yu could understand why they hadn't pulled in Charles—they were both of the Lyde family—but judging by Edward’s tone, this incident was grave. What of the Professor and Captain Shugein?

They had clearly returned. The last vampire incident had been left to Wang Yu and the others precisely because they were away, but now they were back. Furthermore, why were only Edward and he going? If they were within the Royal City, there should have been no shortage of reinforcements.

"Wang Yu, you likely don't know the secrets of the Lyde family. Let me give you a brief summary." Edward’s voice came through, slightly fragmented, as if he too were running.

"Alright..."

Every anomaly has a cause; there must be a reason behind this irrational situation. Wang Yu was a commoner among commoners, and regarding the secrets of noble houses, he knew almost nothing beyond the scraps he had gleaned from the library in the cabin in the woods. He would listen to what Edward had to say.

"First, most of the Night’s Edge organization was summoned by the Royal Family today. It is the annual day of inspection and commendation, so almost all regular Night’s Edge squads are at the palace. To ensure the inspection proceeds without incident, the palace has been sealed off."

"Our Special Operations Group is exempt from the inspection, but the Professor and Edward went out last time to deal with a 'God of War,' an entity similar to the Source of Life. They are currently at the bottom of the Abyss-Dwellers' pit, researching and neutralizing the 'God of War's' derivatives."

"In other words, by a series of very strange coincidences, we are the only ones available to act." Edward’s voice was heavy, more solemn even than when they had faced that outrageously powerful blessed vampire.

"Coincidence?" Wang Yu frowned. This was too convenient. Only he and Edward? The Night’s Edge had hundreds of members; were they all occupied today?

Moreover, this inspection day was kept on a random date to prevent enemies from exploiting it. Only someone of Edward’s high standing as a Duke’s son would know; Wang Yu was not entitled to such information. And it happened to be today?

"Wait, 'Fate-Gazer'..." Wang Yu chewed on the meaning of this madman's title; it seemed to make a certain sense.

"Yes. The Lyde family is actually known as the 'Fate-Weavers.' Their kin possess exceptional wizarding talent, and through their heritage, they use this power to gaze upon and rewrite destiny. That is why they are called Fate-Weavers."

"Charles is an outlier. His wizarding talent is unremarkable within the family, and he refuses to peer into his own fate. That is why they severed ties with him and cast him out."

"The Lyde family’s power is unique and valuable. As a top-tier, long-standing family of the kingdom, they have used their abilities to serve the realm and avert many disasters, which is why their status is so high. Their family’s abilities are also classified as a secret; it is normal that you wouldn't know."

"The 'Fate-Gazer' is the title bestowed upon the most powerful Fate-Weaver in their family. The reason only the two of us have the chance to arrive is likely because this Fate-Gazer has already foreseen the potential outcome."

Edward sighed, his tone heavy with helplessness. An opponent who could see the future was, by any measure, a formidable enemy. If he could, he would truly rather not face this person, but there was no choice; he had to go.

"Gazing into fate?..." Wang Yu didn't pay much mind to the secrets of the Lyde family; after all, it had nothing to do with a commoner worker like him. Instead, the implications of such an ability were what concerned him.

In all his time in this world, the most powerful force he had seen was the giant creature he witnessed that afternoon at the cabin in the woods—the Ossuary. The power it displayed felt, to Wang Yu, comparable to a god.

But that was merely raw power and oppression; it did not involve causality or metaphysics. So far, Wang Yu had never seen anything like prophecy or fate; the closest thing he had encountered was the "Time Stop" level of power.

Yet now, he knew that this world possessed the ability to prophesy and even manipulate fate. This made Wang Yu slightly restless. Once these transcendent powers were involved, things would become troublesome.

"Wait... am I taking this too seriously?" Wang Yu suddenly realized something and blinked.

As he sprinted, his brain raced. Gazing into fate—it sounded like a terrifying and powerful ability. To foresee the future meant one could avoid mistakes countless times, attempt to reach a goal countless times, and ultimately achieve one's purpose.

But was this truly impossible or a fantasy? It seemed not. Changes between things are interconnected; under certain conditions, what will happen can be known.

Without setting other conditions, if a stone is thrown hard at an egg, the result of the egg breaking can be predicted.

Is this not also a form of predicting fate? It should be. That is to say, if one extends the conditions to the entire world for calculation, then indeed, fate can be predicted.

Of course, this would require massive computational power to simulate the changes of the entire world—a supercomputer might not even be able to do it. But this world might truly have something capable of it. Skipping the process to get the result from the problem... Wang Yu knew of only one: the Void.

"No wonder the Lydes are powerful wizards. Are they using the unique nature of the Void to calculate the future? I don't know whether to call them geniuses or overly reliant on the Void."

Wang Yu now had a general guess, and given his experience, it was likely not far from the truth.

Avia had a similar magic, the Eye of the Heavens, but that was accomplished through magic. Wang Yu had used it to predict the weather at the Mine Estate, completing the slaughter on that rainy night.

But that was only a vague estimation, a conclusion drawn from analyzing data like air humidity.

For the Lyde family’s Fate-Weavers to calculate things down to the two of them—the discrepancy was too vast. Without the aid of the Void, it was simply unrealistic.

"The Void breeds madmen. The group known as wizards are all potential lunatics." Wang Yu muttered. But for now, he didn't even know what kind of madness Edward meant by the "Fate-Gazer." He would find out when he arrived.

...

"Hoo, hoo, hoo." Edward’s heavy panting echoed clearly in the alleyway. The narrow gaps in the streets made it impossible for carriages to pass, so Edward had no choice but to run.

The dilapidated and chaotic buildings around him, the messy piles of trash—all indicated his location: the Wall District. This area was not even covered by the "Interstice," so Edward could not use it for rapid movement.

The more he ran, the more Edward felt a sense of powerlessness. He had already been thwarted three times: once when he tried to call other Night’s Edge members for help, once when he wanted to ride a horse here, and just now when he tried to enter the Interstice again.

The results were all failures. These inexplicable failures seemed to tell Edward that everything was within the Fate-Gazer’s plan. He failed because the Fate-Gazer had already seen through the future. This feeling of being seen through so clearly was unpleasant...

Frowning, Edward didn't know what this Fate-Gazer wanted, but the Lyde family crest on that letter was authentic, and the events along the way confirmed the identity of the person was indeed real.

So the plan to summon a demon must also be real. But why?

"Crack!" Kicking a wooden board blocking the path in the Wall District to splinters, Edward rushed out of the crowded, narrow alley and into a slightly more open area.

Observing his surroundings, this seemed to be where the poor of the Wall District usually set up stalls to trade. Remnants of small stalls still lay on the ground, but there was no one to be seen. Where had they gone?

His attention shifted to a building beside the clearing. Since no one was in the open space, this warehouse-like structure was the most likely hiding place for the Lyde family’s Fate-Gazer.

This was the location pointed to by the magic letter’s beacon. The moment Edward stepped into the clearing, the faint guiding power of the letter dissipated.

Maintaining his vigilance, Edward pulled a tarot card depicting the Wheel of Fortune from his pocket. Charles’s tarot magic was the best positioning tool at a time like this.

The tarot card vanished into light, and glowing footprints extended from the entrance of the multi-story stone building. It seemed they were indeed inside.

He glanced at his pocket watch; it was about one o'clock in the afternoon. It would take Wang Yu about five more minutes to arrive from the Shadow of the Royal City. A demon summoning circle could not afford delay; he had to be fast. A single minute could cause irreversible consequences.

Carefully entering the stone building, Edward held his shield in his left hand and his sword in his right, following the glowing footprints deeper into the building. With the guidance of the Wheel of Fortune tarot card, he could effectively avoid risks.

"Hmm?" Just as Edward was carefully advancing along the tarot card’s trail, the glow ahead vanished. In its place was a shattered floor; the place where the footprints remained had been destroyed, and the tarot card’s guidance was rendered useless.

"Damn it..." The veins on Edward’s forehead throbbed involuntarily. This feeling of being calculated at every step was truly terrible. Even Charles’s Wheel of Fortune tarot card had been accounted for by this Fate-Weaver.

"Oh my, is that Charles’s magic? I must say, the little one’s magic is quite interesting. What a pity. As a bearer of the Lyde name, if one cannot even control one's own fate, it is truly pathetic."

The voice came from nowhere, but a bad premonition arose from behind him—a knight’s sixth sense.

"!" Edward turned back abruptly, only to see that the path he had come from had been blocked by a wall. Without warning or sound, a stone wall had sealed off the entire corridor he had entered through.

Turning back again, a figure stood abruptly in the middle of the floor Edward was on, looking at the vigilant Edward with a faint smile.

"Fate has instructed me to introduce myself. Hello, my name is Ponia Lyde, the Fate-Gazer. Fate has already decreed that you alone would come to see me today."

With a soul-stirring face, flawless skin, a high chest, and a gorgeous dress made of silk and semi-transparent material, the woman opposite him did not look like an enemy about to clash with Edward. Instead, she looked like a socialite walking into a ballroom—which, in fact, she might be; after all, as a member of the Lyde family, her status would certainly not be low.

Raising his shield, Edward narrowed his eyes. Was there such a person in the Lyde family? She didn't seem to be on the list. Could she be some hidden Ancient One?

"Did you write that letter? Where are the residents of this Wall District? And where is the demon summoning circle you mentioned?"

Edward dared not act rashly. Excluding the possibility that the person opposite was a moron, the fact that she dared to stand openly before Edward showed that Ponia had her confidence.

"Sigh, how impolite. Fate guided you here, yet it never showed you the detestable future."

Ponia gently patted the peaks on her chest, sighing with a hint of helplessness. It must be said that she was disturbingly beautiful, but Edward had no leisure to notice that at this moment.

"What exactly do you want?" Edward frowned. The words from the other side were aimless, pure riddles.

"The Lord of Fear will eventually descend, and the angels of the abyss cannot stop it. Therefore, I need some changes. A demon from hell is a very good third party, and they need a small reward."

Ponia snapped her fingers gently, her fair fingertips carrying a flame the color of blood.

"It seems you really are crazy. Did the devil eat your brain..." Edward raised his blade. He couldn't wait; this person couldn't be reasoned with. Hellfire—this lunatic had truly colluded with those demons from hell.

Raising his shield, he sprinted. Edward channeled his battle aura, charging toward Ponia, who stood there as if without any defense. His footsteps shattered the ground, stone chips exploding. Regardless of whether there was a trap, when a wizard is approached by a knight, it is the best time for a kill.

"If a Great Knight had come, I might have felt it was a bit troublesome, but fate told me it was you, so there is no problem..." The leisurely voice echoed.

The next moment, Edward’s foot slammed into a protrusion on the ground. His full-speed sprint made this small impact exert a massive force. Losing his balance, he stumbled.

"Damn it, how could I make such a low-level mistake?" Annoyance flashed through his mind. Edward gritted his teeth, adjusting his posture in the air to maintain his balance.

"Clang!" The shield rang out, and Edward’s eyes widened in disbelief as he realized a pillar had appeared out of nowhere beside him, colliding with his guard; the recoil shattered his balance once more, sending him sprawling.

"Thud." His head struck a protrusion behind him—a stone, perhaps—which crumbled upon impact, leaving his mind ringing with a dull, throbbing ache.

Damn it, it’s an arcane ability, the power of this inscrutable sorceress, Edward thought, his instincts screaming a frantic warning.

"You alone are not enough; fate decreed that you should come unaccompanied, and you cannot stop me." The voice whispered against his ear just as a stone fell from the ceiling—a seemingly natural collapse from age, yet it plummeted with lethal precision toward his skull.

"..." He offered no reply, having begun to discern the nature of Ponia’s craft; instead, he activated the Iron Solari, a shimmering barrier manifesting instantly to deflect the falling debris while he remained vigilant of his surroundings.

"Wait, only I would come?" A flash of realization darted through Edward’s mind, and he suddenly sensed that something was terribly wrong.