Fate!

A dark chamber.

Water droplets slid down the walls.

A crimson lake covered the floor.

Chunks of flesh—arms, legs, a nose—scattered pieces of the human body everywhere.

At the center, a man with a single eye stared at me.

“Haha, she really did it.”

The man managed to speak. It was strange—his vocal cords should have been destroyed.

Moreover, a silence spell was supposed to be active in the room.

“You are not me,” I said as I stepped closer.

“I will take revenge on everyone and destroy them all. This time, I will choose to protect the right person and destroy those who deserve it.”

“Hehe. You’re exactly like me. You’re already lost, but I am an inescapable future. It has become impossible for you to realize it—the trap is already set, and you are no longer capable of perceiving it.”

The voice of that mutilated, blood-soaked being filled me with disgust.

My expression hardened completely.

I kicked his face.

He was hurled against the wall and managed to prop himself up, sitting.

“Hahahaha!”

“This is incredible. The false becoming real is truly amusing. If only I had known this earlier—imagine being able to create a future, to bend people’s fate however I wish.”

“Shut the fuck up. What are you talking about, you trash?”

I closed in and punched his face.

I would never become that again.

Even while being beaten, his voice did not stop.

“Fate is mutable, but yours will be fulfilled because you believed in it.”

In the end, I blew his head apart with a punch infused with bluish energy.

Darkness swallowed the room.

The torch was extinguished by the wind, and I heard a female voice.

“I accept my fate, so I hope you accept yours. Just as you think—a demon, isn’t that right? Funny how, in some way, you’re correct.”

I realized I wasn’t looking at myself.

I was staring into a deep abyss hidden beyond me—behind me.

I turned around.

!!!

I woke up drenched in cold sweat.

I couldn’t remember what happened in the nightmare that jolted me awake.

I only remembered crushing my own head—then waking in terror.

Did my body react as if my past self were my present self?

I took a deep breath and calmed my emotions.

I got up. My body felt sticky, so I went straight to bathe.

The water washed every inch of my body.

Sigh.

Today was the day.

I said goodbye to my parents and siblings.

I entered the carriage that had come to pick me up.

Helene was already sitting inside.

“What are you doing here?”

“Why not? Instead of going later, I decided it was better to return with you. Isn’t it nicer to travel as a family, little brother?”

A smile curved Helene’s lips as she hugged me.

“Don’t make that stiff face. I really do have to return earlier. I need to prepare for the first exam of the year—they said it will be in the first month.”

Sigh.

Her actions were making me increasingly uncomfortable.

Helene kissed my forehead.

I frowned, but managed to hide my disgust.

“You know I love you, don’t you, brother? You also know the world is fair—every action has a reaction. Remember that.”

She released me and sat across from me.

“I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“Just remember—if you don’t know yourself, you’ll never know your enemy. Let me ask you: do people have enemies?”

It was an interesting way to frame things.

Helene had always been intelligent, and the conversations we had when I was younger often made me reflect.

Thinking that after entering the academy we never spoke again until my death felt surreal.

“I do believe we have enemies, and we must destroy them before they grow stronger or before it becomes impossible to stop them.”

“Exactly, brother. But there’s a catch—we don’t have many enemies as you imagine. Only one.”

Helene leaned back and crossed her legs.

“And who would that be?”

There’s no way we have only one enemy. There will always be many.

“That answer is something you’ll have to find yourself. I hope you remember me when that moment comes—because I will remember you.”

My hair stood on end.

It felt like a veiled threat.

Is that one enemy me? Does she know I want to kill her?

“Judging by your expression, you seem to have many misunderstandings. I don’t blame you—you were never that intelligent.”

“You stupid bitch!” I shouted.

“Don’t be like that. The truth hurts, but it’s undeniable. Still, I love you regardless—ever since before you were born.”

I stared at the deranged woman in front of me.

Red, cursed eyes.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, yet those eyes inspired revulsion in others.

In our family, she was the second person born that way.

The first was my great-grandfather.

They said he died at sixty-six.

He was considered a talent like me—and a genius like my sister.

It seemed that this thing was part of our bloodline.

Naturally, such traits were rare—but they manifested in both of us.

Thinking back on our fight, perhaps the talent resided in her as well.

Although my aura was greater than hers, her aura waste was absurdly low.

Her efficiency in controlling both mana and aura simultaneously—and even the possibility of fusing them—suggested that genius was the true inheritance.

Even so, my great-grandfather himself proved that this lineage was, without question, a curse.

Before he even turned thirty, he began losing control and went to the demonic lands.

He fought there for over thirty-five years before returning.

His body slowly withered until he eventually died.

“I’m sorry, sister. I lost my temper.”

It was better to leave this alone.

Better for me if she lowered her guard.

Maybe now was a good time to kill her.

I could claim it was a demonic attack—but that was obviously impossible.

I still couldn’t defeat her.

I should ambush the exploration group while they’re sleeping after a hunt. That way, I can kill them all at once.

I leaned back as well.

Now all that remained was to wait until we arrived at the academy.