CHAPTER 74: FATE

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Subject 42 never believed in fate. At least one envisaged by the writers and authors of the book he was provided to research before his many missions.

One that said everyone had in store a destiny that they were meant to complete, and the events of their life led to it in strange ways no matter what you wished.

Apart from its philosophical interpretation, what he liked the least was the idea that there was a being or thing or way or whatever that wanted him to end in such a pathetic way after leading a life purely orchestrated on the whims of a few individuals.

It gave out the kids, as little as newborns, to one very particular set of people, out of all the infinite ways one could lead a life, to have them live a life meant for misery, for them and for others.

Rather than believing that this was something that happened regularly despite a supposed plan, that cruelty was inherent to this world, he liked to believe it was something purely by chance.

That said, beliefs based on effects and affects brought by the outside senses tended to be fragile.

Since it came out of a mechanism made to cope against a situation that forced him into making the worst decisions again and again, even after dying, it started shaking the moment he got out of it.

The constraint didn’t affect him the same as it did before.

His environment had changed. Factors affecting his decisions had changed.

Standing in front of the temple after avoiding it for months, that too on the push of the same person that he had been avoiding this for, that he had been forcing his instinct down for, did feel rather ironic.

Like this fate was giving him a side eye as she looked on at him running around her palms with amusement.

It left a bad taste in his mouth and mirth in his mind.

Shaking the strange thoughts away, Noctis moved towards the temple.

Slowly climbing up the stone steps, he stood on the base of the forest floor, studying the intricate patterns inscribed on the floor that came to his notice.

Beautiful faint carvings that shone with the same silver sheen on the temple reliefs.

At first glance he could tell apart from the familiar language from the carvings of the enchanted forest, there was, in addition, another language.

Much more beautiful, much more elegant in its making.

Finally taking them in, he understood where the familiar sensation had been originating.

It was this language that exuded such a homely feel.

Just looking at him calmed his heart of all the worries he had coming up with.

No matter what, this couldn’t lead to anything bad... Such thoughts pervaded his mind.

Just as his eyes were focused on the elegant writings, he felt the temple faintly.

’Hm?’

When Noctis looked up to see the surroundings, he found his surroundings changed.

The distinct obsidian pillars of the temple didn’t come into view.

Neither did the terribly wounded and disgusting cursed men.

The tall trees of the forest were gone, replaced with a lush green view of a garden decked with the most unique and beautiful flowers he had ever encountered.

’What just happened?’

Just as he had taken the first view of the beautiful garden, he suddenly felt numerous barbed vines and roots shooting towards his neck.

Before he could even process the scene, he found his whole body bound tightly.

As the vines on his neck tightened, intending to choke him, he realised his situation and hurriedly circulated the energy in his body, only to realise a horrifying sensation.

He couldn’t control the terrain here.

Noctis’ eyes widened in alarm.

In his vision he saw massive roots swinging towards him with speed breaking the barrier of sound and the carnivorous plants erupting towards him like ravenous beasts.

Bound in the tight leash of the vines, Noctis could only look on as death approached with the same instrument that he had been flaunting all this while.

’Oh, how I hate the humor of fate.’

Noctis closed his eyes.

But fate indeed had a very strange sense of humor.

Just as Noctis was about to be tuned to mince meat but the swimming root, his body suddenly vanished from the hold of the vines as the roots and carnivorous plants were left crashing into dirt after biting on thin air.

After missing their marks, they strangely stood back up, looked around the premises of the garden for the boy, finally noticing him sitting wide eyed in some distance.

Without wasting a breath, they bolted towards his new position just to be struck down with a strange force forcing them down like a hammer had been struck on their heads.

Looking up with the top of their bodies they noticed an extremely small creature with human facial features and a body made up of white petals fashioned into an elaborate evening gown, the size of a palm leaf, floating a little above the head of the wide eyed boy.

At the sight of the creature barely the size of the palms of the little boy they were so daringly approaching, the root immediately went back into the ground it had come from and the ravenous plant ran towards the flower bed at the farthest end of the garden.

Or at least tried to as the next moment their bodies unwillingly got uprooted from their positions and started floating towards the boy and the small creature.

The sentient plants struggled desperately as they floated towards them, shaking and exploring for help animatedly. The small humanoid creature uttered a beautiful voice.

The voice was melodic and enchanting to Noctis as he heard her saying something to the plants that had just attacked him.

The plants didn’t share the same appreciation, as they were being scolded for something they had no way of knowing beforehand.

Noctis marvelled at the intelligence these plants showed as well as the emotions they transmitted without any facial features.

After finally getting scolded by the small creature for minutes and minutes on end, the root and the carnivorous plants bowed their metaphorical heads in the direction of the creatures and then Noctis himself before finally being let go.

After they had left, the small creature finally turned around to look at Noctis intently.

Her annoyed, irritated expression immediately gave way to a smile as enchanting as her voice.