Chapter 33: Fate Reader
Charles soon entered the kitchen room and noticed that Eve was preparing dinner.
"Do you need any help, mom?" He stepped on the red-carpeted floor and asked her from behind.
Eve got startled a little as she heard his words and soon turned around with a warm smile on her face.
"Peel the potatoes for me, son." She said while handing him a knife, a plate full of well-cleaned potatoes, and a small bag to put those peeled skins.
Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, took the plate, knife, and a small bag with both hands, and sat on the carpeted floor. He then took a potato and started peeling it. But as he peeled the first potato, he noticed some change in his movement.
He felt that his hands were moving like a real expert chef's hands!
'Is it because of the [Magician's Hand] skill?' He got baffled for a moment and soon placed the peeled potato in the corner of the plate. After that, he took another one and started peeling it. Within three minutes, he peeled ten potatoes and said, like a real kid,
"It's finished, mom."
In the meantime, Eve turned around in confusion and soon widened her eyes in surprise!
"That was fast... Very fast." She commented as she stared at him for a moment and soon asked,
"How did you peel so fast?"
A smile appeared on Charles's face as he stared at her with a grin and said proudly,
"It's one of the [Trickster] class skills." He paused for a second and soon asked,
"Do you want to learn it?"
Eve blinked her eyes in surprise as she heard her son's question and soon shook her head.
"It will take years for me to learn a unique skill, son. I'm already past 35, and by the time I have learned this skill, I might become a middle-aged woman."
Charles went silent upon hearing her words and soon nodded his head.
"Don't worry, son." Eve deliberated for a moment and soon suggested,
"How about this? Do you want to learn any unique skills from me? Although it will take some time, I know that you can learn it in just 2 or 3 years."
Meanwhile, Charles froze for a second and soon widened his eyes.
"Can I?"
"Of course, you can, silly." Eve let out a chuckle as she took a cutter board from the shelf and sat next to Charles. She then placed the cutter board on the carpeted floor, took out a peeled potato, placed it on it, and then started slicing it with a sharp silver knife. She made precise flat, elongated cuts and put them in a separate bowl.
"What is the skill name?" Charles showed an excited face and asked.
"I have one unique skill, three main class skills, and three subclass skills. Among those skills, the Astrologer class skill called [Fate Reader] skill will be most useful for you. With this, you will be able to perceive one's Fate. It has some restrictions, though. You can use this skill only once per day and will also receive some side effects every time."
Charles turned silent for a while and soon asked while furrowing his brows,
"Side effect?"
"Yes, when you read one's Fate, you will somehow alter their Fate in one way or another. When that happens, you will create a coincidence. What will happen when you use this skill on multiple individuals? Everyone's Fate will change and become a mess." She stopped her silver knife for a second and soon added while taking another peeled potato to cut.
"That's the reason I rarely use this skill on others. Fate is like a bunch of long threads, Charles. When you alter one thread's movement, it will go and collide with the nearby thread and soon tangle with one another. That's the reason for those coincidences."
At that moment, a thought appeared in his mind.
'Is it her doing? Those strange coincidences?'
He stared at her for a moment and soon asked.
"Are you the one who is creating those strange coincidences?" He stared at her in shock and suspicion.
He couldn't hide his surprise because he never imagined that Eve's skill would be powerful enough even to scare the Rank-3 mystics.
In the meantime, Eve curled her lips upwards as she stared into his jade-like eyes and asked.
"Do you think of me as a fool?" After asking that question, she shook her head and responded,
"Although I did create some coincidences, not all of them are created by me. There is another [Astrology] class member lurking in this city, and he seems to be plotting something big. Creating coincidences is not a normal matter, son. If someone creates too many coincidences, he must find a way to solve those coincidences. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to Rank up for a long time and receive a huge backslash."
"Still, your class looks awesome, mom." Charles was deeply impressed by the [Astrologer] series class and commented.
"It has its limitations." She paused for a moment as she thought of something and asked a question with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Do you want to know about 'its' current location?"
'It? Is she talking about A-035?'
A look of astonishment appeared on Charles's face as he blinked his eyes in surprise and hurriedly nodded.
In the meantime, she put the sliced potatoes into a large bowl and spoke while shaking her head.
"There must be some powerful people monitoring our movements, so don't make any unnecessary movements for the next few days. I find out about 'It's' location not long ago after a sudden disappearance of a [Historian] Class Mystic's Fate. About that [Historian] Class Mystic, he told me that he is Derrick's friend and came to our house to check his future a week ago. Upon hearing his request, I peeked into his Fate." He deliberated for a moment and added with a deep sigh.
"At that time, I noticed that some powerful individuals would target him in the future. So, I warned him to be careful. Although my mere warning could have created a change in his Fate, it didn't. After seeing that anomaly, I put a Fate mark on him and checked his Fate from time to time. Not too long ago, a change occurred in his Fate. No, I would say that his 'Fate' thread was severed and became a bunch of broken strings."
"He died? Was it another [Astrologer] Class Mystic's doing?" Charles interrupted her talking.
Arbiter Willy's words also appeared in his mind as he heard her words.
"I don't know. But that possibility is very low. Any powerful individual's interference in a low-rank Mystic's life will lead to the destruction of their Fate strings, and that might be the cause of his Fate strings' destruction. Although new fates strings will form later to replace the previous one, it would still take some time. As for why I mentioned about the [Historian], it's because that he has some connection with the Red Crown, no, Holem's Crown."
Charles's ears perked up as he heard her words and patiently waited for her to continue.
"That artifact was hiding nearby when a powerful individual severed his Fate string. If you want to find that artifact, you have to search for the place where the [Historian]'s Fate got destroyed."
'What the h*ck?!'
Charles blinked his eyes in surprise and then subconsciously thought of Jimmy Holmes.
'Wait... Holmes... Holem's... Something's telling me that these two almost identical-looking names are not a coincidence...' He touched his chin and fell into deep thoughts.
"Now, do you want to learn [Fate Reader] skill?" While he was in muse, Eve placed the final potato on the cutter board and asked.
Charles stared vacantly at her for a moment and soon said with a smile.
"I will think about it."
"Don't try to learn more than three unique skills, Charles. It will only restrict you from ranking up the main class. Concentrate on improving your main class and subclass skills." She stood up with a bowl full of sliced potato pieces and went near the heating stove after saying those words.
Instead of gas, this stove operated by collecting the 'mana' from the environment and turning them into fuel.
In the meantime, Charles took the bag filled with potato skins, knife, and cutter board and then went near the kitchen table. After that, he put the cutter board in the sink and then transferred the peeled potato skins into the nearby dustbin.
He started to think more deeply about the [Fate Reader] skill when doing the job.
'Although it looks awesome, it will also create more coincidences. A single misstep, I will be in deep shit. Moreover, Astrologer skill looked more like a troublesome manipulative one.' He thought for a second and soon shook his head.
'I need to think more about choosing my final unique skill. If I choose too many unique skills, I will face difficulty when improving them using skill points.' He nodded thoughtfully and then turned his attention to Eve.
"Charles, take the olive oil from the cabinet." Before asking about his next job, Eve sent out an order.
A wry smile crept on his face as he nodded and squatted down to take the olive oil.
In the meantime, Eve lit the magic stove and placed a silver cup on the blue fire. Passing the olive oil to Eve, Charles stared at the blue flame for a long time and requested,
"Can you cast [Fate Reader] skill on me and peek into my future, mom?"
Upon hearing his strange request, Eve got startled and soon nodded her head.
"Wait for a second." Saying those words, she switched off the stove and then stared deeply into his eyes before casting [Fate Reader] skill on him.
She then closed her eyes and made different kinds of strange hand gestures. In the meantime, Charles observed her hand movements and soon noticed that her lips started to move.
"Hmm,...Gloomy house... Red clouds... Strange creatures... Dangers are lurking everywhere... so are the rewards... It's going to be a long journey for you... Follow the snake; you will meet an old man. Is he a benefactor? Or an enemy? The truth lies only with your next action."
Charles blinked his eyes as he heard her words and soon thought of the strange Dreamworld.
'I need to be extra careful when entering the Dreamworld.' He thought to himself and soon noticed that Eve was staring at him with her deep-blue eyes.
"What is that strange place?" She asked with full of curiosity.
"It's a dream-like world, mom." He responded shortly and then fell silent. Noticing that her son was unwilling to tell her more about it, she smiled and nodded at his wise decision.
"It seems that place is a dangerous one. Be careful when you go there and come back safely." Eve said as she switched on the stove and started preparing the dinner again.
Charles helped Eve in the kitchen for the next hour while discussing various things and cooked six different dishes.
Once they finished arranging the dishes in the dining hall, Charles went to Saron's room and invited her for dinner around 8.30 P.M.
As usual, they had their dinner silently and went on their own. Charles also went upstairs after saying goodnight to Eve and entered his bedroom.
Once he walked in, he locked the wooden door from inside and went near the cabinet to take out the 'Nightmare Stone.' After he took out the 'Nightmare Stone,' he turned his attention to his leather bag and took out the newly painted Observer's dagger from it.
'If this dagger is with me, Russell can monitor my movements through this strange gem anytime.' In annoyance, he clicked his tongue and took out a sharp steel knife from the nearby cupboard. After that, he tried different methods and finally removed the gem from the dagger.
'It came out.' He nodded with a smile as he went near the opened window and threw the gem out.
The gem made a whooshing sound and soon landed on Mr. Hunt's residence's compound...
No, it bounced twice on the concrete floor and soon flew into Mr.Hunt's bedroom through the window gap!
Charles stared at Mr.Hunt's bedroom with a dumbfounded face and soon scratched his head awkwardly.
"Will Branch Head watch live p*rn from now on?" He muttered out loud and then closed the curtain before turning around.
After that, he put the dagger in his waist as he sat on the bed and then took out the void pouch from the luggage.
'Am I able to bring the void pouch to the Dreamworld?' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon thought of testing it out. Before that, he once again went downstairs and stored a few packs of dry bread and water pouch into it. After that, he stealthily went upstairs and walked into his bedroom again.
He then silently laid on the bed as he held the void pouch in his right and placed the 'Nightmare Stone' in his pant pocket.
'Everything is ready.' He muttered inwardly and then closed his eyes.
...