- The unknown clue is enshrouded by the piles of questions...
Fate became speechless from what just happened. He doesn't know what to feel. He cannot even comprehend what does he feel. The surge of shock, fear, and surprise fused into something incomprehensible to him. Something even the most intelligent being cannot answer. The waves of painful sorrow and the adrenaline of shock made by the snapping of his father overwhelmed the peaceful solitude of the night Fate had just cherished. His night was ruined. The way he sees it, it looks like he won't achieve the peaceful isolation from the world he always wanted to experience. He could only wish for it and never actually experience and cherish it. Fate knows he could only live his fantasies inside his chaotic mind. He once again broke down and cried his grudge and animosity he feels for himself.
He tried to hurt himself, but he had no courage to do so. Fate needs some rest, but it feels like the world doesn't want him to. It feels like the Eternal Primes and the Overseers only made him live just to slowly suffer and lose his sanity, leading him to take his life once and for all. But he thought,
"No... this isn't worth it..."
Waterfall of tears started to flow down from Fate's eyes. His eyes became red due to him crying for hours. It was heartbreaking for him to see his father becoming the shell of what he used to be. Fate is grieving for someone who's still alive - someone who lost their former self. His father became a stranger neither Fate nor his father himself know.
He stayed on the hill once more to cherish the peaceful isolation from the world once more. He doesn't want to let go of this moment. This will be the last solitude he will be cherishing and Fate knew he really needs to embrace the cold breeze of the night. He tried to forget everything that had just happened. It was heartbreaking for him.
"What did I do?
"Why am I experiencing this?
"When will I finally have a rest from this world?
"When will I actually make a difference and prove myself to everyone?
"How will I do it?
"Why am I doing this?
"Is this really worth it?"
Fate could only question himself and never answer it. It boggles his mind. The fog of his questions to himself is very thick you can't even reflect on it and answer everything. Fate only knows one thing,
"I will never stop finding answers... even if it costs me my sanity!"
Fate wiped off the tears falling from his eyes. He finally gained composure. Fate got his cool. The fire of determination from Fate's heart finally burned again and lit the darkness from his heart. He must never stop proving himself. He knows he could make a difference - a difference so big that it will turn the tables for everyone.
It is already midnight. If Fate never slept, he will be late for tomorrow for his training. The training will be tough for everyone. The training will be vigorous and nonstop. Exhaustion will never be an excuse for everyone to stop. If they failed their training, they will have themselves dead once The Triplet's Vow has started. Fate knows he needs to do his best.
Fate left the hill and went to their house. Surprisingly enough, their door from the back of their house was closed, which never happens. Fate tried to knock, but he hesitated to do so. His father might be fast asleep already, and he didn't want to disturb it. Fate hopes the door isn't locked, though.
He successfully opened the door. Fate thought he would be sleeping outside. Fate closed the door and the moment he shut the door, a book fell from their cupboard.
"Huh, what could it be?" Fate thinks. He went for the book that had just fallen from their cupboard. It was a diary. The diary is full of dust, and it looks old. Its cover is almost disintegrating, but most of the pages are still intact.
Fate picked the diary up and went upstairs. He quietly opened the door that leads to his room and entered it. Fate went to his desk and went for the lamps. His table is finally illuminated and he can now read the contents of the diary he just picked.
Fate wiped off the dust from the diary and started to flip its pages one by one. By the time Fate is flipping the pages of the diary, something fell on the ground. Fate suddenly noticed it. He went for it and picked it up. It is the picture of his family, together with him, his mother, his father, and his identical twin. Fate couldn't help to admire his family.
He could remember the time when his identical twin used to fight along with him. Both of them trained and helped each other. It was their form of bonding with each other.
He could remember how their mother cooks them their delicious dinner and make everyone's stomach full. They never got to go outside and eat at expensive restaurants because their mother always cook them their food just as delicious as what you could eat at expensive restaurants.
Fate felt a surge of pain and grief remembering every single piece and shard of those moments. He could only live it in his mind and feel bittersweet knowing that their family will not be complete again after something that happened Fate is still processing.
Moments later, he finally gained his composure once again. Fate kept the picture under his desk and went for the diary. He started to read the contents of the diary. It turns out, it was his father's diary. He had a second thought about reading the contents of the diary or just leaving it, but his curiosity got the better of him, and completely forgot the training everyone will be undergoing tomorrow.
The diary has five full pages of his father's progress when he is still a Peer's Summon. There are a total of 30 pages, most of them are completely incomprehensible as some of the words are completely blurred, and some of the pages are torn apart. The rest were history, but Fate managed to find the last five pages of the diary. Fate could barely read some words, but it is still comprehensible enough for him to understand what is written in the diary.
The first page reads...
-----
10th of July, year 705,
It was the time when E...pi.....e .... En-C... infiltrated the Teran Palace and dealt massive damage to our Military Reserves. It was really surprising. Caeruleus and I never saw this happening. Peer's Summon were discussing everything that we need to do to have a counterattack to...
-------
The remaining pages were torn apart and some words are blurred into oblivion. Fate's curious about the counterattack. Everything's not making sense for him. Who infiltrated the Teran Palace? And why did they focus and concentrate on dealing damage to the Military Reserves and not into the kingdom itself? Only his father knows the answer to his question. Fate's mind is full of curiosity. He thought, what if this diary will answer most of the questions Fate is still trying to decipher?
What happened to her mother? What happened to his identical twin? And why he doesn't remember just a single piece of what occurred?
He completely forgot the training they will be undergoing tomorrow and distracted himself from the diary. He doesn't need sleep. He doesn't need rest. He only needs an answer.
Fate flipped to the second page of the diary and most of them are incomprehensible. Most pages are torn and some words are blurry. The only thing Fate found on that page is...
-------
25th of July, year 705,
..o.... ..int... .... ..k..r.. .....n ... ... ... Empire of En-Crozal..... ..s.... up... tried to ....
-------
"This doesn't make any sense at all!!"
Fate stopped reading that page of the diary. Most of the words are blurred, and the efforts of trying to read are useless and futile.
"Empire... of En-Crozal? Huh?? Counterattack?! Arghhhhh!!"
The more he reads, the more complicated Fate's curiosity gets. Fate has fallen into the rabbit hole. He cannot get out of it.
He has never heard of Empire of En-Crozal for his entire life. Is that the Tera's allied kingdom? Is En-Crozal their enemy? He doesn't know. He could only assume that the Empire of En-Crozal is their foe just because of what he had just read from the previous page of his father's diary. He relied on his instincts and hope he isn't right.
He flipped through the third page. Torn pieces of paper flew everywhere the moment he flipped the diary. He didn't mind it, though. He just needs to find the answer to his never-ending curiosity. No more, no less.
Surprisingly enough, the third page seems to be fine. There are some blurred words but it's not as worse as what Fate has read on the first and second pages of the diary. Every word is comprehensible enough to be considered clear.
The third page reads...
-------
6th of August, year 705,
This is... the moment of truth. This is where we need to trust ourselves... our fellow Peer's Summon... this is where we need to test our guts. This is where it will rain blood.
The Aristocratic Council and Level S administrators had sent us to infiltrate the Empire of En-Crozal and give them the taste of their own medicine. The Teran Government rejected the plan the Peer's Summon had proposed. If you ask me, it is a very effective plan. I just really don't know why the fuck the Teran Government rejected it, but we really have no choice since we're talking about Level S administrators and Aristocratic Councilors.
Blood will stain everyone. First blood means death. O great Teranthes the only superior Overseer... please grant us the courage and bravery to face death... may you grant us everlasting protection.
-------
"So... all of those questions I overthought for nothing???!!!"
Fate got disappointed from what he just read. He is trying to find the answer behind the torn page of the first page of the diary. He thought it was something extraordinary - something enthralling and game-changing. Fate got pissed off, but he needs to calm down or he will wake up his father from his deep slumber.
Fate flipped through the fourth page of the diary. What he just read left his mind blown away.
The fourth page reads...
-------
7th of August, year 705,
If you are wondering how am I still writing this despite my distance to my diary, I had cast a magic spell solely for communication, and I thought I might apply this here. I don't know why I did that, to be honest.
If I never make it out alive in here, please tell Ivy I love her... please... Fate, Kismet... I want you to take care of your mother. Please tell your mother to be tough for you... for the family... for me. I am currently fighting Crozal Knights and Paladins, and I don't know if Caeruleus and I will hold them longer. The sages and wizards we are fighting are the worst. I think they are just the level of Peer's Summon, if not Level S. They are strong as fuck. Most of our sages and wizards are down already, and most of the Peer's Summon is already down.
I cannot make this entry any longer. I need to focus on this fight.
-------
Fate could only imagine how hard it is for his father to fight someone whose level exceeds him. He looked up to his father solely because of his father's sheer strength and willpower to defeat his enemy no matter how strong they are. Fate wishes he is just as incredible as his father.
Fate never noticed the time as he continue to read and examine the diary of his father. It is already three o'clock in the morning. The adrenaline surging from Fate's eyes is almost noticeable. He wants to fall asleep, but his curiosity won't let him. Fate thinks that the diary his father owned might uncover the answers he could not.
Fate was surprised at the last entry he gathered in his father's diary. It was something Fate was not expecting.
The last page reads...
-------
8th of August, year 705,
Dear Teranthes... why have you forsaken us? Why? WHY?!!! WHERE ARE YOU WHEN EVERYONE NEEDED YOU THE MOST?! WHY?!!
I... I don't know what to say. I thought... I thought the Peer's Summon we lost was all worth it. I thought... I thought what we lost was worth it. I never thought of this happening...
We have managed to defeat the opposing En-Crozal soldiers. But... but... we let our guards down. I hate myself...
The enemy... they are already one step ahead of us...
-------
"Wait... THAT'S IT???? THERE MUST BE SOMETHING HERE!!" Fate thinks. He tried to check the other entries that he thought he skipped, but he only found none. He thought he could find the answer to his questions, but it just left him with more questions he cannot answer.
"No... NO! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING I CAN GET!! ARGHHHH!!"
Fate let his emotions get the better of him and smashed the desk in front of him. The diary in front of him fell, and the lamp was burned down.
"Hey! What are you doing?? Let me get some sleep!!" His father shouted at him. "Disgusting piece of shit," his father added.
Fate noticed it was already four o'clock in the morning - two hours before their training will start. Their training will be nonstop. Had Fate never analyzed the diary of his father, Fate could've had enough sleep and gained strength. He doesn't regret it, nonetheless. Fate had another goal in his life:
To uncover the answers unbeknownst to him...