CG Chapter 86: A Show of Sincerity
Tom felt it was about time to leave the shaman's hut and gather with Folek and their forces. He had many preparations to make before the battle with the royal families. Noticing his intention, the shaman smiled and spoke.
"Before you leave, I think I should tell you a couple of things. Consider it a show of sincerity on my part."
Tom was skeptical about whether the shaman's gift would be of any use to him, but knowing he wouldn't lose anything by accepting, he didn't refuse.
"I think it would be rude of me to refuse your offer. Please, do tell."
The shaman closed her eyes. Since she didn't get many visitors in her hut, she wasn't used to talking for so long.
"The end of this world might be the end for me, but it will only mean the start of a new journey for you. Take this as a piece of advice from an old hag: be careful of the watchful eyes of the heavenly wills. While they are restricted by supreme rules that prevent them from interfering too much, they can still change certain things. The most important of which would be the eldest of The Threefold Tyche."
Hearing the term for the first time, Tom asked, "What do you mean by the Threefold Tyche?"
To answer Tom's question, the shaman held up three fingers. "Providence, Luck, and Fortune. To most, these three might all sound the same, but this couldn't be further from the truth. In some cases, they work together; in others, they might fight against each other for control over you."
The shaman continued her explanation.
"Providence is given by the heavens. Those who possess it are called the chosen ones. These people can survive encounters that no one else can.
Luck is a power within oneself; it is the most mysterious of the three. Unpredictable, and I don't know much about it.
Lastly, there's Fortune. You can think of it as the power of nations and monarchs. By gathering the belief of the common people, a dragon of fortune symbolizing the state of the nation would be born, rising and falling with the nation."
Tom thought about the last of the three before asking, "Does that mean the seven kingdoms each have a dragon of Fortune to protect them?"
"So, you noticed that. But you don't need to worry because we are lucky that the seven gods and the heavenly will behind them are too greedy and confident. Thinking that no one would dare rise against their tyranny, they didn't leave any of the Fortune they gathered behind."
Tapping on the solid ground beneath him, Tom's mind analyzed everything he had learned.
If the so-called Threefold Tyche was true, then he would need to take them into consideration in his plans for the next worlds.
While thinking about this, he wondered whether his own luck was good.
He thought, If Luck and Fortune exist, then what about Fate and Destiny?
As this thought passed through his head, he smiled internally.
I carry the fragment of Samsara. Whether my fate is good or bad doesn't matter since I wish to walk outside those rules, unaffected by the never-ending struggles of the mortal world.
"Thank you for your explanation. I can assure you that the seven kingdoms don't have long, and the faith of the seven gods will be severed with them once and for all."
Just as he was about to leave, Tom's clothes were tugged by two little hands.
Looking down, Tom saw the shaman's pet pointing toward the insect mixture that was left untouched.
"Sorry about that. Bogu simply feels saddened that you didn't drink the tea he made."
Tom looked at the shaman with a questioning expression, but he sensed that Bogu wasn't the one who truly wanted him to drink the tea.
"Don't worry. The tea will be beneficial for you. It might even help you reach a higher rank," the shaman winked at him.
In any other situation, Tom wouldn't have accepted the drink, but after the training he went through, he knew he couldn't be harmed by any poison from this world.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason for accepting the drink.
He thought of two things. First, if the shaman intended to poison him, then it would make things simple for him since he would detect her hostile intentions early on before wasting his precious time.
The second reason was more subtle, but Tom thought he knew what kind of being the shaman was.
Not hesitating any longer, Tom grabbed the bowl of insect mixture and drank it in one go. Some might think he'd be disgusted by the little crunchy exoskeletons, but he really didn't mind. He had already tasted worse things.
The mixture of sour and bitter tastes filled his mouth, but soon enough, Tom began to feel the heat rising from his stomach into every part of his body. This burning sensation completely masked the taste of the insects, giving him a euphoric-like feeling that he quickly suppressed.
After a while, the heat subsided, and Tom found himself advancing by a minor level. Although he had been close to reaching the rank of a middle-formal knight, he couldn't deny that the mixture saved him some time.
Feeling his advancement, Tom nodded to the shaman before saying, "Thank you."
After he left, the shaman continued to watch his footsteps.
A couple of minutes passed, and when Tom was out of her sight, the shaman covered her blind eye with her hand, and from the empty socket of her other eye, a flame shone.
At that moment, the shaman saw something beyond words.
Turning her head to her companion, she asked, "Do you see it? There's a trail of darkness and blood behind him. A darkness stronger than that of the seven gods combined. I wonder how many people have died at his hands. But…"
The shaman shivered, feeling a coldness. "What's even more terrifying is the path ahead of him. It seems the words of that man are true after all–our fate cannot change, as we are part of the path that the harbinger of calamity walks. At least we can rest assured that we will not be the only ones who suffer."
With her final words, the shaman grinned. She would finally have her revenge. She had witnessed it all, and her pain was something only she knew. After all, she was the…