As I ascended the staircase, the texture began to change. Everything around me transformed into an endless night, with thousands of stars suspended above. Some of them formed intricate constellations. I continued walking until I reached the fourth floor. At first glance, there wasn't much to see, just a few pieces of furniture: two chairs and a table. However, the table was cluttered with items, a full deck of tarot cards, several dice ranging from D6 to D100, a brightly glowed crystal ball, and a golden chalice filled with a crimson liquid.
I then sit in one of the chairs and start shuffle the tarot deck. When I finish, I then put the deck down and start drawing three cards. These three cards are The Hanged Man, The Emperor, and The Star.
When I saw what I drew, a small smile appeared on my face because I knew who was the master of this floor. Then, I heard a voice speaking directly to me.
"Glad to finally see you here, Lord Voice's major fragment, or more specifically, Lord Duc." Three of the cards that I drew earlier slowly fly up as the other tarot card follows by. Many stars and constellations start to descend down to the chair in front of me as a figure starts to appear.
He is a pale-skinned man with pure black eyes, one of them threaded with dozens of strings, while the other contains a constantly spinning wheel. A black cloak, adorned with countless constellations, shrouds his body. Around his neck hangs a frayed hangman's knot, and his face remains obscured in the shadows cast by his cloak.
The figure before me is the Hanged King, once the infamous villain of the SCP universe, wielding a threat level capable of endangering the entire multiverse. Now, as a member of the council, he has ascended to an even greater status, an omniversal entity with dominion over the fate and destiny of every being within his complex multiverse.
This multiverse is a complex tapestry of worlds, realities, and universes, all governed by the belief that fate and destiny are immutable. However, there have been those who defied this notion, successfully altering their own destinies. Yet, to challenge fate requires everything they have, even if it means risking their very lives.
I then smile when he appears in front of me. "Hanged King, it's good to see you, my friend. How have you been?"
He then lifted down his hood, revealing his true face. A decent-looking man in his forties with a black beard. He then picked up the tarot deck and started shuffling it skillfully. "It's good to see you too, Lord Duc. I have been well, and as I can see, you have been quite well too. After all, your life before coming here was quite normal yet very peaceful and pleasant."
I then pick up the D6 and start playing with it in my hand. I then roll it onto the table, and it lands a 1. "Thank you for always keeping an eye on me, Hanged."
He finished shuffling the deck and placed it on the table. I then drew three cards and laid them out: The Devil, The Hermit, and The Tower.
"All of us do, Lord Duc. We have always watched you, from the moment you were an infant to the final moments of your life. It was an extraordinary experience to witness you, the major fragment of Lord Voice, living through the highs and lows of a normal human being. From sadness to joy, from emptiness to fulfillment, these were the feelings that Lord Voice had never known. From the moment he was born, he was alone and emotionless, until he found us, found the council, and split his soul into many fragments scattered throughout the entire Beyond Realm."
I then pick up a D20 and roll it; it then lands on a 16. "So I was correct; I always wonder why I have the emotion that the other me doesn't. Voice has always been cold and collective, but from the moment I gain my consciousness and have my first emotion, I feel a subtle change inside me. It seems like I'm the reason why Voice has become more and more complete."
He then placed the deck down and materialized a big yarn and a knitting tool. He then started knitting. "Even though he can be cold sometimes, he is caring and kind when it comes to us, his only friends, and his true family. He saved us from our dark past life and gave us a new reason to live; he is our savior, but at the same time he is our big brother, the big brother that we didn't know that we needed him."
I then smiled gently when he said that. "Voice has regained some of his lost emotion due to my existence. I'm also glad for him; after all, wouldn't I? He is me, and I am him; no matter what we do, we are always connected to each other. That's enough about me. Does anything interesting happen to you all this time?"
He was knitting half way when he heard my question, then a small smile appeared on his face as he started to laugh. "Oh, I have a lot to tell you. Like how those pathetic heavens will with their little worlds. They always thought that they were the strongest, but they never knew that they were just my little playthings that I could easily crush. But why would I do that? Seeing them having their little fun is way better."
I then look at him with my eyes widening a little. "So you are governing over the complex multiverse that contains various worlds of cultivation? But now that I think about it, that seems true. Only those worlds fit your current criteria of power, so how do you have your fun?"
He had finished knitting; it was a scarf. Now, he began embroidering it with intricate details. "I don't actually have to do much," he said. "Their lives have already been altered by the Heavenly Will of their worlds. Some of them are searching for a successor, while others are simply kind enough to make their lives better. Not all of them are harsh and merciless; some can be very kind to their creations."
I nod in agreement. "Yes, that's true. And karma is something I never truly understood when I was back there. But there's one thing I know for sure. No matter what you do, every action you take, and every step you take, there will always be consequences. Only you have the power to turn those results into something good or let them become miserable consequences."
He raises an eyebrow slightly when he hears me mention not understanding karma. "Karma, huh? It's a scale—a balance that every being has. Karma influences everything they do. If someone has done many good deeds in their life, their luck increases, depending on how those actions impact others. The more good they do, the luckier they become. But if they do something harmful, their karma drops, working in the same way as good karma, only in reverse. And in my complex multiverse, this effect is amplified a thousand fold."
I then nod when he explains that to me. "So that's how it works; thanks for explaining that to me."
He just smiled as he finished embroidering the scarf; he then gave it to me. "Here, for you. This is a welcoming gift from me. I hope you like it." He then took out his soul card and gave it to me too. "And here is my soul card."
I take both items, placing the soul card into Tree's inventory and putting on the scarf. Suddenly, I hear a notification from Tree: "Detected a soul-bound item. Would you like to bind it to yourself? Once bound, the item will recognize you as its master and can never be lost." A "Yes" and "No" option appears, and I select "Yes." I feel a shift within as the scarf binds to my soul. Another notification pops up: "Scarf of Fate and Destiny has been bound to your soul. Your soul is now immune to the effects of fate and destiny, and the scarf will grow stronger as you become more powerful."
Then another notification pops up: "Upon interacting with High Elder God Hanged King, master has unlocked some mods; these mods are Thorium (30%), Calamity (60%), Calamity Infernum (60%), Wrath of The Gods (30%), Calamity Overhaul (60%), Fargo's Mutant, Fargo's Soul (60%), Fargo's Soul DLC (60%), Fargo Equipable Inventory (30%), and The Star Above (70%)."
I nod and close the menu. I then stand up from the chair and start stretching for sitting too long. "Well, that was nice having that talk with you, Hanged. Do you mind if I someday travel into some of the worlds that you govern over?"
He laughs and shakes his head. "I don't mind; in fact, I will welcome you if you do so someday. Just don't cause any major problems, ok? Those little worlds can't handle our full power."
I just smile at his words. "I won't do that, Hanged. I just want to see how powerful the people there are. But I won't stand by if any of them decide to cause trouble with me."
A smirk then appears on Hanged King's face when he hears that. "If that really happens, then they can only blame themselves for being blind and foolish."
I then start walking toward the staircase, which keeps leading upward. "Hope to see you soon, Hanged King."
He then waved at me before he started to disappear. "We will meet again, Lord Duc."
I begin ascending the staircase as he vanishes completely. 'Time to meet another King of the council.' I thought while going to the fifth floor. I then thought about the scarf and ask Tree to show me its stat in my mind.
[The Scarf of Fate and Destiny
This scarf is an item created by Hanged King. This scarf can protect its master from all fate and destiny property, making it impossible for other to detect or even harm you. This scarf will gradually grow with you when you become stronger, it can also absorb other silk or fabric type accessories and will have it properties
Current properties: Complete Fate and Destiny Protection]