The Heartless One

"I gave you the power of Fate, but with your current mortal body, you are still unable to control it. So I simplified it. It will help you master this power."

Shaya looked at the old man. "Why are you looking for a successor?"

"Because I am about to die," the old man murmured softly.

Shaya frowned. "Can an existence capable of weaving Fate also die?"

"To humans, death is the most terrifying thing in this world. But to immortals, death is an immense blessing."

The old man murmured absentmindedly.

"It is precisely because life is limited that people seek the meaning of being alive.

Whether pleasure or pain, there will eventually be an end. Once that end arrives, all that remains is endless emptiness."

After saying this, the old man named Fate looked at Shaya and smiled.

"To make you the master of this house, I gave you the Fate of its original owner."

Shaya froze. Then he raised a hand to his chest. The heart that had once beat vigorously there was now gone, and his mind seemed to contain knowledge that did not belong to him.

He looked toward the fire burning on the stove not far away. Within the orange-red flames, a heart lay sleeping.

"You signed a contract with the Fire Demon, the Star Child. You gave it your heart, and in return, became its master.

"You have gained immense magic power.

"Before long, a cursed girl will come to your castle.

"A witch wandering the wilderness cursed her because she wanted to find you."

"Do I have to inherit his relationships too, just because I inherited his Fate? I don't even know her," Shaya complained.

"Different worlds and different circumstances cause Fate to manifest in different ways, and variables will also influence it."

The old man's voice was aged and steady as he patiently explained many details to Shaya.

"In this age of declining magic, things like magic no longer exist. Under normal circumstances, even if you possessed this Fate, you would be unable to possess all of this.

"You would only come across an ordinary old house, then meet a woman whose luck was not particularly good.

"This Fate did not originate from this world, nor was it specifically woven for you. It came from the story in your mind, from its beginning to its end.

"Because its background was missing, it contained many logical flaws.

"I used Fate Power to fill in those flaws. It manifested this Moving Castle, manifested your magic power and spells in this world that was about to enter an age of declining magic, as well as some other things.

"So that this Fate could unfold perfectly as it had been woven.

"This is one application of Fate Power.

"However, it consumes more than ordinary Fate-weaving.

"As for its other uses, you will naturally learn them in the future."

After a pause, the old man continued.

"Because you lost your heart, you also lost human emotions, as well as the distinction between good and evil.

"And because you signed a contract with a demon, using your magic power will put you at risk of transforming into a Demon King.

"But afterward, that woman will redeem you and help you recover your feelings."

His gaze was profound as he murmured softly.

"Whether or not you have this contract, after becoming a weaver, your long life will eventually cause you to lose your human emotions.

"It is a silent, gradual loss. By the time you realize it, it will already be too late for regret.

"So I allowed you to experience all this in advance, and also gave you a chance to reclaim it.

"But Fate is never absolute.

"Whether you choose to reclaim your feelings will depend on your own choice.

"This is a test I arranged for you."

"I didn't expect that I still wouldn't be able to escape exams after coming here," Shaya complained.

"I will merge another Fate into the woman who is about to arrive at this castle.

"She will come here because she was cursed by a witch, and the country where she once lived will, because of her disappearance, prematurely trigger a massive war.

"This war will spread across the world and last for a long time. Many people will die because of it."

"A world war triggered by one person's disappearance?" Shaya's expression turned somewhat strange.

"There are precedents, aren't there?" the old man said. "For example, Helen in the Trojan War—the most beautiful woman among humanity, the queen of Sparta.

"She fell in love with Paris, prince of Troy, because of the power of the goddess of love, and eloped with him.

"This led to a thousand ships setting sail, beginning the ten-year Trojan War and ultimately causing Troy's destruction."

"So it's the femme fatale route," Shaya murmured.

After a pause, Shaya raised his head. "You want me to stop this war?"

"Whether to stop it is your own choice," the old man said. "Every choice you make will lead humanity's Fate toward an unknown future."

Shaya raised a brow and nodded.

"I have one more question. In the story, the Wilderness Witch was ultimately dealt with by Hal's teacher, Saliman.

"Did you manifest her as well?"

"I could do that," the old man said. "But it would consume even more Fate Power, and I do not think it is necessary.

"I told you already: although Fate has fixed elements, it also has variables. In reality, the plot will not unfold perfectly according to its setting."

"So I have to deal with that witch myself?" Shaya asked.

"Perhaps other variables may appear as well," the old man murmured.

"Well then... good luck."

The old man Fate slowly raised his head, his unfocused eyes gazing at the ceiling as though he were looking back at his past life.

"What a long journey it has been."

Then, beneath Shaya's gaze, the old man gradually turned into countless specks of golden light and slowly dispersed before him.

He watched it all in silence. He did not know whether the old man had left, or whether, as he had said, he had completely vanished from this world.

But he knew that perhaps he would never see him again.