Night of Fate

Lude had a long dream. He dreamed that he was looking down upon this world.

This was a world resembling mid-nineteenth-century Europe—the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, railway construction was blazing ahead, and war had become a wildly popular national pastime among the various countries. That thriving vitality, that state in which all things competed and flourished, was still vividly before his eyes.

Yet beneath that vigorous life lurked shadows known as the bizarre and the supernatural.

Discordant beings that stole human souls beneath the cover of night; spirit pirates upon the Black Sea who called themselves artists of pain; islanders who worshipped evil gods and took pride in plunder and slaughter; ratmen lurking in sewers and spreading the Black Death; and secret societies founded by madmen pursuing immortality.

The president of the [Black Tide Society], Juan Ossanion, was one such madman.

More than a decade ago, the Black Tide Society excavated a holy relic called the [Heart of the Furnace] from the ruins of an ancient battlefield where dragons and Fiends had once fought. They sought to unravel the mystery of the dragon's immortal life by controlling this burning relic.

Yet the Black Tide Society's previous president, Juan's father, had been reduced to ashes the instant he first touched the relic.

Clearly, a mortal body could not bear the relic's immense power.

But persistence paid off. After years of research, the Black Tide Society truly found an unorthodox solution.

Since mortal bodies could not withstand the relic's all-burning edge, they could first forge a body capable of wielding it from Dragon Remains, then grant that body vitality, and finally seize it with their own souls. Would that not allow them to grasp its great power?

After more than a decade of study and exploration, having nearly exhausted every bit of the organization's wealth, they had finally forged the [Vessel].

"But clearly, an unfamiliar soul got there first and occupied this Vessel, which should have been soulless. If Juan learns that his plan of so many years has come to nothing overnight, I believe he will be furious."

A girl's voice came from beside Lude's bed. Her voice was clear and ethereal, like a light strike upon a jade chime, calling Lude out of his dream.

Lude slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Siana's petite figure. He sat up and looked around, realizing that he was in a cramped room somewhere between a storage closet and a dungeon, laid out upon a metal dissection table.

The red-haired girl sat atop a dust-covered cabinet, reading a copy of Intoxication and Flora without looking away.

"You're awake?" the girl said crisply, her gaze still fixed on the book.

"Thanks to you." Lude raised a hand to rub his throbbing temple and smiled. "My head still hurts a little."

"A headache?" The girl frowned slightly. Her eyes flicked toward Lude, then snapped away as though shocked. She raised the book higher to hide the blush on her cheeks. "That shouldn't be the case. I didn't put that much information into my illusion..."

Watching the girl sink into conflicted thought, Lude could not help but laugh inwardly—his headache was entirely his own doing.

Lude knew a few lucid-dreaming techniques. When he realized Siana was deliberately feeding him information, he absorbed as much as possible. It was roughly equivalent to skimming through this world's politics, history, geography, and biology in a single dream.

It was probably about the level of a middle or high school general exam. There was certainly nothing too profound, but it was enough for now.

However, none of the information Lude had seized contained any knowledge related to the supernatural, nor any personal experiences beyond knowledge itself. When he tried to touch that information, he nearly drew Siana's attention, forcing him to hurriedly wake from the dream.

After all, if Siana had not voluntarily lowered her guard in order to impart knowledge, Lude would have died the moment he arrived.

Lude flipped himself off the dissection table and stretched his limbs.

He looked toward a glass cabinet door nearby, its reflective surface revealing a figure far taller and sturdier than he had been in his previous life.

The young man in the mirror was in his early twenties. His thick golden hair gleamed brilliantly, and his handsome face carried an imposing authority even at rest. Fire blazed in his deep-set eyes. He stood a full six and a half feet tall, his muscles seeming cast from bronze and forged from iron, like a demigod capable of strangling a lion barehanded.

Bold of heart and mighty in spirit, like a heaven-shaking lion descending from the clouds; strong of bone and sinew, like an earth-rocking beast taking its seat.

Given his earlier performance, Lude had no doubt that he could truly beat a tiger to death.

Noticing the girl's discomfort, Lude pulled up a white bedsheet and wrapped it around himself like an ancient Greek.

Then he looked at Siana and politely said, "Good evening, Miss Siana. Come to think of it, I never had the chance to repay you for saving my life during the day. Now I have received another favor from you, and I feel somewhat undeserving. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Lude had never believed in free lunches. He only believed that everything in this world had its price.

The only explanation for Siana helping a soul she had never met was that she needed him to do something. Rather than wait for her to ask outright, he might as well offer first. At the very least, it might earn him some goodwill.

Seeing that Lude had wrapped himself in the sheet, Siana finally relaxed a little and set down the small book in her hand.

Her blood-red eyes turned to Lude, and her tone returned to the airy lightness she had possessed in the laboratory. "...Don't worry. I am not the sort of person who demands repayment for a favor. Everything I did before was to make a deal with you. I will provide every form of assistance I can offer."

"And you, unfamiliar soul, must take the Heart of the Furnace and do everything in your power to escape the Black Tide Society's control."

Lude raised a hand and pressed his brow. The Heart of the Furnace was hidden within his skull.

Among the memories Siana had instilled in him, Lude had seen the Heart of the Furnace. It was a brilliant dodecahedral gemstone, entirely composed of dazzling, resplendent gold and intensely fiery red, making the gem resemble the lingering glow of a setting sun adorned in gold and crimson.

Every researcher in the Black Tide Society agreed that this Relic surely contained the power of the Primordial Fire.

It was simply that no one knew how to release it.

Unfortunately, even Lude could only feel its scorching heat now, unable to draw upon it.

Thus, Lude looked at Siana. "I need a map—one of this alchemy workshop, and one of this city. I also need a set of clothes for disguise and a handgun with a sufficiently large caliber. Beyond that, I need you to hold Professor Beshe off."

At that, Siana tapped the tabletop with her fingers. "Sorry. That was my oversight—I did not explain my plan clearly."

As she spoke, she looked at Lude. "I will not provide you with a map of the alchemy workshop, because you will not need one. I have a plan to get you transported directly out of this workshop. When the time comes, you will only need to face Professor Beshe."

"Hmm..." After pondering for a moment, Lude rejected the idea. "I'm afraid that won't work. I am no match for Professor Beshe."

Hearing this, Siana shook her head. "That is not so, unfamiliar soul. Do not underestimate the body you inhabit. As the chief technical director of the Vessel Project's secret rites, I can tell you plainly that the power contained within this body far exceeds your imagination."

"At the same time, you overestimate your opponent," Siana said softly. "Professor Beshe is not invincible."