At night, Dilos wore a black hood that concealed his conspicuous blond hair and face. He sneaked in through a window and slipped into the nursing home.
There were fewer nurses at night than during the day, which made it a little easier for Dilos to sneak in. Using his agility, he sometimes scaled walls and sometimes hid in a corner. Before long, he reached Room 412.
Dilos was just about to knock when Cassandra's voice came from inside.
"If you're here, come on in. There's no need to knock."
Dilos's heart jumped, and his breathing grew a little uneven. But in less than two seconds, he instinctively steadied his breathing and suppressed the turmoil inside him. Then he opened the door and went in.
As soon as he entered, Dilos saw Cassandra sitting in a chair, dressed in a padded jacket. Her silvery-white eyes were blind, yet Dilos couldn't shake the feeling that she was looking at him.
"So you really can foresee the future." Dilos felt a weight settle in his heart.
"Come sit down, young man." Cassandra seemed not to catch the meaning behind his words. She smiled at him like an ordinary, kindly old woman.
Dilos hesitated. Cassandra seemed to notice, and said helplessly, "Young man, I know you're afraid of the unknown. I don't blame you; everyone feels that way. But there's only an ordinary old woman here. Are you really worried that I'll eat you?"
"I really am."
He grumbled inwardly, his expression blank and his feet still planted in place.
Cassandra gave a wry smile. "Usually, people who learn that I can foresee the future come back to see me. I imagine you're the same, young man. You want to know about your future, don't you?"
Then she added, "You won't get anywhere if you keep acting so timid."
Dilos frowned at that, then slowly walked over and sat in the chair beside her.
"That's more like it." Cassandra seemed pleased. Then she got straight to the point. "Don't be nervous, child. You don't have to be so formal here. What would you like to know?"
Dilos was silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "Everything you foresaw about me. And... can fate really be changed? Is some being controlling all our destinies?"
"Oh, you're a greedy one, child. It's hard to answer so many questions all at once."
Cassandra didn't seem surprised by his questions. Still, she replied, "I'll answer the first two. But first, I want to ask about that last question. Why do you think some being is controlling fate?"
"Because that's how the world works, isn't it?" Dilos scoffed. "People with power can do whatever they want to the ants beneath them. They can use all kinds of methods to make those ants follow their plans, like characters in a script. And if the ants don't follow the script, the powerful kill them."
Cassandra was stunned, her face full of disbelief. "Child, I don't know what to make of that. I can't tell whether what you're saying is true, or whether it's right. I can't give you an answer."
"To be honest, I'm full of doubts about my own ability, too. I'm troubled by why I have this power and what purpose it serves..."
As Cassandra spoke, Dilos listened quietly while focusing his vital energy in his ears to sharpen his hearing. That way, he could clearly hear her heartbeat and judge whether she was lying.
"But..." Cassandra's tone changed. "You don't know how unusual you are, child."
"Oh?"
At that, Cassandra broke into a smile that seemed positively delighted. "Take your question about whether fate can be changed. I used to suspect that it couldn't. Over the past twelve years, I've foreseen the futures of many people, and quite a few suffered terribly, just as I'd predicted. But after I held your hand today..."
As she spoke, Cassandra suddenly began coughing, her throat dry. Dilos quickly picked up a glass of water from the table and handed it to her.
After drinking, Cassandra felt much better. She continued, "I saw it. I saw many images of people who should have been grief-stricken disappear. Some led ordinary lives, while others were filled with laughter."
Dilos listened closely, his sharpened hearing trained on her heartbeat. To him, it sounded normal, with no sign of a lie. Of course, if he assumed the worst, she could simply be such a skilled liar that her heartbeat never changed. But... Dilos thought there was no need to be so paranoid all the time. Too much suspicion wasn't good; he should give her a little trust.
"Your friend Clark Kent is one of them." Cassandra seemed even more animated as she spoke, though she hesitated, unsure whether she should continue.
Seeing her hesitation, Dilos guessed what was on her mind. Since she could foresee the future, she had probably seen something when she met Clark earlier that day. He said, "I've known for a long time that Clark has superpowers. But if he doesn't want to talk about it, I won't bring it up."
Only then did Cassandra nod. "Your friend Clark—I saw many futures in which he changed the suffering of the world. I once thought his destiny was to help people. But..."
She paused, then continued, "I saw a very lonely future for him. His path is incredibly difficult. You could even say... Well, I don't know how to put it. It feels impolite to say."
"Self-righteous, and so obsessively, blindly devoted to it that he gets a whole bunch of people around him killed for ridiculous reasons." Dilos said it outright. In his previous life, Superman's self-righteousness had caused a string of unnecessary tragedies that viewers often criticized.
"Uh..." Cassandra looked puzzled for a moment, as if she hadn't expected Dilos to say so plainly what she had been thinking. Dilos didn't want to reveal too much about himself, either, so he made up an excuse. "Because that's what he's doing now, and he doesn't seem inclined to change."
"Heh." Cassandra chuckled at that. Then she said, "That was before."
Seeing Dilos's confusion, she continued, "After meeting you today, I looked at his future again. It's changed, and it's shifting in all kinds of unpredictable ways. Sometimes his fate seems good, sometimes bad. But I can see some things that remain the same. At least he's no longer lonely, and he's happier."
Dilos was taken aback. Cassandra smiled and said, "You're unusual, child. When I met you today, I found that your future was so chaotic that no one could make it out. But everyone who comes into contact with you changes, more or less. Some die, and some live. Take a girl named Tina, for example. She should have been dead by now, but she's sitting quietly at home."
"Dilos." For the first time, Cassandra addressed him by name with such formality. Her gaze held a solemn weight.
"You're special, child. I don't know whether someone is controlling fate, as you said. But I know your future can't be foreseen, and you always have the power to change others, for better or worse. There's one last thing I have to say: Whatever happens, look forward to the future and be true to yourself. No matter how terrible the future might become, just be true to yourself."
Dilos looked into her solemn eyes. His feelings were a tangled mess, but in the end, he nodded.
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