Fate's Protection

"..." Ouroboros paused, seemingly just as puzzled. "Why should I wear shoes?"

"Because, uh..." Neph looked hesitantly at the figure ahead of her, wavering slightly. "Then why do you wear clothes?"

"They were bestowed by the Lord," he said.

...So he didn't give you shoes!

An expression of disbelief crossed Neph's face. With his back to her, Ouroboros did not see it. He simply walked steadily along the rugged path, while Neph stumbled along, bracing herself against the wall.

This inevitably slowed them down. Ouroboros glanced back at her, did nothing, and continued onward. Yet Neph no longer struggled as she walked; instead, it felt as though she were on level ground.

Great experience. Super effective.

So this was the Fate Pathway...

Neph followed close behind him as she thought.

After they rounded the mountainside and the cliffs, a gloomy forest lay ahead.

The trees stood dozens of meters tall. Neph tilted her head back, but the branches and leaves overhead did not intertwine to block out the sky. Instead, broad swathes of orange-red light shone down.

This had to do with the condition of the forest itself, not sparse growth. At a glance, all those thick trees had peeling bark, rotting trunks, and withered branches and leaves. Many had also fallen or snapped.

The Decaying Forest... The corresponding place name sprang into Neph's mind. She said nothing and kept following closely behind him.

The orange-yellow light gilded her with a faint golden sheen. The potent power of twilight further seeped into her body, and besides exhaustion, Neph began to feel weak.

She stopped, her expression turning strange. Ouroboros looked back at her, and she said hesitantly:

"I feel...

"My Beyonder Ability could make me die faster in this situation."

-The Faded Painter's death acceleration seemed particularly effective under twilight's