The blind old man

After replenishing their supplies, the Argo sailed on and reached an island. Heracles sniffed, a strange look crossing his face.

"What is it, Heracles?"

"Brother, I think something's wrong with this island. There's a foul stench, the smell of piled-up feces fermenting. Get your weapons ready. Our opponents this time might be magical beasts."

Heracles answered Bai Mo warily. Bai Mo knew the plot, but there really were harpies on this island. He grabbed his blade blank, and Atalanta readied her bow and arrows. The three then moved to the front. Without anyone noticing, everyone had already accepted them as the Argo's strongest fighters.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Jason immediately ran over to them. What, the front might be dangerous? What a joke. Beside Heracles and Bai Mo was the safe place. Everywhere else was dangerous.

The group headed deeper into the island and soon spotted a ruined temple. That foul stench came from there.

As they advanced, an old man approached them. At the sight of him, even Bai Mo, who had expected this, could not help drawing in a sharp breath. The old man's appearance was simply too horrifying.

At that moment, Bai Mo learned exactly what sort of person the phrase "skin and bones" described. The old man before him was just such a person. His eyes were sunken, and his skull looked ready to burst through the skin of his face. His lips were almost impossible to make out, the bones in his hands were clearly visible, and even a three-year-old could have easily snapped his neck.

He hardly looked alive.

As the old man approached, Bai Mo, Heracles, and Atalanta all instinctively stepped back. Only Jason found himself with nowhere to retreat. Then the old man felt Jason's arm and spoke excitedly in a trembling voice.

"Oh, the gods be praised. Oh, the gods be praised. My saviors, you've finally come."

Afterward, everyone learned the whole story. The old man's name was Phineus. He was the son of Agenor and the king of Thrace. In his youth, he had been deeply favored by the gods and had served Apollo, so Apollo had granted him the ability to see fate clearly.

Phineus could see the causes and consequences of fate, but he sympathized with those who would suffer misfortune. So he told them their fates, allowing them to avoid tragedy.

How glorious his life had been then. But his glory had provoked the displeasure of a god, Zeus, for fate was an authority Zeus coveted. In the end, Zeus took away his sight and sent harpies to punish him.

Whenever he tried to drink water or eat, they would come, snatch away his food, and scatter feces over his food and water.

They had turned this place into a members-only restaurant.

But the old man had not given up. He knew the heroes of the Argo would come one day and help this pitiful old man.

He still had the power of prophecy.

Everything happened just as foretold. The heroes of the Agor saved the old man. Neither Bai Mo nor Heracles even lifted a hand. Something of this level was a piece of cake for them.

And as the old man wept, finally able to eat normal food, Jason soon struck up a conversation with him as though they were old friends. After all, Colchis was only a little farther away, and the Golden Fleece was there. That would be a bitter battle. Even with a top-tier fighter like Heracles, they needed to prepare thoroughly to face a country.

But the old man looked nervous and said, "Young man, remember this. Along your route ahead, you will encounter two Clashing Rocks. They seem to loathe living creatures. Whenever a living creature passes between them, the rocks slam together, leaving it mangled flesh and blood."

The old man continued gesturing with his hands. "When the time comes, release a white dove first. If the dove can fly through, you can pass. If it cannot, you absolutely must not go through."

But his words left Jason rather dismissive. He did not believe any rocks could rival Heracles's strength. Jason laughed. "Old man, you worry too much. We have the godlike Heracles. How could a mere pair of Clashing Rocks possibly stop us?"

Yet Jason's words left the old man stunned. Even the food he was chewing spilled from his mouth. He froze as though struck by lightning, then seemed to be provoked by something and cried out, losing his composure, "Impossible! I will never forget the prophetic vision I saw back then. How could Heracles be here?"

"What are you saying? Am I not supposed to be here?"

Heracles answered him, and the old man stood rooted like a fossil. He walked forward and touched Heracles's muscles, his hands trembling. Then he sank weakly to his knees.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Jason and the others were bewildered by his behavior. After they helped him up, tears flowed from the old man's hollow eye sockets.

"So... the prophecies I always took such pride in were nothing but my arrogance in the end. No one has ever been able to glimpse fate in its entirety. Hahaha! Then why was I tormented for it? In the end, all I saw was what fate wanted me to see!"

As though he had lost his mind, the old man sat weakly on the ground and no longer responded to anyone. Jason could do nothing about it. At least they had obtained some information, but was that information really useful?

Jason shook his head. Better to believe it than dismiss it. He called a few people to go catch pigeons, while the rest returned to the ship first.

Phineus sat limply on the ground, his lips seeming to mumble something, rambling on and on.

"Phineus, what are you thinking about?"

Bai Mo came over and stood before him.

"Young hero, I am afraid."

Bai Mo felt he had wronged him somewhat. It could be said that he was the reason Phineus had ended up like this on this journey. He had not expected it to be such an enormous shock to Phineus.

"Young hero, I finally understand how insignificant humans are before fate. I am afraid. Afraid that every word I speak is fate at work. I feel that the power I once had to foresee the future was nothing but fate toying with me. Look at me now."

Phineus was like an old man on the verge of death. He curled up weakly, hoping to gain some sense of security that way.

"Phineus, get up. You've already been through enough. Even if fate wants to toy with you, you've suffered enough punishment."

Yet Bai Mo's words only deepened Phineus's despair. He said to Bai Mo, "Young man, don't you know about Sisyphus and the others? I am so afraid now. Afraid that everything I do is fate controlling me. I don't even know whether I should speak to you. Leave, young man. I am nothing but a useless old man."

Looking at Phineus, Bai Mo could not help feeling a pang of sorrow. Even after losing his eyes and becoming nothing but skin and bones, this old man had never abandoned hope. But now, the prophecies he had always believed in, the prophecies that had been his sole support in the darkness, had turned out to have deceived him.

That was not quite true, either. If Bai Mo had not interfered, his prophecies would have been entirely correct.

"Stop looking so pitiful, Phineus. I have questions for you."

"Don't ask me anymore. I'm afraid I'll bring you harm. What I told your captain about the Clashing Rocks might already get them killed, but I don't dare take back my words. I'm afraid my thoughts and my soul are all tangled in the threads of fate."

Bai Mo also began to hesitate. The Phineus before him was a genuine prophet, but what he had seen were prophecies of a world Bai Mo had yet to enter. His arrival had already changed so much.

Bai Mo felt as though threads had wound around his limbs, their ends stretching into boundless darkness.

Damn it, why am I hesitating? Don't I pride myself on knowing how everything unfolds? Why have I become afraid because of what I've done?

Bai Mo rebuked himself inwardly, then looked firmly at Phineus.

Having already been reborn once and experienced death once, Bai Mo did not want to die, but neither was he afraid of death.

"Phineus, just answer my questions. How I choose is my business."

Phineus remained curled up on the ground, whimpering.

Bai Mo felt he would get nothing out of him and finally prepared to turn away. He could hardly beat an old man into talking.

"All right. I heard there's a temple to Hecate, the goddess of fate, in Colchis. I'll go ask her."

"Young man, why can't you submit to fate's arrangements? You keep trying to escape fate's control. Do you know that what seems like an opportunity often leads to despair?"

"I know."

"If you know, why do you persist in your folly?"

"Because I don't want to do anything I'll regret. Phineus, you once used your eyes to help many people escape tragic fates. Have you ever regretted it?"

Phineus froze. Bai Mo continued, "You are a remarkable man, Phineus. But you've grown old. You've begun to fear, to fear failure, and you no longer dare to act. But I know that if I do nothing, all that will remain is regret. So I'll take my chances and fight."

Bai Mo turned to leave. Just as he was about to step out of the temple, Phineus caught the hem of his clothes.

"I'll divine your future, young man."

Some time later, after receiving the prophecy, Bai Mo returned to the Agor. Jason joked with him, "Hey, hurry up or we'll leave you behind."

"Suit yourself. I reckon I could get there ahead of you."

"Show-off. Get aboard already!"

Then Bai Mo boarded the Argo, pondering Phineus's words.

"Hero, almost every fate in your future ends in death. Hero, I don't know what to do. At this point, you can only find a way to obtain your thread of fate from the goddess of fate. Only when you hold your own fate will anything be possible."

"Only when I hold my own fate will anything be possible?" Bai Mo murmured to himself, while the Clashing Rocks were already right before them.