In his destiny, he would never intersect with this little boy Will Auceptin.
Not before, not now, not ever in the future.
----------------------------
Will, who was preparing to ruthlessly fleece some wool, as soon as he got in the carriage told Hastur to head toward Empress Borough.
That place was full of nobles, and the ice cream sold in the shops there was the tastiest. His parents usually only took him to the East Borough.
The ice cream in the East Borough was mediocre, far worse than the ice cream Hastur had people deliver.
For Will's little request, Hastur naturally didn't refuse.
After all, raising a Snake of Mercury was itself quite an interesting thing.
A bit of ice cream couldn't cost him that much.
But facts proved he was wrong, terribly wrong.
Ice cream might look like just a small portion, but in the big shops, a single serving cost several soli! A fancier one would even be priced in gold pounds.
Will was small in stature, rather thin, but when it came to eating ice cream, he picked only the expensive ones, and ate one after another.
His stomach seemed like a bottomless pit: he ate a lot, yet it never bulged.
"It's been so long since I've eaten so happily!"
Will held an ice cream in each hand, licking them while comfortably closing his eyes, mood utterly joyful.
Hastur advised gently: "Children's stomachs are easily chilled, eating too much ice cream isn't good for your development."
"I'm not an ordinary child."
"Weren't you saying you wanted to go with the flow, live as a normal child?"
"Even then, one sometimes needs to give oneself a holiday."
As they spoke, Will had already finished the two ice creams in his hands, worth 10 soli and 6 pence, and tugged Hastur toward another ice cream shop.
Hastur silently followed, ready to pay. Seeing Will so happy eating, he bought one for himself as well. After all, he was the one paying; he couldn't just stand by and watch.
Will leaned over and asked: "How does it taste? I think this strawberry one is better."
"The chocolate one tastes better. This strawberry is too sweet, too much sweet."
"Chocolate is bitter, it's no good."
"Bitter first, then sweet. With bitterness as contrast, the sweetness is more distinct and fragrant."
Hastur seriously discussed with Will which flavor was tastier.
The two, one big one small, walked down the street like father and son.
Whenever passersby cast such looks, Hastur would always return them with a gentle smile.
Will curled his lips, dismissive.
Who said just because two people are of different sizes, they must be father and son?
Couldn't it be the Serpent of Mercury and a Barbarian?
As they passed a newly opened restaurant, Will stopped, came close to Hastur, and whispered:
"Bernadette is here too, be careful."
Bernadette here too?
That truly was fate. Backlund was still very large, even Empress Borough was no small place. To bump into her on the street could only be called destined.
"Can she discover you?"
"She'll only think I'm an ordinary child, unless I want her to know."
Will said this while licking his ice cream, a faint smile on his little face.
Bernadette carried the Wheel of Fortune card, a tarot card of the Fate pathway, which by rights should have belonged to him or that Foolish Snake.
But Roselle, in order to protect Bernadette, deliberately left this card to her, to shelter her destiny.
Bernadette herself wasn't a Beyonder of the Fate pathway, so its effects were limited. She was still far from his level.
"Then let's pretend we didn't see her."
Hastur understood and didn't worry further, leading Will straight into the new restaurant.
If they turned back suddenly, it would only make Bernadette more suspicious.
Inside, they found a table and sat. Will stood, flipped open the menu, and ordered every single ice cream on it.
Hastur only ordered himself a drink, he didn't have Will's appetite.
Not long after, Bernadette, like a breeze unnoticed by others, arrived before Hastur and Will.
She looked at Hastur with interest. "By rights, I shouldn't be meeting you so often."
Hastur thought a moment and said: "That's fate."
"Not only fate. There may be something special about you."
Bernadette's tone was calm, her gaze flashing like hidden lightning, her presence like a storm about to break.
Will smiled sweetly: "This big sister is so beautiful!"
A single compliment scattered much of Bernadette's aura.
Bernadette teased deliberately: "Is this little boy your son?"
Hastur didn't explain. After all, that label cost him nothing.
Will smiled innocently and asked: "Big sister, can you be my mommy? Then we'll be a family of three."
"..."
"..."
Bernadette and Hastur were both stunned by this.
Bernadette hadn't at all expected the little boy before her to suddenly say such a thing.
Be his mother? Did she look that old?
Hastur, meanwhile, was impressed by Will's shamelessness. Truly worthy of an existence who'd lived countless years.
Even on a matter like this, he could say it so lightly, without the least embarrassment.
"Child, you and he aren't father and son. Do you think I can't tell?"
"He's my big brother. Otherwise, big sister, you could be my sister-in-law instead!"
Will's bright watery eyes shone with hopeful light.
"Cough, cough…"
Hastur coughed twice, signaling Will to stop talking nonsense. He really couldn't take it anymore.
He could see clearly now, Will was just having fun, using his identity as a child to tease him and Bernadette as much as possible.
Even if Bernadette got angry, she would only hold him accountable, not a child's innocent words.
Bernadette smiled faintly, not angry. She flicked Will's little forehead and said: "Do you say this to every pretty sister you meet?"
"No, I just honestly think you and big brother are a good match. Weren't you two just talking about fate?"
Will covered his head, stepped back half a step, eyes pure and innocent.
Bernadette didn't pursue the topic further. She glanced at Hastur again. "If I meet you a third time in Backlund, then I really will take an interest in you."
"Big sister, I heard big brother say that a sign of a woman liking a man is being interested in him." Will smiled, pinning a big, shiny black pot squarely on Hastur's head.
Hastur refuted righteously: "Nonsense, I never said such a thing."
"Oh."
Will lowered his head in disappointment, muttering softly: "Could it be, big brother, that you don't think big sister is beautiful and suitable to marry home as your wife?"
"..." Hastur forced a polite, embarrassed smile, saying: "Children always say silly things."
Bernadette didn't respond, her figure dissolving like a wisp of smoke.
After confirming she had left, Hastur pinched Will's cheeks hard, rubbing twice, and said fiercely:
"You little brat, you've grown bold!"
"Didn't you think it was fun just now too?"
"..."
"Speaking of which, Bernadette is also favored by fate. If you really married her, maybe you could even become the Black Emperor."
"Stop worrying about nonsense. Hurry up and eat your ice cream before it melts."
"My judgment was based on fate, it has destiny as the basis!"
Will muttered discontentedly, then dove into battle with the seven or eight ice creams before him.
...
When Hastur got home, it was already past seven in the evening, mainly because Will's house was quite far.
He had to send Will to the South Borough, then return to Empress Borough, just the travel time had to be counted in hours.
Fortunately, it wasn't all for nothing. As he left, Will gave him a paper crane to use for dream-contact. Feeling one wasn't enough, he took a whole string of them, more than a dozen.
On the way back, he spent 1 soli and 3 pence on an ordinary wind chime. Perfect to hang that string of cranes on.
And indeed, Will's craftsmanship was quite good.
Carrying the wind chime upstairs, Hastur hung it on the study's window ledge.
The bedroom was for resting, he didn't want Will peeking at his sleeping posture through the cranes.
And hung at the window, if Mr. A came knocking again, Will would be the first alerted.
After finishing, Hastur went to the Hall of Stars, sat at the long table, manifested pen and paper, and organized today's conversations with Will.
This talk solved quite a few of his doubts, such as the issue of Voltaire, and the connections among the golden box, the Yellow-Robed Monks, and the King in Yellow.
What currently posed more of a threat to him was this organization of Yellow-Robed Monks.
They worshipped the King in Yellow, an Outer God pathway outside the twenty-two Beyonder paths.
From any perspective, that was something to be wary of.
"Should I report this organization to the Seven Gods' Churches?"
Hastur thought for a while, then abandoned the idea. For now, the Yellow-Robed Monks hadn't done anything yet.
And his relationship with the King in Yellow was more like… the True Creator and Adam?