Before the Fate Trial existed…
Before the academy…
Before students entered this world to fight…
There were places where the world itself was broken.
These places are called Fate Nodes.
A Fate Node is a point where:
Too much fate gathers Too many futures overlap And reality becomes weak and unstable
Because of this, strange things happen near them:
Monsters appear more often Wraiths are born Relics are created Space and mana behave strangely
Simply put:
A Fate Node is a broken part of the world where power naturally gathers.
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Why Are Fate Nodes Important in the Trial?
The academy uses Fate Nodes for the exam because they show:
Who can survive under pressure Who can control chaos And who deserves to rise higher
That is why every team in the Fate Trial is given three objectives:
Stabilize a Fate Node Retrieve a Core Relic Survive until the Trial Ends
These three goals are connected.
If you can control a Node, you grow stronger.
If you can get a Core Relic, your rank rises.
If you survive long enough, your final score is recorded.
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What Does "Stabilizing a Fate Node" Mean?
A Fate Node is naturally unstable.
If nobody controls it:
Wraiths keep spawning Monsters keep gathering The land becomes more dangerous over time
To stabilize a Node means:
Using mana and ritual to calm it Forcing the unstable fate to settle Making the land safe again
Once stabilized:
The Node stops spawning Wraiths randomly The land becomes a controlled territory And the team that stabilized it gains ownership
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What Does a Team Gain by Controlling a Node?
If a team controls a Fate Node:
The land starts protecting them Enemy teams feel pressure when entering Monsters appear less often inside the territory The team gains passive trial points over time
So instead of hunting all day:
Points naturally gather for the controlling team
This is why strong teams fight over Nodes.
Not for glory.
For long-term advantage.
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What Are Core Relics?
When a Fate Node is disturbed or broken, pieces of its power fall off.
These become Core Relics.
A Core Relic can:
Increase strength Awaken new abilities Boost compatibility with the trial Or sometimes cause danger
But all Core Relics share one hidden rule:
Every Core Relic wants to return to a Fate Node.
That is why some relics:
Feel alive React to certain people Or become stronger near Nodes
They are not normal treasures.
They are broken pieces of fate itself.
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Why Don't Teams Just Kill Each Other?
The trial allows killing.
But killing is not rewarded.
When someone kills too much:
Noble families avoid them Guilds refuse to recruit them The academy puts them under strict watch
Also, killing gives no trial points.
Only these give points:
Stabilizing Nodes Getting Core Relics Surviving major encounters
That is why most teams:
Force enemies to retreat Steal relics Or break formations
They fight to gain advantage, not to slaughter.
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What Happens When a Fate Node Is Claimed?
When a Fate Node is fully stabilized:
The trial records it as occupied The holding team becomes its official controller Other teams must challenge them to take it
Once claimed:
The Node no longer reacts to random people The land follows the authority of its holder And the territory becomes much harder to invade
This is how the trial decides which teams truly rise.
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What Is a "Variable Holder"? (Kyle's Case)
Normally, a Fate Node responds only to:
Rituals Teams And mana control
But in extremely rare cases…
A Node does not respond to power.
It responds to a person.
When this happens, the Node does not become controlled by a team.
Instead, it connects directly to that person's existence.
This person becomes a Variable Holder.
A Variable Holder:
Does not truly control the Node Is instead used by the Node to stay stable Becomes the "core" the territory depends on
Such people are:
Extremely rare Extremely dangerous And usually erased before they grow
Because they do not follow the world's normal rules.
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The Truth Students Are Never Told
The Fate Trial is not only an exam.
It is a filter.
It exists to find:
Who can survive broken fate Who can control chaos And who becomes too dangerous to let live
Nodes are not just power sources.
They are testing machines for reality itself.
Relics are not just rewards.
They are bait.
And survival is not victory.
It is only the beginning.
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Somewhere beneath broken stone…
A Fate Node has already chosen a holder it was never meant to choose.
And the world has begun to quietly adjust around that mistake.