Chapter 29
What is fate?
Fate is a strange and incomprehensible thing to living beings.
Even to the gods, fate remains a mystery.
Some fight against it, while others accept the destiny forced upon them.
But is our struggle truly our own?
"Each of us fights for our own future, yet the river of fate is not something people truly understand..."
In a grand cathedral, kneeling with his hands clasped before his chest, a simple priest whispered those words.
"Some believe they choose their own path... without realizing it was laid out long before they were born."
The priest silently reflected, as though he were referring to someone in particular.
He had jet-black hair with golden roots, but what stood out the most were his eyes, pure gold, like two miniature suns. His expression was as serene as that of a newborn child.
As he prayed in silence, he suddenly raised his gaze toward the heavens, as if he could see something beyond the unknown. After a moment, a warm smile appeared on his face as he thought with amusement,
"Fortunately, I don't have a personality like Leodoro's. Saying my name so casually while discussing your little plans..."
Leodoro, the Lord of Storms. Speaking his name had only one consequence, a bolt of lightning would immediately strike as a sign of his anger.
The priest made no further movement. Instead, he simply closed his eyes and returned to his prayer, as though nothing had happened.
Several weeks later, aboard a medium-sized yet comfortable spacecraft drifting above a lush, radiant planet...
"Wow... It really is beautiful from up here, especially with that glow."
Standing before the transparent observation window, Firefly admired the planet below. Despite having traveled across countless worlds, she still couldn't help but appreciate such breathtaking scenery.
The sound of footsteps echoed behind her.
Curiously, she didn't turn around and continued gazing outside.
The newcomer was none other than Blade.
Strangely enough, even more bandages than usual covered his body.
"Be careful. We must not get too close to the planet."
Standing beside Firefly, Blade warned her in his usual flat tone, though a barely noticeable hint of concern lingered beneath it.
As he looked down at the world below, his eyes briefly drifted toward his arm, where the bandages appeared thicker than usual.
These two were known throughout the universe as members of the Stellaron Hunters, an organization led by Elio whose purpose was to prevent the prophecy known as the Theory of the Four Apocalypses.
Remembering Silver Wolf's report about the planet's strange nature, Blade repeated his warning.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Firefly suddenly asked, her eyes filled with concern as she looked over Blade's heavily bandaged body.
Blade remained silent for a moment, continuing to stare at the planet beneath them. After taking a deep breath, he finally answered,
"Don't worry about me. We should focus on our mission."
He skillfully avoided the question, redirecting the conversation toward their objective.
Just as he was considering their next move, a teasing voice suddenly echoed behind them.
The two turned toward the sound and saw a hologram materialize before them.
"So, what are you going to do? You can't even get close to the planet, which makes this mission practically useless."
The hologram belonged to none other than Silver Wolf.
Seeing her projection, Firefly tilted her head curiously.
"Why are you here?"
Silver Wolf casually walked over to the sofa before sitting down with her legs crossed. Every movement radiated the confidence and arrogance of a true genius.
"I'm only here to deliver some information from Kafka."
She immediately explained why she had appeared.
"First, just like Kafka already warned you, do not approach the planet. Your mission is simply to prepare the area for Kafka and the little one when they arrive in a few months. If anything unexpected happens, they'll need an easy escape route."
As Silver Wolf relayed Kafka's instructions, she too stared through the window at the mysterious planet.
After a brief silence, the information being something Blade and Firefly already knew, Silver Wolf continued,
"Also... we've received a new order from Elio."
The moment Elio's name left her lips, both Blade and Firefly frowned in confusion. Why was Elio becoming personally involved?
"I know what you're thinking, but Elio only gave one instruction: You have one hour to complete your reconnaissance mission. That's all. Though... I have to admit, I'm becoming very interested in this man named Adam."
After delivering Elio's order, she casually added her own curiosity regarding Adam.
The information Silver Wolf had gathered initially seemed almost useless.
However, after hacking into the planet's surveillance and communication systems, the Stellaron Hunters uncovered far more than they had expected.
Solaria-IV had been isolated from the rest of the universe for the past five years.
Strangely enough, the timeline perfectly matched Kafka's departure from the planet.
Even more surprising, a new religious order had emerged during that time, the Church of the Sun God.
"This church appears to worship a so-called Sun God who supposedly sent a messenger... or perhaps a prophet... to free them from their suffering. Yet their god doesn't seem to be an Aeon. Could this prophet simply be manipulating the people in order to seize control of the planet?"
Those were Kafka's thoughts as she reviewed the intelligence Silver Wolf had collected.
Naturally, the investigation was far from over.
They still needed to uncover the true identity of this mysterious "prophet"... and determine whether he truly served an Aeon or something else entirely.
However, after the incident Blade experienced while trying to investigate the prophet's identity, the only conclusion they had reached was that this "prophet" was no ordinary man.
He was just as strange...
...as the planet itself.
Silver Wolf stood up, preparing to leave.
She had already completed her assignment.
Besides, a game was waiting for her back home...
Along with a certain little girl she fully intended to tease.
A mischievous grin spread across her face as she imagined all the different ways she could annoy the spoiled brat named Elara.