Chapter 2: The Fate Devourer
"Hello? Anyone there?... Maybe I'm just hallucinating because of these crazy dreams. Hah..." Kael muttered to himself, unease gripping his chest like a vice.
Suddenly, a mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
{Ding! The Fate Devouring System has successfully merged with the Host. A starter package has been sent to the System Inventory. Please open it.}
Kael's eyes widened in shock.
Fear and confusion surged through him as he frantically scanned the room, his gaze darting around for the source of the voice—completely ignoring the violet panel glowing in his mind.
"Is this a dream...?" he whispered, voice trembling, as a deep sense of unwillingness settled in his heart.
{Host may think of it however he wishes. But this is your reality. Everything is as real as it has ever been.}
{Dear Host, I am here to help you solve all the problems you're currently facing, and those that lie ahead. I will give you the answers to your dreams.}
The voice echoed again, this time calm and reassuring. Kael felt himself slowly begin to relax, although a frown remained etched on his face.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" he asked, irritation lacing his voice. "Are you saying I'm in danger? And what do you mean by 'Fate Devourer'? Answer me, system!"
{Host, as the bearer of the Forbidden Fate, I cannot answer your questions directly. However, I can instill the necessary information into your mind. Do I have your permission?}
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Is the process long or painful?"
{No, Host. Please rest assured. Aside from a slight irritation, you won't feel much of anything. The process is swift and efficient.}
"Alright… This time, I'll believe you," Kael said, taking a deep breath. "I can't go on like this. I need answers."
He closed his eyes—and in the next moment, his consciousness sank into a dreamlike landscape.
The system began transferring the information.
It took only an hour, but when it was over, Kael awoke with two and a half sets of memories in his mind.
The first was from Earth—his original life.
The second was from an alternate reality, a world nearly identical to Earth.
And the last—fragmented, hazy memories from his dreams. Dreams too strange, too surreal to explain.
Let's talk about the second set of memories—the ones provided by the system.
In that world, he was born into a wealthy family, raised by loving parents, and lived a life free from restrictions. He remembered clearly—he had been in an accident. Admitted to the hospital. On his hospital bed, the night before everything changed, he had been reading an Urban-Chinese Fantasy novel by his favorite author.
It was just another cliche story: a protagonist who played the fool to hide his strength, eliminating every villain in his path, charming countless beauties, and climbing to the pinnacle of life.
But something was different this time.
The moment he started reading, something took hold of him. He couldn't stop. His reading speed became inhuman, and somewhere in the middle of the story, memories from his first life came flooding back.
That was when he realized the terrifying truth—
He wasn't just reading a story.
He was in the story.
And worse still… he wasn't the hero.
He was one of the villains.
A stepping stone to the protagonist's rise. A man doomed to a tragic end—alongside everyone who had ever stood by his side.
It felt too real to be fiction. The despair, the betrayal, the overwhelming sense of helplessness—it was like living in a nightmare that had no end.
He had lost the woman he loved.
He had lost his friends.
He had lost his parents.
He had lost everything.
And the Nightshade Family of Elysium City—
A consortium with over three centuries of legacy—
Was erased from history.
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To be continued...