My Fate System - Chapter 169

Tanari fastened his saddle to his horse, preparing for the dangerous ride. As the merchant slipped one rope into another, he prayed for the safety of his caravan.

“We finished loading the potions, sir!” one of his workers rushed forward to notify him. The merchant nodded and sighed, then looked ahead toward the great darkness.

“I miss those days of safety,” muttered the merchant, and it seems his words were overheard by their lord who was accompanying them, who happened to be walking over.

“There is no path but forward, dear friend,” smiled the young woman who had twin tails. “Those who fail to adapt to the world will be eaten by its darkness.”

“I know, young miss,” sighed Tanari as he bowed. “I only regret not knowing that this darkness will cut all trade routes. We would have made a tremendous profit in these times if we stored for what was to come.”

“No one has foreseen the darkness, not even the great oracles,” the young woman turned toward the wall of darkness far ahead. “This world is changing, and we need to accept that. The Great Unseen will not be an obstacle in my business.”

“I will make sure of it,” Tanari bowed down again, and the young woman patted his shoulder. Her warmth made him more excited to personally serve the genius of the Rosia Kingdom and the one who shone the most during this crisis.

Despite his confident words, Tanari was far from confident about crossing The Great Unseen, which was the darkness that had overtaken the world over a month ago.

His eyes returned toward the darkness surrounding the city they were leaving. For a brief moment, his eyes picked up a ripple across the void, but it was impossible to see such a thing.

It was called The Great Unseen because nothing could be seen inside it. Therefore, they had to use holy lanterns provided by the Church of Light to cross the darkness.

“I will ride in front of the goods,” his young miss declared, and the panic made him forget about the ripple in the darkness. Tanari hurried over to her carriage before her young miss got herself killed, and in turn, got him executed.

“Please ride in the middle, young miss,” Tanari begged with tears in his eyes. “The master will kill me if anything happens to you.”

“As you should,” she playfully giggled, her straight-cut bangs dancing as she laughed. “There is no way that I will die, and you would still be alive, Tanari. So rest easy,” she said before boarding the first carriage.

After her words, Tanari was far from resting easily. The darkness was dangerous, and it was filled with unforeseen danger. The only benefit of the darkness is the monsters feared it just as much.

However, that was for a good reason, and the creatures lived within it. Tanari sighed as he looked at his lord, wearing her holy mask.

There was nothing more that he could do. Tanari took out his mask, which was the only way to survive The Great Unseen. He stared at it for a long time, admiring the perseverance and adaptability of all races.

The darkness appeared one month ago, destroying a large portion of their world. The Great Unseen crawled from the depths of uncharted lands as if a great celestial giant slashed the world apart. Like a spiderweb, the darkness surrounded most of their kingdoms and cities.

However, humans and the other races were far from being helpless. They found ways to see in the darkness and ways to go into it without being devoured. Tanari wondered how many people fell for the darkness before these masks were created.

‘This is the wheel of advancement, and those who fall behind are crushed,’ he bitterly thought as he wore the mask. ‘I wish that nothing dangerous happens on this trip.’

His young miss was the genius of her family and the princess of their businesses. But, unfortunately, she was far from the Rosian Capital when the darkness overtook the world. Now, Tanari needed to ensure that she returned safely to her father. Otherwise, his blood will dye the pavement.

“Let’s sail across the unknown!” Tanari raised his sword and pointed it forward, screaming on top of his lungs. The people behind him were frightened, but they were nonetheless homesick.

Their horses were each equipped with a holy saddle that created a barrier around them. This was the only way for them to survive the darkness.

The horses galloped forward, and their journey began. A feeling of disharmony overtook Tanari as he stared into the darkness. The darkness looked like a void, and it was the end of the world. There can never be anything behind it, even if they knew there was ground for them to walk and distance to cover.

“Brace yourselves! Lanterns, prepare yourselves! Make sure your masks are well equipped and never breathe if they fall off!” Tanari shouted in a single breath, and three priests scattered across the caravan.

A young priest rode beside Tanari and the carriage of the young miss before taking out a lantern and reciting his mantras. Tanari listened as they approached the darkness, and the prayers worked to ease his heart.

“Merciful god of light,” muttered the young priest. “Please guide us through the darkness you have banished and lead us to salvation. Through your strength, mercy, and light, we shall defeat the darkness of the world. Show us the way, Great Light!”

Light exploded from the lantern and spread to cover the caravan as he finished his words. Then, they entered the darkness, and the world disappeared around them.

***

Cecily stared out of her window with an excited smile. The world disappeared after they had entered the darkness, and her hands did not stop taking notes about this experience.

“How glad I am to be alive in this era!” she exclaimed with almost zeal. Her hands danced across the pages, recording everything her eyes lay on, and this was the particular skill that made her the genius of her house.

Cecily could still remember her life before the darkness arrived. It was boring and repetitive. So many times, she wished that she lived in an era where magic had yet to be discovered and mysteries were everywhere.

This was her only hobby in this world: to uncover mysteries and find the truth behind them. Cecily almost shivered from the pleasure of going into the unknown.

She saw her dreams in The Great Unseen. What could be more attractive than a great expanse of land that no light reached? This was a dream for every explorer of truths like herself!

“Ah, how I wish to live here forever,” she muttered as the pages flipped while she stared through her window. Her carriage was molded after a study not to waste any time on the road, making her life more efficient.

“The darkness is ever-stretching, but it seems that the holy light has a powerful effect against it. I cannot help but believe this is a genius ploy from the holy gods to profit. Maybe this is the start of the era of light, instead of that of darkness.”

This was one of her paragraphs, and she signed it. This was a habit of hers, to sign everything she found to be of great importance. What if someone read her notes after the truth was revealed? That is why she also included the date.

The recording of her surroundings never stopped, all to the finest of details: blueprints of the devices, the interaction of mana with the darkness, the state of the affected soil, the corpses left behind, and the plants which withered.

Then, a figure appeared across her pages. Cecily frowned and froze because she had seen someone standing in the darkness. Her mind thought of countless possibilities as to why, and she reached an intellectual answer instantly.

This must be someone who was left behind by a previous caravan, and they chanced to come across him before he died. Cecily realized this was her chance to meet someone who experienced the darkness first hand, and she jumped out of her chair.

“Tanari!” she screamed and opened her window, making her retainer flinch and unsheathe his sword. “Calm down. I think I saw someone in the darkness. We should stop for a bit and help him.”

“I will never, young miss!” shouted Tanari with an expression of disbelief. “You can never know what is in this darkness! It can be the illusion of a monster, and that is not the first!”

Cecily wanted to object, but she realized something. Her face changed before she went back into her carriage, slamming the window behind her.

Her fingers danced across the pages as she flipped toward the drawing she had of that figure. It looked to be a young man, but she did not draw the features of his face. However, the sketch was enough to tell her one thing: the young man was not wearing a mask.

“A person who can survive the darkness on their own?” her body trembled. Then, however, the carriage came to a sudden stop, and Cecily was thrown against the arm of her chair.

“A monster! Knights, attack!” shouted Tanari from outside, and a soul-shaking roar rang in her ears. Cecily felt her soul warning her against this monster, but her curiosity was far greater than any fear.

After jumping out of her chair, the young miss ran toward the front of the carriage and slid the small window open to see. A giant hound that oozed darkness and had rotten flesh was blocking their path.