"Do you get it now?"

Frido descended through the air slowly as he asked, even crossing his arms over his wound.

"The misfortune, the nightmares, the chaos… That's what the millennial curse, the Hykings curse, is!"

"..."

Lawkey tightened his grip on his blade, his eyes low and distant.

"So, he's basically a Hyking too?" Alviss asked, scratching the back of his head.

"No!" The ghost creature thundered back, flapping his tiny arms. "He's just a human! He doesn't have a birthmark like us Hykings, and he'll never awaken a second Sign!"

"Is that right…?" The dwarf held onto his beard, pondering.

"Dwarves…" Frido murmured beneath his breath with a click of his tongue.

"That must be disappointin' fer ya, friend." Alviss walked closer and rested a hand on Lawkey's shoulder. "I felt the same way when I heard the story as a younglin'. Tis 'cause of Hykings why me clan, the Saorsa Clan, isn't allowed in the Divine Realm t' find and marry angel beauties!"

"As if you would ever stand a chance, dwarf!" The Hyking creature blurted out from the side. A moment later, he sighed, shrugged and floated leisurely backwards. "What a bunch of losers."

The wind suddenly picked up, carrying the flying ghost towards the silent Lawkey again. Frido simply continued.

"And from what my third eye showed me, your feelings of guilt will just keep getting worse… It's what will keep driving you to pursue the so-called Leviathan and lead you to your inevitable death!" His bells kept ringing in the swordsman's ear, especially when he circled back to stand behind Lawkey.

"!"

"The leviathan?!" Alviss' eyebrows perked up at the word.

However, in an instant, Lawkey had turned around and slashed at Frido again. This time, using his shadows to engulf his blade.

"Get out of my head!"

It was one thing for Lawkey to share that kind of information with his mentor, Munisai six years ago, but having someone dig in his mind and then lay everything out in the open was not something he was willing to stand by and let happen.

He had to stop it before it started.

Oh? Did I strike a nerve? Frido chuckled inwardly to himself before his body connected back together again just in time for him to go on. "I can't help it! You're just so interesting! I've never met anyone like you before!"

"Tsk, I can't hit him!"

"Calm down, friend!"

"..."

Receiving no response, Frido watched for a moment as the dwarf tried to calm the cursed human down. It made the ghost Hyking grow silent for a moment, as if reflecting on something.

His eyes turned downcast as his brows furrowed slightly.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Let me make things clear."

"?"

He finally spoke again, recapturing Lawkey's attention.

"No one can escape their fate, human! And yours is strongly tied to that beast!" His proclamation, although started with a calm pretense, was now echoing through the surroundings.

"Hngh!" Lawkey grinded his teeth at the mention of the beast again.

"I just have to see it for myself!" Frido added on without pause. "Your reaction when you unravel all the secrets!"

"You just know everything, don't you?!" The swordsman shouted while sending a wave of shadows towards the creature again in an attempt to shut him up.

Frido simply turned intangible, then tangible again, making his bells ring once more.

"My third eye has the ability to read one's fate to some extent. You should remember our last encounter on that boat and what I entrusted you with… Now, despite us trying to prevent it, they both ended up gone, didn't they?"

"..." Hearing that, Lawkey closed his eyes and bit his lip.

"So, believe me when I say this to you…" The ghost Hyking continued. "If you keep walking down this path, you will die!"

The last words jolted Lawkey out of his thoughts as all the muscles in his body tensed up. Despite that, he allowed the creature to float closer to him again.

"What was that Kage clan saying again? Ah, right! There is no escaping one's own shadow!" Frido added again, stealing the knowledge from the swordsman's memories.

Lawkey clenched his fist for a moment, then blurted out the first realization that came to his mind.

"You said you can read fate? Where was that earlier when you got in the way of my sword?!"

"That was an accident!" Frido bellowed, reaching with one hand towards his wound, and pointing with the other at the dwarf not far to the side. "I was distracted by the dwarf's charm! It's blocking me from seeing into his mind!"

"What? This little charm?" Alviss raised an eyebrow and held up the round golden necklace hanging below his beard. "Me mother made it fer me t' help me find a wife."

"... Seriously?" Despite everything he was pondering, Lawkey couldn't help but give the dwarf a mixed look of pity and distaste.

"Hey! What's that look fer, friend?!"

"Don't lie, dwarf! Only witches are able to craft charms like that!" Frido blurted out, his voice growing hoarser.

"I ain't no liar, ya ghost!" The dwarf shot back while clenching a fist.

"Fine, whatever you say." The Hyking creature sighed in exasperation, then gave Alviss a serious look. "But here's some friendly advice, dwarf. Don't stick around with this human, or he will lead you to your death too! I saw it through his fate!"

"..."

Alviss looked over towards the human in question, but Lawkey had his back turned, his eyes seemingly focused on the distant crashing waves.

"He will lead many to their demise. Consider this warning as me returning the favor for tending to my wound."

"Ya keep runnin' yer mouth, ghost." Alviss plopped his legendary hammer in the ground and leaned on the pommel. "There ain't no need to worry. Destiny's been on me side before!"

"Do what you want, I warned you." Frido shrugged, then turned towards Lawkey with a serious look. "Poor human who shares my curse, here's another old saying for you. It originates from an ancient clan of hunters; An eternal snake can only be slain by a blade bathed in black! Make sure to remember it!"

Lawkey narrowed his eyes slightly, unsure what to make of this new saying. The ghost didn't give him any time to ponder it either as he added on.

"I'll be watching your fate unfold from the shadows. It should keep things interesting for a while." As he said those words accompanied by the sound of his bells, Frido's body slowly turned translucent.

This time, he didn't appear again, nor did his bells ring anymore.

"He disappeared!"

"!"

While Alivss looked around, Lawkey raised his head upwards. Although he couldn't see it, Frido's invisible body was flying far above them.

Come to think of it… The ghost thought to himself as he put some distance between him and the others. Back there, I probably wasn't able to see his sword slash coming because of my curse too. That's what I get for trying to do something I don't usually do…

After years of having kept his distance, the Hyking creature tried to intervene for the Undine clan's sake. Having noticed what kind of fate was awaiting Riana and Sana, he had attempted to change it.

He had infiltrated to try and save Sana first, only to get captured and imprisoned within a wooden cage he couldn't phase through. Even when he had used an unusual human to change the outcome awaiting the two girls, in the end, the results were the same.

I hope you have a better idea now, human. Frido added inwardly, watching the two far below him. No matter how strong you get, you can never get rid of the curse. It will always be in control of your life. No matter what road you take to avoid your fate, it will always catch up to you. That's just how us Hykings spend our lives!

A creeping silence grew between the dwarf and the cursed human, each looking in a different direction.

The Hyking creature had dumped a lot of ominous information on them, even some chilling premonitions of the future and both of their fates.

Despite it all, there had been one specific detail that interested Alviss more than anything else. He didn't mind if his new friend was believed to be cursed or not, fated, or even destined or not, those had been nothing more than speculations as far as he believed.

However, the one detail he couldn't simply let pass by him…

"I know this ain't a good time, friend." The dwarf began, resting his legendary hammer on one shoulder while turning to face the supposed cursed human. "But we need t' talk…"

"..." Lawkey slowly turned, raising an eyebrow at Alviss' sudden shift in tone.

"What is yer connection t' the beast the ghost was alludin' to?"

"!"

"To the leviathan?"

The word sent cold shivers down Lawkey's back.

It always did.

That was a curse of its own.

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