His breath felt shorter than usual, and his legs were slightly slow to react.

It wasn't painful, just a sense of weakness that didn't match his memory.

He tried to search for a reason, but nothing came to mind.

There was no logic that explained it as it seemed too sudden.

Ren clapped him on the shoulder.

"Maybe your body's just waking up slow. Let's keep going, we can stop later if you feel bad."

Theo nodded, it made sense.

Sometimes the morning simply felt tiring, even when nothing was wrong.

There was no need to worry his friends.

If it became worse, he could tell them.

"Yeah. Let's go."

He shook off the strange feeling and returned to jogging.

His steps were steadier than before, though he noticed his body was still lacking a bit of strength.

The three young men continued down the street, laughter filling the empty road.

None of them looked back.

If they did, they might have noticed the fourth figure still trailing behind them— silent and unhurried.

But morning was bright, their talk was cheerful, and the quiet shadow behind them seemed like nothing at all.

...

After reaching his goal, Seth did not leave.

He continued walking behind the young man with a calm pace, observing him from a distance.

A few minutes earlier, when Seth activated [Fate Consumption], something strange happened before his eyes.

At first, he saw a single straight line stretching forward.

The line then split apart into many other lines, branching and spreading endlessly in different directions.

Seth quietly studied the sight.

His instinct told him that the single straight line represented the past of the young man.

It showed everything that had already happened.

It was stable, without breaks or curves...

But when the line reached the present, it separated into countless, if not, infinite thinner strands.

These strands stretched out like a fan, heading in many possible directions.

Those branching lines, Seth believed, were the future.

Some of the strings were thicker than others.

Seth considered this for a moment.

The thicker lines probably meant futures that were more likely to happen—paths that were supported by many conditions such as habits, personality, or current surroundings.

A person who always woke early would likely wake early again tomorrow.

A student who trained every day would likely become stronger.

These things were predictable.

Meanwhile, the thinner lines could represent futures that were possible, but unlikely.

A sudden accident, a strange encounter, or a rare opportunity—these things were not impossible, but they had fewer conditions supporting them.

As a result, the lines were thin, fragile, and easy to break.

Seth walked slowly, his mind working through what he had just seen.

Earlier, when he activated [Fate Consumption], he had tried to look into the separated lines that represented the future.

But no matter how long he stared, he could not truly "gaze" through them.

The lines did not show images or scenes.

They did not tell him what would happen.

The only thing he received was an instinctive understanding— a feeling that some paths were more likely than others.

It was prediction and not vision.

Since the future refused to be read, Seth decided to try something else.

If he could not look forward, then he would look backward...

He turned his focus to the young man's past.

Just like before, he saw the single straight line.

It stretched backward, deeper and deeper, beyond memory and beyond anything that could be seen.

He could not view the past clearly in detail, but he could see glimpses of it.

When he focused, he could sense which pieces were important and which were not.

But there was something strange.

Some parts of the young man's past could not be touched at all.

Seth felt that if he tried to consume the fate of the young man "being born", the line would remain completely solid.

It would not move, and would resist him strongly. It felt impossible to consume.

There was a natural limit placed there, as if the world itself forbade it.

The more he tried to go deeper into the past, the more strain he felt in his body.

His breath became heavier, and his head turned slightly numb.

It was a type of pain that felt as though the past was defending itself.

Even though the past was drawn as a straight line, Seth realized it was just as complicated as the future.

Some sections of the line were smooth, others had cracks, shadows, or hidden markings.

When he approached those parts, he felt danger...

Not danger that could kill him, but danger like touching a burning metal.

Something instinctive pushed him away...

These sections seemed protected.

Seth paused for a moment on the sidewalk and wondered.

'Perhaps just like how the body has an immune system to fight sickness, and the mind buries traumatic memories to protect itself, there's another part of a person—a spiritual or fate-based layer—that also functions to guard its most important history.'

'These protected moments might be core memories, deep regrets, or defining joys… the pieces of young man's life his own fate itself won't let go of easily...'

It was only a theory, but it was an interesting one.

Since he lacked knowledge, he simply noted it down.

Maybe after Phoebe's mentor replied to the letter, he could learn more.

For now, Seth focused on the parts of fate that were easier to reach.

There were many small things in a person's past that did not resist him, such as minor events and small decisions...

Pieces of daily life that had little defense.

So, Seth chose one.

He consumed the young man's sleep from last night.

When the fate disappeared from the straight line, Seth felt something change immediately.

A warm sensation spread through his chest, and his mind became clear.

His body felt light...

By consuming the young man's sleep, it was as though Seth absorbed the benefit of that sleep.

The young man lost a small piece of his past, and Seth gained it.

He looked ahead at the jogging group.

The young man who lost his sleep was still running, but his steps looked heavier.

He yawned more often, and his shoulders drooped.

Seth watched with a calm expression.

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