"Being in a gray world and having color myself, there has to be a reason. Maybe, it was done to make sure the threats knew who the 'enemies' are," Eliot walked through the sparse forest, the thought crossing his mind. He couldn't help but take in the sight, which greatly unsettled him. The lack of color made the environment feel alien, as if he were looking at the past.

[...Maybe,] was all Nedia replied.

"You don't know, or does it have to do with my privilege?" he asked casually, testing the system.

[A mix of both. I don't know everything, and I can't learn it with your current level of privilege.]

"Mmm," he hummed in response, then his expression shifted to a frown as he recalled something important. "I need to find a weapon. Walking around without one makes me feel vulnerable," he stated.

[That would be the smartest move, but… I don't think you'd be able to find something that can serve that purpose here.]

"No kidding," he conceded, then looked up at the large, silent mountain looming ahead. "Isn't it strange, though?" he asked, looking back and scanning the forest behind him.

[What's strange?]

"The fact that nothing has tried to kill me for the past two hours," he said, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

[...Maybe you got lucky.]

"Lucky? I don't think so," he replied, turning back to face the mountain.

[You don't believe in the existence of luck?] Nedia asked.

"Should I?"

[...<Silence>.]

"Tell me something, is it considered luck to be born an important character?"

[You mean born a child of destiny?]

"Isn't it called a child of Fate?" he continued, beginning his slow, deliberate ascent up the mountain's slope.

[Not Fate, Destiny.]

"What's the difference between the two?" he asked.

[The Fates favor no one; they are only concerned about the end of a story. Destiny, however, is concerned about the 'paths' that lead to that end. In other words, it has varying interests for its actors.]

"...I see," he nodded, finding the rocky climb difficult but necessary. "So you're saying it already knows the end?"

[Not quite.]

"Not quite?" He echoed the strange answer.

[Yes. Do mind, I can't go deep into that topic. You do not have the required privilege to know.]

"Then explain as much as you can," was his immediate reply.

[Fine. The best way to explain it is: some stories already have an end because they have ended. Others don't because they are still being written.]

"Ah," he grunted, forcing himself up a steep incline by jumping and grabbing onto a rock protrusion. "...Now you're just contradicting yourself," he said the last part with effort.

[I am not. It's you who's confusing yourself.]

"You said Fate is only concerned about the end of the story. How can that be when there's no end?"

[You read books as a child in this world and your previous, I presume.]

"I did."

[Then there must have been certain stories for which you, as a reader, came to create an ideal end in your mind, is that also correct?]

This made Eliot stop and frown, considering the point.

"So… these ends are not fixed until they actually happen?"

[Exactly. It's like in a story where the hero hunts down and defeats a demon king. Fate doesn't care who does it; all it cares about is that a point in the story would come when someone would defeat it. It doesn't matter if it's today, tomorrow, or a billion years to come. But then, it's from that desired end that Destiny comes in, stringing 'characters' into the play to align with the objective of Fate. But that doesn't mean it would happen, as unlike the stories you must have read, reality differs. The Hero, in most cases, doesn't defeat these 'evil' villains. No, they die… countless times, each time Destiny stringing in a new character. It goes on and on until the day when one of these destined ones fulfills Destiny's aim and Fate's desire.]

"Interesting," Eliot couldn't help but admit. Back in his first life, he also had his own theories about Fate, Destiny, and the forces that influence life—it was a normal human thing. Whether people denied the existence of the supernatural or had their own perspective on it, they still theorized. However, he had never thought about it this way.

"So Destiny and the Fates are like existing entities, or are they laws?"

[Both, actually.]

"What do you mean?" he asked, pushing the conversation.

[INSUFFICIENT PRIVILEGE]

"About time I heard that," he shook his head slightly, then searched for another protrusion that could aid his upward progress. It didn't take long to spot a crack. He stretched his hand and held onto it, using the grip to support himself. "How about future and past?" he suddenly asked, pausing at a spot where he could steady himself. He stayed there for a moment to collect his breath, taking a quick look down at the dizzying drop below.

[Future and past?]

"Yes, time," he clarified.

[That would be too complicated a concept to explain. I fear I might just confuse you.]

"Try me," he said, resuming his ascent.

[Fine, but just as before, there is a limit of information I can pass to you.]

"....," He said nothing in acknowledgment, his silence being the acknowledgment itself.

[Time is the highest existence in all of existence.]

"How so?" he grunted, enhancing his hand with mana to punch a small hole for further support.

[Without Time, there is no life. There is no death. There is nothing.]

"You're just going in circles now," he pointed out.

[That's because there is nothing meaningful I can tell you within your level of privilege.]

"...Great," he muttered.

He finally grabbed onto the highest point. Forcing himself up with a final burst of mana enhancement, he rolled onto the surface with great effort. "That was more difficult than I thought it would be," he muttered, looking at his scraped hands. Without access to mana, this climb would have taken him a day or two, assuming he didn't die trying.

After a few moments, he sat up and looked around. Before he could fully process his surroundings, a solid object zoomed in, quite literally, before his very eyes.

Something knocked the reasoning right out of him.

Then darkness.

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