Fate. It was not just a word or a concept. As one of the twelve lineages of the Origin Sea, it had countless Mysteries. So much so, that no Wanderer could ever hope to completely understand what Fate truly was, or what secrets it held. Like the curse that came with his name. One that refused to leave him alone even though his birthday was just a few hours away. This time though, Alnea was not afraid.

  However, it seemed that his confidence was limited to himself. Be it Daes or Tia, or even Cecilia, Vestia, and Yuri, everyone had a worried look on their faces. Especially when they recalled what Yuri had said. No wonder she had not felt Daes and Tia’s fate change. Because it was still not certain whether or not he could leave the city himself. And they tried to convey their worries to the two women walking in front of them, to no avail. They never looked back.

  Then again, they were being wrapped in the Spirits of the two women, so the two women did not need to look back. They knew what the girls were trying to say. But they did not listen. Not that Alnea was complaining. With his master by his side, no curse could harm him. Especially since he was confident that the charges against him were all made up. And if the Wanderers leading their way tried to play any tricks, then they would find out why his master was called as the Lady of Thorns.

  Still, it would not hurt to be little vigilant. So, as he walked, Alnea did not forget to observe where they were going. Up the stairs, and into the Blood Hall. But they did not stop at any of the counters in the Blood Hall. None of those counters were equipped with the means to judge his innocence.

  Though, it seemed, that they were not completely useless. At the very least, they had the means to isolate the breath of Grand Wanderers, keeping the people who chose to stay behind in their counters safe from the fate suffered by the Wanderers who chose to leave the Blood Hall. Or maybe it was the work of the Blood Hall itself. Not that it had anything to do with him. At the moment, neither the Blood Hall, nor the counters would offer him their protection.

  Then again, he did not need their protection. He had his master. With a smile on his face, and confidence in his gait, Alnea followed his master to the other door in the Blood Hall, the one that led to floors below the main hall. It looked quite similar to the door in the outer city’s Blood Hall. Even the stairwell was similar, except for the stairs leading them in only one direction. Mostly because there were no floors above them.

  The floors that lay below them, however, were slightly different. There was a still a pair of giant doors in front of them, but the figures carved on its surface were slightly different. And they were both open to their widest, with no pillars for Wanderers to scan their Blood Cards. How did—On second thought, Tivya did say that food in the inner city was free…

  Alnea soon passed the canteen, and went down another floor, to the end of the stairs, stopping in front of a pair of menacing doors. Giant, menacing doors, that reeked with the smell of blood and fear, inducing a sense of guilt and awe in whoever laid their eyes on its majestic figure. Or took in its smell. That strange, spine chilling smell, strong enough to make him nauseate. How that smell did not make it to the canteen just a floor above was a mystery in itself…

  “I know what your answer is going to be, but for the sake of formality, let me ask you again,” the red robed Wanderer said, glancing at Nyssa from over his shoulder. “Are you sure that you want the city to judge this child?”

  “Or let you steal all his achievements, and exile him to the Grand Chasm?”

  “Considering the damage he has done, that is already a very lenient sentence,” the blue robed woman said. “If you let the city judge him, then his sentence will be even more severe.”

  “You do not have to worry about my disciple,” Nyssa said, answering the woman with a cold glare. “Just think about what explanation you are going to give when he is proven innocent.”

  “You still want us to give you an explanation? Be glad that we are not—

  “Marin,” the red robed Wanderer said, glancing at the blue robed woman, who responded with a click of her tongue, before turning back towards Nyssa. “Do not worry, Lady of Thorns. If your disciple is proven innocent, then the city will compensate him on its own. That is how the Blood Judgement works. It takes—

  “I know how the Blood Judgement works,” Nyssa said. “And you know that is the not the explanation I was talking about.”

  “…Let us begin the Blood Judgement first,” the red robed Wanderer said, as he turned back towards the pair of ominous doors. “It will not be too late to discuss this matter when your disciple is proven innocent.”

  Nyssa answered the red robed Wanderer with silence, turning towards Alnea after a few moments of thought.

  “Do you believe me, Alnea?”

  “Does that even need to be asked?” Alnea said with a grin. “There is no one in the world whom I believe in more than you.”

  “…Then go ahead with confidence,” Nyssa said. “Your master promises you that everything will be fine.”

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  “Big sis—

  “It is alright, Yuri,” Alnea said, squeezing Yuri’s hands, with a wide grin. “Since master has said that everything will be fine, then everything will be fine.”

  “But I still cannot sense any change in Daes and Tia’s…” Yuri paused, glancing at the Wanderers around them, before finishing her words through their rings. “…Fate.”

  Yet, the more solemn that Yuri became, the wider the grin on Alnea’s face became.

  “Is that not why you came to find me in the first place?” Alnea said. “To fight against fate… To change fate…”

  “That is different. We still have time to prepare for those things. Years, centuries…”

  “But if I do not even dare to fight now, how will I have the courage to stand against fate in the future?” Alnea said, turning towards the pair of ominous doors, Slashing through the fear it induced in his Heart. “Since we are going to change fate… Then let us begin today.”

  “By walking into a trap? Stupid Oathkeeper. The only thing you are going to change today is…”

  Alnea ignored Yuri, and walked towards the doors in big strides, reaching its side in just a few steps, before glancing at the red robed Wanderer.

  “How do we begin?”

  “…As with everything else in the city, scan your Blood Card, and walk through the doors. The city will handle the rest.”

  Alnea nodded in response, before taking out his Blood Card, and placing it on the small pillar next to the doors. Couple of moments later, a small crack appeared in the middle of the doors, that soon expanded into a gap large enough for him to walk through. Retrieving his Blood Card, and putting it away in his robe, he then glanced back at his master and the girls with a grin.

  “Wait for me.”

  “…Be careful…”

  “You better come back safe, or I will break your legs.”

  “…And do not do anything reckless.”

  “Anyways, I have already bet my life on you, so if anything happens to you, just remember that I will not be faring much better.”

  “…Do not listen to those flies. I am still waiting for you to take me out of the city.”

  “…It does not matter even if we cannot leave the city. You should focus on keeping yourself safe.”

  “…You are worrying too much. This is just a formality. I will be back before you know it,” Alnea said, waving his right hand, before turning around and walking through the doors, and into a world of darkness. Just like the Trial Space. Though, it was probably more appropriate to call it the Judgement Space. But the difference was just in name. In everything else, it was exactly the same as a Trial Space.

  The faint fluctuation of the Mysteries of Space when he walked through the doors, the boundless darkness that stretched in every direction, with no ground or skies, coupled with the strange feeling of being confined in a small space… Even the blood red Assistant Panel that appeared in front of him was similar to the Assistant Panels in Trial Space, with their only difference being the content it displayed.

  “Name: Alnea.”

  “Status: Blood Commander.”

  “Blood Number: N 00 23127.”

  “Privilege: ★★★.”

  “Welcome to the Judgement Hall, Blood Commander N 00 23127.”

  “You are hereby being informed that you have been accused of violating the rules of the city.”

  “Do you wish to see the charges being levelled against you?”

  Alnea chose yes.

  “Charge 1: Maliciously sabotaging the Trials of fellow Trialists.”

  “Charge 2: Helping Heterodox Wanderers.”

  “Charge 3: Releasing Prisoner F S 00357.”

  “Charge 4: Pushing your fellow Trialists into being Enthralled.”

  “Charge 5: Destroying the Trial grounds of the city.”

  “Charge 6: Decieving the city’s reward and privilege system.”

  “Charge 7: Defrauding 10,000 Contribution Points.”

  “Charge 8: Harbouring ill intentions against the city, spreading chaos and unrest within its walls.”

  “Charge 9: Planning to flee the city’s punishment.”

  …F S? Fire Spirit? So, the city already knew about that dumb Fire Spirit? No, the Fire Spirit said that he was imprisoned since before the Age of Gods. And the Final World was brought back to the Lost City only around a decade ago. How could he be the city’s prisoner? How—

  “Is everything alright in there?”

  “…I told you. Everything will be fine,” Alnea said. “The things those people accused me of… It almost feels like a joke.”

  “This is not a joke, Alnea Oathkeeper.”

  “I know. I know. I will be careful.”

  “And if you do not understand anything, then just ask. Understood?”

  “…Understood,” Alnea said, as he shifted his attention back to the Assistant Panel.

  “Blood Commander N 00 23127, given your circumstances, you have two paths ahead of you.”

  “1. Providing evidence of your innocence.”

  “2. Allowing the Judgement Hall to read the records filed in your Blood Card and the city’s database to ascertain your innocence.”

  “Note: Since Blood Masters and above have the right to view all the Judgements of the Judgement Hall, choosing the second path will make all your records public. Please choose carefully, and at your own discretion.”

  …Records? Like the ones in the Tri—No, not that kind of records. It probably referred to his actions in the Lost City. Like his deal with the Fire Spirit. And the reason why he got his Contribution Points. And if others could view his Judgement… No wonder they failed to change Daes and Tia’s fate. It would be a miracle if even he could leave the city after those Wanderers learned his secret.

  “Do you believe me, Alnea?”

  Alnea pressed his hand on the Assistant Panel, making his choice without any hesitation.