Tower of Heaven

She couldn't.

'If I am too willful, I will destroy the flow of fate.'

Atlas' destiny was his own to control. She could try to guide his path, but if she controlled it, then she would no longer be able to call herself a just person.

'The most twisted fates can end in two ways.'

In the first case, the fate played out as it was meant to. The person involved would become twisted because of it, and in the worst-case scenario, they would transform into a calamity that stood against the world.

This… was how Alaric earned the title, [Calamity Dragon].

'In the second case, on the other hand, if one can overcome the twisted fate…'

Rather than becoming a calamity, the same person would become a hero who supported the weight of the world on their shoulders.

It was a fitting end for a person named after the Titan, was it not?

Nevertheless, if Mireiya interfered now, his chances of overcoming his fate would decrease significantly. He would lose control, and in the end, it was more likely that he'd become someone who had to be killed.

She didn't want to see that happen.

"I cannot say much about your situation," she said in the end.

"However, you do not need to worry so much. This Tower is the answer to your questions. If you keep climbing it, the answers you seek will find you. Searching for them personally is meaningless."

"Even the clue you found on the 30th Floor was found through coincidence, was it not?"

Atlas made a wry expression. He couldn't argue with her reasoning.

If it weren't for the strange connection he felt to the Second Prince driving him towards an ending that had never been seen before, he wouldn't have received the Sacred Chains and found the memories.

"Merely, it is a bit unnerving to keep following this path while knowing that there are such strong mysteries surrounding me."

If he couldn't have the answers immediately, he at least wanted to know when those answers would arrive.

"Then again, I also cannot become content in following your visions. I am not a pawn of fate."

His heart wanted instant gratification, but his mind understood that he had to do these things on his own.

'If I do not understand these things with my own ability, they will lose value. Such moments will not be as grand for me, and that will interfere with my cultivation.'

Many people saw cultivation as a path to immortality where the body was turned into a vessel for greatness. To most, only the body and energy mattered.

However, cultivation was a path that not only improved the body, but also the mind and soul. In the same way, the evolution of the mind was absolutely important in the progression of one's cultivation.

What if Atlas was merely told all of the answers he sought? What if someone walked up to him and explained to him in graphic detail every small piece of these mysteries, leaving them solved?

The value of the information changed. Everything would end in an anticlimactic fashion, and the burning desire that kept Atlas moving forward would fade.

Perhaps he could find that motivation again, but it wouldn't be the same anymore. His mental growth would be stunted, and his potential would unravel itself at a far slower rate.

Mireiya saw these thoughts fly through Atlas' head as he accepted them. He could only walk this path on his own, but when he needed it most, she would be there to steer him in the right direction.

That was the kind of involvement she implied that she wished to have.

"Then, is there anything I can do now?"

Mireiya didn't say anything. It was enough of an answer.

"Haa… I can only climb, is it? That unsatisfying reality is the only thing there is."

"I apologize, child, but I am not the one who can provide you aid in those matters. As you know, a person who sees all futures… cannot quite relate to the emotions of ordinary people. It is better if you look for my husband now."

Atlas looked at the shadow beyond the veil.

'She has her difficulties as well.'

She spoke of it as if it meant nothing to her, but the reality implied through those words was a depressing one.

'Maybe that's why she was naturally paired with someone like Alaric.'

Someone who did everything based on his emotions, someone who was so carefree yet able to understand the darkest realities of the world.

Only someone like Alaric could give Mireiya the kind of love she needed.

It was beautiful in a way.

Atlas shook his head and stood up.

"You may not be able to say much, but I am still thankful for your help," he said while bowing.

"It is nothing. If you are thankful, then become something great. That is the only ask I have of you."

Atlas turned around and walked to the door. Read exclusive adventures at empire

"Ah, before you go…"

"Beware of–"

As Atlas turned around again, her words cut off.

"Sorry? Were you saying something?" he asked.

"..."

It was silent for a moment before Mireiya responded.

"Nothing. You may be on your way."

There was obviously something happening, but Atlas didn't pay attention to it. If she didn't want to tell him, it wasn't his place to pry.

He walked through the doors and left to find Alaric. When Mireiya was left alone again, her shadow suddenly collapsed.

"Keugh…!"

She coughed blood, spraying her silk sheets with the red fluid. Holding her chest, she gritted her teeth in pain.

"Such a thing…"

The white hair that flowed like a waterfall over her back fell in front of her face, becoming dyed by the blood that dripped from her mouth.

"Merely some words…I merely tried to tell him a few words about his fate, and I have been injured internally?"

Mireiya had been managing the fate of the Divine Dragon Clan ever since she married into it, but she had never read a fate that held so much weight. Just trying to speak about it impacted her as if she was in battle with a powerful Immortal.

She sighed to herself as she took a cross-legged posture to fight against the internal injury.

"I do not know what kinds of Gods and Demons are involved in his life, but it is impossible for anyone else to create such a powerful seal."

His fate was so deeply twisted that it made her worry. It was truly a shame that she could not interfere with it.

'A man who reincarnated, a man who is still a boy without much experience.'

Immortals were new to him, as was the world as a whole. In a sense, he was no different from her own daughter who was entering the world for the first time.

'This generation is filled with golden destinies.'

The time of change that was approaching…

It looked far away, but it also looked closer than ever.

'Artemia, my daughter…'

Mireiya sighed once more.

'...it will be very difficult for you, but I hope you can remain strong. Persevere through it all, and in the end…'

She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the sight she saw.

'...then you will become greater than anyone, even us.'