Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son-Chapter 526: Fate and Projection [1]

"Huff..."

I let out a deep breath as I got comfortable on my bed with my legs crossed.

With Christina living with her father for a while and Inna guarding her, I had nothing much to do.

So, I began to research fate and its constituents.

’How does this even work?’

I wondered, staring at the orb that was in my hand.

It was still as mysterious and beautiful as before.

With a single thought, I pulled the orb of fate back into my body.

Closing my eyes, I began to recall the river of Fate.

And when I opened my eyes, I was floating around the river made of silver strings.

Slowly, I stabilized myself, looking at the four worlds that were connected to the river.

The river flowed endlessly beneath me, countless silver threads weaving together, separating, then merging again.

I focused my gaze on the four worlds anchored to the river.

Folding my arms, I tried to make sense of the place.

The thing was, it took Azrael tens of thousands of years to completely understand the place.

But I couldn’t do that.

I didn’t have the capability to not get mad before that.

...Well, not yet.

I reached out and touched one of the strands.

The moment my fingers brushed it, an image flashed through my mind.

People moved, choices were made, moments split into countless paths.

I pulled my hand back instinctively.

’Too much information at once.’

There wasn’t a single story. It was millions happening at once.

I didn’t know how, but I thought I could use the fate strings to find Siersha.

The only problem was, I didn’t know how to do that.

’Huff...’

I let out a deep breath as I closed my eyes.

Having a guide right then would have been great.

But the instinctive feeling in my mind felt much more secure.

And trusting my instinct, I raised my hand and felt the place.

I felt a deep resonance with the river of Fate the next instant. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The moment my palm hovered over the river, something answered.

A low hum passed through my arm and into my chest, like the echo of a distant bell.

A memory flashed past my eyes—the memories of Azrael’s time spent there.

It took me a few moments to look through the memories.

"Projection."

I mumbled, slowly opening my eyes as I looked at the four worlds.

"Projection," I repeated, more confident this time.

The method Azrael used to be more efficient with fate.

Taking in a deep breath, I began using the same method.

I began to look for the strings of fate that were abandoned.

There were quite a few, and without touching them, I began to guide them.

---

A month and a half.

That was how much time it took me to find enough abandoned strings and create four humanoid figures.

They all had my figure, made entirely of strings.

Even though time had no meaning in this place, my mind was still exhausted.

But my excitement for the result suppressed the tiredness.

’Alright, now...’

One string from each of them was attached to my body.

I used my own mana to mark them, letting them draw my mana as they needed.

I slowly ordered the four humanoid figures to move toward the four worlds.

The worlds were far away, yet they were close.

The concept of space there was as absurd as time.

Even though the four worlds looked on equal footing, they were not.

They were layered, with Earth being on the lowest level and Lumina on top.

My projections reached the worlds and slowly hovered over them.

The moment they arrived, resistance greeted them.

Each humanoid figure slowed as invisible currents pushed back against the strings that made them.

The abandoned fate threads tightened, vibrating softly, as if warning me not to go any further.

’So, all four worlds have defenses.’

I steadied myself and focused on the connection between us.

The single string linking each projection to my body pulsed faintly, carrying sensations back to me.

With all five of us working together, I began to look through the strings of fate.

My goal was to find the string that felt closest to Siersha.

I stopped trying to see everything and instead focused on feeling.

The overwhelming noise softened, like a storm fading into distant rain.

Millions of threads were still there, but I wasn’t drowning in them anymore.

It took me an unknown amount of time before I could feel it.

A sensation brushed against my awareness....just like her.

I immediately used the projection to grab the string.

But when I opened my eyes, I saw not one but two strings in the projection’s hand.

"....."

I followed the strings and found one originating from Lumina and the other from Azrael’s world.

Someone had tied Siersha’s fate to two worlds at once.

One where she existed... and another that controlled the rules around her existence.

Taking in a deep breath, I grabbed both strings.

Two different memories flashed past my eyes at the same time.

One from the modern world and the other... from an older Lumina in a tower like building.

A shockwave burst through my mind, and before I could understand it, my eyes snapped open.

"Huh?"

I blinked in confusion as I found myself back in the real world.

’...What the hell happened?’

I frowned in confusion.

The sound of footsteps made me look up as the door to my room slowly opened.

Nymeria peeked inside, her eyes meeting mine.

"...."

"...."

She opened the door completely and walked inside.

"What happened to you?" she asked, taking out her handkerchief and placing it under my nose.

Only then did I notice my nose was bleeding.

"It’s nothing," I replied softly. "I was just... doing something."

Nymeria didn’t look convinced.

She pulled the handkerchief back slightly, checked the blood, then pressed it again with more force.

"Let me help you."

I leaned back against the headboard, letting my head rest as the dull ache behind my eyes slowly faded.

The images from before were still there, overlapping in strange ways.

....Old Lumina.

I couldn’t pinpoint the time, but it was definitely not the current era.

’What the hell happened to you, Siersha?’

The memories left me more concerned about her than ever.

What could have actually happened?

I slowly opened my eyes when I felt Nymeria pulling her hand back.

She was sitting on the bed, close to me, her eyes studying my face.

She hesitantly opened her arms. "...Can I?"

I stayed silent for a second before nodding.

She didn’t wait and gently hugged me, resting her head on my chest.

I slowly raised my hand and placed it on her back.

Her body relaxed instantly.

"...You don’t have to carry everything alone," she murmured.

"I know."

She tilted her head slightly to look at my face.

I looked down at her, especially at the scar on her face.

"I have no one except you," she whispered. "I don’t want to lose you."

"..."

I didn’t reply as I touched her face gently, my fingers brushing the edge of her scar.

Nymeria stiffened for a moment, then relaxed.

"I’m not going anywhere," I said quietly.

She looked at me like she didn’t quite believe it yet.

I leaned forward slightly so she couldn’t avoid my gaze.

"If I ever disappeared," I said, "it won’t be because I chose to leave you behind."

She stared at me for a long moment before leaning forward.

I blinked in surprise.

Before I could say anything, her lips brushed against mine.

It was a hesitant kiss, and she pulled back instantly.

"I-I’m sorry," she said, standing up quickly. "I shouldn’t have."

She walked out of the room before I could stop her.

"....."

Left alone, I sighed at the absurd situation I was in.

Taking a deep breath, I walked toward the window.

But what greeted me was Kaelia staring into my room from outside.

"...."

I tried to greet her, but she walked away without a word.

’What the fuck is she? A detective?’

I groaned in frustration and leaned forward, breathing in fresh air.

I rested my forehead against the cool glass.

There was still so much I needed to do, and the river of Fate—.

’Wait a minute.’

I straightened up and rubbed my face.

’Why is the projection still drawing my mana?’

Did they not get destroyed after I left?

’Wait... what if—’

What if I merged with the projection?