Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

Levi stood in the aftermath of his revelation, the gravitational field's pressure becoming a mere distraction compared to the weight of the words now etched into his mind. Experience more content on m v|l e'm,p| y- r

[Fractured fate]

[The strings of Fate around you are always scattered - What you will and what you become - your actions alone will decide]

He blinked, trying to process the message.

This is it? This was his new crest?

Levi couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

He'd hoped for something more... combat-oriented. A power to shoot lasers from his eyes or summon meteors would have been nice. Instead, he got this cryptic message about scattered strings and decisions.

'Great,' Levi thought wryly.

'I wanted a superpower, and I got a fortune cookie.'

As the initial disappointment faded, confusion took its place.

What use was this crest anyway? How was he supposed to apply it in battle or training?

Levi couldn't see any immediate practical applications, and that worried him.

His mind drifted to his first crest,

Demon who met God

.

Now that was an ability he could understand.

He got the ability when he met the Goddess of Truth De Dannan - It wasn't exactly something he had achieved by himself but the work of…fate?

Anyway, that crest provided some resistance against divine power, which was considered as the Achilles' heel of Demonic followers. It was straightforward, useful, and honestly, pretty cool-sounding.

But this new crest? Fractured Fate?

Even though he had acquired this crest by training his ability, a situation exactly opposite to the first, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Even the name of the crest sounded more like the title of a pretentious art film than a powerful ability.

Levi sighed, running a hand through his sweat-damp hair.

Maybe he was looking at this all wrong.

After all, the voice of Providence didn't just hand out crests like candy at a parade. Earning a crest was a big deal, something most students at the academy could only dream of.

'How rare are crests, anyway?' Levi wondered.

Levi being the Slum dweller didn't know but everyone in the academy would be aware of how difficult it is to obtain the crests.

In fact, among the 500 freshmen who had entered the Favored Ones Academy this year, perhaps only five or six would possess a crest.

A single crest was rare enough to set a student apart as exceptional.

But two crests in a follower who made a contract just two months ago? That was virtually unheard of.

As he thought about it Levi felt a bit more motivated and the disappointment from the contents of the crest description faded.

He had two crests. Two.

In an academy filled with the elite of the elite, he now possessed something that might be unique.

'It's quite amazing I think'

Levi thought, his eyes widening. 'Maybe, I'm like... the unicorn with two horns.'

He thought, chuckling at his own imagination of two horns on his head.

If crests were this rare and valuable, then surely his new Fractured Fate ability was more significant than he'd initially thought.

Providence didn't make mistakes. There had to be more to this crest than met the eye.

Levi closed his eyes, focusing on the message once more.

[The strings of Fate around you are always scattered]

What did that mean? Were these "strings of Fate" related to the fractured visions he'd experienced earlier? The multiple potential futures he'd glimpsed?

[What you will and what you become - your actions alone will decide]

This part seemed clearer.

It suggested that the future—his future—wasn't set in stone. His actions, and his decisions, would shape his destiny.

But wasn't that true for everyone?

No, Levi realized.

Not like this.

Most people stumble through life, making choices without truly understanding their consequences. But he could see those consequences, if only for a split second. He could perceive the branching paths of possibility stretching out before him.

Maybe with practice, he could learn to navigate the tangled web of potential futures? To choose the optimal path among countless possibilities?

The strategic advantages of such a thing alone were staggering.

But with that potential came an enormous responsibility.

Every choice, every action, would carry the weight of foreknowledge. The burden of knowing what could be, and the consequences of choosing one path over another.

But with that potential came an enormous responsibility. Every choice, every action, would carry the weight of foreknowledge. The burden of knowing what could be, and the consequences of choosing one path over another.

As Levi contemplated the possibilities, a grin spread across his face. The strategic advantages of this ability seemed endless. In battle, in studies, in social interactions – he'd always be one step ahead, able to choose the optimal outcome.

'This is going to be awesome,' Levi thought, his mind racing with potential applications.

But in his excitement, Levi failed to consider the flip side of this coin. He didn't pause to think about the paths not taken, the possibilities forever closed off by each choice he made.

What Levi didn't realize – couldn't realize, in his naive enthusiasm – was that this ability had the potential to royally screw him over.

Every decision, every branching path he chose, wasn't just selecting a favorable outcome. It was also closing doors, eliminating entire futures that he'd never get to experience. And here was the kicker: just because he could see a fraction of a second into these futures didn't mean he could fully comprehend their long-term implications.

What if the path that seemed optimal in the moment led to disaster down the line? What if, in avoiding one pitfall, he unknowingly steered himself towards an even greater calamity?

Levi, in his current state, was like a toddler handed the controls to a time machine. He had the power to reshape his destiny, but lacked the wisdom to wield it effectively.

The true danger of Fractured Fate lay not in its power, but in the illusion of control it provided. Levi thought he was mastering fate, but he was just as likely to become its puppet, dancing to the tune of his own short-sighted choices.

And then there was the psychological toll to consider. Knowing that every decision, no matter how small, could have far-reaching consequences? That's the kind of knowledge that could paralyze a person, and make them second-guess their every move.

What if Levi became so obsessed with choosing the "right" path that he forgot to actually live? What if he spent so much time peering into possible futures that he lost sight of his present?

But Levi, flush with the excitement of his new power, considered none of this. He didn't see the pitfalls lurking beneath the glittering surface of his ability. He didn't realize that Fractured Fate was as much a curse as it was a blessing.

In his mind, he was unstoppable now. In reality, he was teetering on the edge of a precipice, one misstep away from a fall that could shatter not just his fate, but his very sense of self.

As Levi stood there, grinning at the imagined triumphs that lay ahead, he was blissfully unaware of the Pandora's box he'd just opened. He didn't know it yet, but his journey had just taken a turn into treacherous waters.

The strings of fate were indeed scattered around him, but they were as likely to strangle him as they were to guide him. And Levi was about to start pulling on those strings with all his might.

'This is going to change everything' Levi thought, his eyes shining with anticipation.

He had no idea how right he was – or how much he might come to regret those changes.

Ignorance really was bliss!

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