When I said persistently that I didnât want to sleep alone, he smiled brightly with a perplexed expression, I slowly stepped into the unconscious world, feeling his gentle touch.
Was it because I went to sleep, holding my fatherâs hands tightly? I sighed with relief at my childhood appearance in the mirror. Oh, how fortunate I am! Even if I havenât awakened from my dreams yet, I can have a happy life at least today.
After reassuring my father several times, I headed for the temple. I had a lump in my throat when I found what I saw was so different from my memory. I prayed earnestly, folding both hands that this moment was the reality, and that I just had a long and vivid nightmare.
In fact, even if I went to the temple, there was no guarantee that I could get a clear answer.
They might not have received Godâs prophecy yet. In that case, I would again suffer from anxiety because I wouldnât know if this was a dream or just a nightmare.
Even if there was Godâs prophecy, its meaning may vary depending on who interpreted it.
Even in my memory there was a competing view that the prophecy of God was me, not Jiun.
âWe have just arrived, lady.â
While I was lost in thoughts, the carriage carrying me arrived at the temple.
When I got off the wagon, helped by the attendant, I saw the snow-white temple in the midsummer sunshine.
The great temple Sanktus Vita.
The great building before me was magnificent, befitting the guardian saint of the empire, Vita.
When I passed through the arched door to the entrance of the temple, one of the priests approached and bowed to me.
âMay the blessings of life be bestowed upon you! Welcome to Sanktus Vita. Please state your name and purpose of the visit. â
âI am Aristia La Monique, the eldest daughter of Marquis Monique. I want to see Godâs prophecy. Can I see it?â
âWhich prophecy do you want to see?â
âI want to know about the latest one. Did you receive on in the past few months? â
âThere is nothing like that. The last one we received was five years ago. â
Five years ago? If so, itâs probably not related to my memory, but I asked him to show me all the Godâs prophecies and lead me to the prayer room. As it would take quite a while, it seemed better for me to wait in a quiet space.
I entered the prayer room and looked up at the sculpture carved on the small altar. There was a tree shape entangled in several branches, a symbol of Vita, the patron saint of the empire. When I was left alone in a quiet space, all sorts of thoughts came to my mind.
âWhat should I do? It looked like I couldnât find the prophecy that I was looking for. How could I understand this situation?â
Iâm 16 in my memory. If Iâm really ten now, logically I would have spent seven years in my dream overnight. Is that possible? The emperorâs chilly eyes are still vivid in my memory, let alone my lonely and sad days.
Then, am I dreaming now? Or is it just Godâs last mercy before I breathe my last?
I was trembling and getting more and more anxious.
How much time passed? I opened my eyes at the unfamiliar space in front of my eyes.
Where am I now? Although I looked around, I saw nothing. I just saw the endless white space before me. I sighed in despair at the extremely unrealistic scene.
Was I dead then?
<My child is here.>
I was stunned to hear some voice ringing through the white space.
âWho is it?â
<I give life to all things. You call me Vita.>
I was very embarrassed by the voice that called itself God. Is this possible? Maybe someone is playing a bad trick on me? Although they were calling me the child of the prophecy of God, our family was not on good terms with the temple.
<Do not doubt because I know everything about you.>
<If you are really the father of life, please prove it to me, so I can believe you.>
<You are a suspicious child. Good. How would you want me to prove to you?>
<Please tell me the ultimate reason for my visit here.>
<You are here because you want to know which of you is in this world, namely 17-year-old girl or the current version of you.>
<Oh, how did you knowâŚ.?>
<I preside over everything in this world. Noone can evade my eyes. First of all, let me answer your question. Both are real.>
<What the heck are you talking about?>
How is this possible? Itâs absolutely impossible unless I went back in timeâŚ
<Itâs true because I have turned back all the time of your life by the power of life given to me.>
What? Turned back the time of my life? Can even God do that? If so, whatâs the reason? It surely goes against the causal relationship.
<Because, my blessed child, the fate of many people has been twisted.>
What?
<My blessed child was originally destined to be born in your world, but fell to another place because of the twisted dimensions. The child was returned to the original world by an angel that found the child belatedly. This distorted the fate of many. You are one of them, honey.>
I was dumbfounded to hear that. In other words, the child of Godâs prophecy, that woman, was the child also blessed and loved by God, and was she the one destined to be married to the emperor from the beginning? Was I just made to replace her?
<Then, why didnât you send another prophecy to correct your mistake?>
<Because I lost my blessed child, I wove a thin thread of fate with you, too.>
<Did you just bind me with the thread of destiny because of her absence? Did he turn away from me because I wasnât his designated wife from the beginning? Did he fall in love with her, his original destiny, and throw me, her replacement, away?>
<Yes.>
<If so, did I have heartbroken love for him just because I was woven with the thread of fate? Was it because I was not his designated wife when I didnât get any attention from him despite my enormous efforts?>
<Yes.>
âHaa⌠â
Little by little I was short of breath. I felt something like defiance was coming up deep in my heart.
<Arenât you God? God is supposed to love and care for all things fairly, right?>
<Yes.>
<Yes? Are you truly the creator of all things? If you are taking care of everything fairly, how can there be your blessed child? Arenât all the creations of this world your children? They deserve your blessing. Blessed child? Ha, did you say you made me as a replacement for that child? Did you tie me with fate because you lost the child?>
<Yes.>
<Did I have to live miserably for that very reason? Was I thrown away while she took everything for that reason? What is the big deal about God? If you are the Creator, do you think you can freely interfere with your creations! What the heck is this fate that toys with me?>
<You humans can never avoid your destiny.>
âHow ridiculous!â
My anger raging deep inside burst out like a volcano. I vented by shouting loudly, which I had stored over the years.
<Inevitable decision? Thatâs nonsense! I canât change my fate? Iâll destroy it. Iâll refuse that kind of fate! I swear on my soul that I will never accept it!>
<Humans can never escape fate.>
<Ahhhhh!>
I screamed in spite of myself. Did I have to be deprived of freedom since I was young for that reason? Did I have to be raised as a woman for him for that reason? Did I love him just because of fate when I felt I was most lonely in the world without realizing my fatherâs love?
Did he think he could justify ruining everything I had? Just because I wasnât tied to him originally?
I screamed like crazy. I could hardly endure the fiery feelings rising in my heart. I felt like I would go crazy if I just kept putting up with it, so I screamed and cried until my throat was hoarse.
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<I feel sorry for you, but I canât change your fixed fate. Instead, Iâll give you a gift for your twisted destiny>
How much time passed?. When I heard another voice echoing through the space, I burst into laughter in spite of myself.
Giving me a gift after having ruined my life so miserably?