Chapter 183: Playing With Fate
Lilith stood beside Adams, her violet eyes fixed on Eren. They glimmered with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism, the kind that dissected a soul without a single word spoken. Her jet-black hair cascaded over her shoulders, swaying slightly in the ethereal wind surrounding them, as if reacting to her presence. Her arms were crossed, fingers tapping lightly against her forearm in an unspoken rhythm of thought.
She tilted her head ever so slightly, her crimson lips curving into a faint, knowing smile. "Do you truly believe this boy can handle what's about to come his way?" she asked, her voice smooth as silk but carrying a sharp undertone of doubt. Her gaze swept over Eren like a predator sizing up its prey. "He's strong, yes, but strength alone won't be enough. Not for the trials that await."
Adams, standing tall and composed, didn't immediately respond. His piercing gaze was locked onto Eren, his expression unreadable, though a faint trace of amusement danced in his golden eyes. His hands rested loosely behind his back, the posture of a ruler surveying a soldier. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm yet resonant, carrying an authority that silenced even the unspoken doubts.
"Why do you think I chose him?" Adams replied, turning his head slightly to glance at Lilith. His lips curled into a faint, confident smile. "He has the resolve to get things done. The kind of resolve that can't be taught, only forged through hardship."
Lilith arched a delicate brow, her smile fading into a contemplative frown. Her gaze returned to Eren, who stood in the field, his expression stoic yet brimming with barely concealed determination. The weight of Adams' words lingered in the air, and for a moment, even her skepticism seemed to falter.
Mabel, who had been silently observing, let out a light, melodious laugh. Her emerald eyes sparkled mischievously as she stepped forward, brushing a lock of golden hair behind her ear. "Oh, I intend to test that resolve," she said, her voice teasing but with an edge of seriousness. "The boy could use some proper trials, don't you think? After all, nothing worth achieving comes without a little pain."
Adams' expression softened, though the confidence in his tone remained unshaken. "He'll get through it. He always has. Eren has been broken and rebuilt more times than anyone here can count. The false gods ensured that when they stripped him of his mana, deeming him dangerous for their so-called balance." His voice grew colder, his eyes narrowing slightly. "They were right to be afraid. That boy is their reckoning."
Lilith's posture relaxed slightly, her arms uncrossing as she placed a hand on her hip. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "Deprived of mana, yet still standing tall in a world that runs on mana from that young age," she mused. "Perhaps there's more to him than meets the eye." Her voice had softened, the skepticism replaced by intrigue.
Mabel took a step closer to Adams, her gaze flitting between him and Eren. She leaned in slightly, her tone light but probing. "Are you sure he won't crumble under the weight of it all? You know as well as I do that resolve can only carry someone so far before the cracks start to show."
Adams didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his full attention to Eren, his golden eyes burning with an intensity that seemed to bridge the distance between them. His voice, when it came, was firm and unwavering. "Eren doesn't crumble," he said. "He adapts. He fights. And when the time comes, he will rise above it all."
Lilith watched Adams closely, her eyes narrowing slightly as she searched for any hint of doubt in his expression. Finding none, she exhaled softly and shifted her gaze back to Eren. "Well," she said, her tone half amused, half resigned, "I suppose we'll see soon enough."
Mabel smiled, her amusement evident in the slight tilt of her head. "Oh, I can't wait," she said, her voice carrying a playful lilt. "Let's see if the boy can surprise us all."
As the three figures stood together, their gazes fixed on Eren, the air around them seemed to hum with anticipation. The trials ahead were not just a test for Eren, but a crucible that would shape him into the force Adams claimed he would become.
And Eren, standing alone in the field, felt the weight of their expectations pressing down on him. Yet, he didn't falter. Instead, he lifted his head higher, his dark eyes burning with quiet defiance. For all his doubts, he would face whatever came his way—not for their approval, but because he refused to be broken again.
Adams' lips twitched into the faintest smile. "Let the false gods tremble," he murmured, his voice low but charged with an undeniable power. "Their reckoning begins now."
Lilith's crimson eyes glimmered as she broke the silence, her gaze never straying far from Eren. "If he's going to challenge the gods of his world," she began, her voice carrying the weight of her thought, "then he'll need companions. No one ascends alone." Her tone softened, almost wistful, as though recalling a truth she had learned long ago.
Her sharp gaze shifted, cutting through the air like a blade, toward the direction of the Academy in the distance. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she focused on two figures moving through the shadowed corridors of the grand institution. A knowing smile touched her lips as if the threads of fate had just unraveled before her.
Mabel, still standing close to Adams, arched a brow at Lilith's sudden shift in focus. "What's caught your attention now?" she asked, her emerald eyes sparkling with curiosity as she tilted her head toward the horizon.
Lilith turned slightly, her white hair cascading like silk, the strands catching the faint ethereal light that danced around her. "Two," she murmured, her voice low but resolute. "Selene and Kael. He's crossed paths with them before, hasn't he?" Her smile grew wider, more deliberate, as if piecing together a puzzle only she could see. "Fate doesn't play dice. It's time we ensured that his destiny aligns with theirs."
Mabel's lips curled into a playful grin, a glint of mischief flashing in her emerald eyes. She stepped closer to Lilith, her golden hair shimmering in the light. "You want me to weave their threads together again? Oh, I do enjoy a challenge." Her voice was light and teasing, yet beneath it was the sharp edge of one who understood the magnitude of her power.
Lilith smirked, her arms folding loosely across her chest. "I'm not asking," she said, her voice smooth and commanding. She gestured toward the Academy with a slight tilt of her chin. "Do your thing, Mabel. Manipulate their fate and destiny." Her eyes sparkled with an almost predatory intensity. "I will improve their bloodlines to the very limit of this world. If they're to stand beside him, they'll need more than what they were born with."
Mabel lifted her hand, palm upward, as golden threads of light began to dance and shimmer around her fingers. They twisted and coiled like living entities, threads of fate she could manipulate with ease.
Her expression shifted to one of focus, her emerald eyes darkening slightly as her smile faded into a concentrated pout. The golden threads extended outward, stretching across the expanse, weaving themselves into the unseen tapestry of destiny. Mabel's breathing slowed, her chest rising and falling rhythmically as she directed her will.
Meanwhile, Adams observed in silence, his golden eyes fixed on the two figures Lilith had identified. His expression remained composed, yet a subtle shift in his posture—his fingers curling slightly behind his back—hinted at his intrigue.
"Selene," Mabel murmured, her voice almost a whisper as the threads vibrated in the air. Her eyes flicked toward one of the figures, a young woman with silver hair that cascaded down her back like moonlight. Her features were delicate but carried an intensity, her piercing azure eyes betraying a fiery resolve. Her movements were graceful, her steps purposeful as though she carried the weight of a hidden burden.
"And Kael," Mabel continued, her gaze moving to the other figure.
Lilith's lips twitched into a faint smile as she observed Mabel's work. "Perfect," she said softly, her voice tinged with satisfaction. "They'll make excellent allies. And if they're not up to par yet..." She let the words hang in the air, her meaning clear.
Mabel's expression softened into a playful smirk as the golden threads began to merge with the invisible fabric of fate. "Don't worry," she said, her voice lilting with amusement. "When I'm done, they'll be more than ready to keep up."
Adams broke his silence, his voice calm yet resolute. "Good. Eren will need them as much as they'll need him." His gaze lingered on the two figures in the distance before shifting back to Eren. The faintest hint of a smile tugged at his lips, a rare show of something akin to pride. "Let's see how this unfolds." Find exclusive stories on mvl
Lilith stepped back, her arms resting at her sides as her violet eyes burned with quiet determination. "Let the gods tremble," she murmured, echoing Adams' earlier words. "Their time is running out."
As Mabel's threads of fate intertwined, the ethereal wind around them seemed to grow stronger, carrying with it a sense of inevitability. Somewhere in the distance, Selene paused mid-step, her gaze lifting as though sensing a shift in the world around her. Kael glanced at her, his brows furrowing slightly, but he said nothing, his instincts warning him of changes yet unseen.
The pieces were moving, the stage set. And at the heart of it all, Eren stood unmoving, his dark eyes glimmering with defiance and unyielding resolve.