Chapter 562: Life

The Hooded One’s shrouded form remained perfectly still for three heartbeats.

Then a whisper emerged from beneath the hood, soft but carrying edges that cut deeper than shouting.

"Foolish mortal."

The doubled voice dropped lower, becoming something darker.

"Your audacity truly knows no bounds, doesn’t it?"

The figure’s hands spread slightly, the gesture almost amused.

"I offered you the opportunity to come under my shadow, to stand beside the greatest beings this universe has ever known..."

A pause, weighted with something approaching disbelief.

"Yet you believe yourself to be my equal?"

The dreamscape around them shifted, the city below flickering as if reality itself was questioning Damian’s declaration.

"Humor me then, boy."

The Hooded One’s presence expanded, filling the rooftop completely.

"You speak of becoming a player in a game that has spanned eras beyond counting..."

The doubled voice gained edges despite remaining quiet.

"But what do you actually possess that qualifies you for such arrogance?"

One hand rose, fingers extending to count.

"You have no knowledge about the players who sit at this table. Their histories, their powers, their methods..."

Another finger.

"You have no pieces to be moved across the board. No armies, no subordinates, no forces that answer to your will alone..."

A third finger.

"You have lived for what? Not even a century combined in both your lives?"

The hand clenched into a fist.

"How will you even play this game in your utter ignorance? What moves can you possibly make when you don’t even understand the rules that govern the board?"

The questions hung in the frozen air between them, sharp and demanding.

Damian remained silent, his expression unchanged, his breathing steady despite the pressure pressing down.

The wind pulled at his crimson hair but he didn’t move and didn’t offer any response whatsoever.

Just stood there in perfect calm, waiting.

The Hooded One’s shrouded form tilted slightly, studying him.

"Forget playing the game entirely."

The doubled voice dropped to barely above a whisper.

"What even is your ultimate goal? What future does a child like you dream of creating?"

The question sat between them, weighted with genuine curiosity mixed with contempt.

Damian’s mind flashed backward, finding words spoken by that mysterious being when he’d declared his path toward ultimate peace: "Will the story truly unfold like that? Will it actually reach that conclusion?"

The voice echoed through his thoughts with perfect clarity, carrying doubt wrapped in knowledge.

Then his whisper emerged, soft enough that it should have been lost in the wind.

"Does it truly matter what the ultimate goal of any player is?"

The Hooded One’s shrouded form shifted fractionally.

"Hmm?"

The question came out curious, almost intrigued.

Damian’s gaze lifted, finding that void-like darkness without fear or hesitation.

"From the start of this story, whose plans have ever succeeded exactly as intended?"

His voice remained quiet but gained strength with each word.

"The Beggar had his own vision of the future he wanted to create. Fate had its own design for how existence should unfold."

His hands settled behind his back, the gesture deliberate and controlled.

"And where are they now? The outcome is no longer in their hands alone. The board they built has been claimed by others."

The wind picked up, scattering dreamscape leaves across the rooftop.

"You had your own life and path planned before everything changed, didn’t you?"

Damian’s head tilted slightly, the movement carrying something approaching sympathy.

"And here you stand today, wearing a hood and calling yourself something you never chose to become."

His voice dropped lower, becoming almost contemplative.

"All living beings from the weakest mortal to the mightiest God plan their lives and make their choices based on what they want at the end of their path..."

His gaze tracked upward toward stars that didn’t exist in this dreamscape.

"Yet life has its own way of working, doesn’t it? Events unfold regardless of our intentions. Outcomes emerge that nobody predicted or desired."

His eyes found the Hooded One’s shrouded form again.

"So let life be life."

The words came out simple and absolute.

"All we need to do is focus on the present moment. Make the choices that feel right now, in this instant, and trust that the path will reveal itself."

A slight smile touched his lips, there and gone before it could settle.

"After all, the future is called the future because of its uncertainty. The moment we think we know exactly how things will end, the moment we become certain of the outcome..."

His voice became quieter.

"That’s when life proves us wrong."

Silence spread across the rooftop, heavy with implication.

Damian’s expression remained peaceful despite everything.

"And right now, in this present moment, all I want..."

His hands came forward, settling at his sides.

"Is to sleep."

The declaration landed with quiet finality, carrying no mockery or defiance.

Just honest exhaustion from someone who’d had too long a day.

The Hooded One remained perfectly still for several heartbeats, that void-like darkness offering no response.

Then sound emerged from beneath the hood, low and rough.

A chuckle, dark and carrying edges that cut.

The chuckling grew louder, transforming into something that approached genuine amusement.

"You’re right indeed."

The doubled voice came out lighter than before, almost friendly.

"The future really is uncertain. Plans fall apart, outcomes shift, nothing ever unfolds exactly as designed..."

The laughter faded, becoming something colder.

"I had no plans of doing this when I brought you here tonight."

A pause that felt loaded with terrible significance.

"But–"

The Hooded One’s hand shot out from beneath the cloak, fingers extending toward Damian’s face.

"–you leave me with no choice but to take your memories away again."

The movement came so fast that reality itself seemed to blur.

"Once they’re gone, once that annoying consciousness has been erased..."

The hand was centimeters away now, close enough that Damian could feel the power radiating from those fingers.

"I will mold you the way I want. Shape you into the perfect piece for my side of the board."

Damian’s mind went blank, his body frozen, unable to react to speed that transcended normal perception.

But before those fingers could make contact, before the power could reach his mind–

WHOOSH

Light flashed around Damian’s body, brilliant and sudden, wrapping him in radiance that felt warm despite its brightness.

His form moved without his permission, invisible force yanking him backward with gentleness.

He materialized three meters away, his boots finding solid ground.

A figure stood where he’d been moments before, back straight, facing the Hooded One without visible fear.

Purple hair fell past his shoulders, secured with an ornate tie.

A white mask covered the upper half of his face, showing only his mouth and jaw.

And in his hand, held carefully between thumb and forefinger, hung a small item made of braided cord and carved wood.

Damian’s breathing stopped completely, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.

’Sage?’

The thought came confused and uncertain.

His gaze tracked downward, finding what the Sage held.

’And is that... the charm the little girl gave me?’

Recognition hit with cold clarity, remembering small hands pressing the offering into his palm, earnest voice promising protection.

The Hooded One’s extended hand lowered slowly, fingers curling back beneath the cloak.

A whisper emerged, carrying something between confusion and irritation.

"What are you doing here, human?"

The shrouded head turned, that void-like darkness finding the charm hanging from the Sage’s fingers.

"And how did you figure out everything before it happened?"

The doubled voice gained edges despite remaining quiet.

"I don’t think even that Oracle had expected any of this to unfold the way it did. After all..."

A pause, weighted with implication.

"Is there anyone in this universe who would think I, of all the beings, would break the rules of Fate?"