Fate: The Sun of Akasha

Fate is defined by Luck, and Life is defined by Fate. As long as you have Luck, Fate will always be present in your life.

Rael understood Fate and its workings. Fate was like an attraction, similar to gravity, drawing everything toward a single point, where all that seemed like coincidence in reality was, in truth, Fate.

Coincidence is Fate.

The concept of Fate was something Rael grasped at its deepest essence, and his mind often wandered through reflections like this: Fate is like gravity, pulling all events, people, and moments toward an inevitable point. Coincidences do not exist, only subtle manifestations of Fate.

Even so, he knew that Luck played a fundamental role in this cosmic game. With his Luck: EX, he stood at the center of improbable convergences, where the unlikely became almost inevitable.

Rael held the arrow, his golden eyes analyzing its trajectory as he spun it between his fingers. The metal gleamed in the sunlight, still vibrating faintly from the force of the shot. He sighed and slowly turned toward the direction the arrow had come from.

'What a coincidence,' Rael thought, reflecting on how he had ended up in this situation.

...

Rael dismounted Necros at the city's entrance, handing the steed over to the local stable. The attendant, an elderly man with a hunched posture and calloused hands, received the horse with a curious gaze. Necros neighed but seemed to accept the temporary separation as Rael gave the horse a light pat on the neck before continuing on his way.

The city was bustling, its streets paved with uneven stones and filled with hurried people going back and forth. Merchants shouted out offers for their goods: fresh fruits, fine fabrics, jewelry, and crude weapons. Children ran around laughing, while men and women carried goods or argued animatedly.

"It's quite bustling," Rael murmured to himself, walking with his hands relaxed at his sides. "But I couldn't expect anything less from a city so close to the legendary Kingdom of Camelot."

As he moved forward, his golden eyes captured details others might overlook: a boy discreetly stealing a piece of bread; two men exchanging suspicious glances in an alley; the glint of a dagger hidden beneath a traveler's cloak.

Then, something made him stop abruptly. As he passed by a hooded figure, his [Mystic Eyes of the Golden Sun] glimmered faintly. A wave of discomfort coursed through his body, as if he had brushed against something unnatural.

'This isn't normal...' he thought, discreetly turning to observe the figure. The stranger walked calmly, but something was off.

...

Michael, with his blonde hair shimmering under the sunlight and bright blue eyes, walked through the bustling city street. His clothes hinted at a certain nobility but were simple enough not to draw too much attention—or so he thought.

Despite the apparent calm, the young man was being followed. He noticed the furtive glances of a group of men who were slowly closing in on him. When he turned into a narrow alley, the path was blocked.

"Hey, kid," said the group's leader, a burly man with a scruffy beard and dark eyes. "Why don't we have a little chat somewhere more... private?"

The other men laughed menacingly, surrounding Michael. The boy backed up until his shoulders touched the stone wall of the alley. He hesitated, his eyes shining with a mix of fear and determination.

With no options, Michael complied. They led him to a more secluded spot, far from the eyes of the crowd.

Unknown to many, Michael carried in his blood the weight of a powerful lineage. He was a relative of the Pendragons, the royal family of Camelot, and a second cousin to Artoria herself, the current "King" of the legendary kingdom. His position wasn't politically prominent, but his ancestry made him a valuable target for those seeking to weaken the kingdom.

The men who had cornered him were no ordinary bandits. They belonged to Ingevonic tribes, descendants of the ancient Saxon clans. These tribes, known for their raids and rivalry with the Breton kingdoms, sought vengeance against Camelot for their past defeats and subjugation.

"We know who you are, boy," said another of the men, his voice laced with disdain. "Pendragon blood runs in your veins, doesn't it?"

Michael remained silent, but the glint in his eyes betrayed his attempt to appear calm.

"We'll take you as a hostage," the leader continued. "And your beloved kingdom will pay dearly to have you back... if they're willing to negotiate."

The men laughed, confident in their advantage. However, something was about to change that night.

While Michael was surrounded by his captors, a pair of golden eyes watched from afar. Rael, still tracking the hooded figure that had caught his attention earlier, noticed the suspicious movement in the alley. He paused for a moment, analyzing the situation.

His mystical eyes briefly glowed, revealing the flow of mana around the men. They weren't mages, but there was something dark about them, something that required caution.

'Trouble,' Rael thought, calmly walking toward the alley.

The night, which had seemed peaceful until then, was about to become problematic.

Rael walked in the air, each step supported by his magic. The flow of magical energy was controlled with precision, making him practically invisible and imperceptible to the senses of those watching. He followed the group effortlessly, observing them from above as they led Michael to a more isolated area on the outskirts of the city.

From above, Rael quickly noticed something that left him intrigued: the men's movements were far too methodical. They weren't common bandits or disorganized raiders. They moved like a trained group, almost like soldiers or agents under unified command. Every gesture seemed calculated, like pieces of a larger plan.

'There's definitely a leader behind this,' Rael concluded, his golden gaze shining intensely as he analyzed the group's formations.

Michael walked ahead, forced by the men surrounding him. Although his face showed a mix of fear and determination, Rael noticed that the boy was not entirely defenseless. He carried a type of latent mana within his body, something that suggested untapped magical potential. However, this power was either sealed or dormant.

As they made their way to an old abandoned warehouse, the men began to speak in low voices, but loud enough for Rael to catch their intentions.

"We need to move quickly," one of them said. "If the boss finds out we've failed, we'll be dead before dawn."

"Failed?" another replied indignantly. "We've got a Pendragon in our hands! This will secure the alliance with the other Saxon clans. Camelot will pay dearly."

Rael narrowed his eyes. Using Michael as a bargaining chip to unite the Saxon tribes against Camelot was a dangerously strategic move. He knew that allowing it to proceed would be catastrophic for the kingdom.

'You're more organized than I thought,' Rael reflected, observing the men from above. 'But you're still fools. Playing with powers you do not understand.'

As soon as the group entered the mansion, Rael landed softly on one of the stone towers atop the building. He stood there, watching and listening, assessing the best way to intervene. It wasn't just Michael's life at stake but also the stability of Camelot.

Rael took a deep breath, the golden glow in his eyes intensifying. He wasn't one to care about politics or dynasties, but he understood the importance of maintaining certain balances of power.

"Fools," he muttered under his breath, a faint smirk of disdain forming on his lips. "They thought they could get away with touching the Pendragons? Let's see how they handle true despair."

Rael positioned himself silently on the mansion's tower, observing the group of Michael's captors entering through the large carved wooden door. The building was imposing, with stone walls and towers that reached toward the sky, standing out against the surrounding landscape. When the heavy doors closed behind the men, the sound of metal clashing against iron echoed clearly to Rael's attentive ears. He had followed them with precision, floating through the air unnoticed.

The mansion, seemingly isolated in a distant location, was the kind of place where anything could be hidden without question. It resembled more of a fortress than a residence, with thick walls, small windows darkened by heavy curtains, and labyrinthine corridors. From his elevated position, Rael watched every movement closely.

The wind blew softly, but the silence was absolute. He knew that inside that mansion, something far greater was at stake than simply capturing Michael. The boy, heir to the Pendragon family, was being used as a bargaining chip, and it wasn't just about political power — it was something much darker.

Rael adjusted his position, his eyes fixed on the captors and the way they moved. The air was charged with a nearly tangible tension, and he couldn't help but notice the details: the men seemed more nervous now, organizing themselves around a large central room. Some took up sentry positions, while others began discussing plans. With Magic, Rael could hear fragments of their muffled conversations.

"We have to make sure he's well protected... the leader won't be pleased if we fail now," whispered one of the men, his tone clearly reflecting the fear of expectation.

Rael remained silent, his golden gaze fixed on the mansion's interior as the sun shone mercilessly above. He couldn't help but smirk with disdain. He was wearing a black cloak that reflected the daylight elegantly, but the men below seemed completely oblivious to him. Rael couldn't believe their blindness. They were out in broad daylight, under a clear, cloudless sky, and he, a man dressed in black, was visibly perched atop a tower — and yet no one bothered to look at the sky or the tower.

'Are they really that stupid?' Rael thought, an ironic smile forming on his lips as he observed the guards oblivious to his presence. 'How could anyone be so careless?'

But his momentary amusement was interrupted by an unexpected sensation. The air around him seemed to shift, and he felt an unusual energy approaching. It wasn't a common sense of mana—it was denser, darker. Something... dangerous. Rael felt the pressure on his body increase as the menacing aura spread through the environment.

"This energy..." Rael murmured to himself, a shiver running down his spine. "Could it be...? How troublesome."

The energy was familiar. He had felt that pressure before, during his travels, in his pursuit of knowledge, and along his journey through hidden worlds. It wasn't an energy that appeared often. He immediately knew who was behind it.

'Morgan Le Fay.'

Rael frowned as the image of the mysterious and powerful figure came to mind. The legendary sorceress, part of the kingdom's darker tales, known for her dark magic and connection to the most disturbing and unethical forces. She was one of the few who could emit such a dense wave of mana, a kind of power that made the very air around seem heavier, darker.

Rael knew what this meant. Morgan Le Fay was not here by chance. She had her own plans, and Michael, being a Pendragon, was now involved in something much bigger than anyone could imagine. Rael, with his quick and clever mind, understood that he wasn't dealing with just a simple negotiation or kidnapping — he was about to become involved in a battle against one of the oldest and most dangerous magics in history.

But before anything, he needed to act quickly. Rael knew that Morgan Le Fay's presence meant he could no longer afford to act with subtlety. He needed to hide completely, as the power Morgan could unleash would be devastating, and if she detected him, the fight would become impossible to control.

Without hesitation, Rael activated his magic. He silently recited a spell that cloaked his body in an invisible layer. His mana vanished from the perception of others, his body and armor were obscured, and he became invisible — not only to the eyes, but to any form of detection. His presence dissipated into the air, turning him into an invisible shadow, absolutely imperceptible.

"Now, I'll see how far you can go," Rael thought, as his body disappeared into the shadows of the tower. He felt Morgan's energy drawing closer, but now he was prepared to act at the right moment. He was, once again, a step ahead of everyone. And with that, the hunt to protect the Pendragon lineage and prevent the chaos Morgan could cause was about to begin.

Rael vanished, and the mansion was once again enveloped in silence.

'Where did I get myself into?'