Chapter 26

Lady Death is very patient. That is because of one thing: Sooner or later, anything will fall to her. Whether it be man, beast or even her very own brethren and sisters, everything is destined to meet its end eventually. The certain end of everything is the only thing that has been decided from the very moment this world came to be.

Together with Little Light, the youngest of the Protogoni, Lady Death is waiting. And at this exact moment the one they had been waiting for emerges from a cluster of text:

Sir Fate.

Sir Fate is an elderly man, his head is replaced by a giant eye. The pupil of said eye is golden with 10 wings resting on his body: Some of them were on his back, some of them were on his arms and two of them even were on the very eye that served as his head. His body is both male and female, showing no clear distinction between the two of them. Despite that, he is mostly called upon as a male, for no clear reason at all.

“Is it not beautiful? Have we not been brought together precisely because the conditions are perfectly aligned? Tell me, oh fellow beings of more than just existence, does it not please you as well that we could meet under those most perfect conditions?”

“I would have preferred if you didn’t take that long to come here. We should have met far earlier, should we not?” Little Light is not patient. While Lady Death certainly knows that everything will come to her, Little Light is the polar opposite:

Little Light is aware that, sooner or later, she will lose everything and everyone. She knows that nothing can bathe in light for all eternity. Such a thing is simply impossible: The sun will set every day. And thus, one day, the sun will most certainly explode. Yes, the moment of said sun exploding will most certainly be the moment featuring the most light there ever was. Little Light will never be more fulfilled, will never feel as strongly connected to everything there is on this planet than at this very moment.. And yet it fills her with a certain sadness. Precisely because Little Light wants to be connected to each and everything she is impatient: She needs to connect. That is what she decided to live for. Because of that she cannot rest even a single moment for she fears that this life and its infinite places and situations that she needs to be a part of may vanish.

“You are missing out if you only rush things. Is it not most important to take your sweet time once in a while? Whether it is living or dying: Whether it is something you hate or something you enjoy: If you decide to rush things and only do them while already eagerly awaiting the next scenario, will you not be stuck in an endless cycle of running around? If you run your whole life, unsure where to settle down, will you not end up having no home at all?”

Sir Fate snickers. Yes, he and Little Light most certainly don’t share this trait and yet he talks to her and tries to convince her of his ways.

“The conditions are indeed perfectly set.” Lady Death, taking the form of a girl with no skin, only the truest of bones that fill each and every body, slowly talks. Despite her lack of skin and flesh her white hair still hung down her head. She is wearing black clothes as though she is attending a funeral.

“Aye! Indeed they are!” Sir Fate snaps his fingers and turns around. He does not face the other two and yet he does: His head, the eye of God, is able to witness all of fate as it happens.

“The conditions are set for a show like no other, are they not?”

Little Light extends herself to make herself more present. She does not want to miss out.

“You are no set variable, Sir Fate. You are just as free as each one of us. Is it because of this that you love such perfect conditions?”
“Indeed I am! Let me tell you: No person is more happy than a person whose wishes become true without doing a single thing. And thanks to who is that, I ask of thee?”

Lady Death smiles softly.

“Our role has never been a prominent one. All of life and existence is merely a stage for us to watch. Even if it is pulling the strings, we are not an active part of the story… That is, that was how it should have been. But you can see it, can you not?”

“Of course I can. I am all seeing: I see the thoughts of people and I see the actions they plan to do. Ah, but do not misunderstand: As you all know I am far from fixed. Fate is no different from the rest of the Protogoni: Only due to existence and the existence’s choices can Fate exist. Only due to existence and the existence’s choices can Love and Time exist. Only due to existence and existence’s choices can Light and Dark exist. Only due to existence and existence’s choices can Death exist.

Like you have said, Dear Light, because I am so aware of the infinite routes I, Sir Fate, could possibly turn in am I so entertained by the current situation.”

Little Light holds up one of her arms. “Yup. Also, there are so many coincidences that perfectly that I myself am not sure whether or not Fate is not secretly fixed.”

“I can assure you, I am not!”

Lady Death does nod as well.

“13 days after 13 became 13 and found the place of 13 with the other 12, forming a group of 13 yet again, will the 13 arise. What will 12 do once they are confronted by 13?” Sir Fate spins around fast.

“I shall wait and see and further await that which is about to happen. After all, Fate is nothing more than a small factor in the story that existence itself is producing. If all of existence is no more than a stage play, then one should enjoy that stage play, should they not? Rushing out of the theater as soon as possible is foolish in such a case.”

Lady Death creeps closer at Death. He does know that one day he too will be devoured by her. And because he will one day end up being devoured, because the stageplay is destined to end, as everything has an end which is impossible to stop, does Sir Fate enjoy the little role he gets to play in the stageplay and ends up being a good and quiet spectator for the rest of the stageplay.

“Lady, Lady? Who will accompany you on your journey farther ahead?” Little Light looks at Lady Death. So does Sir Fate.

“Neither of you are wrong. If I were to choose one of you, I would most certainly pick unjust. Thus, I will move on my own.”