Damien was already moving before the sun rose.
The tracker team had left the forest, but they were still out there—somewhere, looking for any sign of destiny he had disrupted. He couldn't risk staying in one place for long. He had to find somewhere deeper, somewhere the world's eyes couldn't reach so easily.
The only option? The ancient ruins to the west. They'd once belonged to a forgotten civilization, long buried under centuries of overgrowth.
Damien didn't know much about the ruins, but he knew one thing: nobody came near them anymore. The dangers within were enough to keep even the bravest adventurers at bay.
He took the long route, avoiding roads, paths, and human settlements. Every time he slithered too close to a village or the capital, his aura flickered, and the air itself seemed to buzz. Something was out there—tracking him, pulling on the fabric of reality, urging him to reveal his position.
But the ruins were far enough out, deep within the wilderness, where no one ventured unless they were either desperate or insane.
---
Three days later, Damien arrived.
The area around the ruins was thick with the smell of decay. Ancient stone pillars jutted from the earth, covered in vines and moss. The entrance to the underground crypt was barely visible beneath an overgrown thicket of ivy. No signs of life. Nothing to mark it as a destination.
But Damien felt something.
A pulse. A deep resonance that felt eerily familiar.
> "Divine Energy Detected. Danger Level: High."<
"Great," Damien thought, slithering carefully toward the entrance. He wasn't sure what lay inside, but if it was dangerous… it could work to his advantage. The world had already started reacting to his presence—why not use that to his own benefit?
Sliding into the dark depths of the ruins, he noticed something that made his translucent form shimmer in the dim light.
An altar, long-forgotten. But the runes etched into its surface seemed to hum with energy. They were the same symbols that had appeared on the scroll he'd taken from the Wind Courier Wolf.
It was a sealed artifact.
The same one the Child of Fate was supposed to acquire in the original story.
> "Artifact Unsealed: Path of the Forgotten"
"Granting Skill: Temporal Awareness (Passive)"
"Effect: Perceive changes in time within a limited radius. Weakens with distance."<
"This is…"
Damien didn't even have time to process it before something shifted in the air.
The ground trembled beneath him, and a low growl echoed through the ruins.
> "Beast: Spectral Guardian – Level 60"
"Threat Level: Extreme"<
From the shadows, a massive shape emerged, its eyes glowing with an eerie blue light. The creature was made of ethereal mist and ancient bone, held together by strands of black energy. The air around it warped as if the very fabric of reality was twisting.
Damien froze.
> "Quest Updated: Defeat Spectral Guardian (Optional)"<
His slime body quivered.
"I wasn't ready for this… But there's no turning back now."
---
The Guardian lunged, its claws slashing through the air with a speed Damien couldn't outrun. His first instinct was to flee, but he had nowhere to go. The entire ruin was a labyrinth of stone and shadow, and the Spectral Guardian was faster, stronger, and it wasn't bound by the same physical laws as Damien.
Damien instinctively activated his new ability:
> "Temporal Awareness Activated."
"Skill Effect: Slowed Perception of Time (15%)"<
For a brief moment, the Guardian's movements slowed, and Damien was able to dodge, his body flowing like liquid as he slithered out of harm's way.
> "Level up! Level 10."<
The experience was a small victory, but Damien knew that a direct confrontation wouldn't end well. He was no match for the Guardian in his current form, even with his new skill.
Instead, Damien began to focus on his surroundings. The altar's runes pulsed faintly, and the moment he activated his aura, the Guardian hesitated, its attention shifting.
> "Skill Activated: Aura Disruption"
"Disturbs targets with unnatural energy. Weakens enemies' concentration."<
The Guardian howled in frustration, its form flickering as the power of Damien's aura pushed against its ethereal form. It stumbled, momentarily disoriented, but it wasn't enough to stop it entirely.
"I need more time!"
Damien concentrated. Using the Temporal Awareness skill, he stretched his perception of time further, weaving between the Guardian's attacks with a newfound grace.
> "Skill Upgrade: Temporal Awareness II – Slight Increase in Control"<
With every dodge, every shift, Damien started to learn more about the Spectral Guardian. It wasn't invincible—it was simply a creature of time, born from the very force he had disrupted. But it wasn't the only one of its kind.
"I've got to take it down, or else it'll just keep hunting me."
He pushed himself harder, using the ruins to his advantage, leading the Guardian deeper into the maze of broken pillars and shattered stone.
Then, in a stroke of desperation, he did the unthinkable.
> "Skill Activated: Devour"
"Target: Spectral Guardian (In Progress)"<
The process was slow, agonizing. The spectral energy that composed the Guardian clung to its bones, resisting the pull of Damien's ability, but inch by inch, Damien's Devour skill took hold. The creature's ethereal form began to disintegrate, its energy feeding Damien's core.
> "Spectral Guardian Defeated. Absorbing Essence."
"Level Up! Level 12."
"Skill Gained: Ethereal Form (Temporary)"<
Damien collapsed against the stone floor, panting. The Guardian was gone—its presence wiped from the ruins—but the lingering weight of its essence remained within him.
"I'm stronger. But I've just made things worse."
He could feel the world's eyes turning toward him again. The shift in fate was undeniable.
And somewhere, far away, a voice echoed, unknowingly aware of the ripple caused by the true Child of Fate.
---
A/N: The term "child of fate " is what the world used for the protagonist