Mutagen

Day 134 - 11:24 AM - Cliff House Meeting Room, Mountain Base, Mount Malabito, General Nakar, Quezon Province, Philippines

Mark watched the strange-eyed girl in front of him as she munched on the bar of chocolate that she held in her hands.

Luckily, it looked like Fourth managed to calm down because of the chocolate. Well, even an ancient dragon was not able to resist such temptation and sweetness.

"Seriously... You're an amusing person." Fourth turned to Mark as she took another bite. "You might be the only person who would think of offering chocolates to existences like us!"

Fourth was correct in that sense. Like Mark had said before, the Eyes were akin to apostles of a God. The Observer might not be the God that created Earth and its universe. However, that position was only a step lower than God itself. And following that, the Eyes that were under the command of the Observer.

People who would know of this fact would likely offer the most formal and luxurious kinds of food to them. It would even become treated as some kind of religious offering.

Mark, however, unceremoniously gave her chocolates. The chocolates were even packed inside the wrappers.

And that was the most amusing part here for her. That was why she did not hate this fact.

"If its Third, she might have flipped the table already and start yelling."

Fourth mumbled.

"What are you talking about?"

Mark asked with a frown. Fourth had been on deep thought on her own and was mumbling things that were hard to understand. 

Of course, Mark could not make out most of what she said because she was continuously munching on her chocolate.

Fourth realized that she was mumbling things and turned to Mark.

"Nothing, it's not your problem." She took another bite. "Yeah, it's not your problem."

Mark started to have a headache at this point. The Eyes were really hard existences to deal with. Furthermore, even though she also had emotional fluctuations, it was obscured for the most part. He could not tell what she was thinking at all.

"Then, do you have any other business here?"

Hearing that question made Fourth sulk once more.

"NO! I DON'T!" She exclaimed, getting another frustrated bite on her chocolate. "Our job is to deliver the news of the second wave to every Earthborn existence that passed the criteria! You're the first one I saw here in my area, but Ninth already robbed me of my work!"

Mark finally understood why Fourth was sulking this much.

The Eyes were born to follow the commands of the Observer. Now, their duty was to deliver the news of Earth's impending future to existences that passed the criteria that were given to them.

Mark did not know what the criteria were, but it looked like that he and Mei were the only ones currently present in South East Asia.

"Say, what are these criteria you are talking about?"

Mark could not help but ask, and this question took Fourth's attention. She stared at him like she was thinking about the circumstances.

"Well, I guess we're not really told to not say it, huh." Fourth murmured. "Then, let me tell you."

And there, Fourth stated the three most important criteria.

First were existences that were born on Earth. Humans, animals, insects, even ghosts, elementals, spirits, and demons were included. As long as they passed the second and third criteria, they would be eligible.

Second, they needed to have cut off or, if not, at least, an obscure string of fate. Meaning, existences that could and possibly defy fate and destiny. People that were like Mark that already went past their death dates and managed to continue living on Earth. Even deities of the past were also included in this scope. There might be very few Gods that were born on Earth, but there was no lack of Deities.

Lastly, they must have at least one follower. Of course, the more, the better. It should be someone that believed in them in their entirety. If better, people that worshiped them.

Mark did not pay much attention to the first criteria. He already heard it from Ninth. However, something entered his mind after hearing the second criterion. It was also mentioned in passing by Ninth when Mark asked why he was told about it.

But why were people that could defy fate needed?

"Tell me. Is Earth fated to collapse in the second wave?"

Mark asked in all seriousness.

And that question made Fourth freeze on her next bite of chocolate.

"How amusing... Did you deduce that information just from the criteria? It seems that you're a person who think too much about things."

"But I'm right, aren't I?"

Mark questioned once more.

"Yup. You're right. Though not entirely." Fourth took the bite she froze in. "Earth is fated to collapse, but not in the second wave."

"It's just the start." Fourth added. "But if no preventive measures are made, Earth would really go into ruin when the second wave came."

The childish Fourth already turned serious.

"The fates of Earth, its dimensions, all the creatures and even the things inside it. All of them are stored in a single compendium following a single root while branching off from it. It is one of the countless collections of fates of many things that existed in this universe. Further than that, each collection is compiled with countless libraries of different universes in existence."

"Are you talking about the Akashic Records?"

Mark could not help but ask about it.

"Oh, you know about it? That's one of the countless names it had." Fourth replied, looking amused. "Then, explaining will become easier."

One or two fates that were changed. Or even if a few million were affected by the Observer while maintaining the balance of the world. It would still be alright.

Since the past, the present, and the future was already written, the creatures affected by their destiny could only make minute changes to it. The Observers and their Apostles, the Eyes, were the only ones exempted in making changes on a large scale since it was their duty to maintain the balance or preventing a large scale annihilation.

Still, at times, even the records would branch, allowing the individual to choose which road to thread on.

"It's called the Turning Point," Fourth said. "Sometimes, it comes with a stroke of luck or based on the individual's actions."

One example was a person finding a bag filled with cash. It was a turning point between the person that found the bag and the actual owner of the bag, and the turning point rested on the hands of the person that found it. If the person returned the bag, the fate of the owner would continue as usual. However, if not, it might turn into the worst situation. It would be depending on the circumstances that the owner of the bag was in.

On the other hand, the person that found the bag would have his life changed if he decided to run away and keep the bag for himself.

Turning Points like those were quite common in the gazillions of fates stored in the records.

Still...

The whole world and all the records inside it were coming to a turning point at the same time was not supposed to happen. 

It was the apocalypse.

"Are you saying that this is not supposed to happen?"

Mark asked.

"Of course not!" Fourth exclaimed. "At least, not now! The actual apocalypse that is recorded in the records is supposed to happen in the next hundred years! An intergalactic chase between space creatures would occur near the asteroid belt of this solar system. The explosions would impact the formation of the asteroids sending some of them to the trajectory of Earth's orbit. It will cause half of the surface of the Earth to be enveloped in flames, allowing only a minuscule population to survive. And further than that, more of them will suffer from the aftermath. Then, a new civilization will rise, and it's the start of the new Earth in another several thousands of years."

Mark was speechless as to how this girl just divulged a catastrophic event in the future like it would be something amusing to witness.

"Are you sure that you should be telling me that?"

"It's fine. That fate doesn't matter anymore." Fourth replied, munching on her chocolate. "The current Earth is going on a different turning point now, anyway."

"I guess... it's fine to tell you, but the current events on Earth are not written in the records at all. I guess, you can deduce what happened from all of what I said."

"Another Observer messed up, like the predecessor of the current one on Earth?"

Mark replied.

"Bingo!" Fourth gave Mark a thumbs up. "Our master, the current Observer of Earth, is a very organized individual. She kept the Earth in check since she took over. However, it did not mean that all Observers are like her. There are also some dumb ones or ones that made idiotic decisions."

Munch...

"An idiotic Observer of an inhabitable planet in another galaxy several thousand years ago. The Earth is still young compared to that planet, so while Earth barely had potential people at that time, and when Gods from other worlds were busy creating their own races here on Earth, that planet was already experiencing overpopulation."

Munch...

"Since the scientific development of that planet was slower than the expanding population, its Observer took drastic measures. He made a scientist his medium and 'accidentally' spread out the microorganism from the scientist's laboratory. But then, it came out of control."

Munch...

"As I said, the scientific development was slow, and that Observer forgot to add that fact to his calculations. The people were not able to find a cure, and the microorganism mutated into neither a bacteria nor a virus."

Munch...

"And that virus caused the planet's ruin and the Observer was stripped of his title."

"What happened to that planet now?"

Mark asked, fully immersed in the story.

"The planet and its entire galaxy are gone now," Fourth shrugged. "All that is left is a gigantic rift in space that even existences like us will not want to approach. But before that galaxy collapsed on its own, it spread catalysts of the microorganisms all across the universe."

"And now, it reached us, right?"

Mark added.

"Right," Fourth nodded. "Many factions, organizations, and even Gods are helping with eradicating this to no avail. Every now and then, another planet will still collapse because of the microorganism."

Hearing that, the memories of Freed resurfaced in Mark's mind. The collapse of Eriellis was also caused by the same disaster as it seemed.

And somehow, Mark felt happy and frustrated.

One of Freed's wishes had been fulfilled in an unexpected way. To know the source of all this mess that cost Freed his family, friends, and home.

And the fact that Mark had no way of getting revenge for Freed's sake as the culprit was an Observer in the first place felt frustrating.

The room fell silent as Mark was deep in thought.

But then...

"WAH!"

Fourth cried out.

Mark snapped back to reality and turned to Fourth only to scratch his head.

Fourth was staring at the last empty wrapper of chocolate in her hand. She nibbled and munched on the chocolates absentmindedly and did not realize that she ate all of it.

That was more than a dozen bars...

Seeing her sulking face as she stared at the wrapper with her three odd-looking eyes, Mark sighed. With a wave of his hand, he took another dozen.

When she saw the chocolates on the table that Mark took out, her face brightened.

But then...

"UWAH!"

Fourth exclaimed as she held her head and looked up.

Before Mark could ask what was going on, Fourth grabbed all the chocolates on the table, hugging everything with her small body. She then stood up and looked at Mark.

"Hehe, it looks like I said too much! I'm being called back immediately! See ya later!"

And then, she vanished.

Seeing that, Mark sighed. That girl was amusing on her own. In any case, she gave valuable information, though it was still incomplete.

Mark still felt on edge with an Eye sitting in front of him. However, if it was that girl, he would not mind as she was not hard to get along with, unlike that Ninth.