Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality-Chapter 861 - 340 Backlash

Chapter 861: Chapter 340 Backlash

Thud—

Pushing the wooden door with force, her inexperienced face belied a hint of panic.

The goddess, still girl-like in appearance, jogged into the modest wooden hut, where green plants trailed across the walls.

Nature and man-made melded together here in what was her sister Lachesis’s ‘abode.’

Unlike the aged wisdom of Atropos or the youthful naivety of Clotho.

Just like the authority wielded by Lachesis, the god who determined the length of life, she was neither the beginning nor the end.

...

Thus, Lachesis’s life was forever at its most mature and prime—she was vivacious and lazy, wise and foolish… and this foreordained that she would never enjoy solitude.

As a result, aside from her duties, this goddess rarely stayed atop Mount Nysa.

She was the only one among the Fates who had dealings with the All Gods, so much so that some deities even believed there was only one mistress of destiny here.

This was another way she differed from her sisters.

As Fates, Lachesis, and her sisters could peer through some of Destiny’s veils, so most of the mortal world’s beauty and darkness were starkly revealed before them.

The holy and the fallen, the loyal and the wantonly free… This was why Clotho so rejected the world below the mountain, while Atropos viewed all living beings as marionettes to be manipulated only as needed.

Only Lachesis was different from the two.

She mocked the light and dark of gods and men alike while deftly managing her dealings with them.

That’s why she spent so little time on Mount Nysa and instead in places of her own choosing.

But today was different because the War in the Mortal Realm had just begun… and whenever this happened, Lachesis was inevitably at work.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t have finished her work in advance—in fact, all the tasks of a Fate should have been completed beforehand.

However, everything hinged on the premise that all of Creation lay under the Order of Destiny, with everything predetermined and orderly.

Yet recently, the wars in the Mortal Realm had strayed far from their destined path, leading both gods and men in different, unintended directions.

People who shouldn’t have died did, and those who should have perished lived on.

Because of this, Atropos had once more ventured into the Mortal Realm in an attempt to mend things, while the other two goddesses stayed behind, striving to straighten the twisted knots of fate.

Tap-tap—

“Sister, are you there?”

Calling softly, Clotho entered the hut.

There were no decorations or anything needless, just a simple wooden home.

Releasing a sliver of her power, the girl tried to capture her sister’s attention.

When Lachesis was working, she might not be able to notice her, so Clotho had always done this.

No matter how busy she was, the other always responded.

But this time was different from all the others.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

The more the girl’s foreboding feeling grew stronger, the less she heard that familiar voice.

“—Sister, if you don’t respond to me, I’m going to come in!”

Biting her lip lightly, Clotho called out loudly.

At the same time, the special power of the Fates surged more intensely within her.

This should have been enough to draw attention, no matter how engrossed she might be.

But a moment passed, then two, then three… The spacious wooden hut was completely still, with only the sound of the wind and rustling leaves echoing repeatedly in the air.

Creak—

Gritting her fists, seeing that there was still no response, Clotho no longer cared whether she might disturb Lachesis’s work.

Driven by unease, the girl pushed open the interior door.

The simple furnishings were as ever, the house devoid of anything extra.

But as soon as she stepped over the threshold, just one glance left Clotho frozen on the spot.

“—Sister?”

“What’s happened to you?!”

With a cry of alarm, Clotho ran forward.

What lay before her eyes at that moment was her second sister, Lachesis, sprawled on the ground.

The Staff that measured Destiny had fallen, and Threads of Fate—which Clotho herself had delivered—were scattered around.

But what the girl found hardest to accept was Lachesis’s current state.

Unknown when it had happened, a few strands of silver now mingled in the once-beautiful and ample hair of the Fate… And on that exposed skin meant to be smooth as water, fine lines had begun to appear.

This was a change that should never occur, as a deity’s truest appearance was often influenced only by the changes in their authority and spirit.

And as a Fate, Lachesis was even less exempt.

But facts spoke louder than words, and the scene before her seemed to confirm Clotho’s suspicions.

“Sister, you—ah!”

Bang—

Bending down to approach, the bright-eyed goddess was full of disarray.

She wanted to help her fallen sister to her feet, but the moment she touched Lachesis’s arm, Clotho instinctively recoiled as if it was a red-hot iron.

The body of the Fate collapsed to the ground once more, but by then Clotho was beyond caring about that.

The girl looked at her palm in terror, where wisp after wisp of grayish-black mist surged.

Divine Power stirred, and immense strength coursed over her hand, but all of it seemed to have no effect on that wisp of mist.

Visibly, Clotho’s once delicate fingers began to change bit by bit.

It was as if in an instant, they had aged ten years.

“Ah—!”

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the ground and grasped Clotho’s wrist firmly.

The frightened girl nearly screamed instinctively, but the next moment, a voice both familiar and alien reached her ears.

“Clotho… don’t be afraid.”

“You should know what this is… It should have come a long time ago.”

“Sister!”

Looking toward the direction of the voice, Clotho was overjoyed to find her sister had come to.

Perhaps it was due to the recent commotion, or perhaps it was simply time.

Lachesis grasped Clotho’s wrist, and this time, the girl saw no trace of grey.

“Sister, how did you…”

“Clotho, listen to me.”

Tiredly shaking her head, the body that was once full of vitality now seemed so sluggish.

Lachesis did not rush to speak. She merely took a moment to gather her spirits, then brought the wrist she held up to her front.

Bending forward slightly, she placed her sister’s fingers on her forehead.

The next moment, as a surge of grey mist flowed, the girl’s fingers were restored to normal.

Only this time, Clotho clearly saw that another line had formed at the corner of her sister’s eyes.

“This, this is—”

First stunned, then as if something dawned on her, she instinctively wanted to back away, but then she stopped herself.

And leaning against the ground, Lachesis struggled to lift her body, then managed a weak smile.

“Clotho, as you see.”

“This is the backlash of destiny.”

Yes, in the heavens and the earth, past and future, nothing could harm the deputies of destiny, unless that force came from the world itself, or it was the power of destiny.

And what now appeared on Lachesis, the two of them had heard of long before.

The backlash of destiny was not unfamiliar to them.

Even at their birth, they had already come into contact with this backlash, more or less. (See 3-161)

Atropos, who was born first, bore the brunt of it, and the birth of the Fruit of One Day only intensified this process.

Thus, her body decayed and withered, her visage aged, and lifeless.

Clean clothes on her would become filthy, and the wreaths the goddesses loved to wear would wilt because of her.

Foul sweat mixed with an inexplicable smell lingered around her, and the mental oppression and malice were unbearable.

No one liked this, but Atropos, who was born first, naturally bore the brunt of the malice.

By comparison, Lachesis only took on a little of the edge, and at that time, she hardly noticed it.

As for Clotho, she was not disturbed at all.

This was the punishment destiny dealt to its own deputies, although before those order-defying consequences occurred, they had not yet come into the world.

However, it seemed destiny would accept no appeals, and the three goddesses were powerless to do anything about it.

Therefore, from that day on, Atropos—who bore the most backlash—simply took all that emerged subsequently upon herself.

After all, her state could not possibly get any worse.

Thus, Lachesis and Clotho were relieved.

Especially as the youngest sister, Clotho had never experienced the taste of destiny’s backlash.

She conscientiously fulfilled her duties as a deity, without having to touch the power that frightens deities.

However, it all ended today, with Lachesis who was in the midst of fulfilling her obligations, reordering the distorted threads of destiny.

But at that moment, the backlash of destiny descended from the skies, heedless of time and distance.

“Clotho, this is what it feels like to be struck by destiny’s backlash… I haven’t experienced it for a long time, so I fainted for a moment.”

“But it’s alright. It won’t happen again.”

“And the part that belongs to you, let me take it first.”

Shaking as she got up from the ground, Lachesis took a deep breath.

The next moment, the Divine Artifact for measuring destiny was in her hand, and visibly, the goddess’s exterior began to recover.

In just a moment, Clotho saw her familiar sister once again, her hoarse voice restored as well.

Everything seemed no different from before, but Clotho knew it was just the backlash being suppressed within the body.

The backlash of destiny was happening every moment; Atropos’s condition was the result of three epochs’ accumulation.

And clearly, Lachesis was also now taking on this force of backlash, but just this much was still far from enough to harm her.

“Sister, you…”

With a complex gaze, watching what was unfolding, Clotho knew that her sister would surely do this.

Because if the backlash of destiny befell her, the ‘Weaver,’ the consequences would be far more dangerous than for her, the ‘Measurer.’

Of course, compared to the ‘Measurer,’ the ‘Cutter’ only needed to end a segment of destiny, so the impact of the backlash on her would naturally be safer.

Still, despite this, Clotho felt a certain heaviness.

Addressing the issue of destiny was absolutely urgent.

“Sister, so is there a problem with our eldest sister?”

She asked, no longer needing to state the purpose of her visit.

Obviously, the reason for her premonition lay before her… and facing her sister’s query, Lachesis shook her head again.

“I don’t know, but I’m certain her presence is still there, and she could not possibly be hurt.”

“The only explanation is that Atropos has been imprisoned somewhere that can isolate destiny… or her will has been influenced by something, and she voluntarily gave up on taking the backlash.”

“However, whichever it is, Clotho, I must resolve it.”

“If one of the Fates is absent… the deviation of destiny will likely become even more uncontrollable.”

Not long ago, she received what was so-called an invitation from Mount of the Gods, asking her to celebrate a great trouble solved by the Divine Court, which Lachesis had declined due to her busy work.

After all, only she knew how much trouble the so-called trouble of the Divine Court had caused the Fates, and she did not want to meet that lord of darkness.

The Moirai still did not know who the manipulator of destiny behind the scenes was, but it must be one of the Primordial Gods who was beyond their vision.

Before identifying the enemy, they had no wish to meet with them.

“Clotho, stay here and wait for me to return.”

Holding the Staff, feeling the backlash increasing every moment, Lachesis said firmly, “Once I bring her back, we might not have to worry about the backlash anymore.”

“Because my intuition tells me, this time, we might have found the source of the turmoil in destiny.”