NEXT WEEK WILL NOT BE A GAMEOVER CHAPTER. I've decided I need to add a bit to my plans to ensure a good story for you all. Instead I will do another Grasping Fate chapter, but I think you will like it :D

Grasping Fate

Chapter 18

"It's your road and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you."

Alista turned and left. Seto ran after her but she was gone by the time he made if out of Wag's study. She was nowhere in sight, but she was very much close by.

"Are you ok?" Wag came out and asked Seto.

"Yeah, it's fine," No, it wasn't, "Just a little confused," He wanted to know, people always hid things from him it seemed, "I'm heading out, ok?"

"Ok...but if you need some more help stop by. Also, we can began more magic training if you like too."

"Alright, thank you!" Seto smiled and walked away.

As Seto walked he ran into Adam and Ian.

"Seto! There you are, you suddenly ran off, are you...ok? We know the news must've been hard, but this time I promise you your Uncle will be safe, so don't worry." Adam sent Seto a comforting smile.

Seto felt his lips trembled but he returned the smile, "Thank you, I'm fine though, excuse me," Seto did a slight bow and left. He passed Ian who muttered to him.

"It's never good to hide your feelings...it'll only cause trouble in the end."

Honestly the phrase almost went unnoticed by Seto. At the last minute he picked up on the words and faltered in his steps. But he quickly regained himself and carried on. He headed towards the forests and found himself a little clearing. He wasn't sure why he seemed to always rest out in the woods.

Seto looked up, he saw the sky, its vast openness. He wondered if his parents were up there. He was never really sure if the gods ever existed, well, until he met the Nyx. He wondered if they could see him. His parents he meant, he was sure the gods had that sort of power or something.

Seto took a seat on the grass, he would never really get used to the feeling of grass. He laid his staff next to him then laid back letting the grass cushion his head.

Seto enjoyed times like this, it was quite relaxing. He did a lot of this in Keuta, usually by the sparse shade of his apple tree. He'd often think about the future, his future. He had planned to move to Emedo to continue his education and become a teacher. A scholar. He hoped he could help people like his father did, but it didn't seem he had much of a future now.

Outcasted.

Wanted.

Life would never return to normal for him in all likelihood. He was a sorcerer after all... and he screwed up everything anyways.

His family was dead because of him, his uncle imprisoned because of him, his cousin homeless because of him. His friends outcasted, and on the run because of him. And... Tyler, he ruined his life so many years ago and he only just realized that now. He wonder where that Shelby person was now, he wondered would things been different had he not broke down?

Seto sat up and pinched himself.

"No, stop, this isn't helping. Stop Seto!" He mumbled to himself, he always put himself down, always did this. He needed to find something, something to ground himself in. He always worked and functioned best when he was focused. But there wasn't much for him to do. He wasn't physically strong, nor was he strong mentally either. He was smart, but that held little value here, he knew academics, but nothing about strategy....

"Wait, I could...practice, magic..." The idea was weird, Seto glanced at his staff, "He remembered while in Vragan Retro had told him that it was possible to bind his magic to something. It would help with his control. But...he didn't know how. Plus, the sudden idea of practicing magic suddenly felt easier.

Magic of Telekinesis, Elemental, Dream Walk, and Sight. If these were his strong suits, then he needed to get better.

Seto stood up and felt a rise of courage, "Alright!" he could do this. He would do this! Not just for him anymore, he would use his magic to change the future, but he wouldn't rely on his Sight. He trusted the Nyx when he said that using it could be dangerous and come with costly effects, so he would change the future doing everything else.

Seto looked around, and thought for a second, he could potentially try to do something just to see where he was at.

A rock on the ground several feet ahead of him seemed the perfect test, but what to do from here? He looked at the rock and glanced around to see if anyone was around.

Seto felt a little silly doing this, he held out his hand scrunched his eyes closed and willed something to happen. When it didn't seem like anything happened he opened his eyes. Seto sighed, of course, what was he expecting.

Seto heaved a large breath. He was about to pick up his staff and turn away but he remembered something. A flash. A memory?

"Look! I did it! I made that pebbled fly!"

A sense of pride filled him, this childlike giddy feeling was overwhelming

Seto looked at that rock again, then at his open palm. He sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. He held out his hand, but he didn't close his eyes. He felt like he was glaring at the rock, he felt himself concentrate. He imagined that rock floating in the air, just a little. The result?

The rock trembled, the movment caused him to lose concentration, it stopped.

"Shoot!" He hissed and focused once more. The image of the floating rock returned. He breathed calmly, in and out, in and out.

The rock trembled. It shuddered, it stopped. It floated, he think it floated. He ignored it, he tried his best not to focus on what was happening and instead on what he wanted to happen. The rock floated higher, and higher. Higher than he originally wanted. It felt a little unstable he focused more. The effort felt tiring.

Yet it felt familiar. Like he'd done this before.

He must've.

That vision must've been a memory. No doubt. He must've learned something... If he could remember then he could learn faster.

The rock was still in the air, he was breathing somewhat hard. He felt the urge to move his outstretched hand. A few inches to the right, the rock followed, several more to the left, it followed. A beaming sense of pride, Seto smiled. He was actually doing it!

"Uh, hello?"

Seto yelped and spun around without thinking. The rock rocketed to a tree right next to the fellow. The man jumped and stumbled around. He was a morvic, blue in appearance.

"I am so sorry! You scared me and I wasn't paying attention!" Seto immediately apologized and hurried to the morvic's side.

"N-No, it's fine. It is my fault for sneaking up on you," he told Seto.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine, even if I was it would hardly be a big deal. I studied as a doctor...well I technically read about healthcare, I can't really got to school. B-but! That is besides the point, I'm sorry for sneaking up on you, I'm Quentin."

"S-Seto," Seto somewhat recognized him. He was with Adam earlier today.

"Sorry again, I was on my way home when I saw you."

"N-no worries," Seto backed up and gave him more room."

"So...uh, you have magic?"

"Y-es!" Why was he so jumpy and nervous.

"That's nice, I've always wondered what that would be like, you know, having cool powers. I don't think morvics can have magic, but still, it was nice talking to you. I must be on my way," Quentin waved and ran off. Seto waved back and went and picked up his staff before leaving the forests.

He would head back to Wag's. He wondered if he could find any good books to help.

~~~~~

"Mitch, honey, were your short travels good?" Mitch was greeted at the palace doors by his mother.

"Yes it was, thank you," Mitch bowed.

"I'm glad to hear, there are documents in your study I need you to look over, along with making preparations for next month's festivities."

"Understood, thank you," Mitch walked quickly to his study. Well it was a the room his father onced used. It was styled like a library, books on the walls. A large desk with a window behind it that looked out over the world below. A stack of papers was placed neatly in the center of his desk. Mitch sighed and took a seat. The window was behind him, the door to his room in front of him.

He grabbed a quill to his right and brought the papers closer.

He skimmed the words quickly on the top. Throwing signatures where needed, denying others where needed. These papers were filled with proposals on making the kingdom better, a lot he noticed were on morvics. From what he skimmed they were of all the same ending, getting rid of completely, or imprisoning as many as possible...

If it had been several months ago he would've agreed.

Now...he wasn't sure.

Yes he was still wary of morvics, he didn't fully trust them. But he believed it was the same with Jerome, he didn't fully trust humans either, but like himself, he was opening up.

He wanted so badly to ignore the problem, or just say something that would bring a chance of equality for everyone, but he couldn't ignore the glaring problem that in doing so is saying he was letting murderers get away... That technically included Jerome.

Mitch groaned again, he was home and he already wanted to sleep. He knew being a king wouldn't be easy, and he was already weighed down by his father's words. But did being king really have to mean that decisions like this would be practically impossible to make.

Mitch's eyes stopped on another document, a letter with a penmanship he was sure he'd seen before.

To the New King of Duhita,

I hope this finds you well young monarch. I write to you urgently to tell you of truly tragic news. I am saddened to say the news only reached my ears days ago and I write to you now not knowing if this will make it to you hastily enough. On the morning of Aeth 17th, long before the sun rose, the small Keutian port town of Lullin was attack by an unknown foe. It was burned to the ground and there remain no survivors as of late. And as we both know, Keuta falls in a perilous time with tragedies happening left and right to the former royal family, and as the respective rulers of Keuta's neighboring kingdoms. It is only right we do something to aid and capture the culprits responsible. Is it not our duty?

There's a rumor on the wind of savage bandits and rebels looking to cause a war. Perhaps you know of them.

I did regretfully forget to mention when last I visited my soldiers wrote reports of rebel forces in Eflido. They also mention a strange technological forces that ended the fight. I am sure those people are no longer present in Eflido, though the options for their relocation are quite limited to....well Vragan or Duhita, to be frank.

If you still wish to create an alliance, then I propose we band together to find and imprison these rebels. I have no doubt my son is with them now, such course of actions would help Duhita in the long run. As the new King of Duhita, you have to think about what is best for the kingdom, rid yourself of selfish desires, as your father would say. I strongly believe you have on your shoulders a stronger and more level head then my son.

I await your response and hope we can come to an agreement of sorts.

~King of Emedo

Mitch read every letter, every phrase, over and over and over. To the point he was sure he could count the number of strokes. How many times had he read this. This could not possibly be true.

Dammit! An unknown foe my ass! The King, that bastard! No rebels he knew of were doing anything, at least not the ones he was implying. They were working with Keuta's royals, or at least with Cal. No way they would attack Keuta.

In all fucking likelihood that damn king was behind it, and he was sure the King knew that Mitch knew. But he still wrote to Mitch about an alliance, about peace, about working together. When all of it was bull!

Tempting but completely bull!

Mitch groaned and sat back in his chair, he sunk further down and placed his hands over his face. He felt like screaming, but that would cause a commotion in the castle if anyone heard him.

"What are you doing?"

Mitch sat up with wide eyes and slapped a hand over his mouth. Jerome was right next to him glancing at the King's note.

Mitch grabbed it and crumpled it up without thinking.

Jerome tilted his head, "You know I can't read, right?"

"Oh, Jerome, it's just you..." Mitch sighed and sat back again, "You can't just keeping popping, especially it is still midday now. Anyone can come in and see you."

"It's fine. I couldn't help but notice the stress on your face. Already getting love letters?" Jerome snickered.

"No. I'd rather it be that honestly, but I'm afraid it's worse."

Jerome could sense the tension and decided against joking around, "You can explain it to me, it's always good to talk."

Mitch glanced over and sighed, and he told Jerome everything that was going on. About the weight of the decisions he needed to make, the celebrations he had to prepare for, the news he just received, the king's proposals of an alliance.

"I just have not clue what to do. I wasn't expecting this responsibility the moment I came home. Do you think I'm not ready. Perhaps my father was right, I am weak and unable to rule." Mitch didn't know why he told Jerome. He was still only a morvic, he wouldn't understand the severity of these matters. He was still just a man--morvic--, who didn't spend his entire life learning how to be a king.

"That bastard king!" Jerome growled, Jerome's face was contorted into a snarl revealing a full set of sharp teeth, "I say we go to war with him!"he roared in anger.

"Shhhhh!" Mitch panicked and hushed him, "First off, keep it down, second, are you out of your Notchdamn mind! We can't just start a war. There isn't even proof he did it."

"But we know he must've done it," Jerome argued, "What about Seto, he'll be devastated when he finds out."

Mitch stood up and looked out the window, he noticed one of the panes were opened, hence Jerome's entrance, "We aren't going to tell him."

"Wh-What--"

"Just hear me out. It'll be better this way. Seto just got his magic back, we both know as a sorcerer he has no control and frankly can't use his magic. If he found out, then who knows what could happen. He could do something that could alert anyone of his whereabouts."

He paused, "I could just be paranoid, but maybe the king wants that to happen. He wants Seto to give himself away so he can find him, and kill him. For whatever reason he is specifically targeting Seto, hitting him where his home is, we can't let Seto know anymore than he should. For his safety, and for the people around him..."

"But..." Jerome glanced at the ground, he had no argument, no response. There was nothing he could say, because he agreed with Mitch. This probably would be for the better... "So what else? We have to do something right?"

Mitch shook his head, "There is nothing we can do. I could send a scout to survey the damage and see if there were any survivors. But the attack happened on the 17th...and it is now the 23rd...nearly a week after. Plus even I know it would be pointless for the King to lie about the survivors part, he's doing this on purpose. Driving me into a corner. Trying to make me feel helpless."

"Well don't give in! You have all of us."

"Thanks," Mitch smiled, but truth was, he already felt helpless. Could he really solve all these problems?

~~~~~

Whew, this was a little longer than usual, but not by a lot. 

Anyways as said before next week will be a Grasping Fate chapter, not a GAMEOVER chapter, I need to add more to my plans.

I will say I think you guys should grab popcorn. We are MAYBE less than 10 chapters from the end. I am estimating, and I am bad about estimating, but good stuff happens. The moment many of you have been waiting for is approaching.

(a special person that has been MIA for so long will finally appear)

PLOT TWISTS will happen. 

Destiny Calls readers may have a long awaited question answered...well and answer may be hinted at.

And last several announcements.

You can shoot me for how long it is taking to get contest winners out. I've accepted long ago I'm a terrible person when it comes to time management. 

I'm thinking of an Author QnA as my 500 special.

And I need to post the Falling to Rise/Grasping Fate Poplarity Poll results but I keep forgetting DX (The poll is on my extra book labled F2R/GF/DC extras, or something along those lines. It has the Ethereal map I drew as the cover if you want to check it out)

~CATtheDrawer