[Year 2, Day 92; Around 17 hours later...]

I’ve being constantly thinking it over, and I somewhat understand what future me meant by cheat fate. 

I probably meant, save Kara without changing the future Kara foresaw. At least, that’s the only explanation I managed to come up with.

Problem is, currently, I don’t know what exactly Kara foresaw and it’s something I need to learn before I act. 

I've been planning with Rin and we’ve decided on a relatively reliable plan of action.

Rin will wait around and ask her sister for the exact details involving the foreseen fate that. Then, if she able to, she inform me of the specifics. 

I don’t think Kara would tell a random person about her ability. 

Making this is the quickest way to obtain the information with the highest chance of success.

Reaching the end of the countdown, we teleported into the starting room.

Rin instantly swiped her sword and breaking down the door.

Honestly, it’s probably tiring to constantly repeat puzzles.

Alright, no time to waste.

Let’s head toward the storage area. 

Indicating for Rin to provide directions, she gestured in a specific direction.

Rin said there was a brown leather jacket and a green T-shirt somewhere around here... right?

Err.... I mean, it’s important to check out the future crime scene.  

I need to know all the facts if I’m going to cheat fate.

...and, since I’m already here, it shouldn’t take long to pick up the clothes around here.

Heading from room to room, I searched for one that matched the description Rin provided.

Found it.

A large mostly empty room, with various materials and junk scattered throughout it.

The rest of the rooms are somewhat organized, but this one is a complete mess.

Spending several minutes combing through the room, I didn’t find anything resembling a knife. 

So... the weapon was either found elsewhere, or brought in by a person who killed Kara.

Alright.

Now I have a basic understanding of the terrain.

I don’t know how much time’s left until the announcement calls everyone back.

I’ll need to hurry if I want to find those clothes. 

Rushing through the various rooms, I opened every drawer I could find.

Managing to find the clothes Rin mentioned, I put them on and headed back toward the main lobby.

As I was heading back, the announcement rang informing everyone to return.

Alright, ten days to figure out how to save Kara.

Honestly, I’m only having Rin ask Kara what fate she saw for confirmation.

At this point, based on Rin’s experiences, I can make a reasonable guess as to what exactly she foresaw.

She likely saw Rin crying over, and probably saw herself either stabbed or getting stabbed in the heart. 

...But, I need to confirm that she didn’t foresee an attacker.

My first instinct would be to have someone use magic to heal her... but, according to Rin, there’s nobody in the Decima Game who can heal such a deadly wound.

Thus, I need more time to figure out an alternative solution.

Preferably creating a fake stab wound, having Rin discovers Kara ‘dying’ and crying over her.

That would explain why I didn’t tell Rin. The strategy of bluffing wouldn’t work if Rin knew about it.

Thus, this is the solution to cheating fate without Kara actually dying.

There’s a problem with that, though. 

If Kara saw herself dying like that, she should’ve thought up this solution way earlier than me.

She’s intimately learned the ins and outs of her power from repeated trial and error.

...So, why has she still been dying?

I can only believe she foresaw a specific attacker whose taking advantage of the fate to kill her permanently.

It’s best to avoid rush into this. 

If I fail to save her this time, Rin might lose hope.

...and if Rin figures out the principle behind the plan (her being deceived), she might lose the only possible chance to save her sister.

Everything needs to be calculated. 

Preplanned. 

There can be absolutely no mistakes.

To make those plans, I need time.

Lots of time.

Fortunately, this facility provides the perfect place to do that.

With a time ratio of 1:100, even spending one day inside the room would equate to around a third of a year.

Plenty of time to plan out a solution.

After going through the motions of listening to Schrödinger, Rin led Kara and myself to the Warding Training Room. 

I politely introduced myself to Kara, before excusing myself when we arrived at the training room.

Rin entered along with me to allow us to talk privately for a moment.

After discussing with Rin.

Apparently, Kara never saw her attacker. Merely Rin crying over her with a massive wound in her chest.

Instinctively patting Rin’s head to comfort her, I mentally began planning.

Before reaching the desk in the room, I turned around and started walking backwards.

Called back to Rin, who was still standing at the door. “This is it, Rin... The homestretch. I’ll save her. Just worry about keeping her safe till I do.”

Right now, Rin needs confidence and confirmation she’s on the right path. 

Otherwise, her failures and will always be on her mind. 

So don’t worry Rin, I’ll figure it out.

I have to.

[Time in Training Room; 5 hours.]

Something’s bugging me. 

Why didn’t I notice something was going on with Kara last time?

I should’ve figured out far earlier, based on Rin behavior alone.

Am I missing something important?

Let’s try replicating my state of mind when I was in this room before.

Imagine, Rin lying on the floor with a blanket and pillow...

What my first reaction?

I’ve just finished confirming Rin’s okay.

The next thing I would do is... inform Kara?

...But, at that time, I already confirmed Kara was still in her challenge room.

Thus, I’d sit besides sleeping Rin while attempting to figure out magical warding.

[Abandoned Timeline; 2 hours before Kara’s death (regular time).]

Tapping a random book on floor... I pondered on magical warding. 

Ugh, this makes no sense?

How can I restrict the environment’s mana flow?

I can only affect my own mana slightly, and even that’s merely restraining it inside my body. 

I bet Rin would know. 

When Kara manages to escape, I should ask her about reading me some of these books. 

[Time in Training Room; 7 hours.]

Getting Kara to decipher these texts?

Is that what was on those notes Rin noticed?

I’m missing something, I should write down everything. 

This way, I’m not attempting to remember it from memory. 

Considering I’ll be here for awhile, I’ll probably forget things otherwise.

[Time in Training Room; 16 hours.]

Okay~ I think that’s everything.

Well... hopefully, I didn’t forget anything.

Something caught my attention though while I was writing.

Rin mentioned there were empty bowls and plates in the room when she awoke.

There’s no plates or bowls anywhere in this room. 

I’ve double, then triple checked.

Nada, nothing, zilch.

Absolutely none. 

Meaning, I left the room to acquire them at some point. 

Oh... 

I don’t need to eat, due to the world tree... but, Rin does. 

Going several days without food probably wouldn’t kill her, but it wouldn’t be good for her health.

Meaning, I must’ve fed her during that timeframe.

[Abandoned Timeline; 1 hour, 52 minutes before Kara’s death.]

Glancing down at Rin’s sleeping body... I quietly pondered, how do you feed someone sleeping?

Maybe, soup? Well, for now, I’ll try and make soup. 

I’m not particularly comfortable leaving Rin for a long period of time.

Maybe one of the training facilities has some food?

[Several minutes later...]

Alright, it’s fortunately that there was a cooking training room nearby with loads of supplies nearby.

It shouldn’t take long to make some soup.

I don’t feel comfortable leaving Rin alone for a long time, but I’ve left the door slightly open to prevent the time distortion effect from activating. 

It should only be a few moments for her. 

[Time in Training Room; 17 hours.]

Staring down at my notes, which were scattered about in a random fashion about the desk.

That leaves several questions though. such as, why was there empty plates along there along with the bowls?

Was I eating?

No, I wouldn’t take the time to make my own food. 

Not when Rin was lying there vulnerable.

Then, I must’ve meet Kara.

[Abandoned Timeline; 1 hour, 20 minutes before Kara’s death.]

Entering the hallway to create more soup, I noticed the door to the cooking room was already open. 

Peaking inside, I saw Kara chopping vegetables and cooking meat.

Err... Kara can cook?

No, that isn’t what I should be focusing on.

I should inform her about Rin’s state.

Calling out to her, “Kara?”

Kara turn toward me and waved with the knife still in her hand. “Hey... uh, Toby?.”

Toby?

Really? She forgot my name already?

Whatever, it’s not important right now. 

To catch Kara up on the current situation, I stated, “Rin was hit with some type of mental attack. She’s fine, but she’s still hasn’t awoken. I have her resting in one of the Training Rooms.”

Kara didn’t particularly take the news well and shouted, “What?! Where?!”

Pointing toward the Warding Room, where Rin was sleeping, Kara dropping the knife and ran off. 

Well... that’s something.

[Time in Training Room; 18 hours.]

So, I met up with Kara in the cooking room. 

She must’ve begun cooking for Rin’s meals... and, simultaneously, made some for me.

That explains the empty plates.

Still... why leave notes around the room?

Assuming Kara can read, she could’ve helped me decipher the books...

But, somehow, I don’t think that’s what was on them.

Hmmm... I should review my notes.

[Time in Training Room; 36 hours.]

Staring down at the papers I’d written, this makes no sense?

Flipping through them, why didn’t Kara tell Rin the name of her killer?

Even if she didn’t blame them completely, they still killed her.

‘It’s nobody’s fault beside my own. I tempted fate one too many times’ (or something along those lines...)

Why say that?

Unless... Kara stabbed herself?

... maybe, still doesn’t make sense.

Why would she choose that specific time?

Well, it’s irrelevant. 

I simply need to discover an infallible method to cheat fate. 

For the time being, let’s just writing down any idea that comes to mind. 

[Time in Training Room; 2 days, 7 hours.]

Banging my head against the desk in frustration.

Gah, I don’t know. 

I’ve only got three ideas.

First, illusion magic. 

Reproduce the entire scene without any of it actually happening.

I have no idea if that would work though, nor am I able to use magic. So while it might be something to try, it’s not a proper solution.

Second method, physically stab Kara without wounding her heart. 

In this case, we’d need someone to cast magic afterward. With it being a smaller wound, Kara can hopefully be healed afterward.

And the final method, use fake blood and a dagger to convince an outside observer that she’d been murdered.

Honestly, I don’t think any of those solutions will work.

I would be surprised If it was that simple to change her fate. 

Yet, instinctively, I know I’m forgetting or missing something important.

...didn’t future me say, ‘you’ll know what to do when the time comes.’ (Or something similar.)

Why would I say that?

What had I figured out?

The time’s ticking by and I still don’t know what to do. 

*Sigh....* let’s focus on magical warding for the time being. 

I’ve got plenty of time. 

I’m overly focusing on this problem and it’s clouding my prospective.

So... magical warding. 

I already know how to restrain my mana.

Maybe... if I practice that for a bit, I’ll have an epiphany on affecting environmental mana.

It’s something I’ve been meaning to practice anyway.

[Time in Training Room; 10 days.]

Training is really boring.

No internet, no readable books, no people to talk to.

A week ago, it was simply annoying. 

Now, I’m starting to get stir crazy.

I can’t leave until I figure out how to save Kara. 

Yet, whenever I focus on a solution to save Kara, my brain screams that I’m forgetting something important.

I... don’t know. 

Maybe, I should review my notes again.

[Time in Training Room; 23 days.]

Pouring over my notes, I brushed my pencil against the paper. 

At some point, I’d begun drawing the scenes. 

Specifically, I’m working on drawing Kara’s death. 

I keep hoping it’ll provide inspiration and I’ll figure out what I’m missing. 

At this point, I’ve got drawings of nearly everything Rin’s mentioned.

Granted, they aren’t great drawings. 

But, I should be able to show them to Rin for potential inaccuracies when she checks in on me.

Something that should happen in... Actually, I’ve lost track of time. 

When I forgot awhile ago, I stopped bothering to mark down when time passes.

Theoretically, Rin should check in on me after around 80-120 days.

Whenever that is.

Anyway... when she returns, I should be able to show he the scenes so she can pick out discrepancies.

[Time in Training Room; 40 days.]

*Sigh...*

I don’t have a clue what to do.

I’ve tried reviewing my notes, planning, improving... 

I’m stuck. 

In multiple ways.

I can’t figure out what’s bugging me about cheating fate... and the feeling of forgetting or missing something has only grown stronger.

For magical warding, I’ve learned how to constantly restrain my mana... but, I haven’t figured out how to affect environmental mana.

The only thing I’ve properly completed is the drawings... and those aren’t particularly good. 

On a side note, I think I’ve figured out why Kara died when she did. 

The timing coincides with Rin and I obtaining ten points. 

Now, I don’t have any evidence... but, I believe that fate forced death early because Rin and I could potentially leave. If we did that, the fate would’ve been impossible to complete.

Which leads me to another question, can we just obtain ten points then leave?

Would that break the fate? Hmmm, probably not.

Some catastrophic error would occur and we’d be trapped here until the fate happened.

It possible the timing was entirely coincidental... but, even if my theory’s wrong, it’s best to not risk it. 

When Rin returns, I’ll ask her to prevent everyone, including herself, from obtaining ten points.

[Time in Training Room; 50 days.]

Tapping my pencil on the desk, I pondered various things.

Life, reason for existence, and what makes people... well, people.

What separates life from death? 

Why do I exist?

Various unanswerable questions.

Nothing more than a thought experiment. Yet, they weren’t unanswerable. 

If someone knew potentially everything about a universe, a world, they could answer them.

If someone held the power to decide the unanswerable, would that make them a god?

Impossible, right? Yet, that what I used to do as an author.

Why do characters exist? To tell a story.

Is death simply an inconvenience or permanent separation? For Rin, it’s an inconvenience... yet, for everyone else, it’s a near permanent separation.

Can fate be changed? Almost certainly, yet... the difficulty would be immense.

That’s the challenge I’ve taken on though. To change fate. 

To swindle and deceive fate itself. 

Fate isn’t easily cheated though. 

All those plans I’ve thought up, they won’t... no, can’t work. 

I need a permanent solution. 

If I use something temporary like faking Kara’s death, fate might be deceived temporarily... but, it’ll come back later with a vengeance. 

At least, that’s how I would’ve designed it to work. 

I’ve been so caught up in life, I’d forgotten who I am.

What I am.

I’m an author. A story teller.

So, let me tell a story.

A story assuring fate never gets chance to act after realizing it was deceived.

Force it to accept the deception.

I’ve already realized what I need to do.

Laughing at myself... guess I’ve always been an advocate for permanent solutions.

Good, this should work.

I should’ve figured it out sooner. 

This must be what future Tobias realized after Kara’s death.

Or potentially beforehand, but... hesitated and mistakenly prioritize the future.

This isn’t the time to be focusing on the future. 

Life only exists in the present.

Still, I know what need to be done.

Cheat fate, huh? 

Bring it on. 

Dropping the pencil, I walked toward my notes scattered in the corner and collected them all in one place. 

Inhale deeply, I release a breath of flame destroying them all. 

They’re no longer needed. 

Since that’s what I’m going to do. Staying in here alone is pointless.