Volume 1 Chapter 1: Part 3: Fates Changing

Seriously? Of course, he came here as well." Onyx and the rest turn around to see a group of males. All of them look at Onyx's group with smug. But it was nothing compared to the look the guy in the middle gave them. 

 

His hair, vibrant red like fire, and contrasting the bright color, his skin was tanned from being out in the sun for so long. 

 

He's handsome too. The mocking expression and smug attitude coming off his body made it dye down a bit. Even if he didn't have the smugness, his looks were nothing compared to Onyx.

 

The two groups start a staredown in front of the church building. Well, only the other group was staring daggers at Onyx and them. Wyatt and Lily made confused expressions, wondering why they were being stared at.

 

Irene's expression is dark. She knew perfectly well who the guy in the middle was. That's why she's giving the person a glare. While Onyx makes a tired expression as he asks,

 

"What do you want, Finn?"

 

Ignoring Onyx's question, Finn walks over to Irene, "Oh, my sweet little wife, you look beautiful today. Are you getting your skills now too? Do you want to come with me?"

 

"..." Not surprising. Onyx wasn't angry about being ignored. Finn is always called the lover of Irene. Well, self-proclaimed. The guy was one of the few hundreds who fell in love with Irene. 

 

And one of the few hundreds who confess to Irene as well. Naturally, when Irene heard him, she flatly rejected him. 

 

However, Finn didn't seem to not understand what rejection was. He continues to pursue Irene even after the multiple rejections that came with it.

 

Naturally, as Finn continued to pursue Irene, he saw a lot of Onyx. And ignoring him was a natural reaction that Onyx got used to now. 

 

The expression Finn gave Irene would have made any other girl swoon by him. 

 

Not Irene tho. 

 

"Sorry. But I already have a date in advance with Onyx here. So I can't go with you." Hugging onto Onyx's arm, Irene replies in a kind manner. But Onyx makes a strange expression. Aren't you pissing him off?

 

Ignoring my Onyx like you're some kind of superior being? Who do you think you are?! Irene didn't want to have anything to do with Finn. Frankly, she thought of him as a monkey.

 

Hearing her rejection, Finn grits his teeth, and he notices his group chuckling at him. He shouts, "Irene, I've been patient with you for such a long time. How could you choose this farmer's boy over me?! I'm better than him in so many things! He's worthless!"

 

Huh? Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black? Onyx doesn't know whether or not to laugh or cry at what Finn said.

 

"Isn't your family background the same as Onyx?! How dare you call Onyx worthless!" Onyx was about to call Finn out for that, but Irene took the words out of his mouth.

 

Finn's family background is literally the same as Onyx and everybody else. His father was a farmer, nothing more, nothing less. 

 

The only thing different about the two was the amount of work they did on the farm. 

 

Onyx has always been working on the farm, helping his family out. On the other hand, Finn was a slacker. Instead of helping out, he was hanging out with his group. 

 

"How could I be the same as this worthless farmer's boy! Unlike him, I'm destined for greatness! He will always be a farmer's boy!" Finn considers himself on a different level than Onyx. A higher and above level.

 

After saying that, his group started to hype what he said,

 

"Yeah! Finn is definitely going to get better skills than that brat!"

 

"How could that farmer's boy be able to get anything good! I bet he won't even get any skills!"

 

With how much they berated Onyx now, it seemed the laughter towards Finn was nowhere to be found. Those guys are basically dropouts the same as Finn, not caring about everything around them. 

 

Seriously! Do they not think before they talk? Some of them were older than him, and Onyx knows they got squat from the blessing from what others had told him before. They shouldn't be talking. 

 

"No! My big brother will get the best skills! You guys are liars!" The person to shout this out was Lily. 

 

It didn't need anybody else to tell her; she could tell her brother was getting picked on. And she wasn't going to let that happen. From the expression she's making, she's ready to pounce on them like a cat and scratch them. 

 

"Heh. Do you want to make a bet if you are so sure?" From the smug expression on Finn's face, Onyx knew he was up to no good.

 

"Not interested." He wasn't going to get pulled into one of his useless schemes. Not again. It's too much work for him.

 

"What's the matter? Are you scared that you're going to lose?" Finn continues to goad Onyx. 

 

"Do you think I'm a fool? Why should I be scared of you? Do you know how many times you lost to me in those useless competitions of yours? Those contests are nothing more than trash."

 

This wasn't the first time Finn had pulled this stunt against him. With how prideful Finn was, he wanted to flaunt his abilities to everybody. Especially in front of Irene. He wants to show her that he's many times better than Onyx.

 

So he challenges him every time they meet up. It became a daily basis for Onyx. What made it worse was Irene. Finn would wager Irene as the prize without her consent. 

 

Onyx wasn't going to let him continue with that, so he usually agreed with his useless contest. And every time he did, Onyx demolished him. 

 

Arm-wrestling, Onyx almost broke the guy's arm.

 

A race? Beat Finn by a mile.

 

A fistfight? Not a scratch on Onyx and a pile of mush next to him. 

 

Onyx knows he's purely better than Finn in every way. And after time, Onyx just expects himself to win. There wasn't any urgency. It was nothing more than a waste of time for him.

 

"This will be the final time! Winner takes all! The loser will never get close to Irene ever again!"

 

"isn't that what you say every time you start the bet?" Onyx scoffs at him. 

 

It was the same outcome every time. Finn would say the last line and then go back on his word. The only reason why Onyx kept accepting his challenges was to beat him even harder to make him give up.

 

"But this time will be different. Our skills will be the ones doing the talking. Whoever has the higher skills will be the one for Irene." Skills cannot be changed once they get them. The higher the level, the better the one is suited. 

 

'Nope. Not doing that." Onyx wasn't going to let himself get caught in the scheme again. It seems that all that beating isn't going to make him understand. Shaking his head, Onyx decided Finn was a lost cause.

 

It was too annoying, and there wasn't a benefit to him doing all of this. It's too heavily skewed to Finn's advantage.

 

The chances of losing are too high.

 

The chance of Onyx winning was 50-50 odds. Unlike the other times he fought, there's a higher chance of losing. He isn't going to leave it to lady luck to decide everything for him. 

 

Before Onyx could leave them there,

 

"I agree to the bet." Onyx never expected Irene would be the one to agree to the bet. And then Wyatt and Lily chime in,

 

"Big brother is going to beat you!" "Yeah! Big brother is better than you in every way!" All three of them have undying faith that Onyx would be able to beat Finn with ease.

 

When Finn hears this, a vicious smile forms on his face, "Then it's a deal. Irene, you better get ready to be my girl." The lust in his eyes is apparent as he walks away with his group.

 

"I will never become your girlfriend!" "Hmpf! Better run away, you smelly boy!" "Bye-bye, you big meanie!" The two children, plus the girl, continue to talk down to them while they walk away. 

 

"Why did you guys agree to the bet?" Hearing the cold voice, the three of them start to shiver. Turning around, they look at Onyx. Pure discontent is plastered onto his face. 

 

Onyx was pissed off at the three of them for agreeing to the bet without his consent. 

 

"But, big brother! They were making fun of you!"

 

"And that makes it right for you to accept the bet without thinking about the consequences?" When he heard the harsh tone in Onyx's voice, Wyatt didn't say anything anymore. 

 

He scampers behind Irene, using her as a protective shield. 

 

"Why can't I accept the bet? I'm in this situation too." Irene puffs her chest out, protecting Wyatt. She continues, "And you don't need to worry about it. I know you're going to win easily against him." Seeing the confident expression Irene had, Onyx couldn't believe it.

 

"How could you guys have so much blind confidence in me?" It felt like he was being treated like the god of victory or something. He just couldn't understand that.

 

"Simple. Because I can." Whenever anything happened to her, Onyx was always there to help her solve it. 

 

Onyx didn't know whether he should laugh or cry at her words. 

 

"You know if I lose, then I will have to stay away from you from now on, right?" That's the reason why he didn't want to take a bet based on luck. 

 

"You can always go back on your word like him? You never accepted the bet anyways." With how much Finn has been doing that to them, why couldn't Onyx do that as well?

 

Onyx shook his head, "I don't want to be such a person. You accepted the bet in my place. If I don't uphold my end of the deal, what kind of person would I be?" Unlike Finn, Onyx didn't like going back on bets or challenges. He would honor it through till the end. 

 

Irene sighs, "With that personality of yours, it will get you into big trouble sooner or later." But then she smiles, "But that's what I like about you."

 

Unlike Onyx's stubborn personality, Irene won't play by Finn's rules.

 

I can do whatever I want! Screw that brat!

 

 "...." Can you not attack me so suddenly like that?! Onyx blushes as he can't believe she would say something like that in this situation.

 

Sighing, Onyx says, 

 

"Let's just go and walk around now. We should also eat these treats we have while we wait."

 

Irene nods her head, and Wyatts looks super excited, all hungry. However, before they go, Onyx looks back at Lily, unmoving. 

 

The child was biting her lip, looking down in sadness. 

 

"Hmmm? What's wrong, Lily? Aren't you excited?" Seeing her standing there made Irene confused.

 

On the other hand, Onyx makes a strained smile, understanding why she's sad. Crouching down in front of her, "It's not your fault now. You don't need to think about it so hard."

 

"But I cause big brother and big sister so much trouble." Hearing what Onyx said before, she felt guilty for causing so much trouble for Onyx and Irene. 

 

But Onyx rubs her head,

 

"Don't worry about it now. I was just a little angry. A little bit."

 

"But-"

 

"No buts. Your big brother just has to win the bet." Onyx picks her up and then asks, "Do you think your big brother will  lose this bet?" 

 

Lily quickly shook her head, "No! Big brother is the best! You will definitely win against that bad man!" 

 

Out of everybody in the family, Lily idolized Onyx the most. He has always been there for Wyatt and her. Onyx is the perfect big brother in her eyes. She knows he's going to destroy Finn!

 

When Onyx hears that, he smiles brightly, "Then let's go and have fun then!"  Putting her over his shoulders, the four of them set into the village again. 

 

Unlike yesterday, more stands are opened due to the priests from the holy land coming over. The four of them were eating their snacks and having fun.

 

The four of them lasted there all the way till noon. 

 

"What the?" Irene and Onyx look down at the slip of paper they got. It was shining a bright azure blue color. 

 

When the four return to the church, there's still a large crowd there. However, there's something different about the scene. 

 

A lot of people surround Finn. And the smug look on his face looks like it'll pop off in a few seconds. 

 

When he spots Irene, Finn quickly walks up to her, 

 

"Irene! I told you! Get ready to become my wife! Look at these skills I got!" He shows the skill card right into their face,

 

When they look at it, the skills Finn got are, 

 

Fire Magic Mastery- Elementary Rank

Axe mastery - High Rank

Woodworking - Intermediate Rank 

 

Onyx makes a disturbed expression. These skills are good. Just getting an intermediate rank is enough to make him a star of the village. Ergo, the many people that were around him. 

 

But Finn actually has one rank higher, a high-rank one. Getting a high-ranking skill in the village was really rare. 

 

Only a few handfuls of people in the village actually have a high-ranking level. 

 

Lily and Wyatt don't understand the rankings as Lily shouts, "My big brother will get better skills than yours!" Wyatt nods his head as well.

 

"Really?" Finn looks at the crowd, "Hear that, you guys! Don't you guys also want to see what kind of skills Onyx will get!"

 

With the skills he has, Finn isn't going to let this chance go. He was going to drive it in.

 

"Yeah! I want to see what kind of skills Onyx will get!" 

 

"Onyx will definitely get something interesting today!" 

 

Everybody knew each other. Of course, the crowd is interested in what Onyx would get. 

 

While everybody's curious as to what the two of them will get, Onyx looks at Irene,

 

"You should go and get your skills checked first." The goading of the crowd wasn't needed. 

 

Irene nods her head and gives the slip of paper back to the priest. Before going into the church, Irene turns around back to Onyx and makes a pumped fist. Messaging to Onyx that she'll do her best.

 

Once Irene walks into the church, Finn continues to goad him, "Hmpf, this will be the last time you will be able to talk to her, Onyx. We'll know today who's actually the loser and the winner.

 

Irene is going to be mine and mine alone!" He could already imagine taking Irene away from Onyx's clutches and kissing her right in front of his face.

 

"Shut up." Before Finn could continue to say anything else to him, Onyx was already annoyed. With Irene not here, he didn't need to hold his anger back.

 

"Oh? Is somebody angry because they're about to lose the bet? It's not my fault that the gods favor me more." 

 

Onyx laughs at him, "Why would I care about whoever Irene chooses? Irene is her own person. She gets to choose whoever she loves." A sneer took the place of his laugh as he continued,

 

"But you make her into an object which is so annoying and repulsive." 

 

There was always a gripe Onyx has with Finn. Even after all those times he had beat Finn, he would always tell him that Irene wasn't an object that could be given away like that.

 

Every single time, the man wouldn't listen. Ignoring it, he continued with his antics. 

 

"So what?! You're just angry that you're going to lose. Irene is going to be mine. You can just sit there and watch like a loser." 

 

When the crowd heard that, they made an ugly expression at him. Irene was the poster girl of the village. Hearing how she's being treated like an object, the Irene fans are getting ready to fight Finn.

 

But compared to the disgusted expression the crowd was making, it was nothing compared to the ugly look Onyx's making. 

 

This bastard! Onyx was ready to punch him in the face. But before he could do anything to him, Irene rushes out of the church and tackle hugs him!

 

"ughhhhh!" Onyx felt the side of his ribs almost cracked! If he didn't have fast reactions, Irene would definitely break all of his ribs. 

 

Plus a spine too. 

 

"Are you trying to kill me?!" However, his surprise didn't last long as he held onto her. Irene looked different. She has been silent, not like her cheerful and bright personality from before. 

 

"What's wrong?" Onyx got worried that something might have happened to her skills.

 

Did she get some horrible skills?

 

"....I got it." Irene looks up at him. Tears were all over her face.

 

What? Onyx goes wide-eyed. Before the crowd could wonder what skills Irene got, the head priest came running out of the church!

 

"Irene! Don't forget your skill card!" When Irene heard him, she took the skill card from him. And she holds it really tight in her embrace, like a new baby. 

 

"Sorry and thank you, gramps." The head priest has always been kind to all of them. And the head priest has a large smile,

 

"You don't need to apologize. Today our village has given birth to a new hero!" The moment he says this, the whole area turns silent.