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(Fate) Chapter 203: Make this painting good..
🕑 Added 2024-11-20 16:03:16 +0000 UTCThe next morning, when Promise woke up from his sleep, he was startled to find the wise centaur sitting quietly by his bedside, waiting patiently for him to wake.
He even pinched his cheek, half-convinced he was still dreaming, before rolling over and lying down again.
“It’s really me,” Chiron chuckled, amused by Promise’s reaction. “I came here from the cave on Mount Pelion.”
“Wait… Teacher, it’s really you?”
Promise got up, rubbing his face again to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
Feeling the sting of his own pinch and confirming that he was not dreaming, he looked at Chiron with delight. "Teacher, why are you here?!"
“I’m here because, for what lies ahead, I should be here,” Chiron thought about it and replied with a warm smile.
"What lies ahead?" Promise asked, a bit confused. “What do you mean?”
"Your offering to Ares, the god of war,” Chiron answered simply. "The painting of Ares.”
"This will be a piece created in return for all those you’ve helped along the way—a tribute to you, crafted by the very heroes you’ve supported. And as one of them, I’m naturally meant to be here."
Having said all this, before Promise could fully process this, Chiron went on, "However, because the gods cannot take action in this trial, I can only come here to handle another matter: to imprison you—no, I mean protect you.”
Promise didn't speak for a while, but there was a flash of understanding in his eyes.
“Where is everyone else?” he asked.
Chiron glanced toward the sun, which had been up for a while, and replied, “They’ve already set out to find the two divine bulls left by the sun god, Helios in the countryside and have begun the first trial, I expect.”
Realizing this, Promise immediately leapt out of bed, hurriedly changed, and rushed outside to call for Pegasus.
But the latter didn’t respond to his call.
“That guy!” Promise's face darkened a little, and he couldn't help feeling angry
After all, he knew Pegasus wasn’t just “not hearing” him; he was either busy grazing or simply pretending not to hear.
“Promise, there’s no need to be so flustered.”
Chiron walked over at a leisurely pace, smiling at Promise.
“It’s too dangerous!” Promise looked at Chiron with a mixture of worry and frustration. “These are divine bulls left by the sun god Helios himself. If they’re touched by those flames…”
"Indeed," Chiron nodded, "under normal circumstances, one would likely perish."
“Then why did you let them take such a reckless risk?” Promise asked, clearly anxious.
Chiron was silent for a moment before responding with a calm gaze, "If I’m being honest, I’ve been letting you take reckless risks from the beginning. After all, you couldn’t even beat Jason in a fight, could you?"
Promise was stunned for a moment, and then looked at the teacher in disbelief.
Teacher, how could you say something so brutally cold?
"T-that’s… different!" Promise stammered, trying to justify his concern.
“How is it different?” Chiron asked gently, still smiling. “It’s you who may have forgotten something. For example… the fact that they, like you, are all heroes aboard the Argo.
"They came together, journeyed to this land, for the sake of the precious Golden Fleece, and to bring glory back to Greece."
As Promise absorbed Chiron’s words, he continued, “And have you forgotten the promise you made to Queen Hera, the words you spoke to Jason? You told him that he… is a true hero."
---
Meanwhile, in the countryside outside Colchis, inside a cave…
"I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die! Why me? Why does it have to be me?!"
Jason ran out of the cave with a look of horror on his face, and with his appearance, the whole ground began to tremble beneath him.
Following him, two enormous bulls covered in flames, with hooves of bronze and fire streaming from their nostrils, charged out in fury.
Each of the bulls stood at least four or five meters tall, about twice the size of a normal bull.
“Help, help! Save me, Promise—ah, right, Promise isn’t here! Heracles, Actaeon, someone, help!”
Jason, crying and crawling, narrowly managed to avoid the charges of the divine bulls several times as he led them out of the cave.
“Ha ha ha! Well done, Jason!”
Heracles burst into laughter and then went straight to meet a divine bull.
When the two collided, the ground trembled. Yet this bull, born of the sun, was astonishingly held back by Heracles alone.
On the other side, Actaeon, who had transformed into a giant stag, roared and charged forward alongside Theseus, Meleager, and others.
Even with their combined strength, they could barely restrain the bull, and only temporarily.
Just as they were preparing to harness the bulls for plowing, one of the defiant creatures spewed flames from its mouth and even Heracles had to retreat for the time being.
Several others were injured at once.
Thankfully, they had applied Medea’s ointment beforehand so it wasn't that serious.
Atalanta then stepped forward, firing arrows to draw the bull’s attention, skillfully dodging and engaging the frenzied creature with her remarkable speed.
The bulls, in their blind rage, toppled nearby trees and reduced everything in their path to ashes.
The Colchians watching from a distance couldn’t help but hold their breath in worry for the group.
Even King Aeëtes and Queen Idyia of Colchis were visibly anxious, wanting to call off the event several times.
Because even Medea was helping out at this time.
As the sun rose higher and the divine bulls grew stronger under its light,
Promise finally arrived at the scene.
Looking at the chaotic scene in front of him, he was startled and prepared to intervene, but Chiron stopped him.
"Promise, if you step in now, you won’t be helping them," Chiron said softly.
Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "And please put away that brush in your hand. Otherwise… they will never forgive me, and I will carry the guilt forever."
...That’s quite the threat.
Promise twitched at Chiron’s words, and finally had no choice but to put the paintbrush away..
He gazed at the battlefield in silence, where even those who were supposed to remain on the ship, like the giant stag Actaeon and the others had joined the effort.
“No wonder Heracles kept insisting he had to come at this moment no matter what… No wonder Athena only told me that Ares’ painting and offerings must not involve the power of the gods. It turns out everything was already arranged,” he muttered after calming down.
Then he asked, “Who else is involved?”
Chiron thought for a moment and replied, “Aside from Ares, even the king of the gods, Zeus, has been here.”
Speaking of this, Chiron couldn’t help but laugh.
Because they had all secretly sent “representatives,” smugly thinking they were the only ones, planning to wait until the time was right and then show off in front of the gods.
So, at this moment Chiron was thinking that even the goddess of wisdom might feel embarrassed because of this sneaky behavior.
But if everyone is embarrassed together, then it’s not so embarrassing anymore.
"This is all because fate has been rewritten, isn’t it?" Promise looked at Chiron.
After all, he had mentioned “them,” so it was clear that Promise had rewritten Chiron’s original destiny.
Chiron nodded without denying it.
Promise fell silent again, then sighed deeply and said, "I never intended for them to find out, nor did I ever plan to use it as leverage.”
"This isn’t about leverage. You’ve helped them so much, even rewriting their destined fates. Why do you so adamantly reject our help?" Chiron looked at the young man and asked quietly.
"You saved Actaeon, who had turned into a stag, from dying at the hands of his friend Meleager. You also saved Meleager from being killed by his mother. You made Heracles’ life less painful. "
“You changed Atalanta’s original destiny, allowing her to run freely and happily forever. You went to the Underworld yourself to bring back Orpheus’s beloved.
“You left your mark on the paths of Jason, Medea, Theseus, and even the young Helen.
You have worked tirelessly to ensure they could all bask happily in sunlight and they all wish to repay you for that. Why are you so intent on rejecting them?"
Promise didn’t respond immediately.
After a while, his voice came out low. “Because I’ve already received the best gratitude.”
As he spoke, a spirit card—visible only to him—appeared in his hand.
Staring at it, he said, almost to himself, "I wanted to be a hero, to leave my name in this era. I’ve indeed rewritten their destinies, but… haven’t I also taken the legends that belonged to them and made them mine?"
As he spoke, a trace of guilt flashed across his face.
Promise had never claimed to help others selflessly.
On the contrary, his motives were always clear and straightforward: to participate in the original legend of these heroes and leave his mark.
But as he walked this path, he realized he wasn’t participating in these legends—he was stealing them.
For example,
The glory of the Argo should have belonged to Jason. The Calydonian Boar hunt should have been Meleager’s. The great feat of rescuing Prometheus, the god of foresight, should have been Heracles’.
Though Promise never regretted his actions and always gave his best effort, there were moments when he felt he owed them something.
And then, Promise was struck by an arrow.
Even in the midst of battle, the moment Promise appeared, many couldn’t help but keep part of their attention on him.
It was to prevent him from rushing in—and, for Atalanta and the others, perhaps it was just a habit by now.
So, Atalanta shot an arrow that landed right at his feet.
Even Heracles glared at him in frustration.
But Chiron, despite his stern expression, started to laugh.
"Now I understand why Goddess Athena deliberately kept this hidden for so long, and why Queen of Heaven, Hera and even Goddess of Fate, Clotho decided to intervene… Promise, these gods truly do care for you."
Then, he looked back at the battlefield.
Perhaps hearing Promise’s words, Jason roared with anger and stepped forward, seizing the divine bull with his bare hands.
The collective glare of the heroes caused the enraged, sun-born bulls to feel fear for the first time!
"And I think this will make for a truly beautiful painting," Chiron said, smiling faintly. “One that is not inferior to any divine painting you hold. The heroes have paved the road to the god of war, Ares, for you. You will reach the end and defeat him.”
Chiron paused, then chuckled again and said. "So, Promise, you’d better make this painting look good. Otherwise, the anger burning in their hearts right now might not be so easy to extinguish."
Hearing this, Promise glanced down at the arrow lying on the ground and then at the battlefield, where angry glares were still being cast in his direction.
He sighed, helplessly raised his hand, and said, “Fine, I get it.”
.
.
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