Adam's private chamber in the eastern wing of the palace was nothing like the dark sanctuary he had eventually created in his previous life. No forbidden texts lined the shelves, no experimental circles were etched into the floors, and the windows remained uncovered, allowing sunlight to stream across the polished stone.
Appearances, he had learned, were crucial to the path he now walked.
Three days had passed since the equinox celebration. Three days of contemplating Archmage Levian's unexpected gift. The violet crystal sat on Adam's desk, catching the morning light in its facets, occasionally emitting tiny pulses of energy that only an experienced Arkmage would notice.
Adam studied it with narrowed eyes. In his twenty-three years of life before his execution, he had never encountered its like. A focusing tool, Levian had called it. But focused on what?
He picked it up, feeling its weight—heavier than it appeared—and the subtle vibration of Violet energy within. The Violet aspect of the Spectrum represented chaos and probability, the most unpredictable of the seven energies. Few mastered it; fewer still used it as their primary affinity.
In his previous life, Adam had dismissed Violet as too unreliable for his purposes. He had focused on Crimson for destruction, Obsidian for stealth, and eventually, his ill-fated experiments with energies beyond the Spectrum—the Void techniques that had ultimately led to his downfall.
[ARTIFACT ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS]
[CAUTION RECOMMENDED]
[UNKNOWN MAGICAL PROPERTIES DETECTED]
The Genesis System's warning crawled across his vision as he turned the crystal in his hands. Caution, indeed. For all he knew, this could be a trap—a test to see if the Crossmarked prince would dabble with energies beyond his affinity.
A knock at his door interrupted his examination. Adam quickly set the crystal down.
"Enter," he called, composing his features into the studious expression he had cultivated.
Magister Valen stepped into the chamber, a leather-bound tome under his arm. "Good morning, Prince Adam. I trust you're prepared for today's lesson?"
"Of course, Master Valen," Adam replied, rising respectfully.
The tutor's gaze fell on the violet crystal. His eyebrows rose sharply. "Where did you acquire that?"
"A gift from Archmage Levian at the equinox celebration," Adam explained, watching Valen's reaction carefully. "He called it a focusing tool."
Valen approached the desk slowly, as one might approach a venomous serpent. "Did he now? And did the Archmage explain how to use this... tool?"
"No," Adam admitted. "I was hoping you might provide some guidance."
Valen made no move to touch the crystal. "Prince Adam, this is a Probability Nexus—an extremely rare and potentially dangerous artifact. They're typically used only by seventh-circle mages with Violet affinity."
Adam feigned innocent curiosity. "What does it do?"
"It's said to reveal paths not taken," Valen explained reluctantly. "To show the caster glimpses of what might have been, or what might yet be. But the visions can be... misleading. Deceptive."
Adam's interest sharpened. This sounded remarkably similar to the Fate Perception ability the Genesis System had begun to unlock for him.
"Why would Archmage Levian give such a thing to me?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
Valen's expression darkened. "That is an excellent question, Your Highness. One I intend to discuss with your father." He extended his hand. "I should take this for safekeeping until—"
"No," Adam said firmly, then softened his tone. "I mean, the Archmage gave it to me personally. Wouldn't it be discourteous to relinquish his gift?"
"Courtesy must sometimes yield to caution," Valen replied, but his hand faltered. Even as Adam's tutor, he was reluctant to directly countermand a prince of the realm.
Adam sensed his advantage. "What if we study it together? You could supervise my first attempt to use it properly. That way, there's no danger of misuse."
Valen hesitated, clearly torn between his duty to protect his young charge and his curiosity about the rare artifact. "Your father would not approve."
"My father appointed you because he trusts your judgment," Adam countered smoothly. "If you determine it's too dangerous after our investigation, I'll surrender it without protest."
It was the perfect appeal to Valen's pride as a scholar and his authority as a tutor. Adam watched the internal debate play across the man's features, remembering how easy the magister had been to manipulate in his previous life.
"Very well," Valen finally conceded. "But we proceed with the utmost caution. And I reserve the right to terminate the experiment at any sign of danger."
"Agreed," Adam said, hiding his satisfaction.
Valen set his tome aside and drew a containment circle on the floor with a piece of enchanted chalk—a precaution against energy discharge. He gestured for Adam to place the crystal at the center.
"Now, focus your awareness on the crystal, but do not channel any energy into it," Valen instructed. "The Nexus responds to intention rather than direct manipulation."
Adam knelt at the edge of the circle, fixing his gaze on the violet facets. He cleared his mind of specific expectations—a technique he had mastered in his meditations on Void energy in his previous life.
The crystal began to pulse more visibly, the violet light within it swirling like smoke.
"Good," Valen murmured. "Now, frame a question in your mind. Something with multiple possible outcomes. The Nexus will attempt to show you probabilities."
Adam considered carefully. Too trivial a question would waste this opportunity. Too significant might reveal more of his knowledge than was safe.
He settled on a question balanced between the two: What paths lie before my brother and me?
The crystal's light intensified, extending tendrils of violet energy that reached toward Adam. Valen tensed but did not interfere.
As the energy touched Adam's consciousness, the room around him faded, replaced by a cascade of images:
Marcus and himself at sixteen, standing back to back in battle against shadowy figures—a path where they fought together rather than against each other.
Himself at twenty, wearing the crown of Solaris, with Marcus kneeling before him—not in defeat, but in fealty.
Marcus dead at his feet, eyes vacant—but not by Adam's hand. A third figure stood in shadow nearby.
The royal palace in flames, as a tear in reality spilled darkness across the land—the Void breach that, in his original timeline, Adam himself had created.
The visions came faster, blurring together:
—Himself with Shayna, her flame-red hair spread across white pillows—
—Marcus wielding a blade of pure Void energy, his green eyes turned black—
—A child with white hair and violet eyes, standing between the twin princes—
—King Tiberius lying dead, the Radiant Crown shattered beside him—
—The Genesis System interface hovering above a battlefield strewn with bodies—
With a gasp, Adam wrenched his consciousness free of the crystal's influence. The visions collapsed, and he found himself still kneeling on his chamber floor, Valen gripping his shoulders with concern.
"Prince Adam! Are you alright?"
Adam blinked, his mind reeling from the cascade of possibilities. Some aligned with his original timeline, others diverged wildly into realms he had never imagined.
"I'm... fine," he managed, though he felt anything but. The Crystal had shown him possibilities the Genesis System's limited Fate Perception had not—including outcomes where Marcus became the villain instead of him.
"What did you see?" Valen asked, his scholarly curiosity overcoming his caution.
"Fragments," Adam replied truthfully. "Possible futures, I think. Some contradicting others."
"That is the nature of the Nexus," Valen confirmed, helping Adam to his feet. "It shows not certainties, but probabilities. The more unlikely the outcome, the more fleeting the vision."
Adam's gaze returned to the crystal, now dormant once more. "Why would Archmage Levian want me to see such things?"
Valen's expression grew troubled. "I cannot say with certainty. But the Archmage is known for his interest in prophecy and predestination. Perhaps..." He hesitated.
"Perhaps what?" Adam pressed.
"Perhaps he wishes to challenge the path many believe is set for one with the Crossmark." Valen's voice lowered. "To show you that destiny is not fixed, but fluid."
[FATE PERCEPTION ABILITY STRENGTHENED]
[NEW INSIGHT GAINED: MULTIPLE VIABLE TIMELINES CONFIRMED]
[CYCLE OBJECTIVES EXPANDED]
The Genesis System's message confirmed what Adam had begun to suspect: his rebirth cycles weren't just about getting stronger or making better strategic choices. They were about fundamentally altering the course of fate itself.
"Thank you for supervising this experiment, Master Valen," Adam said, his voice steadier than he felt. "I believe I've learned what I needed to."
Valen nodded, still looking concerned. "We should still inform your father about the Archmage's gift."
"Of course," Adam agreed readily. "I have nothing to hide."
Another small lie in a growing collection. But necessary. The crystal had shown him possibilities he had never considered—including futures where Marcus fell to darkness while Adam remained in the light.
The thought was... unsettling. In all his plots and plans for this second chance, he had assumed the fundamental dynamics would remain: Marcus the beloved hero, Adam the feared villain. But what if those roles weren't as fixed as he had believed?
What if, in trying to avoid his fate, he inadvertently damned his brother to a similar one?
The question troubled him far more than it should have.
After Valen departed to report to the king, Adam picked up the crystal once more. This time, he asked a different question:
Am I capable of change?
The crystal pulsed once, brightly, then shattered in his hand—fragments turning to dust that dissipated into the air, leaving no trace of the artifact behind.
Adam stared at his empty palm, a chill running down his spine.
He wasn't sure if that was an answer or a warning.