The Colour Of My Fate (Completed)

Chapter Nineteen

Razal's words, though seemingly calm, carried an underlying storm of thought-provoking ideas.

Kirito was caught off guard when Razal asked, "What do you think can shake the mind of a victorious tortoise?"

At first, Kirito was speechless, unsure of how to respond to such a riddle. But after some consideration, he realized that the question is probably connected to him.

Taking advantage of the silence, Razal elaborated further.

"If the tortoise was given the impression that he had not won, he would begin to question his own victory. This could lead him to confusion and self-doubt. Similarly, you may have passed this test, but you have been given the impression that you have failed."

Shomer chimed in, adding,

"Sometimes, we find it amusing to observe how humans react to certain situations. It's fascinating to see the changes in their emotions, whether they feel excited, disappointed, hopeful, or hopeless. We just witnessed a variety of emotions from you, from being baffled to being drained of hope."

As Shomer spoke, Kirito reflected on the validity of his statement. He couldn't deny the fact that Shomer had accurately described his emotions at that moment.

Then, Razal spoke again. Pointing at the two doors at the far end of the hall, which were too far away to see clearly.

"Kirito Suzuki, look at those two doors over there and tell me the colors you see," Razal said.

Hearing that, Kirito turned around to see the doors. He was amazed to see two visible doors, which he could now see clearly.

"One door has a pattern of black and red squares, while the other has a pattern of white and green triangles," Kirito said.
"That's correct," Razal confirmed. "The outcome of your judgement will determine which door you will go through. If the judgement is that you have failed the test, you will be sent through the door that is black and red as that is the colour of your fate. This will lead you to a point in time just before you attempted to take your own life, without any memory of your time here. In other words, you would be back where you started, with the same emotions and situation as before. But if my judgement says you passed the test, your fate is White and green. This means you will exit my realm through the door that has those colors. And as you must have figured out, that door leads to a changed fate filled with fortune. Furthermore, a helper will be sent to you on the same day you almost took your life, with your memories of this place intact for the duration of 24 hours. And it's during that time your fate will be changed," Razal paused for a few seconds. Then, continued with a smile. "The heart of man can lead to his destructuon. Same way, the heart of man can lead to his redemption. Truly, you're deemed worthy of a changed fate or perhaps, a new one. So, rejoice for the door of successs is calling your name. Go and enjoy the life you deserve," Razal said gesturing for Shomer to accompany Kirito to his merited door.

Like a flood, joy started flowing uncontrollably from Kirito immediately he heard that. It was visible on his face as words of gratitude started pouring out of his mouth like water rushing out violently.

"Thank you so much my lord, I greatly appreciate. Thank you. I greatly appreciate. Thank you." he said over and over again.
"I accept your gratitude," Razal replied, "but I want you to know that you're the one that changed your own fate. All I did was give you the chance, and you made good use of it."

With that, Kirito turned to Shomer, who gestured for him to follow. Kirito followed Shomer behind as they walked towards the far end of the hall, leaving the rest of the men and Razal behind.

As they walked, the men started thinking to themselves.

"So, it ended on a good note," Dominick thought. "I doubt any of us could have predicted that Razal was just pulling his leg a little."

"Wow!" thought Oliver. "What an unpredictable turn of events! For a moment, we were all convinced that he had failed the test, despite all that was said about him. But it turned out to be much more entertaining than I expected. I wonder if mine will end up like his. I guess I'll know when it's my turn."

"So, him failing the test had been all a bluff," Meshach thought.

"Who could ever expect them to pull off something like that? We all probably had the same impression about it. But they're both really unpredictable, pulling that off."

"I didn't see this coming," Khali thought. "This god really scared the hell out of him, but it ended well for him in the end."

As the men kept drowning in their thoughts, Razal interrupted them by saying, "One down, four to go. So, who's up next? No, I'll choose myself." Then, he pointed at Meshach. "Meshach Adewale, come forward," he said.

A jolt of shock struck Meshach when he heard his name called.

"It's my turn now," Meshach thought. "I hope it turns out well for me. No, I believe it will turn out well for me." With that, Meshach stepped forward.
"Before we start, we need to wait for Shomer to return," Razal said. "I want him to judge you first before I give the final judgement, just like I did with Kirito."

After that, a silence clouded the air as everyone awaited Shomer's return. It seemed like twenty minutes had passed or more before Shomer finally returned.

As Shomer walked to the side of Razal, Meshach kept staring at him, wondering what he would say about him.

Razal fixed his gaze on Shomer, who was fully within his line of sight.

"You seem to have walked here instead of teleporting," Razal said. "I'm saying this because I don't want to delay the fun."
"You're right, my Lord," Shomer replied. "I'll do as you say, but have you considered that delay is a way of creating suspense? That's the sort of tension I want in this atmosphere." Shomer responded with a cheeky smile.
"Well, you do have a solid point," Razal said. "But is that really necessary? Sometimes, you just have to quench your thirst with a cold drink before it gets too iced. I'm here to judge these men, not to torture them emotionally or psychologically."
"That's right, my lord," Shomer responded.
"Now, judge this young man before you before I give the final judgement," Razal said.
"My pleasure, my lord," Shomer said, fixing his gaze on Meshach.

Meshach's eyes met his gaze, bracing himself for what Shomer was about to say.

In the meantime, fear began sinking into the hearts of some of the other men, realizing that they might be next.