When Steel Fortress had first been constructed, the goal had been perfect form and space with no excess. Even though the buildings and roads shifted every day with the imperial palace at the center, the structure never looked awkward. There was no unnecessary space, and no inconvenience. It was all thanks to the mysteries and magic buried deep within Steel Fortress, and the intelligence displayed by the gathered geniuses of the age. Just like the magic and wisdom of that era had been preserved, the dark-colored True Steel that made up the fortress remained untouched. A near-mystical mineral said to never change even over thousands or tens of thousands of years, it endured any storm or danger without flinching. But unlike minerals or magic, people changed easily.

They added greed to the once-perfect palace. They overlaid their own achievements atop a space that had already been more than sufficient. When imperfect things were added to something perfect, with time, useless and leftover spaces began to appear , scraps. Bits of place that served no purpose. The collection of those leftover scraps was what they began to call the gorges of Steel Fortress.

The locations where the gorges emerged were random. But the patterns they took were always distinct.

“We have arrived at the gorge.”

A narrow path opened between towering walls and buildings that had long lost their use. One of the gorges.

“Move on to the next gorge.”

“Understood.”

He shook his head, displeased, and gave the order. The driver and Alfred looked puzzled, but obeyed without question.

“Is there a particular location Your Highness wishes to visit?”

“It’s a patrol. We may go through every gorge, or none at all.”

They would probably be wondering why the prince was suddenly patrolling , and of all places, the gorges.

[Analyzing the fate of the location. No danger detected. Has no influence on lower fate shadows.]

But in his eyes, it was visible. The fate of this place. If Sol ,who would one day become the Shadow Witch and the Empire’s strongest battle mage , was beginning to awaken, he would surely sense it. In fact, 

[The lower fate shadow senses another’s shadow and begins to stir.]

Even now, somewhere, Sol’s shadow was wriggling into motion. Fate continued to send signals.

“Sniff. Pick up the speed.”

“Understood, Your Highness. Accelerating!”

Saliva had pooled in the prince’s mouth at the thought of devouring fate. As he swallowed it, the driver seemed to misinterpret it and floored the pedal. The landscape outside rushed past. Inside, the only sound was the soft hum of the mana engine at high output. Occasionally, the click and pop of gravel hitting the chassis came from behind. As he  gazed out the window, the subtle scent of fine leather drifted up , and he was about to recall the true nature of Sol that he had seen in his past life.

“Stop. Right now.”

“Stopping!”

“Screeeeech!” The sudden command made the driver slam the brakes. The car stopped.

“Back up. Further. Yes , herd it right there.”

“Isn’t that a blocked-off area?”

“…Does it look blocked to you? Really? Because it looks completely open to me.”

“No, Your Highness. I can see it. It’s clearly a path.”

At the prince’s insistence, the driver turned the wheel.

“There it is! It’s a gorge!”

“Go inside.”

“It seems dangerous… Do you truly wish to proceed?”

“Would it be more dangerous than me, who’s sitting directly behind you?”

“…”

A narrow alleyway, hidden between buildings, revealed itself.

[The lower fate shadow writhes violently!]

“Found it” , a response that lit up as he passed by. The driver gulped nervously but couldn’t defy the order. Slowly, the vehicle pushed into the gorge. The road bent and twisted, winding like a serpent.

“A maze,” I said.

“A maze, indeed,” Alfred replied.

Even among the gorges, this one was especially entangled , a mess of warped spaces and architectural leftovers. The car barely fit through, inching forward as it zigzagged through the tight corners. Before long, 

“It seems we cannot proceed any further.”

“Then I’ll get out. Stay here.”

The moment Alfred and The prince started to step out,  “Wham!”, He grabbed the driver with a rough hand as he exited the backseat.

“Y-Your Highness! Please have mercy! It’s really too narrow for the car to continue.”

“If you don’t want to die, shut your mouth.”

Dragging him by the collar, He flung  both of them outside , just as a shadow burst from the alley and bit down hard on the car’s front.

“Crunch. Crunch”. The seat where the driver had just been sitting was crushed in the jaws of darkness. The mana engine exploded, but the shadow only quivered for a moment, then stretched its mouth into a wide, satisfied grin.

“Your Highness! You must retreat!” Alfred shouted.

“Ugh… the car… the car…”

Alfred urgently called for the prince to flee, but his lips curved up, mirroring the shadow’s grin. Why would He run?

“We’ve found the right place.”

Having come all this way , no reason to hesitate now. With no weapon in hand, he stepped straight toward the shadow-filled alley.

“Your Highness! It’s dangerous!” Alfred cried, unable to reveal his true identity, torn between his duty and disguise.

“It’s fine. Stop calling me. You’re being annoying.” As if on a leisurely stroll, I walked forward, carefree.

“Your Highness!”  

“W-wait! Your Highness!”

Soon, He was far away from Alfred and the driver, deep into the alley. The shadow opened its maw and lunged , but didn’t bite.

“If you’re not going to attack, don’t even bother appearing.”

It couldn’t strike Him. At his scolding, the shadow closed its mouth. The rippling darkness soon faded away. The driver let out a sigh of relief. Alfred’s gaze burned on the prince’s back.

“Alfred. Stay here and wait.”

Just as he issued the command and prepared to walk deeper in search of Sol, 

“Vuuung…”

The space rippled. The twisted path that had looked like a maze began to unravel, as if threads were being pulled loose. And soon, a clearing opened. Between the towering walls,

“Kyaaaargh!”

A mass of black shadow let out a sharp screech. The sudden spatial shift caused even Alfred’s face to go stiff , the prince caught a glimpse of his expression at the edge of his vision. He was clearly shaken. That shift must have been his doing. As the protector of the royal bloodline, he would have the authority to manipulate local space. The prince decided to pretend not to notice. As he stepped toward the mass of shadow, 

“Kyaaaah!”

Inside the squirming bundle, something twisted. The prince caught a glimpse of a white mask worn over a puppet-like figure.

Sol.