Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 167: Providence
CH167 Providence
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[A.N: Fair Warning!]
[The next two Chapters are my way of accounting for the MC’s Halo canonically. It somehow ended up a 2-Chapter series that’s outside the current plot. You don’t have to read it. You can skip it without much consequence towards enjoy the story
[Whatever you decide, Enjoy!]
When Alex first learned about the Heartwood Tree from Merlin—and the fact that its growth was tied to its Caretaker’s Providence—he immediately tried to look deeper into the subject.
His thinking was simple; the more he understood about Providence, the better he could consciously increase his own. And if he succeeded in that, then he could accelerate the growth of the Bonsai Tree within his Sanctuary Space.
After all, he still hadn’t forgotten the mysterious "Daddy Golden Energy" signature that had once guided him inside the Pangea realm Subspace Sanctuary Merlin sent him to him. He suspected it was somehow connected to either the Heartwood’s growth, his Providence, or perhaps both.
Whatever the case, the one factor he could control was his Providence.
And if he could grow his Providence, perhaps he could begin to ’farm’ that mysterious golden energy.
But of course, the will to act doesn’t mean the world makes things easy.
As it turned out, most—if not all—documents on Providence were restricted to Grand Mage rank and above within the Enclave’s library system. Not even his Rune-Net contributions could get him access to that particular category.
It took time. And some careful persuasion. But eventually, Alex managed to convince Merlin to give him a peek—strictly due to his "unique situation," as Merlin called it.
Still, what Merlin provided was a heavily watered-down summary of the topic. Not nearly enough to count as real research material, but just enough to offer him some foundational insight.
Thankfully, that was enough to let him fill in some of the blanks using knowledge from his previous life’s novels.
It wasn’t much. But it was a start.
So—what exactly was Providence?
According to the texts Merlin gave him, that was a difficult question. Even scholars couldn’t agree on a singular definition. In fact, most people arrived at different interpretations depending on their worldview, rank, or experience.
Yet, amidst the confusion, a few ideas were broadly accepted as consistent.
Providence was described as a mysterious force that accompanied all forms of existence—be it an individual, family, nation, species, race, planet, or plane.
Following the principle that all things, given enough time, eventually form a "soul" (whether literally or metaphorically), the theory suggested that anything with a soul would eventually develop Providence.
In that sense, Providence could be viewed as a trait or characteristic of a soul... and yet, paradoxically, not quite part of it either.
It was difficult to prove. The Realm of Souls was far beyond any mortal’s reach.
Another common belief was that Providence reflected a being’s value in the eyes of its world—or its inherent qualification to pursue a chosen path under the guide of the world.
The stronger one’s Providence, the more likely it was that the world itself would align to support that being in achieving its goals.
Some mistook Providence for Luck, but that wasn’t quite accurate.
While Luck and Providence were indeed abstruse forces, and often worked in tandem, they were not the same. In fact, many falsely believed that higher Providence directly translated to greater Luck.
It wasn’t necessarily wrong—but the truth was more nuanced than that.
Yes, beings with higher Providence often displayed remarkable Luck. But the relationship wasn’t linear.
Scholars—both ancient and modern—believed the correlation existed because beings with strong Luck were more likely to obtain the achievements or qualifications that allowed them to attain higher Providence. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
In essence, Luck could facilitate the growth of Providence. And reverse was the case as well.
The subtlety of Luck and Providence makes it difficult to observe their workings—let alone distinguish where one ends and the other begins.
Their elusive nature is what renders them so challenging to study, let alone to differentiate with precision.
One major reason why the study of Providence is heavily restricted lies in the nature of how it’s approached: true comprehension can only begin by understanding the fundamental Laws that govern the world.
Grand Mages and Saints, by virtue of their rank, begin to come into contact with the Derived Laws. Thus, for them, it is not unthinkable to approach concepts believed to connect to the True Laws—an area only those at the Legend-tier and beyond can begin to grasp.
To genuinely see beyond the similarities and understand the distinctions between Providence and Luck, one must shift focus away from their effects and instead study the Laws through which they operate.
At its core, the difference between Luck and Providence lies not in the visible outcome, but in their interaction with the Supreme Law of Destiny and the Fundamental Law of Fate.
Luck is a function—an agent—of the Supreme Law of Destiny. Because it acts as a direct extension of this higher Law, Luck can sometimes bypass the constraints imposed by Fate altogether.
When the core of a soul is formed—whether in a person, a creature, or a spiritual entity—it becomes bound with a unique ’Destiny’.
Depending on the uniqueness of the soul, and the abstruse conditions encoded into the Law of Destiny itself, the soul will receive fixed details about its life, mostly but not limited to its birth and death.
Any force or event that attempts to disrupt this preordained arrangement is automatically counteracted by the agent of Destiny we call Luck.
Likewise, Luck ensures that critical precursor events happen in alignment with one’s destined path.
To explain this, Alex turned to something familiar: the logic of storytelling.
If the protagonist in a novel is destined to clash with a powerful noble villain, then Luck—an agent of Destiny—works to guarantee the two meet. Regardless of how improbable that encounter might be in the natural order of things, Luck can manipulate the situation—dropping unexpected allies or granting last-minute breakthroughs—so the hero survives long enough to face their destined opponent.
In contrast, Providence is not an agent of Destiny. It is a consequence—an effect—of both the Supreme Law of Destiny and the Fundamental Law of Fate working in tandem.
One can acquire Providence purely by the circumstances of their existence. For example, someone born into the Royal Family inherits a measure of Providence simply due to their bloodline and status. This is Providence derived from Destiny.
Simultaneously, an individual’s choices in life also shape and increase their Providence. A person who chooses to lead others—be it as ruler, general, or guide—naturally accrues greater Providence than someone who shirks such responsibility. This is Providence born of Fate.
In other words, an individual’s Providence is the accumulated result of what Destiny provided and how Fate responded to their personal decisions.
Alex’s own Providence, then, is a blend of both. It stems from the circumstances of his reincarnation into the Fury bloodline (Destiny) and from his conscious decision to contend for the heir position of Earl Drake Fury’s line rather than live in obscurity (Fate).
Another key distinction lies in how these forces behave.
Luck, as an agent of Destiny, cannot be commanded or influenced. It acts where it is needed—unbound by individual will—and often disregards personal effort or intent. It functions independently of the choices a person makes.
This is because Destiny, by nature, supersedes the cause and effect concepts of Fate.
Providence, on the other hand, though largely automatic and often subtle, can—under some stringent conditions—be influenced or shaped. A person with a powerful enough will or spiritual resonance may, at great cost, sway the effects of their own Providence. Though it cannot rewrite Destiny, it can influence the outcome side of the cause-and-effect principles of Fate.
But such feats are rare... and rarely without consequence.
**
