I was engulfed in darkness.
When I looked around, there was nothing—no sky, no ground—only endless black. Then I felt it.
A gaze.
It came from far away, impossibly distant, yet the pressure it carried crushed me where I stood. My legs trembled. My knees gave way.
"Who… are you?" I forced out.
A voice answered, calm and absolute.
"I am the Curse Weaver."
I tried to lift my head, to see her face—but the moment I did, the pressure multiplied. My vision blurred. My body screamed. I was forced to lower my gaze to the floor of endless darkness, able to see nothing but my own trembling form.
Her voice carried an authority I had never faced before. Cold. Overwhelming. Familiar.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"In a dream," she replied flatly.
"So… I'm sleeping in reality?"
"Yes."
Then she continued, "I have seen your future."
My breath caught. "What did you see?"
"Things you do not wish to see," she said. "And things you cannot bear."
Shock froze me in place.
"If you follow my orders," she went on, "I can help you change it. But in return, you must change one thing for me."
"…What?" I asked.
"The System itself."
The words were heavy. Absolute.
I clenched my fists. "If you possess power at this level, why don't you do it yourself?"
There was a pause.
"There are certain things even I cannot mend," she said at last. "That is why I guide you—because your path reaches places where my hands cannot."
Silence stretched between us.
"…What future did you see?" I asked.
Her answer was simple.
"See it for yourself."
The darkness folded inward.
---
I was standing on a battlefield.
The air was thick with death.
I saw myself.
My skin was covered in draconic scales, radiating a black-purple aura. Crimson, devilish eyes burned beneath a broken gaze. I was holding a girl in my arms—crying.
I never thought I would cry for anyone like that.
But the words that left my future self shattered me.
"Lina… don't die again. Please. Don't leave me alone again."
I ran toward him—but an invisible barrier stopped me. I wasn't there. I was only a witness.
Lina smiled weakly.
"I don't regret meeting you," she said softly. "Even if this marks my second death. Even if I'm reborn… I would still try to find you again. So don't cry, my boy."
A deep, brutal wound split her body from shoulder to stomach. A black-red flame eroded her flesh as blood soaked her clothes. With trembling fingers, she wiped the tears from his face.
Then her hand fell.
Her soul burned away before my eyes.
My future self wrapped her body in the cape he wore—its emblem showing a lone rider raising a sword while surrounded by enemies in a circle.
That was when they came.
A small army of elves—horns, tails, faces hidden.
They had hostages.
Mira.
Eron.
Mother.
They didn't bring Aeldir as a hostage.
One of them carried his severed head by the hair—blood still dripping onto the dust.
They were exhausted. Bruised. Bleeding. Their armor cracked. Their bodies bore the marks of a battle they had clearly survived together.
And I knew it.
They would never give up so easily.
That was what made this unbearable.
"You've lost," the elves mocked.
My future self screamed, rage and despair tearing his voice apart.
"Leave them! I'm your enemy! I killed your village—they had nothing to do with it!"
They laughed.
Aeldir was beheaded first.
My future self surged forward—but a spear pierced his knee, slamming him down.
"Stop it!" he screamed.
Eron looked calm… yet tears ran down his face.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "For being my brother, Ryn."
Then his head fell.
Mother stepped forward next.
"You've done enough," she said gently. "I know my death is inevitable—but after this, rest. You gave us everything."
They killed her without hesitation.
Finally, they turned to Mira.
She smiled through her tears.
"They took vengeance," she said softly. "And you delivered punishment. Live… and be happy."
My future self lost everything.
"Kill me!" he screamed. "I have nothing left—no reason to live!"
One of the elves struck him with a gauntleted fist, slamming him into the ground. A spear followed—piercing his heart.
I couldn't scream.
I could only watch.
---
The darkness returned.
"If the System remains untouched," the Curse Weaver said, "and if you do not follow my orders—this future will occur."
My voice shook. "Then I'll erase its existence."
"From this moment on," she said, "you will follow my commands—as a slave follows their master."
I clenched my teeth. "If that's what it takes to prevent this… I will."
"Then remember this," she said. "No matter what happens in the finale—you must obtain Devil Eyes."
"Why?"
"Because at their maximum form," she replied, "they can resist Authority, defy Blessings, and survive what the System was designed to overwrite."
I nodded.
Light swallowed me whole.
---
I woke up gasping.
An elf was beside me, gently wiping sweat and tears from my face.
"General," he said softly. "You're awake."
I nodded.
Until I can destroy the System… I will use it—but I will not depend on it.
I opened the system menu and purchased the finale map with my remaining coins. Only 18 hours remained.
My body ached, every muscle screaming—but my mana channels had stabilized thanks to my team. As I tried to sit up, the elves stopped me, insisting on healing first.
Five minutes later, the pain vanished.
We gathered.
The plan changed.
This was no longer about winning a tournament.
No longer about power.
This was about changing fate itself.
No matter the cost—I would walk this path.
And if they were taken because they were weak…
Then I would make sure they would never be weak again.
The future I saw was not the one I would accept.
And I swore—
I would change it.
"If fate insists on this ending, then fate will be corrected