---
The breeze was unnaturally cold.
It wasn't the routine chill of morning, but a cold that slithered slowly into the bones, as if the forest itself were exhaling an ancient fear accumulated over centuries, with no escape.
Arthur stood at the edge of a dirt path plunging into the bowels of the eastern forest. The trees there were not mere plants; they were twisted trunks and outstretched branches like charred fingers striving to strangle the light. Every step forward seemed like an irreversible decision.
The forest pulsed—not with life, but with ravenous anticipation.
Suddenly—
The air split before his eyes, and a glowing blue frame erupted, its edges sharp as polished blades:
[First Quest Activated]
Quest Name: Shards of Fate.
Objective: Rescue "The Outcast" before she falls into darkness.
Reward: Increased physical stats + Unlock a new function for the "Eye of Insight".
Failure Penalty: Target's death… and their transformation into one of your fiercest future enemies.
Arthur slowly raised an eyebrow, his eyes never leaving the shifting shadows. "The Outcast? Who exactly are you talking about?"
The System exploded with exaggerated enthusiasm, nearly shattering the silence of the place:
[Woooh! Your first quest! Show some enthusiasm, man! Where's that heroic spark?]
"I'm enthusiastic… internally," Arthur replied dryly, continuing to scan his surroundings.
The System cleared its throat—despite being just a voice—then continued in a more serious tone:
[Alright… The target is a girl. Today, she's supposed to lose her way, enter a cave corrupted by darkness, and remain trapped there for years.]
The voice paused, as if the words weighed heavily even on it:
[That cave devours mana and tortures those who enter. It doesn't kill them instantly… but slowly shatters their minds, eventually turning them into wholly dark entities.]
Arthur began walking. His steps were measured and calm, following small footprints sunk into the mud—scattered tracks betraying panic and disorientation.
"Her name?" he asked without stopping.
[She's not famous yet… but she'll become one of the most dangerous figures in the future. Her title will be: "Lady of Ashes."]
Arthur stopped abruptly.
That name wasn't unfamiliar to him. "The one who blew up an entire city in Quest #512?"
[Yes! Yes! That's her!] the System answered with blatant admiration. [Man, you really did spend your nights studying the game files.]
"I was stuck on that stage for months," Arthur said, resuming his walk. "Of course I know her."
With each step, the trees grew denser, the light faded, until day itself turned into a gloomy twilight. The air thickened, and silence ceased to be mere silence—it became a pressure crushing chests.
Then—he saw her.
She stood among the trees, her body trembling violently. Her dirty silver hair hung tangled over her shoulders, and her wide blue eyes were flooded with naked, primal fear. Her clothes were torn at the edges, superficial wounds covering her arms as if she'd been running through thorns nonstop.
The System whispered in an unusually soft tone:
[Target identified.]
The girl hadn't noticed Arthur. She stared at the entrance of a cave ahead—a cave that swallowed light. Its maw resembled an open beast's jaw, exhaling cold air saturated with suffocating dark mana. The ground around the cave was dead… no grass, no insects, no life.
Her steps moved toward it in a slow, mechanical trance… as if her body no longer obeyed her mind.
Exactly as the game's original storyline had described.
Arthur spoke, his voice quiet yet sharp as a blade:
"You. Stop."
The girl froze. She turned slowly, as if the motion might shatter her. Her gaze was hollow—the look of someone standing at the edge of an abyss.
She spoke in a hoarse, broken voice: "I… got lost… I don't know… where to…"
[If she enters now… she'll never return as she was. This is the original fate!]
Arthur advanced step by step. He didn't run, didn't shout, showed no haste. He asked in a cold tone, yet not unkind:
"What's your name?"
She hesitated, then answered in a whisper barely audible: "Eliara…"
"Yes. That was her real name, mentioned only once in the game's secret files—files only obsessives ever find. Of course, I wasn't obsessive. That information was posted online—that's how I knew. I'm not some game-obsessed loser with no life, digging for any detail."
Arthur extended his hand toward her. "You're in the wrong place, Eliara."
She recoiled a step, then stared at the cave in utter terror—as if something inside was calling to her. She suddenly screamed, covering her ears:
"No! No… that voice… I hear it! It says it can help me…!"
The System urged urgently: **[Corruption is whispering to her. This is very bad.]**
Arthur glared at the cave. There was no fear in his eyes—only pure disgust.
He spoke, sharp and calm: "Silence."
He wasn't addressing Eliara. He was speaking to the cave itself. For one second… the air fell completely still.
Arthur extended his hand again toward the girl on the verge of collapse:
"If you want to live… take my hand."
Eliara trembled violently, then collapsed to her knees, sobbing: "I don't want… to hear that voice anymore… I want… to leave this place…"
Arthur approached, gripping her shoulder firmly, his voice brooking no refusal:
"I won't let you fall."
In that moment—a new window burst forth:
[Congratulations! Fate has been altered.]
"Eliara" has been rescued from entering the cursed cave.
A new story branch unlocked: "Lady of Ashes… Who Never Fell."
Quest Reward: +5 Stat points (Stats).
Bonus Reward: +1 Endurance.
The System spoke, genuine astonishment in its voice:
[Man… you're changing the story faster than I expected.]
Arthur lifted the unconscious Eliara, exhausted from sheer terror, and replied calmly:
"The story… is mine now."
He turned and walked away from the cave. Behind him… the darkness hissed in silent frustration.
And so… the first knot in the chain of fate was broken.