The moment the first attacker hit the ground, the alley fell silent.
Even the air seemed to freeze.
The remaining two masked figures stared at Ethan—not with anger, but with something far more unsettling.
Fear.
Lira stepped slightly in front of Ethan, blade ready, cloak fluttering in the cold wind. "They didn't expect you to touch fate," she murmured. "No one does. Not at your level."
Ethan swallowed. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
She didn't answer.
Because the System did.
[Warning: Fate Ledger Usage Detected by External Entities.]
[Consequence: Host's existence is now marked.]
"Marked?" Ethan hissed in his mind. "You couldn't warn me before I broke someone's destiny like snapping a toothpick?"
[System Response: Host is encouraged to make bold decisions.]
"…That's not comforting."
Before he could argue further, the masked figure with the chain-like aura snarled through his mask.
"You don't know what you've just done. Breaking another's Fate Thread… it carries a price."
He lifted his hand.
Ethan felt it instantly—a sharp, stabbing pain behind his eyes.
The world spun.
[Alert: Counter-Fate Attempt Detected.]
[Host is being dragged into a Fate Imbalance state.]
"Ethan!" Lira grabbed his arm.
Through the haze, Ethan forced himself to look at the attacker's Fate Thread again. The golden lines flickered erratically.
Weak.
Stretched tight.
Barely holding.
He raised his hand.
The masked figure's eyes widened beneath the mask. "Wait—"
Ethan tapped the glowing Chain Vulnerability mark.
The air cracked like thunder.
Invisible shackles around the attacker's body snapped with a sound like breaking steel. He screamed as his form convulsed—then collapsed beside the first.
Only one enemy remained.
The chaotic one.
His aura flickered violently, shifting like wildfire and smoke. "You fool," he spat. "You think fate is a toy? You think you can keep breaking threads without consequence?"
He spread his hands.
His chaotic aura ignited.
BOOM—
The air twisted.
The pavement cracked.
Even the faint light above flickered as if afraid.
Lira's eyes widened. "He's destabilizing his own fate! Ethan, step back—he's going to—"
"—explode?" Ethan guessed.
"No. Something worse."
The chaotic figure lunged.
Ethan reacted instinctively—opening the Ledger one more time.
But something was wrong.
The panel flickered.
Glitched.
Lines of gold script trembled violently.
[Warning: Target's Fate Thread is unstable beyond normal parameters.]
[Host action may trigger Fate Reversal.]
"Fate… reversal?"
Lira's voice broke through. "Don't touch it! You're not ready!"
But Ethan had already moved.
His finger tapped the Instability – Critical mark.
For a heartbeat, everything froze.
Then—
CRACK.
The universe seemed to turn inside-out.
A wave of distorted energy burst from the attacker, but instead of exploding outward—it imploded, collapsing into a sphere of twisting light before vanishing entirely.
Silence.
The alley was empty, save for Ethan, Lira, and the two unconscious bodies.
Ethan staggered, breathing hard. "What… did I just do?"
Lira looked at him with an expression that mixed awe and dread.
"You reversed his fate. You sent him somewhere fate couldn't reach."
"That sounds bad."
"It's worse than death," she whispered.
Ethan's knees weakened, but the System chimed calmly.
[Host Advancement Achieved.]
[New Attribute Unlocked — Fate Resistance +10]
[New Function Available — Ledger Insight (Basic)]
Lira caught him before he collapsed. "Ethan, you used the Ledger three times in one hour. Mortals aren't meant to touch fate like this."
"I'm not… mortal?" he murmured, half joking, half terrified.
She met his eyes.
"You're becoming something else."
Before Ethan could speak, distant sirens echoed through the city.
Lights flashed.
Lira's body tensed. "More hunters will come. Stronger ones."
Ethan forced himself to stand. "Then we leave. Now."
But as they turned to escape, the System whispered softly:
[Notice: Higher Entities have taken interest in the host.]
[The first Observer is already on the move.]
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine.
"Great," he muttered. "As if tonight wasn't bad enough."
They disappeared into the shadows—unaware that far above the city, hidden within the clouded night sky, a pair of golden eyes had just opened.
---