Minh Truong realized something was wrong before the System spoke.
A familiar event was about to unfold—one he had seen before, one he knew how it should go. The sequence was clear in his mind, stable, predictable.
And yet, the world hesitated.
Not the characters.
Not the environment.
The event itself stalled, as if waiting for permission.
A quiet prompt surfaced.
[Pending Narrative Node Detected]
Status: Unresolved
Observation Required for Stabilization]
Minh Truong frowned.
"So now you need me?" he whispered.
He didn't move.
Didn't focus.
Didn't lean in.
The world waited anyway.
Seconds passed.
The pressure returned—heavier than before. Not painful, but insistent. Like a system running out of tolerance.
[World Load Increasing]
Cause: Incomplete Observation Loop]
His chest tightened.
He understood the trap instantly.
If he didn't observe, the event would destabilize.
If he did observe, the cost would be paid by the world—and logged against him.
There was no neutral option.
"Clever," Minh Truong muttered.
He let his attention settle on the scene.
The moment he did, everything snapped back into motion.
Dialogue resumed.
Actions aligned.
The story continued—smooth, seamless.
But the System did not thank him.
[Observation Registered]
[Cost Allocated]
[Synchronization Rate: +0.4%]
Minh Truong exhaled slowly.
So this was how it worked now.
Not commands.
Not interference.
Maintenance.
Inside the Astral Express, March 7th laughed lightly. "Hey, that was easier than expected!"
Dan Heng didn't respond right away.
"That resolution," he said finally, "was… efficient."
Kafka's eyes flicked toward the window.
Too efficient.
She felt it again—that subtle tightening of reality, like a knot being pulled just a little too hard.
Someone, somewhere, had paid for that smooth outcome.
Minh Truong leaned back in his chair, hands clenched.
The System remained visible—but silent.
No warnings.
No explanations.
Only a new line, faint and easy to miss.
[Containment Phase: Soft]
He stared at it for a long time.
"So this is containment," he said quietly.
"Not locking me out."
"But making sure I'm needed."
The realization settled heavily.
The world wasn't trying to erase him.
It was making his absence expensive.
And once that happened often enough—
Leaving would no longer be a choice.
Minh Truong closed his eyes.
Somewhere deep in the system, something recalculated.
And the story moved on.