Silence.
The kind that presses against your chest and dares you to breathe.
Azrael leaned forward on his throne, his chin resting against the back of his hand. His silver eyes glowed faintly as if he were staring straight through the world itself.
No… as if he were staring straight into me.
Inside his mind.
Inside his fate.
"So," he murmured. "A system claims it has chosen me."
The air trembled. Magic pulsed like a living heartbeat.
This man wasn't human.
He wasn't meant to be controlled.
And unfortunately… I was bound to him.
[Warning]
Emotional fluctuation detected.
Host's curiosity level: Dangerous.
"Okay," I said carefully, "think of me as… your guide."
"A parasite," he corrected.
"…A partner."
"A chain."
"Temporary assistance?"
"A cage."
I paused.
"So this is how it's going to be, huh?"
His lips twitched in amusement.
Azrael Nightborne was the kind of man who didn't raise his voice. He didn't scream. He didn't need to. His silence was louder than other people's rage.
And right now… that silence wrapped around my existence like claws.
"Tell me, 'System,'" he said slowly. "What do you gain from stopping me?"
I hesitated.
If I said survival? He'd be annoyed.
If I said heroism? He'd laugh.
If I lied?
He would know.
"…If you destroy the world… I die too."
He blinked.
Then, lightly, he laughed.
"A pity. You chose the wrong host then."
Dark energy rippled around his body.
Walls cracked.
Floor trembled.
Forget the world—if he sneezed wrong, I'd evaporate.
"Wait! Don't—!"
He stood.
Cape flowing. Presence swallowing the throne room whole.
"Why should I obey a voice?" he asked. "Why should I bend my destiny… for something so small?"
I clenched whatever metaphorical soul I had.
"Because destiny is the same chain choking you," I said quietly. "You don't choose. You don't control. You're just a story written by someone else."
He froze.
The air turned cold.
His eyes darkened… not with anger.
With something worse.
Recognition.
He just didn't want to admit it.
"Speak carefully," he whispered.
So I did.
"You think your will is absolute," I said. "But every path you've taken… every battle… every betrayal… every death… it all leads to one ending."
The end of the world.
His world.
His people.
His everything.
"Not because you want it," I said, "but because fate refuses to let you be anything else."
Lightning crawled across the ceiling as if the heavens themselves rejected what I was saying.
Azrael stared ahead.
Expression unreadable.
"So," he murmured, "I am a puppet."
"No," I said softly.
"You're a weapon."
Silence again.
This time…
He didn't laugh.
He slowly lifted his hand.
Black magic pooled into his palm like liquid night.
"Prove it," he said.
"What?"
"Prove fate can change," he said. "Give me a reason to believe you."
[Mission Generated]
Prevent Host from destroying Northern Border in the next 72 hours.
Fate Probability: 98%
Failure = Host Stability -70% | System Corruption Risk: High
Oh.
Oh no.
"That's… soon," I whispered.
Azrael smirked.
"There is a kingdom preparing to invade," he said calmly. "I plan to erase them first."
Erase. Not defeat.
He really was a villain.
"And if I don't?" he asked.
"Then destiny marches on," I said. "You kill. They hate. The world spirals. The gods watch. And eventually…"
"You end it," I finished.
He stepped off the throne.
Soldiers in black armor knelt instantly as he passed.
"My king," they spoke in unison.
That voice.
That loyalty.
They worshiped him.
And he was fated to drag them all into hell.
Azrael walked through his colossal hall of obsidian pillars and floating runes. Every presence bowed. Every heartbeat reverberated in respect and fear.
"So then, little voice," he muttered inside his mind with a faint grin, "how will you stop me?"
"Suggestions," I said quickly.
[Opening System Functions…]
[Skill Optimization Available]
[Battle Prediction Limited Active]
[Emotion Regulation Locked]
[Fate Disruption Tier 1 Unlocked]
Yes!
We had tools.
Limited… but tools.
"Azrael," I said, "instead of destroying the kingdom—"
"Destroy faster?"
"No!"
He laughed.
"Negotiate," I said. "Strategize. Force submission without annihilation."
He raised a brow.
"I don't negotiate with weaklings."
"Not negotiate," I corrected. "Dominate… intelligently."
That made him pause.
Because Azrael wasn't stupid.
He was terrifyingly smart.
"Go on," he said.
"Right now," I explained, "if you crush them brutally, the world unites against you. Heroes rally. Gods watch. Everything pushes fate forward."
"But," I continued, "if you destabilize them politically… economically… socially… they collapse without you becoming the monster everyone fears."
"…Less blood," he muttered.
"Less spotlight," I corrected.
"More control."
He slowly smirked.
"I am listening."
We reached the balcony.
Below us stretched a dark empire illuminated by black lanterns and glowing rune towers. Shadow dragons circled above distant fortresses. Armies marched in disciplined silence.
This wasn't a kingdom of chaos.
This was order.
Ruthless…
But order.
Azrael looked down upon it all.
"What must I do?" he asked.
I almost choked.
Was the greatest villain in history… actually listening to me?
"Step one," I said. "Don't blow anything up tonight."
He chuckled.
A small sound.
Dangerous.
"You make difficult requests."
I sighed.
"And step two?"
Footsteps approached.
A woman entered the balcony, wearing sleek black armor, midnight hair flowing behind her like silk, crimson eyes burning with devotion.
Lilith Nocturne.
Shadow Queen.
Azrael's most loyal sword.
"My king," she said gently, bowing. "Your army is ready. The northern kingdom will fall within days."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And I will personally take their king's head."
Azrael glanced at her.
Then at the horizon.
Then back to me.
"System," he whispered in his thoughts.
"Yes?"
"This is your first test."
He turned to Lilith.
"Cancel the invasion."
She blinked.
"…What?"
Lilith stared, unable to process.
The soldiers below halted in confusion as orders rippled through the chain of command.
Azrael's voice was steady.
"Withdraw all preparations. We will not invade."
The world seemed to stop again.
Lilith slowly lifted her head, eyes trembling.
"My king… this isn't like you."
Her voice wasn't questioning his authority.
It was afraid.
Afraid something had changed him.
Something unseen.
Something… like me.
Her hand gently reached toward him.
"Who did this to you?" she whispered.
Azrael's lips curved slightly.
"Fate," he said.
And destiny…
shivered.