Kalyan woke up choking.
Not from pain.
From weight.
It felt like the world had leaned on his chest and decided to stay there. His aura refused to circulate properly, every breath scraping his lungs like broken glass.
Ledger:
"System integrity: compromised but functional."
"Status update confirmed."
"Collateral classification active."
He sat up slowly.
"What does that actually mean?" he asked.
The pause that followed was… uncomfortable.
Ledger:
"It means you are no longer merely a user."
"You are now an asset tied directly to system exposure."
"If you are destroyed, consequences propagate."
Kalyan rubbed his face.
"So I'm important."
Ledger:
"No."
"You are dangerous."
The World Pretends Nothing Happened
The Association's morning broadcast played as usual.
"—last night's anomaly was a false reading caused by atmospheric interference—"
Lies.
Clean ones.
Kalyan felt it immediately: the city felt… watched. Not hunted. Audited.
Ledger:
"Damage control in progress.
Association awareness level: limited.
External observers: concealed."
"They're covering it up."
Ledger:
"They are afraid of what they cannot classify."
Kalyan stood and nearly collapsed as his knee buckled.
Ledger:
"Warning.
Collateral bodies experience delayed backlash."
Pain flared across his spine.
Not damage.
Correction.
Collateral Side Effects
His status window flickered—not stats, not numbers.
New lines had appeared.
[Existence Burden: Active]
[System Interest: Compounding]
[Observer Access: Restricted but Present]
"What does Existence Burden mean?" Kalyan asked quietly.
Ledger:
"It means reality now notices you."
"Your presence creates friction."
"Weak environments will react."
As if to prove the point, a nearby glass cracked.
Just… cracked.
Kalyan froze.
"I didn't do that."
Ledger:
"Correct.
You merely existed."
The First Cost No One Warned Him About
He stepped outside.
People passed him normally.
Too normally.
No one made eye contact.
Ledger:
"Collateral effect detected.
Low-tier humans subconsciously avoid anomalies."
"So now I scare people?"
Ledger:
"No.
You register as unsafe data."
That hit harder than any monster.
A Message From Above
His phone vibrated.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
You entered something you shouldn't have.
This is your only warning.
Kalyan stared at the screen.
"Association?" he asked.
Ledger:
"Negative."
"Sender operates outside Hunter jurisdiction."
Another message arrived.
Do not breach again.
Next time, you won't wake up.
Kalyan smiled faintly.
"Funny."
Ledger:
"What is?"
"They think they're in control."
The Ledger's Confession
For the first time since activation, the Ledger spoke without being prompted.
Ledger:
"Clarification required."
"I did not anticipate survival probability after full protocol override."
"You didn't expect me to live?"
Ledger:
"…No."
Silence stretched.
Then—
Ledger:
"This changes projections."
"You are no longer a contingency."
"You are a variable."
Kalyan leaned against the railing, city spread beneath him.
"And variables?"
Ledger:
"Are either eliminated."
"Or weaponized."
Closing Hook
A new notification appeared—not a quest.
Not a warning.
A designation.
[System Update]
Collateral Path unlocked.
Master Imprints may now observe you.
Survival no longer guarantees safety.
Far above the city, something shifted.
Something old.
Something that remembered a time before systems, before Rafts, before humans had names for power.
And it whispered:
"So the ledger chose a side."
Kalyan closed his eyes.
"No," he said softly.
"It chose a debt."