I didn't move for a long time after the aura pressure disappeared.
Not because I couldn't.
Because moving before my body stabilized would have wasted what little stamina I had left.
[STAMINA: 3% ⚠]Condition: Near collapse
I stayed seated, back against the wall, and focused on breathing.
Slow. Controlled.
In through the nose.Out through the mouth.
After a few minutes, the shaking stopped.
Not all at once. It faded gradually, like my body was checking whether the danger had truly passed. I waited until my heartbeat slowed before trying to move again.
I shifted one leg.
Pain answered immediately—deep and heavy, running through my thigh and lower back. I stopped and waited for it to dull.
So this was my limit.
Good.
Limits were useful when you acknowledged them.
I glanced at the faint system interface hovering near the edge of my vision.
[STAMINA: 5%]Recovery: Passive
Barely functional.
But improving.
I pushed myself upright and rested my head against the wall. Standing was still a bad idea. Falling now would have ended everything in the most pointless way possible.
The alley was quiet.
No footsteps.No voices.No aura pressing down on my chest.
They were gone.
Not defeated.
Withdrawn.
That distinction mattered.
I closed my eyes briefly and replayed what had happened. Not emotionally. Logically.
They had tested.They had confirmed survival.They had stopped.
Which meant the decision was no longer with the field unit.
It had moved upward.
That was when the system reacted.
Not suddenly.
Not urgently.
It simply appeared.
A translucent interface unfolded in front of my eyes, steady and clear.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Event Logged: Survival beyond recorded terminationReference Outcome: None available
Anomaly Load: Increased
I focused on the words.
Reference outcome: none.
Of course.
There was no correct future for me. No path I was deviating from. Elias Calderon had been erased before the story ever began.
So my survival didn't break fate.
It strained probability.
[STABILITY COMPENSATION ISSUED]
Anomaly Points Acquired: +120 AP
I stared at the number.
One hundred and twenty.
Not small.Not excessive.
Calculated.
The system wasn't rewarding me.
It wasn't warning me.
It was balancing.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Host existence increases world processing load.Stability compensation applied.
So that was the truth of it.
I wasn't being hunted by destiny.I wasn't defying the world.
I was simply heavy.
An unplanned variable the system had to account for.
I opened the anomaly interface.
[ANOMALY POINTS MENU]
Available Balance: 120 AP
Stamina Reinforcement (Minor) – 30 APImproves stamina recovery rate
Aura Resistance (Minor) – 50 APReduces movement restriction from stronger opponents
Shadow Stabilization (Lv.1 → Lv.2) – 80 APReduces stamina drain, improves control
Interface Clarity Upgrade – 40 APImproves system feedback accuracy
I didn't rush.
Shadow was my escape tool.Stamina was my bottleneck.Aura pressure had almost pinned me to the ground.
I didn't need power.
I needed margin.
I made my choice.
[CONFIRMED SELECTION]
Stamina Reinforcement (Minor) – 30 AP
Aura Resistance (Minor) – 50 AP
Remaining AP: 40
There was no flash of light.
No surge.
Just a subtle easing, like my body finally stopped fighting itself. My breathing smoothed. The tightness in my muscles loosened slightly.
[UPDATE COMPLETE]
Stamina recovery improvedAura resistance active (Minor)
I waited another minute.
Then I stood.
This time, my legs held.
Not strong.
But steady.
That was enough.
I left the alley without looking back.
The city resumed around me as if nothing had happened. Cars passed. People talked. Someone laughed nearby. Life moved on over the place where I should have died.
That was fine.
I wasn't interested in what almost happened.
I was interested in what came next.
Severance
The call came later that night.
No greeting.No apology.
Victor Calderon's voice was calm. Controlled. Slightly annoyed.
"You survived," he said.
"Yes."
"You were not meant to."
"I know."
Silence followed.
Then, "You want compensation."
"No," I replied. "I want distance."
Another pause.
"I want enough money to disappear," I continued. "No surveillance. No interference. No future contact."
"You'll be listed as deceased," he said.
"I already am."
That ended the conversation.
The transfer arrived minutes later.
[FUNDS RECEIVED]12,000 Gold Crowns
I stared at the number for a few seconds longer than necessary.
In Aurelion, most people lived on Silver Crowns. Forty. Fifty a month, if they were careful. Gold Crowns were different. They didn't circulate among ordinary lives. They were used by institutions—corporations, noble houses, people who measured time in quarters instead of years.
This amount wasn't generosity.
It wasn't fear either.
It was calculation.
For me, it meant freedom. Decades of it. The ability to relocate, disappear, and exist without having to choose survival over planning.
For House Calderon, it was something else entirely.
An expense small enough to be approved without discussion. Large enough to ensure silence. Clean enough to close a file permanently.
Elias Calderon was not worth killing twice.But he was worth paying to forget.
The money settled without resistance.
No conditions.No delays.
They weren't buying my loyalty.
They were buying the certainty that I would never matter to them again.
I accepted it without hesitation.
That was the final agreement.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Threat status: ResolvedExistence status: Unofficial (Maintained)
I sat down and finally let my body react.
My hands shook.
Not fear.
Exhaustion.
[STAMINA: 3% ⚠]Condition: Near collapse
I leaned back and closed my eyes.
No anger.No regret.
I had no interest in family.
Families were just systems slowed down by emotion.
I looked out at the city lights.
They wouldn't come after me again.
Not because they cared.
Because correcting me now cost more than ignoring me.
Elias Calderon was finished.
And for the first time—
That was exactly what I wanted.