Darius Valemont dreamed of killing him.
Again.
The battlefield was always the same.
Ash falling like snow.
Sky split by crimson lightning.
A dragon's corpse collapsing behind the ruins of a cathedral.
And Kael—standing across from him, cloaked in black flame.
"You're late," Kael would say.
And Darius would always reply the same way.
"For justice, timing does not matter."
Then the sword would fall.
Light would consume darkness.
And the world would reset.
—
Darius woke with a sharp inhale.
His chamber was silent, dawn barely touching the curtains.
The dream lingered longer than usual.
It felt heavier.
Real.
He swung his legs off the bed, frowning. The Sword of Radiant Judgment rested against the wall, glowing faintly as it always did at sunrise.
But this morning—
The glow flickered.
Darius stood.
The sword pulsed again, brighter this time, then steadied.
He reached for it.
The moment his fingers touched the hilt—
A surge of heat shot up his arm.
A whisper echoed faintly inside his mind.
> Deviation detected.
He jerked back.
"What?"
The sword had never spoken before.
He stared at it carefully.
The glow faded to normal.
Perhaps exhaustion.
Or stress.
But the dream—
It felt like memory.
—
Across the capital, Kael stood atop the highest balcony of the Atticus estate.
Rain began to fall in thin, cold lines.
The sky's color remained slightly wrong.
Not storm-dark.
Not sunrise-gold.
But something in between.
As if the world hesitated.
He felt different.
Sharper.
Stronger.
Not overwhelmingly powerful.
But aware.
The Abyss System flickered faintly.
> Abyss Energy: 10
Corruption Detection: Active
Narrative Stability: 99.8%
Narrative stability.
That was new.
He leaned against the railing.
"So there is a tolerance."
If he deviated too much… something corrected it.
In previous cycles, events always aligned perfectly to isolate him.
Now he had removed Duke Armathen's corruption.
One domino gone.
He needed to see how far he could push before the world pushed back.
Footsteps approached.
Cedric bowed. "My lord, urgent news."
Kael didn't turn. "Speak."
"The Holy Order has announced a public sparring demonstration in the central plaza. The Hero will be present."
Kael smiled faintly.
Too soon.
In previous cycles, the Hero didn't begin public demonstrations until six months later.
He turned slowly.
"When?"
"Today. Within the hour."
Kael's eyes darkened.
Correction pressure.
The world was accelerating key encounters.
It wanted them to meet.
He straightened.
"Prepare my carriage."
Cedric hesitated. "My lord, the Holy Order does not favor your presence."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"Exactly."
—
The plaza was overflowing.
Merchants had abandoned stalls to watch.
Knights in polished armor formed a circle.
At the center—
Darius stood calmly, blade resting against his shoulder.
Golden hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck. Crimson cloak flowing in the wind.
He radiated effortless authority.
A young knight charged at him with a roar.
Steel clashed.
The duel lasted three seconds.
Darius stepped aside, redirected momentum, and tapped the flat of his blade against the knight's chest.
The knight fell backward, disarmed.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"Glory to the Hero!"
"Radiant justice!"
Darius smiled politely, though his eyes were distant.
Something felt wrong.
The air was heavy.
Unstable.
Then—
The crowd parted.
Murmurs spread like wildfire.
Kael Atticus entered the plaza.
Dressed in black formal attire. Silver embroidery catching faint light.
No guards.
No announcement.
Just presence.
The cheering faltered.
Darius' gaze lifted.
And for the first time—
Their eyes met before the war.
A pulse went through Darius' chest.
Recognition.
Impossible recognition.
Kael stopped ten meters away.
He gave a shallow bow.
"Hero."
The crowd whispered nervously.
Darius studied him carefully.
"You attend demonstrations now?"
Kael's lips curved faintly. "I appreciate displays of skill."
Silence stretched between them.
It felt charged.
Like two magnets testing polarity.
Darius stepped closer.
Up close, Kael could see it—
The golden threads.
Faint lines of light extending from Darius' back into the sky.
Attached.
Anchored.
The Narrative Engine.
So it marked its champion visibly to him now.
Interesting.
Darius' voice lowered slightly. "Have we met before?"
The question stunned the surrounding knights.
Kael did not blink.
"Not properly."
Darius searched his face.
There was something in Kael's eyes.
Not arrogance.
Not malice.
Certainty.
It unsettled him.
Kael stepped back casually.
"I was hoping for a demonstration."
A ripple of tension passed through the plaza.
A noble challenging the Hero publicly?
Darius tilted his head slightly.
"You wish to spar?"
The crowd began buzzing loudly.
Kael nodded.
"Unless the Hero only fights assured victories."
A deliberate provocation.
Gasps spread.
Darius' jaw tightened subtly.
The Sword of Radiant Judgment hummed.
He felt it again.
That whisper.
> Deviation escalating.
He ignored it.
Very well.
"If you wish to test yourself," Darius said calmly, "I will oblige."
The knights cleared the circle.
Rain began falling heavier now.
Kael removed his gloves slowly.
No visible weapon.
Darius raised an eyebrow.
"You fight unarmed?"
"For now."
The signal was given.
Silence dropped over the plaza.
Darius moved first.
He was faster than memory.
In previous cycles, Kael had never fought him this early.
He barely had time to react.
The blade flashed toward his shoulder.
Kael pivoted sharply.
Steel grazed fabric instead of flesh.
The crowd gasped.
He was fast.
Faster than he should be at this stage.
Darius pressed forward with a second strike.
Kael blocked with his forearm—
Dark energy flickered instinctively.
The blade slid off unnaturally.
Darius felt resistance.
Not physical.
Something else.
They broke apart.
Murmurs grew louder.
Kael's heart pounded.
He wasn't strong enough to win.
Not yet.
This wasn't about victory.
It was about data.
About pressure testing.
Darius stepped forward again, more serious now.
Three strikes in rapid succession.
Kael dodged two.
The third grazed his ribs.
Pain flared.
Warmth spread beneath his clothing.
The System flickered.
> Host Integrity: 94%
Abyss Energy Reactive.
Good.
Pain triggered response.
He focused inward.
On the hunger.
On the Abyss.
When Darius lunged again—
Kael reached for the corruption around him.
Not from Darius.
From the crowd.
From the fear.
From the doubt.
Tiny fragments.
Invisible.
He devoured.
A ripple passed through the air.
For a split second—
Darius' footing slipped.
Just slightly.
Kael stepped inside his guard.
Palm striking Darius' chest.
Dark energy burst outward.
The Hero staggered back three steps.
The plaza went silent.
Darius caught himself quickly.
He stared at Kael in disbelief.
He had never—
Never been pushed back in a demonstration.
The golden threads above flickered violently.
Rain intensified.
The System pulsed urgently.
> Narrative Stability: 98.9%
Warning: Excessive Deviation.
Kael exhaled slowly.
Too much.
He stepped back deliberately and lowered his hand.
"I concede."
The crowd erupted in confused shouting.
Darius frowned.
"You concede?"
Kael gave a faint smile.
"I have seen enough."
Without waiting for response, he turned and walked away.
The murmuring was deafening now.
Behind him—
Darius remained still.
Something had shifted.
He felt it in his bones.
Kael Atticus was not moving according to pattern.
And that terrified him more than any open hostility.
—
That night—
The sky split.
Not with lightning.
But with a thin golden fracture no ordinary citizen could see.
Far above the world—
An immense structure stirred.
It had no shape.
No form.
Only presence.
Threads moved.
Calculations adjusted.
A voice echoed through the void.
> Villain anomaly confirmed.
Probability divergence increasing.
Corrective measures authorized.
—
In his chamber, Kael collapsed into a chair.
Blood soaked his side.
He laughed softly.
He had pushed too far.
But it was worth it.
He now confirmed:
The system reacts when deviation exceeds tolerance.
The Hero senses anomalies subconsciously.
The Engine corrects events.
He stood slowly and removed his coat.
The wound was shallow.
Manageable.
He stared at his reflection.
"You always win," he murmured.
"But what happens…"
His eyes darkened.
"…when I stop losing?"
The Abyss stirred.
Hungry.
Eager.
A new notification appeared.
> New Ability Unlocked: Shadow Manifestation (Minor)
Condition: Survive Direct Hero Conflict
Abyss Energy +25
Narrative Stability: 97.4%
Kael smiled faintly.
So that was the reward.
He walked to the window.
The rain had stopped.
The city was quiet.
For now.
But somewhere deep inside—
He felt it.
Pressure building.
The world would not allow this easily.
Good.
He didn't intend to make it easy.
—
In the northern district—
Darius stood alone in the cathedral training hall.
He raised his blade slowly.
For the first time in his life—
He felt uncertain.
The sword hummed.
And this time—
It whispered clearly.
> Eliminate deviation.
Darius closed his eyes.
"Kael Atticus…"
The name felt heavier than it should.
He opened his eyes.
Resolve hardening.
"If you walk toward darkness…"
The sword ignited in golden flame.
"…I will cut you down."
—
Far beneath the capital—
In a sealed chamber unknown to both Hero and Villain—
A circle of robed figures opened their eyes simultaneously.
A projection shimmered before them.
It showed only one image.
Kael stepping into the rain.
One figure spoke softly.
"The thousandth cycle has begun."
Another responded.
"And this one remembers."
Silence followed.
Then—
"Prepare the contingency."
—
Back in his chamber—
Kael felt something watching him.
Not from the city.
Not from the Hero.
From somewhere deeper.
Older.
He smiled faintly into the darkness.
"Let's see who breaks first."
The shadows behind him shifted.
And for a moment—
They took the shape of wings.
—