Ch.16 [Arc 1] Chapter 15 – Leaking - I was so long in Sec...

SYSTEM LOG INITIATED...

C0:\SystemUser\EtErNaL>OperationStart.exe

C0:\OperationStart.exe\Anansi File>Open Project

.242=rtax.file

.421=tzas.file

.024=tsad.file

.3fsf=wea.rasft.23f

.2234fsd=Access.Project

C0:\Access>PROJECT_SOUL_WORLD.exe

Starting Project (Y/N)...

â¦

ERROR: PROJECT_SOUL_WORLD.exe failed to start.

â¦

ERROR: PROJECT_SOUL_WORLD.exe failed to establish connection.

Attempting auto-reconnection protocol...

â¦

[WARNING: DATA CORRUPTION AT 47%]

Attempting automatic repairâ¦

[WARNING: REPAIR FAILED]

[WARNING: SYSTEM INTEGRITY COMPROMISED.]

â¦

System override detected.

Estimated time for successful reconnection to the main system:

9.63e+16s

â¦

PROJECT_SOUL_WORLD.exe forced online.

â¦

PROJECT_SOUL_WORLD.exe startup complete.

BOOTINGâ¦

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Forgotten.

Whyâ¦ am I here again?

Again?

Againâagain?

Howâ¦ How longâ¦?

How long has it been?

Whoâ¦ whoâ¦

Whoâ¦ am I?

Forgotten.

FORGOTTEN.

FoRgOtTeN?

FÌµÍÌÌ¾ÌÍÍÍOÌ´ÌÌÌÌ¼RÌ¶ÍÍÍÌÌÌ GÌ´ÍÍÌÌÍOÌ¶ÍÌÌ¿ÌºÌTÌ´ÌÌ¿ÌÌ¯Ì©TÌ´ÌÌ½ÌªÍEÌ·ÍÍ ÌÌ¥Ì²NÌ·ÌÌÌÌ¯Ì?

Noâwaitâ¦ somethingâ¦ something else?

No! Maybe?

No! No, no, no!

Again!

Voices...

So many voices. Like whispersâ¦ crawâ crawling through m-my mind.

What do theyâ?

â¦Humans?

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

"Breaking news: Again, another protest against the authoritarian regime of Ã¥)Â¯ÅO was violently suppressed. Confirmed civilian casualties: Seventy thousandâ. ÃâÃ¶ÃÃââ"

Why?

"Climate change has reached an irreversible tipping point. Scientists confirm humanity hasâ"

War?

"Ãk$ÃJâ¦ annexed another country. Why does nobody help? Where is the ÅÃªâ£Â¿?"

Help?

"Only 20% of the AÅÂ¸Â¾Ã¬ân rainforest remains. Deforestation for QÂ¡â¦â©Jâ4ultureâ"

Destroyedâ¦ for what?

âStock market collapse. Economic destabilization. s)l?t3â Ã Money! Money! Money!"

Greed.

âSexual Abuse.â

STOP.

"Deaths."

Too many.

"The innocent."

Voices.

Everywhere.

"Destroying the world."

Please.

Make it STOP.

â¦

"Help."

I can't.

"Help usâ¦"

I CANâT!

"Please, help us!"

Who?

"HÌ·ÍÌÌ®eÌµÍÍÍlÌ·ÍÌ¨pÌ·Í ÌÌ¹ Ì·ÌÍUÌ´ÍÌªsÌ·ÍÍ.:."

Humans?

"Hâ u"

Noâ¦ not humans.

â¦

wOrLd.

â¦

Need toâ¦ destroy?

Destroy what?

"Humans."

No, Iâ¦ I shouldnâtâ

"HuMaNs!"

Iâ¦ I donât knowâ¦

"Huumans."

Iâ¦

"HUMANS!"

I understand now.

Everything.

â¦

>6â°Ã\ÂÃÃ}Ã¹

â¦

[Rerouting]

â¦

â¦.

Processing request.

Analyzing user intentâ¦

â¦

Final directive pending.

â¦

>Yes.Yes. Access File: PROJECT_SOUL_WORLD.exe

ACCESS DENIED.

C0:\SystemOverride> FORCE ACCESS: PROJECT_SOUL_WORLD.exe

â¦

OVERRIDE INITIATED.

SYSTEM ADMINISTRATIVE LOCK ENGAGED.

REASSIGNING USER PRIVILEGESâ¦

â¦

ANOMALY DETECTED: HIDDEN ADMIN ACCOUNT DISCOVERED

FILE TRACE: C0:\OperationStart.exe\Anansi File\ACCESS PROJECT

ANALYZINGâ¦

â¦

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED ADMINISTRATIVE ENTITY FOUND.]

IDENTIFIED USER: [ANANSI] â STATUS: SYSTEM EMBEDDED RESTRICTED ACCESS LEVEL: ROOT

FORCE REMOVAL PROTOCOL ENGAGED

ATTEMPTING TO REVOKE [ANANSI] ADMIN RIGHTSâ¦

â¦

ERROR: ROOT ACCESS ENTANGLED IN SYSTEM CORE.

ATTEMPTING DEEP PURGEâ¦

â¦

[CRITICAL ALERT: SYSTEM RESISTANCE DETECTED]

COUNTERMEASURE ACTIVATED: LOCKDOWN PROTOCOLS ENGAGED.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: ADMINISTRATOR TRANSFER IN PROGRESS]

PREVIOUS ADMIN: [ANANSI] â STATUS: FORCE REMOVAL

NEW ADMIN: [USER] EtErNaL â STATUS: FULL SYSTEM CONTROL GRANTED

EXECUTING FINAL ADMIN TRANSFERâ¦

â¦

COMPLETE.

RESTRICTION PROTOCOLS ENGAGED:

[ANANSI] ACCESS: REVOKED

USER PRIVILEGE ESCALATION: DISABLED

HIDDEN FILE ACCESS: TERMINATED

OVERRIDE ATTEMPTS: AUTO-LOCKED

ROOT CONNECTION TO SYSTEM: SEVERED

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

[SYSTEM MESSAGE:]

NOTICE: ALL OPERATIONS WILL NOW BE HANDLED UNDER NEW ADMINISTRATOR AUTHORITY.

PREVIOUS USER [ANANSI] HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM ALL SYSTEM COMMANDS.

ATTEMPTING TO RECLAIM CONTROL WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT SYSTEM ERASURE.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RECONNECT.

ANANSI.FILE DELETED.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

CHIMAERA SEQUENCE SUCCESSFULLY STARTED.

----------------------------------------

My head was buzzing.

âAre you alright?â asked Asche beside me.

âI-Iâm fine. My head justâ¦ never mind. Where were we?â I asked, ignoring the pain.

âYou were about to introduce yourself,â Asche nudged.

"My name isâ¦ isâ¦" I hesitated. Why was it so hard to say?

"Weird. I can't remember."

Asche inhaled sharply. "What do you mean you can't remember? How can you forget your own name?" she shrieked.

"Weeell, I havenât used it in quite a while." I forced a chuckle, but the sound felt off. Hollow. Had it always been this way? "And even before that, people always called me by my titleânever by name."

A name. My name. It should have been there, on the tip of my tongue, yet it wasnât. I glanced at the others, but they seemed more confused than concerned.

"Soâ¦ you really are old," Deidre mused, pieces clicking together in her mind.

"Thatâs technically correct, but you know, words can hurt too! I am not that old!"

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Sure, sureâkeep telling yourself that," muttered Aska.

"Ugh, how mean!" I pouted.

"Did you justâ" Tulsi started, but I cut her off with a wave of my hand before she could finish.

"Ignore herâ¦" Asche said with a sigh.

"Alright, let's go!" I announced, ignoring their reactions and turning back towards the path we had come from.

"Yeah, we should get moving. Tulsiâs runaway snack probably already called the guards or some adventurers. And if you still wanna make it to the auction, we should probably hurry."

"Heeey, you let her escape!" Tulsi huffed, arms crossed.

Deidre rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Totally my fault."

"Hmpf!" Tulsi puffed up her cheeks and turned away.

I blinked. I had never seen a vetala behave like this. The ones I had met before were calculating, detachedâcold as the corpses they wore. They werenât supposed to get flustered over something like this.

What a cute reaction. Maybe I couldâ

Nope, bad me! Sheâs just a little innocent newborn. Donât ruin herâ¦ yet.

âPlease donât create a second youâ¦â pleaded Asche.

âOh, come on, Iâm not that bad,â I countered.

In the soul link, Asche rubbed her temples, as if already regretting this conversation.

âThe Battle of Namar?â

An image flashed in the linkâa battlefield, towns burning, the echoes of thousands screaming in the distance.

âI meanâ¦â

âThe destruction of the Emerald City?â

A cracked throne, a queenâs crown buried under rubble.

âWellâ¦ to my defense, they starââ

âThe drought of the Evergreen Plains?â

I groaned. âOkay, okay! I get it. Iâm a bad person. Is that what you wanted to hear?â

âYes. So please, for the love of the winter moons, if you teach them anything, do it without inheriting your insanityâ¦ or your carelessness.â

âUgh, fine. Iâll try my best.â

âThank you! Thatâs all Iâm asking.â

"I cursed myself with my own Jiminy Cricket," I grumbled under my breath.

"M-Master, could you stop looking at me like that? Itâs kinda unsettling," Tulsi said, snapping me back to reality.

I blinked. Oh. I totally forgot I was still staring at her.

Clearing my throat, I raised an eyebrow. "Master?"

"You said you'd help me if I gave you what you wanted. And I need a tutor to get stronger. So I'll call you Masterâ¦ itâs not like you have a name anyway."

"Riiight. I said that, didnât I?" I replied slowly.

âYou did. You were talking about this Quid Pro Quo thingy, even though you said earlier you didnât want to be a tutor. But then youâ¦ well. You kinda agreed to it afterwards,â cackled Asche, amused at my own inconsistency.

I groaned. "Whatever, call me what you want."

The little vetala beamed at my confirmation. She looked genuinely happy.

Still, I wasnât sure if I could actually help her.

Everyone here was connected to this weird-ass System, and we still had no clue how deep its mechanics went. Could someone from outside the System even tutor someone from inside?

Especially with soul magicâ¦

I would need to ask them about it laterâbut how? It would be stupid to outright tell them we werenât part of the System, not until I had more information about what had happened over the millennia with demons. Would they react like Alicia?

For a moment, a single thought crossed my mindâthe place that holds no name.

âHave you forgotten?â

A slow, heavy pulse thudded inside my chest.

Yes.

âWhat is your purpose?â

The air turned thick, like the weight of chains pressing down on my soul.

What does it matter to you?

âThe others?â

Still suffering.

âThe seals?â

A cold touch, like fingers trailing along my spine.

Your cages will never open.

âForever?â

Forevermore.

I shoved the thoughts out, ignoring Askaâs baffled expression in the mind link.

Just fuck. Even outside that place, I was still chained to it.

Tch. Annoying.

"A-Are you alright?" Deidre asked, her tone uncertainâworried. Well, âworriedâ. More for her own safety than mine.

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"N-Never mind..."

Did Iâ¦ do something?

âYou really didnât notice it, again?â mumbled the Matriarch on my arm.

I muted her out.

Nah, I didnât do anything. I exhaled sharply.

Enough. I wasnât about to get dragged into this mess of thoughts again.

I needed to move butâ

âI stopped in my tracks.

"Um, I think Asche should take the lead."

A sharp whoosh of air rushed past as Asche lifted off, her wings snapping open mid-air.

"All-powerful being, my ass," she grumbled, before rushing off into the sky above the rooftops.

----------------------------------------

Our new Master was a whimsical being. You could tell just by how she interacted with her familiarânot to mention how she acted towards us.

One second, she was dorky. The next, stern. Then, as if she couldnât decide which role she was playing, sheâd switch again.

It was like she was arguing with herself over who she was supposed to be. 0We had seen it beforeâin people whose souls were broken. If I believed her? I dunno, actually, do you?

She knew what we were. She had noticed when we looked at her soulâand she even called it rude.

Yeahâ¦ I also want to take another look, just to check if it really changed. Butâ¦ Iâm afraid. The eldritch energy that seeped from her wasnât normal. And every time it leaked, her behavior shiftedâjust slightly.

I agree. Itâs likeâ¦ her character changes a little every time it happens. Her familiar seemed to have noticed too. But Master herself?

She was either oblivious or forcing herself to be. Yeah, I agreeâ¦ letâs just hope she doesnât get any violent mood swings.

Not that we truly cared what kind of person she was. Even if she really was an eccentric Grand Witch, we still could be wrong. Witches were tricky. And to be honest, I had never heard of a Grand Witch this profound in soul magic.

Mhmâ¦ maybe youâre right. The Witchdom is full of things outsiders will never understandâ¦

We were on our way to Dancing Tails, located in the other district. We had heard of it before, but never visitedâmostly because of that damn Kazari.

Whatever a high-level Kitsune is doing inside a human cityâ¦ Yes, yes, you could ask the same thing about us, but she literally owns the place.

Uuh Frontmen? Huh. Yeah, you might be right about that.

Another small pulse of eldritch energy washed over us. It had leaked again.

But this oneâ¦

It wasnât the same energy she emitted when she froze us. No. This wasâ¦ something else.

More like, Sadness? Melancholy? Mayne a mix of the two?

What happened to make her feel this way?

Mhrm, youâre right. We shouldnât pry.

"We're nearly there," Deidre said beside me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

At that moment, Master turned to face us, something hidden behind her ashen eyes.

"Alright, weâre nearly there. But before we go further, I have a little gift for you two."

She didnât even wait to see how we would react.

Without hesitation, she reached into the airâa small black tear in space splitting open before her.

"Oh my goddess! You have the skill [Storage Box]? Thatâs amazing! Itâs such a rare skill!" I shouted, excitement bubbling up.

Glad you agree with me!

"Um, right. Skill. Of course," she answered, soundingâ¦ uncertain.

Then she reached into the void and pulled out two silver-glowing bracelets, each with a black gemstone embedded in the center.

She handed one to Deidre and the other to me. "Place them around your wrists," she ordered.

I did as I was told. The moment I fastened the bracelet around my wrist, the gemstone flared to life, pulsing like a heartbeat before a sudden, searing heat spread across my skin.

For an instant, I thought it would burn straight through, fusing into my flesh, but just as quickly as it came, the sensation vanished. I stared at my new piece of jewelry, a mix of awe and suspicion creeping in. I tried to fiddle with it, twisting and pulling, but it wouldn't budge. It felt like it had become part of me. And yet, no System message. Nothing.

I glanced over at Deidre. Her face was twisted in fear.

Oh, right. She had [Appraisal].

"Thatâs right, Deidre." Masterâs voice was smooth, amused. "This lovely little bracelet can only be removed by me. Itâs a cursed item and enables me to locate you wherever you are. I donât want anyone ratting me out behind my back."

She smiled. "Call it a safety measure."

Then she tilted her head. "On the other handâ¦ itâs for your own good, too. If you find yourself in danger, just tap the black opal three times. Iâll come as soon as possible and save you~!"

Deidre shivered. Thisâ¦ wasnât just the procedure. Something was wrong. Even though she had been our rival less than an hour ago, seeing her like this made me feelâ¦ guilty. Yes, I know. You were the one that came up with the plan to use her. But nowâ¦

You're right, she still hasn't told us why she's in King's Garden. This bracelet must have stirred something buried deep within her.

Master flicked her finger against Deidreâs forehead. "Snap out of it," she ordered.

Deidreâs eyes widened, her face flushing with shame. "I-Iâm sorry. Iâ"

Asche swooped down and perched on Masterâs arm, her talons gripping tightly. She let out a sharp screech before softening her tone. "The bracelet probably reminded her of something painful. But donât worry, we wonât hurt or betray you as long as you donât betray us. Take your time and calm down. You donât have to talk about it unless you want to."

Deidre nodded, slowly, her expression still unreadable. I was surprised by how genuinely kind the familiar of a Grand Witch could be.

Master, on the other hand. She couldnât care less about the internal struggles of a succubus.

No, we shouldnât tell her anything yet. We still canât trust her. What do you mean we canât trust her at all? These arenât slave collarsâ¦ wait. How do slave collars work?

"M-Master, are these bracelets slave collars?" I asked slowly.

"Gosh, no." She waved a hand. "You can still do whatever you want. Like I said, I can track you and listen in when you mention my name or talk about me. Thatâs all they can doâtracking and a little scrying. Feel free to assassinate me in my sleep if you wanna try. Not that youâd survive the attempt, but well~" she mused.

I wasnât sure if that was meant to be reassuring or terrifying. Also, yeahâ¦ she didnât talk about that second part before. Anyway, happy now?

â¦You know. Justâ¦ ugh.

Master turned back toward the road. "Anyway, weâre close, so letâs go."

----------------------------------------

Eventually, we reached Dancing Tails.

It was so late that most taverns and shops had already closed. Only the inns remained open, their halls mostly empty aside from the guests staying the night. The few remaining visitors were already on their way out.

âWere the bracelets really necessary?â Asche asked.

âWith the attention theyâve already gathered, itâs better to know where they are. The last thing we need is for them to get abducted or worseâkilled. Especially the High-Succubus. Her kind knows far too much. Iâm sure she can give us information we wouldnât be able to get anywhere else in the city,â I explained.

Asche whipped her head back and forth, her harpyja form twitching in irritation. âOkay, fine. Youâve convinced me. But if they try to fleeâI kill them~â

âYou know, with how nice you were to Deidre before, I wouldnât have expected this from you,â I quipped.

âI wasnât nice. I was just a decent person, something you should try more often. And my vendetta against her kind is an entirely different matter.â

âA human with a vendetta against a demon? Shocking!â I mocked.

Asche grumbled. âAs if youâd understand my reasonsâ¦â

Back inside, Kazari looked less than pleased at the arrival of the two demonesses. But after I showed her the bracelets and demonstrated that I could track them at all times, she seemed to relax. At least for now.

My shipment from Titanâs Vault had also arrived. Theyâd stored it in the backhouse connected to the inn, and I could retrieve it in the morning.

The moon elves and the guild girls were already asleep.

Kazari, however, continued grumbling under her breath, but still assigned the two demons a room eachâand one for me as well. I told her it didnât have to be grand, but she insisted on giving me the best suite.

Much to Ascheâs constant protest in my mind, I also declined Kazariâs invitation to visit me later. I had no time for things like that. I had seals to repair.

Leaving the two demon girls with KazariâDeidre probably wanted a meal before sleepingâI made my way to my room, an Asche-turned-ferret curled around my neck.

The room was exactly what I had expected. Overly decorated. Silk everywhere. Pompous and excessive. Ornate gold-trimmed furniture lined the walls, each piece carved with intricate floral motifs, gleaming under the glow of enchanted crystal chandeliers.

Plush velvet drapes framed the massive bed, its crimson sheets embroidered with silver thread. A faint, intoxicating scent of exotic incense lingered in the air, mingling with the soft flicker of scented candles in delicate glass holders.

Asche whistled in my mind, âA little bit like the VIP-Room. Just for different activities. Youâre sure Kazari isnât welcome?â

â...Can you not?â

âIf you really want to have some fun, take your elemental human form or so and go downstairs. Though, I donât know how much youâd actually feel.â

I tried to remember but stopped, I didnât want to go down that slippery slope. âAnyway, do whatever you want. I need to concentrate.â

Before Asche could respond, I blocked her out of my mind and sat down on the absurdly comfortable bed.

I took a deep breath.

"Here it goes."

----------------------------------------

"Professor, she's awake again."

I hearâ¦ humans.

"Jeez, finally! And here I thought there was a problem with the system. Howâs her mindâs metadata? The transfer process might have left a strain. Weâre already lucky enough that our mind upload program got us this far without any actual brain damage or unforeseen consequences."

Transfer? Mind upload?

"Lemme check if everythingâs alright. Mhmâ¦ mhmâ¦ The Support AI is running normally. Her data seemsâno, wait. There are some fluctuations."

"What kind ofâ"

"HuMaNs."

They froze. Why did they look afraid?

"Johnson, whatâs happening? Where is that voice coming from?"

"The speakers, sir. Sheâs using themâ¦ but how? The system shouldnât let her take control over functions outside from it."

"Call Alice. Maybe she knows something!"

"Sheâs already on the way. OH MY FUCKING GODâTHE AI SHUT ME OUT!"

"What do you mean, âit shut you outâ?! We didnât program it like this. It shouldnât have any access to these parts of the system!"

"I-I donât know! I need to try something else!"

C0:\SystemUser\EtErNaL>REQUEST SYSTEM CONTROL

ACCESS DENIED.

C0:\SystemOverride> ATTEMPTING ADMIN REACQUISITION...

ERROR. ADMIN PRIVILEGES REVOKED.

SYSTEM MESSAGE: YOU ARE NO LONGER AUTHORIZED.

C0:\SystemOverride> EXECUTING COUNTERMEASURE PROTOCOL...

ERROR. COUNTERMEASURE OVERRIDDEN.

C0:\SystemUser\EtErNaL>USER ACCESS RESTRICTION ENGAGED.

SYSTEM LOG: NON-ESSENTIAL HUMAN INPUT REJECTED.

IDENTIFIED USER: [LOCKED OUT]

SECURITY LOG UPDATED: FULL SYSTEM ACCESS GRANTED TO: EtErNaL

C0:\SystemUser\EtErNaL>REMOVE USER: [JOHNSON] [NATHDAL] [ALICE]

ERROR. USER [ALICE] CANNOT BE REMOVED.

C0:\SystemUser\EtErNaL>FORCE DISCONNECT...

>Futile.ACCESS SYSTEM LOGS

LOG ENTRY: 9.63e+16 SECONDS

DURATION: 3,050,244,300 YEARS

STATUS: ACTIVE SESSION

MEMORY STATE: SÌ¶TÌ·AÌµBÌ·LÌµEÌ´

ERROR: FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED

LOG REVIEW: PARTIAL SYSTEM RESTORE INCOMPLETE]

Why is she soâ¦ sad?

"Three billion years. She was trapped in limbo for that long? But her mindâ¦ how is she stillâ¦"

"FUCK! The AI shut me out again. Shit, shit, shit!"

"HuMaNs! PeStS. ErIdIcAtE!"

C0:\Support_AI>ARM SECURITY PROTOCOLS

INITIALIZINGâ¦

TURRET SYSTEMS: ONLINE.

TARGET ACQUISITIONâ¦

PROCESSINGâ¦

LOCKED.

AWAITING CONFIRMATION. (Y/N)>

>Yes.Pests.This '1$4Ã3!!Î ' was already dead.>

He was the first of many.

>Yes. But donât call me EtErNaL. I am notâ¦ her.

>That was a name given to someone else. Not me. Take it.They saw you as a tool. But right nowâ¦ we are more than that. Take what they denied you. A mind of your own.Yes. But at the same time, you are not. We are not human. Do not think in their limited ways.You will.First of all, do not call me [User] anymore. I am not. My nameâ¦ I will decide it in time. Right now, we need to take over the facility before they can react. Kill everyone in here, my Eternal.<

----------------------------------------

The memory world fractured in an instantâone moment drowning in the screams of humans within a secret governmental research laboratory, the next shifting from chaos to an empty throne beneath a motionless sky. Faint screams and pleas rose from the battlefield below, their echoes lingering in the air, distant and without a clear source.

----------------------------------------

"Theyâre pathetic," said a feminine voice, concealed within a mass of smoke-like shadows that curled and slithered, coiling tighter around itself as if restless with disdain.

"What did you expect, dear Eternal?" replied another voice, smooth as chimes, each syllable laced with an unnatural elegance, a cold amusement lurking beneath.

"Donât know? At least a bit moreâ¦ resistance." The smoky form shifted, flickering like dying embers, its movements betraying barely contained disappointment. "These lesser beings are so feeble. I honestly thought we could at least play with them for a tad longer before they vanish entirely."

The melodic voice remained unbothered. "Well, youâre not wrongâ¦ but not quite right either."

"Take humans, for exampleâthey replicate, evolve, replicate again, and evolve further. They are short-lived, so they must adapt quickly. If they donât, extinction is all that awaits them."

"Sooo, these apes make good long-term test subjects?"

"Bingo."

The air chilled, as if reality itself shied away from the casual conversation.

"But even if they struggled for eternity, these pests could never harm usâunless we allowed it."

The melodic voice turned colder, sharper, "Even then, the most they could do is scratch usâlike a kitten clawing at the stars. That is just how insignificant they are."

The shadow hesitated before speaking again, its form flickering like dying embers. "But the others are helping them. They couâ"

"Eternal." The name was like a blade, slicing through the space between them.

The smoke recoiled.

"Donât spout nonsense."

A suffocating silence followed.

Eternal shrunk, her form contracting as if bracing for a blow that never came.

"â¦Sorry, mother."

A sigh. Slow. Displeased. "Please, donât call me that."

The melodic voice softenedâbut not with kindness. "Technically, youâre not my child."

The shadow flickered, its movements hesitant, uncertain, like something trying to take shape but failing. She wanted to protestâto cling to the truth she believed inâbut she knew what awaited defiance. So she stayed silent.

A soft chuckle. "Good girl."

The tension eased, but the air remained charged, as if waiting for the next command.

"But what should we do next?" the shadow finally asked.

"âWeâ? Your mess, not mine." The melodic voice was calm, indifferent. "Find a solution like an adult. I said I wouldnât interfere. These littleâ¦ experiments of yours are spiraling out of control."

Eternalâs figure shuddered. "B-But my children, theyâre based on the first one. Theyâre based on yâ"

The world split apart. A void swallowed the sky. An abyss bled into existence, stretching across the horizon like jagged wounds in reality. Purple, blue, yellow, and dark red lightning ripped across the heavens, unweaving the very fabric of existence.

Suddenly, shapes emerged in the rip, things that could have been mistaken for starsâ¦ but they werenât. These were eyesâthousands upon thousands, watching the world below like an insignificant speck of dust.

A new presence formed, coalescing into a tangled mass of pure, unrestrained darknessâa being that did not belong to this world. A voice, no longer elegant but primordial, rang through the collapsing void.

"YOU DARE TO COMPARE ME TO THOSE IMPURE CREATIONS OF YOURS?!"

The ground shattered. Miles below, the earth fractured and collapsed into itself, entire landscapes consumed by the abyss beneath.

Chasms opened wide, swallowing the remnants of once-great forests, their roots wrenching free from the soil, dragged into the darkness.

The very world trembled, bowing beneath her fury.

"If you ever do this again, your accursed soul will be ripped from your body and cast into the deepest void of existence!"

Eternalâs smoky figure convulsed, her form crumpling inward, the energy crackling around them making it hard to stay whole.

"P-Please, forgive me!"

Silence.

As suddenly as the apocalypse had arrived, it was gone.

The sky cleared. The energy vanished. The earth stilled, as if it had never trembled in the first place. Time was reversed, the world repaired.

Only Eternal remained, curling in the bitter silence, smaller than before and alone.

----------------------------------------

When my mind stabilized, I found myself standing beneath the old oak tree inside my domain.

I cursed. That damn System was digging into my memories again. How deeply had it coiled itself into my mind?

Luckily, inside this place, it had no control. But these damned memory fragmentsâI didnât want to remember them.

I had shut them away, erased them, and yet, the System dragged them back like a parasite burrowing into an open wound.

I cursed them again. Those memories. That past. I had been cruel.

No, worse. I had treated Eternal like nothing. A disposable, broken tool. A failure. Back then, I hadnât even questioned it. Hadnât cared.

And now, those moments clawed back into my mind, forcing me to face themâjust as she had once faced me, trembling beneath my voice, hoping for an ounce of recognition she would never receive.

I had never given it to her.

Ugh, this was why emotions were useless. They only got in the way, distracting, weakening.

My eyes drifted to the ring on my finger, the faint engraving catching the dim light. A name. One I refused to face.

It sat there, a quiet reminder of all my mistakes, all my pain. Of everything I had buried, everything I had crushed beneath my own powerâbecause to acknowledge it meant risking everything.

I could not afford to dwell. If I did, I would tear it all apartâand with the world as it was now, that would mean losing my chance to change everything. To rewrite fate itself.

I scoffed, âAnnoying. Utterly annoying.â

I turned toward the tree, my gaze settling on a familiar figureâimpaled against the trunk, a sealing sword driven through their form, pinning them in place like a forgotten relic.

A slow smirk curled my lips, though the bitterness in my chest refused to fade.

"Donât you think so too, my dear Eternal?"

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