Kai couldn’t breathe properly. Not because of the smoke or the heat, but because his mind wouldn’t stop racing. Mira’s hand was still on his shoulder, shaking slightly. Her eyes were wide, full of fear and confusion. “You… you’re alive?” she whispered. Her voice cracked. Kai swallowed. He didn’t answer. How could he explain? Not even he fully understood what had happened. His chest still ached from the first death. The pain had been replaced with… emptiness, a strange clarity. He could feel the monster’s weight in his fists, the air around him, even the hum of power coursing through his body. “I… I saw it. Kai, you were… killed!” Mira said again, her voice louder now, panic creeping in. “I watched you fall, your body… nothing. And then” She broke off, tears forming. Kai looked at her. “I’m fine,” he said flatly. But inside, a shiver ran down his spine. Was he really fine? He didn’t feel the relief he expected. He only felt… stronger. Mira’s grip tightened. “You… you weren’t suppo

The ground trembled. Not violently, not yet but enough for Kai to feel it through the soles of his feet. A deep, rhythmic vibration, like something massive was breathing beneath the earth. Kai stopped walking. Mira nearly bumped into his back. “Why did you stop?” she whispered. Kai raised a hand, signaling silence. The survivors around them, about a dozen people who had slowly clustered behind Kai for safety, also froze. Everyone felt it now. The air itself seemed heavier. Then the System spoke. Not softly. Not privately. Correction Protocol Initiated Several people gasped. One man fell to his knees, clutching his head. “I heard it… I heard it!” Another screamed, “Make it stop!” Mira’s grip on Kai’s hand tightened until her fingers hurt. “Kai,” she whispered urgently. “It’s louder than before.” Kai’s jaw hardened. “That’s because it’s not talking to just me anymore.” The System’s words appeared in the air, visible to everyone.Irregular Asset DetectedDeviation Level:

They didn’t stay after the fight. Kai knew better.The Chosen were not just a group, they were an idea. Ideas didn’t die easily. And now that the System had labeled him a priority threat, staying in one place was suicide. Real suicide. Not the kind that made him stronger. They moved at dawn. The survivors who had followed Kai before hesitated now. Some still wanted his protection. Others avoided his gaze, whispering behind his back. “He brings trouble.” “The System will punish us if we stay near him.” Mira heard them. She lowered her head, fingers tightening around her bag. Kai noticed. “You don’t have to stay,” he told the group calmly. “I won’t stop you.” No one answered. One by one, they peeled away. By the time the sun rose fully, only Kai and Mira remained. The ruined road stretched ahead, empty and silent. Mira finally spoke. “It’s just us again.” Kai nodded. “That’s safer for you.” She stopped walking. “For me?” she asked quietly. “Or for you?” Kai turned. S

The Null Refuge did not sleep. It pretended to. Kai noticed it the moment his eyes adjusted to the gray light that passed for morning. People moved quietly between stone shelters, footsteps soft, voices low. No one laughed. No one argued. Even children, there were a few played without sound, their eyes too alert for their age. This was not peace. This was fear under control. Kai pushed himself upright and immediately regretted it. Pain flared through his ribs and shoulder, sharp and honest. He hissed softly. Mira was at his side in an instant. “Don’t move like that,” she whispered, pressing a hand to his chest. “You’ll reopen the wound.” Kai gave a small smile. “You sound like you’ve done this before.” She hesitated. “I… helped my father when he was sick.” Something in her voice told Kai not to ask more. Before he could speak, the leader from last night approached. Up close, the man looked older than Kai first thought. His hair was streaked with gray, his face lined with sca

Kai woke up choking. Not on blood. On fear. Real fear the kind that didn’t reset, didn’t fade, didn’t soften with death. His body felt wrong. Heavy. Limited. Every breath mattered now. Mira was there immediately, one hand on his chest, the other gripping his shoulder. “Easy,” she whispered. “You’re alive.” He laughed weakly. “Still getting used to that.” Her smile flickered but relief was real. Around them, the Null Refuge buzzed with quiet panic. People whispered. Watched. Pointed when they thought Mira wasn’t looking. Kai noticed. “What happened while I was out?” he asked. Mira hesitated. Reth answered instead. “You changed the balance,” he said, standing a few steps away. “The Null reacted.” Kai pushed himself up slowly. “Reacted how?” Reth’s eyes went to Mira. “She did.” It started with the fog. Not surging. Not attacking. Backing away. The gray haze that had always pressed against the Refuge’s borders now hung farther out, like a cautious animal. People not