The road to Ironstone City was unusually quiet. Luna walked near the front of the group with Kael beside her. The others followed several steps behind, but nobody spoke much. The warning from the previous night had changed everything. Find me, Aria. Before I find you. Luna had tried to convince herself that the voice belonged to Adrian. But something about it felt wrong. Adrian had sounded angry before. This voice had sounded patient. Almost amused. Kael glanced at her. "You haven't slept." "I'm fine." "You've said that too many times." Luna looked at him. "You've started counting?" "I started counting after you nearly died in the ruins." A faint smile touched her lips. "I didn't nearly die that many times." Kael gave her a flat look. "Do you want me to list them?" "No." "Good." She looked ahead again. "Kael." "Yes?" "If you had to choose between Luna and Aria, which one would you believe?" He was silent for a moment. "Neither." Luna frowned. "Neither?" "

The black doorway remained open. No one moved. Cold air flowed from it, carrying a faint smell of smoke and something older that Luna could not identify. The symbols carved around the entrance pulsed slowly, as though the doorway itself had a heartbeat. Luna stared into the darkness. Original Timeline Access Granted. Warning: Entering may erase Luna Ashwood permanently. She had expected fear. Instead, she felt something worse. Recognition. The darkness beyond the door felt familiar. Like a place she had visited in a dream. Kael stepped beside her. "You're not going in." Luna looked at him. "I have to." "No." His voice was firm. "You don't know what's on the other side." "I know exactly what might be there." "That's not the same as knowing what will happen." Luna lowered her gaze. "If I don't go through, we may never understand what's happening to this world." Kael looked at the doorway. "Maybe that's exactly what whoever created it wants." Luna frowned. "What

The warning remained in Luna's mind long after the corrupted files disappeared. The Primary Authority is currently inside the party. She looked at every member of the group without saying anything. Kael noticed immediately. "Something happened." Luna shook her head. "Not here." Ryan frowned. "What does that mean?" "We shouldn't discuss it in the open." Darius looked around the forest. "You think we're being watched?" "I know we are." A branch cracked somewhere behind them. Everyone turned. Nothing. Kael drew his sword. "Move." They left the empty field and continued toward Ironstone City. Luna kept her eyes on the road, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Someone in their group was connected to the Primary Authority. The system had not identified who. That meant the person was protected. Or perhaps the system itself was afraid to reveal them. Luna glanced at Kael. He walked quietly beside her. Could it be him? The thought immediately felt wrong. Kael had prote

Kael's sword rose slowly. His silver eyes were empty. The black symbol over his heart pulsed with every beat. Luna stood frozen for half a second before forcing herself to move. She knew that look. She had seen it in the game when a character was placed under complete system control. But Kael was not an ordinary NPC anymore. He had memories from another timeline, a connection to Selene, and now the system had marked him as a Guardian Unit. The thought terrified her. "Kael." He didn't respond. His fingers tightened around the sword. Luna took a careful step toward him. "Look at me." His head turned. "Target identified." The voice sounded like Kael, but the emotion was gone. Luna's chest tightened. "You're not my target." "Target identified." He raised his sword. Ryan immediately shouted. "Luna, move!" Kael attacked. Luna barely blocked the strike with the Eclipse Blade. The force sent her sliding backward through the dirt. Her arms shook. "Kael!" He attacked aga

The forest shook beneath Luna's feet. The appearance of Selene had changed everything. She was supposed to be deleted, yet she stood before them as clearly as anyone else. Her silver eyes remained fixed on Luna while the system continued flashing warnings across the air. Forbidden Character Detected. Deleted Character Cannot Exist. Timeline Stability: 3%. Luna tightened her grip around the Eclipse Blade. "You're really Selene?" The woman gave a small smile. "I have been called many things." Kael stepped forward. "You're supposed to be dead." Selene looked at him. "So are you." Kael's jaw tightened. "I remember you." "I know." "You died in the First Timeline." "I did." "Then how are you standing here?" Selene looked toward Luna. "Because Luna broke something." Luna frowned. "What did I break?" "The boundary between what is written and what is possible." Ryan stared at Selene. "That's impossible." Selene looked at him. "You keep using that word." Her express