The archive shook again.
Dust rained from the ancient shelves.
Books that had remained untouched for decades tumbled onto the stone floor, their pages fluttering wildly as though an invisible wind had invaded the room.
The black book floated above the table.
Its pages turned on their own.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Flip.
Flip.
Flip.
Kael stared at it.
His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.
Beside him, Professor Lucien Graves had gone completely pale.
Even the Observer had stopped moving.
The second irregularity stood several meters away, his gray eyes fixed upon the floor.
Nobody spoke.
Then—
BOOM!
A deep vibration erupted beneath the archive.
The floor cracked.
Kael’s eyes widened.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Pi, sitting on his shoulder, immediately puffed up its tiny body.
“Pi!”
“Yeah,” Kael muttered.
“I agree.”
Another tremor.
This one was stronger.
The shelves groaned.
Lucien grabbed the edge of the table to keep himself upright.
“This shouldn’t be possible.”
Kael glanced at him.
“You said that about the book too.”
“I was wrong.”
“That’s becoming a worrying habit.”
Lucien ignored him.
His gaze remained fixed on the floor.
“There is something beneath the academy.”
The second irregularity finally spoke.
“Not beneath the academy.”
His gray eyes narrowed.
“Beneath the worldline.”
Kael’s expression changed.
The atmosphere instantly became heavier.
“The worldline?”
The boy nodded.
“Something has been sleeping there.”
The Observer turned his masked face toward him.
“You knew.”
“I suspected.”
“You knew.”
A faint smile appeared on the boy’s face.
“I know more than you think.”
The crimson eyes behind the Observer’s silver mask narrowed.
For the first time since Kael had encountered him, the Observer seemed genuinely irritated.
Kael looked between them.
“Okay.”
He raised one hand.
“Before you two start your mysterious-character staring contest, could someone explain what exactly is happening?”
Neither answered.
Kael sighed.
“Of course.”
The floor cracked again.
This time, something pushed against it.
A massive pressure swept through the archive.
Kael immediately felt it.
Not mana.
Not killing intent.
Not even magical energy.
Something else.
Something he couldn’t name.
His vision blurred for a moment.
Then the System appeared.
[WARNING!]
[An unknown existence has awakened.]
[Classification: ERROR.]
[Mana Signature: None.]
[Karma Signature: None.]
[Fate Signature: None.]
[Unknown Signature: Unmeasurable.]
[System Analysis Failed.]
[Attempting secondary analysis…]
[Analysis Failed.]
[Attempting tertiary analysis…]
[…Why are you looking at me?]
Kael blinked.
“…Did the System just ask why something was looking at it?”
No response.
“System?”
Silence.
“That’s comforting.”
Pi suddenly jumped from Kael’s shoulder.
“Pi!”
The little creature landed on the black book.
The moment its claws touched the cover—
CRACK!
A burst of black light erupted from the book.
Pi was thrown backward.
“Pi!”
Kael caught it before it hit the ground.
“What the hell?!”
Pi trembled in his hands.
Its golden eye was glowing.
For a split second, Kael saw something inside that eye.
A tiny black quill.
Then it disappeared.
Kael frowned.
“Pi?”
The creature stared at him.
“Pi…”
Its voice was unusually quiet.
Kael’s expression softened.
“You’re scared?”
Pi immediately puffed its cheeks.
“Pi!”
“Right.”
Kael nodded.
“Definitely not scared.”
Pi looked away.
Kael almost smiled.
Almost.
Then the black book spoke.
Not through words.
Through a voice.
A voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
“The first…”
Kael froze.
“…has rejected the page.”
The second irregularity’s expression darkened.
The Observer stepped backward.
Lucien’s eyes widened.
Then the voice continued.
“The second…”
A pause.
“…has remained outside.”
The boy’s fists clenched.
And finally—
“The third…”
Silence.
The archive seemed to hold its breath.
Kael looked around.
“Who is the third?”
Nothing answered.
Then the book’s pages began turning violently.
WHOOOOSH!
A single page stopped.
Black ink slowly appeared.
«THE THIRD HAS NOT AWAKENED.»
Kael frowned.
“Then who are we talking about?”
Another sentence appeared.
«THE FOURTH HAS.»
Kael’s face went blank.
“…There is a fourth?”
The second irregularity looked at him.
“Apparently.”
Kael stared at him.
“You didn’t mention that.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“I shouldn’t have to ask whether reality has a fourth broken piece!”
The boy shrugged.
Kael almost punched him.
Almost.
Then the ground split open.
A dark crack stretched from one end of the archive to the other.
Lucien stumbled backward.
“We need to leave.”
Kael nodded.
“Finally, something sensible.”
They turned toward the entrance.
The massive wooden doors slammed shut.
BOOM!
Kael stopped.
“…Never mind.”
The Observer lifted one hand.
Black energy gathered around his fingers.
The second irregularity raised his palm.
Lucien began chanting.
Kael unsheathed his sword.
Pi climbed back onto his shoulder.
For once, nobody joked.
The darkness beneath the floor grew.
Something was coming.
Then—
A hand emerged.
Not flesh.
Not bone.
Not armor.
It looked like a silhouette carved from absolute darkness.
Five long fingers gripped the broken stone. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Kael’s heart hammered.
The hand slowly pulled upward.
A figure began to rise from beneath the academy.
Its body was thin.
Too thin.
Its face was hidden beneath a smooth black surface.
There were no eyes.
No mouth.
No nose.
Nothing.
Only a symbol.
A small silver quill engraved where its forehead should have been.
Kael’s blood ran cold.
“The Author…”
Lucien whispered.
The figure tilted its head.
Kael felt something brush against his mind.
Not physically.
Like a page turning.
His vision suddenly changed.
The archive disappeared.
He saw Aetheris Academy.
Then Eldoria.
Then the entire kingdom.
Then the continent.
Then the world.
And beyond it—
A vast black space.
Thousands upon thousands of glowing threads stretched through the darkness.
Karma.
Fate.
Possibility.
Countless worlds.
Countless stories.
And somewhere among them was a single thread.
His.
Except it wasn’t connected.
It floated outside everything.
Kael stared.
Then something touched the thread.
A quill.
A black quill.
Kael’s eyes widened.
“No…”
The vision vanished.
He was back inside the archive.
The faceless figure stood directly in front of him.
Kael couldn’t move.
The System appeared.
[CRITICAL WARNING!]
[Narrative interference detected.]
[Host’s existence is being modified.]
[Attempting to prevent modification…]
[FAILED.]
[Karma System authority compromised.]
[10%…]
[18%…]
[31%…]
“What?!”
Kael’s eyes widened.
“My system is being hacked?”
The System responded.
[Correction.]
[This is not a hack.]
[Something is attempting to rewrite the Host.]
Kael’s expression became serious.
“Can you stop it?”
A pause.
[Unknown.]
Kael stared.
“You’re really useless when things get interesting.”
[The System is offended.]
Despite everything, Kael almost laughed.
Then the figure raised one hand.
Its finger pointed toward him.
The black book opened.
A sentence appeared.
«KAEL VEYRON WILL DIE.»
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
Another line appeared.
«KAEL VEYRON WILL RETURN TO HIS ORIGINAL FATE.»
Kael’s grip tightened around his sword.
“No.”
The ink continued.
«KAEL VEYRON WILL—»
Kael stepped forward.
“No.”
The figure paused.
Kael raised his sword.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes were cold.
“I already died once.”
The black quill on the figure’s forehead glowed.
Kael’s voice hardened.
“And I refuse to die just because some glorified writer decided that’s how my story should end.”
The second irregularity looked at him.
The Observer said nothing.
Lucien stared in disbelief.
Kael pointed his sword at the faceless figure.
“You want to write my future?”
A crooked smile appeared on his face.
“Then you’re going to need better handwriting.”
The System appeared.
[Hidden Condition Detected.]
[Host has rejected predetermined narrative.]
[Unique Action Registered.]
[Karma has responded.]
[+50 Karma.]
Kael blinked.
“Seriously?”
He looked at the System notification.
“You’re rewarding me for insulting reality?”
[Yes.]
[The System approves.]
Kael grinned.
“Finally, some appreciation.”
The figure moved.
Instantly.
Kael barely raised his sword.
CLANG!
The impact sent him sliding across the stone floor.
His boots carved lines through the dust.
“Kael!”
Lucien shouted.
Kael steadied himself.
His arms trembled.
That single strike had nearly torn the sword from his hands.
He stared at the figure.
“Strong…”
The Observer disappeared.
A moment later—
BOOM!
The Observer struck the figure from behind.
The impact shook the archive.
The faceless being didn’t move.
It simply turned its head.
The Observer’s crimson eyes narrowed.
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
The figure raised its hand.
The Observer vanished.
He reappeared several meters away, crashing into a bookshelf.
The second irregularity immediately attacked.
Black energy surrounded his hand.
He thrust his palm forward.
A wave of darkness tore through the room.
The figure raised one finger.
The attack stopped.
Completely.
The second irregularity’s expression changed.
“What?”
The figure flicked its finger.
The entire attack reversed.
The boy barely avoided it.
Kael watched in disbelief.
“What’s up with this guy.”
Lucien shouted, “Kael!”
Kael turned.
“Move!”
The professor grabbed Kael’s arm.
“Whatever that thing is, we cannot fight it here.”
Kael looked at the figure.
Then at the black book.
Then at Pi.
Something clicked inside his mind.
The book.
The figure.
The quill.
Pi.
The Author.
They were connected.
But how?
Kael suddenly remembered something.
The first time Pi had appeared, the System couldn’t identify it.
The creature had an unknown species.
Unknown origin.
Unknown potential.
And now—
The Author’s symbol had appeared inside Pi’s eye.
Kael’s gaze sharpened.
“Pi.” Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
“Pi?”
“Do you know that thing?”
Pi stared at the faceless figure.
Its tiny body began trembling.
Then—
“Pi.”
One word.
But this time it wasn’t playful.
It was angry.
Kael understood.
Pi knew it.
Or at least recognized something.
The faceless figure turned toward Pi.
The instant it did—
BOOM!
A massive wave of energy erupted from Pi.
Kael was thrown backward.
The figure staggered.
For the first time—
It moved back.
The Observer noticed.
“So that’s why.”
The second irregularity stared at Pi.
“Interesting.”
Kael landed hard on one knee.
“Pi…
did that?”
The creature stood on his shoulder.
Its tiny wings spread.
Its golden eye shone brightly.
Then the black quill appeared again.
This time—
Kael saw it.
His eyes widened.
“What the…”
The quill vanished.
The System appeared.
[Unknown phenomenon detected.]
[Companion Pi has activated an unidentified authority.]
[Authority name: ???]
[Origin: ???]
[Relation to the Author: ???]
[System warning: Do not allow external entity to establish contact with Companion.]
Kael’s expression became grim.
“That’s enough.”
He stood.
The figure looked at him.
Kael stepped between it and Pi.
The faceless being raised its hand again.
But before it could move—
The black book slammed shut.
BANG!
Every candle in the archive went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then a voice whispered.
Not the voice of the faceless entity.
Not the Observer.
Not the second irregularity.
Not Lucien.
A completely different voice.
Soft.
Almost amused.
“You are becoming difficult to write.”
Kael froze.
His eyes widened.
The voice continued.
“That is acceptable.”
The black book opened.
A single sentence appeared.
«THE AUTHOR HAS NOT YET ARRIVED.»
Kael stared at the words.
“What?”
The ink shifted.
«THIS IS ONLY A HAND.»
The faceless figure suddenly disappeared.
The pressure vanished.
The cracks in the floor stopped spreading.
Silence returned.
Kael slowly lowered his sword.
“…A hand?”
Lucien walked toward the black book.
His face was pale.
“Then that wasn’t the Author.”
The Observer emerged from the shadows.
“No.”
The second irregularity looked toward the place where the entity had vanished.
“It was an agent.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“An agent of the Author?”
The boy nodded.
“Something like that.”
Kael sighed.
“Great.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“So we have an Author, an Author’s agent, three irregularities, a fourth presence, a giant thing in the sky, an underground monster, a book that writes reality, and a tiny dragon-like creature that apparently has some connection to all of it.”
Pi proudly lifted its head.
“Pi!”
Kael looked at it.
“You are not helping.”
“Pi.”
“…You know what?
Fine.”
Kael turned toward the others.
“Then we need answers.”
The Observer said nothing.
The second irregularity remained silent.
Lucien slowly closed the black book.
Then—
CRACK.
Everyone looked down.
A thin white line appeared across the book’s cover.
Lucien’s face changed.
“No…”
The book opened by itself.
A new page appeared.
But this time, the words were different.
They were written in red.
«THE FIRST HAS BEEN MARKED.»
Kael’s expression hardened.
Another line appeared.
«THE SECOND HAS BEEN FOUND.»
The second irregularity’s eyes narrowed.
Then—
«THE THIRD IS WATCHING.»
Silence.
Kael slowly looked around.
“Watching?”
Lucien swallowed.
The Observer’s crimson eyes shifted toward the ceiling.
The second irregularity looked toward the archive entrance.
Pi’s golden eye began glowing.
Kael felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Someone was there.
Not beneath them.
Not above them.
Not outside the worldline.
Here.
Inside the archive.
A presence had been standing among them the entire time.
The System suddenly appeared.
[Emergency Alert.]
[Unknown Observer detected.]
[Classification: Irregularity Three.]
[Location: Within immediate range.]
[Identity: Unknown.]
[Threat Level: Unmeasurable.]
Kael’s pupils shrank.
“Three…”
A soft sound came from behind him.
Footsteps.
One.
Two.
Three.
Kael slowly turned.
At the far end of the archive stood a figure wearing an ordinary Aetheris Academy uniform.
A student.
Black hair.
Gray eyes.
Same height.
The second irregularity stared at the newcomer.
For the first time—
His calm expression disappeared.
The newcomer smiled.
“Hello, Second.”
Kael’s blood ran cold.
The boy’s voice was almost identical to the second irregularity’s.
But there was something different about it.
Something wrong.
The second irregularity whispered:
“…You.”
The newcomer tilted his head.
“I’ve been waiting.”
Kael tightened his grip on his sword.
The newcomer looked directly at him.
Then he smiled.
“First.”
The lights in the archive suddenly returned.
Every candle ignited simultaneously.
The black book slammed shut.
And on its cover, beneath the silver quill, one final sentence appeared.
«THREE HAVE NOW ENTERED THE STORY.»
Kael stared at it.
Then another line appeared.
«ONE OF THEM IS LYING.»
His expression darkened.
“…Oh.”
Kael slowly smiled.
“Now this is getting interesting.”