Silence.
Absolute silence.
The words on the black book seemed to burn themselves into Kael’s mind.
«THREE HAVE NOW ENTERED THE STORY.»
«ONE OF THEM IS LYING.»
Kael stared at the ancient book.
Then at the three figures standing before him.
The Observer.
The second irregularity.
And the newcomer.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even Pi had gone unusually quiet.
Kael slowly exhaled.
“…Well.”
He scratched the side of his head.
“This is awkward.”
The newcomer smiled.
The second irregularity didn’t.
The Observer simply watched.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
Three irregularities.
One liar.
The problem was obvious.
He had absolutely no idea which one it was.
Kael glanced at the System.
“Can you identify the liar?”
The System appeared.
[Analyzing.]
[Analyzing…]
[Analyzing…]
[Analysis failed.]
Kael’s eyebrow twitched.
“You couldn’t even give me a hint?”
[The System possesses no reliable method for detecting narrative deception.]
[Additionally, all three targets possess abnormal properties.]
[The System recommends caution.]
“That’s not a hint.”
[Correct.]
Kael sighed.
“You’re becoming increasingly annoying.”
[Thank you.]
Kael stared at the notification.
“…You’re welcome.”
A faint chuckle came from the newcomer.
Kael immediately looked at him.
The boy smiled.
“You talk to yourself often.”
Kael shrugged.
“Only when everyone else is useless.”
The Observer’s crimson eyes narrowed.
The second irregularity stepped forward.
“Don’t listen to him.”
The newcomer tilted his head.
“Why?”
“Because you’re lying.”
The newcomer smiled wider.
“Am I?”
The second irregularity didn’t answer.
Kael looked between them.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The two seemed to know each other.
More importantly—
The second irregularity was afraid.
Not nervous.
Not cautious.
Afraid.
Kael had seen the boy remain calm while facing the underground entity.
He had watched him stand before the sky entity without hesitation.
He had even seen him confront the Observer.
Yet now, standing before this ordinary-looking student…
He was visibly tense.
That meant something.
Kael stepped forward.
“What’s your name?”
The newcomer smiled.
“My name?”
“Yes.”
“Do you really need it?”
Kael frowned.
“Usually people introduce themselves before joining a conversation.”
The newcomer looked at him for a moment.
Then his smile disappeared.
“No.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“No?”
“My name isn’t something you can remember.”
The room became colder.
Mira.
Kael immediately remembered her.
She had remembered this student during the entrance examination.
She had known he existed.
But she couldn’t remember his name.
At the time, Kael had assumed it was some kind of memory interference.
Now…
He wasn’t so sure.
“You’re the student Mira remembered.”
The newcomer’s expression changed slightly.
“You know her?”
“She’s a friend.”
“Friend?”
The newcomer looked amused.
“Already?”
Kael shrugged.
“Apparently I’m better at making friends than the original Kael.”
The second irregularity looked at him.
The Observer remained silent.
The newcomer stepped closer.
“You shouldn’t trust her.”
Kael’s expression hardened.
“Why?”
“Because she doesn’t belong here either.”
Kael froze.
“What?”
The newcomer smiled.
“Ask her what she remembers about her childhood.”
The second irregularity suddenly moved.
His hand shot toward the newcomer.
A black blade of energy formed across his palm.
“Enough.”
BOOM!
The newcomer disappeared.
The attack struck the wall.
Stone exploded outward.
Kael jumped back.
“Whoa!”
Lucien ducked behind a bookshelf.
“Stop destroying my archive!”
The second irregularity stared at the empty space.
Then the newcomer appeared behind Kael.
“Too slow.”
Kael’s eyes widened.
The newcomer raised his hand.
Before he could touch Kael—
Pi bit his finger.
“PI!”
The newcomer froze.
Kael froze.
The second irregularity froze.
Even the Observer seemed surprised.
The newcomer looked down at Pi.
The tiny creature clung to his finger with all four legs.
Its little horns glowed.
The newcomer stared at it.
For the first time, his expression revealed genuine fear.
“…You.”
Pi growled.
“Pi.”
The newcomer immediately pulled his hand away.
Kael quickly grabbed Pi and moved backward.
“Don’t touch my companion.”
The newcomer’s eyes remained fixed on Pi.
“You don’t understand what you’re carrying.”
Kael’s gaze sharpened.
“Then explain.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t?”
“Not yet.”
Kael almost laughed.
“Why does everyone in this world speak like they’re paid by the word?”
The Observer finally spoke.
“Because knowledge has consequences.”
Kael glanced at him.
“You could have mentioned that earlier.”
“No.
I assumed you were being mysterious for dramatic effect.”
The Observer said nothing.
Kael nodded.
“Exactly.”
Lucien slowly emerged from behind the bookshelf.
“Perhaps we should leave.”
Kael looked at him.
“Why?”
Lucien pointed toward the black book.
Kael followed his gaze.
The book had opened again.
A single sentence was appearing.
Slowly.
One letter at a time.
«THE SCHOLAR MUST NOT DIE.»
Kael’s expression changed.
His mission.
Protect the Scholar.
Prevent Lucien Graves from dying before sunset.
He looked at the professor.
Then at the book.
Then at the three irregularities.
Something clicked.
This book isn’t merely describing events.
It was establishing them.
And if the book had already written Lucien’s death…
Perhaps the mission wasn’t simply telling him what would happen.
Perhaps the System was responding to the book.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“System.”
[Yes, Host?]
“Did you create the mission to protect Lucien?”
[Negative.]
Kael’s eyes widened.
“Then who did?”
[The System cannot determine the origin of the mission.]
Kael stared.
That was the first time the System had admitted something like that.
“So someone else gave me a mission.”
[Possibility confirmed.]
“Who?”
[Unknown.]
Kael clenched his fist.
Everything was connected.
The Author.
The black book.
The irregularities.
The missions.
Pi.
And possibly even the System itself.
He turned toward Lucien.
“Professor.”
Lucien looked at him.
“Yes?”
“How many people know about this book?”
Lucien hesitated.
“Before today?”
“Yes.”
“Three.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
“Me.”
Lucien pointed toward the shelves.
“The person who discovered it with me.”
“And?”
“The third was…”
He stopped.
Kael waited.
Lucien’s expression became troubled.
“I don’t remember.”
Kael’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“I remember there being another person.”
Lucien pressed his fingers against his temple.
“A colleague.
Someone who studied Primordial Laws with me.”
“What was their name?”
“I don’t know.”
The second irregularity suddenly looked toward Lucien.
The Observer remained motionless.
The newcomer smiled.
Kael noticed.
That smile.
It was tiny.
Almost invisible.
But it was there.
Kael pointed at him.
“You know.”
The newcomer’s smile vanished.
“Know what?”
“The missing scholar.”
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
The newcomer tilted his head.
“How did you determine that?”
Kael smiled.
“I didn’t.”
The boy stared at him.
Kael shrugged.
“But you looked nervous.”
“I did?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think I did.”
“You did.”
The second irregularity suddenly looked at Kael.
The Observer’s crimson eyes narrowed.
The newcomer stared at Kael for several seconds.
Then he laughed.
“You’re clever.”
Kael smiled.
“I’ve been told.”
“By whom?”
“Myself.”
“…”
Kael shrugged.
“It counts.”
The newcomer took another step.
Then stopped.
“I know who the scholar was.”
Lucien’s breathing stopped.
“Who?”
The newcomer looked at him.
“Your partner.”
Lucien’s face went pale.
“What was his name?”
The newcomer smiled.
“That’s the problem.”
He pointed toward the black book.
“It never had one.”
Silence.
Kael frowned.
“What?”
“The person you remember never existed.
Lucien shook his head.
“No.”
“You found the book alone.”
“No.”
“You never had a partner.”
“I remember him!”
“Memory isn’t proof.”
The second irregularity suddenly spoke.
“He’s telling the truth.”
Kael turned toward him.
“You believe him?”
“No.”
“Then why—”
“Because I’ve seen this before.”
The boy’s gray eyes became distant.
“People can be created by the narrative.”
Kael’s expression changed.
“Created?”
“Characters.”
He looked at the black book.
“People can appear because the story needs them.”
Kael felt a chill.
“So that person…”
“Was written.”
Lucien stepped backward.
His face had lost all color.
“No…”
“And when the story no longer needed him…”
He snapped his fingers.
“Removed.”
Lucien stumbled.
Kael caught him.
“Professor.”
Lucien’s hands trembled.
“I remember him.”
Kael looked at the black book.
“Maybe you remember him because he was written into your memories.”
The book suddenly turned pages.
FLIP.
FLIP.
FLIP.
Then stopped.
A name appeared.
Kael stared.
The name was written in silver ink.
MARCUS VALE.
Lucien’s eyes widened.
“Marcus…”
His voice trembled.
“I remember.”
The black book immediately changed.
«MARCUS VALE NEVER EXISTED.»
The name disappeared.
Lucien screamed.
“NO!”
He reached toward the page.
Kael grabbed him.
“Don’t!”
The book slammed shut.
A pulse of energy exploded outward.
The entire archive went dark.
Then—
A whisper.
Not from the book.
Not from the newcomer.
Not from the Observer.
Not from the second irregularity.
From somewhere much farther away.
“Correction accepted.”
Kael froze.
The System appeared.
[Narrative correction detected.]
[Memory has been rewritten.]
[Host resistance detected.]
[Host memory remains unaffected.]
Kael’s eyes widened.
“Wait.”
He looked at Lucien.
The professor was breathing heavily.
“Who?”
Kael pointed toward the book.
“Who was Marcus Vale?”
Lucien stared blankly.
“I don’t know.”
“You just said his name.”
Lucien frowned.
“What name?”
Kael’s expression became grim.
The book had rewritten him.
But Kael remembered.
Why?
Because he was outside the story.
His title.
The One Outside the Story.
The key.
The second irregularity had been right.
Kael’s existence allowed him to resist certain narrative changes.
Then…
Perhaps that was why the Author was interested in him.
Kael slowly smiled.
“If the story can rewrite memories…”
His gaze moved toward the newcomer.
“…then maybe it can rewrite people too.”
The newcomer smiled.
“Now you’re beginning to understand.”
Kael pointed his sword at him.
“Then here’s my question.”
The newcomer waited.
“Are you a person?”
Silence.
The newcomer smiled.
“That’s an excellent question.”
Kael’s grip tightened.
The Observer suddenly appeared beside him.
“Don’t ask another.”
“Why?”
“Because you won’t like the answer.”
The second irregularity stepped backward.
The newcomer laughed softly.
“Too late.”
The black book opened.
A page turned.
Then another.
Then another.
Until a completely blank page appeared.
Black ink began forming letters.
«THIRD IRREGULARITY:»
The newcomer stared at the page.
For the first time, he looked genuinely alarmed.
The writing continued.
«STATUS: UNDEFINED.»
Kael’s eyes widened.
Then—
«IDENTITY: UNWRITTEN.»
The newcomer stepped backward.
The second irregularity whispered:
“No…”
The Observer’s crimson eyes narrowed.
The System flashed across Kael’s vision.
[ERROR.]
[Irregularity Three cannot be classified.]
[It possesses no confirmed origin.]
[It possesses no confirmed identity.]
[It possesses no confirmed existence.]
Kael’s heart pounded.
The newcomer looked directly at him.
His smile had disappeared.
Then the black book wrote one final line.
«IT IS THE CHARACTER THAT WAS NEVER WRITTEN.»
The archive fell silent.
Kael stared at the boy.
The boy stared back.
Then he whispered—
“Now you know why Second is afraid of me.”
Kael’s expression hardened.
The second irregularity clenched his fists.
And somewhere beneath Aetheris Academy…
Something answered.
BOOM.
The fourth presence had awakened again.
This time—
It spoke.
“First.”
Kael froze.
A second voice followed.
“Second.”
The third voice whispered.
“Third.”
Then the fourth presence laughed.
“And the one who was never written.”
The black book slammed shut.
Kael looked toward the floor.
His System appeared one final time.
[Main Mission Updated.]
[FIND THE AUTHOR]
Progress: 12%
New Objective: Discover the identity of the Fourth Presence.
Additional Objective: Determine which irregularity is lying.
Hidden Condition Detected.
[Do not allow the story to choose your next action.]
Failure: Unknown.
Kael stared at the final notification.
Then he smiled.
A dangerous, almost amused smile.
“Fine.”
He raised his sword.
“If everyone else is playing by the rules of this story…”
His eyes gleamed.
“…then I’ll cheat.”
Far beneath Aetheris—
Something opened its eyes.
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