BOOM!
The entire archive trembled.
Stone dust drifted from the ceiling.
Ancient books fell from their shelves one after another, their covers striking the floor with dull thuds.
Kael stood perfectly still.
His sword remained raised.
His eyes were fixed on the floor.
Something was down there.
Something that had just spoken their names.
First.
Second.
Third.
And then—
The one who was never written.
Kael swallowed.
“That’s…”
He slowly lowered his sword.
“…not creepy at all.”
Pi clung tightly to his shoulder.
“Pi.”
“Yeah.”
Kael nodded.
“I know.”
Lucien looked at him.
“You understand what it said?”
“Not really.”
“Then why do you look so calm?”
Kael glanced at him.
“I’m not calm.”
He pointed at his trembling hand.
“I’m terrified.”
Lucien stared.
“You don’t look terrified.”
“That’s because I’m very talented.”
The professor sighed.
“That isn’t how fear works.”
“It is for me.”
Another tremor shook the room.
This time, the floor didn’t crack.
Instead—
Something beneath it knocked.
Once.
Knock.
Everyone froze.
A second knock followed.
Knock.
Then a third.
Knock.
Kael’s expression became serious.
“Is that…”
Lucien nodded.
“Yes.”
“Something knocking?”
“Something trying to get out.”
Kael stared at the floor.
“That’s worse.”
The second irregularity moved toward the archive entrance.
“We have to leave.”
The Observer shook his head.
“Too late.”
The second irregularity looked at him.
“What?”
The Observer pointed upward.
Everyone followed his gaze.
The ceiling was changing.
Not physically.
Reality itself seemed to be distorting.
The stone became transparent.
Through it, Kael could see the academy above them.
Students were running through the corridors.
Teachers were shouting.
Magical barriers were activating.
And yet—
Nobody seemed to notice the distortion in the archive.
Kael frowned.
“Are we…”
“Outside normal perception,” the second irregularity answered.
Kael looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means the academy can’t see us anymore.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“And can we see them?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful.”
He looked around.
“Why does every explanation in this place create three more questions?”
The newcomer chuckled.
“Because you’re asking the wrong questions.”
Kael looked at him.
“Then enlighten me.”
The boy smiled.
“Ask yourself why you can still remember.”
Kael’s expression changed.
“Remember what?”
“Everything.”
The newcomer pointed toward Lucien.
“The book rewrote his memory.”
Then toward the second irregularity.
“Second’s existence has been repeatedly erased.”
Then toward the Observer.
“Observer’s identity is hidden from the world.”
Finally—
He pointed at Kael.
“But you…”
The smile disappeared.
“…remember all of it.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Because I’m outside the story.”
“Exactly.”
The second irregularity suddenly interrupted.
“No.”
Kael looked at him.
“No?”
“That’s only part of it.”
The newcomer smiled faintly.
“You’re finally learning.”
Kael sighed.
“Fantastic.”
He looked at the second irregularity.
“Then tell me the other part.”
The boy remained silent.
Kael stared at him.
“Come on.”
Nothing.
“You dragged me into a black void.”
Silence.
“You told me I was inserted into this world.”
Silence.
“You told me my title was a key.”
Silence.
“And now you’re standing there looking like someone just asked you to pay rent.”
The second irregularity frowned.
“I don’t know everything.”
“Then tell me what you do know.”
His gray eyes met Kael’s.
“I know that you’re not the only person who doesn’t belong here.”
Kael’s expression changed.
“What?”
The boy pointed at Lucien.
“Ask him.”
Everyone turned toward the professor.
Lucien looked confused.
“Ask me what?”
The second irregularity spoke quietly.
“Ask Professor Graves when he first met Kael Veyron.”
Lucien frowned.
“That’s easy.”
He looked at Kael.
“Today.”
The second irregularity shook his head.
“No.”
Lucien’s expression changed.
“What?”
“You met him before today.”
Silence.
Kael slowly turned toward Lucien.
“Professor?”
Lucien looked bewildered.
“I don’t remember that.”
The second irregularity nodded.
“Of course you don’t.”
Kael’s heart began beating faster.
“What happened?”
“The story corrected it.”
The newcomer laughed softly.
“Again.”
Kael looked at him.
“Again?”
The newcomer nodded.
“Your existence has already caused more corrections than you realize.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“How many?”
“Enough.”
“That’s not a number.”
“It isn’t supposed to be.”
Kael clenched his fist.
Then—
A strange sensation passed through his mind.
A memory.
His father’s study.
He remembered standing before Duke Alaric.
He remembered the dark wooden shelves.
The smell of parchment.
The blue curtains.
The large fireplace.
And his father saying—
“Kael, you have one chance.”
Kael blinked.
That memory had always felt real.
But suddenly…
Something was wrong.
He couldn’t remember what happened immediately afterward.
He couldn’t remember leaving the room.
He couldn’t remember what he had said.
The memory simply ended.
Like a page torn from a book.
Kael’s face became pale.
“Wait.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
The System appeared.
[Warning.]
[Host memory instability detected.]
Kael’s heart skipped.
“What?”
[A memory has been identified as inconsistent with current worldline records.]
Kael stared at the notification.
“Which memory?”
A pause.
[The System cannot determine.]
“Of course.”
Kael rubbed his forehead.
“Why would you say something like that and then refuse to explain?”
[The System did not refuse.]
[It genuinely does not know.]
Kael sighed.
“That’s somehow worse.”
He closed his eyes.
Another memory surfaced.
He remembered his previous life.
A small apartment.
A cheap desk.
A stack of fantasy novels.
Rain against a window.
His phone lying beside him.
He remembered reading Chronicles of the Fallen World.
He remembered Kael Veyron.
He remembered the academy.
He remembered Leon.
He remembered Kael’s death.
Everything.
But then—
Something appeared.
A sentence.
A sentence he had never remembered before.
“You were chosen.”
Kael’s eyes snapped open.
“What?”
Everyone looked at him.
Lucien asked, “What happened?”
Kael ignored him.
He was staring at nothing.
“I heard something.”
The Observer moved closer.
“What?”
“A voice.”
“Whose?”
“I don’t know.”
The newcomer looked interested.
“What did it say?”
Kael hesitated.
Then—
“You were chosen.”
The room became completely silent.
The second irregularity’s face changed.
The Observer turned toward the black book.
Lucien stepped backward.
The newcomer stopped smiling.
Kael noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
Nobody answered.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Someone explain.”
The second irregularity finally spoke.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because nobody chooses an irregularity.”
Kael’s heart sank.
“What?”
“That’s what makes you an irregularity.”
The newcomer shook his head.
“No.”
The second irregularity looked at him.
The newcomer continued.
“Someone did choose him.”
The Observer’s voice became cold.
“Who?”
The newcomer looked at Kael.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
Kael’s hands tightened.
“So this whole time…”
He looked at the black book.
“The Author?”
The newcomer shook his head.
“No.”
“The System?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
The newcomer stared at him.
“I don’t know.”
Kael stared back.
For once, the answer sounded genuine.
Then—
BOOM!
The floor exploded.
Everyone jumped away.
A massive black crack tore through the center of the archive.
Something was rising.
Kael immediately drew his sword.
Lucien began forming a magical barrier.
The Observer disappeared.
The second irregularity raised both hands.
The newcomer stepped backward.
Pi growled.
“Pi!”
A deep voice echoed from below.
“FIRST.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
The voice continued.
“YOU WERE NOT REBORN.”
Kael froze.
“YOU WERE RETURNED.”
His sword lowered slightly.
“What?”
The voice rumbled again.
“SECOND.”
The second irregularity stiffened.
“YOU WERE NOT CREATED.”
The boy’s eyes widened.
“YOU WERE REMEMBERED.”
The second irregularity took a step backward.
“No.”
Then—
“THIRD.”
The newcomer froze.
The voice became quieter.
“YOU WERE NEVER WRITTEN.”
The boy’s expression became unreadable.
Then the voice spoke again.
“FOURTH.”
Silence.
Kael looked around.
“Who is Fourth?”
The answer came immediately.
“I AM.”
The floor collapsed.
A vast darkness emerged.
Not a creature.
Not a person.
A shape.
A silhouette.
Something so enormous that Kael couldn’t see its entire body.
Two pale eyes opened in the darkness.
Not like the sky entity.
These were different.
They weren’t looking at the academy.
They were looking at Kael.
Directly at him.
Kael’s body became rigid.
The System exploded into warning messages.
[CRITICAL!]
[Unknown existence has established direct observation of Host.]
[Host Karma network destabilizing.]
[Host Fate connection destabilizing.]
[Host narrative coordinates destabilizing.]
[Emergency protection activated.]
[Protection failed.]
Kael’s breathing stopped.
“System…”
No answer.
The fourth presence spoke.
“I HAVE WAITED.”
Kael swallowed.
“For me?”
“YES.”
“Why?”
Silence.
Then—
“BECAUSE YOU ARE LATE.”
Kael frowned.
“Late?”
The presence leaned closer.
Reality seemed to bend around it.
“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE LONG AGO.”
Kael’s eyes widened.
“I…”
His mind suddenly flashed.
A white room.
A door.
A voice.
A hand reaching toward him.
Then darkness.
Kael stumbled backward.
“What was that?”
Lucien grabbed his shoulder.
“Kael!”
Kael pushed him away gently. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“I saw something.”
“What?”
“My death.”
Everyone went silent.
Kael stared into the darkness.
“But it wasn’t how I remembered.”
The newcomer whispered:
“Exactly.”
Kael looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your memory of your previous life may be false.”
Kael’s heart dropped.
“No.”
The newcomer continued.
“You didn’t simply die.”
Kael shook his head.
“I remember dying.”
“Do you remember why?”
Kael froze.
His mind searched.
Nothing.
He remembered the moment before death.
But not the cause.
Not clearly.
It was like someone had removed the final page.
Kael whispered:
“…No.”
The second irregularity stared at him.
“Then the question isn’t who reincarnated you.”
Kael looked at him.
“It’s who sent you back.”
The fourth presence laughed.
A deep sound that shook the archive.
“FINALLY.”
The black book opened.
Its pages flipped rapidly.
Then stopped.
A new title appeared.
«THE RETURNED ONE»
Kael stared.
His own name appeared underneath.
«KAEL VEYRON»
Then another sentence.
«MEMORY STATUS: ALTERED.»
Another.
«ORIGINAL DEATH: SEALED.»
Another.
«REASON FOR RETURN: SEALED.»
Kael’s eyes widened.
Then the final sentence appeared.
«RETURNER’S AUTHORITY: INCOMPLETE.»
Kael’s breathing became shallow.
“Authority?”
The System appeared.
[Hidden Attribute detected.]
[Attribute: Return Authority]
[Current Status: Dormant]
[Unlock Requirement: Unknown]
[Origin: Unknown]
Kael stared at the notification.
“You had that the entire time?”
[The System was unaware of the attribute.]
Kael blinked.
“How can you not know what’s inside your own host?”
[The System would like to remind Host that the System itself may be incomplete.]
Kael’s expression darkened.
“Incomplete…”
He looked at Pi.
The little creature was staring at him.
Its golden eye glowed.
The black quill appeared again.
This time—
A second symbol appeared beside it.
A tiny crown.
Kael stared.
“Pi…”
The creature blinked.
“Pi?”
“Your eye.”
Pi tilted its head.
Kael stepped closer.
The symbols vanished.
He frowned.
“Never mind.”
The fourth presence spoke again.
“THE RETURNED ONE.”
Kael looked toward it.
“THE ONE OUTSIDE THE STORY.”
The darkness shifted.
“THE KEY.”
Kael’s expression hardened.
Then—
“THE LOCK.”
His pupils shrank.
“What?”
The fourth presence laughed.
“YOU THINK YOU ARE THE KEY.”
The archive shook.
“YOU ARE ALSO THE DOOR.”
Kael’s heart pounded.
The black book suddenly slammed shut.
The fourth presence disappeared.
The cracks in the floor sealed themselves.
Everything became normal.
The candles reignited.
Books stopped moving.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Kael looked at the others.
“Did…”
He swallowed.
“Did everyone hear that?”
Lucien nodded slowly.
The Observer remained silent.
The second irregularity looked disturbed.
The third irregularity—the unwritten character—was staring at Kael.
Then he whispered:
“You’re not what I thought.”
Kael looked at him.
“Neither are you.”
The boy smiled faintly.
“Fair.”
Kael lowered his sword.
His mind was racing.
The fourth presence had called him Returned.
The black book said his memory was altered.
His original death was sealed.
His reason for returning was sealed.
And he possessed an unknown Return Authority.
That changed everything.
Maybe he hadn’t been randomly reincarnated.
Maybe he hadn’t simply been inserted into this world.
Maybe—
Someone had deliberately brought him here.
And if that was true…
Then the question was no longer:
Who is the Author?
It was:
Who wanted Kael Veyron to return?
The System appeared.
[Major Revelation Registered.]
[Host’s origin has been partially clarified.]
[New Main Mission generated.]
[THE TRUTH OF THE RETURNED]
Objective: Discover the truth behind Host’s death and return.
Reward: 2,000 Karma.
Failure: Unknown.
Additional Requirement: Recover the sealed memory.
Kael stared at the mission.
Then smiled.
Not because he was happy.
Because, finally—
He had something he could actually chase.
He looked toward the three irregularities.
“I’ve got a new question.”
The Observer asked:
“What?”
Kael sheathed his sword.
“Who sealed my memory?”
Nobody answered.
Kael’s smile widened.
“Then I guess we’re going to find out.”
Outside the archive, bells suddenly rang across Aetheris Academy.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then every magical communication crystal in the academy activated simultaneously.
A voice echoed throughout the school.
Calm.
Emotionless.
And completely unfamiliar.
“Students of Aetheris Academy.”
Kael’s expression changed.
“The academy has entered lockdown.”
A pause.
“Do not leave your designated locations.”
Another pause.
Then—
“An unidentified entity has been detected inside the academy.”
Kael slowly looked toward the black book.
Its cover remained closed.
But beneath the silver quill, new words were appearing.
«THE FOURTH HAS AWAKENED.»
Then—
«THE HUNT HAS BEGUN.»
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
And somewhere in the academy…
A bell rang a fourth time.
DONG.
The lights went out.
Again.