The morning air in the mountain village was thin and clear.
Mist clung lazily to the slopes beyond the terraced fields, and the dirt path leading past Luke's house still bore the footprints of villagers heading out early for work. Chickens scratched the ground. A dog barked once, then settled.
Luke sat on the low wooden stool outside his door, a bowl of warm porridge cooling in his hands.
For the first time in days, his heart was quiet.
No echoes of Sicily.
No lingering voices.
No weight of borrowed lives.
Just breath.
Just now.
A familiar, transparent glow unfolded before his eyes.
Not abrupt.
Not intrusive.
The System no longer announced itself. It responded.
[World of Remorse · User Interface]
Name: Luke (Lu Kong)Status: Active — Returned to RealityMental State: BalancedEmotional Load: StabilizedNarrative Residue: None Detected
Luke let his eyes travel down the panel slowly.
Not greedily.
Not anxiously.
Like a man reading a medical report after recovery.
Core Attributes (Permanent Retained)
Strategic Cognition: Genius-Level
Political Acumen: Advanced
Artistic Mastery: Exceptional
Foresight (Passive): Limited, Stable
Supernatural Perception: Dormant
Shadow Network: Inactive (Sealed)
Karma Balance
Available Karma Points:1,000
Note: Karma accrual paused until next world entry.
A soft line of text appeared beneath.
System Advisory:"User emotional fluctuations within optimal parameters. No suppression required."
Luke exhaled.
So this was what normal felt like after carrying so many endings.
He dismissed the panel with a thought.
The world returned.
"Xiao Lu."
Old Man Chen stood by the fence, hoe resting on his shoulder. He had lived in the village longer than the dirt road itself.
"You didn't sleep late today," the old man said, squinting.
Luke smiled faintly. "Couldn't."
Chen studied him.
Not suspiciously.
Carefully.
"You've changed," he said at last. "Not like before."
Luke did not ask how.
As Luke rose, carrying his bowl inside, a few villagers slowed unconsciously when they passed his gate.
It wasn't fear.
It was… adjustment.
Eyes lingered half a second longer.
Voices dropped slightly.
People straightened their backs without realizing why.
A young woman carrying vegetables nearly tripped when Luke nodded at her.
"S-sorry," she said quickly.
Luke stepped aside. "Careful."
That was all.
Yet her cheeks flushed as if she'd been spoken to by someone important.
The System registered it quietly.
Passive Effect Confirmed:Aura of Authority (Low-Level)Cause: Accumulated Narrative Weight + Emotional EquilibriumWarning: Aura intensifies under decisive action.
Luke paused.
He did not want this to grow.
Not here.
Not among people who had known him when he was only Luke.
He slowed his breathing.
Grounded himself in the rhythm of village life.
In soil.
In routine.
The aura softened.
By noon, Luke was back in his small plot of land, hands in the dirt, the smell of earth steadying him. Sweat formed. Muscles worked. Time passed honestly.
A few villagers gathered at the edge of the field, pretending not to watch as he sketched during his break—quick charcoal lines capturing the slope of the hills.
"Teacher Lu," a boy whispered to his friend. "He looks like someone important from the city."
Luke heard it.
He pretended not to.
That night, as the village lights dimmed, Luke lay on his bed, staring at the wooden beams overhead.
The System remained silent.
For once, so did fate.
And Luke realized something simple, something earned:
Power no longer demanded to be used.
It waited.
And for now—
He chose peace.