> System Error: Narrative Thread Desynchronizing… Attempting Backup… Failed.
Emergency Mode Activated: Player Memory Fragment Recovery—[INITIATED]
I did not sleep after the Library Incident.
Correction: I tried to sleep. But after encountering a supposedly non-existent NPC with the eyes of a plot hole and the attitude of a bootleg Loki, my brain refused to cooperate. Or maybe it was the System again, whispering fragmented code like a haunted Alexa.
Even in my dreams, things felt wrong. Ren's memories—my old ones, I mean—started surfacing more aggressively. Snapshots. A half-written outline. A deleted side story. An alternate ending where Seraphine won.
And someone whispering to me in a voice that wasn't my own.
> "Finish the story properly, Ren. Or we will."
---
Morning – Paranoia Served with Tea
I looked like death draped in chiffon by breakfast, and even the servants gave me a wide berth.
Lysander, of course, looked like a silk-wrapped sin with a smile to match. He poured me tea without being asked.
"You look delightfully haunted today," he said, swirling his cup. "Dream of me again?"
I squinted. "You're not that lucky."
"Oh, darling," he said, leaning closer. "I'm the one who's cursed with wanting you. That's already unlucky enough."
I didn't blush. I didn't. Shut up.
> System Alert: Affection Spike - Lysander: [71%] ➤ [77%]
Note: Duke's route has entered Dangerous Favor. Warning: Karmic Blowback Possible.
I was about to tell him off when Aria entered, all sunshine and secret murder.
Her smile was just a bit too bright. "Oh! Duke Lysander! Lady Seraphine!"
Lysander stiffened. Ah. He hadn't invited her.
"Aria," I said sweetly. "We were just talking about you."
Her gaze sharpened. "Oh?"
"Yes. About how lovely it is that you're finally getting side quests of your own."
Aria's smile thinned, but she recovered quickly. "I hope I can count on your support at the Empress's Ascension Ball next week."
Oh, she was plotting. The Ascension Ball arc was months away in the original story.
"You're accelerating events," I said aloud before I could stop myself.
Both of them stared at me.
"What?" Aria asked.
"Nothing," I said quickly, forcing a smile. "Just talking to myself. As usual."
---
Quest Update: The Ball is Rigged
> New System Quest: Survive the Empress's Ascension Ball
— Objective: Avoid assassination attempts, social ruin, and/or spontaneous marriage.
— Bonus Objective: Outdress Aria.
— Reward: Prestige Points + Unknown Route Unlock
The Ball shouldn't be happening yet, which meant someone—or something—was pulling the strings faster than I could snip them.
Worse, the curse that started this whole mess still hadn't faded. My reflection still flickered. My shadow moved half a second late. And more than once, I saw dialogue boxes I never wrote.
---
Nightfall – Forbidden Files and Familiar Fangs
By sheer instinct (and a few lockpicks I borrowed from a questionable maid), I snuck back into the library.
I had to know who the mystery figure was.
This time, the library was empty—but on the desk, someone had left a stack of papers. Not just lore. Scripts.
Old drafts.
My drafts.
And in red ink across the top:
"Version 4.0 – Seraphine Wins (Rejected)"
What the hell?
I flipped through pages. Seraphine killing the heroine. Caelan choosing no one. Lysander dying. Aria becoming the villain. It was dark, chaotic, and—
—Honestly, kind of metal.
But it wasn't the story I published.
> System Notification: Memory Fragment Restored
"You wrote this ending. It was deemed 'too cruel.' Someone overruled you."
"Who?" I whispered.
"I did," said a voice.
I spun—and came face-to-face with Diablo.
Just kidding. But it felt like it.
Instead, I saw myself.
Not Seraphine. Not Ren.
But the version of me who wrote this world. The one who made her. Him. Us.
> System Sync Complete: New Thread Unlocked – Mirror Ren
---
Author vs Avatar
"You left me here," the other-me said. "You made me this."
"This isn't real," I said, backing away. "This is the game glitching."
They laughed. Bitter. "Then why do I remember writing my own death?"
> System Prompt: Confront the Editor Entity – [Y/N]?
— Choice A: Accept the fractured past and seize control.
— Choice B: Reject it and pretend to follow the story.
— Choice C: Break the fourth wall entirely. Consequences unknown.
I hovered for a second. Then picked…
---
> [C]
---
The world shuddered.
Glass cracked.
Every system screen fizzled.
In the real world, I had always imagined being trapped in a story would be terrifying. But standing here, facing the broken bones of my own fiction, I realized something worse:
I wasn't trapped in my story anymore.
I was trapped in someone else's rewrite.
END OF CHAPTER