The notification appeared before dawn, red as a fresh wound.
Destiny Market System Notice
Event: EXTRAORDINARY DUTY
Condition: Resolve origin of initial destiny sale
Time limit: 24h
Penalty for failure: Maleficium Class III (partial erasure of identity)
The words pulsed in the air, casting a crimson glow across the kitchen walls. My breath fogged in the cold, though no window was open. The letters didn't just appear—they pressed into my skin, my bones, as if the Market had crawled inside me and branded the announcement from within.
Extraordinary Duty. Not a common transaction. Not an automatic penalty. This was… the Market's mission.
Kairos leaned over my shoulder, the glow from the screen cutting harsh lines across his fractured mark. His jaw tightened as he spat a curse.
—Damn the Broker. Too early for them to throw you one of these.
My throat was still sealed in silence, my voice sacrificed to protect Iris. I reached for the notebook and scrawled with shaking hands:
What does it mean exactly?
Kairos's eyes were hard, his voice clipped.
—It means surviving isn't enough anymore. The system wants an answer. If you don't give it, it won't settle for skimming memories or orchestrating accidents. It tears out the core—the things that make you you. Class III is as close to erasure as you can get without dying.
The words rooted cold fear in my chest. Partial erasure of identity. What was left of me if I couldn't even recognize myself?
The mark on my forehead throbbed, a hot gear grinding inside my skull.
—Morning… —a soft voice broke the tension.
Iris padded into the kitchen, hair a messy halo, her yellow jacket inside out. She blinked at the crimson screen above the table, not truly seeing it, and smiled faintly.
—Already up, Luna? Working on those weird screens again?
Her presence cut through the cold. Through the bond tethering us, warmth flickered against my heart. Worry. Tenderness. Fear hidden under that brave smile.
I wanted to protect her from this. But the system had other plans.
Initial investigation:
Trace available: Original destiny sale transaction registered in family line
Access: 1 trail open
Cost: -10 points
Access?
My trembling hand hovered, then I thought the word.
Accept.
The air warped. A black screen surfaced above the table, trimmed with gold runes that pulsed like living veins.
Record: Initial destiny sale
Buyer: BROKER
Seller: [Partially redacted]
Genetic match: 89% (primary line)
Confirmation: BLOOD TRAITOR
The redaction pulsed, resisting. Then the letters rearranged with deliberate cruelty.
The name glowed.
MOTHER.
The thermos Iris carried slipped, shattering against the tiles. The echo pierced me like a bullet, the fragments scattering across the floor like accusations.
My hand shook as I scribbled in the notebook:
No… it can't be.
Kairos closed his eyes, his fractured mark sparking like glass under pressure.
—It can. The Market doesn't lie. Your mother sold your destiny.
The word tore at me even without a voice. Mother. Every part of me screamed denial. My chest caved inward, a hollow collapse. But the system left no room. The betrayal was written in living runes, undeniable, irreversible.
The Broker's voice slid into my mind, smooth as venom:
"Don't blame yourself, Luna. Mothers make deals too. And your future was an excellent investment. Shall I show you the receipt?"
The black screen twisted, reshaping into parchment. The runes became a signature I knew as well as my own handwriting—my mother's elegant script.
The price: her own survival.
She had sold my destiny to prolong her life.
The world cracked under me. The bond with Iris pulsed violently; she felt my anguish as if it were hers. Her eyes filled with tears she didn't understand, and she clutched her chest like my pain was bleeding into her lungs.
—Luna… —her voice faltered—. It… it can't be true, right?
My vision blurred. Memories crashed into me, fragmented and cruel. My mother's hands guiding mine over a notebook. Her voice humming as she brushed my hair. Her laugh at the birthday table—no, that one was already gone. Torn. The edges of her face flickered, incomplete, as if the Market had already begun rewriting her image inside me.
Kairos slammed his fist on the table. The impact rattled the gold runes, making them hiss.
—Shit. They're cornering you with the foulest dilemma: inherit your mother's debt, or pay with something the Market hasn't even named.
The screen expanded, merciless:
Extraordinary Duty in progress:
Option A: Accept the sale (Inherited Debt: +50)
Option B: Invalidate the contract (Cost: Major sacrifice, unspecified)
Time remaining: 23h 41m
The Broker chuckled, elegant and venomous, each syllable dripping into my skull:
"So touching. Mother and daughter, sharing bills. Who said family doesn't bind?"
The mirror on the living room wall cracked with a shriek, shards trembling but not falling, as if held together by his laughter.
I collapsed to my knees. My palms pressed to the tiles, nails digging until they hurt. I couldn't speak. Couldn't scream. My throat was silence, and the only sound was the mark on my forehead, searing louder than my heartbeat, demanding a price.
Kairos crouched beside me, his voice uncharacteristically soft.
—Listen. Whatever you choose, you're not a victim anymore. You have something no one else has—your seal doesn't obey. If you go with invalidation, your mark might reshape the clause. But it will cost. And the cost might be more than you want to give.
I looked at him, vision swimming with tears. He didn't look away. For the first time, I saw no cynicism in his eyes—only grim recognition.
The system ticked on.
23h 40m.
Iris knelt, hands grabbing mine, her warmth bleeding through the bond. Her tears fell, but she whispered with fragile strength:
—Whatever you choose… you're not alone.
The bond trembled. My mark burned. The triangle flared, the semicircle drew tighter, and the incomplete circle on my forehead throbbed like an eye half-opening.
The Broker purred in delight:
"Extraordinary, indeed. Delicious to watch a daughter pay for her mother."
The black parchment dissolved into smoke, curling around me like chains. The runes licked my skin, testing, waiting.
I forced myself upright, trembling but unyielding. My notebook shook under my hand as I carved the words with a fury steadier than my breath:
No. I will not accept. I will invalidate the contract.
The system answered immediately, voice colder than iron:
Option B selected.
Major sacrifice required.
Cost revelation: Pending execution.
Time remaining: 23h 39m.
The black screen imploded, shards of gold light scattering through the air like burning snow. The air thickened, humming with static. The very walls bent as though reality was straining to contain the decision.
The Broker's laughter rolled one last time, satisfied and cruel:
"War it is, then."
The mark on my forehead ignited, lines writhing into new shapes I couldn't yet decipher. My body shook, half from fear, half from rage.
I had chosen.
The Extraordinary Duty had begun.
And I had declared war on the Market.