WebNovels

Chapter 20 - Chapter 20 – The Problem with Becoming the Buffer

Ace learned three things very quickly.

First—

Being weak was exhausting.

Second—

Pride tasted awful.

Third—

People noticed.

---

Morning: The New Normal

Ace couldn't jump onto the table anymore.

Ravenna had to lift him.

Which Ace hated.

"I'm fine," he muttered, dangling.

"You fainted twice," Ravenna snapped.

"You're not fine."

Ace curled weakly in her arms.

"…I faint professionally."

Ravenna did not laugh.

Outside, the world worked.

The oven stayed intact.

The librarian's system held.

The scarf shimmered faintly—color returning slowly.

Ace felt it like a low ache in his chest.

A constant drain.

Every stable system pulled from him.

---

Afternoon: The Refusal

The dragon came first.

He lowered his massive head until it filled the doorway.

"You look small," the dragon rumbled.

Ace squinted up.

"Rude."

The dragon's eyes softened.

"You are bleeding without wounds."

Ace didn't answer.

The dragon exhaled a long breath.

"No."

Ace blinked.

"…No what?"

"No hoard," the dragon said.

"No stability drawn through you alone."

The dragon stood.

"I will distribute."

Ace's breath hitched.

---

Evening: The Contagion Spreads Back

The baker came.

Then the librarian.

Then the boy and girl—holding hands, determined.

"We felt it," the baker said.

"When things got heavy."

The librarian nodded.

"Like someone else was carrying the weight."

Ace swallowed.

"That wasn't—"

"We're not children," the boy said quietly.

"You taught us redundancy."

The girl smiled.

"So we built it."

They laid down rules.

Rotations.

Shared maintenance.

Fallbacks.

Not magic.

Community.

Ace felt the pressure ease.

Just a fraction.

But enough.

---

Night: The World Notices

Far away—

The figure by the starlight pool froze.

"…That's not possible."

The pool showed the truth:

The load dispersing.

Stability no longer routing through a single node.

Ace was no longer central.

He was foundational.

"That breaks enforcement logic," the figure whispered.

For the first time—

Fear crept in.

---

Ace Understands

Ace lay on his cushion, breathing easier.

Ravenna sat beside him.

"…I didn't plan this," Ace admitted.

Ravenna smiled gently.

"You didn't have to."

Ace stared at the ceiling.

"In my old life," he said softly,

"I was always the one fixing things."

Ravenna listened.

"No one ever asked if I was okay."

She squeezed his paw.

"We are now."

Ace closed his eyes.

And for the first time since arriving—

He rested.

---

Outside—

The sky brightened.

Not from magic.

From shared effort.

Somewhere—

A system designed to suppress variance cracked.

And this time—

It didn't heal.

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