The first thing Kai noticed after the world changed was how loud everything had become.
Not just noise — but information.
Everywhere he looked, glowing text hovered above people's heads. Names. Levels. Classes. Health bars. Kill counts. And worst of all…
Fate.
Some were short.
Lives a long life.Survives the apocalypse.
Some were horrifying.
Will murder 12 people.Dies screaming.Eaten alive.
Kai stood frozen in his room, staring through the wall at his neighbor, Jeremy Hale.
LEVEL 5 – STORM BRAWLERFATE: DIES IN 2 DAYS
Two days.
Jeremy was strong. He already had powers. He had already killed monsters.
And he was still going to die.
Kai slowly sank down onto the edge of his bed.
"So this is what I am now…" he whispered. "A walking obituary."
Outside, the sounds of battle were getting closer. Gunshots. Explosions. Monster roars. And underneath it all, human screams.
The black system window still floated in front of him.
[YOU MAY NOT INTERFERE]
Kai clenched his jaw.
"Bullshit."
His phone suddenly buzzed again. He grabbed it, his fingers sweaty.
Group chats. Messages. Emergency alerts.
— "Monsters in the metro!"— "My brother just got eaten!"— "Players are forming a guild downtown!"— "If you have a system, fight back!"
Kai stared at the last message.
If you have a system.
He didn't.
But he had something else.
He looked back out the window. The spider-like monster was still there, fighting three Players. One used fire. One used lightning. One swung a glowing axe.
Text floated above the monster.
NAME: VOID CRAWLERLEVEL: 8WEAKNESS: LEFT EYE
Kai's heart jumped.
"I can see weaknesses…"
That wasn't listed for players. Only monsters.
So he had information even the System didn't give.
The black window flickered.
[WARNING]INFORMATION ACCESS EXCEEDS LIMITS
Kai ignored it.
Down on the street, the lightning user was being pushed back. The monster slammed him into a wall.
Above the man's head:
FATE: DIES IN 30 SECONDS
Kai's stomach dropped.
"Move… move… MOVE!"
The man didn't hear him.
The Void Crawler raised one massive claw and aimed for the man's head.
Kai grabbed a chair.
"I don't care what you say," he growled at the black window. "I'm not letting someone die right in front of me."
He threw the chair through his window.
Glass shattered.
The chair tumbled down and hit the monster's face — right in its left eye.
The Void Crawler shrieked in agony.
The axe-wielding Player saw the opening and swung.
The monster collapsed.
The man who was about to die stared in shock.
Above his head, the text changed.
FATE: SURVIVES TODAY
Kai's breath left him in a rush.
"I changed it…" he whispered. "I changed the future."
The black system window flickered violently.
[ERROR][OBSERVER HAS INTERFERED]
Kai felt a chill run down his spine.
Something had noticed him.
And it was not happy.
The moment Kai changed that man's fate, the air around him seemed to tighten.
It wasn't something he could see, but something he felt — like invisible eyes turning toward him.
The black system window pulsed.
[IRREGULARITY DETECTED]
Kai backed away from it.
"Hey… hey… I didn't break anything," he muttered. "I just… helped a guy."
Outside, the crowd was cheering. The three Players who killed the Void Crawler were being treated like heroes. People took videos, screaming their names. Someone even started a live stream.
Kai watched their glowing stats.
NAME: ADRIAN KELLERCLASS: LIGHTNING STRIKERLEVEL: 7FATE: WILL BECOME A TYRANT
Kai's smile faded.
"So he lives today… but becomes a monster later."
The man he saved was being lifted onto shoulders, praised as a savior.
Kai felt sick.
"Did I actually make things better… or worse?"
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
He hesitated, then answered.
"H-Hello?"
"Kai!" a voice shouted. "Oh thank God, you're alive!"
It was his childhood friend, Maya.
"Where are you?" she cried. "There are monsters everywhere! I'm hiding in a grocery store with some people, but—"
Kai saw her immediately through the city blocks, her name glowing in his vision.
MAYA REEDLEVEL: 1CLASS: HEALERFATE: DIES TODAY
His blood ran cold.
"Maya… listen to me," he said fast. "You need to leave that place. Right now."
"What? Why?"
"There's something coming. Big. Strong. You have maybe… fifteen minutes."
"Are you crazy?" she whispered. "We're safer inside!"
"No!" Kai almost shouted. "Trust me! Run north, toward the old bridge!"
There was silence on the line.
"Kai… how do you know this?"
"Just— please!"
Another scream came from Maya's phone.
Something was breaking through the grocery store doors.
"I have to go!" she yelled.
The line cut.
Kai stared at his phone.
Her Fate still read:
DIES TODAY
He grabbed his jacket and rushed out of his apartment.
He didn't have powers.
He didn't have weapons.
But he had something far more dangerous.
He knew what was coming.
And he wasn't going to let Maya become the first person he failed to save.