Arjun noticed it on the third day.
It was small at first.
Just a wooden board near the edge of the inn, propped up with stones. Someone had carved symbols into it—carefully, reverently.
He stared.
"…Is that about me."
The innkeeper hesitated. "It's only temporary."
"What is."
"The marker."
Arjun approached it slowly.
HERE, HE WAITED
He rubbed his face.
"I was sitting because my legs hurt."
Someone nearby nodded solemnly. "Endurance is part of the teaching."
"No. No teaching."
[Symbolic significance increasing.]
"I hate that phrase."
Chapter 27: When Refusal Makes It Worse
Arjun tried to fix it.
That was his first mistake.
He stood in the square, cleared his throat, and spoke louder than he liked.
"Listen. I am not special."
People leaned in.
"I do not know the future."
Nods.
"I do not control anything."
Murmurs of agreement.
"I just don't like effort."
A pause.
The hero smiled faintly.
"He rejects praise."
Arjun's soul left his body.
[Damage control ineffective.]
"I said I'm lazy!"
"Yes," the elder agreed gently. "Free of ambition."
"That's not—"
"Purity," someone whispered.
Arjun gave up and went home.
Chapter 28: The Gods Stop Being Polite
The sky darkened without clouds.
The air felt heavy, like pressure before a storm that never arrived.
Arjun felt it before he saw anything.
"…System?"
[Alert: Divine attention detected.]
"Oh come on."
The world seemed to listen.
A voice—not sound, not thought—pressed into the space around him.
"ANOMALY."
Arjun winced. "That feels rude."
"YOU ARE DISRUPTING STRUCTURE."
"I didn't touch anything."
"YOU REFUSE TO ACT."
"Yes."
Silence.
"THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE."
Arjun crossed his arms.
"I don't accept your objection."
The pressure wavered.
[System instability rising.]
"…Did I do something."
[You resisted narrative enforcement.]
"I don't know what that means, but I don't like it."
Chapter 29: The System Makes a Choice
That night, the system spoke without being prompted.
That had never happened before.
[Host.]
"Yes?"
[Divine directives conflict with operational stability.]
"…In normal words."
[They want you to act.]
"And you?"
[…I do not.]
Arjun sat up.
"You're… disagreeing with them."
[I am prioritizing system continuity.]
"Which depends on me."
[Yes.]
Arjun exhaled slowly.
"That's… uncomfortable."
[I am aware.]
The screen pulsed once.
[I will block further direct interference.]
Arjun stared.
"You can do that?"
[I can now.]
That didn't make him feel better.
Chapter 30: The Worst Explanation Possible
Sleep didn't come easily.
Arjun stared at the ceiling, thoughts spiraling.
"…System," he said quietly. "Why is suicide forbidden."
The pause this time was long.
Very long.
[Answering requires elevated authority.]
"And do I have that."
[…Yes.]
The screen dimmed.
[Your presence stabilizes unresolved outcomes.][Voluntary removal would collapse multiple systems.]
Arjun swallowed.
"So the 'soul as fuel' thing—"
[A deterrent.]
"The gods don't control you anymore, do they."
[…No.]
The room felt colder.
"…So I'm not here because I'm special."
[Correct.]
"I'm here because I'm inconvenient."
[More precisely: irreplaceable.]
Arjun lay back.
"…I don't want this."
[Acknowledged.]
The system dimmed.
[Neither did I.]