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Chapter Three: Break or Observe
Silence settled over the Hall of Fates like a held breath. Liana stood before the Mirror, her reflection rippling across the silver surface as glowing letters slowly began to form. The crowd leaned forward, eager to witness another destiny revealed. But Ryan barely noticed them. All he could see was the blue window floating in front of him, pulsing with quiet urgency:
[Warning: Fate Activation Imminent]
[Break or Observe?]
His heartbeat thundered in his ears. Break her fate now… or watch betrayal take shape? The countdown in the corner of his vision ticked on:
[21:47:12]
Liana turned slightly, offering him a nervous smile. "Wish me luck." He tried to smile back, but his throat felt tight.
The Mirror brightened. Letters began to appear—slow strokes of light carving themselves into reality.
B… E…
Ryan's breath caught.
The system chimed again:
[Decision Required]
[Break or Observe?]
His hand trembled. He didn't know what breaking a fate meant. Would it hurt her? Change her? Twist her life into something unrecognizable?
He hesitated.
And in that single heartbeat of hesitation, the Mirror completed its revelation.
Betrayer
Gasps erupted through the hall. Liana froze, staring at the glowing word as if it were a blade pressed to her throat.
"No… that can't be right," she whispered.
Parents pulled their children away. Murmurs spread like wildfire.
"A betrayer?"
"Unfortunate girl…"
"She'll bring ruin to anyone close to her."
Liana stumbled back, eyes wide with disbelief. "Ryan… I don't— I would never—"
He stepped toward her, but the system cut him off:
[Fate Locked]
[Break Now? Y/N]
His chest tightened. She looked terrified, alone, already condemned by a future she hadn't chosen.
He pressed YES.
The world shattered.
A blinding blue light swallowed the hall, and Ryan felt himself pulled into a place that wasn't a place at all—an endless void filled with drifting shards of glowing text.
A voice echoed around him:
[Entering Fate Domain]
[Target: Liana]
[Objective: Break the Thread of Betrayal]
Ryan spun around, trying to understand the impossible space. The shards floated like broken memories—images of Liana crying, running, standing over someone's fallen body.
"No… this isn't her," he whispered.
[Fate is not personality. Fate is path.]
[Break the path, and the person is free.]
A thin crimson thread appeared before him, pulsing like a heartbeat.
[Thread of Betrayal]
Ryan reached out.
The moment his fingers touched it, pain surged up his arm. Visions slammed into him—Liana's fear, her desperation, her choices twisted by destiny.
He gritted his teeth and pulled.
The thread resisted, tightening like a living thing.
"Let… her… go!"
With a final, desperate yank, the thread snapped.
The void shattered.
Ryan collapsed onto the marble floor of the hall, gasping for air. The blue windows faded. The crowd stared at him in stunned silence.
Liana rushed to his side. "Ryan! Are you okay?"
He looked up at her.
Above her head, the glowing word had changed.
[Fate: Unknown]
For the first time in her life… she was free.
And for the first time in his… he had broken destiny itself.
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