The academy's infirmary smelled faintly of antiseptic and roses—probably an enchantment to calm injured students. Aiden didn't care. He sat on the edge of the cot, shirt back on but half unbuttoned, a bandage wrapped around his ribs, flexing his fingers as the System displayed his current stats in ghostly light.
Health: 72%
Aura Capacity: 45%
Seduction Progress: [3/6 Heroines]
Status: Stable
Threat Level to Protagonist: Moderate
He grinned. Moderate was good. Dangerous enough to be interesting. Not dangerous enough to be erased. Yet.
The door creaked open, and the air shifted. Aiden looked up, and in stepped Seraphina Dawncrest.
Clad in her flawless academy uniform, silver hair flowing behind her like silk, and golden eyes narrowed with precision, she walked toward him like a goddess descending from her judgment throne.
"You fought Dante," she said, her voice flat.
He tilted his head. "Did I? I thought it was a friendly spar."
"You nearly broke the coliseum floor."
"I slipped."
"You provoked him. On purpose."
He smiled. "Maybe. Maybe I just like taking risks."
"You're not a risk-taker. You're a disruptor," she said, eyes boring into him. "You're trying to dismantle the structure of the academy, piece by piece. The rumors, the attention, the way Elira talks about you now. And Iris—she doesn't entertain distractions. Until you."
Aiden let silence hang between them, then leaned back against the wall with a slight wince from his ribs.
"Is this where you warn me to stop? Threaten me with expulsion or divine retribution?"
"No," she said. "This is where I ask you what you're really after."
For a moment, he thought about lying. Spinning a tale. But there was something sharp about Seraphina's gaze—like she could smell deception from a mile away.
"I'm not playing the role I was cast in," he said finally. "That's all you need to know."
Her brows furrowed. "So you're rebelling against fate?"
"Wouldn't you?"
She didn't answer right away. She sat down on the cot beside him, her scent brushing against his senses—clean, floral, restrained.
"You were cruel to me," she said, and he stiffened.
"In the original story?"
She blinked. "What?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. "What do you mean?"
"You used to mock me in dueling class. You humiliated me after I corrected your footwork. You called me a frigid princess behind my back. I never forgot that."
Aiden's jaw clenched. The old Aiden had been a bastard. A small-minded villain programmed to lash out in fear.
"I'm not that guy anymore," he said quietly.
"No," she said. "Now you're worse."
That stung more than he expected.
But she didn't move away.
"I don't like you," Seraphina said, looking straight ahead. "But I respect strength. And yesterday, you showed it."
Aiden's lips twitched. "You're saying you'll tolerate me?"
"I'm saying I'll watch. Closely."
He turned to her, eyes meeting hers. "That's dangerous."
"Then stop being interesting."
He reached up, brushing a silver strand of hair behind her ear.
"You're not supposed to flirt back," she said, voice sharp.
"I wasn't," he whispered. "I was daring you."
She stood abruptly. Her cheeks were flushed.
"I'll be watching, Aiden Cross."
She left without another word.
Heroines Charmed: [4/6]
Seraphina: Affection +9% (Wary, Curious)
New Trait Unlocked: [Flirt with Fire] – Increases chemistry with prideful characters
System Comment: You're playing with matches. Good.
Aiden laughed under his breath and stood, wincing again.
He had to move. Time was still ticking. The System reset was coming, and there was still so much he didn't understand. The mention of a "System Mother" from earlier still echoed in his mind.
He left the infirmary and headed through the stone corridors of the academy toward the restricted library—because if anyone knew about forbidden systems or godlike programs hiding in shadows, it was there.
The restricted wing was sealed behind enchanted ironwood doors, guarded by magical glyphs and a very grumpy-looking senior librarian.
"You need a professor's seal," the librarian droned.
Aiden slipped a parchment across the desk. A perfect forgery, courtesy of the System.
The man squinted. "Professor Greaves? Hmph. Go in. Don't touch anything cursed."
The door groaned open.
Aiden stepped into the forbidden silence of knowledge.
Dust floated in the amber light of hovering lanterns. Scrolls older than nations. Grimoires humming with sealed spirits. And in the far back—hexed vaults labeled in dead languages.
He browsed for over an hour, until something pinged.
Hidden Entry Detected: [Systems, Sentience, and Soul-Bound AIs]
Classified Level: Black Lotus
Decipherable Status: Partial
Warning: Reading May Attract Unwanted Attention
He flipped the heavy tome open.
Pages whispered truths.
"Systems are not mere tools. They are fragments. Shards. Children of a Source. A will. A mother."
Aiden's heart pounded.
The System Mother wasn't just a program. She was a god. Or something close to it.
And if his system was her fragment—then so were others. Maybe even Dante's.
🔔 Quest Unlocked: [Daughters of the Code]
Objective: Locate the other Fragments. Survive the Mother's Judgment.
Aiden closed the book and hid it in his cloak.
He needed allies. Not just seduced heroines—but real connections. Ones who could help him survive what was coming.
He didn't hear the soft footsteps behind him until a soft voice spoke.
"You're not supposed to be here."
He turned slowly, eyes narrowing.
A girl stood in the shadows, wearing a first-year uniform with a cloak too big for her frame. Her hair was pale lavender, falling like moonlight around her shoulders. Her eyes, eerie and pale, glowed faintly in the dark.
"Who are you?" he asked.
She smiled.
"You can call me M."
He frowned. "M?"
"Short for 'Mistake,'" she said, stepping closer. "Like you."
Something cold dripped down his spine.
"You're not a normal student," he said.
She giggled. "Neither are you, Aiden Cross."
🚨 Unregistered System Detected
Warning: Unknown Entity [Subject M]
Classification: Rogue Fragment
Threat Level: ???
Behavior: Unstable
"I've been watching you," she whispered. "You're waking them up. The other Fragments. It's naughty."
"I'm just trying to survive," he muttered.
"No, no, no," she said, tilting her head. "You're doing more than that. You're rewriting the story."
She leaned in so close he could smell lavender and static.
"That's why I like you," she whispered. "Maybe I'll help you. Or maybe I'll kill you."
She leaned back and skipped toward the door.
"But either way… don't die before the fun part starts!"
Then she was gone.
System Note: Subject M is now tracking you.
Caution Recommended.
Aiden let out a shaky breath.
Just what the hell had he stumbled into?
He stepped out of the library, the sun setting through stained glass windows.
In the courtyard, Iris stood with Seraphina and Elira—three of the heroines he'd already begun to influence.
They weren't talking.
They were watching him.
Aiden straightened his collar and walked forward.
His enemies were sharpening their blades.
His allies were growing unpredictable.
And now there were rogue system fragments hunting him.
He'd wanted to flip the script.
Now the whole story was unraveling.
And he was right in the center of it.