"To change the world, you must first stand apart from it—and then decide if it's worth saving."
---
The countdown ticked quietly in the corner of Raven's vision.
> [Time Remaining Until Judgment: 5 Days, 23 Hours, 14 Minutes]
He hadn't slept.
Not because he couldn't, but because every time he closed his eyes, he saw fragments—
Ava's lifeless body.
Sol, crushed under debris.
The systems collapsing.
The gods watching.
The war that ruined everything.
Yet now… it was like none of it had ever happened.
This world was too clean. Too quiet.
Too fake.
---
In the quiet early morning, Raven stood in front of the mirror.
> [Rewrite Node: Active]
[Query: Do you wish to edit your reflection?]
He blinked at the absurdity. Even the mirror was editable.
The system waited for his command.
"…No," he muttered. "Let me keep this face. I want to remember who I am."
---
He walked outside.
Sol followed.
The city was starting to move again.
People were returning. Time had unpaused… for them.
But everything still felt off.
Every face was just a little too perfect. Every interaction a little too scripted.
He sat at the park bench, where leaves rustled in slow motion. Like the world was still booting up.
A child passed by, chasing a drone-kite.
The drone froze in mid-air, flickered, and then resumed flying.
> [Reality Integrity: 91%]
"We're not fully back yet," Sol said behind him.
"No," Raven replied. "We're halfway between dream and data."
A notification pinged.
> [HephSystem Warning: Fusion Core unstable]
[Nihilos Core attempting to rewrite independently]
[Would you like to suppress it?]
He didn't answer.
He couldn't suppress it.
Because Nihilos wasn't just part of the system now—it was him.
---
Back at the guild base, Ava was practicing teleportation magic in the courtyard.
She stumbled and nearly fell.
Raven caught her.
"Thanks!" she giggled. "This new system makes my spells lighter."
He looked at her.
"Do you… remember anything from the war?" he asked cautiously.
She paused. "War? You mean like those old MMO stories?"
He shook his head. "Never mind."
She frowned. "Raven… are you okay?"
He forced a smile. "I'm just thinking."
And then she asked what he dreaded most.
"…Are you sure you're the same Raven I used to know?"
He hesitated.
"Are you sure you're the same Ava?"
She tilted her head. "What?"
He gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Never mind," he whispered.
But something had changed in her eyes.
A glimmer.
A flicker.
---
Later that night, in his room, Raven stared at a flashing notification.
> [Sync anomaly detected. Subject: Ava]
[Warning: Anchor Node is gaining self-awareness]
"…You're remembering," he whispered.
And then the system asked a question it never had before:
> [Raven: Are you sure you can handle the consequences of being a god?]
[Yes] – [No]
He didn't click.
He looked at the window.
The sky was cracking.
The countdown whispered louder now.
And somewhere deep in the systems, someone else was waking up.
Not Nihilos.
Not HephSystem.
Not Raven.
Someone older.
Watching.
Waiting.
And they were smiling.