[System Interface: Dominion Settings – Rule Slot: 1/1 Available]
A Sector Lord may declare one Rule that affects all registered entities within the zone.
Warning: Rules are enforced by the System. Contradictions to narrative logic will be rejected.
Noah stood at the heart of the Dominion Chamber, the glowing runes of the core thrumming like a distant heart. The floor beneath his feet had been scrubbed clean of ichor. The survivors had established a command post outside the station.
But none of that mattered now.
Not as much as what he was about to do.
He pulled up the Dominion Interface. The options hovered like glass tiles in his vision.
[Current Options Based on System Integrity]
– No Killing Within the Sector (Peace Treaty)
– All Resources Shared Equally (Communal Law)
– Loyalty Bond Required for All Combatants (Faction Pledge)
– Custom Rule (Manual Input)
Noah didn't hesitate.
Select: Custom Rule
A text window opened.
Input your Custom Rule:
This Rule must be simple, enforceable, and coherent with the world logic.
He typed:
"Only one leader may exist within the Danton Sector. Anyone who attempts to seize command will be rejected by the System."
The system pulsed.
[Processing Narrative Consistency…]
…Validating Authority Tag…
…Usurper Trait Detected…
Custom Rule ACCEPTED.
[New Rule Added to Sector Danton]
Rule Name: Rule of One
– Effect: Any entity attempting to establish a rival faction within Danton Sector will be rejected.
– Consequence: Attempting to override or duplicate authority will result in Trait Lockdown and Forced Removal.
Additional Effect: System-wide Notification Sent to Other Dominion Lords.
Noah's heart thudded.
"…That'll stir the hornet's nest," he muttered.
And it did.
Sector Harrowgate – 800 km away
Eve Valentine was slicing through aberrants with surgical precision.
When the notification popped up, she froze mid-swing.
[Rule Notification: New Faction Law Established]
Dominion Lord: Noah Graves
Rule: "Only One Leader May Exist"
Effect: Total Command Exclusivity
Commentary: [Aggressive. Risk Factor ↑↑]
"Huh."
She grinned.
"So the boy doesn't want friends."
She sheathed her blade, eyes lifting toward the distorted sun above her.
"Guess I'll have to visit him myself."
Sector Veyla – Cathedral Throne
Rex Monroe read the same notice.
He chuckled.
"That idiot just rang a dinner bell for every Reader with a god complex."
Behind him, the mist coalesced into something not quite a face.
"You will act?"
Rex shrugged.
"I'll let someone else test him first. No need to waste my pawns."
He closed the interface and smiled coldly.
"But when I come… I'll bring the second ending."
Back in Danton
The survivors didn't know about the Rule—not yet. Noah kept the details to himself for now. What they did know was that their home had defenses, and that something bigger was coming.
Some helped with defenses. Others trained.
Noah sat with Seraphine at the barricades as dusk fell. A field of ash from the Seeker still lingered near the rails, glowing faintly in the dark.
"You really wrote that law?" Seraphine asked.
"I did."
"And what happens if someone else from our side wants to lead?"
"They won't," Noah said.
"How do you know?"
"Because I won't let them think they have to."
That silenced her for a moment.
Then—"You really are planning ahead."
"I have to. This isn't a survival game anymore. It's political. Every sector will start forming governments, factions, ideologies. We don't need a vote right now—we need unity."
"…And if they hate you for it?"
"They can live to hate me."
A long silence.
Then footsteps.
A scout sprinted up the stairs to the rail platform, panting.
"Sir! Something's coming from the north line! Not monsters! It's a person!"
Noah stood immediately.
"Alone?"
"Yes! Walking straight through the collapsed tunnel!"
[System Alert: Foreign Reader Approaching]
Classification: Unknown
Affiliation: None
Status: Unlinked
Noah narrowed his eyes.
Another Reader. But not aligned to Veyla. Not to Harrowgate either. A rogue?
He turned to Seraphine. "Get the guards ready. No one attacks unless I say so."
She nodded and bolted.
Minutes later, Noah stood before the barricade gates on the main railway. The survivors had weapons aimed—but hands trembling. The figure approaching was calm.
A woman.
Long dark hair. Worn coat. Two curved swords on her back.
Her eyes met his.
[Reader Detected: ???]
Name: Unregistered
Title: The Blade That Walks Between Endings
Status: Neutral
Dialogue Access: Enabled
She stopped ten meters from the gate.
"I'm not here to fight," she said. Her voice was quiet but sharp. "I'm here because you broke the story."
Noah's eyes narrowed.
"…You're like me?"
"No. I'm worse."
She reached up and pulled a worn book from her bag.
A copy of Endgame Protocol.
He stiffened.
That's impossible. No one else had a physical copy after the system rebooted.
"You and I… we weren't supposed to be here together," she said. "And if we are—then something bigger is coming."
She tossed the book forward.
It skidded across the gravel and stopped at Noah's feet.
"I came from a different route," she said. "A different world."
She looked up.
"And in that world, you died in Chapter 22."