Chapter 10: The Inescapable Trap
The destination on Fighter's laminated card was UCA, or the United Central Academy.
It was the premier educational institute of the Human Unified Territory, created specifically for individuals like him: those who bore a story. They were known as the Story Bearers.
The Horror and the Time Limit
Every Story Bearer, by the nature of their power, carried a fatal, inherent weakness. Fighter, a natural Story Bearer, was no exception.
The most terrifying aspect of the condition was the time limit. For a Chapter One Noberry—a Story Bearer who had just begun carrying a Story—there was a critical window: six months to one and a half years. If they failed to undergo a specialized Ritual within this time, the probability of them transforming into a Horror became one hundred percent. A Horror was a monstrous, soul-destroying fate, universally feared as worse than death.
This is where the UCA came into play for the Story Bearers.
The Government's Grasp
When a person bore a Story, they instantly and permanently became the property of the Central Unified Government. The government claimed complete custody over the Story Bearer's life.
To become a "proper citizen" of the proud territory of humanity, a Story Bearer had to submit to government surveillance and control.
Consider a Chapter One Noberry who refused to comply. How could they survive without the Ritual, a secret known only to the government? There was no alternative path. They would be a dead man walking—they might successfully hide from the government, but they could never hide from the inevitable fate of turning into a Horror.
The UCA: A Gilded Cage
On the surface, complying with the rules and joining the UCA was beneficial. The UCA, a government institute, promised survival:
It would administer the necessary Rituals for the Story Bearer's continued existence.
It would educate them on how to behave in society.
It would teach them how to navigate the complexities of the New World.
In short, the UCA was a sophisticated trap, designed to keep Story Bearers under the government's total control from the very beginning of their journey through the stories.
"I have to join the UCA," Fighter thought, clutching the ticket so tightly the lamination creased. "If I don't, I will not only die from this diseased body but lose all the main opportunities that come with bearing a Story."
The Aura
As he waited for his air train, a new, disorienting sensation began to trouble him. He kept scratching near his eyes, convinced he was seeing something wrong.
Every person who passed by him seemed to emit a strange energy field—an Aura. Each Aura was unique: different color, size, shape, and intensity. It wasn't just people, either; every object around him, even the cold metal bench and the flashing indicator board, gave off a faint luminescence. The station was a riot of clashing, vibrant light only he could see, making him dizzy.
"At first, I thought it was a hallucination caused by hunger or stress," Fighter muttered to himself. "But what I'm seeing is real. I think this must be related to my Book Characteristic."
After a short, painful period of adjustment, the overwhelming sensory pressure began to lessen. It wasn't that Fighter was magically strong, but that the ability to process and compartmentalize the pressure of seeing the different Auras came naturally to him.
"This is nothing," he scoffed, managing a tired, grim smile. "As a Pro VR gamer, this kind of sensory overload is just a Tuesday."