Dawn, gray with electric rain. The school's cloaked in tension—rumors taste like static, every corridor buzzes with something about to break.
Jay intercepts me at the gate, wide-eyed. "Something's off. Too quiet for a Friday."
He shows his phone—a news notice: "Hacker event. Security lockdown. All devices monitored."
Minji, with bandaged knuckles, shakes her head. "Teachers are paranoid. No club meets. No open doors. Even the music room's chained."
Rina arrives in a storm of curses. "Last night, city kids got offers—'Switch schools, clean record, no questions asked.' Some are folding."
I answer for all of us: "If they can't rule us, they'll erase us."
Dao returns—not just unsuspended, but promoted to "model student" status. But he's pale, eyes flicking to administrators.
"They want me to spy. Turn over names."
He looks at me—pleading, ashamed.
I squeeze his shoulder. "You do what you need. We protect each other, whatever story they write."
Jay, notebook out, scribbles: "Today, even the traitors are tested."
In class, the system manifests—clearer than ever, almost tangible:
[Questline Triggered: ROGUE SIGNAL]
Objective: Survive forced dissolution of your crew.
Bonus Path: If unity is preserved, "Mythic Status" unlocked.
Side Quest: Cause an event so unforgettable, rumor survives digital erasure.
The world blurs—the more authority presses, the more the system's visible, overlaying reality like shards of broken glass.
The principal's voice jams the intercom. "Effective immediately: all non-academic activities are canceled. Student movement is monitored. Zero tolerance for disruptions."
Ms. Park won't meet our eyes. Minji's jaw is set. Rina's leg bounces. Jay taps his pencil so hard it cracks. Dao grips his ID, knuckles white.
I stand, heart pounding, system UI trailing my vision.
"Run or make them remember?" I whisper.
"We make them remember," Minji replies, determined.
Lunch period. Everyone's on edge—whispers, stares, admins pacing with tablets like secret police. Jay slides a coded note my way: "Finale at 3. Rooftop. Make it myth."
Rina, eyes fever-bright, grins. "We ghost up, or we go home."
Behind the gym, Minji breaks a lock with a brick. "No room for kings, just space for legends."
Word passes: two rival crews are bailing, deleting chats, erasing rumors—but a core shows for the meet. Dao's there, standing taller. "I won't fold for a clean record," he says.
The sky's darkening, thunder threatening. The rooftop is exposed—no hiding.
System overlays activate, humming louder than my heartbeat:
[Final System Skill: Story Signal]
Effect: All actions resonate, embedding in memory and code. For next hour, authority is undermined, truth is viral, crew is shielded from punishment by narrative momentum.
Jay blasts music from a smuggled speaker. Minji fires up a megaphone.
Rina plants colors—torn flags and neon streamers, visible from blocks away.
I take the edge, voice echoing. "You wanted us silent. Now, everyone's listening."
Phones raise, videos stream—the net floods, messages burning through the system's suppression. The principal and security scramble, but can't reach the roof fast enough to shut it down.
System pulse: [MYTHIC STATUS—UNFORGETTABLE. Future gains unlocked. Escape path: open at event climax.]
Mid-speech, sirens wail—admin escalation. Some students panic, but Minji throws her fist up, rallying cheers. Rina links arms with Dao; Jay sketches the moment, lines as blazing as the beat.
I trigger my final move—barriers and fears drop, every crew, every watcher linked. For a second, it's pure, wild freedom.
After, punishment falls, but it's toothless—too many witnesses; admins fold under public eyes. Rumor, now "fact," rewrites the school's story. We don't get silence—we get stares, envy, even grudging respect.
Dao isn't expelled. Minji's parents are called but talk down the threat. Rina's streams go viral. Jay's art winds up on locker doors and as avatars in chat.
At sunset, I stand alone by the fence.
The system UI flickers, fades, then leaves a message only I will see:
[Volume Complete. New Worldline unlocked. Await transfer. Your legend is already spreading.]
Minji texts: "We won our tomorrow."
Jay just sends a laughing emoji, tagged with sketches of us walking off the roof, heads high.
Rina: "One more boundary broken."
Dao: "I'm not afraid. Not anymore."
As dusk falls, I know I'm being watched. By the system, by the others, by fate itself.
I look up—ready for the door, for the next fight, for whatever world's waiting.