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Chapter Four: The Price of Breaking Fate
Ryan's vision returned slowly, shapes and colors settling back into place as the Hall of Fates came into focus. Marble pillars, shocked faces, the Mirror still shimmering faintly—everything looked the same, yet nothing felt the same. His body felt heavier, as if the void he had just escaped had drained something vital from him.
Liana knelt beside him, gripping his shoulders. "Ryan, talk to me. What happened? You just collapsed!"
He opened his mouth to answer, but a cold chime echoed inside his mind.
[Fate Broken]
[Target: Liana]
[New Status: Unbound]
Another line followed immediately:
[Penalty Applied: System Corruption +3%]
A burning sensation crawled up his arm. He glanced down and saw thin black lines spreading beneath his skin like cracks in glass. He clenched his fist, hiding it beneath his sleeve.
"I'm fine," he said quietly. "Just… dizzy."
Liana didn't believe him, but she helped him stand. Around them, whispers filled the hall.
"What did he do?"
"Did he interfere with the Mirror?"
"That boy has no fate—he shouldn't even be here."
The Scribes of Fate—tall figures in silver masks—stepped forward. One of them pointed directly at Ryan.
"You. Step away from the girl."
Liana moved in front of him. "He didn't do anything!"
The masked scribe ignored her. "The Mirror reacted unnaturally. Explain yourself."
Ryan's pulse quickened. He couldn't tell them about the system. He didn't even understand it himself.
"I… I don't know what happened," he said.
The scribe raised a hand. The Mirror rippled, projecting a faint image—Ryan inside the Fate Domain, pulling on the crimson thread.
Gasps spread through the hall.
"He tampered with destiny!"
"Impossible!"
"No one can do that!"
The scribe's voice sharpened. "Breaking fate is forbidden. It threatens the balance of the world."
Ryan stepped back. Liana grabbed his hand.
"Leave him alone! He saved me!"
The scribe tilted his head. "Saved you? From what?"
Liana hesitated. She looked at the Mirror, then at Ryan. "I… I don't know. But I trust him."
The hall erupted in noise—fear, confusion, accusations.
Then the Mirror flashed again, displaying a new word visible to everyone:
FATE: UNKNOWN
Silence fell instantly.
A fate of "Unknown" had not appeared in centuries.
The scribe lowered his hand slowly. "This is… unprecedented."
A chime echoed in Ryan's mind.
[New Quest Unlocked]
[Survive the Investigation]
[Difficulty: High]
His stomach tightened.
This wasn't over.
It was only beginning.
The scribe pointed toward the exit. "Both of you. Come with us. Now."
Liana squeezed his hand. "Whatever happens… we face it together."
Ryan nodded, though fear twisted inside him.
The black cracks on his arm were spreading.
And the system whispered one final warning:
[Corruption grows with every fate you break.]
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