Chapter 1: The Final Boss is Bankrupt
The sky wasn't falling; it was dissolving.
Kaelen stood atop the jagged spires of the High Cathedral, his obsidian armor cracked and leaking wisps of void energy. Below him, the Holy City of Aethelgard was a sea of silent ash. The "Hero of Prophecy" lay at his feet, eyes glazed, the legendary Sword of Light snapped in two.
"I won," Kaelen whispered. His voice was a rasping cord of exhaustion. "After three lifetimes of being the 'destined loser'... I actually won."
He waited for the rush of triumph. Instead, a cold, mechanical chime echoed directly inside his skull. It wasn't the usual victory fanfare. It sounded like a funeral bell.
[ALERT: World Balance has been Compromised.] [Final Boss: Kaelen 'The Void-Bringer' has achieved the 'Total Annihilation' Ending.] [Analyzing results...]
"Analyze all you want," Kaelen spat, coughing up blood. "There's no one left to stop me."
[Result: 100% Extinction. Survival of the System is impossible in current timeline.] [Initiating: Protocol 000 — THE BANKRUPTCY ACT.]
"What?"
[You have committed crimes totaling 999,999,999,999 Karma Points.] [Justice must be served. If the world cannot pay, the Destroyer must.]
A sudden, agonizing heat bloomed in Kaelen's chest. The void energy he had spent centuries cultivating began to shrink, compressed by an invisible, crushing force.
[Rewriting Timeline...] [Subject 'Kaelen' will be reinstated as a 'Citizen in Debt'.] [Redemption is Mandatory. Failure to pay monthly Karma Interest will result in Soul Liquidation.]
"Wait! You can't—!"
The world turned white.
Kaelen's eyes snapped open. He wasn't on a spire. He was on a thin, lumpy mattress that smelled faintly of cheap laundry soap and mothballs.
He sat up with a jolt, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his soul-reaping blade. His hand grasped only air. Worse, his arm felt thin. Weak.
He looked down. He wasn't wearing the Armor of Eternal Night. He was wearing a scratchy, white linen tunic—the uniform of a first-year initiate at the Valerius Hero Academy.
"No," he groaned, his voice cracking with the high-pitched tone of a teenager. "Not the Academy again."
A blue screen flickered into existence before his eyes. It was sleek, golden, and nauseatingly bright.
[Welcome to your New Life, Kaelen!] [Current Karma Balance: -999,999,999,999] [Monthly Interest Due: 500 Karma Points] [Time until first payment: 23 Hours, 59 Minutes.]
Kaelen felt a familiar surge of rage. He tried to summon a simple Void Bolt to shatter the screen. He channeled his will, expecting a blast that could level a building.
Instead, his heart gave a violent, painful thud. A notification turned blood-red.
[ERROR!] [You are currently in 'Moral Bankruptcy'.] [Using 'Evil' abilities while in debt will result in a 500% Tax Surcharge on your health.]
A searing pain ripped through his veins. Kaelen collapsed off the bed, clutching his chest as his heart rhythm stuttered. He felt like he was being electrocuted from the inside out.
"System..." he wheezed, clawing at the floorboards. "How... do I... get points?"
[Karma Points are earned through: Heroic Deeds, Selfless Sacrifice, and Community Service.] [Suggested Action: Help a classmate, save a kitten, or clean the Academy fountain.]
Kaelen pressed his forehead against the cold floor. He was the man who had extinguished the Sun. He had commanded legions of the damned. And now, if he didn't find a kitten to save in the next twenty-four hours, his own heart was going to repossess itself.
"I'm going to find the creator of this System," Kaelen growled, struggling to his feet while leaning on a wobbly wooden desk. "And I'm going to kill them. But first..."
He looked at the dusty window.
"...I need to find a damn fountain to scrub."