The morning sun rose on another calm day.
I stepped outside for a jog, inhaling the crisp morning air. As I ran across the street, I smiled to myself.
"It's been a while since I visited Anteiku. I should stop by and check on Kaya."
That's when it happened.
The world around me glitched—briefly flickering in black and white, like a corrupted simulation.
"what the fuck??-"
A sharp chime echoed in my mind.
DING!!
------------------------------------------------
SYSTEM MESSAGE
CONGRATULATIONS, HOST. SYSTEM HAS COMPLETED ALL PENDING UPDATES.
NEW FEATURES UNLOCKED:
-
-
-
-
PATCH NOTES:
- HOST IS NOW SCALED ACCORDING TO DRACONIC AGE. HUMAN AGEING HAS BEEN DISABLED.
- FIXED: TRADE RATES IN STORE WERE RIGGED AGAINST HOST. BALANCE RESTORED.
DO YOU ACCEPT THE CHANGES?
------------------------------------------------
I blinked. "Wait... was the store scamming me this whole time?"
Shrugging it off, I pressed
[REBOOTING SYSTEM....37%...69%...100%]
[REBOOT COMPLETE]
Then.....
[ATTEMPTING HANDSHAKE WITH BASE WORLD....]
.
.
.
[FAILED!]
"huh?!?-"
[WARNING: HOST HAS MADE 0% PROGRESS IN BASE WORLD PLOTLINE]
[LINK WITH BASE WORLD (DxD) IS INSTABILE]
[CRITICAL ALERT: LINK INTEGRITY BELOW SAFE THRESHOLD]
[HOST HAS BEEN AWAY FOR TOO LONG. VOID DILATION ADJUSTED]
"wait? wait?!!...dont tell me..!!-"
[INITIATING HOMECOMING PROTOCOL...]
[FREEZING ALL OTHER REALITIES.....SUSPENDING MULTIVERSE STATE....]
[REDIRECTING HOST TO LAST CHECKPOINT IN BASE WORLD...]
[10%.....35%.....]
Everything froze.
The people. The wind. Even time itself.
Color drained from the world.
The sky turned monochrome. The world around me pixelated into static. Every timeline I had been part of.....
every world, every mission and everyone in those worlds....paused like a game save.
A high-priority override.
I Tried to move but failed...The world itself was locking down.
I gritted my teeth.
"System! What are Hell are you doing?!"
The voice continued, so cold.
[ALL NON-BASE WORLDS: INDEFINITELY FROZEN.]
[PRESERVING WORLD STATES AND HOST CONNECTIONS...]
Around me, faint shimmering images floated like bubbles breaking free from the deep.
Ryouko and Hinami — curled together beneath a shared blanket, faces soft with peace.
Kaya — dusting off the counter at Anteiku, humming a nameless tune to herself, unaware of the silence creeping in.
Rize — coffee cup held mid-sip, those amused eyes staring at something just beyond the window.
The Twins — Kurona flipping through a folder while Nashiro tapped a screen, deep in some lab research.
My throat clenched.
"No...."
I stepped forward, as I tried to reach them....but my fingers passed through them like mist.
Weightless. Untouchable.
The moments rippled, then froze.
Each one suspended in glowing crystal, as if even time itself dared not erase them.
Preserved. Locked. Safe.
I dropped my hand slowly, helpless and resigned...Reminded once again that I was still bound to the System's protocols.
Still not powerful enough to defy it.
"I'll come back... I'll come back for all of you..."
[CONNECTIONS SAVED.]
[ALL SIDE WORLD PROCESSES: PAUSED.]
The air vibrated....
[...59%...88%...]
I took a deep breath, steadying my mind.
[91%...99%...]
No more distractions....I need to LOCK-IN.
DxD. Here. I. CUM!!!
[100%...SUCCESSFULL !!]
[GOODLUCK HOST]
Then everything was swallowed by pure darkness.....