It started with a flicker on the TV.
I wasn't watching anything. Emma and I were making pancakes, or at least trying to, considering she thought eggshells were a seasoning. There was laughter in the kitchen, syrup on the counter, and a kind of peace that made my god-mode brain slow down just to feel it.Then the static hit.
It was sharp and fast, like the TV hiccupped. Emma turned and I froze.And on the screen… she appeared.Red dress, razor smile and eyes that sparkled like cruelty bottled in a woman's frame. Her presence didn't belong to any movie I remembered. She looked like she was carved from vengeance and twisted plots like a final boss wearing lipstick.
Emma took a step closer to the screen. "Who is that?""Someone who's not supposed to exist," I said.
I felt it then something twist deep in my chest; something sharp, a different kind of fear. The fear of losing something real.
[New Skill Unlocked: "Cinematic Will"]
A power born from selfless desire. In moments where someone you love is in danger, your strength increases dramatically. Pain weakens. Time bends. The story warps around your will.
She didn't walk out of the screen.She tore her way through it.Glass and static exploded, the air bent and Emma screamed.
And suddenly, the pancakes didn't matter.
The rival stepped into my world like she owned the place. She didn't blink not speak. She just looked at Emma like she was a prize she'd already won."You brought her out," I whispered. "You crossed the line."
"She crossed first," the woman said, voice honey-laced poison. "She was never yours to begin with."I stepped in front of Emma.
The rival smiled wider. "How adorable. You think this is about love?."It wasn't rage that filled me. It was something colder, heavier. Like a storm was curling up in my spine.
[Skill Enhanced: Character Affection → Devotion]
Those who truly love you may now fight beside you. Their presence strengthens you. Their pain fuels you.
Emma touched my back and just that ,a simple touch fueled me And the floor cracked beneath me.Strength pulsed through my limbs like movie logic gone rogue. My hands weren't just fists nowthey were plot devices. My heartbeat synced with cinematic tension. I was no longer a guest in these worlds.I was a rewrite.
"You want a rival scene?" I said, stepping forward. "Fine. But I don't lose the girl this time."She laughed low and dangerous and lunged. The fight wasn't flashy, It was pure chaos. Kitchen tiles flew, the fridge dented. My body tore through a wall and back again. But I didn't feel pain, not like I used to.
Because behind me was Emma; shaking, terrified yet still mine.The rival landed a blow that would've cracked ribs in any other script but I mocked with a smile."Bad move," I growled. "You just upgraded my motivation."
[New Skill Unlocked: "Protective Instinct"]
Grants a temporary shield to loved ones during combat. Can trigger a counterattack fueled by emotional proximity.
I launched her through the screen she came from. The static swallowed her like a deleted scene. The house was a mess, my shirt was half gone but Emma was safe.
She stared at me like she didn't know whether to kiss me or run.I wiped blood from my lip and grinned. "Still want pancakes?"
She laughed through her tears. "You're insane."I helped her up. "Yeah. But I'm your kind of crazy."And somewhere deep in the static… a whisper echoed.
"You're not the only one rewriting the script."