Midnight in the palace was quieter than Ethan expected.
No drunken nobles. No laughing maids. Just the sound of distant wind against enchanted stained glass and the steady pulse of his heart as he crept across the marble bridge leading to the East Tower.
He was dressed in black — not because it helped with stealth, but because the system insisted it was "thematic."
[STEALTH MODE ACTIVATED]
+10 to Sneak (while trying not to fart)
Cloak of Slight Darkness: +2 Coolness, -1 Visibility
Warning: You are attempting a mission rated "Very Stupid" by palace intelligence. Proceed with caution.
The East Tower loomed ahead like the finger of a dead god, cold and cloaked in ancient enchantments. They said it housed forbidden archives, sealed vaults, and things even the Queen wasn't supposed to touch.
Ethan didn't care.
Lady Virelle had given him a window. Midnight. One chance to prove he wasn't just another pawn.
He crept to the gate, muttered the password she gave him — "I prefer poison in a kiss" — and the sigil-glowing lock shimmered open like a sigh.
Inside, it was worse.
The Tower smelled like old magic and buried regrets. Dust floated in starlit shafts from high windows, and every book on the shelves looked like it had eaten a man at some point.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
New Area Unlocked: The Forbidden Archive
Danger Level: 7/10
Secrets Contained: Political Blackmail, Forbidden Systems Research, Embarrassing Royal Diaries
Ethan pressed forward, boots quiet on the enchanted glass floor.
"Alright, Virelle," he whispered. "Show me what's so important that you'd risk sharing it."
He reached a staircase carved from obsidian and wrapped in anti-teleportation runes. At the top, a vault door glowed with magic.
And standing in front of it… was someone he absolutely wasn't expecting.
"Princess Ayla?"
The younger sister of the Queen turned sharply, hand halfway to the vault. She wore dark robes, a tight braid, and an expression of absolute guilt.
Ethan blinked. "Are you robbing the archives?"
She straightened. "I could ask you the same."
"I was invited."
"By who? Your wet t-shirt fan club?"
Ethan scowled. "You saw that too?"
"It was in a painting already."
She hesitated, then sighed. "I'm not here to steal. I'm here to find something before someone else does."
He stepped closer. "What are you looking for?"
"Proof." She turned to him, eyes fierce. "That someone is using a prototype system inside the palace. That it's not natural. That it was implanted."
His breath caught.
The system pinged softly in the back of his mind.
[ALERT: Unknown User Accessing Parallels]
Ayla Virelle (Princess Rank) is attempting to interface with restricted system archives.
Classified Memory Threads Detected.
"She has a system?" he whispered.
"No," Ayla said, eyes locked with his. "But my sister once did."
"What?"
She nodded. "A different one. Not like yours. It was… cruel. Precise. It turned her into a genius tactician overnight. But it cost her everything. Her warmth. Her sanity. I think she shut it down. Buried it."
"And you think someone turned it back on?"
She looked him over. "I think someone implanted you with the prototype."
Ethan's stomach twisted.
He remembered flashes of the lab. The voices. The cold metal against his skull. But none of it ever made sense.
"You were chosen," Ayla whispered. "Not born for this. The system isn't some magical blessing. It's a weapon. And someone wanted it inside the palace again."
[SYSTEM INTERRUPTION]
ACCESS RESTRICTION WARNING: Critical memory fragments are sealed. Attempting to override…
ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. Memory Leak Detected. Do Not Trust—
The vault door suddenly creaked open behind them.
They turned as one.
Lady Cecira Virelle entered, calm as midnight breeze, flanked by two masked servants. She looked at Ethan. Then Ayla.
"Well," she purred. "This is cozier than I expected."
"Why is she here?" Ayla demanded.
"I told you I'd be watching," Cecira replied. "And I'm impressed. You made it this far, Ethan."
"Cut the riddles," he said. "You knew I had a system."
"Of course. I knew before the Queen did."
Ethan's hand twitched near his hidden dagger.
Cecira smiled faintly. "Relax. I didn't come to kill you. I came to offer a proposal."
Ayla stepped between them. "You what?"
"Simple." Cecira tossed a crystal to Ethan. It shimmered with data. "There's a group in the palace using arcane tech to manufacture systems. One of them is feeding intel to the eastern rebels."
Ethan caught it. "And you want me to…?"
"Stop them," she said. "Quietly. Charismatically. While sleeping with whoever necessary."
Ayla choked. "That's not a job! That's a fanfiction!"
"It's a mission," Cecira said sharply. "And Ethan is already in the middle of it, whether he knows it or not."
Ethan looked between them.
[NEW SYSTEM QUEST: "Truth.exe"]
Objective: Uncover the origin of your implanted system
Sub-Objective: Seduce at least two system suspects to gain information
Reward: Partial Memory Recovery, New Trait: "Unsealed Consciousness"
He blinked. "Why does seduction always have to be involved?"
[SYSTEM REPLY:]
Because you're hot. And this genre demands it.
Cecira turned. "I'll be in contact. But be careful, Ethan. You're not the only system user anymore."
With a flash of red silk, she was gone.
Back in his room, Ethan finally collapsed on the bed, the crystal from Cecira pulsing faintly in his hand.
Ayla sat on the windowsill, arms crossed, refusing to leave.
"Why me?" he muttered. "Why implant me?"
Ayla didn't answer right away.
Then she said softly, "Because you're the only idiot charming enough to survive this."
He chuckled.
And then—
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE DETECTED]
Memory Thread Unsealed: Project LUX-E26
Subject: Ethan Vale. Status: Test Subject. Origin: Outland Science Sector.
Condition: Unstable. Expected Life Span: Unknown.
Ethan sat up, chest tight.
[SYSTEM REPLY:]
Hey host. Did you miss me?
His vision blurred.
And something inside him whispered:
You were never just a pawn. You were the experiment.