The dome of chains held still, humming with unbearable tension.
Every breath felt stolen, every heartbeat carved against silence.
Hae-won's blade dripped with blood. His vision swam in ink and flame. He could barely feel his fingers, but he kept his weapon raised.
Across from him, Seong-wu stood weaponless. His golden aura flickered, the once unshakable radiance fractured into pale shards. His chest heaved, eyes locked on Hae-won with hatred he refused to voice.
The system was deciding.
[ Duel of Chains: Analysis in Progress. ]
[ Comparing Paths. Evaluating Dominance. ]
The words scrawled across the sky of chains, each letter ringing like a hammer against steel. Every chain in the dome quivered, suspended in judgment.
Outside the barrier, Arin's hands shook where they pressed against the dome. Her lips moved soundlessly, prayers spilling that the system would spare them both. Do-hyun paced in agitation, fists clenching and unclenching, his gaze caught between the two combatants as if choosing sides would shatter him.
Ha-young leaned casually against the dome, expression unreadable but her smile too sharp. "So…" she whispered, barely loud enough for Arin to hear. "Which star do you think burns out first?"
The words twisted Arin's stomach, but she had no time to answer.
The chains gave their verdict.
[ Verdict: Protagonist Path Shift. ]
[ Yoo Seong-wu – Stripped of Title: Protagonist. ]
[ Cha Hae-won – Granted Title: Protagonist. ]
The dome erupted in sound—like a thousand links snapping at once. Sparks fell in torrents, raining white and red, the noise almost unbearable.
Seong-wu staggered as golden light tore from his body. His aura fractured, unraveling into dust that vanished into the chains. He fell to one knee, hands clawing at his chest.
"No…" His voice cracked, raw with disbelief. "This… isn't possible. My path was perfect. My Narrator—"
The system interrupted.
[ Narrator Contract Severed. ]
[ Narrator: Silent. ]
The silence that followed was worse than any roar.
Seong-wu gasped like a drowning man. He clutched at his chest as if something essential had been ripped out of him. For the first time, Yoo Seong-wu—golden, untouchable Seong-wu—looked small.
Meanwhile, black ink-fire poured into Hae-won. His body convulsed as the weight of the title forced itself into his veins, searing every nerve. His sanity trembled on the edge of collapse, but he stayed standing, blade steady.
[ New Protagonist Established. ]
[ Scenario Flow Adjusting. ]
The dome dissolved. Chains melted into air, clattering into nothing, until the battlefield stood bare beneath the wasteland sky.
⸻
Arin rushed forward, catching Hae-won as his knees buckled. "You idiot—" Her voice cracked, tears streaking her ash-stained cheeks. "You could've died—"
He coughed blood, smiling faintly through the crimson on his lips. "Wouldn't be the first time."
Her hand pressed against his face, trembling, and she couldn't bring herself to scold him further.
Do-hyun stepped closer, eyes darting between the broken Seong-wu and the trembling Hae-won. His voice was low, heavy. "So… it's true. There can only be one."
Seong-wu forced himself to his feet, swaying, his aura dimmed to nothing. His eyes burned with something deeper than rage. "This isn't over, Hae-won." His voice was hoarse, venom threaded through each syllable. "The system may have stripped me of the title, but it can't erase me. And when you fall—when you inevitably fall—I'll be the one waiting."
Hae-won met his glare. His voice was calm, almost too calm. "Then keep waiting."
For a heartbeat, their gazes locked.
It wasn't just enmity. It was something colder—a recognition.
They were bound now, rivals in ways that the system itself had decided.
The chains above groaned one final time before fading completely.
[ Scenario Progression Unlocked. ]
[ Trial of Chains Complete. ]
[ Countdown: 72 Hours to Descent. ]
The wasteland trembled. Towers of black stone cracked open, rivers of fire shifting course, the very air trembling as if the world itself braced for what came next.
But none of it shook them as much as what had just happened.
The fall of one protagonist.
The rise of another.
The fracture of their fragile unity.
⸻
That night, no one truly rested.
Do-hyun sat by the fire they managed to build from scraps, sharpening his blade in silence, the rasp of steel echoing far too loud in the tense air.
Arin tended to Hae-won's wounds, movements precise but her eyes full of unspoken fear.
Ha-young sat apart, her smirk never leaving, watching the others like a predator watching prey.
And Seong-wu… Seong-wu sat in the shadows, arms wrapped around himself, stripped of his golden aura. For hours, he did not move. But his eyes never left Hae-won.
⸻
Hae-won lay awake, staring at the wasteland sky. The title of Protagonist burned inside him like a brand, every breath heavy with its weight.
He whispered to himself, too soft for the others to hear.
"…I don't want it."
But the chains didn't care.
[ You are the Protagonist. ]
The words etched themselves into his skull, as undeniable as the scars across his chest.
And somewhere far above, unseen by all but the faintest flicker of perception, the Narrators watched in silence.
One had gone dark.
Another had stirred awake.
And for the first time in countless regressions, Cha Hae-won stood at the center of their story.