"When truth becomes an obstacle, reality must be edited." – New System
...
[Location: Gabriel's Apartment - 09:30 AM]
Gabriel stood over the bathroom sink, scrubbing his hands with a stiff-bristled brush. The water swirling down the drain wasn't pink with normal blood. It was shimmering with streaks of quicksilver.
He scrubbed until his skin was raw, but he couldn't wash away the sensation of the Void Lock he had used in the market. The coldness was inside his marrow now.
His phone buzzed on the counter. A single notification, high priority.
Sender: University Ethics & Technical Review Committee
Subject: URGENT: Suspension of International Travel Authorization
Gabriel stopped scrubbing. He stared at the screen, water dripping from his hands.
"Henrique," he whispered. The Professor hadn't wasted a second. He had seen the impossible in the market — the floating roof, the exploding lights — and he had pulled the only lever he had left. Bureaucracy.
Gabriel dried his hands. He looked at his reflection. The dark veins in his eyes were pulsing.
"System," he said calmly. "Objective update."
A blue window flickered into existence, distorted by static.
[Current Objective: Reach Miami.]
[Obstacle Detected: Administrative Blockade.]
[Recommended Action: Remove Obstacle.]
Gabriel put on his blazer. He adjusted his collar. He looked less like a student and more like a CEO preparing for a hostile takeover.
"Accepted," he said.
...
[Location: Dean's Conference Room - 10:15 AM]
The meeting room smelled of industrial carpet, stale coffee, and academic fear. Five professors sat around a mahogany table covered with printouts of the "Natural Cycle" data.
At the head of the table sat the Dean of Engineering. To his right, Professor Henrique.
Henrique didn't look like a man who had just seen a supernatural event. He looked composed, grave. But when Gabriel entered the room, Henrique's pupils contracted. He flinched, just slightly.
He knows, Gabriel thought. And he's terrified.
"Mr. Santos," the Dean began, shifting uncomfortably. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. We understand you are scheduled to fly to Miami tomorrow."
"My team is packing as we speak," Gabriel said, remaining standing. He projected an aura of absolute confidence. "Is there a problem with the logistics?"
"Not logistics," Henrique cut in, his voice sharp. "Ethics. And physics."
Henrique slid a folder across the table. It slid to a stop in front of Gabriel.
"I have reviewed your latest efficiency reports from Vila Esperança," Henrique said. "Specifically, the energy output of your filtration units. They are operating at 140% efficiency relative to the power input."
"We optimized the code," Gabriel said smoothly.
"Code cannot violate the First Law of Thermodynamics," Henrique countered, slamming his hand on the table. "You are creating energy from nothing. That is impossible. Which means the data is falsified."
The other professors nodded, murmuring agreement. It was the logical conclusion.
"We cannot send a team to represent Brazil on the world stage with fraudulent data," the Dean said apologetically. "It would be an international embarrassment. We are suspending the trip pending a full technical audit."
"An audit takes weeks," Gabriel said, his voice dropping an octave. "The World Cup is in three days."
"Then you will not attend," Henrique said. He looked Gabriel in the eye, and for a moment, the mask slipped. Gabriel saw the desperation there. Henrique wasn't trying to save the university's reputation. He was trying to stop a monster. I know what you are, his eyes said. And I won't let you leave this city.
The room went silent. The air conditioning hummed.
Gabriel looked at the clock. 10:22 AM.
He calculated the variables. If he argued, he lost. If he showed the source code, they would see the mana signature. If he threatened them physically, he would be arrested.
There was only one efficient path.
Three hundred thousand lives lost.
The German Team waiting in Miami.
Luna fighting in the void.
He couldn't let a committee of old men stop him.
Gabriel closed his eyes for a second. He reached into the cold void in his chest. He didn't pull out the warm light of charisma. He pulled out the heavy, suffocating weight of Domination.
He opened his eyes. They were glowing with a faint, violet light.
[System Skill Activated: Sovereign's Decree.]
[Target: 5 Minds.]
[Mana Cost: Humanity.]
"Gentlemen," Gabriel said.
The word didn't just travel through the air. It vibrated in the bone of their skulls.
The Dean blinked, looking confused. The other three professors froze, their pens hovering over their notepads.
"I think you are mistaken," Gabriel continued, stepping closer to the table. The air around him warped, heavy with gravitational pressure. "There is no fraud. There is only excellence. You are looking at the data, and you are seeing exactly what you want to see: a miracle of Brazilian engineering."
The Dean's eyes glazed over. His mouth hung slightly open. "A miracle... of engineering."
"Yes," the physics professor muttered, his face slack. "Advanced... compression... logic."
Gabriel turned his gaze to Henrique.
The Professor was fighting it. He was gripping the edge of the table so hard his fingernails were cracking. Sweat poured down his forehead. His mind was a fortress of logic, resisting the invasion.
"No," Henrique wheezed. "I saw... at the market... you..."
Gabriel walked around the table. He stood directly behind Henrique. He placed a hand on the Professor's shoulder.
He didn't squeeze. He just let the power flow.
"Professor," Gabriel whispered, his voice sounding like it came from inside Henrique's own brain. "You are tired. You have been working too hard. You saw nothing at the market. Just a trick of the light."
"Trick... of the light..." Henrique gasped.
"You want us to go to Miami. You want us to win. Because if we win, you win. We are your legacy."
Henrique trembled. A single tear rolled down his cheek. It was the tear of a man watching his own free will be dismantled brick by brick.
"You are... my legacy," Henrique whispered, his voice hollow.
"Excellent," Gabriel said, lifting his hand. The pressure in the room vanished instantly.
The Dean shook his head, as if waking from a daydream. He looked at the papers. "Well. Yes. It seems everything is in order here. Just... make sure to document that compression algorithm, Gabriel."
"Of course, Dean," Gabriel said politely. "Is the suspension lifted?"
"Suspension?" The Dean laughed nervously. "Just a formality. Go. Bring us the trophy."
...
Gabriel walked out of the administration building. The sun was shining. Students were laughing on the grass.
He walked to the nearest trash can and vomited.
His body shook violently. He wiped his mouth, tasting acid and bile.
He had done it. He had crossed the final line. He hadn't just manipulated a traffic light or ignored a friend. He had raped their minds. He had rewritten their reality to suit his schedule.
It was necessary, the cold voice in his head said. Efficiency requires sacrifice.
Gabriel straightened up. He adjusted his blazer. He checked his reflection in a window.
He looked pale. But he looked powerful.
He took out his phone. He opened the encrypted channel to the Void.
To: Luna
Status: Optimization complete.
The audit was handled. The obstacles are removed.
I am coming to Miami.
Your Solmere is dead. Long live the King.
He hit send.
He didn't wait for a reply. He walked toward the Enactus room to tell the team to pack their bags.
The monster had cleared the path. Now, the King would walk it.
[System Notification: Alignment Shift Complete.]
[Current Alignment: Lawful Evil.]
[Status: Bound to ????.]