A ghost and a cripple, meeting in an empty cage in the sky.
The absurdity of the situation was a testament to the sheer depth of Seraphina's game. Jian Yue was supposed to be a broken man, languishing under the Alchemist Guild's "care," his body shattered and the remnant soul within him dormant. Getting him out, healing him to a state where he could walk, and smuggling him to a high-security location like the Sky-Cell—all without alerting the Crown Prince or the Emperor—was a feat of logistical genius and terrifying influence.
My "partner" was not just a player; she was a grandmaster, moving her pieces with a silent, terrifying efficiency.
There was no time to waste. I had to know what they were discussing.
"[Imp's Shadow-Step]," I whispered, focusing my will. The world dissolved and reformed, and I materialized in the deep shadows of the spire's entrance hall, a floor below the Sky-Cell itself. From here, I ascended the final flight of stairs, my [Shadow Stealth] making me less than a whisper.
I reached the platform. The cage of wind-essence was empty, as expected, but standing near its edge were two figures, silhouetted against the moonlit clouds. Seraphina and Jian Yue.
My new skill, [Ears of the Whisper Rat], didn't require me to plant the trinkets. At a high cost of Qi, I could attune my own hearing to its frequency, allowing me to listen from a distance. I activated the skill, and their voices came through, crisp and clear as if I were standing beside them.
"...healed my physical wounds, Lady Seraphina," Jian Yue was saying, his voice filled with a resentful subservience. "But my spirit... the remnant soul within me... it is dormant. The fall did more damage than you anticipated."
"A minor complication," Seraphina's voice was like ice. "The vessel is intact. That is all that matters. The soul-fragment of the World-Breaker is a valuable asset. Far too valuable to leave rotting in a cell, whether it's the guild's infirmary or Kaelen's dungeon."
So, that was her play. She wasn't trying to free Lin Feng. She was trying to acquire his backup. The dormant remnant soul inside Jian Yue was a piece of the World-Breaker, and she wanted it under her direct control.
"What do you want from me?" Jian Yue asked, his voice tight. "The Fourth Prince is far more dangerous than anyone believed. He… he did something to me. In that room. I felt my soul being torn apart."
"He is an anomaly," Seraphina said, her tone flat and analytical. "An unforeseen variable that has accelerated my plans. Your purpose, Jian Yue, is simple. You will be my key. When the time is right, I will extract the remnant soul from you and implant it into a more… suitable vessel. One that I control completely."
Jian Yue paled, even in the dim light. "Extract it? That would destroy my own soul! You would be killing me!"
Seraphina turned to face him fully, and her aura, even from my hiding spot, felt immense and ancient. "You are a container, Jian Yue. Nothing more. You were destined to be a stepping stone, a minor character who dies after serving his purpose. I am merely ensuring you serve my purpose instead of Lyra's. You should be grateful."
The sheer, breathtaking arrogance. The cold, inhuman pragmatism. She wasn't just a villain; she was a cosmic accountant, balancing her assets and liquidating those that were no longer useful.
"Now," she continued, "we must get you out of the capital before Kaelen or his sister realize you are missing. I have arranged passage for you to the Southern Continent. Lay low. Cultivate. I will provide you with the resources to try and reawaken the remnant soul. Do not fail me."
She was sending him away. Securing her asset. This was my only chance to intervene, to stop her.
But what could I do? Exposing myself would mean open war with a player whose full capabilities I didn't understand. A player who was secretly an agent of the entity that refereed my Wager of Realms.
As my mind raced, the Nexus Codex, which had been passively observing, suddenly acted. It did something it had never done before. It acted without my command.
A new screen materialized in my vision, the text a stark, clinical white.
[FOREIGN SYSTEM DETECTED IN PROXIMITY.]
[USER CLASS: SCRIBE OF CORRECTION.]
[SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE: COMPATIBLE.]
[QUERY: INITIATE A TEMPORARY, COVERT 'DATA-SIPHON' PROTOCOL?]
I stared, my thoughts freezing. A data-siphon. It was offering to… hack her. To covertly tap into her system and steal information. This was a function I never knew existed. It was an aggressive, predatory move that hinted at a purpose far beyond simple "correction". Was this part of the System's original design? A tool for warfare between users?
This was the seed of doubt, the first hint that the Nexus Codex was more than it appeared. It was a fragmented piece of a whole, and its core programming was bleeding through.
The choice was obvious. The risk was immense, but the potential reward was immeasurable.
"Yes," I projected the thought, my heart pounding. "Initiate. Covertly."
...COMMAND CONFIRMED. DEPLOYING 'PHANTOM THREAD'.
...ESTABLISHING LINK...
...WARNING: IF THE TARGET'S SYSTEM DETECTS THE SIPHON, THE LINK WILL BE SEVERED AND YOUR OWN SYSTEM'S LOCATION WILL BE COMPROMISED.
...LINK ESTABLISHED. DATA-SIPHON ACTIVE. YOU WILL NOW RECEIVE COPIES OF YOUR TARGET'S PUBLIC QUEST LOGS AND SYSTEM ALERTS IN REAL-TIME. DURATION: 12 HOURS.
My mind was suddenly flooded. It wasn't a torrent of raw data, but a clean, secondary feed opening up in my consciousness. I could see her quests.
[MAIN QUEST: THE SUNDERED THRONE]
Description: The realm of Aethelgard is out of balance. The 'World-Breaker' protocol has been activated by a hostile power (The Netherworld). As a Scribe of Correction and an agent of the Court, your duty is to guide events to ensure a 'Controlled Demolition'. The World-Breaker must be sharpened into the perfect weapon, used to shatter the existing power structures, and then be 'harvested' at the apex of his power.
Current Objective: Secure all fragments of the World-Breaker anomaly. (1 of 2 secured).
[SIDE QUEST: THE UNWILLING ALLY]
Description: The anomaly 'Kaelen Ravencrest' has proven to be a powerful but unpredictable variable. Maintain your alliance. Guide him. Use him to weaken the Regressor, Lyra Ravencrest. Ensure he does not discover your true allegiance or the nature of your System.
I saw it all. Her entire game. She wasn't supporting Lin Feng out of loyalty to the Netherworld. She was a repo-woman, an agent sent by the Judicator to manage a demonic investment. Her job was to build Lin Feng up, let him wreck the world, and then, at the very end, "harvest" him for the Court, likely taking his power and destiny for herself.
She was playing the Netherworld, Lyra, Lin Feng, and me, all at the same time.
And I had just become a ghost in her machine.
As I processed this earth-shattering information, I saw a new, urgent alert flash in my secondary feed—an alert that was appearing in her system. And it was a twist, a consequence of my own actions, that I could never have planned for. It was the world's 'Corrective Force' pushing back in a completely unexpected way.
[SYSTEM ALERT - FATE INTERFERENCE DETECTED!]
[The 'Protagonist Designate' Prince Valerius has encountered a 'Fated Opportunity'.]
[Location: Ravencrest Treasury - Lower Vaults.]
[Event: He has discovered a hidden compartment containing the ancestral armor of the First Emperor, 'Aegis of the Dawn', and the sealed last will of the first Ravencrest Queen, which contains a secret that could challenge the line of succession.]