The world was no longer silent.
The ground beneath Ethan pulsed faintly, as though veins of mana ran through the soil. His ears picked up whispers—murmurs of unseen beings that watched, laughed, or sighed in disdain. Every sound, every flicker of light felt exaggerated. The Supreme Fate-Breaker System pulsed inside him like a second heartbeat.
[System Integration: 3%][Error: Trace of Mischief detected.][Warning: Soul is unstable.]
Ethan's chest heaved. He pressed his palm against the dirt, trying to ground himself. His body ached like it had been torn apart and reassembled incorrectly.
"Where… where am I?" he muttered.
The answer came not from his system, but from a voice—gentle yet filled with authority.
"You stand in the Realm of Broken Threads."
Ethan's head snapped up. A woman stood before him, barefoot, draped in silver and gold threads that shimmered like constellations. Her eyes were endless pools of violet, filled with both kindness and cruelty.
"The Goddess of Fate…" Ethan whispered.
She tilted her head. "And you, mortal, are the foolish one who caught Loki's attention."
The mention of Loki made Ethan's stomach twist. "Where's Claire? Did I… save her?"
The goddess's expression flickered—pity, annoyance, and something else. "Her soul lies suspended, neither broken nor whole. For now. You may yet reach her… but your path is no longer yours. Loki has forced my hand."
Ethan's jaw clenched. "Then give me the power to take her back."
The goddess laughed, a sound like bells cracking. "Bold. But boldness does not make one strong. You carry the Supreme Fate-Breaker System—a fragment of my authority, tainted by his meddling. It will let you cut the threads of fate themselves."
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "So I can rewrite destiny?"
Her smile sharpened. "At a cost. Break one fate, and another may tangle. Every choice, every cut, creates consequences. Are you willing to bear them?"
Before he could answer, the sky darkened. From the horizon, shadows gathered—skeletal beasts with bone masks, their hollow eyes glowing with fire. Their howls shook the ground.
Ethan's system flared.
[New Quest Generated!][Trial of Threads: Survive the Beasts of Broken Fate.][Reward: System Stabilization – Integration 10%.]
Ethan's throat went dry. "I don't even know how to use this power!"
The goddess lifted her hand. "Learn, or die. That is the way of my realm."
The beasts lunged.
Ethan felt his instincts scream, but before his legs could move, the system surged.
[Authority Granted: 3 Seconds of God-Level Override.]
His vision turned gold. Time slowed. He saw the threads of reality—thin glowing strands attached to each beast, pulling them toward him like marionettes.
A blade formed in his hand, not of steel but of light. His body moved on its own, slashing through one of the threads.
The beast froze mid-air. Its body convulsed—and shattered into dust.
Time snapped back.
The remaining beasts howled, circling him. Ethan's lungs burned, sweat dripping down his neck. He could feel the goddess watching, her lips curled in something between a smirk and a test.
"Good," she said. "You've drawn first blood. Now show me if you're truly worthy of breaking fate… or if you're just another toy for Loki."
Ethan tightened his grip on the blade of light. Claire's face flashed before his eyes. Her smile. Her warmth.
He whispered, "I'll save you… no matter what."
And as the beasts closed in, the battlefield lit up with the clash of destiny and defiance.