Kim Dokja didn't trust coincidences.
Not in a world governed by probability.
Not in a world where every event, every meeting, every survival—
was dictated by the invisible calculations of the Star Stream.
So when something didn't fit—
He investigated.
The building was quiet.
Most incarnations were asleep, conserving stamina for the next scenario.
Kim Dokja wasn't.
A faint blue glow illuminated his face as the system window hovered before him.
«[Exclusive Skill, Character List Lv. 3 is activated.]»
"…Ethan."
The name appeared.
Then flickered.
Then—
«[Character information cannot be displayed.]»
Kim Dokja's eyes narrowed.
"…Again."
He tried another method.
«[Exclusive Skill, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Lv. 3 is activated.]»
Fragments of narrative began to form.
Threads of story.
Connections.
But where Ethan should have been—
There was nothing.
No past.
No narrative weight.
No "beginning."
Just a blank space.
Like a word erased from a sentence.
"…That's impossible."
Every incarnation had a story.
Even Yoo Joonghyuk.
Even himself.
Even the smallest background character had something.
But Ethan—
Had none.
Kim Dokja leaned back, thinking.
'Possibility one.'
A hidden character.
Rejected immediately.
Hidden characters still followed narrative rules.
'Possibility two.'
A constellation's incarnation.
Also rejected.
No sponsor.
No stigma trace.
No probability consumption.
'Possibility three…'
Kim Dokja paused.
Then slowly exhaled.
"…An existence outside the scenario."
The thought lingered.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
The next morning, Kim Dokja found Ethan sitting on a rooftop.
As expected.
Watching the sunrise like nothing in the world mattered.
"Dokja!"
Ethan waved enthusiastically.
"You're up early!"
"…I could say the same."
Kim Dokja walked closer.
"I want to try something."
"Okay!"
No hesitation.
No suspicion.
Just trust.
That made it worse.
Kim Dokja raised his hand.
«[Probability is being consumed.]»
A small flame appeared.
Not dangerous.
Just controlled.
Precise.
"Can you copy this?"
Ethan leaned forward.
Eyes sparkling.
"Oh, that's easy!"
He raised his hand.
But instead of copying—
The flame… changed.
It twisted.
Expanded.
Turned gold.
Then—
It split into dozens of smaller lights, floating like stars.
"…Pretty!" Ethan said.
Kim Dokja froze.
'That's not copying.'
'That's reinterpretation.'
And more importantly—
«[No probability has been consumed.]»
"…Do it again."
"Okay!"
This time, Ethan didn't even look.
The flames rearranged themselves into a bird.
A glowing, golden bird.
It flapped once—
Then disappeared.
Kim Dokja's mind moved quickly.
Cold.
Precise.
'He doesn't use skills.'
'He doesn't consume probability.'
'He doesn't follow narrative logic.'
That left only one answer.
"…You don't belong here."
Ethan blinked.
"Huh?"
"This world. The Star Stream."
Kim Dokja stepped closer.
"You're not part of it."
Silence.
For a moment—
Ethan just looked at him.
Then—
He smiled.
"…Maybe?"
The air shifted.
Not violently.
Not like an enemy attack.
But subtly.
Like reality itself had taken a step back.
«[Warning: Probability instability detected.]
[The Star Stream is attempting to compensate.]»
Kim Dokja felt it.
Pressure.
The system trying to correct something.
Trying to force Ethan into a role.
Into a story.
But—
It couldn't.
"Dokja," Ethan said softly.
"You think too much."
"…Thinking is how we survive."
Ethan tilted his head.
"But I don't want to survive like that."
"…Then how?"
Ethan pointed at the sky.
"At that."
The empty sky.
Where constellations watched.
Where stories were written.
"Magic is supposed to be free."
Kim Dokja's expression darkened.
"…Not here."
Ethan smiled.
"Then I'll change it."
Kim Dokja turned away.
He had heard enough.
Not because he understood everything—
But because he understood one thing clearly.
'He's not a variable.'
'He's a contradiction.'
Something the Star Stream couldn't categorize.
Couldn't predict.
Couldn't control.
And in a world built on stories—
That was the most dangerous thing of all.
«[A constellation is watching Ethan with great interest.]
[A constellation is… uneasy.]
[Several constellations are beginning to avoid this incarnation.]»
«[The Star Stream has marked Ethan as an Irregular.]»
Kim Dokja looked at the system window one last time.
"…This is going to break something."
Behind him—
Ethan laughed.
Carefree.
Like none of it mattered.
And somehow—
That was the most unsettling part.