---
The breeze was unusually cold.
It was not the chill of an ordinary morning, but a cold that seeped slowly into the bones, as if the forest itself were exhaling an ancient fear—one that had accumulated over centuries and never found release.
Arthur stood at the edge of the dirt path leading into the depths of the eastern forest, his body still, his gaze fixed on the tangled shadows ahead.
The trees here were not merely trees; their trunks were twisted, their branches stretching like blackened fingers, clawing at the light.
Every step deeper felt like a decision from which there would be no return.
The forest…
was alive.
Not with vibrant life, but with watchful anticipation.
Suddenly—
the air tore open before him, and a glowing blue frame appeared, its edges sharp, as if honed like blades:
---
[First Quest Activated]
Quest Name: Shards of Fate
Objective: Save " The Outcast " before she falls into darkness.
Reward: Increase physical stats + unlock a new function of Insight Eye.
Failure Penalty: Target dies… and becomes one of your future enemies.
---
Arthur raised an eyebrow slowly.
"The Outcast?"
He spoke calmly, his eyes never leaving the forest.
"And who exactly are you referring to?"
The system shouted with exaggerated enthusiasm, nearly shattering the stillness:
[Ooooh! Your first quest! Show some excitement, will you?!]
"I am excited… internally."
Arthur replied dryly.
The system cleared its throat—despite being nothing more than a voice—then continued:
[Alright, alright…]
[The target is a girl. She is meant to get lost today, enter a cave corrupted by darkness, and remain trapped there for many years.]
The voice paused, as if even it hesitated.
[That cave devours mana and tortures those who enter.]
[It does not kill them immediately…]
[Instead, it breaks their minds slowly.]
[In the end, it turns them into something entirely dark.]
Arthur began walking, his steps calm and measured.
He followed faint traces of small footprints on the damp ground—uneven, scattered, the marks of panic and confusion.
"Her name?"
he asked without stopping.
[She's not famous yet…]
[But she will become one of the most dangerous characters in the future.]
[Her title will be: The Lady of Ash.]
Arthur stopped abruptly.
That name…
was not unfamiliar.
"…The one who blew up an entire city in Quest 512?"
[Yes, yes! That very one!]
the system replied with open admiration.
[Man, you really studied the game deeply.]
"I was stuck in the high-level stages for months,"
Arthur said calmly.
"Of course I know."
They continued forward.
With each step, the trees grew denser, the light fading until day resembled dusk.
The air became heavier.
And the silence… was no longer silence, but pressure.
Then—
Arthur stopped.
There was a girl.
Standing among the trees, her body trembling violently.
Her dirty silver hair reached her shoulders, tangled as if it had not been brushed for days.
Her blue eyes were wide, filled with raw, exposed fear.
Her clothes were torn at the edges, shallow wounds covering her arms, as though she had been running without rest.
The system whispered, unusually subdued:
[Target… has been located.]
The girl had not noticed Arthur.
She was staring at the entrance of a cave ahead.
A cave that swallowed light.
Its mouth gaped like the jaws of a beast, exhaling cold air saturated with suffocating dark mana.
Even the ground around it appeared dead—no grass, no life.
Her steps were moving toward it slowly…
as if her body no longer obeyed her mind.
Exactly as the original route described.
Arthur spoke, his voice calm yet sharp:
"You. Stop."
The girl froze.
She turned slowly, as if even movement might shatter her.
Her gaze was empty—the gaze of someone standing on the brink of collapse.
She spoke in a hoarse, broken voice:
"I… I'm lost…I don't know… where…"
[If she enters now… she will never be the same again.]
[This is the original fate!]
Arthur stepped closer, one step at a time.
He did not run.
He did not shout.
He showed no urgency.
He asked, his voice cold—but not cruel:
"What's your name?"
She hesitated, then replied in a barely audible whisper:
"Eliara…"
Yes.
That was her true name.
It was mentioned only once in the entire game—in a hidden file that only the most obsessive players ever found.
Arthur extended his hand toward her.
"You are not in the right place, Eliara."
She took a step back, then looked toward the cave in absolute terror—
as if something inside was calling her.
Suddenly, she screamed, clutching her ears:
"No! No… that voice… I hear it!"
"It says it can help me…!"
The system whispered urgently:
[The corruption is whispering to her.]
[This is very, very bad.]
Arthur looked at the cave.
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only disgust.
He spoke quietly, sharply:
"Shut up."
He was not speaking to Eliara.
He was speaking to the cave itself.
For a moment—
even the air fell silent.
Arthur extended his hand again toward the girl, who was seconds away from collapse:
"If you want to live…"
"Take my hand."
Eliara trembled violently, then collapsed to her knees, crying:
"I don't want… to hear that voice anymore…"
"I want… to leave this place…"
Arthur approached her, placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, and said in a voice that allowed no refusal:
"I won't let you fall."
At that moment—
a new window appeared:
---
[Congratulations! Fate has been altered.]
Eliara has been saved from entering the cursed cave.
New story branch unlocked:
"The Lady of Ash… Who Did not fall ."
[Quest Reward: +5 Stats]
[Bonus Reward: +1 Endurance]
---
The system spoke, genuine shock in its voice:
[Man...You're changing the story faster than I expected.]
Arthur lifted the unconscious Eliara, her body limp from exhaustion, and replied calmly:
"The story…"
"Belongs to me now."
He turned and walked away from the cave.
Behind him…
the darkness exhaled in silent frustration.
And thus…
the first knot in the chain of fate was broken.
---