The moment the Reader vanished, something clicked.
Not power.
Permission.
I didn't feel stronger.
I felt unrestricted.
The world around me didn't wait for my will anymore.
It reacted before I decided.
Aethern stiffened.
Kael it said slowly.
You just moved without moving.
Nyx blinked He didn't act.
Selene swallowed The story did.
Something etched itself into my awareness not text, not system words.
Just truth.
Ability: Narrative Override Passive
Kael no longer exists inside the story
The story adjusts itself to Kael's intent automatically
Cause is optional
Action is optional
Even the narrator cannot describe him incorrectly
If a story would lead to Kael's loss
That version is discarded before existing.
A fracture opened in the sky.
Not an enemy.
A possible future one where I failed.
It tried to solidify.
It didn't get the chance.
The future erased itself.
Aethern looked at me, awe unmistakable.
You weren't supposed to get that yet.
I exhaled slowly.
Neither was the Reader.
Vorin broke the silence. So what are you now.
I looked at my hands.
Someone the story can't touch.
Behind us, Aethern's leaves shimmered.
And far away.
Something closed a book.