Ace woke to noise.
Not alarms.
Not screaming.
Life.
Pots clanging.
Footsteps.
Someone arguing cheerfully about bread crust.
Ace opened one eye.
"…I'm going to charge consulting fees," he muttered.
Ravenna's face appeared upside-down in his vision.
"You're awake," she said, voice trembling with relief.
Ace blinked.
"…You look terrible."
She laughed and cried at the same time.
---
What Changed
Ace was still weak.
But the ache was gone.
No constant drain.
No invisible weight pulling at his chest.
He sat up slowly.
The workshop looked… different.
Messier.
Busier.
Alive.
Boards on the wall listed rotating responsibilities.
STABILITY DUTY (WEEKLY):
– Food systems
– Knowledge upkeep
– Path maintenance
– Conflict mediation
Ace squinted.
"…Is that a duty roster?"
The baker waved from the oven.
"You hate it," she called, smiling.
"But it works."
Ace exhaled.
"…I love it," he admitted.
---
Ace's New Job
Ace did not fix things anymore.
That was the rule.
He asked questions instead.
"Who else knows this?"
"What happens if you're tired?"
"Where does this break first?"
People groaned.
Then thought.
Then adjusted.
Ravenna hovered nearby, notebook in hand.
She had taken to documenting process, not outcomes.
Ace watched her quietly.
"…You're good at this," he said.
She smiled.
"You taught me."
---
The World Reacts
The environment stopped fighting them.
Not because it surrendered.
But because it no longer knew where to push.
Paths shifted—but alternatives existed.
Rain fell—but plans adjusted.
Resources fluctuated—but sharing absorbed shock.
The world became—
Negotiable.
---
Far Away
The figure still existed.
Smaller now.
Watching—not controlling.
They observed a child fixing a chair with borrowed tools.
A dragon teaching airflow to apprentices.
A librarian laughing as shelves grew chaotic again.
"…They didn't need a system," the figure whispered.
"They needed trust."
For the first time—
They stepped away from the pool.
---
Ace Returns to Work
A client arrived.
Nervous.
Overwhelmed.
Ace padded over.
"What's broken?" he asked.
The client hesitated.
"…Everything feels fragile."
Ace smiled gently.
"Good," he said.
"That means you can feel it."
He pointed to the room.
"You don't fix fragility by hiding it."
"You fix it by sharing it."
The client nodded slowly.
Hope flickered.
---
That Night
Ace sat on the roof.
Stars overhead.
Ravenna joined him.
"…Do you regret it?" she asked quietly.
Ace thought about his old life.
The burnout.
The endless fixing.
The loneliness.
He shook his head.
"No," he said.
"This time—when things break…"
He watched lanterns glow across the town.
"…I won't be the only one holding them together."
Ravenna smiled.
---
Epilogue Line
Some worlds are saved by heroes.
This one—
Was stabilized by a tired kitten
who refused to be the single point of failure.
And because of that—
It endured.