Rex Hawthorne stared at Kai like he was looking at a glitch in reality.
"Know how I die?" Rex repeated, then laughed. "You don't even have a system. You're not even a player. You're an NPC."
Kai stood in the middle of the ruined street, breathing hard, glass crunching beneath his shoes.
Above Rex's head, glowing red:
FATE: KILLED BY UNKNOWN VARIABLE
For the first time since the System appeared…Rex's future was blurry.
Kai felt it.
The black Observer window flickered.
[WARNING: YOU ARE A VARIABLE]
"Yeah," Kai whispered. "I figured."
Rex took a step forward, axe scraping the ground. "People like you should kneel when they see someone like me. I'm level twenty. I could crush you with my pinky."
"I know," Kai said calmly. "And in most futures, you do."
Rex frowned.
"What futures?"
Kai slowly walked sideways, putting himself between Rex and the grocery store.
"In one future, you kill seventeen people today and become famous. In another, you get hunted by top guilds and die screaming. In another, you survive long enough to realize you're alone."
Rex's grin faded.
"You're bluffing."
"Am I?" Kai asked. "Your class gives you a rage meter, right? It fills when you kill. But if it overflows, your heart gives out."
Rex's eyes widened just a little.
Kai saw it.
SECRET CONDITION: HEART FAILURE AT 100% RAGE
"That's not public info," Rex said slowly.
"I can see it," Kai said. "Just like I can see that you're already at eighty-seven percent."
Rex tightened his grip on the axe.
"So if I kill you—"
"You die."
Silence fell between them.
Rex looked at Kai like he was a snake.
"You're dangerous," he muttered. "More dangerous than any Player."
Kai swallowed. "Let Maya go."
Rex laughed softly. "You care about that little healer?"
"I do."
Rex raised his axe.
"Too bad."
Kai's heart skipped.
Above Maya's name:
FATE: DIES IN 10 SECONDS
"Rex!" Kai shouted. "You want power? I can tell you how to get ten levels today."
Rex froze.
"Talk."
"There's a dungeon opening two streets from here," Kai said. "Rare boss. Insane EXP. But you have to leave now."
Rex's eyes burned.
"Lie to me and you die."
"I know," Kai said. "And I also know you'll take the bait."
Rex stared at the grocery store… then at Kai.
After a long moment, he turned away.
"Your girl lives," he said. "For now."
He sprinted down the street.
Maya's fate changed.
SURVIVES TODAY
Kai collapsed to his knees.
But deep inside… something terrifying had just been confirmed.
The System didn't control him.
And now…neither did the future.
Kai stayed on his knees for a long moment after Rex disappeared.
His heart was beating so fast it felt like it might tear through his chest. Sweat ran down his back, and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. It wasn't just fear — it was the weight of what he had just done.
He had lied.
He had manipulated a Level 20 Berserker, sent him toward death, and saved Maya in the process.
And the System hadn't stopped him.
The black Observer window flickered again.
[YOU HAVE ALTERED A MAJOR THREAD][CONSEQUENCES WILL FOLLOW]
Kai let out a shaky laugh.
"Yeah… I figured."
He pushed himself to his feet and ran toward the grocery store.
The front doors were smashed in. Blood was on the floor. Bodies lay scattered between broken shelves. Monsters and players had both been here.
"Maya!" Kai shouted.
From the back of the store, a freezer door creaked open.
A hand appeared.
Then Maya stumbled out, pale, shaking, covered in spilled milk and dirt.
"Kai…" she whispered.
He ran to her and pulled her into a hug without thinking.
For a moment, the world stopped being a game.
"I thought I was going to die," she sobbed into his shoulder.
"I know," he said softly. "I know."
But when he looked over her shoulder…
FATE: DIES IN 3 DAYS
His eyes darkened.
This wasn't over.
Not for her.
Not for anyone.
And somewhere far away, the System was starting to realize:
The Observer wasn't just watching anymore.
He was rewriting the story.