The two women and the kid were still standing in the middle of the dirt road like someone had paused a dramatic movie scene right before the credits.
One of the women—tall, dark hair braided tight, wearing what looked like patched leather armor over a linen tunic—was clutching a broken chain link in her fist so hard her knuckles were white. The other was shorter, younger, maybe late teens, with wide eyes and a torn dress that had once been nice. The kid, a boy no older than eight, had snot running down his face and was clutching the younger woman's leg like it was the only thing keeping him from floating away.
They all stared at me.
I stared back.
Awkward silence stretched like warm garri.
Finally, the tall one spoke. Her voice cracked at first, then steadied into something sharp.
"You… you killed them."
I tilted my head. "Technically, I deleted them. There's a difference. Killing implies a body. There's no body. There's just… less everything."
She blinked. "You speak nonsense."
"Yeah, welcome to my life."
The kid whimpered. The younger woman pulled him closer, whispering something in a language I didn't recognize. Probably "don't look at the crazy hoodie guy."
I raised both hands, palms out. Universal "I come in peace" gesture. Except I was the one who just erased half a dozen armored dudes and their horses like they were bad browser tabs.
"Look," I said, trying to sound reasonable. "I didn't mean to—okay, I did mean to, but only because they looked like they were about to do bad things to you three. So… you're welcome?"
The tall woman narrowed her eyes. "You expect gratitude?"
"I expect at least a 'thanks for not letting the murder-hobos finish their murder-hobo routine.'"
She glanced at the empty saddles, then back at me. Something flickered in her expression—fear, yes, but also calculation. Smart lady.
"I am Elara," she said finally. "This is my sister, Seline, and her son, Tiro. We were being transported to Blackspire as… tribute."
"Tribute?" I echoed. "Like, human sacrifice tribute, or 'pay your taxes in people' tribute?"
"Both, depending on the lord's mood."
I whistled low. "Fantasy worlds really commit to the grimdark aesthetic, huh?"
Elara frowned. "I do not understand half your words, stranger. But you wield power no mage or knight possesses. Are you a god?"
I laughed before I could stop myself. "God? Nah. I'm just Kai. Twenty-something dropout who once tried to make jollof rice in a microwave and set off the fire alarm. If I'm a god, the bar is on the floor."
The blue box chose that exact moment to flicker back into view, uninvited.
```
[New Encounter Detected]
Entities: Elara (Human – Warrior, Level 18), Seline (Human – Commoner, Level 6), Tiro (Human – Child, Level 1)
Status: Freed (by user action)
Quest Prompt Available: [Protect the Freed] / [Abandon the Freed] / [Delete the Freed]
Reward: Minor reputation shift | Minor reputation shift | +0 EXP (because why not)
Would you like to accept a quest?
[Y/N]
```
I stared at the options.
"Bro, really? You're giving me morality choices now? After handing me a reality nuke?"
The box didn't respond. Just pulsed patiently.
I mentally jabbed [N]. No quests. I wasn't about to sign up for side missions like this was an open-world RPG. I already had the cheat code; I didn't need fetch quests.
The box vanished with what felt like a sulky flicker.
Elara was watching me the whole time. "You speak to spirits?"
"More like the spirits speak to me. And they're rude."
Seline finally found her voice. It was small, trembling. "Are… are you going to delete us too?"
I winced. "No. Look, I'm not some murder hobo. I just—" I gestured vaguely at the empty road. "—don't like seeing people get dragged off in chains. Bad vibes."
Tiro peeked out from behind his mom. His eyes were huge. "You made the bad men disappear. Like magic."
"Like really broken magic," I muttered.
Elara took a cautious step forward. "If you are not a god, then what are you?"
I shrugged. "Right now? Hungry. Confused. And apparently the most dangerous thing in a ten-mile radius."
Her gaze flicked to the red DELETE button floating in my vision—wait. Could she see it?
No. Her eyes were on my face, searching for lies.
"Then let us offer you thanks in the only way we can," she said. "Our village is half a day's walk. We have food. Shelter. And perhaps answers. The elders speak of beings from beyond the veil. You may be one of them."
I considered it.
On one hand: free food sounded amazing. My stomach had been growling since the transmigration special effects wore off.
On the other hand: walking into a village right after I accidentally (okay, intentionally) deleted a squad of what were probably important people sounded like a fast track to pitchforks and angry mobs.
But then again…
I had the delete button.
What were they gonna do? Glare at me aggressively?
"Fine," I said. "Lead the way. But if anyone tries to stab me, I'm deleting their concept of 'sharp objects.' Fair warning."
Elara nodded slowly, like she wasn't sure whether I was joking.
Spoiler: I wasn't.
We started walking.
The road was dusty, the sun was climbing, and every few minutes one of them would sneak a glance at me like I might vanish them mid-step.
I didn't blame them.
Halfway to the village, the blue box popped up again. This time it was angrier—text jittering like bad reception.
```
[Alert: Local Reality Anchor Disrupted]
Deletion ripple detected.
Nearby entities beginning to question timeline consistency.
Estimated time until administrative notice: 47 hours (decreasing)
Suggestion: Lay low. Or delete the problem.
```
I snorted. "Lay low. Cute."
Elara glanced back. "You laugh at nothing."
"It's a nervous habit," I said. "Also, your world might be glitching because I removed a few lines of code. Nothing major."
She didn't respond. Just kept walking faster.
By the time we crested the final hill, the village came into view.
Small. Maybe two hundred souls. Wooden palisade, thatched roofs, a central square with a well and what looked like a notice board covered in parchment. People were already gathering—word of the vanished knights must have spread fast. A crowd of maybe thirty stood at the gate, armed with pitchforks, sickles, and one guy proudly holding a rusty sword like it was Excalibur.
Elara raised a hand. "Peace! He is not our enemy!"
The crowd didn't look convinced.
An older man—gray beard, staff, classic village elder vibes—stepped forward.
"Who are you, stranger, that makes knights disappear like smoke?"
I sighed.
Here we go.
I stepped past Elara, hands in my hoodie pockets.
"Name's Kai," I said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I'm new here. And yeah, I made the knights go poof. They were being assholes. Any other questions?"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Someone yelled, "Demon!"
Someone else yelled, "Hero!"
Most just stared.
The elder raised his staff for silence.
"If you speak truth," he said, "then prove it. Show us your power."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Bro, you sure? Last time someone asked me to prove something, I accidentally deleted their entire PayPal balance in another world."
He frowned. "I do not understand."
"Yeah, me neither."
I looked around for something low-stakes to delete. No people. No buildings. Something harmless.
My eyes landed on a big pile of firewood stacked near the gate—probably for the evening fires.
Perfect.
I focused on the entire stack.
*Delete.*
Reality hiccuped again.
The pile vanished. Not burned. Not scattered.
Just… empty space where wood used to be.
A single log that had been leaning against the pile fell over with a sad thud, rolling to a stop in the dirt.
The crowd went dead silent.
Then someone screamed.
Then half the crowd dropped to their knees.
The elder's staff slipped from his fingers.
Elara whispered, "Gods preserve us."
I scratched my neck again.
"So… about that food?"
The blue box appeared one more time, almost smug.
```
[Mass Witness Event]
Local fear level: Critical
Reputation shift: Feared → Revered (mixed)
New Title Unlocked: [The Wood-Vanishing Stranger]
```
I groaned.
"Of course there's a title for that."
Up ahead, the village gates creaked open wider.
Apparently, free food and existential terror were a hell of a combination.
I stepped forward.
Time to see how long I could pretend to be normal before I accidentally deleted lunch.