Chapter 3: The Architect's Desperation
The moon hung over the Ravenstone Estate like a silver executioner's blade.
Inside his private chambers, Alaric sat cross-legged on the floor. He wasn't sleeping. With his Max Proficiency in [Meditation] and [Mana Sensory], sleep had become an elective activity. Instead, he was watching the very fabric of reality twitch.
[ WARNING: SCRIPT CRITICAL FAILURE ]
[ THE SOVEREIGN IS DEPLOYING "CORRECTION PROTOCOL" ]
[ TARGET: ALARIC VON RAVENSTONE ]
[ MISSION: ELIMINATE THE ANOMALY ]
Alaric's eyes snapped open. "So, you can't just delete me?" he whispered to the ceiling. "You have to send a 'cleaner' to do the job within the logic of the world. How pathetic."
The air in the corner of the room curdled. A shadow detached itself from the wall—a figure draped in tattered, ink-stained robes. It had no face, only a void where features should be, and in its hand was a dagger made of pure, solidified "Plot Armor."
This was a Fate-Stalker. In the original novel, these beings were the Sovereign's ultimate failsafe, used to kill off characters who became too powerful or threatened the protagonist's growth.
The Stalker moved with zero friction, bypassing all physical laws. It didn't exist in the world; it existed in the story.
[ ENCOUNTER: THE FATE-STALKER ]
The creature lunged. It didn't aim for Alaric's heart; it aimed for his "Fate." If the dagger touched him, his existence would be erased from the memories of everyone in the kingdom.
[ Skill Detected: Spatial Awareness ]
[ Proficiency: MAX ]
[ Skill Evolved: Dimensional Authority ]
Alaric didn't reach for a sword. He reached for the air.
He grabbed the Stalker's wrist mid-swing. The creature let out a silent, psychic screech. Its body flickered like a dying candle. It was a being of "Logic," and Alaric's existence was "Illogical."
"You're made of the same ink as the rest of this world," Alaric said, his grip tightening. "But I? I'm the one who spilled the bottle."
[ UNIQUE SKILL ACTIVATED: UNIVERSAL APEX MASTERY ]
[ TARGET ANALYZED: "SCRIPTED ESSENCE" ]
[ REPLICATING... ]
[ MAX PROFICIENCY ACHIEVED: SCRIPT-WRITING ]
Alaric's eyes glowed with a terrifying, blinding violet. He didn't just kill the Stalker—he edited it. He reached into the creature's conceptual core and rewrote its instructions.
The Stalker's ink-black body began to turn a brilliant, crystalline white. The dagger of erasure melted, reshaping into a brand on the creature's forehead: the Ravenstone Crest.
[ FATE-STALKER HAS BEEN SUBJUGATED ]
[ NAME ASSIGNED: VOID ]
[ STATUS: LOYAL TO THE ANOMALY ]
The creature knelt. It was no longer a tool of the Sovereign; it was Alaric's shadow.
[ THE MORNING AFTER: THE PRINCESS'S VISIT ]
The following morning, the Academy was in a state of suppressed panic. The "Hero" Kyle was in the infirmary, his pride shattered and his mana veins temporarily burnt out from Alaric's "Heaven-Splitting Slash."
Alaric was enjoying a quiet breakfast in the garden when the sound of heavy metal boots echoed on the cobblestones.
Princess Elena Aethelgard stood there, flanked by four Royal Guards. Her silver hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and her emerald eyes were sharp with a mix of fury and confusion.
"Alaric," she said, skipping all formalities. "What are you?"
Alaric took a slow sip of his tea. "Your fiancé, last I checked. Though I hear you were looking for a reason to change that."
Elena slammed her hand onto the table, rattling the china. "Don't play games! I've known you since we were children. You were a coward. You were weak. You couldn't even circulate a single drop of mana without coughing up blood." She leaned in, her face inches from his. "Yesterday, you split the sky. That isn't 'hard work.' That isn't even 'talent.' That was... impossible."
Alaric looked at her. He saw the "Script" hovering over her head.
[ Character: Elena Aethelgard ]
[ Scripted Fate: Falls in love with Kyle after he saves her from the Demon Cult. ]
[ Current Status: CONFUSED / INTRIQUED ]
"The world is changing, Elena," Alaric said, standing up. His height forced her to look up, placing her in his shadow. "The 'roles' we were given? I've burned them. If you want to follow the script and wait for your 'Hero' to save you, go ahead. But he's currently crying in a bed of medicinal herbs."
He stepped closer, his 99 Charm acting like a hypnotic weight. Elena's breath hitched. She was supposed to find him repulsive, but her heart was hammering against her ribs for an entirely different reason.
"But if you want to be more than a prize for a commoner," Alaric whispered, "then stay by my side. I'll show you what it's like to actually be free."
[ CHARACTER EVENT TRIGGERED: THE PRINCESS'S DOUBT ]
[ RELATIONSHIP SHIFT: LOATHING -> ??? ]
Before she could respond, a frantic messenger burst into the garden.
"Lord Alaric! Princess! The Southern Border... the seal on the Demon King's tomb has cracked! The Sovereign's Prophecy has begun three years early!"
Alaric smiled. He knew exactly why it was happening early. The Sovereign was panicking. If it couldn't kill Alaric with an assassin, it would bring forward the Apocalypse to force the Hero to grow stronger—or to destroy the world Alaric was trying to steal.
"Three years early?" Alaric laughed, looking toward the south. "Good. I was starting to get bored with school."
[ UPDATED STATUS ]
Attribute Value
New Skill Script-Writing (Rank: ERROR)
New Ally Void (Fate-Stalker)
World Divergence 25% (CRITICAL)