The first thing that hit my senses wasn't fear.
It was the smell.
Not rain soaking into forest leaves, nor the incense of royal halls in Ixaros. This was burnt ozone, heated metal, and thick industrial oil that clung to the back of the throat. The scent of a world that didn't believe in magic—only in energy.
New Seoul.
A version I had never known.
The metallic pavement beneath my feet vibrated as aerial vehicles roared overhead, leaving streaks of phosphorescent light like wounds carved across the sky. Glass towers rose without mercy, their surfaces shifting into massive screens displaying genetically enhanced faces smiling with artificial perfection. Advertisements promoted mana-powered prosthetics, as if two worlds had merged without asking permission.
"Leila…"
Kayan's voice was low, tense—but not afraid.
I turned toward him.
He stood in the middle of the chaos like a relic from another age. His black-and-gold armor reflected the neon glow, his lightning-forged sword hanging openly at his side. Passersby glanced at him—some assuming he was an influencer in costume, others discreetly recording him through implanted lenses, hoping to claim the reward.
Ping.
[Urban Survival System — Version 2.0 Activated]
[Mode: Low-Level Stealth]
[Warning: Your biometric signatures have been registered on the public network.]
I tightened my grip on his hand.
"Don't draw the sword," I whispered. "Here, unlicensed energy use counts as terrorism."
He raised an eyebrow.
"In your world… money sits on the throne?"
My gaze lifted to the massive screen above the plaza.
And froze.
My face stared back at me—Evelyn's violet attire unmistakable. Beside it, Kayan in full royal armor. The resolution was terrifyingly clear. Beneath the images, red text pulsed:
WANTED FOR INFORMATIONAL TERRORISM
REWARD: 1,000,000,000 CREDITS
ALIVE OR DEAD
A billion.
In this world, that didn't just buy a city.
It bought a new law.
"That makes us everyone's prey," I said quietly.
And in the next moment, the crowd changed.
Visual implants flickered.
Wrists lifted to record us.
The hum of approaching drones filled the air.
"Move."
Kayan pulled me into a narrow alley where neon lights reflected off walls slick with black oil.
[Emergency Mission: Locate Digital Shelter]
[Warning: Distance between linked units must not exceed 10 meters]
[Condition failure = synchronized data collapse]
Before I could respond, a sharp mechanical whine cut through the air.
A combat drone descended into the alley, its red lens locking onto us.
And unfortunately—
Kayan drew his sword.
Purple light erupted outward like an electromagnetic shockwave. Streetlights exploded. Storefront displays died instantly. Sirens ignited across the district.
"You just announced us to the entire city!" I shouted.
"In my world," he replied calmly, "a sword is the only language hunters understand."
We ran.
The city wasn't a forest. No deep shadows, no trees to hide behind—only metal angles and cameras watching from every direction.
Screens shifted to thermal tracking.
A single red dot moved across the map.
Us.
We dove into a massive container filled with electronic waste.
The air inside was suffocating, thick with the smell of burnt batteries and tangled wiring. We were pressed together completely, his chest against mine, his heartbeat steady despite the chaos.
The twin bond warmed between us.
[Obsession Meter: 87/100]
[Shared danger increases emotional synchronization.]
"Leila…" he murmured in the darkness. "If I'm only code… why does it hurt to see you struggle to breathe?"
I touched his cheek.
"Because you went beyond the script. You're an error the system couldn't fix."
He leaned closer, breath warm against the cold metal air.
"Then I'll be the error that breaks this world."
The container suddenly shook.
Its lid was ripped away.
Blinding blue light flooded inside.
"Targets located."
A woman stood above us, plasma rifle aimed straight at my chest. A digital helmet concealed her face. The corporate insignia on her shoulder made my heart stop.
My company.
"Leila?"
The voice was familiar.
She removed the helmet.
Sujin.
The same smile that once shared coffee breaks with me at the office. The same eyes—only now lit with something artificial.
"The Director is waiting on the hundredth floor," she said coolly. "He wasn't pleased when he learned you escaped with the sample."
Her gaze shifted to Kayan, assessing him like advanced technology.
"Hand over the prince. Your record gets wiped. Your life goes back to normal. One billion credits included."
Kayan's arm tightened around my waist. His sword began to glow.
[Mission Update: Betrayal or Loyalty]
[Betrayal: Restore former life — partner memory deletion]
[Loyalty: Key to breaking the main server unlocked]
I looked at Sujin again.
And saw it.
Inside her left pupil, a small interface flickered.
[Opposing User: Isabella]
[Remote Control Active]
"Kayan—!"
The shot fired.
But it wasn't aimed at our chests.
It struck the invisible light between us.
The twin bond.
A blue explosion tore through the air. Pain ripped through me as if part of my soul had been violently torn away. Kayan dropped to one knee, clutching his chest as the golden mark fractured like glass.
[Warning: Link stability 42%… 35%…]
Sujin—or Isabella through her—smiled.
"If I can't separate you physically… I'll separate the equation."
I raised my hand and summoned the interface.
But this wasn't the forest.
Signals were unstable here. The main server was shielded behind layered firewalls.
"Leila…" Kayan forced his head up. "Don't lose yourself for me."
I looked at him.
Remembered the moment I chose to stay.
I hadn't sacrificed everything just to betray him now.
I entered a new command.
Not an attack.
A redistribution.
"Transfer link to hidden layer."
"Conceal twin bond within local core."
"Execute immediately."
The light between us vanished.
Sujin blinked in confusion.
"What—?"
I smiled slowly.
"You're shooting the interface."
Kayan moved instantly.
His speed was no longer human. His blade sliced the plasma rifle in half before Sujin could react—but I grabbed his arm before he struck her.
"No."
Her eyes flickered with interference.
"Leila… help me…"
Isabella struggled to regain control.
I opened a direct channel through Sujin's implant and slipped into the backend interface.
Layers of code. Defensive walls. Isabella's signature everywhere.
"You thought you were the only one who knew the admin paths?"
I typed a single command.
"Terminate remote connection."
"Reset host."
Sujin collapsed into my arms.
The digital glow vanished from her eye.
But the street around us hadn't calmed.
Drones multiplied overhead.
Security vehicles hovered above the alley.
Even the city's voice changed.
"Threat level escalated to Red."
Kayan stood beside me, sword blazing softly.
"Where to now?"
I looked toward the tallest tower on the horizon.
The hundredth floor.
Where the Director waited.
Where the main server existed.
Where we could either end the hunt…
or start a war.
I slipped my hand into his.
"We go to the heart of it."
He smiled—the expression of a warrior who had finally found his true battlefield.
Above us, one of the giant screens flickered.
The broadcast changed.
No longer just our images.
A live feed of the alley appeared instead.
A calm, inhuman voice echoed across the city:
"Open Hunt Protocol activated. All citizens are authorized to use lethal force."
A new countdown appeared in the corner of the digital sky.
Not for the reward.
For the city itself.
00:59:59…
And it was already ticking down.