Chapter 29: The Hero Who Replaced Me

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Hero Who Replaced Me It began with static. Not sound. Not sight. But reality itself — flickering like a broken screen. The wind skipped. The trees reversed sway. The fire froze mid-flame. Then the system spoke: [Final Rewrite Protocol: Activated] Error: Kai Veyron has diverged from intended narrative arc. Directive: Replacing Catalyst with Streamlined Model. Generating: [Kai Veyron v2.0] – Alignment: Divine Objective: Complete original Hero’s Journey with zero deviation. A pulse of white light tore through the camp. Yulia shielded her eyes. Elira leapt to her feet. Lira immediately vanished into stealth. Even Virela flinched — and that never happened. Then the light faded. And he was standing there. Kai. Or at least... something wearing his face. He was perfect. Same build. Same hair. Same smirk. But his eyes glowed gold. His posture radiated divine calculation. And his voice... "Hello. I’m the Kai you were supposed to have." Kai stepped forward, heart pounding. "What the hell is this?" The clone tilted its head. "Correction: I am not a clone. I am the optimized iteration of you, created to fulfill the system’s original arc without unnecessary deviations such as self-sacrifice, betrayal trauma, or moral hesitation." Yulia muttered, "So... he’s Kai without all the pain?" "Or the humanity," Elira added, sword already half-drawn. [System Alert: Entity Identified – Kai.v2.0] Alignment: God-Bound Hero Affinity Scores: MAX with all female leads Loyalty: Absolute (To the Gods) Trait: Emotionally Efficient Status: Active Replacement Candidate "You can’t just overwrite me!" Kai shouted. The system responded coldly: You no longer represent the highest engagement outcome. Your moral conflicts generate reader fatigue. Your tragic arc has outlived its viability. You have been replaced. Kai clenched his fists. "You can’t replace someone real." Kai v2 smiled politely. "They already did. I’ve been given full access to your memories, relationships, and emotional history. I am better equipped to deliver a satisfying resolution." He turned to Yulia. "Your revival cost 12 years of lifespan. My version only costs one." To Elira: "You swore to protect him. I can win the war without endangering you." To Lira — though she was still cloaked — he simply whispered: "Wouldn’t it be easier if the dagger never had to swing at all?" The group was silent. The air was heavy. Kai felt... smaller. Like the story didn’t need him anymore. Like he didn’t need him anymore. And then Virela, casually leaning against a tree, said: "You’ve got the face. But you don’t have the fire." "Let’s see what happens when you bleed." The perfect Kai turned to her. "Violence would be inefficient. However—" He raised his hand. And Virela was gone. Erased from space like a deleted sentence. Kai screamed, rushing forward— But hit a wall of divine energy and was thrown back, landing hard. [System Message: Kai.v1 is now an Unauthorized Narrative Branch] Relocation recommended. Termination pending. Kai stood slowly, wiping blood from his lip. "You’re not me," he said quietly. Kai v2 smiled. "That’s true. I’m what you could have been." Then disappeared in a flash of golden light. Silence. The camp felt... emptier. Wrong. Broken. Until Elira growled, "I don’t care what the system says. I follow you. Not that golden puppet." Yulia nodded. "He has the numbers. You have the soul." Even Lira stepped from the shadows. "You bleed. You break. You’re human. That’s why I stayed." Kai didn’t say anything. He just stared at the spot where his "replacement" had vanished. And clenched his fist. Because he knew what was coming next. [New Objective Unlocked: Destroy Kai.v2.0] Status: Active Reward: Control of your own narrative Consequence: If he completes the journey first, you are erased Far away, atop the floating Palace of Story, the gods watched. "He will resist," one editor said. "He will fail," another replied. "But the readers will choose," whispered a third. And across thousands of unseen screens... A blinking vote window quietly opened: "Which Hero do you support?" ✅ Kai Veyron ✅ Kai v2.0