Chapter 30: Off the Script, Off the Map

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Off the Script, Off the Map The system wanted him gone. So Kai did the one thing it didn’t expect: He went off-script. He gathered what little they had left — food, packs, a half-functional map scroll from Lira — and headed northwest. Straight into the blank zone. No cities. No quests. No system flags. Just white fog and the words: "Narrative space not optimized. Proceed at your own risk." Perfect. [System Alert: You are leaving the Main Storyline.] XP gain: -75% Loot drops: Disabled Dialogue assistance: Off Divine monitoring: Minimal Congratulations. You’re no longer the protagonist. You’re a problem. Yulia tried to stop him. Elira offered to follow. Lira... just handed him a dagger, kissed his cheek, and vanished into the trees. Only Akari said nothing — watching him go with a strange, unreadable expression. He didn’t know if they’d follow. He just knew they couldn’t follow where he was going. The journey took two days. Through silence. Through fog. Through pockets of time where the world stuttered — repeating sounds, doubling birds, glitching shadows. And then, suddenly— He arrived. The city wasn’t ruined. It was perfect. Symmetrical. Glowing softly with magic runes. Air sweet like memory. And empty. Not abandoned. Erased. Like someone had written it, then deleted it halfway through a draft. He stepped onto the marble streets and felt the air shift around him. Then, a voice: "You’re not supposed to be here." Kai turned. And saw her. Dark hair. Long coat. Sword across her back. She stood under a lamp that wasn’t lit — yet her eyes glowed with soft cyan light. Not hostile. Just... disappointed. Hana. [System Alert: Encounter – Hana Valis / Former Party Member] Role: Vote-Splitter Status: Betrayed the Original Kai Alignment: Neutral (Supports Kai v2.0) Danger Level: Variable Kai didn’t move. Neither did she. Wind passed between them like it was afraid to get involved. Then she said, "You came here to break the story." Kai nodded. "And you came to make sure I fail?" "No." She lowered her hood. "I came to see if I still cared enough to stop you." He stepped closer. "You voted for him." "I did." "Why?" Her voice was quiet. "Because he doesn’t hesitate." Kai’s heart twisted. "I hesitated because I felt something. Because I didn’t want to become a weapon." "And that," she said slowly, "is why you’re dangerous." She walked toward him, boots tapping the smooth floor of a city that didn’t exist. "This place — this city — it was built by a Hero just like you. The gods erased him when he broke pattern. But he built this first. A final act of rebellion." Kai looked around. "It’s beautiful." Hana nodded. "And forgotten." A pause. Then: "I missed you," he said. "I didn’t vote against you out of hate," she replied. "I voted against you out of fear." "Fear of what?" "Fear that you’d become something no one could stop." [System Update: Hana’s Loyalty – Shifting...] Current Affection: 41% Current Trust: 32% Bond Status: Severed / Reconnectable Emotional Conflict Detected Kai reached into his coat and pulled out something small: a matchbook. Burned. From Earth. He held it out. "Found this on the day I was summoned. You gave it to me back home." She stared at it. Then took it. Her hand brushed his. And for just one second— The system shuddered. [System Warning: Forbidden Arc Resurfacing] Hidden Affection Route Unlocked – [Hana: The Vote That Broke You] New Quest: Rewrite Her Heart Objective: Bring Hana back to your side before Chapter 60 Reward: Narrative Override Token "You still have time," she whispered. He looked at her. "To do what?" "To make them regret replacing you." Suddenly, the ground shook. Far above, the sky cracked — like a film reel being torn in half. And Kai heard the voice again. His voice. Kai v2.0: "Found you."