Chapter 31: The Battle of the Broken Drafts

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The Battle of the Broken Drafts The sky ripped open like paper soaked in fire. And from the breach stepped Kai v2.0 — flawless, gold-eyed, and utterly calm. Behind him floated something wrong. A creature made from fragments. Memories. Ghosts. It had his voice. Elira’s rage. Yulia’s despair. Lira’s laugh, twisted. And a thousand faces flickering like corrupted dreams. It wasn’t alive. It was what should have never been. [System Alert: Abomination Detected – "Discarded Timelines Mass"] Threat Level: ★★★★★ Composition: Failed outcomes, erased memories, corrupted routes Directive: Delete divergence point (You) Kai stood with Hana, the abandoned city glowing faintly under their feet. "You brought that thing?" he snapped. Kai v2.0 stepped forward, unbothered. "It is the sum of your mistakes." "I’m still here," Kai growled. "So I guess I learned from them." The monster shrieked — a sound like static screaming into God’s ear — and lunged. Kai raised his blade. And beside him, so did Hana. For the first time in forever, they fought together. Steel flashed. Spells cracked. Timeline fragments exploded in waves of unreality — cities rising and vanishing midair, flowers blooming backward, people flickering into being and then unexisting. Kai carved through them, each swing anchoring him more firmly in the now. Hana moved like a ghost who’d remembered she could bleed. They weren’t perfect. They weren’t synced. But they were dangerous. Kai v2.0 watched them, expression unreadable. Then he said: "Emotion. Weakness. Attachment. Flawed." "I was created to erase the burden of your heart." Kai ducked under a swipe of the monster’s multi-faced arm, then countered with a blast of his own warped system energy — not divine, but something older now. "Yeah?" he shouted. "And I was created by accident. What’s your excuse?" The monster reeled. Hana stabbed it through the jaw. Kai tore open its chest. And just as they were about to finish it— Someone screamed his name. He turned. Yulia. She stood on the edge of the city — out of breath, blood on her cheek, eyes wide. "STOP!" [System Alert: Party Member – Yulia Astrem – Narrative Decision Point Triggered] Status: Emotionally fractured Loyalty: 82% (conflicted) Choice pending... Hana looked at her, blade still dripping. Kai stepped forward. "Yulia? What are you—" She held up something glowing. A god-seal. Branded with Kai v2’s mark. "I made a deal," she whispered. Silence. Even the monster paused. "What kind of deal?" Kai asked, voice cold. Yulia’s voice cracked. "One where you live... if I surrender you to him." [System Alert: Emotional Betrayal Registered] Trust Thread Severed – Yulia → Kai Bond Status: Corrupted Emotional Fallout: Imminent Kai staggered back. "You—after everything—why?" Tears ran down her face. "Because I couldn’t watch you die again. And he promised me..." Her voice broke. "He promised me a version of you that survives." Hana raised her blade. "She’s gone. We end this now." Kai held up a hand. "No." "She just tried to sell you—" "I know." He turned to Yulia, face stone. "Give me the seal." She shook her head. Kai stepped forward, slowly. Eyes locked on hers. "No more gods," he said. "No more perfect versions." Just us." For a moment— She almost broke. Almost tossed it. But then the monster screamed again, and the moment snapped. Yulia closed her hand around the seal. And vanished. [System Update: Yulia has exited the party] Status: Unknown Affiliation: Kai v2.0 (Temporary) Relationship: Betrayed Emotional Feedback Applied: -10% Mental Resistance Kai fell to one knee, gripping his chest. It wasn’t the betrayal that hurt the most. It was the fact that he understood it. Hana knelt beside him. "She’ll come back." Kai shook his head. "Not if I die first." Then stood, sword in hand, and turned back to Kai v2.0. "Round two?" Kai v2.0 raised an eyebrow. "Very well." The sky cracked again. The story twisted. And somewhere, in the hidden corners of the divine narrative room, a counter ticked forward.