Chapter 37: The Girl from Tomorrow Who Watched Me Die

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Girl from Tomorrow Who Watched Me Die The city of Arkveil was supposed to be gone. Burned. Buried. Forgotten. But as Kai and Seris crested the final hill, they saw its jagged spires still standing — a skeleton of stone wrapped in vines of magic and regret. [System Notification: You have entered "Arkveil – Timeline Ghost Zone"] Origin: Branch 2-C (Extinguished Timeline) Anomalous Stability: 42% Warning: Events here may not align with current continuity. "Charming place," Seris muttered, eyeing the blackened gate towers. "I thought this city fell during the Goddess Wars." "It did," Kai replied. "But this isn’t the version that burned." She shot him a look. "You’re making less sense by the hour." He didn’t argue. He felt it too — the wrongness. Like Arkveil had been pulled from a memory that never belonged to him. As they stepped through the gate, Kai felt it in his bones: the weight of choices he hadn’t made yet. A future that hated him. A past that still wanted answers. And then, he heard it. A voice. Sweet. Sad. Sharp. "So you made it here. Took you long enough." They turned. A girl stood in the rubble, arms crossed. Silver hair flowed down her back like moonlight. Her eyes were stormy gray, and her cloak fluttered even though there was no wind. She wore armor he’d never seen — but somehow recognized. And on her neck: a glowing sigil shaped like Kai’s crest — twisted, broken, and burning at the edges. Seris raised her spear instantly. "Who the hell are you?" The girl ignored her. She only looked at Kai. Her voice cracked. "You still smile like he did." [System Alert: New Entity Detected – Timeline Divergence Hazard] Name: "Liora Veyron" Status: Glitch-Origin Harem Candidate Claim: "Future-bound Bonded" Affection Level: Unknown Memory Stability: 77% Emotional Sync: Critical Kai’s voice was hoarse. "You... know me?" She nodded. Once. Tight. Like it hurt. "I watched you die. Twice. And I was the one who couldn’t stop it either time." Seris stepped forward, blade glowing. "Cute story. Try again." But Kai raised a hand. "No." He stepped toward her. "What are you?" "Not a what." Liora smiled softly. "A when." The wind shifted. A tower in the distance cracked and fell in on itself — time refusing to let it stay whole. Kai stared. His heartbeat quickened. He felt the bond. Weaker than the others. Fractured. But real. [Bond Detection: Liora – Future Path Acknowledged] Status: Locked Timeline (Temporal Origin: Branch Omega-6) Affection: 54% (Residual) Memory Crossover: Active This bond should not exist yet. "You were my final harem member," Liora whispered. "The last one you trusted." Kai whispered, "And?" She looked away. "...I betrayed you too." Silence. Not even the System offered a warning. Just cold air. Seris muttered, "Are you kidding me?" Liora stepped forward. "I came back to change it. To stop what I did. What we all did." She pulled a dagger from her belt. And held it out. To Kai. "Stab me now," she said. "Kill me before I can play my part. Or let me stay, and I swear... I will help you survive the ending we already lost." Kai stared at her. At the dagger. At the girl who had loved him in a future he never lived. At a new betrayal that hadn’t happened yet. [System Prompt: Will You Accept Liora into the Harem Path?] Accept – She joins your party and influences future choices. Reject – Her timeline collapses. The truth dies with her. Warning: Accepting may accelerate "Betrayal Arc Trigger" by 3 Chapters. Seris spat, "Don’t trust her. You trust her, you lose me." Liora whispered, "If you reject me, you die sooner." Two truths. One choice. Kai took the dagger. Stared at it. Tossed it aside. "I don’t trust you," he said, stepping past both girls. "But I trust the truth more than the silence. So if you’re willing to earn your place—" He turned. "—then start talking. What happens in Chapter Fifty?" Liora’s eyes widened. She breathed one word. A name. And Kai’s blood went cold. Because it wasn’t the name he expected. It wasn’t Nyx. It wasn’t Elira. It was Seris.