Chapter 42: The Kill Switch I Never Set

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Kill Switch I Never Set The ruins of Arkveil should’ve been silent. But tonight, they whispered. Wind through cracked windows. Stone shifting beneath cursed sigils. Voices in languages the System had forgotten how to track. Kai stood on the rooftop of the cathedral, staring into the empty city like it was a battlefield only he could see. Because it was. And his next fight wasn’t with a sword. It was with his code. Earlier that day, Liora had handed him a device. It looked like a black crystal prism—System-made but modified. "From my timeline," she’d said. "Never meant to exist in yours." Kai activated it. The display flickered. And then: [Welcome, Kai Veyron] Access Level: Declassified Hidden Status: Unlocked [FLAGGED COMMANDS DETECTED] "KILL SWITCH – Code: [ASHFALL]" "AUTHOR’S HAND – Observer Present" "REWRITE INITIATED – Countdown: 6 Chapters Remaining" Kai’s heart sank. "A kill switch?" he whispered. "Someone built a death trigger into your soul," Liora said quietly. "It’s buried inside your System. The moment it’s activated..." "You’re erased. Not just dead. Gone from every version of the story." Kai sat down, trying to steady his breath. "How is this possible?" "You weren’t meant to survive this long," she said. "Your System was designed to end you when your arc was over. Someone changed the ending." Kai narrowed his eyes. "You mean... me." Liora didn’t respond. She didn’t need to. [System Alert – KILL SWITCH CODE: ASHFALL] Status: Dormant Trigger Conditions: [Unknown] Survival Protocols: 0% [WARNING: Any interference with the code may accelerate its activation] Kai closed the display. "What about Seris?" he asked, standing. "Any word?" Liora’s face darkened. "She’s gone." "Gone?" "She left the cathedral just before dawn. Alone. No trace. System says she doesn’t exist on the map anymore." "Did she deactivate her bond?" "No," Liora said. "She didn’t need to." She looked up, voice grim. "Something erased her." Elsewhere in Arkveil, miles away... A single black rose bloomed. Roots cracked the stone beneath it. The petals shimmered in silver light. And beside it knelt a figure cloaked in shadow, whispering to the rose like it could answer. "I am here." Her voice was calm. Serene. Deceptively warm. "And he will beg for death." The petals twitched. And the assassin of the Author Protocol rose. Back in the cathedral... Kai summoned the others. Yuri arrived first, already furious. "We should’ve kept Seris on lockdown." "She would’ve found a way out anyway," Astra replied, arms folded. "She was always the most loyal. Until she wasn’t." "She’s still loyal," Kai said. That silence again. No one believed it but him. Nyx arrived last. She didn’t speak. Just handed Kai a bloodstained envelope. He froze. "Where did this come from?" "It was on your pillow," she said. "While you were on the roof." "Did anyone see who left it?" "I did." Kai looked up sharply. "Who?" She smiled. "Me." He opened the letter. Inside, it read: "Chapter 45. That’s when the blade falls." "Don’t try to run. The story will follow." – A Below the signature was a single drawn eye. Blinking. Watching. Alive. [System Notice – Observer Confirmed] New Tag: "AUTHORITY – ENTITY A" Threat Level: EX-RANK Countermeasures: Unavailable Closest Match: "Narrative Reaper" "They’re taunting me," Kai said. "No," Nyx corrected. "They’re promising." And she looked... thrilled. Astra summoned her spellbook and opened to a page Kai hadn’t seen before. Symbols etched in fire glowed along her skin. "This ’Entity A’... It isn’t just watching. It’s editing." "Editing what?" Astra looked up. "Reality." Yuri stepped forward. "Then we need to strike first. Find this author-thing and burn it down." Liora shook her head. "You can’t kill the writer," she said. "Only the character." She looked at Kai. "That’s you." [System Notice – World Rebalance Imminent] Timeline Stability: 43% Bond Threat Index: – Seris: Vanished – Astra: Tactical Risk – Yuri: Volatile Devotion – Nyx: Kill Switch Adjacent – Liora: Echo Contaminated Solution: Unknown Kai left the others arguing below. He walked through the cathedral alone, fingers grazing the walls. The murals here had started to fade. Even the gods were disappearing. Because if the story didn’t end soon... It would collapse under its own contradictions. He stopped in front of the altar. Seris used to sit here after battle. He found a strand of her crimson hair on the stone. And something else: A rose petal. Black. Still warm. [System Input – Hidden Message Detected in Petal Fibers] "She’s not yours anymore." – A That night, Kai sat alone again. This time not to think. But to plan. Because if someone else was writing this story... It was time to steal the pen back. Even if it meant becoming a villain in his own book. He touched her heart. She hid a knife behind her back. ???? Another moment, another mask removed—or added? ???? Add this book to your library and fall deeper. ???? Was that love... or manipulation? Drop your theories. ???? Power Stones = more kisses and more consequences.