The metallic taste of blood lingered in my mouth as I slumped against the wrecked carriage after quickly taking care of the aftermath. My vision swam with exhaustion, but the blinking timer in the corner of my eye demanded attention:
[Winged Tyrant's Blessing: 6.3/10 minutes remaining]
Then the system windows exploded across my sight like shattered glass:
━━━◇◆◇━━━
[Hidden Scenario - "The Sparrow's Fall" - Completed!]
"You stole the ending from the hands of death. The knife was meant to fall, the tale to shatter, the world to burn.
But you chose otherwise.
The sparrow still breathes."
Rewards:
+50000 Aura Coins
+High Favorability/Trust with Sara von Valtheim
+Favorability/Trust with Cassandra von Virellia
Access to Hidden Storyline: «The Merchant Queen's Wrath» (Locked)
Major Canon Disruption: Detected
━━━◇◆◇━━━
I hadn't even finished reading when more messages poured in.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
[Title Earned: Fatebreaker]
You tore through a predestined tragedy and rewrote the outcome. The script has changed—but the cost remains unknown.
➤ Slightly increases resistance to fate-driven effects.
➤ Slightly increases narrative deviation impact during key events.
[Achievement Unlocked: Knife in the Dark]
Intercepted a lethal strike meant for a high-value target under extreme pressure.
➤ +10% increased reaction time when defending allies.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
My skull throbbed as a final, burning panel etched itself into view:
━━━━━━━━◆━━━━━━━━
[New Skill Acquired: Interception Step - Lv1 (Active)]
Move between death and consequence.
Effects:
- Instantly teleport to a point within 3 meters.
- If intercepting a strike, gain +50% temporary durability on contact area.
Cooldown: 60 seconds
━━━━━━━━◆━━━━━━━━
I exhaled.
Only then did I realize my hand was still trembling.
I looked down at Sara, her clothes slightly dusty but her chest rising and falling softly.
She was alive.
That was the only important thing.
But I should hurry up and put her into somewhere safe and return to the ballroom.
[6:10]
"Hmmm."
I exhaled, forcing my trembling fingers to steady as I scooped Sara into my arms. Her small frame felt weightless against my chest, her breathing slow but even.
Good. She's out of the illusion.
The timer ticked down.
[6:02]
No time to waste.
I took a single step forward—
Blink.
The world fractured, snapping me forward 5 meters in an instant. The moment my feet touched the ground, I activated the new skill without hesitation.
[Interception Step]
A strange sensation—like being pulled by invisible strings—yanked me sideways another three meters, bypassing a pillar in the courtyard. The transition was seamless, almost instinctive. If I hadn't already grown accustomed to Blink, the sudden shift might have disoriented me.
But now? It felt like second nature.
I didn't stop and continue running and repeating.
Blink.
Another lurch forward.
The academy's main hall loomed in the distance, its grand entrance now veiled in those same sickly violet threads, pulsing thicker than before. The air itself hummed with dissonance, the illusion barrier visibly strengthening.
[5:22]
I pushed harder, my legs burning with exertion. The [Winged Tyrant's Blessing] still thrummed through my veins, but I could feel its energy waning.
Then—
I picked two presences with Echo of Life.
I adjusted course mid-stride and Blinked toward them.
The world resolved into clarity just as I skidded to a halt beside Zephyr.
He stood motionless, his eyes locked onto the writhing energy threads coiling around the building like serpents. Luna lay limp in his arms, her breathing steady, eyes closed, she too free from the illusion's grip, but unconscious.
Zephyr didn't turn as I arrived. His voice was a blade pressed to my throat.
"Are you done?"
The words dripped with his usual lethal calm as if asking Are you ready to due, but I'd long since grown immune to his brand of intimidation.
I nodded. "Yeah. What's the situation?"
His gaze flicked to Sara, then back to the barrier. "You see this too, right? It's an Phantom Prison. Controlled by a Mystic Resonator."
A Mystic Resonator? Phantom Prison?
Does he mean an Illusionist and illusion prison? Or is it an exclusive term to some type of individuals?
But that explained the scale. But if it was strong enough to ensnare an entire academy building…
"We have to destroy the phantom heart to save everyone." Zephyr continued.
"What do you need me to do?" I asked, cutting straight to the point. "And the Resonator?"
Zephyr's fingers twitched, a barely restrained urge to act. "You protect the people inside. Some have fallen too deep—they'll harm others. Or themselves."
I grimaced. I could easily imagine it thanks to my knowledge of countless stories.
"I'll handle the phantom heart," Zephyr added. "As for the Resonator... Virion is handling it."
I squinted my eyes.
So that's who Virion is occupied with.
Which meant the enemy wasn't just strong—they were on whole another level. Virion was a primordial being after all.
But still...
Before I could voice my thoughts, Zephyr shifted Luna's weight in his arms. "I'll leave her with you too."
I didn't argue. If Zephyr was going after the barrier, he couldn't afford distractions.
"Got it," I nodded.
Zephyr's lips thinned. Then, with a muttered "Open," the air beside him split like a wound, revealing a swirling portal.
Woah, he can do it too!
Inside, I caught a glimpse of the ballroom—chaos, overturned tables, students thrashing in invisible nightmares.
Zephyr stepped forward, gently depositing Luna onto a nearby chair just beyond the portal's threshold. Then he gestured for me to enter.
I tightened my grip on Sara and moved inside—
"Catch."
Something small and metallic flew toward me. I snatched it out of the air—a green bell, its surface etched with intricate runes.
"Use it to purify them," Zephyr said, already turning away.
"How do-"
Before I could ask how to use it, the portal snapped shut, plunging me into the heart of the madness.
Screams. Crashes. The stench of panic.
And then—
Ding.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
[A New Scenario Triggered - "Crimson Dream"]
"A place of revelry has been twisted into a prison of false joy and devouring despair. The Phantom Prison feeds on the minds of the vulnerable, chaining them in dreams shaped by their deepest fears and regrets."
"The longer they remain trapped, the harder they are to save."
Objectives:
- Protect the innocent from each other and the hallucinations.
- Use the Bell of Still Voices to purge deep illusions.
- Minimize casualties.
Hidden Objective: ???
Failure Penalty: Permanent mental damage or death of affected individuals.
Rewards:
- [Exorcist's Gaze]
- Favorability with key figures
- ???
━━━◇◆◇━━━
I exhaled, rolling my shoulders.
Great.
And now.
Time to wake the damned.