The palace night was still.
Too still.
Kael moved like drifting smoke through the servant corridors beneath the throne hall. He wasn't delivering anything this time. He was following something.
No—someone.
> [Threadreader Active]
Subtle Timeline Divergence Detected.
Subject: Unknown presence observing key characters.
Probability of Direct Interference: 87%
Someone else was tampering with fate.
That had never happened in the original timeline.
Kael turned a corner, passed a silent statue of the Moon-Spear Saint, and paused. A glimmer of motion. A chill down his spine.
Then—gone.
Nothing.
But the darkness didn't feel empty anymore.
---
A moment earlier, above the corridor…
A figure crouched upside-down against the ceiling, impossibly still.
Porcelain mask. Black robes. No aura.
Eyes fixed on Kael Valen.
"Not an ordinary servant," the figure murmured. "Not with that presence. Not with that... void around him."
The masked one didn't breathe. Didn't blink.
"Shadow system, maybe. Or something worse. Either way…"
They dropped silently to the floor.
---
Back with Kael…
He reached a supply alcove and stopped—sensing it.
A presence. Too close. Too silent.
He turned just as a blur of black moved in.
A hand shot out toward his throat.
Kael twisted, barely avoiding the strike, but the impact of the intruder's palm hit his shoulder. He staggered back—not from the blow, but the sheer absence he felt behind it. There was no intent. No killing will. Just cold calculation.
He jumped back and whispered:
> "System—now."
> [Skill: Phantom Step]
– Blink 3 meters in any shadow
– Cooldown: 10 minutes
– SP Cost: 25
> Use skill? [Y/N]
Y.
Kael vanished in a flicker of black mist, reappearing behind the attacker.
He lashed out with a shadow-drenched dagger—but his blade met a blade.
A curved silver dagger blocked his own.
For the first time, Kael saw the attacker clearly.
Porcelain mask. Blank eyes. No expression.
> Unknown Class Detected.
Speculated Rank: Shadow Hunter (Unregistered)
Threat Level: ★★★★☆
They stood still, inches apart, locked in frozen silence.
Then the masked one spoke, voice flat and genderless.
"So it's you."
Kael didn't answer.
"Whatever thread you're trying to pull… someone else already pulled it first."
The figure stepped back and vanished into the wall's darkness as if swallowed whole.
> [Threadreader Update: Timeline Shift Stabilized]
New Variable Introduced: "The Watcher"
Risk Assessment: Unknown
Kael stood alone in the hall.
Breathing hard.
> SP Gained: +90 (Combat Adaptation)
Total: 500 / 500
Evolution Threshold Reached
The system chimed louder than ever.
> [NEW PATH UNLOCKED]
You may now choose:
🌑 Phantom Veil Form – Cloak of shifting shadows. Passive concealment. +Stealth, +Speed.
🔥 Soulbrand Form – Mark targets with invisible threads. Control small actions. +Influence, +Tracking.
⚠️ You may only choose ONE.
Choose wisely.
Kael clenched his fists.
His path was no longer just about survival.
Someone else was in the dark, playing this game. Watching. Moving pieces.
But he had died once already.
He wouldn't play it safe.
> "I choose… Phantom Veil."
---
Deep beneath the palace…
A silver sphere floated in absolute darkness. Countless threads of light connected it to memories, people, power.
One thread—recently severed—twitched.
And somewhere across the empire, a man in golden robes jolted upright from his sleep.
"The timeline just bled," he whispered.
---