The Library had quieted.
Naia sat across from Lucian, her fingers tracing the edge of a sealed tome.
They hadn't spoken in a while.
Lysia was tending to her sword—watching, waiting. She could feel it too:
Lucian had changed.
Not outwardly.
But inside—Since defeating the Editor, something stirred.Something... uncomfortable.
The book before Lucian pulsed.
Bound in black veins.Locked with five symbols—each one representing one of his past companions.
He recognized them all:
Naia, the Mirrorblade.
Kareth, the Flamebound Scholar.
Elenya, the Saintess of Threads.
Orien, the Spear of Dawn.
Sylen, the Silent Star.
And in the center—
His own mark.
Naia reached toward the tome.
Lucian caught her wrist gently.
"You don't have to see this."
She looked him in the eyes. Her voice calm.
"I do. Because I was there. Even if you made me forget."
The book clicked.
It opened.
And the Library flickered.
—Memory reconstruction initiated—
They were no longer in the Library.
They stood atop a burning sky.
The Tower of Origin collapsed in the distance.
The gods had declared the end.
And Lucian stood before his five companions, eyes empty, arms outstretched.
Naia of the Past whispered:
"Lucian… please don't do this."
He looked at her—softly. Almost lovingly.
"I must."
Kareth shouted, "There has to be another way!"
Lucian smiled. A tired, broken smile.
"There is. But it requires monsters. And none of you are willing to become one."
The sky cracked.A divine tribunal approached.If they judged Lucian guilty, all realms would fall under godly reset.
Unless…
Unless Lucian became the scapegoat.
He turned to them.
"I will die. But not now. I will be sealed. Forgotten. Reviled."
His voice was calm.
"But to make it convincing… you must betray me. Publicly. All of you."
Elenya fell to her knees. "Don't ask this of us…"
Lucian walked to her, knelt.
"I'm not asking. I'm writing it."
He raised a quill.
And wrote their betrayal into fate.
Present-day Naia gasped.
Her hand flew to her chest.
Lucian's voice, cold, echoed in the vision:
"I'm sorry.But heroes don't survive what's coming.Only villains are remembered by the ones who truly listen."
Then he looked to them all.
"Betray me. Seal me. And let the world heal—On a lie."
The vision shattered.
The book closed.
Naia stepped back.
"…You made us do it."
Lucian said nothing.
Lysia looked between them, confused. "What… what did I just see?"
Naia's voice was low. Almost a whisper.
"He forced us to betray him. Not for revenge. Not because we hated him. But because it was his plan."
Lucian finally spoke.
"It was the only way to win time. The gods feared rebellion. So I gave them a show."
His eyes were distant.
"And in exchange, I bought ten thousand years of peace."
Naia's hands trembled.
"You made me kill you."
Lucian met her gaze.
"And you did it perfectly."
She turned away.
Lucian stood.
His voice heavier than ever.
"I didn't ask for forgiveness back then. I still won't."
He looked up toward the ceiling, where light filtered through impossible angles.
"But if I ever become that monster they fear… I give you all permission to do it again."
Suddenly—
A rune burned into the air.
The Library groaned.
And a symbol formed above them:
The Seal is Breaking.
Lucian blinked.
Then stiffened.
Because it wasn't about his seal.
Another… was awakening.
The Library shivered.
Books flew off shelves.
A voice echoed through the halls:
"THE TOWER MOVES."
Lysia gripped her blade. "What does that mean?"
Lucian exhaled.
"…The Trial Realms are changing."
Naia's voice barely rose.
"Then our time is short."
[System Update]
Memory Restored: [The Day Lucian Made Them Betray Him]Morality Flag Shifted: AmbiguousRelationship Status: Naia – Fragmented TrustExternal Threat Detected: Tower ReconfigurationAnchor Realms Affected: Elenya's Church, Kareth's Flame Archives, Orien's Grave
And far above, in the gods' chamber, Elyon stared into the waters of fate.
His voice was stone.
"He remembers everything now."
"Send the Heralds. The ones even we can't control."
"Let's see if he still believes he's doing the right thing."