VOL. 1: CHAPTER 16 — "THE HAND REACHES, FATE TAKES, THE DUKE DESCENDS, WHAT MUST BE BROKEN, AND THE PATH BORN OF LOSS"

“…A fraction of a Duke is enough to annihilate an army…”

Aerin whimpered. “B-Big brother… I’m scared…”

I stepped in front of him.

Azrathoth’s eyes found me instantly.
“Ah. The anomaly.” He walked toward us leisurely, like strolling through a garden.
“You have caused quite the disturbance.”

“Stay back,” I snarled.
Lightning flickered.

Azrathoth’s smile widened slightly. “Or what? You’ll strike me?”

“Watch me.” I warned.

“Oh, I will,” he said. “I enjoy observing failures.”

Lythiriel exploded: “Kai is NOT a failure—!!”

Azrathoth didn’t even look at her.
He walked closer.
And for a moment—the entire world felt like it stopped.
His presence was suffocating.
Even Arcthel gritted his teeth, raising a boundary.

“Lythiriel,” Arcthel rasped, “take the boy—”

Azrathoth flicked a finger.
Arcthel was thrown backward into a wall—like a ragdoll.

Lythiriel gasped—“ARC—!!!”

He coughed blood. “I’m… fine…”

He wasn’t.
Not at all.
Azrathoth stopped only a few meters away from us.
Then he looked down.
At Aerin.


— THE MOMENT —

Every instinct in my body screamed.
Everything.
Every nerve.
Every bone.
Every cell.

RUN.
MOVE.
GRAB HIM.
NOW.

I acted.
Lightning burst from my feet—
I grabbed Aerin—
Pulled him behind me—
And yelled: “DON’T TOUCH HIM—!!!”

Azrathoth smiled faintly. “I already have.”

For a split second—
I didn’t see it.
Denied it.
Refused it.
Then—

SHKKKK—!!!

A thin line of darkness appeared across Aerin’s chest.
So precise.
So clean.
So impossibly fast that not even Amara warned me.

Aerin blinked.“B…big brother…?”
His eyes unfocused.
His breath caught.
Blood—bright red—bloomed like a flower on his tunic.

Time shattered.
I reached for him. “No—No—No—NO—!!!”

Aerin’s legs buckled.
I caught him instantly.
His small body fell into my arms.

Warm.
Fragile.
Dripping with life he shouldn’t be losing.

“Aerin—AERIN—!!” Lythiriel screamed.

Elorin collapsed to his knees.
Arcthel lowered his head.

Azrathoth spoke calmly. “Do not blame yourself. You were never fast enough to save him.”

Aerin’s eyes trembled. “…Ka…i…?”

My vision blurred. “No—No, no, no—Stay with me—Aerin—PLEASE—!!”

His breath fluttered.
Soft.
Weak.

“...big…brother…” His hand reached up.
Touching my cheek.
Cold already.

I grabbed it desperately. “I’m here—I’m here—I’m here—!!You’re going to be okay—I’ll fix it—
Amara—!!
AMARA—!!
HEAL HIM—!!”

> 『Master. I’m sorry.』
“NO—!! DON’T—DON’T SAY THAT—!! HE’S—HE’S—!!!”

> 『The wound is fatal. Instant.』

My world cracked. “No—!!!AERIN—!!!DON’T—!!!PLEASE—!!!PLEASE—!!!”

His tiny fingers went limp.His body sagged.
The light left his eyes—
And he collapsed in my arms.


— AERIN DIES (Instant, Brutal, No Final Words) —

Lythiriel screamed—“NOOOOO—!!!AERIN—!!!AERIN—!!!PLEASE—OPEN YOUR EYES—!!!”

Elorin fell apart.
Arcthel closed his eyes.
And I—

I broke.
I think I screamed.
I think I sobbed.

I think I clutched his body so tightly I might’ve bruised him.
I don’t remember.
Everything was noise—
everything was pain—
everything was—

WRONG.

Azrathoth watched without emotion.
“That is fate,” he said. “The child dies.The anomaly fails.”

I howled.
Lightning tore from my body—wild—uncontrolled—murderous.
“YOU—I’LL KILL YOU—!!!”

Azrathoth raised a brow. “You?Kill me?”
He chuckled.
Coldly.
“You cannot even protect a single child.”

Something inside me snapped.
Fully.
Completely.
The world turned white.

Lythiriel grabbed my arm, shaking violently. “Kai—Kai—stop—please—PLEASE—COME BACK—!!HE’S GONE—JUST—COME BACK—!!!”

But I couldn’t hear her.
I couldn’t hear anything but the sound of fate laughing at me.
I screamed until my throat tore.

Lightning burst around me in an explosion—
The cavern floor shattered—
The walls cracked—

Azrathoth simply stood there, smiling. “You are beginning to awaken the second Authority,” he said calmly.

Lythiriel froze. “Second—?”

Arcthel whispered: “…No. Not now. He’s unstable—!!”

Azrathoth bowed mockingly. “I will return for you, anomaly. This was merely the first lesson.”

He stepped back—
Faded into shadow—
And was gone.


— KAI BREAKS —

Aerin’s body was still warm in my arms.
I pressed my forehead to his.
I sobbed without air.
Without sense.

Without anything.
“He was…just a kid…”

Lythiriel knelt beside me.
Her hands shaking.
Her voice cracking. “Kai…please…put him down…we…we have to… we have to… take him… home…”

“Home?” I whispered.

That word broke something worse. “There is no home—not for him—not anymore—”

Lythiriel covered her mouth, choking. “Kai—please—please stop—you’re hurting—you’re hurting so much I can feel it—”

I screamed again.
And again.
And again until my voice died.

The cavern echoed with pain that could not be undone.
And it ended where it must—

In tragedy.
A boy dead.
A hero broken.
A princess shattered.
A Duke victorious.
And fate laughed.

No second chances.

He wasn’t a prince.
He wasn’t a noble.
He wasn’t some prophesied child.
He was just—

A boy, a little, bright, innocent elven orphan who laughed too much, hugged too tight, and trusted me instantly.

A child who deserved better.
A child who deserved everything.
A child I failed.

Lythiriel was kneeling in front of me, sobbing into her hands.
Her sword lay abandoned beside her.
Elorin knelt to one side—shaking, whispering prayers under his breath.
Arcthel leaned against a pillar, head lowered, eyes closed.

No one moved.
No one spoke.
I could hear only my heartbeat—and the silence where Aerin’s should’ve been.


— I Ask the Question I Shouldn’t Ask —

Finally, my breath broke into a whisper. “…Amara.”
My Authority responded instantly.

> 『Yes, Master.』

My voice cracked. “Can… can I save him? Can I undo this?”

A pause.
A long, heavy pause.
Then:

> 『No.』My chest sank.

“…What if I use Anyparxía?”

Lythiriel’s head shot up. “KA—!!”

Arcthel opened his eyes sharply.
Elorin froze mid-prayer.

But I kept going.
“What if I erase the moment? Or rewind time? Or delete the damage—!!”

> 『No.』
Her voice was firm.
Unwavering.
She had never sounded more absolute.

I clenched my teeth. “WHY?! Why not?! Even if it kills me—if he can live—if I can just—”

> 『Master.』
Amara did something she had never done.
She raised her voice.
> 『If you use Anyparxía now, you will not merely die. You will cease to exist. Body, soul, memory. Erased entirely. Annihilation without remainder.』

My breath stuttered.
 “…So?!” My voice cracked.
“So what if I disappear? If I disappear but he gets to LIVE— isn’t that worth it?!”

Lythiriel lunged toward me, grabbed both sides of my face, and shook me.
 “KAI—!!NO. NO, YOU IDIOT—!!STOP TALKING LIKE THAT—!!”
Her forehead pressed against mine, trembling.
“You think Aerin would want that?
You think he wanted you to die?
He adored you, Kai—!!
He looked up to you more than anyone—!!
He would never want you to throw yourself away—!!”

My voice trembled. “…He’s gone, Lythiriel.”

Her shoulders shook violently.
“I know—
I know—
I KNOW—
but you can’t die too—
you can’t leave…
you can’t…”

She fell forward and cried into my shoulder.
I held Aerin’s body tighter.
Grief so heavy it felt like drowning.


— THE ELDERS ARRIVE —

Footsteps echoed.
Queen Vaelindra.
Elder Mina.
Grand Elder Faelorian.

High mages.
Spirit knights.T
hey halted when they reached us.

Vaelindra’s breath broke. “A… child…”
She moved slowly, painfully, toward us.Her eyes shook. “…Aerin…”

Lythiriel choked. “He… he wasn’t a noble… he wasn’t anyone special… only an orphan… a child under Academy care…”
Her voice shattered. “But he mattered.”

He mattered to her.
He mattered to me.

Mina knelt beside us, tears already falling.
“He was loved,” she whispered.“Loved deeply.”

Elorin bowed his head. “I… failed to protect him…”

Vaelindra lifted Aerin’s hand gently.
Not as a queen.
But as a woman who cherished every child her kingdom sheltered.
“…A little boy,” she whispered. “A little boy who deserved gentleness.”

My throat tightened.
Lythiriel cried harder.


— BUT THE COUNCIL DOES NOT GRIEVE, THEY FEAR —

Grand Elder Faelorian stepped forward, jaw tight.
“This tragedy cannot be ignored,” he said. “The anomaly—”

Lythiriel snapped like a breaking blade.
“Finish that sentence and I will cut out your tongue.”
Her eyes glowed with murderous spirit energy.

Elorin stepped beside her, hand on his staff. “We stand with Kai.”

Faelorian tried again. “That boy’s death—”

“—was caused by an Abyssal Duke,” Lythiriel hissed. “NOT KAI.”
Her voice echoed like thunder.

Vaelindra raised a hand. “That’s enough.”

Yet the whispers spread like poison.
“That human…”
“Danger follows him…”
“He attracts catastrophe…”
“What if he causes more deaths…?”

Lythiriel’s face twisted with rage and heartbreak.
“He didn’t cause ANY OF THIS—!!
He tried to SAVE the boy—!!
He almost DIED saving him—!!
And you call him dangerous?!
COWARDS—!!!”

The cavern shook with her fury.
But the fear did not fade.
People fear what they don’t understand.
And they don’t understand me.


— ARCTHEL SPEAKS A TRUTH NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR —

Arcthel stepped forward quietly.
His expression was blank.
But his voice was heavy. “The Duke came because Kai exists.”

Lythiriel stiffened. “Arcthel—!”

“But,” Arcthel continued, “the Duke came early because Kai exists.”

Mina whispered: “…Meaning?”

Arcthel looked at me.
Not with fear.
With something else.

“You frightened him.” He said.

The room stilled.

“He accelerated the timeline.
He forced fate.
Because Kai’s presence has begun to break the weave.”

I stared at him, numb. “So you’re saying…”

Arcthel nodded. “Yes.Aerin’s death happened because fate demanded it—
but the Duke rushed the moment to stop Kai from changing it.”

Lythiriel inhaled sharply. “So Kai isn’t the cause—he’s the THREAT to the cause.”

“Exactly.” He confermed.

Mina whispered: “…The anomaly…is a disruptor of destiny.”

Vaelindra looked at me with sorrow.
Lythiriel looked with something deeper.
But the Council—

They looked with fear.
Because fear is easier than understanding.


— THEY REMOVE AERIN FROM MY ARMS —

Finally, Vaelindra approached. “…Kai.”

Her voice wasn’t queenly.
It was soft.
Human.
“Let me take him.”

I couldn’t move.
My fingers were locked around Aerin’s clothes. “…No.”

Lythiriel knelt beside me, eyes shimmering. “Kai…please.Let us give him peace.”

I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t—

Lythiriel reached forward.
Her hand brushed mine.
Then she spoke three gentle words: “He deserves rest.”

I broke.
My arms loosened.
And Queen Vaelindra lifted Aerin’s small, cooling body—
hugging him like every orphan she’d ever sworn to protect.

Her tears fell on his hair. “Sleep peacefully, little one…”

My vision blurred completely.
Everything hurt.
Everything.

— THE HALL EMPTIES BUT SORROW REMAINS —

When they carried Aerin away, something in me went with him.

The cavern emptied slowly.
Whispers.
Footsteps.
Sorrow.

Lythiriel didn’t leave my side.
Her fingers remained around my sleeve as if afraid I would disappear next.
“Kai…please talk to me…”

I stared at my shaking hands. “…I couldn’t save him.”

She shook her head fiercely. “No.No, you can’t say that. The Duke—
The Duke forced the timeline—”

I didn’t hear the rest.
Because Aerin’s blood was still on my palms.
And there was nothing I could do to wipe it away.

— MY PROMISE TO FATE —

When the hall was empty, when only Lythiriel remained beside me, when grief was too heavy for breath—
Something hardened inside me.
I stood slowly.

Lythiriel rose with me, clutching my arm. “Kai…?”

Lightning crackled around my skin.
Not wildly.
With purpose.

“I’m done,” I whispered.

“Done… with what…?” Lythiriel asked carefully.

“With letting fate decide who lives.”

Her breath caught. “Kai…”

“With letting monsters laugh in my face.” Lightning coiled around my fists.
“With letting a world kill a child and expect me to accept it.”

Lythiriel’s voice broke. “Kai—please—don’t do this to yourself—don’t—”

I turned to her.
Her face streaked with tears.
Her hands trembling around mine.
Her eyes begging me to stay.

To choose peace.
To not drown.
But I already had.

I whispered the vow that would define everything after this.
“I will tear fate apart.
I will kill the Duke.
I will break whatever tries to take from me again.”

Lythiriel collapsed to her knees. “Kai—Kai—don’t become something you hate—
Please—
I can’t lose you too—
I can’t—!!”

I placed a hand on her shoulder.
My voice hollow. “You won’t lose me.”

She looked up, desperate. “Kai—! Then don’t walk this path alone—!”

I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.

Arcthel’s quiet voice echoed from the doorway. “…And so it begins.”

Lythiriel glared at him. “DON’T YOU DARE—!!”

But Arcthel’s gaze was not cruel.
It was pitying.
“The Fatebreaker has taken his first step.”

Lightning flared behind me.
Shadow trembled.
And it ended.
In blood.
In sorrow.
In a vow.