"Nothing," Lucian muttered, his voice tight with frustration. "No bodies. No survivors. Just a path leading to the rift. What could have happened here?"
Theo crouched to examine the ground, his brow furrowing. "There's no way the villagers were eaten. These creatures thrive on mana, not flesh."
"Then where are they?" Leo asked.
Lucian's sharp eyes caught faint streaks of blood leading away from the battlefield. The tracks seemed deliberate, almost as if something—or someone—carried the victims through the village.
"Look over here. Blood trails. And… carriage tracks?"
"But the survivors didn't arrive in a carriage," Theo said, scanning the horizon.
Lucian pointed to the faint trail disappearing into the woods. "Where does this path lead?"
Theo and Leo exchanged a look. "To the rift," Leo replied, his voice low.
Lucian's stomach tightened.
The Great Rift.
The name alone was enough to send chills down his spine. It was said to be a place where mana overflowed, suffocating and corrupting everything around it.
"What in the world is happening here?" Lucian murmured.
"It's definitely not the villagers. After all, why would they go towards the source of the monsters?"
"Perhaps an intelligent monster?" Theo frowned, his hand tightening on his sword.
The thought sent a shiver down Lucian's spine.
Intelligent monster— If such a creature existed, it would explain the the deliberate path toward the rift.
"We'll have to investigate further," Leo said, his tone grim.
Theo nodded. "We don't have much time. If there are survivors, we need to move quickly."
Lucian glanced at the bloodstained ground, his face unreadable. He stood for a moment, contemplating their next move.
The rift is dangerous, and we couldn't afford to linger for long, Dylan and the children-
"No, we'll return now," Lucian said, his tone firm but weary. "We've been gone too long. The village can't defend itself if the monsters we fought here attack them."
Theo hesitated. "But the trail—"
"We'll investigate another time," Lucian cut in, though his words were sharp.
The reality of the situation sank in. Despite the horror of the situation, Lucian knew there was little they could do to change it now.
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"For now, I'll bless this site of tragedy. It's the least I could do for those who have passed away."
Lucian knelt, his hand touching the cold cobblestone, murmuring words of prayer and consolation.
He blessed the land, the fallen, and the village that was left behind.
Suddenly, the familiar hum of the system made itself known.
---
[Mission Complete]
[Bless the lands: 50/50 hectares]
[You have acquired 6 months Life Extension]
---
Six more months...
Lucian let the words sink in as the system's message faded into the air.
I don't know how much more of this I could take.
Six months is nothing, not when the world around us seemed to be shifting so unnervingly fast.
Before he could stand up, a sharp warning blinked across his vision.
---
[WARNING!]
[You have unlocked your Authority without assent!]
---
Lucian's mind went blank for a moment, the words pulling him back from his thoughts
Was it that time? When Ciara was attacked?
I didn't unlocked it though, wasn't it a reward from the system?
---
[Filing a report]
*
*
*
[You have been reported to the Administrator]
[The Administrator is editing your system]
---
Wait, what?
The shock of the sudden intrusion hit him like a punch to the gut.
Someone is interacting with the system in real time?
---
[Locking Authority]
[Authority Locked]
---
A cold chill spread through Lucian as the words faded, and the Administrator locked his Authority.
It was as if someone had just slammed the door shut on his control, and Lucian was left standing there, powerless.
---
[You have been placed under the Administrator's watchlist]
[Error]
[Lucian Bishop Thorne is already under the watchlist]
---
Watchlist? For what?
Lucian's head spun as the screen flashed to life again, lines of text cascading before him in a jumbled mess. The information was shifting—as if someone was searching in real time.
---
[Verifying history]
---
His gaze flickered across the words, but it was the name on the top of the file that caused his pulse to race.
[Lucian Thorne] [Age: 28]
[Status: in exile, under watchlist]
---
The list that followed was a dark, damning record. His own record. The original Lucian's records
---
[Title:]
[Bishop of Constance, removed]
[Rank:]
[Bishop emeritus, demoted]
[Priest, in exile]
---
Lucian blinked.
What in the world...?
---
[Cases:]
[1.1. Heresy: Questioned the dogma of Human Centrality by claiming the need to extend Rights to non-human races.]
[Guilty]
[1.2. Heresy: Questioned the Doctrine of Papal Infallibility by questioning the Pontiff's ability to distinguish right and wrong.]
[Guilty]
[1.3. Heresy: Questioned the ability of the Holy Spirit to choose qualified priest candidates.]
[Guilty]
---
His breath caught in his throat. The cases listed were too unfamiliar—things the original Lucian had apparently done in the past.
Was this the same Lucian I've seen in the dream?
I guess he wasn't as calm as thought he was.
Lucian wondered, staring at the file in disbelief.
Before he could process more, the screen shifted again, this time with new messages flashing rapidly.
---
[The Administrator is Posting Mission for Pope Basil XII]
[Mission Posted]
[The Administrator is Posting Mission for Lucian Thorne]
[Mission Posted]
---
A sense of dread crept up Lucian's spine. His eyes narrowed.
The Administrator?
He thought, his mind racing.
What does this mean for me?
Then, the system glitched. The text warped into a series of cryptic characters, scrolling through nonsense.
---
[Mission: Retu|]
[Mission: Retuπ! t? +h? H?)y $?3]
---
"What's happening?" Lucian muttered, trying to make sense of the incoherent string of words that filled the screen.
The glitch didn't stop, and the screen flickered erratically.
---
[3R=?R]
[#y5+ém 0v€?π>d?]
*
*
*
[0v€?π>d? _@>)|6]
[#y5+ém 0v€?π>d?]
---
Lucian's eyes widened in realization.
Someone, or something, was trying to override the system.
Are they the one who saved me during the monster attack on Ciara?
---
[Override Successful]
[Erasing Special Record]
[Special Record erased]
---
Lucian exhaled shakily, finally understanding what had just occurred.
The entities tied to the system were not all aligned, and they had their own agendas.
At least three forces were at work here:
The one that revived him, who gave him missions for life extensions, let's call them System for now.
Another one capable of interfering, the one who unlocked his authority during the monster attack, something akin to a Hacker.
And now, an Administrator who seemed to have the power to create records, manipulate the system, and even issue missions to the Pope.
The system hummed quietly as the final message appeared on the screen:
---
[*** is watching you]
---
Lucian's heart pounded in his chest.
This is bigger than I imagined.
His gaze flicked to Theo and Leo, both of them standing silently in the background.
They had no idea what had just transpired, nor did they understand the depths of the world Lucian was navigating.
But Lucian did. And this time, it wasn't just the village or the monsters he had to worry about.
I'm being played, by entities I can't even comprehend.
[Mission is being Updated]
