The sky changed.
Kim Dokja noticed it immediately.
It wasn't visible—not to ordinary incarnations.
But to him—
The "narrative layer" of the world had begun to crack.
«[Warning!]
[The Star Stream has detected a critical anomaly.]
[Emergency Correction Protocol will commence.]»
Han Sooyoung frowned.
"…That's new."
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't speak.
But his grip tightened on his sword.
Kim Dokja already knew the answer.
"…It's starting."
Far ahead—
Ethan stood alone in the middle of the ruined street.
Looking up.
Smiling.
The sky split open.
Not metaphorically.
Not symbolically.
Literally.
A massive rift tore through the heavens, revealing countless gazes beyond.
«[Several Constellations have descended partially into the scenario!]
[Probability overload!]
[Narrative collapse risk increasing!]»
Voices overlapped.
Layered.
Ancient.
Hungry.
«"—Irregular detected—"
"—Correction required—"
"—Narrative integrity compromised—"»
Han Sooyoung stepped back.
"…They're not even hiding it anymore."
Kim Dokja's expression hardened.
'They're desperate.'
A beam of light descended.
Not an attack.
A command.
A law.
«[Constellation Authority: Narrative Enforcement]»
It struck Ethan.
Wrapped around him like chains made of story itself.
«[Rewriting Character Data…]
[Assigning Origin…]
[Forcing Sponsor Contract…]»
Kim Dokja clenched his teeth.
"…They're trying to define him."
Because in the Star Stream—
If something has a story,
It can be controlled.
Ethan blinked.
Looked at the chains.
Tilted his head.
"Oh."
Pause.
"…I don't like this."
The chains tightened.
«[Error: Subject is resisting narrative insertion.]»
The constellations' voices grew sharper.
«"—Increase probability—"
"—Force synchronization—"»
The sky trembled.
Reality bent.
Kim Dokja felt it.
The pressure.
Overwhelming.
Crushing.
Even Yoo Joonghyuk dropped to one knee.
Han Sooyoung cursed.
"…This is insane!"
But Ethan—
Was still standing.
"…Hmm."
He looked at the chains again.
Then smiled.
Bright.
Simple.
"Magic shouldn't have chains."
He raised his hand.
No skill activation.
No probability.
Just—
A decision.
"Let's fix it."
He snapped his fingers.
Everything broke.
Not exploded.
Not shattered.
Broke.
Like a sentence losing its meaning.
The chains unraveled.
Not into light—
But into nothing.
«[Critical Error!]
[Narrative Enforcement has failed!]
[Probability backlash detected!]»
The sky screamed.
Yes
Screamed.
The rift twisted violently as if reality itself rejected what had just happened.
Constellations recoiled.
«"—Impossible—"
"—Authority denied—"
"—Conceptual violation—"»
The beam shattered.
Fragments of "story" rained down like broken glass.
Each piece dissolving before touching the ground.
Kim Dokja's heart pounded.
'He didn't resist it.'
'He erased the concept of being bound.'
The Star Stream reacted.
Violently.
«[Emergency Measure Activated]
[Erasure Protocol Initiated]»
The world darkened.
A single line appeared in front of Ethan.
«[Target will be deleted from the scenario.]»
Han Sooyoung froze.
"…Delete?"
Yoo Joonghyuk stood up immediately.
"…Move."
Kim Dokja stepped forward.
"No."
Because he knew—
It wouldn't work.
The deletion command activated.
A wave of absolute absence surged toward Ethan.
Silence.
Total.
Final.
But—
Ethan just looked at it.
Curious.
"Oh… that's new."
He reached out.
And touched it.
"…You can't delete something you don't understand."
The wave stopped.
Collapsed.
Vanished.
The sky closed.
The pressure disappeared.
The constellations—
Gone.
«[All Constellations have withdrawn.]
[Emergency Protocol has failed.]»
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Han Sooyoung exhaled slowly.
"…We're dead."
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't argue.
Kim Dokja stared at Ethan.
"…No."
"…We're worse than dead."
Ethan turned back to them.
Smiling like nothing had happened.
"That was fun!"
No fear.
No tension.
No understanding of what he had just done.
And that—
Was the problem.
Kim Dokja closed his eyes briefly.
'The Star Stream tried to control him.'
'And failed.'
There was only one conclusion left.
"…He's not part of any story."
He opened his eyes.
'He's something that breaks stories.'
Far beyond the scenario—
Something watched.
Not a constellation.
Not part of the Star Stream.
Something older.
Something silent.
«"—Interesting—"»
For the first time—
Even the system…
Did not respond.