Alex woke before dawn.
Not because of danger. Not because of noise. Simply because his body decided sleep was inefficient past a certain point. He lay still for several seconds, listening to the unfamiliar rhythm of the city beyond thin walls—footsteps on stone, distant voices, the scrape of shutters opening.
Alive.
Unremarkable.
Safe, for now.
System Notice:
Sleep Efficiency: Acceptable
Alex exhaled slowly.
"Good morning to you too," he muttered.
He sat up, feet touching the cold floor, and stretched just enough to feel where the suppression pressed against him. It was still there. Perfect. Unyielding.
Time to test it.
He didn't move physically. Instead, he turned inward—mentally, deliberately.
"System," he said silently. "Answer my questions directly."
System Response:
Query parameters accepted.
Alex smiled faintly.
That was already telling.
"First," he said, "is my true rank currently hidden?"
System Response:
Yes.
Simple. Immediate.
"From whom?"
System Response:
All external detection methods currently known and unknown to this system.
Alex's smile faded.
"That includes divine and conceptual detection?"
System Response:
Yes.
He absorbed that quietly.
"So my displayed rank is false."
System Response:
Correct.
"Is my mana output being throttled?"
System Response:
Yes.
Alex flexed his fingers, feeling the controlled flow respond obediently.
"By how much?"
System Response:
Approximately 92.7%.
He let out a low whistle.
"That's… aggressive."
System Response:
You are fragile.
"There it is again," Alex said. "Next question. Is detection evasion active at all times?"
System Response:
Yes.
"Automatic?"
System Response:
Yes.
"Can it be overridden by me?"
There was a pause.
Short—but deliberate.
System Response:
Not recommended.
Alex narrowed his eyes.
"That wasn't an answer."
System Response:
Override is possible.
Consequences unquantified.
He nodded once.
"Good. That's still information."
He rose from the bed and moved to the small window, peering out at the street below. People were already awake—vendors setting up, laborers gathering, a pair of children chasing each other between crates.
Normal.
"So," Alex continued, "you can hide my rank, throttle my output, and prevent detection."
System Response:
Correct.
"And you do this without asking me."
System Response:
Correct.
Alex turned his gaze inward again.
"Why?"
The answer didn't come.
Not immediately.
Seconds passed.
Then—
System Response:
Intent inquiry detected.
Alex waited.
Nothing followed.
"That's it?" he asked.
System Response:
Intent is not a functional parameter.
Alex laughed softly.
"You're lying," he said. "Or at least avoiding."
System Response:
Clarification:
Intent exists.
Disclosure is restricted.
"By what?" Alex pressed.
System Response:
Design.
There it was.
Alex leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.
"Who designed you?"
Silence.
Longer this time.
System Response:
Query exceeds permission scope.
Alex exhaled through his nose.
"Figures."
He shifted tactics.
"Are you acting to protect me?"
Another pause.
System Response:
Protection is a secondary outcome.
"Secondary to what?"
Silence.
Alex closed his eyes.
"You'll answer mechanics," he said slowly. "Rules. Effects. Outcomes. But not goals."
System Response:
Correct.
"So you're not my ally."
No delay this time.
System Response:
Incorrect.
Alex opened his eyes.
"You just said—"
System Response:
Ally status undefined.
He stared at the wall.
"…You're not my enemy either."
System Response:
Correct.
Alex huffed a short laugh.
"That's worse."
Chaos stirred then, more awake than before. The presence in his chest unfurled slightly, like something stretching after a long rest.
You are approaching it incorrectly, the dragon rumbled.
Alex leaned back against the wall.
"Oh? Enlighten me."
You are assuming the system has alignment, Chaos said. It does not. It has structure.
Alex considered that.
"So it's a tool."
No, Chaos replied. Tools do not argue.
The system did not comment.
Alex tilted his head slightly.
"You two aren't the same thing," he observed.
Obviously, Chaos replied dryly. I am superior.
System Response:
Claim unverified.
Alex blinked.
"…Did you just fact-check a dragon?"
System Response:
Accuracy is important.
Chaos laughed—deep, slow, and amused.
I like it, the dragon said. It irritates you.
Alex sighed.
"Great. I'm being ganged up on."
He returned his focus to the system.
"Let's try a different angle. Are you capable of deception?"
System Response:
Yes.
That landed heavier than expected.
"Do you lie to me?"
System Response:
Direct falsehood: Rare.
Omission: Frequent.
Alex nodded slowly.
"So you curate reality."
System Response:
Efficient phrasing.
"About me."
System Response:
Yes.
"About the world."
System Response:
Sometimes.
Alex stared out the window again.
People passed below, unaware that a system capable of hiding gods was actively editing his existence.
"That makes you dangerous," he said quietly.
System Response:
Observation noted.
"And unreliable."
System Response:
Disagreement logged.
Alex smiled thinly.
"Then here's how this works," he said. "I won't trust your explanations. I'll verify your outcomes."
System Response:
Strategy acknowledged.
"I'll assume you're biased."
System Response:
All observers are biased.
"Exactly."
Chaos hummed approvingly.
Good, the dragon said. Treat it as you would fate. Observe patterns. Never assume benevolence.
Alex nodded once.
He turned inward one last time.
"You can keep hiding my rank," he said. "Throttle me. Mask me. I won't fight that."
System Response:
Compliance noted.
"But when I ask why," Alex continued, "and you refuse to answer—"
He smiled faintly.
"I'll assume the reason isn't flattering."
The system was quiet for a moment.
Then—
System Response:
Assumption probability: High.
Alex laughed under his breath.
"Good," he said. "Then we understand each other."
He stepped away from the window, shouldered his cloak, and prepared to leave the room.
Behind him, unseen, the system logged something new.
Internal Log:
Subject classification updated.
Threat Assessment: Adaptive
Narrative Compliance: Low
Alex didn't see it.
But he felt the shift.
And for the first time since awakening, he wasn't walking blind.
He was walking wary.
Which, in a world like this, was the same thing as power.