Then something changed.
{System Alert: Soul Integrity 10%… 25%… 50%… 70%… 100%}
Faith's jaw dropped. "What the hell is happening?!"
He stood frozen, watching the bars spike in real time. This wasn't a gradual healing—it was a soul-level override. An impossible rebound.
"How could she…?"
Then his eyes slowly narrowed, shifting to the one person who had been beside Aria before the numbers turned:
Icarus.
Faith's entire body went still. "What… did he do?"
Author's Note: I won't tell you what he did… not yet. Some truths are better buried. For now.
That night, Icarus returned again. He sat quietly beside Aria's sleeping form, watching the color return to her lips, the warmth radiate from her skin—absorbing the spell he'd cast like it was the last light in the world.
"At least… it worked," he murmured.
He brushed her hair from her face and placed a kiss on her forehead.
Then he vanished.
A few days later…
Icarus didn't return. But others filled the room—Kaelen, Selene, the Crown Prince. One by one, they came and waited. Aria's condition was improving, slowly but surely.
And then—
"Ughh…" Aria groaned.
Kaelen was the first to reach her side. "Thank the gods," he breathed, wrapping her into a firm, protective hug. It was warm—surprisingly warm. She blinked in confusion but didn't pull away.
The room quickly filled with gasps and relief, murmurs of gratitude. Priests quietly packed to leave. A few days later, Aria was taken back to the duchy under careful watch.
Later, in her room…
She sat up, staring at the air in front of her.
"You stupid god," she snapped.
{System: It wasn't me. Someone gave you a false command. —GF}
"GF?" she repeated, frowning. "What does that even mean?"
{System: Classified.}
"So you're telling me… I can't go back?" Aria said, crossing her arms.
{System: Correct.}
She groaned. "I didn't even know the story! I was always stuck at Aria's death scenes! All I remember is Selene was supposed to die, but she took the attack instead. And you told me if I died, I'd get to leave!"
{System: Negative. That command did not come from this unit. GF intervened.}
"Oh, whatever," she muttered, dragging a hand down her face. "So what do I get for being stuck here?"
Aria rubbed her temples as the glowing words floated before her face like mocking fireflies.
{System: You were granted the Golden Aura. Human greed has no limits.}
"Greed?" she snapped. "You dumped me into a cursed corpse with a weekly death subscription, and I'm the greedy one?"
She sat up in bed, wincing at the lingering ache in her chest. The duchy's healers had declared it a miracle. But Aria knew better. This wasn't a miracle—
{System: The Golden Aura is a rare blessing. Rejoice.}
"Rare? Great. So I'll die glowingly next time."
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand at the system screen like she could swipe it away. It didn't work.
"I want a refund. A real one."
{System: Request denied. Aura has already been installed. No exchanges.}
"I don't want an aura. I want something that keeps me alive. Armor. Immunity. A dragon would be nice."
{System: Your request exceeds the balance.}
"My what?"
{System: UGHH Request denied. Demand is high.}
"Excuse me?!" Aria stared at the glowing numbers like they personally insulted her ancestors.
"I died, like, seven times in this story before this one just this month. If anything, I deserve an executive black card and a villa in the afterlife!"
{System: Request denied.}
She groaned and flopped back against the pillows.
Kaelen had just left her side. The rest of the family thought she was sleeping. They were relieved celebrating her survival. If only they knew she was stuck in a story where she never made it past Chapter Ten.
"I remember everything," she whispered.
All her previous gameplays—different deaths, always Aria. Dagger to the heart. Poisoned wine. Pushed from a balcony. One time she'd spontaneously combusted during a prayer ritual. That was new.
This time, she had actually felt herself dying. But something had snapped. A heat in her chest. The scent of lilies. And—
Icarus.
Her fingers twitched.
She remembered the warmth in her hands, and his voice. She didn't know what he had done, but he'd whispered something strange. She remembered the way his spell had lingered in her veins, just enough to keep her soul tethered to this body.
"System," she said slowly, "what exactly happened the night I didn't die?"
{System: Unauthorized access. Data locked by Higher Protocol.}
"Higher protocol? Who?
{System: DENIED.}
That annoying glitch of a Young God. He'd messed everything up. Now she was stuck in a body that wasn't hers, in a story she hadn't finished, with powers she didn't understand.
And then—
A beep.
{System Alert: System Override - GF Request Approved}
{System: Due to divine interference and unauthorized soul merging, you may now choose one supplemental ability as compensation.}
"Oh. Now this is more like it." She sat up straighter. "Let's see what corporate has to offer in their apology basket."
A new menu blinked into existence.
Choose One:
Chrono Sight – See 3 seconds into the future, permanently.Soul Echo – Speak once per week with a soul from your past life.Curse Reversal – Absorb and store any one curse… and throw it back.Truth bound – Sense any lie. But you must speak the truth in return.The Red Thread – One soul in this world is fated to yours. You'll sense when they're in danger—or when they betray you.
Aria's eyes narrowed. These weren't just cheat codes. These were traps wrapped in candy.
Chrono Sight sounded useful… but three seconds? Not enough time to dodge a dagger in a ballroom.
Soul Echo? Maybe But nahh..
Curse Reversal… was spicy. She liked that one.
Truthbound? Nah. She liked lying too much.
Red Thread—
Her eyes hovered on the fifth one.
"Fated soul, huh?" she whispered. "Danger or betrayal? That's a hell of a gamble."
{System: You have 60 seconds to choose.}
"Oh, now you're giving me pressure. Classic."
The glowing icons hovered like options on a roulette wheel. She bit her lip.
Then she glanced toward the closed window.
Somewhere out there, Icarus was burning villages. Hunting a shadow. Losing his mind.
He had saved her. Somehow.
But what if he turned? What if he was the one fated to her? The one who could betray her?
She stared back at the options.
And smiled.
"I want…"