The bell echoed through the palace again — loud and sharp like a warning.
Aria's face turned serious. "That's the signal from the eastern tower. Something's wrong."
"What kind of wrong?" I asked.
"Usually… an intruder or a death."
I cursed under my breath and followed her through the narrow halls. Servants ran past us, their faces pale, whispers filling the air.
"The guard captain is dead!"
"Poisoned, they said!"
"Who would dare—"
My chest tightened. In the original story, the guard captain was killed early on… but not until the second arc. Someone was speeding things up.
We reached the tower stairs. Two guards stood frozen beside the body. The captain lay on the floor, his lips blackened, his sword still half drawn.
Aria knelt beside him, checking his pulse even though we both knew it was useless.
"Same poison that was used during the border wars," she said quietly. "This isn't random."
I looked around. The guards avoided my eyes, afraid. They still saw me as the cruel prince — the man who killed for sport.
"Leave," I said. "Now."
They hesitated, then bowed quickly and left. Only Aria and I remained.
"System," I whispered, "show me the timeline."
A faint blue text appeared in front of me.
[Timeline Divergence Detected.]
Event: "The Captain's Death" — Occurred 82 days earlier than original plot.]
Possible Cause: External Interference.
My stomach dropped. "External interference?"
[Unregistered Player Detected.]
Aria glanced up. "What's wrong?"
I stared at the glowing text fading in front of me. "Someone else is changing the story."
Her eyes widened. "You mean—"
"I'm not the only one who doesn't belong here."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Only the crackling torches filled the silence.
"What do we do?" she asked finally.
I stood slowly. "We find whoever's playing this game before they find us."
---
That night, I couldn't sleep.
The corridors were quiet, too quiet. I sat by the window in Kael's study, staring out at the pale moon hanging over the city.
My reflection looked back at me in the glass — the face of a villain, but the eyes of a stranger.
"If there's another one of us here," I said softly, "then maybe the story isn't mine to fix anymore."
A faint breeze pushed the curtains aside. For a second, I swore I saw someone standing in the garden below — a figure cloaked in black, watching the palace.
When I blinked, they were gone.
The system chimed quietly.
[Warning: Unknown Entity Detected — Proximity Level: High.]
My blood ran c
old.
Someone was already here. Watching me.
---
⚜️ End of Chapter 5