The moment Kael Veyris stepped forward
The story flinched.
Not reality.
Not the multiverse.
The framework
I felt it immediately.
Something was following me.
Not through space.
Not through time.
Through continuity.
Every step I took, the world adjusted a fraction too late like it was predicting me and failing.
That had never happened before.
Aethern stiffened beside me.
Kael… this presence isn't observing.
Nyx turned pale. It's correcting.
Selene couldn't see futures anymore.
Not because they were hidden.
Because they were being deleted as soon as they formed.
Then the voice arrived.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Perfectly placed like narration that belonged there.
ERROR DETECTED.
UNSTABLE CONTINUATION CONFIRMED.
SUBJECT: KAEL VEYRIS.
I stopped walking.
Interesting.
This wasn't an author.
Wasn't a Watcher.
It was something older.
A Story Regulator.
A construct made to erase narratives that refused to end.
It didn't hate me.
It didn't fear me.
It simply had instructionsThe Regulator manifested not fully, not yet.
Just enough for me to feel it aiming.
Aethern spoke carefully.
Kael… if that thing finishes its process
I know, I said.
For the first time in a long while
I didn't smile.
Then I'll have to do something new.
The story tightened.
And the hunt began.