I manifested it.
The form I had seen in the river.
The one shaped for stories.
Ink condensed. Shadow folded inward. Symbols collapsed into structure. The unreadable became readable.
My Narrative Avatar Form took shape.
The moment it stabilized—
A system window snapped open beside me.
Not descriptive.
Not explanatory.
Just a timer.
[Narrative Avatar Duration: 02:59:59]
"…3 hours?" I muttered.
My first instinct was irritation.
My second was to call whoever had thought that was a good idea an idiot.
Then I stopped.
"…Right," I sighed. "That was me."
I didn't hesitate.
"Kaediel."
This time, no text box appeared.
Instead—
I heard a voice.
My voice.
Relaxed. Familiar. Slightly amused.
"You don't need to sound so offended."
I winced. "Speaking is unnecessary. The text windows worked fine."
"They're boring," Kaediel replied.
"This is better. More fun. And way cooler."
I didn't argue.
I knew the real reason.
And I wasn't about to explain that to the readers.
"Fine," I said. "Why did I limit the one form that lets me walk among mortals?"
"You already know," Kaediel said immediately.
"I do."
And before it could continue, I answered myself.
"I did it because if I could perfectly hide what I am without restriction… I'd have nothing to work toward. No friction. No reason to move the story forward."
Silence.
Then—
"See?" Kaediel said.
"Now why'd you go and do that?"
"I was supposed to be playing the system. Not you."
"Rest," I told it. "I won't do it again."
"I know," Kaediel replied pleasantly.
"And I'll make sure of that."
Then its tone shifted.
Informational.
"To extend your Narrative Avatar duration, you'll need anchors."
A new window unfolded.
Requirement One:
Abyssal Cores (×2)
The hearts of collapsed realities.
Requirement Two:
The Spiral Cross
A relic that binds two verses together.
"Why didn't you name the verses?" I asked casually.
"They're obviously your world and mine."
I smiled.
"The meta-verse… and this one."
I tried to say its true name.
—
The sound refused to exist.
The meaning collapsed before it reached comprehension.
"…Ah," I laughed. "You blocked it."
"Don't do that," Kaediel said immediately.
"Now you're the one oversharing."
I laughed harder. "I was just testing something."
"You know why, that would just confuse them," Kaediel replied.
"And it's far too early."
"Relax," I said. "I'm not the one writing."
There was no hesitation.
"Moving on."
Another entry appeared.
Final Requirement:
The True Divine Order
A fragment of Creation Law itself.
"That's it?" I asked.
"Not quite," Kaediel replied.
"You'll also need either a God of Creation… or the Abyssal Forger."
"With those, a Vessel of Narrative Balance can be created."
"…I like that," I admitted.
"It's nice having something to work toward."
"Good," Kaediel said.
"Because there's one final matter."
The system unfolded again.
Evolution Paths.
Branches split.
Thousands.
No—hundreds of thousands.
Then more.
Trillions of possibilities folded into each other, refusing to stay still long enough to be understood.
Kaediel began to speak.
I cut it off.
"Instead of explaining all of that," I said, already turning away,
"I'll just check them later and explain them myself."
There was no pause.
No processing delay.
Kaediel answered anyway.
Not because it needed time.
But because the answer already existed.
"Explaining them to you would only take—"
The number never finished forming.
Not because it was large.
But because I already understood it.
So I moved on.
I walked until the forest opened into a vast clearing.
The Human Realm was beautiful.
Mythical creatures watched me from afar. Beasts that should have attacked didn't.
Whether they sensed kinship…
Or authority…
Only I would ever know.
The lake stretched endlessly. Mountains ringed the horizon. Stars burned in the sky—even in daylight.
I stepped into the center of the clearing.
And opened my True System.
—Codex of Self—
A massive black book appeared before me.
The moment it opened—
Time stopped.
Everywhere.
Existence froze.
Wind stilled. Water halted. Light itself paused mid-motion.
Only I moved.
The book wrote itself in flowing black ink as the pages turned without my touch.
A storm of ink spiraled around me, violent enough to crush reality if it touched it.
I looked at the Codex.
And smiled faintly.
"Let's see," I said quietly,
"what skills, titles, abilities, and resistances I have."