The rain had stopped.
When my eyes opened, the first thing I saw was the sky.
Clear.
Dark.
Scattered with distant stars.
For a moment… I just stared.
My thoughts felt slow.
Like they were dragging behind me.
Then my vision shifted.
The alley came back into focus.
Narrow walls.
Damp concrete.
Water dripping from above in uneven intervals.
Drip… drip… drip…
The sound echoed faintly.
The smell followed next.
Rust.
Wet concrete.
And the lingering scent of rain that had already passed.
"…Right."
My voice came out low.
Dry.
Unfamiliar.
I blinked slowly.
The alley.
I was back.
Everything that happened—
The void.
The woman.
Those golden eyes.
"…What the hell was that…"
The words slipped out unconsciously.
I pushed myself up.
My body felt… strange.
Not weak.
Not injured.
But not normal either.
My hand immediately moved to my chest.
The place where the blade had pierced through me.
I pressed against it.
Nothing.
No wound.
No blood.
Only damp fabric.
But—
There was something else.
A faint, pulsing sensation.
Not pain.
Not exactly.
It felt… deeper.
Like something had been embedded inside me.
My brows furrowed.
"…It's gone…"
Fragments flashed through my mind.
Her voice.
"Fragment of my authority."
I clicked my tongue softly.
"Yeah… not dealing with that right now."
A dull ache spread through my head.
Too many thoughts.
Too many questions.
None of them had answers.
But one thing mattered.
Min Jae.
My expression tightened.
"…He must be worried."
I stood up fully this time.
My balance felt slightly off for a second—
Then corrected itself.
Subtly.
Like something adjusted after the fact.
I didn't dwell on it.
I stepped out of the alley.
The streets were quiet.
Most lights had already dimmed.
The air still carried the chill of recent rain.
My pace quickened.
Then faster.
Until I was running.
The apartment lights were on.
I opened the door.
Min Jae was pacing.
Back and forth.
Phone in hand.
"…No, I said I haven't seen him!"
His voice was strained.
Frustrated.
"Yeah—if he calls, tell me—"
He stopped.
Turned.
Our eyes met.
"…Hyung?"
For a moment—
He froze.
Then he rushed toward me.
"Where were you?!"
His voice rose instantly.
"Do you even understand how worried I was?!"
He grabbed my shoulders.
"Why do you look like this?"
"You're soaked—did something happen?!"
"Are you hurt?!"
The questions came rapidly.
One after another.
No filter.
No pause.
I looked at him.
Properly.
The worry in his eyes.
The slight tremble in his voice.
For a moment—
The alley flashed in my mind.
That final thought.
I won't be able to see him again.
My chest tightened.
Before I could think—
I pulled him into a hug.
Min Jae froze.
"…Hyung?"
"…Sorry."
My voice came out quieter this time.
"I got caught in the rain."
"Lost track of time."
I exhaled slowly.
"I'm fine."
My grip tightened slightly.
"There's nothing for you to worry about."
A pause.
Then I added—
"…I'll come back."
Min Jae didn't move.
"…What?"
"I'll always come back."
The words felt natural.
Unforced.
"Your hyung is still here."
"Even if my memories are gone…"
I tightened my hold slightly.
"That doesn't change anything."
Silence.
Then—
"Geez…"
His voice was a bit hoarse.
"Stop saying embarrassing things."
He pushed me back lightly.
"I thought you got lost somewhere."
I let out a small breath.
"Yeah."
But I noticed it.
That small shift.
The way his eyes softened.
Just a little.
For a brief moment—
The distance between us shrank.
After that, things settled.
We washed up.
Changed.
Ate together.
Simple conversation.
Nothing heavy.
Just… normal.
And somehow—
That felt more real than anything else that day.
"Good night."
"Yeah. Sleep well."
Min Jae closed his door.
Silence returned.
I sat on my bed.
The quiet felt heavier now.
Everything from earlier came back.
The void.
The woman.
Her voice.
"…Defiant One."
My hand moved to my chest again.
Right where the wound had been.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A faint golden glow surfaced beneath my skin.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So it wasn't a dream."
The glow pulsed once.
Then—
A voice echoed inside my mind.
Calm.
Cold.
Absolute.
"—Welcome, Defiant One."
I froze.
"…You again."
The glow intensified.
At the same time—
My computer turned on.
On its own.
The screen flickered.
Text appeared.
[DEFIANT ONE]
"…You've got to be kidding me."
I stood up slowly.
Walked toward it.
Sat down.
The screen changed.
A dark interface emerged.
Minimal.
Clean.
At the center—
[ARCHIVE OF DEVIATIONS]
Top right:
[Return] [Request Assistance]
"…So this is the archive."
I hovered for a second.
Then clicked:
Request Assistance
The screen flickered.
A loading bar appeared.
[Authority Synchronization Required: 50%]
[Estimated Unlock: 8 Months]
I stared at it.
"…Eight months?"
I leaned back slightly.
"What kind of useless help is that?"
No response.
Of course.
I exhaled.
"…Fine."
Then selected:
Training Archive
The interface shifted.
New options appeared.
[FOUNDATION DISCIPLINE]
Body Conditioning
Balance & Footwork
Reaction Conditioning
---
[COMBAT PROTOCOLS]
Unarmed Combat
Close-Quarters Blade (Dagger)
Precision Weapon System (Rapier)
---
[AUTHORITY MANIFESTATION]
Exitus Negatus (Outcome Rejection) — Sealed
Casus Distorsio (Probability Distortion) — Accessible
Tempus Intercisio (Temporal Interruption) — Sealed
---
[SIMULATION DOMAIN]
Survival Trial
Combat Scenario
Unknown Fragment — Locked
---
I stared at the screen.
"…So this is how it works."
Not power given.
Power earned.
My eyes shifted to:
Casus Distorsio
"…Probability distortion."
The name echoed faintly in my mind.
I didn't press it.
Not yet.
"…If this is real…"
Then everything else was too.
Hunters.
Anomalies.
Everything.
I leaned back slightly.
"…Let's confirm that first."
Minutes passed.
Search after search.
"Hunters."
Nothing.
"Anomalies."
Nothing.
Just random results.
Forums.
Conspiracies.
No real information.
"…So it's hidden."
Or erased.
Either way—
This wasn't something normal people could access.
I closed the laptop slowly.
"…So I'm really on my own."
Far away—
Inside a secured facility.
Cold lighting.
Minimal interior.
Seo Ara stood near the center.
Arms crossed.
Unbothered.
Kang Dae Hoon stood beside her.
Relaxed.
With calm expression.
Across from them—
A superior.
Watching.
Waiting.
Seo Ara spoke first.
"The anomaly has been eliminated."
Her voice was precise.
Measured.
"No residual activity detected."
Kang Dae Hoon added—
"I confirmed it personally."
"He took a direct strike."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Through the chest."
Seo Ara's lips curved faintly.
"My rapier doesn't miss."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
The superior nodded slowly.
"…And no distortion after?"
"None," Kang Dae-Hoon replied.
"Reality stabilized immediately after termination."
Seo Ara exhaled lightly.
"Honestly, it wasn't anything special."
"Just another unstable anomaly."
The superior leaned back slightly.
"…Understood."
"Mission status: Completed."
A pause.
Then—
"Remain on standby."
Both of them turned.
Walking toward the exit.
As the door closed—
Seo Ara smirked slightly.
"Told you."
"Clean job."
Kang Dae-Hoon didn't respond immediately.
Her eyes lingered forward.
Unmoving.
"…Maybe."
Something about it felt…
Off.
But there was nothing to prove it.
No trace.
No signal.
Nothing.
Back in the apartment—
Ha Eun Gyeol sat in front of the glowing screen.
Silent.
Thinking.
"…Anomaly."
"…Defiant One."
The words felt heavier now.
Real.
His eyes moved toward:
Simulation Domain
His finger hovered.
Then slowly—
Pressed.
The screen flickered.
The room dimmed.
The air shifted.
[Initializing Training Environment…]
[Authority Synchronization: 1%]
His reflection stared back at him in the darkened screen.
"…So this is where it starts."