Thalia's strings gave her senses beyond what normal people had.
It was like a constant ripple that showed her the shapes of people and things.
It could be overwhelming at times.
So when everything suddenly went quiet, she was on edge immediately.
In many ways, it was similar to suddenly going blind or deaf.
A vital sense that had always been there simply vanished.
It did not help that sound seemed to pause as well.
The screaming and footfalls of everyone running stopped as the world took on a grayscale hue.
Thalia came to a stop, looking around as she took a moment to calm her breathing from running.
She saw the others frozen mid-step.
Some were even suspended in midair.
Even in the distance, the fight between Zilla and the man in the hoodie was frozen, the two locked mid-swing.
Thalia's eyes drifted up to the falling ship.
It now stood frozen in place.
Then she heard a small sound escape from it.
So while part of her wanted to grab Aiden, Selene, and Jax and get them to safety, another part of her was drawn toward the noise.
No.
I need to make sure they are safe fir—
Her thought cut off as she saw a small point on the hull of the ship light up.
Just like she had seen before.
On the mine.
That day, years ago.
Thalia thought even Aiden would have been surprised by the speed at which she shot toward the ship.
Her heel drove through the wood, and she found herself inside a large wooden hull.
Around her were several tall cylindrical tanks filled with figures.
The first tank contained a taller boy, well muscled, with scars all over his body and face like he was covered in burns. His orange hair practically looked like suspended flames. He wore an open vest and baggy black pants.
Next to him was a girl in a casual blue dress, with black bob-cut hair and a set of large circular glasses on her face.
Beside her floated a boy in a tan trench coat with a small length of hair tied in a ponytail, an almost sarcastic feeling to the way he seemed to sleep.
Farther down was a hulking man, at least seven feet tall, with huge muscles and a shirtless chest. He wore red pants and had long white hair with a combed white beard.
Lastly, instead of a person, a black-and-red greatsword hummed in a nearby tank.
Its hilt and blade felt ominous to look at.
Like a box packed too tightly with something that wanted out.
Thalia looked to the next pod.
Then paused.
She glanced back.
It was the boy with orange hair again.
Same clothes.
Same scars.
Everything.
She quickly went down the lane of tanks and realized what she was seeing.
Copies.
Orange hair.
Bob cut.
Ponytail.
Beard.
Sword.
Over and over and over again, like they were being made in a factory.
Thalia continued down the lane, realizing what they were.
Then a voice spoke.
Quiet, but echoing through the silence of the cargo bay.
"You're not supposed to be here," the voice said. "Though you're not supposed to be able to move either, so I guess there's that."
Thalia's eyes whipped toward a still-dark part of the hull.
Her nerves stretched like piano wire.
Without her strings to see, she felt like she was missing a sense.
The entire ship seemed to shake slightly as a large black leather boot emerged from the shadows.
Even the top of the boot alone was taller than she was.
Then the man stepped out.
He had a resemblance to the bearded man in the tanks, but this one was much bigger.
And clearly much more powerful.
"Huh," the man said. "Hey, Nick, why exactly is a little dwarven girl able to run around in frozen time?"
He tilted his head.
"Don't tell me you somehow did this, because I know I didn't."
A new voice answered.
Thalia had barely started to step back before a sharp blade was at her neck.
A trickle of warmth ran down her skin.
She looked down and saw a greataxe blade shaking slightly, its edge pressed into her neck just enough to draw blood.
Not enough to truly harm.
The large man had moved, gripping the weapon as it wiggled in his hand like it had a mind of its own.
"Hey, Nick," the axe said, "what part of the whole city gone didn't register?"
Thalia stared in shock.
Then the man pulled the axe back.
"Yeah," he said, "but remember, Dad talked about this one. He said they should be let go along with the others in their party."
Thalia stared for a moment as the man and his axe seemed to argue.
Then she managed to stammer, "W-Why us? Why are we exempt from this?"
The two paused their discussion.
Then both turned back to her.
The axe somehow seemed to facepalm despite having no limbs to do so.
"In case you haven't noticed," the axe said, "your party has the daughter of one of the greatest archmages in history, a descendant of the divine beast of Hajnal, a being created and chosen by Purple of the Masks, a descendant of Ryuga, the son of Blue of World Nine and the Auric bloodline, a Fateless created but unplayed by their player, and our nephew."
Thalia stared.
Horror at being caught mixed with realization about her party members.
Alongside that was a strange, constant screaming that might have just been the situation itself.
As she stared, the axe and man both turned to look up.
The sound of commotion could be heard overhead.
They listened for a moment.
Then Thalia asked, "S-So you're here for us?"
"Actually, no," the big man said. "We were originally following the Black Dawn Fateless and Student Council Fateless with the goal of creating the Zilla situation."
He shook his head.
"But because they were all gathering in the city to aura farm in the chapter, and you all happened to get caught up in it, Dad gave each of us a mission to keep an eye out and make sure your party walks away okay."
He turned back to look down at her.
"So," Thalia said slowly, "we are just unlucky and got caught up in all this?"
"That sums it up, yes."
Thalia stumbled back a bit.
She sat down hard on the floor as bitterness built in her chest.
She knew what she was.
A discarded Fateless.
One not even played by her player after being promised the strength to stand at the top of the world.
She knew she was not supposed to have a connection to the forum where all the players talked.
She knew that when she heard the players were watching a group of adventurers form in a town nearby, it had been reckless to run over.
She knew she shouldn't have sought them out. Even if it meant getting tricked by Ymer because of her haste.
But she had been promised.
Promised power as long as she worked for it under her player's tutelage.
And if he would not look at her, then she would make him look at her.
However, it was still frustrating.
For a moment, she had thought this was him finally recognizing her.
Making her the center of a massive event like a raid boss meant she was being seen.
Acknowledged.
So to hear that it was chance was painful.
To know her player appeared in the chapter not to see her, but because they wanted to show off another character.
Thalia felt her normal calmness begin to slip.
In a surge of anger, she stared down at the floor and yelled, "God fucking damn it, Audacity! At least fucking look at me!"
Quit screaming.
I was typing the message out.
Thalia's eyes darted up to the system message that appeared before her.
A second one appeared after it.
Congratulations!
You...
Caught...
My...
Attention.
Your audacity to force yourself into the narrative is bold, but at the same time intriguing.
I believe such risk should also come with some reward.
However, know that if you wish to gain my acknowledgement, the path will be long and treacherous, with many hardships to the point that it might even be cruel.
However, the rewards and power you gain from such trials will all be worth it, and so much sweeter when you claim them as your own!
This is your reward for such audacity.
A hint toward the path I envisioned for you upon your creation.
Grow out your hair.
I didn't bestow upon you the surname Platinumhair for nothing.
When you have the chance, brush it with the Platinum Hairbrush I gifted you until there is not a single tangled strand.
It is up to you to figure out the rest.
Never be satisfied, and suck the marrow out of every experience, forehead!
As Thalia read, she found herself standing there.
Simply standing.
The man and his axe walked past her to the hole she had come in through and made it larger.
She did not move as sound suddenly rushed back.
She did not move when she bounced against the man's back, now that he was several times larger and holding the ship to stop it from crushing Aiden, Jax, or Selene.
She did not move when he set the ship down.
She only fell to the ground.
Her head struck painfully against the cobblestones.
Thalia stared upward, her vision blurring as she spoke in a tear-stricken voice.
"Took you long enough…"
Her voice broke.
"Dad."