Chapter 68: The First Ally Who Shouldn't Exist
Kael didn't hesitate.
He couldn't.
Time wasn't moving normally anymore—
But it was still passing.
And somewhere—
That thing was watching.
Waiting.
"…Where do we even start?" Lira asked.
Kael looked at the layered sky.
At the overlapping fragments—
Some stable.
Some breaking.
Some—
Completely abandoned.
"…We find the ones that didn't collapse," he said.
"…And?"
"…The ones that shouldn't have survived."
Silence.
That narrowed it down.
Dangerously.
"…That sounds like us," Lira muttered.
"…Exactly."
Echo's voice flickered.
"…Kael… those kinds of anomalies are unstable…"
"…Yeah."
"…They could be worse than the hunters…"
Kael smirked faintly.
"…Then they'll fit right in."
Lira sighed.
"…I regret asking."
He stepped forward.
This time—
Toward a fragment.
But not just any fragment.
One that—
Didn't belong.
It wasn't flickering.
It wasn't layered.
It wasn't even reacting to the system.
It just—
Existed.
Quietly.
Wrongly.
"…That one," Kael said.
"…Why?" Lira asked.
"…Because nothing's touching it."
A pause.
"…Not the system."
"…Not the entity."
"…Not even those hunters."
Silence.
That meant one thing.
"…It's either safe…"
Lira narrowed her eyes.
"…or very dangerous."
Kael smiled faintly.
"…Exactly."
He reached out.
The fragment didn't react.
No pull.
No resistance.
Just—
Allowed.
"…That's not normal," Echo whispered.
"…Yeah."
Kael stepped through.
And the world—
Didn't break.
Didn't distort.
Didn't even acknowledge him.
That alone—
Was wrong.
They landed.
Softly.
Too softly.
"…Okay," Lira said.
"…I don't like this."
"…Yeah."
Kael looked around.
The world—
Was quiet.
Not empty.
Not broken.
Just—
Still.
Too still.
Buildings stood.
Structures intact.
No collapse.
No damage.
But no movement either.
No people.
No life.
"…What happened here…" Lira whispered.
"…It didn't end," Kael said.
A pause.
"…It stopped."
Echo's voice trembled.
"…Kael… this place feels… paused…"
"…Yeah."
Like someone had taken a story—
And hit pause.
Without finishing it.
Without resolving anything.
Just—
Stopped.
"…Hello?" Lira called out.
No response.
Not even an echo.
That—
Was worse.
Kael stepped forward.
Careful.
Because this kind of silence—
Usually meant something was watching.
"…You're loud."
The voice came from nowhere.
And everywhere.
Flat.
Uninterested.
Lira froze.
"…Okay."
A pause.
"…I really don't like this."
Kael didn't react.
Because he could feel it.
Not a presence.
Not a force.
A point.
Fixed.
Unmoving.
"…Show yourself," Kael said.
Silence.
Then—
A figure appeared.
Not walking.
Not forming.
Just—
There.
Sitting.
On the edge of a broken wall.
Looking at nothing.
"…You're new," they said.
Kael studied them.
Young.
Calm.
Completely—
Unbothered.
"…You're still here," Kael replied.
"…Obviously."
A pause.
"…Why?"
The figure tilted their head slightly.
"…Why not?"
That answer—
Didn't help.
"…This world stopped," Kael said.
"…Yeah."
"…Everything paused."
"…Yeah."
"…But you didn't."
The figure shrugged.
"…I didn't feel like it."
Silence.
Lira blinked.
"…That's not how that works."
"…It is for me."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You ignored it."
"…No."
A pause.
"…It ignored me."
Echo's presence flickered sharply.
"…Kael…"
"…yeah…"
"…this one…"
"…I know."
Because this—
Was exactly what they were looking for.
Something—
That didn't follow the rules.
"…What's your name?" Kael asked.
The figure paused.
Like the question—
Didn't matter.
Then—
"…I don't remember."
Silence.
"…That's not good," Lira muttered.
"…No."
Because forgetting something like that—
Meant something had been removed.
Or never existed.
"…Then I'll call you something," Kael said.
The figure glanced at him.
"…Why?"
"…Because you need one."
A pause.
"…Names define things."
"…Yeah."
Kael smirked faintly.
"…So I'll pick one you can ignore."
Silence.
The figure considered that.
Then—
"…Fine."
Kael nodded once.
"…Then you're 'Still.'"
A beat.
"…Because you didn't stop."
The figure blinked.
Once.
Then—
A faint smile.
"…That's not bad."
Echo whispered—
"…Kael… you just named something undefined…"
"…Yeah."
"…That might matter…"
"…I know."
Kael stepped closer.
"…You want to stay here?" he asked.
"…It's quiet."
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…But it won't stay like this."
The figure—Still—looked at him.
"…Why?"
"…Because everything's breaking."
Silence.
"…Then let it."
Kael shook his head.
"…Not an option."
A pause.
"…Why?"
Kael met their gaze.
"…Because I'm not letting it."
Silence.
Long.
Then—
Still stood.
Slowly.
Not because they had to.
Because they chose to.
"…Then I'll see what happens."
Lira blinked.
"…That's it?"
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…I'm bored."
Kael smirked slightly.
"…Good enough."
Because that—
Was all he needed.
Not loyalty.
Not belief.
Just—
Willingness.
And something told him—
That was more dangerous than anything else.