Chương 98: Chapter 97: The Thread of Fate

The silver thread shimmered. It was no thicker than a strand of hair. Yet... The heavens trembled around it. The stars flickered. The ocean froze. Every living creature instinctively lowered its head. Atlas' desperate voice echoed across the Sea of Eternity.

"Stop!"

"That is not a weapon!" The white-haired youth blinked innocently.

"I know."

"It's a life." He looked toward the colossal Leviathan.

"It's hurting." Leviathan remained frozen. The King of the Abyss... The monster that had survived the Seven Kings... Was staring at the silver thread with unmistakable fear. Its enormous body slowly retreated. Its crimson eyes never left the young man's hand. Kael frowned.

"What exactly are you?" The youth looked at him.

"I..."

"... don't know." Then he looked at the glowing thread.

"But this remembers." Atlas finally manifested. For the first time since the Trial began... The First Guardian appeared physically. His enormous golden armor towered over the battlefield. The oceans calmed the instant he arrived. Leviathan growled.

"So..."

"You finally came." Atlas planted his colossal shield into the World Turtle's shell. Golden light spread through the wounded Guardian, slowing the corruption. Then Atlas turned toward the white-haired youth.

"Do not sever that thread." The young man tilted his head.

"Why?" Atlas closed his eyes. Stolen novel; please report.

"Because that thread..."

"... binds Leviathan to existence."

"If you cut it..."

"... its body will die." Silence. The youth looked relieved.

"Then that's good." Atlas immediately shook his head.

"No."

"Because Leviathan's soul..."

"... will awaken." Every candidate felt a chill. Even Auriel's calm expression changed.

"The Abyss Soul..." She whispered.

"So the legends were true." Arkan's spirit appeared beside Rayan once more.

"There are two Leviathans."

"The body."

"And the Original Soul." Rayan frowned.

"What's the difference?" Arkan's voice grew heavy.

"The body can destroy continents."

"The soul..."

"... can erase worlds." Leviathan laughed. The sea shook violently.

"Even now..."

"You fear me." Atlas answered calmly.

"No."

"I fear what imprisoned you." The words stunned everyone. Rayan looked between them.

"What imprisoned him?" Atlas slowly raised his eyes toward the blood-red eclipse.

"Not me."

"Not Heaven."

"Not Arkan."

"The Author." The mysterious youth suddenly flinched.

"My head..." He held his temples. Fragments of memories flashed before his eyes. A ruined universe. Endless white threads. A giant hand weaving destinies. A voice.

"If the story ever collapses..."

"Wake him." The vision disappeared. The youth staggered backward.

"I remember..."

"... someone called me..." His pupils trembled.

"... The Weaver." The World System reacted instantly. Every candidate's screen changed. SYSTEM UPDATE Identity Confirmed Name: Unknown → Aster Title: The Weaver of Fate Authority Level: Hidden Warning Do Not Interfere With Active Threads Cassian blinked.

"... Weaver?" The young man—Aster—looked just as confused.

"So..."

"That's my name." Suddenly— Leviathan roared. It lunged directly toward Aster. Not Rayan. Not Atlas. The Weaver. The giant jaws descended from the heavens. Everyone moved simultaneously. Michael's spear. Auriel's black wings. Kael's shadow blade. Lyra's celestial barrier. Rayan's Dharma Dragonblade. 6Five attacks struck Leviathan together. This time... They managed to halt the monster. For only a heartbeat. Its massive jaws continued descending.

"Aster!" Rayan shouted.

"Move!" Instead... Aster stepped forward. He gently reached toward Leviathan's face. His fingertips touched one black scale. The ocean became silent. The King of the Abyss froze. Aster smiled sadly.

"You've been lonely..."

"... haven't you?" Leviathan's crimson eyes widened. Then... Something impossible happened. A single tear fell from the monster's eye. It crashed into the sea like a meteor. Entire islands formed from the impact. The World Turtle whispered in disbelief.

"It cried..." Aster closed his eyes.

"I remember now."

"You weren't born evil."

"You were abandoned." Leviathan lowered its head. Its monstrous voice softened.

"They feared me..."

"Before I ever destroyed anything." Atlas remained silent. Because... It was true. Thousands of years ago... The First Beasts had feared Leviathan's power. The First Archons had feared its growth. Even the Seven Kings had feared what it could become. So they imprisoned it. Long before it had committed any crime. Hatred... Had been created inside the prison. Not outside it. Kael slowly lowered his sword.

"So that's why..." He whispered.

"We're the same." Everyone looked at him. Kael smiled bitterly.

"They feared me..."

"... before I became their enemy." For the first time... Rayan understood. Kael wasn't born as the Black Heir. The world... Had helped create him. Suddenly, the blood-red eclipse darkened once more. A voice echoed across every realm. It wasn't Atlas. It wasn't the Author. It was something older.

"Correction." The World System froze. Golden letters turned black. ERROR Narrative Deviation Detected Original Timeline Collapsing Deploying Correction. A gigantic hand began emerging through the crack beyond the heavens. Not made of flesh. Made entirely of glowing silver threads. It reached toward the Sea of Eternity. Toward Aster. Toward Rayan. Toward the future itself. Atlas' face paled.

"The Author..."

"... has decided to intervene personally." For the first time... The fate of the world was no longer being decided by kings. It was being decided by the one who wrote their destinies. To Be Continue....