Chapter 5: The Price of an Ending
Li Tianyu stood frozen in front of the mural.
The painting, faded yet alive, showed a version of himself — older, eyes glowing gold and ink-black, writing another person's fate. The brush in his hand bled both light and darkness. Beneath the mural, etched in broken celestial script, were four words:
> "The Author Must Pay."
The hall felt colder now. A thin mist seeped up from the floor, carrying whispers in a language he didn't understand. They weren't demonic. They weren't divine. They were… neutral. Pure. Words without emotion — like the voice of a book reading itself.
Tianyu took a cautious step forward, and the Life Script Panel flashed into view — forcefully.
> [Warning: You are about to enter a Forbidden Thread.]
Unauthorized access may result in Karmic Recoil, Soul Burn, or Destiny Lock.
> > Proceed? [Yes] [No]
He hesitated.
Then clicked Yes.
The world shattered.
---
For a moment, he floated in a space of black and gold — a void where fate didn't flow but paused. Threads, like rivers of light, danced around him in infinite spirals. Each one hummed softly. Lives, stories, choices.
In the center of it all hovered a single thread, pulsing a violent crimson.
> Target: Luo Zhenhua — Sect Elder of Cloudveil, Spirit Core Realm
Current Timeline: Unknown
Hidden Fate Thread:
> "In two weeks, Luo Zhenhua will assassinate Cloudveil's Sect Master and steal the Sect's Fate Reservoir."
Tianyu's eyes widened.
Elder Luo? The smiling old man who gave spirit root lectures and brewed calming tea for disciples? A traitor?
His hand trembled as a new option appeared:
> > > Reveal to World (Cost: 40 Life Points)
Delete Thread (Cost: 65 Life Points, requires Soul Stabilization Stage)
Reroute Thread (Cost: 25 Life Points + 1 Rare Opportunity Token)
Observe Only
He didn't have enough points to delete it.
But he could observe.
He selected the final option, and the void blurred into motion.
He saw Luo Zhenhua standing before the Sect Master at midnight, smiling, bowing—then plunging a blade made of Karmic Stone into the man's heart. He saw the Fate Reservoir, a massive pool of liquid fate hidden beneath the Sect Hall, surging into Luo's hands. He watched disciples fall, confused and betrayed, their threads cut mid-air.
Tianyu gasped as the vision ended.
It was a future, not yet real — but certain, unless something changed.
The panel glowed again.
> You have unlocked your first Forbidden Thread. +5 Life Points.
Fate Insight Level increased to 2.
New Ability Unlocked: Thread Lock
Temporarily seal a thread from activating (Duration: 3 days / Cost: 10 Life Points)
He clenched his fists.
This was the price of writing endings. Knowledge alone wasn't power. Power came from having the courage to change what was written.
---
As he turned to leave the ruin, a shadow stood at the doorway.
It was her — the girl without a script.
Her silver robe fluttered, and her eyes no longer seemed empty. They seemed… sad.
"You saw one, didn't you?" she asked.
Tianyu nodded slowly. "A thread that shouldn't exist."
She looked at the ruined mural behind him and then at his panel still glowing faintly.
"Once you change one true ending, the heavens notice," she whispered. "And when they notice, they write back — with storms."
He stepped toward her. "Then let them write. I'll rewrite them."
She studied him a moment longer.
Then handed him something — a thin black quill.
"Use this when you want to break a rule," she said. "But remember: you're not the only author in this world."
And just like before, she was gone.
Tianyu stood alone again, quill in hand, fate trembling around him.
But this time, he didn't feel small.
He felt like a storm waiting to happen.
---
✅ Word count: ~690 words