Ending The Prologue (2)

"Long time ago, my world was just a small screen in a dark room."

"I used to be athletic… until I gave up on my dreams."

"Stories fascinated me—those main characters who simply worked hard, stayed good, and eventually achieved their dreams."

"I couldn't help but wonder—why wasn't real life like that?"

"If life were about kindness, there would be no corruption at the top."

"If life were about effort, then the workers breaking their backs under the scorching sun wouldn't be struggling to survive."

"I used to daydream about being transmigrated, about reincarnating into a world of fantasy."

"And now that I have..."

Elijah exhaled. His fingers twitched, knuckles white against the hilt of his dagger.

"I think... I no longer envy the main characters in every story."

A thick silence hung in the room. Only the soft drip, drip of blood seeped between the wooden floorboards filled the air.

Dae-hyun lay motionless, eyes open yet seeing nothing. His breath—once full of life now was gone. The only thing that moved was the dark crimson blood pooling beneath him, trickling into the cracks, staining the floor like an ink spilled on old parchment.

Elijah simply stared.

'Why...' The thought barely formed in his mind. His fingers curled tighter around the blade. 'Why is the system taking longer than usual?'

"Go on, timeloop me again."

His shoulders trembled, his lips twitching into something caught between a grin and a grimace.

A laugh bubbled up after.

"Haha… haha… hahaha… HAHHAHAHA!"

His laughter cracked, then splintered into a scream—barely audible over the howling winter wind outside.

Tears blurred his vision, hot streaks against his numb cheeks.

He clutched his head, pressing his palms hard against his temples as if he could squeeze the madness out.

And then, at last—

Ding.

The familiar chime echoed in his ears. The system window flickered into existence before his bleary eyes.

[ Congratulations. Are you happy? ]

Elijah's breath hitched.

"...What?"

[ The Prologue has ended. ]

The words continued to glow, almost mocking him.

[ The Main Character died. ]

[ The Prologue has changed. ]

His heart pounded. A chill, colder than the winter outside, crept down his spine.

[ Now tell me, Author-nim... ]

[ Didn't you write the story you liked this time? ]

"Liked?? No, you're wrong!" Elijah's voice cracked as he screamed at the glowing text on his screen. "I never liked this! You forced me into it!"

His breath came in sharp, uneven gasps. The weight of his own words settled over him like chains.

Gripping tightly... choking his neck.

"T-That's right… Beating that thing was impossible anyway."

"So surely... the only remaining option was to..."

His hands trembled, smearing blood across his cheeks as he tried to cover his face.

"I… I didn't do anything wrong."

His voice wavered as he swallowed hard, forcing himself to believe his thoughts.

"They weren't real anyway… right?"

"They were all just fictional characters. I simply did what I had to do… in order to proceed."

Then... a hollow chuckle escaped his throat, growing more louder, more erratic.

"Haha… haha… Hahaha…"

"Yes... I really did nothing wrong..."

"You're lying." A voice echoed, not from within his mind, nor from the system, but from his right ear.

Elijah's breath hitched as he turned, eyes locking onto a familiar figure.

A child. The same dark blue hair. The same ocean-blue eyes. Wearing the same unwavering, insufferable smile.

Gaia.

"You're clearly enjoying yourself right now."

Slowly, Gaia reached out, his fingers ghosting over Elijah's arms as if offering an embrace. 

Then a gentle, knowing whisper followed.

"Look at the mirror. You're smiling."

Elijah's lips parted slightly, but no words came out. As if drawn by an unseen force, he turned toward the mirror before him.

What greeted him was not a shattered, broken soul.

A messy, damp face, smeared with blood and sweat.

And a smile.

A sweet, ecstatic smile stretched across his flushed cheeks.

Ah…

Elijah now understood.

'I really... did enjoy these things.'

As if reading his mind, Gaia continued.

"I know you quite well. Ever since you were born, ever since you grew up, ever since you wrote your tale—I watched everything about you. No one knows you better than I do."

He took a step closer, wings shifting, black feathers raining onto the wooden floor.

"So tell me..."

Gaia perched himself atop the desk, legs crossed, watching Elijah kneel before him. The glow of the system screen cast flickered shadows behind his back.

"Did you like it?"

"My gift."

Silence stretched between them, taut and suffocating.

A gift, from the devil? What could it be?

But for sure, for Elijah, it was not a good thing.

And then, instead of answering or reacting to anything, Elijah murmured a different question.

"Hey, now that I finished the prologue… that means the curse is gone, right?"

For the first time, Gaia hesitated. "Yes. So what about it?"

Elijah exhaled when an idea came across his mind.

His grip on the knife tightened as he raised it over his chest.

"I wonder..."

At that moment, Gaia's smile faltered.

"I wanted to see if what you said about death before was real."

A sharp intake of breath.

"What—"

In an instant, Gaia lunged, hands reaching out for him, with a panic in his face— "Stop!"

The blade plunged downward—

'Swiish!'

—and stopped, inches from his skin.

No resistance. No pain. Just a force stronger than his own will, halting the knife in place.

It was a fake attempt.

Elijah blinked, and then, slowly, his lips curled upward.

"I'm just kidding. Did I scare you?"

Gaia's pupils constricted. He took a step back, with arms shuddering. His gaze—normally unreadable—was now turned cautious. Very... wary.

"You…"

"I was curious," Elijah continued, tilting his head. "It seems you've forgotten how fragile the human heart is. Give them a sliver of freedom, and they'll take it without hesitation."

A beat of silence.

"If you truly had full control, you could have let the curse continue into Chapter 1 and even till the end. I thought you could simply replace me, but judging by your reaction… that doesn't seem to be the case."

Elijah then chuckled as the devil remained silent. "Turns out devils like you aren't as omniscient or omnipotent as I thought."

"Hah. Do you want the position of Satan, then?" Gaia scoffed, regaining some of his composure. 

"What? You are the one who said Hell doesn't exist."

Elijah ignored the quip, rolling his shoulders before stepping toward the window.

He pushed it open, letting the winter air bite into his skin. Moonlight poured in, bathing him in silver light.

Then, he turned back slightly, eyes lidded, tone almost innocent, with a flush of pinks in his cheeks.

"You asked if I liked your gift, right?"

A pause.

"I liked it."

His gaze then drifted to the snow-covered landscape outside.

"I thank the sky, the snow, the birds you created. This playground you gifted me."

"And I'll take care of it."

The air grew heavier.

"So… won't you continue to read my story till the end?"

[ Unique Skill Acquired: Author (EX) ]

[ Description: A story will never exist without an Author finishing it. What kind of tale will you write, knowing you can control everyone's fate?

The author can rewrite all the scenarios in advance. However, this is limited as it is incapable of controlling characters that already existed in the original story. Additionally, the author cannot rewrite the scenario if it's already happening or finished. All plot holes will be overwritten by the system itself. ]

[ Time left before Chapter 1: 1day, 12hour, 40minutes ]

[ Comment System Unlocked: The Viewers outside the sky, can now react to your story. ]

****

Year 1019, January 4.

Monday.

Stepping outside into the cold winter night, Aliyah shivered, her breath visible in the frigid air. She had forgotten her scarf, but that didn't matter—she had to hurry.

"Madam, please wear your coat!" Marjorie called after her, hurrying to catch up.

"Hurry up Marjorie! We might miss out brother's departure!"

She ran down the steps, her feet sinking into the snow as she caught sight of him.

A tall man stood near the carriage, his long dark blue hair tied in a ponytail. He carried nothing but a suitcase, his posture composed as he prepared to leave.

Aliyah clutched the edges of her sacque, trying not to trip as she called out with all her might—

"Brother, are you leaving?"

Elijah paused, turning back to her with a gentle smile. He reached out, ruffling her hair as he always did.

"Did you forget? Father requested that I attend the Academy."

"I know that... but you're still barely recovered!"

 "I'll bring souvenirs when I return."

With that, Elijah stepped into the carriage, and the wheels creaked against the frost-laden road. Aliyah watched it disappear into the distance, waving until it was nothing but a shadow on the horizon.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips.

"I wonder where Dae-hyun went… He missed Elijah's departure."

Her gaze lingered on the empty path before she murmured to herself—

"Maybe I should visit his room."

.

 End of Volume 1.