Lacosta

In a world where time is a weapon and the System governs all, Lin Wei is just another name on a list—until the day he awakens an ability that shouldn't exist. With enforcers hunting him and the city’s underbelly teeming with secrets, his only chance at survival is mastering his newfound power: Time Manipulation.  

But bending time comes at a cost. Each use brings him closer to unraveling not just the System’s grip on reality, but his own past—one erased, rewritten, and buried beneath layers of deception. As he pieces together the truth, Lin Wei is thrust into a war between those who seek to control time and those who dare to break free from it.  

With every second stolen, the lines between fate and free will blur. The deeper he dives, the more dangerous the choices become. Will he dismantle the System, reshape history, or lose himself in the fractures of time itself?  

Because not all timelines are meant to be saved—and some should never exist at all.

Fractured Eternity

The maintenance tunnel stretched endlessly, damp air pressing in around them. The flickering emergency lights overhead cast jittery shadows, distorting their figures as they moved in silence. Lin Wei's breaths were still uneven, his body trembling from the encounter with the System's core.

He had touched something he shouldn't have.

Ren led the way, his footsteps muffled against the metal grating. His injured shoulder was still bleeding, but he hadn't slowed down. Survival dictated their pace now.

"You alright?" Ren asked without looking back.

Lin Wei exhaled, shaking off the lingering static in his head. "Not even close."

Ren smirked. "Good. That means you're still alive."

They reached a fork in the tunnel. Ren hesitated for only a second before taking the left path. Lin Wei followed without question, trusting his instincts. They had no map, no plan—just the brief window of confusion Lin Wei had created in the System's surveillance.

As they moved, Lin Wei's mind replayed the moment of connection—the cold, mechanical voice whispering to him.

[You are out of place.]

[You should not exist.]

And why had he felt something… watching him?

Lin Wei had always assumed the System was just an AI—an advanced intelligence built to control, categorize, and correct deviations in the city. But that voice hadn't felt like a machine. It had felt aware.

"Something's bothering you," Ren noted, glancing at him.

Lin Wei hesitated. How could he even explain what had happened? That for a moment, he hadn't just seen the System—he had felt it. Been inside it.

"I think the System—" Lin Wei stopped himself. "No. I know the System saw me."

Ren frowned. "Yeah, that's what it does. That's the whole problem."

"No, I mean it saw me. Like it knew I was… wrong."

Ren's pace slowed. "What do you mean, 'wrong'?"

Lin Wei exhaled. "It called me an anomaly. And not just the usual classification—it sounded like it wasn't sure how I even existed."

Ren stopped walking. "You're saying the System didn't just flag you. It questioned your very existence?"

Ren cursed under his breath. "That's bad. Really bad."

Lin Wei already knew that. But before he could respond, the tunnel walls shuddered.

A deep, mechanical groan reverberated through the metal, like the entire facility was waking up. Then—

[ERROR RESOLVED. TRACKING REESTABLISHED.]

"Move!" Ren shouted, and they sprinted forward just as the alarms began blaring.

The tunnel ahead sloped upward, leading toward a hatch. But as they approached, it slammed shut.

Lin Wei skidded to a stop. "No—"

Ren pulled out a compact charge from his belt and slapped it against the metal. The device beeped rapidly, heating up—then detonated with a controlled burst. The hatch blew open, sending debris scattering.

They scrambled through, emerging onto a rain-soaked rooftop. The city stretched out before them, neon lights flickering against the storm clouds.

Lin Wei's chest heaved as he took in the open air. But their relief was short-lived.

From above, the sound of engines roared. A black hovercraft descended, its floodlights locking onto them.

Ren swore. "They knew we'd come up here."

Lin Wei clenched his fists. His mind raced. The System had found them again, but this time, it wasn't just following its protocols. It had learned. It had adapted.

[ERROR: SUBJECT MUST BE TERMINATED.]

The voice returned, crackling inside Lin Wei's skull.

For the first time, the System wasn't just tracking him.

The System’s Awakening