The road to the city of Virelle was shrouded in an unnatural haze.
Even Azarion narrowed his eyes. "There's something… wrong here."
Yui tightened her hood as they passed the ancient stone gates. Once, Virelle had been a vibrant city of knowledge—its towers built from obsidian and blueglass, scholars walking the spiral libraries in eternal debate.
Now, it was too silent.
The citizens still moved—merchants opened stalls, guards patrolled the walls—but their eyes… were empty.
Like they were acting out a story they didn't believe in.
Kale stepped forward. "They've been rewritten."
"What?" Vera said from behind, hands on her daggers.
Kale didn't flinch. "This city was overwritten by a branch script—an Editor-run simulation to root out unstable elements. These people aren't possessed… they're auditioning for a narrative."
Yui's blood ran cold.
"Can we undo it?"
Azarion answered darkly. "Not without breaking the central narrative node."
"And let me guess," Vera muttered, "it's guarded."
Kale nodded. "Not just guarded. Commanded. By one of the original cast. Someone strong enough to control the city's rewritten threads."
Yui's system pulsed with a new alert:
> [Incoming Narrative Conflict Identified]
Commander of the Virelle Rewritten Branch: Selene of the Bladebound Star
Original Role: Protagonist of [Deleted Storyline – "The Starlight Duelist"]
Status: Corrupted. Editor-aligned.
Yui's heart twisted. She remembered Selene.
She had been one of her favorite creations—a powerful, unshakable swordmistress with a vow to never betray her heart.
"I never wanted her deleted," she whispered.
"She wasn't," Kale said grimly. "She was… repurposed."
---
They reached the city center at dusk.
The tower of Virelle rose into the blood-orange sky, but it was no longer an academy—it was a stage. And on that stage stood a woman in silver armor, eyes burning violet, her greatsword resting beside her like a divine judgment.
Selene.
"Warden of Echoes," she called, her voice clear, resonant, false. "By Editor decree, your anomaly must end."
Yui stepped forward. "Selene, I wrote you! You're more than their weapon."
Selene's eye twitched.
Then a flicker—barely perceptible—of recognition.
"You… erased me."
Yui's voice cracked. "I had to. They made me change the focus of the arc. But I never forgot you."
Selene raised her blade.
"You will."
---
The duel was fast.
Selene moved like light—slashes that bent the air, techniques pulled from deleted drafts. Azarion and Vera moved to intercept, but she knocked them back with a Single Line Severance, splitting the cobblestone path in two.
Only Yui remained.
> [System Skill Activated: Echo Guard – Twin Pulse Reflection]
Two shimmering shields formed—one in front of her, one behind. Selene's blade struck—and paused.
The resonance froze the world.
"I remember," Selene whispered. "I remember… my name."
Yui stepped forward and placed a hand on the sword.
"You are Selene. You swore an oath to never betray your heart. And you didn't. They just rewrote what your heart meant."
Selene's hands trembled.
Then—
> [System Override Successful – Character Reclaim: Selene of the Bladebound Star]
Allegiance: Restored
Role: Dual-Fated Companion
Skills Unlocked: Blade Echo Requiem (SS), Trueheart Severance (S+)
Selene fell to her knees.
"I am yours again… Warden."
And the city of Virelle breathed.