---
A crimson streak tore the heavens above Varethiel, splitting the night sky like a bleeding wound.
The gathered Players froze—every one of them seasoned warriors, strategists, or arcane specialists. Yet in that moment, even they felt it:
Dread.
Not the kind born of fear, but the quiet certainty that something greater had entered the board.
Kael felt it in his bones.
A low hum, like static or a suppressed scream, vibrated through the shattered stone plaza. The broken sky above twisted unnaturally. The arcane runes that had summoned the Hidden Assembly flared violently—then shattered like glass.
"She's crossing in," Seris muttered. "This isn't a projection. She's really coming."
A new notification blinked into Kael's vision, one no other Player received:
---
[System Warning: Dimensional Anchor Breached]
Entity Detected: Designation Unknown (CRIMSON-001)
Status: Hostile. System Authority Overridden. Defensive Protocols Locked.
→ Origin Shard Reacting. Synchronization: 27%
---
Kael's shard flared in his pouch, burning hot through the fabric.
And then she arrived.
---
She stepped from the air like a goddess from a broken mirror.
Hair like liquid garnet spilled down her back, her eyes glowing with ancient power—red, but not of blood. Red like dying stars.
No system introduced her.
No name hovered above her head.
But every Player took a step back, as if by instinct.
Only Kael stood still. The shard pulsing in sync with her heartbeat.
She looked at him.
Directly.
"Found you," she said, her voice both gentle and ruinous. "You're carrying what he stole from me."
Kael's throat tightened. "The Architect?"
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That title doesn't matter anymore. What matters is this—" she held up her hand, and a second Origin Shard appeared, floating above her palm, surrounded by a corona of red fire. "—you and I are the only ones left who can unmake the Game."
The Players stirred, weapons drawn, barriers flaring.
But she ignored them.
"You don't understand what you're holding, Kael. You think it's a gift?" Her eyes narrowed. "It's a chain. One he forged to keep us trapped."
Seris stepped forward. "If you're here to start a war—"
"I'm here to end it," the crimson woman said coldly. "I'm here to burn the System from the inside out."
---
[System Emergency Notification: Global Stability Threat Detected]
Event Flag: Worldbreaker-Class Entity
Forced Synchronization Initiated...
---
Suddenly, Kael's mind filled with light—visions not his own.
A world before the Game.
The Architect forging the first Shard.
A rebellion. A betrayal.
A crimson figure, torn apart and rebuilt.
He saw her. Her past. Her pain.
And he saw the truth:
The Game wasn't a competition.
It was a prison.
---
Kael gasped and stumbled back.
The crimson woman stood still.
"You see it now. Don't you?" she said quietly.
He nodded. Slowly.
But he wasn't ready to trust her.
Not yet.
---
"I'm not your enemy," she said. "But I won't let the Architect win. If you're with him... you'll burn too."
Then she vanished—not teleported, but erased, like a forgotten memory swallowed by night.
---
The Players stared in stunned silence.
Seris finally spoke. "The world just changed."
"No," Kael said softly, his fingers curled around his shard.
"It was never what we thought to begin with."
---
[System Notification]
Main Questline Updated: Origins Rewritten
Objective: Decide who to follow—The Architect, or the Crimson Woman.
Your choice will shape the fate of the world.
---
—
Dear Readers,
Thank you for diving into Chapter 17 of [Your Novel Title]! The arrival of the crimson woman changes everything—Kael now knows the Game hides something far more sinister.
What do you think? Can she be trusted? Or is this just another layer of manipulation?
👉 Please leave a review if you're enjoying the journey so far—it helps this story grow!
💬 And don't forget to comment below—I'd love to hear your theories, reactions, or favorite moments!
Your support keeps the fire burning.
— Your author, Talent Engraver