The system isn't mine. It was just waiting.
Location: Alley 9-B, behind Training Zone
Time: Minutes after Shadowstep escape
I collapsed.
Chest first. Hands shaking. Mana flickering like broken static under my skin.
The world spun, and the system began to whisper.
"Awakening protocol... 17% recognized..."
"Seal integrity compromised. Foreign trigger confirmed."
"Subject: Kiris — Claimant to original summoning contract."
I clutched my chest.
Something inside me clicked.
Like a rusted lock being teased open by hands I didn't recognize.
Then I saw her face again — Kiris, stepping from the rift like she had always belonged.
Void in her eyes. Power in her voice.
You were supposed to be mine.
I screamed into my palm, muffling the sound.
Not from pain — from remembrance.
[SYSTEM BREACH: Core Lock Response Initiated]
Scanning for intruding source...
Profile matched: Code-class Entity — ❖ Kiris
Accessing HUD Data...
[Cross-System HUD // Entity File: Kiris]
General Parameters
Name: Kiris (Alias: ❖)
Realm Origin: [DATA CORRUPTED] — not of this dimension
Role: Summoner-Class (Forbidden Ritual)
Claim: Soul Contract Holder (Subject: Nox Voidborne)
Emotional Threads
Parameter
Status
Obsession Index
99.2%
Claim Type
Total Ownership
Affection Mask
None
Jealousy Threshold
Exceeded (Triggers on proximity)
Loyalty Type
"Creator-Bound"
Kill Switch Instinct
Present
Threat Analysis
Type
Severity
Cross-Realm Distortion
Critical
Soul Rewrite Capability
ACTIVE
Reality Bypass
Detected
System Override Attempt
Ongoing
Memory Corruption Risk
HIGH (Triggered once)
System Commentary
"This entity is not registered within the structure of this realm. Her claim on you precedes your transmigration."
"Kiris views you not as a person, but a project. A creation. Something that escaped."
"She is not here to win. She is here to restore control."
I curled into myself as the lock inside me turned again.
Burning lines etched beneath my skin — glowing briefly along my collarbone like a brand trying to remember itself.
[LOCKED CORE SEAL 1 — STATUS: FRACTURED]
Progress: 38%
Key Trigger: Name "Kiris" Spoken + Visual Contact
Contained Skill: [REDACTED] — Shadow-type Forbidden
Warning: When fully opened, Subject will regain original build configuration
I choked on air. "I don't want that…"
But the system didn't care what I wanted.
It only cared what was programmed.
Suddenly — a voice. Familiar. Cold.
"You ran from her."
Rin's voice.
She stood at the edge of the alleyway, arms crossed, looking down at me like I was a bomb waiting to explode.
"You think Shadowstep saved you? No, Nox. That was just the first move in her game."
"And you still don't know what's inside you, do you?"
I shook my head slowly.
"Then you better learn fast," she said, drawing her blade. "Because when that seal breaks—"
"She won't be the only one coming for you."
[End of File: Kiris — HUD Stored in Restricted Memory Vault]
Seal #1 Fractured
2 Locks Remaining