The chamber trembled with a sinister pulse. A green mist swirled around Kael and the obsessions, thick with tension and the scent of old jealousy. Pillars of glass rose from the stone floor—seven in total. Each bore a symbol of a different sin, but the one glowing brightest was the Eye of Envy.
[System Notification: Trial of Envy Initiated]
Objective: Only one may remain by Kael Adrienne's side.
Others will be temporarily erased from his timeline.
Condition: Reveal your deepest envy.
Hidden Condition: Survive the backlash.
"Wait—erased?!" Kael shouted, panic rising. "That's insane! This isn't a game!"
[System: Correction. This is precisely a game. Yours.]
Aria stepped forward, trembling. "I'm not afraid."
"I am," Kael whispered.
Mirror of Envy – The First Revelation
A mirror rose from the mist, casting a sickly green light. One by one, the obsessions would face their moment of envy—a truth they could never erase.
Aria's mirror lit up.
Scene: Clara kissing Kael in the training yard—before Aria had confessed her feelings.
Her voice cracked. "She kissed him first. She always got to him first. I thought if I became pure, holy, perfect—he'd notice me. But he looked at her like she was the sun. I hated it."
Kael's heart ached. "Aria…"
She shook her head. "It's okay. I envy her. Still do."
[Envy Level: Exposed]
[Trust Penalty: -10 with Clara]
Next: Eva's Envy
Eva's mirror shimmered.
Scene: Kael tending to Iris's wounds after a dungeon raid, brushing her hair aside with soft hands.
Eva clenched her fists. "I fight for him. Bleed for him. But he's gentle with her. I envied that softness. I didn't want tenderness—until I saw him give it away."
Kael looked at her, shocked. "You… never said."
"I'm not good with feelings, idiot."
[Envy Level: Exposed]
[Trust Shift: +5 with Iris]
Iris's Turn
The mirror glowed a golden hue tainted with green.
Scene: Kael laughing with Mireille—freely, joyfully—on a rooftop, before everything went dark.
"I'm the priestess. I should have been above such things. But when I saw him laugh with her like that, I thought—'why not me?' I envied her ease. Her laughter. I didn't want his body. I wanted that light."
Mireille blinked, eyes wide.
[Envy Level: Exposed]
[Trust Shift: +10 with Mireille]
Kael stepped closer. "Iris, I… didn't know I made you feel that way."
"You didn't," she said, with a smile. "But you do now."
Clara's Mirror – The Most Damaging Truth
Scene: Aria and Kael holding hands under the blood moon, lips brushing.
Clara's face twisted.
"I had him. Since we were children. But when I looked away for one second, Aria took him. She acted pure, like a saint—but she snuck behind me. I envied her ability to steal what was mine. I still do."
Aria's eyes glowed red. "You're lying."
Kael: "Wait… Aria… did you—?"
Aria said nothing.
[Envy Level: Exposed]
[New Rivalry Level Unlocked: Aria vs Clara – Escalated to Hostile]
[System Warning: Violent Conflict Probability Increased]
Ravynne's Envy – The Mother's Curse
Scene: Kael sitting beside Iris, smiling like a boy—not the monster he'd become.
Ravynne's voice was soft. "They see you as a man. I saw you first—as a boy. My boy. But I envy their innocence. They see you as someone they can save. I know better. I envy the time before I fell in love with you."
Kael shuddered. "You're my—"
"No," she said. "I'm not. But I was once close. Too close."
[Kael's Soul Alignment: Shifted to 'Fragmented Hero']
[Obsession Intensity: Ravynne – Max Level]
Mireille's Turn – The Chronicler's Secret
Scene: A page turning. Over and over. Always ending with Kael dying. Or abandoned.
"I envied all of them," Mireille whispered. "Because they lived beside you. I watched. I wrote. I documented your suffering while they kissed your cheeks and stabbed your back. I envied even your tears. Because at least they were real. Mine were just ink."
Kael reached out. "Mireille…"
She pulled away.
"You were a character. Until I fell in love. Then you became a person."
The System Chooses
The mirror spun. Faster. Brighter.
[All Envy Exposed.]
[Calculating Target for Erasure…]
[Lowest Trust Level: CLARA.]
Everyone froze.
Kael: "Wait, no! She didn't mean to—"
Clara lunged at the altar. "I won't be erased!"
[System: Override Attempt Detected. Punishment Imminent.]
Suddenly, the chamber cracked. A new presence flooded in. The air turned cold.
And a girl stepped from the shadows.
She wore a black veil. Her eyes were stitched shut. Her voice was soft but venomous.
"Erase Clara?" she said. "No. That would ruin my collection."
Kael's breath caught. "Who…?"
[Obsession Level: UNKNOWN – UNTRACKABLE ENTITY]
[Title: The Archivist of Madness]
[Obsession #7: Initiated]
Chapter Cliffhanger: The Collector Enters the Game
Clara collapsed in Kael's arms, sobbing, her body twitching as the System tried and failed to delete her.
The Archivist giggled.
"I broke the rules to watch your story, Kael. But now… I want to rewrite it."
Kael's blood froze.