I stepped into the apartnt just as the morning sun began creeping through the windows. I half-expected silence, the others still asleep after the long day before. But instead—
The scent of sothing warm, familiar.
I barely had ti to process before—
"Where were you?"
Sienna's voice cut through the quiet.
I looked up to find her standing in the kitchen, arms crossed, worry creased between her brows. A mug of tea rested in her hand, steam curling into the air.
Behind her, Camille stretched lazily on the couch, barely awake, her hair a ss. Alexis sat beside her, eyes half-lidded as she clung to her coffee like it was her only lifeline.
...They were all awake?
Damn. I was hoping to just slip back in unnoticed.
I exhaled. "Needed so air."
Sienna didn't look convinced.
"At this rate," Camille mumbled through a yawn, "you'll start living outside."
She rubbed her eyes, looking far too exhausted to be teasing . This was probably the earliest she'd been up in... ever.
"I was restless," I added, sitting down at the table.
Alexis narrowed her eyes at over the rim of her coffee mug. "Mhm. Sure."
I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. "You're all really suspicious for people who just woke up."
Sienna didn't let up, setting her tea down. "Rey....you promised. No secrets."
I stilled.
I knew she was right.
But how the hell was I supposed to tell them this?
"I'll tell you in due ti."
That wasn't a lie.
I wasn't even sure I had a decision yet.
Sienna held my gaze a mont longer. She looked sad, but then she sighed and took a sip of her tea. "Alright....but don't keep us waiting too long."
I nodded, not trusting myself to say more.
And just when I thought I could finally sit down in peace—
My phone buzzed.
I didn't even need to check the caller ID.
"So." Evelyn's voice ca through, flat and unimpressed. "You t the spy."
I exhaled sharply. "You could've warned ."
"Wouldn't have changed anything. You were always going to et him eventually.*"
I clenched my jaw. "And what do you think about all this?"
"Not my decision to make," she said simply. "What do you think?"
I hesitated. "I haven't decided yet."
"Then hurry up and make a choice before soone else does it for you."
I bit back a sigh. "Yeah? And what happens if I say no?"
"Then the people on your side get wiped out for treason."
That shut up.
She wasn't exaggerating.
"Face it, Reynard." Her voice softened just slightly. "You've already been chosen. The world just needs you to realize it."
I said nothing.
"Oh, and before I forget," she continued, "Mark's still missing. No records. No traces. No digital footprint. It's like he never existed.*"
I frowned. "He's hiding."
"Or soone's hiding him."
That thought sat heavier than I liked.
"Keep your head up, Reynard." Then, just like that, she hung up.
I let out a slow breath, leaning back in my chair.
Sienna raised an eyebrow. "Evelyn?"
I nodded. "She says Mark's disappeared. Completely wiped.*"
Camille humd, still half-asleep. "How convenient."
Alexis, however, perked up slightly. "And what are you gonna do about it?"
I glanced at her. "Find out who the hell he really is."
She blinked. "Oh. So, conspiracy ti?"
I sighed, pulling up my Database in my system. "Yeah. Conspiracy ti."
The problem with Mark?
Most of his history was gone.
No last na. No family records. No paper trail of how he climbed the ranks.
The man just... appeared.
Soone in his position—director of one of the most ambitious space programs in human history—should have had a long list of credentials, public interviews, and records of their past achievents. A history of employnt. A list of ntors, colleagues, or even old academic records.
But there was nothing.
The further I searched, the more unsettling it beca.
His na appeared in governnt files as the head of the Mars mission. But before that? The trail went cold. No reports of him being promoted. No news articles about his rise through the ranks. Not even an old university graduation photo.
It was like soone had cut out the first half of his life and replaced it with a job title.
That wasn't normal.
My Scan skill hadn't even been able to detect a last na from him when I first used it. At the ti, I thought maybe he was shielding his identity—maybe he had the skills to avoid detection.
But looking at this?
That wasn't just skill. That was a systemic erasure.
Which ant...
His real past? It had to be under a different na entirely.
Alexis peered over my shoulder, eyes flicking between my screen and the sparse, fragnted data. "So, what's the theory of the day?"
I exhaled slowly, my voice steady.
"Mark doesn't exist."
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's concerning."
I didn't answer, my mind already racing.
Soone had placed Mark in that position. Soone powerful enough to rewrite history, to fabricate an identity that only existed from the mont he beca Director. It had to be the World President.
Which begged the question—
Who the hell was Mark before?
And more importantly—
Why did soone go through so much effort to make sure no one ever found out?
Before I could dig deeper—
"Rey." Camille called from the couch.
I turned.
She was pointing at the TV.
The screen showed a news broadcast. The anchor's voice droned on:
"Following his defeat from this month's infamous trial, A-Rank lawyer Damian Voss has been officially hospitalized due to extre stress. His law firm has issued a statent confirming his leave of absence, and as of today, has dropped him from their roster."
I watched as the footage cut to his office building. Then his empty desk.
His career? Over.
I inhaled slowly.
Sienna looked at , quiet. "Do you regret it?"
Destroy.
I didn't answer imdiately.
"No," I said.
But the sight of his empty desk lingered. A lifeti of ambition, erased in a second.
I didn't feel good about it either.
Camille watched the screen, her expression unreadable. Then, softly: "He wouldn't have lost control if it weren't for ."
I frowned. "That's not your fault."
She didn't answer.
Sienna sighed, leaning back. "What's done is done."
We let the mont pass.
Night fell.
And still—
My mind wouldn't rest.
I opened my system, ignoring the notifications that had been waiting since the trial.
One stood out.
[New Job Available]
I hesitated for a mont, before accepting it.
The screen flickered. Processing.
Then—
Everything shifted.
My vision blurred. My system pulsed, the text on the screen warping. And suddenly—A fist slamd into my face.
I staggered back, recoiling, my head snapping to the side.
I barely caught my footing, my heart slamming in my chest.
What the hell—?!
The world around was different.
Bright lights. Roaring echoes. A massive ring beneath my feet.
And standing across from —
A shadowed silhouette.
Another punch ca flying.
I couldn't dodge in ti. I felt like my nose was bleeding profusely.
Then—
I found myself back on the couch. Looking up my System screen I saw my new job.
[NEW JOB ACQUIRED: BOXER (C-RANK)]
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