——————————
I let out a long, tired sigh.
It was too early for this shit.
Damien had been running his mouth ever since I woke up, testing voices like a goddamn radio with a malfunctioning frequency.
And the worst part? He wouldn’t shut up.
"Alright, alright, hear out, baby boy~" his voice suddenly turned deep and sultry, like so suave playboy from a cheesy romance novel. "How about this? Smooth, rich, makes the ladies swoon. You like it~?"
I nearly choked on my own breath. "Damien. Stop."
"Aww, don’t be shy, sugar~" he whispered into my ears, voice morphing into sothing ridiculously seductive. "I know you like it when I—"
"Stop. Right. Now." My jaw twitched, fists clenching.
God, this system was insufferable.
First, he changed his na the mont he realised that there was another system in this world with Azazel, the hero of this world and if that wasn’t enough, there was another thing bugging .
My mories of then were a bit hazy, as if so parts were washed out, but when I asked the System; it had told that there was nothing to worry about and it was just because of my powers taking a toll on .
I was still surprised to find out that every heavenly physique had a weakness. And mine was pretty confusing, to be honest.
Damien had told that these powers of mine took more of a ntal toll on than I realized.
It was scary.
The fact that maybe I had put a hamr on my own feet.
Fortunately, he assured that nothing of that sort would happen.
I wouldn’t lose my mories all of a sudden at least.
Damien had been pulling this shit for days now, by the way.
Ever since we figured out that he could alter his voice at will. According to his so-called ’system codes,’ it was all for my comfort. Apparently, he needed to "adjust to my preferences" and "provide the best auditory experience for my host."
Bullshit.
This was just an excuse for him to ss with .
And he was enjoying it way too much.
At first, it wasn’t so bad. He stuck to regular voices—so generic masculine tones, a couple of robotic ones. But then, he got creative.
And by creative, I ant unhinged.
"Heyyy~" he drawled, suddenly switching to a high-pitched voice that made my skin crawl. "Wanna hear my cute ani girl voice? Onichan~~"
I nearly tripped over a tree root. "No."
"Oniiiiiichannnn~~" he whined. "Ufufu~ are you getting flustered?"
I swear to god—
Breathe, Noah. Breathe.
I took a deep inhale and exhaled sharply.
The only thing stopping from losing my mind completely was the quiet presence of my grandmother beside .
Sylvie walked ahead, her pace steady as she moved through the thick forest with ease. She was silent, as she always was, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings with a quiet intensity. Despite her age, she moved like a seasoned adventurer, her body nimble, steps precise.
It had been five days since we teleported here. Five days since we found ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere, relying on nothing but our instincts to survive.
The forest was dense, wild. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, the morning sun barely breaking through the towering canopy above. Birds chirped sowhere in the distance, but other than that, it was quiet.
Too quiet.
Which ant Sylvie was still on high alert.
I didn’t bla her.
Even though we hadn’t encountered anything too dangerous, this world had already proven itself unpredictable. The fact that we were at peace now didn’t an we would be safe forever.
And if there was one thing I had learned, it was that peace never lasted.
Especially not when you had sothing like this stuck in your head.
[Quest Alert: System Override]
The words flashed before my eyes, translucent and unobtrusive, but still there.
I ignored them. I had already read it a hundred tis.
A quest. A forced quest.
One that Damien had given after we discussed so terms out.
[Objective: Defy the will of the Author while sticking to the original storyline.]
[Survive.]
Simple. Concise. And utterly terrifying.
Because it ant one thing.
I wasn’t ant to survive.
The god of this world—the one who created this entire fictional reality—wanted as nothing more than a stepping stone for the Hero.
And now?
Now, I had a system that seed to hate the very god that wanted to destroy .
Damien had made it clear—he wasn’t on my side. Not really. He was on his own side, whatever that ant. He just so happened to need alive long enough to achieve whatever goal he had.
He was an ally by circumstance, nothing more.
But I wasn’t stupid.
I knew better than to trust sothing that thrived on chaos.
Because at the end of the day, I was just another pawn.
A piece in soone else’s ga.
And when your own god turns against you?
You don’t have many choices left.
"You’re awfully quiet," Damien mused, his voice finally returning to its usual, half-robotic tone—light, teasing, but not as obnoxious as before. "Thinking about the quest again?"
I didn’t answer.
He took that as a yes.
"Look, kid, I get it," he sighed. "You’re pissed. You’re scared. You’re questioning your existence. Boo-hoo. But hey—silver lining! At least I don’t want you dead. Yet."
I rolled my eyes. "Wow. That’s so reassuring. Thank you, Damien. Truly."
"Anyti, sweetheart~"
I twitched. "Say that again, and I swear to god—"
"God?"
"Which one?" he snickered. "Because last I checked, your god wanted the little you’s head on a stick."
I clenched my jaw.
Damien was right, and that was the worst part.
I was in a losing ga.
But I had no intention of playing by the rules.
The god of this world might have written my fate in stone. He might have deed a villain, soone destined to be broken, molded, and discarded when my role was finished.
But I wasn’t going to let him win.
Not now.
Not ever.
"Noah."
Sylvie’s voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and clear.
I blinked, refocusing.
She had stopped walking, her body tense, eyes narrowed toward the distance.
I followed her gaze.
The forest ahead was still dense and we had a lot to cover up before we left this place.
I tried to focus where my grandma was pointing and sothing did indeed not feel right.
I felt it too—the shift in the air. The way the birds had gone silent.
Sylvie’s fingers twitched near her waist, where a concealed dagger was strapped beneath her cloak.
I didn’t hesitate to circulate the mass of energy in my body, ready to cover my hands in Gluttant anyti.
This was another disadvantage, the ti it took for to circulate my powers and gather it outside my body.
It was way too long.
The right mont and anyone would be able to catch defenseless-
Damien humd, his voice low, unreadable.
"Looks like the fun’s about to start." He said.
I exhaled, steadying myself.
This world might have wanted dead.
But I wasn’t going down without a fight.
***
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