I barely slept.
Every time I drifted, the system tried again—soft pulses threading into my dreams, reshaping them, painting symbols I didn't understand across the inside of my eyelids.
Each time I woke, the whispers retreated like guilty shadows.
By dawn, my temples throbbed, and my thoughts felt like they had been pushed through a grinder. But I couldn't afford weakness today.
Not today.
Ruffus would arrive before noon.
I washed my face in the courtyard basin, cold water shocking the exhaustion out of my bones. Kids were already awake, rolling tires, shouting, fighting over scraps like the world wasn't poised to tilt beneath our feet. Then they were the older kids like me who fully understood our predicament and were trying to get stronger by any means just to leave here. Maybe so they woudn't watch the little ones suffer. They were in different postures circluating their mana and pushing their hand signatures for better efficency
The Matron hovered by the doorway, twisting her fingers.
"Rin… Are you sure you can handle this?"
"Yes."
She watched me. I didn't blink.
"You have that look again," she whispered.
"What look?"
"The one you get before you do something that terrifies me."
I didn't respond. Terrifying her wasn't my goal. Keeping them alive was in my best interest.
A shadow crossed the gate.
Not Ruffus.
His group of waiters. I searched for taylor in the mist of them and didnt see her. Rufus herald took a step foward
Tall. Thin. Wearing that ridiculous blue trench coat he always used to announce his presence like some self-appointed noble in a slum.
He swung the gate open without knocking.
"Matron," he called. His voice was syrupy and venomous. "The Collector arrives shortly. Prepare your books."
He turned to leave—
"Wait," I said.
His smile froze.
I stepped forward, calm as still water. "Tell Ruffus I want to speak to him before he begins."
The herald laughed. "You? Oh, child… he doesn't take 'requests.' Ruffus takes _respect_. And money."
"Tell him," I repeated, unwavering. "Or I'll give him reason to ask why you ignored me."
A soft flicker pulsed behind my eyes.
A system whisper.
The herald's smile twisted. He looked me over again, reassessing.
"…Fine," he spat. "I'll mention it."
He left.
The Matron grabbed my arm the moment the gate shut. "Rin, what are you doing?"
"Surviving," I answered. "The way I always do."
Being in Rin's body had advantages like this i had to enjoy. Being a white robed wouldn't put me at a disadvantage. Most of the kids from this block that could leave Mergehold were so weak that they couldn't join anything that could give really money to the temple and if they could they would lose their life for it.
Her voice dropped. "You can't outthink someone like Ruffus."
"Then he's already lost."
She stared at me with a mix of fear and faith.
I pulled away gently. "Keep the kids inside."
---
Ruffus arrived twenty minutes later.
Heavy footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
The kind of walk a man used when he wanted the world to know he feared nothing. His coat—a thick, dark hide—dragged a small cloud of dust behind him. Rings glinted on his massive hands.
Two enforcers followed.
The herald smirked and curled behind them.
Ruffus stopped in front of me, arms folding.
"You asked for me," he said. His voice was deep, smooth, controlled.
"I did."
His gaze dropped to me like a descending weight. "You're the smart one here, aren't you?
The way he said it made my skin crawl.
"What do you want?" I asked.
He lifted the ledger the Matron always kept. "Payment. Interest. Late fees. Punishments where applicable."
"She has the payment," I said. "But you and I need to talk first."
He raised a brow, amused. "Do we?"
"Yes."
"And why would I waste breath on a boy who contributes nothing to my pockets?"
A slow, precise exhale passed my lips.
I'd already calculated this conversation thirty-seven different ways.
I chose the path with the highest survival probability.
"You don't want the money today," I said.
Silence fell.
Even the enforcers looked confused.
Ruffus tilted his head. "Pretty sure I do."
"No," I replied confidently. "Because if you take full payment today, the orphanage stays alive long enough to delay debt again. But if you take _partial_, then raise the interest, you make more in three weeks than you would today."
The herald blinked.
The Matron sucked in a breath behind the door.
Ruffus stared at me for a long, heavy moment—measuring, weighing, evaluating.
"…You've been doing math," he said.
"I'm always doing math."
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Alright. Go on then, boy genius. What exactly are you offering me?"
There it was.
The opening.
"I'll make you a deal," I said. "You leave with twenty percent today. You raise the interest by five. You come back in twelve days instead of seven."
"Why would I do that?" he asked.
"Because I know how to bring in more money for you without hurting the orphanage."
"And why would you help me?" he asked. "Altruism? Fear? Loyalty?"
"Self-preservation," I said plainly. "I can't help the kids if you crush us."
I expected him to laugh.
But he didn't.
He studied me—deeply. Too deeply.
"You talk like someone twice your age."
"I think like someone ten times it."
Behind my eyes—
a pulse.
A soft hum.
Growing louder.
Not now. Not now.
Ruffus didn't notice.
He smiled with slow appreciation. "You know what? I like you."
Bad.
Very bad.
Men like him only "liked" things they intended to break or own.
A flicker of static crawled up my spine.
> **Alignment Accelerating Alignment Accelerating Alignment Accelerating**
> **Cognitive Threads…syncing…Cognitive Threads… syncing…Cognitive Threads…syncing…**
My knees threatened to buckle.
Not here. Not now.
I clenched my jaw. My vision blurred. The world wobbled like a heat mirage.
Ruffus stepped closer. "You alright, boy?"
"I'm fine," I forced out.
He leaned in, inspecting my face. "You don't look fine."
I stepped back. "The heat."
"Mm." He didn't sound convinced. "So. This deal of yours—if I accept, what do I get besides delayed payment?"
"A very specific advantage," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Predictability."
"Predictability?"
"Yes. You don't like risks. You like cycles you control. If you give me twelve days, I'll ensure the orphanage enters a predictable cycle of payment that benefits you long-term."
His eyes narrowed. "You're saying you can turn this place profitable?"
"I can keep it from being a loss."
"And what do you get in return?"
My chest tightened.
Ruffus leaned forward. "Speak, boy."
The words came out slow. Controlled.
"I get time."
He stared at me.
Time.
That was all I wanted.
All I needed.
A hum built inside my skull, like a storm gathering behind bone.
The system surged.
> **User Stress Detected User Stress Detected User Stress Detected**
> **Cognitive Override Recommended Cognitive Override Recommended Cognitive Override Recommended**
> **Initiating…Initiating…Initiating…**
NO.
I slammed a mental wall up—hard.
My breath hitched.
The street tilted for a moment.
Ruffus' face blurred, then sharpened.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Heat," I repeated.
He didn't believe me.
The herald shifted uncomfortably.
The enforcers gripped their clubs.
Ruffus tapped his fingers together. Thinking. Calculating. His mind wasn't slow—just cruel.
Finally:
"Alright, boy."
My muscles tensed.
"I'll give you twelve days."
Matron gasped behind the window.
"But," he continued, stepping closer until his breath hit my face,
"If you fail…
I take _you_ instead."
My skin went cold.
The herald grinned.
The enforcers smirked.
The Matron whispered my name like a prayer.
I didn't flinch.
"I won't fail."
He chuckled. "Confidence. Good."
He turned. "Collect twenty percent."
His men got the money.
He got his interest hike.
The deal was sealed.
But as he walked away, he paused.
"Rin Vann," he said without turning,
"You remind me of someone I had to put down a while ago.
He thought too fast as well.
That glow from the orb could have well been malfunction don't build castles in your head"
Then he left.
---
The gate shut.
Kids peeked from doors.
The Matron rushed to me, nearly grabbing me by the shoulders.
"Aiden—what have you done?"
"Saved us. Temporarily."
"Temporarily isn't enough!"
"I know."
My heart hammered.
The system whispered.
> Ascend.Ascend.Ascend.
> Acquire Threads. Acquire Threads. Acquire Threads.
> Time is a resource.Time is a resource.Time is a resource.
> Use it.Use it.Use it.
I swallowed hard. "Matron… I need to go."
"Where?"
"Anywhere I can't be followed. Anywhere quiet."
Her voice cracked. "The tunnels again?"
I nodded.
She stared at me, fear and trust warring in her eyes.
"Aiden… please come back."
"I will."
I stepped into the sun.
Twelve days.
A system growing more aggressive.
A debt collector who now had reasons to watch me.
A mind being rewritten by something I still didn't understand.
I walked faster.
The hum in my skull grew louder.
Sharper.
Demanding.
The world flickered.
My vision trembled.
In the distance, the drainage tunnel waited.
Twelve days of waste. In reality it was the time I needed to understand this watch and my power