Chapter 60
Aldraya walked past the third location without looking back, leaving no trace of his presence, as if the place had never been part of their world.
Stacks of articles and old sheets, arranged in a modern order—places where Ilux should have discovered their warmest conversations about destiny and choice—were now neglected.
Floating objects that should have danced in the air with streams of data and light no longer moved, for there was no one left to witness them.
Theo stood at a distance, watching Aldraya stride along the sidewalk in a different direction, with steps that were flat, cold, and lifeless.
In an instant, Theo realized that the script they had written had fractured—and the world they had created was beginning to resist being controlled.
He looked down at his book again, seeing the lists slowly losing their meaning.
The place names were still clearly recorded, yet they felt alien, like memories that could no longer be touched.
The pen in his hand trembled gently between fingers stiffened by awe and horror—how could Aldraya, a character meant to be born of imagination, now dare to defy the narrative they had written?
"I don't want to stop by the observatory."
"Why? Isn't that fun—"
"Doesn't matter."
"Come on, just for a bit.
We can look at the stars—even in the daytime—"
"Too crowded."
"Ugh, always like that.
So, where are we going, Aldraya? Where are you actually taking me?"
"We go straight to the destination."
"What destination? You didn't say we'd be moving around without purpose, right?"
"Trust me."
Huufffh!
"Seriously? We just pass the botanical garden? And the old city architecture tour too?
They're all on the must-visit list of this world, Aldraya!"
"Done. We've arrived."
'What is actually happening here?
Weren't they supposed to stop by those article collections—the observatory, the botanical garden, the old city tour?
If this is a malfunction, where did it originate?
Or is this world rewriting its own path without permission?'
Tsaaaah!
'Every discrepancy must be recorded.
From jumps between locations to every second that diverges from the original script.
This mall should have been the seventh point and the end of the journey, yet they move straight to the arc's conclusion.
If this is intentional, what is the purpose?
If it's a system error, what triggered it?
All possibilities must be documented.'
Theo stared at the pages of his book, now looking like an open wound—black ink trembling along with the anxious pulse creeping up from his chest.
He knew the correct sequence, remembered every conversation, every facial expression that should appear, even the intensity of light in each location.
Yet now, all was in disarray—Aldraya, with his flat, silent expression, walked with Ilux straight toward the shopping mall.
The final point, as if time and space between them had been forcibly folded by unseen hands.
Aldraya's steps echoed calmly on the marble floor of the mall, a calm that was unsettling.
Ilux still smiled, unaware that the world around them had lost its order.
Neon lights on the ceiling reflected Theo's shadow hidden behind a pillar, and there he watched the two figures like dolls moved by a force that did not belong to them.
He tried to rewrite, to inscribe new commands in the book—but the ink no longer obeyed.
The lines blurred, the letters refused to form, and as if the book itself rejected his presence as the author.
'You are no longer the one writing the course of the story,' whispered his own thoughts, cold and slow, as if spoken by a voice Theo could no longer be sure belonged to him.
He looked up at the glass-layered ceiling of the mall, where the evening light dimmed, leaving a somber reflection of his own face.
Theo suddenly felt as if something—or someone—was reversing the system from beyond his control.
And amidst his tangled thoughts, a name emerged uninvited.
Another Administrator.
Not Cru, not himself—but an unknown figure capable of rewriting the lines of fate as swiftly as flipping a page.
In that moment, Theo pondered the worst possibility.
'Whatever is moving Aldraya and Ilux is no longer part of the game I understand.'
The world of Flo Viva Mythology now had its own will, and Theo, the once all-knowing author, was now only a stranded witness inside a story rewriting him.
'For some reason, this pattern keeps repeating, as if the entire script is being shuffled right before my eyes. But no matter how strange the flow, my task remains the same. Observe, record, understand. As long as I can follow them, this story is still mine.'
Wussssh!
"Aldraya, look at this. Don't you think it would suit your slightly silvered hair?"
"No. The cut is too long."
"Huh? But that's what makes it elegant."
"Hard to move."
"Geez, you always talk about efficiency. This is a date, not a world-saving mission."
"Our goal is shopping, not appearances."
"Okay, okay. Then how about this? The jacket is light, the color's cool—black with a blue stripe on the sleeve."
"Not practical. Its inner layer is too thick for academy weather."
"My God. You can even find a reason not to like this jacket?"
"A simple visual analysis."
"Visual analysis?
Do you hear yourself, Aldraya?
I just asked if it's nice, not for a military report!"
"...."
"Getting the word 'nice' out of your mouth feels like a major achievement, huh?"
Hooooh!
'Perhaps it's true. Aldraya designed this three-location date route. He's not the type to enjoy many stages. Short, efficient, and oddly still captivating.'
Faaaah!
"Finally done. Thanks, Aldraya. These three places were really fun—even though you barely smiled at all."
"Accepted."
"Seriously, can't you give even a little reaction? A small smile?"
"Accepted. That's enough."
"If your coldness could be sold, the world would be short of ice."
"Inefficient analogy."
White light from the mall ceiling reflected softly on the marble floor, casting trembling shadows at Aldraya and Ilux's feet as they walked toward the exit.
Among the crowds and the soft hum of music from speakers, Theo still followed their steps from afar.
He bent slightly, as if hiding behind the flow of visitors, his eyes fixed on the two figures who now seemed truly like a piece of the world he could no longer touch.
In his hands, the small yellow book lay open to the familiar page—and he stared at the words "shopping mall" with a bitter gaze, realizing that the entire date chapter had ended faster than it should, without his consent.
Aldraya stood beside Ilux near the automatic sliding door.
His face remained flat, like a sky without the sun.
A tote bag containing some academy items swung lightly from his left hand, as if weightless.
Ilux smiled widely, with a warm, innocent tone, thanking him for spending a pleasant day together.
Yet there, in the cold white light, Aldraya's response came flatly—just a single sentence refusing life.
Not a flicker in his eyes, like mirrors reflecting the world without truly seeing it.
Theo, watching from afar, felt something sink in his chest. He remembered how Aldraya's expression should have been in the script—a small, accidental smile, a soft glance hinting that he was beginning to understand the meaning of "liking."
To be continued…