"It means the world is trying to kill me."
The sentence barely left my mouth before the air whistled.
Snap.
I didn't think; I just threw myself to the left, diving into a patch of ornamental thorny bushes. A split second later, a heavy iron lantern detached from its post and smashed into the cobblestones exactly where I had been standing. The glass housing shattered, spraying oil and sparks across the path.
"Okay," I panted, scrambling to my feet, ignoring the thorns digging into my grey uniform. "Message received. Subtle. Very subtle."
I didn't wait to see if the lamppost itself would try to finish the job. I broke into a sprint.
The path to the Commoner Dormitories—Building C—was usually a calm, ten-minute walk through a scenic grove of star-oaks. Right now, it felt like running through a minefield designed by a sadistic architect.
The wind picked up, howling through the trees with a voice that sounded less like weather and more like resentment. It didn't smell like rain; it smelled like ozone and burning wire.
Crack.
A tree branch, thick as a man's thigh, sheared off a trunk to my right. It didn't fall straight down; the wind caught it, flinging it sideways like a spear aimed at my head.
I slid on the gravel, dropping to my knees. The branch whooshed over me, the leaves whipping my face, before it impaled itself into the dirt with a dull thud.
"Seriously?" I yelled at the empty sky, scrambling back up. "A branch? That's the best you got? That's so cliché!"
I shouldn't have taunted the narrative.
The ground beneath my feet gave way. A sinkhole—a small, localized collapse of the ancient drainage system—opened up directly under my next step.
My right foot plunged into darkness.
I pitched forward, my face rushing toward the stone path. I slammed my hands down to catch myself, skinning my palms on the rough gravel. I yanked my leg out just as the hole widened, swallowing the rest of the path where I had been a second ago.
"Okay, okay! I'm going!" I gasped, clutching my bleeding hands to my chest.
[Narrative Deviation Correction: Failed.]
[Retrying...]
The grey text flickered in my vision, pulsing with a frustrated rhythm. It was overlapping with my actual sight, making it hard to see where I was going.
"You can't just delete me!" I hissed through gritted teeth, forcing my legs to pump faster. "I'm in the database now! I have a student ID! I'm canon!"
I could see the looming brick façade of Building C ahead. It was an ugly, square structure, utilitarian and devoid of the magic that adorned the noble dorms. It looked like a prison block. But right now, it looked like the safest place in the universe.
The "Correction Events" seemed to rely on environmental hazards. Falling objects, structural failures, "accidents." If I could get to a stable, enclosed space, I could minimize the variables.
I ran the last fifty meters. I dodged a loose roof tile that spun off the gatehouse like a frisbee. I sidestepped a puddle that was inexplicably bubbling and hissing, likely electrified by a loose underground mana conduit.
I burst through the heavy oak double doors of the dormitory and slammed them shut behind me, throwing the deadbolt.
Thud.
I backed away from the door, chest heaving, waiting for the ceiling to collapse.
Silence.
The hallway was quiet. It smelled of cheap lemon cleaning solution and stale socks. A magical lamp flickered overhead, buzzing softly.
"Safe," I whispered, sliding down the wall until I hit the floor.
[Objective Complete: Survive the Night (In Progress)]
[Threat Level: Decreased to Low.]
[Narrative Cohesion: Stabilizing.]
The text faded, blending into the shadows of the hallway. The headache behind my eyes receded to a dull thrum, like a hangover that wouldn't quit.
"Ren? Is that you?"
I jumped, my heart giving one last painful kick.
Standing at the end of the hallway, holding a toothbrush and wearing oversized pajamas with little yellow ducks on them, was a boy with messy straw-colored hair and a face that screamed 'innocent bystander.'
Leo.
I recognized him instantly from the character files. In the original novel, Leo is the "Loyal Sidekick" archetype. He's the guy who usually becomes Kaelen's first friend after the hero saves him from a bully in Chapter 5. He's naive, easily impressed, has a hidden talent for cooking, and is generally used by the author to ask the questions the audience needs answered.
"Hey, Leo," I managed, trying to sound like I hadn't just escaped a sentient assassination attempt by nature itself. "Yeah. Just… went for a run."
Leo padded over, his slippers scuffling on the wooden floor. He looked at my torn uniform, the thorns sticking out of my sleeve, my bleeding palms, and my sweat-drenched face.
"A run?" he asked, eyes wide. "Did you run through a thresher? You're bleeding!"
"Tripped," I said, waving my hand dismissively and immediately regretting it as my palm stung. "Aggressive gravel. It's a real problem in this sector. The maintenance crew really needs to get on that."
Leo frowned, looking genuinely concerned. "You should clean that up. The dorm matron is already asleep—she drinks that weird herbal tea that knocks her out—but I have some salve. My mom packs me, like, ten jars every term. Says I'm 'accident-prone'."
He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
If only you knew, buddy, I thought. You're just clumsy. I'm an error code.
"Thanks, Leo," I said, pushing myself up using the wall. "That would be great."
We walked to our room—Room 104. It was a cramped box with two beds, two desks, and one window. My bed was the one on the left, currently made with military precision (my doing, trying to establish order). Leo's side looked like a tornado had hit a library; clothes, books, and snack wrappers were everywhere.
I sat on my bed, wincing as Leo handed me a jar of green goo. It smelled like mint and swamp water.
"So," Leo started, hopping onto his own bed and hugging a pillow. He looked like he was vibrating with energy. "Crazy day, huh? I mean… Kaelen? That dark magic stuff?"
"Yeah," I said, dabbing the salve on my palm. The stinging stopped instantly. "Pretty intense."
"Intense? It was terrifying!" Leo squeaked. "Did you see the sky go black? My cousin told me that only demons have magic that color. Do you think he's… you know… a spy?"
"No," I said, capping the jar. "He's just strong. Probably stronger than the teachers."
"That's what scares me," Leo whispered. Then he perked up. "But hey, at least we aren't in his dorm block. I heard he got put in the 'Old Wing' all by himself. Probably for the best. I don't think I could sleep knowing a Dark User was down the hall."
I paused. The Old Wing.
In the book, Kaelen is put in the Commoner Dorms, room 105—right next to us. That's how he meets Leo. But because of the S-Rank reveal, the Academy isolated him immediately.
I changed the housing assignments, I realized. Leo and Kaelen aren't going to meet tonight. The 'Midnight Snack' event where they bond over stolen food isn't going to happen.
I looked at Leo. He was happily oblivious, safe in his duck pajamas. Without Kaelen, Leo would remain a background character. He wouldn't get the courage to join the adventuring club. He wouldn't learn combat cooking. He'd just be… Leo.
I felt a pang of guilt.
"Hey, Leo," I said softly. "Do you have any food?"
"Always," he grinned, reaching under his bed and pulling out a tin box. He opened it to reveal homemade biscuits. "Mom's recipe. Why?"
"You should go offer some to the new guy."
Leo froze, a biscuit halfway to his mouth. "The… the Dark User? Kaelen?"
"Yeah."
"Are you insane?" Leo whispered. "He might eat me."
"He looked hungry," I said, lying effortlessly. "And lonely. Besides, if the strongest guy in the year likes your biscuits, nobody is going to mess with you, right? Think of it as insurance."
Leo chewed his lip. The logic appealed to his survival instinct. "Insurance… yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Jareth was already eyeing my lunch money."
He stood up, looking determined but terrified. "Okay. I'll do it. But if I die, you have to tell my mom I was brave."
"Deal."
Leo grabbed the tin and marched out of