Kai’s arena victory was no longer rumor—it was spectacle. It leaked into trade routes, coded tavern songs, whispered military communiqués, and even ancient servers deep in forgotten vaults. In Virellen, the populace buzzed not with fear, but curiosity. Who was the Glitchwalker? What did he want?
Kai himself? He was too busy tweaking.
Inside a rented vault-chamber beneath a disguised inn, he floated in a zero-gravity cube surrounded by cascading code-sheets. Every line was a potential weapon. Every sequence, a future ability.
[Skillcraft Interface: Active] [Skill Conceptualization: 23%] [Glitch God Layer v0.2 Alpha – Defensive Paradox Subroutine Detected]
“Not enough,” he muttered, flicking a command through the air. Strings unraveled. The interface protested.
[Warning: Core Instability Rising. Risk of Desync: 12% and climbing.]
“Good. That means we’re breaking something worth fixing.”
A chime interrupted him.
Outside the vault, a figure cloaked in obsidian silk waited. She entered without permission, stepping lightly across the quantum-locked floor. Her face shimmered beneath a layered glamour, but Kai’s systems peeled it back.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Rynera.
“You followed me.”
She didn’t flinch. “You spared me. That bought you five minutes.”
Kai arched a brow. “You gonna thank me or stab me?”
She smirked faintly. “Both are still options.”
[Social Hostility Level: 21% - Unlikely to escalate]
Rynera drew something from her sleeve—a crest. Royal, but cracked.
“I’m not here as a princess. I’m here as someone who saw through the myth of control. You were right. My father’s system is built on obedience, not progress.”
Kai crossed his arms. “So what, you’re defecting?”
She nodded. “And offering intel. There’s a summit soon. Kingdoms converging. Not all are corrupted yet. But the infection is growing. They think you’re the disease. I think you’re the antibody.”
Kai chuckled. “I’m nobody’s cure.”
“Maybe not. But you’re the only one rewriting the rules.”
Silence.
Then Kai spoke, voice low:
“Send word to your summit. I’ll be there.”
She raised an eyebrow. “To negotiate?”
He grinned. “To educate.”
[New Objective Added: System Summit Disruption – Location: High Citadel of Aurinox. Countdown: 6 Days.]
Rynera left with no more words.
Kai turned back to his interface, and this time, he wasn’t crafting alone.
[Passive Trait Added: Uncoded Influence – Allies near Kai gain glitch adaptation over time.]
The legend was growing.
And the system?
It was officially on notice.
End of Chapter 22