Chapter 40: The Original Owner

[FIRST USER AUTHENTICATION: IN PROGRESS.]

[WELCOME BACK.]

The words appeared before Kael’s eyes.

For a moment, he wondered whether the System has finally lost its mind.

Then again, considering everything he had experienced since arriving in this world, that possibility was hardly worth considering.

The First User was outside the door.

Someone who knew him.

Someone who had used the Karma System before him.

And, judging by the System’s reaction, someone who could take everything Kael had gained away.

[TIME REMAINING: 09:43]

Kael stared at the countdown.

"System, explain the ownership transfer."

[Ownership transfer is a procedure through which control of the Karma System may be reassigned to a recognized user.]

"I’m aware of that part. What I want to know is why it can happen without my permission."

[The current Host is not the original owner.]

Kael’s eyelid twitched.

"I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that."

[The System cannot alter previously established facts to accommodate the Host’s emotional preferences.]

"Then accommodate my fist."

[Physical violence against the System is not recommended.]

"I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about the person who designed your personality."

[The System declines to comment.]

"Coward."

A soft chuckle came from the other side of the door.

Kael immediately fell silent.

The voice was the same one he’d heard in the white room. It carried a strange familiarity, as though its owner had known him for years.

"Still arguing with the System, I see."

Kael’s expression hardened.

"Who are you?"

"That’s an interesting question."

"I’m glad you think so. Now answer it."

A pause followed.

Then the stranger replied, "I’m the person who used that System before you."

Second abruptly straightened.

"No," he whispered.

The voice beyond the door continued.

"Although I suppose that description is incomplete."

The ancient runes along the walls flickered.

"I’m also the person who made certain that you would eventually receive it."

Kael’s heart skipped a beat.

Leon raised his sword, positioning himself between Kael and the door.

"Don’t listen to him," Second warned. "He’s trying to establish a connection."

"By talking?" Leon asked.

"By making Kael recognize him."

Kael glanced at Second.

"Recognize him how?"

"Through memory. The System doesn’t merely identify users through their souls or mana signatures. It recognizes the relationship between a user and the System itself."

Mira frowned.

"So if Kael remembers this person, the System might accept them?"

"Not exactly." Second’s gaze remained fixed on the door. "If the System determines that Kael’s access was granted through the First User’s authority, it may recognize the original owner as having a superior claim."

Kael slowly turned toward the countdown.

[TIME REMAINING: 08:56]

"Wonderful. I’m being evicted from a system I never signed a contract for."

Elena crossed her arms.

"Can you refuse the transfer?"

"I’m working on that."

"Work faster."

"Thank you for your invaluable contribution."

"You’re welcome."

Leon glanced between them.

"Is this really the time?"

"No," Kael replied. "But if I’m going to lose everything, I’d prefer to do it surrounded by people who appreciate my personality."

"That’s a very generous assumption," Mira muttered.

Pi suddenly climbed from Kael’s shoulder to the top of his head.

"Pi!"

The little creature’s golden eye glowed.

Every rune in the chamber went dark.

For one breathtaking instant, the countdown disappeared.

Then the System flashed.

[EXTERNAL AUTHORITY DETECTED.]

[ATTEMPTING TO IDENTIFY AUTHORITY...]

[IDENTIFICATION FAILED.]

[WARNING: WITNESS INTERFERENCE.]

Kael reached up and carefully lifted Pi from his head.

"Did you just interrupt the ownership transfer?"

"Pi."

"Was that a yes?"

"Pi!"

The creature looked immensely pleased with itself.

Kael stared at it.

"You’re going to have to learn more words."

Pi promptly bit his finger.

"Ow!"

Mira sighed.

"Perhaps it understands more than you give it credit for."

"It’s a tiny dragon with the communication skills of a broken doorbell."

Pi hissed.

"See? That’s what I’m talking about."

Despite himself, Kael felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.

Then the voice beyond the door spoke again.

"Ah. The Witness is still with you."

Pi froze.

Its golden eye narrowed.

The stranger laughed softly.

"That’s good. I was worried it might have forgotten me."

Kael’s smile vanished.

He looked down at Pi.

The little creature had stopped moving entirely.

Its tail curled around Kael’s wrist.

"Pi?" Kael whispered.

The creature didn’t respond.

For the first time since Kael had met it, Pi looked genuinely afraid.

---

[TIME REMAINING: 07:41]

"Open the door," Kael said.

Second grabbed his arm.

"Absolutely not."

"I’m not asking you to open it. I’m telling whoever’s outside to do it."

"That is somehow worse."

Kael shook off his grip and approached the ancient door.

Leon followed immediately.

"Elena, Mira, stay behind us."

Elena’s expression sharpened.

"Don’t give me orders."

"Then consider it a suggestion."

"Your suggestions are terrible."

"I’m beginning to notice a pattern."

Kael stopped a few feet from the door.

There were no handles, keyholes, or visible hinges. Its black surface was covered in intricate silver markings that resembled the symbols Kael had seen in his recovered memories.

A crown.

An eye.

A broken chain.

And beneath them, a small inscription.

THE FIRST USER RETURNS.

Kael touched the words.

The door shivered beneath his fingers.

A memory flashed through his mind.

A hand pressing against this same surface.

A voice speaking from the other side.

If you ever return, don’t let them decide who you are.

Kael recoiled.

The memory vanished.

His breathing grew uneven.

The System immediately appeared.

[MEMORY RECOVERY: 92% → 93%]

[UNAUTHORIZED MEMORY ACCESS DETECTED.]

[IDENTITY CONFLICT DETECTED.]

"Not now," Kael muttered.

[The System recommends remaining calm.]

"I’m going to recommend that you shut up."

A faint vibration traveled through the door.

Then the silver inscription changed.

THE FIRST USER RETURNS.

Beneath it, another sentence appeared.

THE SECOND USER IS STILL WAITING.

Second went rigid.

Kael turned.

"Second?"

The boy’s face had lost all color.

"No," he whispered again.

Kael took a step toward him.

"What does that mean?"

Second stared at the door as though he were looking at something that should never have existed.

Then he spoke.

"The System has more than one previous user."

The chamber fell silent.

Kael blinked.

"I’m sorry. What?"

Second swallowed.

"I thought the records were destroyed. I thought the System had erased the distinction between them."

"Between whom?"

"The First User and the Second User."

Kael slowly turned toward the door.

"Then who are you?"

Second didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked directly at Kael.

"I’m not the Second User."

The boy’s voice was quiet.

"I’m the person who was supposed to make sure you never met the First."

Before Kael could respond, the door opened.

Not outward.

Not inward.

It simply ceased to exist.

Beyond it lay a corridor of white stone illuminated by floating silver lamps. The passage stretched farther than the tower’s physical dimensions should have allowed, disappearing into a distant darkness.

At its far end stood a man.

He appeared to be in his late twenties, with dark hair, pale skin, and eyes the color of tarnished silver. He wore a simple black coat without insignia or decoration.

In one hand, he held a closed book.

In the other, a silver quill.

He looked entirely ordinary.

That was what made him terrifying.

There was no overwhelming aura, no suffocating mana pressure, no monstrous presence.

The world simply seemed to make room for him.

As though reality had already accepted his existence and had no intention of questioning it.

The man smiled.

"Hello, Kael."

Kael didn’t move.

The stranger’s gaze shifted toward Pi.

"And hello to you, Witness."

Pi bared its teeth.

The man chuckled.

"Still stubborn. Some things never change."

Then his eyes returned to Kael.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me."

Kael crossed his arms.

"If you’re referring to the System, I’m afraid your customer service department is terrible."

The stranger tilted his head.

"Customer service?"

"Long story."

"I see."

He glanced at the hovering System window.

[FIRST USER AUTHENTICATION: 64%]

The stranger raised his quill.

The number immediately jumped.

[FIRST USER AUTHENTICATION: 89%]

Kael’s stomach tightened.

"Stop that."

The man looked amused.

"Stop what?"

"Whatever you’re doing to my System."

"Your System?"

The stranger’s smile widened.

"That’s a bold claim."

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

"Ownership doesn’t mean authority over everything it touches."

For the first time, the man’s expression changed.

Only slightly.

But Kael noticed.

The stranger lowered his quill.

"Interesting."

He opened the book in his hand.

Its pages were completely blank.

"I wondered whether you would remember that."

Kael stared at the book.

Something about it felt familiar.

Not like the black book in Lucien’s archive.

Not like the System’s interface.

This was different.

Older.

The kind of object that existed before someone decided what it was supposed to be.

The stranger ran a finger along the empty page.

"Tell me, Kael. What do you think karma actually measures?"

Kael frowned.

"Actions and their consequences."

"A common answer."

"Then perhaps ask a less common question."

The stranger laughed.

"Very well. Does a person deserve punishment for an action they were forced to perform?"

Kael hesitated.

"Not necessarily."

"Does a person deserve a reward for an action they performed without understanding its consequences?"

"Depends on the circumstances."

"And if someone commits an unforgivable act to prevent a greater tragedy?"

Kael’s expression grew serious.

"That doesn’t automatically make the act forgivable."

"Even if the alternative is worse?"

"Especially then."

The stranger watched him in silence.

Then he closed the book.

"Good."

The word echoed through the corridor.

"You still understand the difference between judgment and choice."

Kael felt an uncomfortable chill.

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Because I wanted to know whether the System had changed you."

"And?"

The stranger’s expression softened.

"No."

He looked at Kael with an almost unbearable familiarity.

"It seems you’ve changed the System instead."

---

[TIME REMAINING: 04:32]

The System suddenly flickered.

[FIRST USER AUTHENTICATION: 96%]

[OWNERSHIP TRANSFER INITIATED.]

[WARNING: KARMA POINTS WILL BE SEALED UPON TRANSFER.]

[WARNING: ALL SYSTEM-DEPENDENT ABILITIES MAY BECOME INACCESSIBLE.]

Kael immediately opened his status window.

The interface appeared distorted.

His attributes flickered between readable numbers and strings of unfamiliar symbols. His titles disappeared one after another.

[TITLE: FAILED VILLAIN — ACCESS DENIED.]

[TITLE: THE ONE OUTSIDE THE STORY — ACCESS DENIED.]

[ABILITY: IDENTITY REFUSAL — ACCESS DENIED.]

[AUTHORITY: RETURN AUTHORITY — ACCESS DENIED.]

Kael’s jaw tightened.

He could feel something being pulled away from him.

Not his memories.

Not his identity.

Something connected to the choices he had made since receiving the System.

The training sessions.

The missions.

The rewards.

The countless moments when the System had forced him to confront consequences he would otherwise have avoided.

He had resented it.

He had cursed it.

He had threatened to dismantle it on several occasions.

But somewhere along the way, it had become part of his life.

And now someone was attempting to take it away.

Kael clenched his fists.

"No."

The stranger tilted his head.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no."

Kael stepped forward.

"You don’t get to walk into my life, announce that everything I’ve worked for belongs to you, and expect me to hand it over."

The stranger regarded him calmly.

"You misunderstand. I never asked you to hand anything over."

"Then what exactly are you doing?"

"Taking back what was lent."

Kael’s eyes hardened.

"Then you should have read the terms and conditions."

For a brief moment, the stranger looked genuinely confused.

Kael smiled.

"That’s right. You don’t have any. Because I never agreed to your arrangement."

The System flashed violently.

[IDENTITY REFUSAL ACTIVATED.]

[EXTERNAL OWNERSHIP CLAIM DETECTED.]

[HOST MAY REJECT AN EXTERNALLY IMPOSED DESIGNATION.]

[WARNING: OWNERSHIP CLAIM EXCEEDS CURRENT AUTHORITY.]

The stranger’s expression changed.

"Don’t do that."

Kael looked at him.

"Do what?"

"Refuse the claim."

"Why?"

"Because you don’t understand what you’re refusing."

"Then explain it."

"I cannot."

Kael’s smile widened.

"That’s unfortunate."

He raised his hand toward the System window.

"Then I’ll refuse it anyway."

[IDENTITY REFUSAL ACTIVATED.]

[TARGET: SYSTEM OWNERSHIP TRANSFER.]

[ANALYZING CLAIM...]

[CLAIM ORIGIN: FIRST USER.]

[CLAIM VALIDITY: CONFIRMED.]

Kael’s smile faltered.

The stranger exhaled.

"I’m sorry."

The System continued.

[CLAIM VALIDITY: CONFIRMED.]

[TRANSFER AUTHORITY: SUPERIOR TO HOST.]

[REJECTION FAILED.]

Kael felt the connection snap.

The System vanished.

For the first time since arriving in this world, there was nothing in front of his eyes.

No status window.

No notifications.

No sarcastic commentary.

No hidden missions.

Nothing.

He stood in the ancient chamber with his hands clenched and his heart pounding.

Leon immediately moved beside him.

"Kael?"

Kael didn’t answer.

Mira looked at him with alarm.

"Your mana signature just changed."

Elena raised her hand, ready to cast a spell.

Second stared at the stranger in horror.

The man closed his book.

"I’m sorry it had to happen this way."

Kael slowly raised his head.

"Give it back."

The stranger’s expression grew solemn.

"I can’t."

Kael’s voice dropped.

"Give. It. Back."

"I didn’t create the System to make you suffer, Kael."

"Then why did you give it to me?"

The stranger looked at him for a long moment.

"Because you were the only person who could use it without becoming what it was designed to prevent."

Kael stared at him.

"What was it designed to prevent?"

The man didn’t answer.

Instead, he turned toward the corridor.

"You’ll understand eventually."

Kael took a step forward.

"I’m not finished with you."

"I know."

The stranger paused.

Then he looked back.

"One more thing."

Kael said nothing.

The man’s expression became strangely sad.

"Don’t mistake the System for the reason you returned."

He lifted the silver quill.

"The System was only the tool."

The corridor began to fade.

"The reason you returned existed long before I ever touched it."

The stranger smiled faintly.

"And the person who gave you that reason is still waiting."

Then he disappeared.

The corridor vanished.

The ancient door returned.

The chamber fell silent.

Kael stood motionless.

The System was gone.

His connection to its abilities had disappeared.

And yet, deep inside his consciousness, something remained.

A small, persistent warmth.

Like an ember that refused to go out.

Kael slowly opened his hand.

A faint silver mark appeared in the center of his palm.

It resembled a quill crossed by a broken chain.

Then a final notification materialized.

Not in front of him.

Inside his mind.

[OWNERSHIP TRANSFER COMPLETE.]

[PREVIOUS HOST: KAEL VEYRON.]

[CURRENT SYSTEM OWNER: UNKNOWN.]

Kael’s breath caught.

A second line appeared.

[HIDDEN AUTHORITY DETECTED.]

[RETURN AUTHORITY: ACTIVE.]

[PHASE I: REJECTION OF A PREDETERMINED OUTCOME.]

[SYSTEM ACCESS: TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE.]

Kael stared at the final message.

Then he laughed.

It began as a quiet chuckle.

Soon, it became a full, disbelieving laugh that echoed through the ancient chamber.

Leon looked at him as though he had finally lost his mind.

Mira rubbed her forehead.

Elena muttered something about finding a healer.

Second simply closed his eyes.

Kael wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye.

"Of course."

He looked at the silver mark on his palm.

"Of course the one time I finally get rid of the System, it leaves me with a mysterious tattoo."

Pi climbed onto his shoulder.

"Pi?"

Kael smiled faintly.

"Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out."

He looked toward the sealed door.

The stranger was gone.

The First User had reclaimed the System.

But the last notification had made one thing clear.

[RETURN AUTHORITY: ACTIVE.]

Whatever the First User had taken, Kael still possessed the power to reject an ending.

And if someone believed that removing the System would make him obedient, they had made a serious mistake.

Kael Veyron had survived without the System before.

He could do it again.

The real question was whether the First User understood what would happen when Kael finally found them.

---

Far beyond Aetheris, in a place that had never appeared on any map or existed within any recorded worldline, the man in the black coat sat behind his desk.

The silver quill rested between his fingers.

Before him lay the Karma System’s original ledger.

For the first time in countless ages, a new entry had appeared.

HOST: KAEL VEYRON.

OWNERSHIP: REVOKED.

RETURN AUTHORITY: ACTIVE.

The man studied the final line.

Then he smiled.

"So you kept that part."

He turned the page.

Beneath the System’s records was a name written in faded ink.

A name that had been crossed out so many times that the paper had nearly torn.

The man placed his fingers over it.

"No," he whispered.

"Not yet."

The page turned black.

And somewhere in the darkness behind him, a second voice spoke.

"You weren’t supposed to give it back."

The man didn’t turn around.

"I didn’t."

"Then why does he still possess the Authority?"

For the first time, the First User’s smile disappeared.

He stared at the blackened page.

Then, very quietly, he answered.

"Because that was never mine to take."