The system notification hung in Ino's vision like a taunt:
SUB-MISSION ACCEPTED Tracking Initiated... Please Wait...
Ino stood in the overgrown backyard, dirt still under his fingernails from digging Anta's grave. The cherry tree's shadow stretched long across the makeshift burial site as the sun climbed higher.
Please wait. As if he had a choice.
The screen flickered. Updated.
Initial Tracking Complete Directive: Travel to the following coordinates— 368 Lordship Lane, Lo※#on SE##※ 8NB, Un※#ed K+×※dom Scholar Orlando De Von Deus
Last Confirmed Location: 3 days ago
Warning: Location may be compromised Additional Objective Unlocked Upon Arrival Time Remaining: 1 Day, 23 Hours, 47 Minutes, 12 Seconds
"Of course," Ino muttered. "Why would anything be easy?"
He glanced back at the grave one final time. The small river stone gleamed in the sunlight—a marker for a body that wasn't there, for a brother who deserved so much more than this.
"I'll be back," he whispered. Then, louder: "System. How do I get there?"
The response came immediately:
Transportation Protocol Activated Apostle Privileges:
Spatial Warp Unlocked
Warning: Extended use may cause disorientation
Cost: None (Sponsored by your generous God)
Accept Transport? [YES] / [NO]
That little tilde at the end made Ino's jaw clench. Even the system mocked him with its creator's voice.
He selected [YES].
The world folded.
Ino hit solid ground hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. His stomach lurched, threatening to empty itself. The disorientation warning hadn't been kidding—every sense screamed, like his body had been turned inside out and reassembled slightly incorrectly.
He gasped, hands splayed on cold pavement, and forced himself to breathe through the nausea.
In. Out. In. Out.
Slowly, the world stopped spinning.
Ino pushed himself up, blinking away the stars dancing across his vision. The scene that materialized around him was jarringly different from the quiet backyard he'd left behind.
Stone buildings rose on either side, their architecture old and stately. Wrought-iron fences. Manicured hedges. Students in university hoodies walked past, some glancing at him curiously—a dirt-covered stranger who'd appeared out of nowhere, swaying on his feet like a drunk.
The system helpfully provided context:
Location Confirmed: Lordship Lane, Dulwich, London
Target Building: 50 meters ahead Scanning... Scanning... Match Found: Dulwich College Library
Ino steadied himself and started walking, ignoring the stares. His reflection in a window showed exactly how he looked: hollow-eyed, dirt-stained, golden left eye gleaming like a beacon. A mess.
He didn't care.
The library loomed ahead—a beautiful old building that would've impressed him under different circumstances. Now it was just another obstacle between him and whatever bullshit task the system had planned.
Ino climbed the steps and pushed through the heavy wooden doors.
Silence enveloped him immediately. That particular library silence—thick, reverent, broken only by the whisper of turning pages and muffled footsteps on carpet.
Rows upon rows of bookshelves stretched before him, disappearing into shadowed aisles. The smell of old paper and leather bindings hung in the air, oddly comforting despite everything.
A librarian at the front desk looked up, mouth opening—probably to question the disheveled stranger—but Ino was already moving deeper into the stacks.
The system pinged:
「 DING! 」
Location Objective Updated: 『 Find Orlando's Creation 』 『 Read All Contents: 0/354 』
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 22 Hours, 31 Minutes, 33 Seconds
Penalty Upon Failure: Death
Hint: Look for works by Orlando De Von Deus
Current Status: Searching...
Three hundred and fifty-four. Three hundred and fifty-four pieces of content to read.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Ino hissed under his breath.
The system didn't respond. Helpful as always.
Fine. If he had to read, he'd read.
Ino made his way to the catalogue system—an old computer terminal that had seen better days. His fingers flew across the keyboard: Orlando De Von Deus.
The results loaded slowly. Then:
SEARCH RESULTS: 16 matches
Author: Orlando De Von Deus - "Fractured Chronologies: A Study" (502 pages) - "The Names We Forget" (487 pages) - "Temporal Paradoxes in Modern Theory" (456 pages) - [13 additional titles...] Location: Reference Section, Aisle 7-B
Sixteen books. Each 400-500 pages. That was... Ino did the math quickly. Over 7,000 pages minimum.
In less than two days.
While also somehow finding 338 more pieces of content.
"System," he said quietly, aware of the other library patrons nearby. "Is there a way to speed this up?"
Analyzing request...
Suggestion: Complete 10 initial readings to unlock skill progression
Estimated benefit: Significant increase in reading efficiency
Warning: Physical strain possible
Proceed? [YES] / [NO]
Ino didn't hesitate. [YES].
The books by Orlando De Von Deus sat together in a row, spines worn but cared for. Someone had been reading these. Recently.
Ino pulled the first one: "Fractured Chronologies: A Study".
The cover was leather-bound, the title embossed in fading gold. He cracked it open and began to read.
The content was dense—academic prose discussing theoretical physics, temporal mechanics, parallel realities. Concepts that should have been difficult to grasp, but something about them felt... familiar. Like déjà vu, but sharper.
Because you died, a voice in his head supplied. Because you've touched something beyond normal reality.
Ino shoved the thought away and kept reading.
Page after page. Paragraph after paragraph. His eyes devoured the words, his mind cataloging, understanding in ways that shouldn't be possible.
Hours passed. The library's natural light shifted from morning brightness to afternoon gold. Students came and went. The librarian changed shifts.
Ino didn't move from his spot on the floor, surrounded by growing stacks of completed books.
「 DING! 」
Progress: 10/354 Your INT has increased!
New Skill Available: [Bookworm Lv.1]
Description: Accelerates memorization and comprehension based on skill level
Warning: Mental fatigue may occur at lower levels
Cost: None
Duration: Passive Accept Skill? [YES] / [NO]
Ino's hand shook slightly as he reached for the eleventh book. The words on the page had started to blur together around book eight. His head throbbed with the sheer volume of information crammed into it.
But he couldn't stop now.
[YES].
The effect was immediate. Something shifted in his mind—like a lock clicking open. When he opened the next book, the words seemed to leap off the page, arranging themselves into comprehensible patterns with startling speed.
What had taken him an hour before now took thirty minutes. Then twenty.
「 DING! 」
Progress: 16/354 Congratulations! [Bookworm Lv.1] has upgraded!
New ability unlocked: Perfect Memorization - Can now retain complete book contents in 3 minutes per book -
Cooldown: None -
Mental strain: Moderate Your dedication is noted, Apostle.
Three minutes per book.
Ino's laugh came out slightly unhinged. Around him, a student studying at a nearby table looked over with concern.
He ignored them. There were 338 more pieces of content to find.
"System," he whispered. "Where are the rest?"
Scanning library database... Analyzing Orlando De Von Deus publication history...
Results: - Academic Papers: 142 (Located in Archive Section) - Research Notes: 87 (Located in Special Collections) - Collaborative Works: 93 (Various locations) - Personal Journals: 15 (Restricted Access) - Unknown: 1 (Location encrypted)
Total: 354 items Recommend prioritizing accessible materials first
Restricted access. Personal journals. Of course.
Ino stood, legs cramping from hours of sitting. The sun was setting outside the tall windows, painting everything in shades of orange and amber. How long had he been here? Six hours? Seven?
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 16 Hours, 12 Minutes, 14 Seconds
He had time. Barely.
The Archive Section was in the basement—a climate-controlled vault where the oldest, most fragile documents lived. Ino followed the signs down two flights of stairs, into a space that smelled of preservation chemicals and history.
A different librarian sat at the desk here—older, severe-looking, with reading glasses on a chain.
"Restricted area," she said without looking up from her computer. "Need authorization."
Ino opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. His golden eye caught the fluorescent light, gleaming.
The librarian glanced up. Froze.
Her eyes widened, locked on his face—specifically, on that inhuman golden iris.
"I need access to the Orlando De Von Deus collection," Ino said quietly. "All of it."
The woman's hand trembled slightly as she reached for a drawer. Pulled out a key card. Handed it to him without a word.
"Archive Room 3," she whispered. "Take... take as long as you need."
Ino accepted the card, disturbed by how easy that had been. The golden eye wasn't just a mark—it was influence. Power.
He hated it.
Archive Room 3 was small, windowless, lined wall-to-wall with filing cabinets and storage boxes. Ino found the section labeled 'De Von Deus, O.' and started pulling files.
Papers. So many papers. Academic journals, research proposals, collaboration notes with other scholars. Each one dense with technical jargon and complex theories.
Ino activated his skill and devoured them.
Three minutes per document. Information flooding into his mind faster than he could consciously process, but his enhanced memory caught and held every word.
「 DING! 」
Progress: 198/354 [Bookworm Lv.1] → [Bookworm Lv.2] Reading speed increased!
Progress: 267/354 [Bookworm Lv.2] → [Bookworm Lv.3] Comprehension improved!
Progress: 298/354 Progress: 314/354 [Bookworm Lv.3] → [Bookworm Lv.4] Mental strain reduced!
The numbers climbed. Ino's hands moved mechanically—pull file, read, absorb, next. Pull file, read, absorb, next.
His mind had become a vast library of its own, shelves filling with Orlando's work, Orlando's thoughts, Orlando's obsessions.
Temporal mechanics. Reality fractures. The spaces between worlds where things slipped through.
Apostles.
Ino's hand froze on the file he'd just opened. The word stared back at him from a page yellowed with age:
"...preliminary research suggests the existence of beings designated 'Apostles'—individuals selected by Higher Existences to serve as agents in reality manipulation. Further investigation required. Access restricted. Authority level: CLASSIFIED."
Orlando had known. Had researched this. Had documented—
"That's enough."
Ino spun around.
A man stood in the doorway of Archive Room 3. Tall, thin, with wire-rimmed glasses and a faint scar running along his jaw. He wore a tweed jacket with elbow patches—the academic uniform.
"Who—" Ino started.
"You're looking for Orlando De Von Deus," the man said. It wasn't a question. "You won't find him here."
「 DING! 」
Warning: Unknown entity detected
Threat level: Calculating...
Threat level: UNKNOWN Recommend caution
Ino's muscles tensed, ready to move. "I'm just reading. Public archive."
"With an Apostle's mark burning in your eye?" The man's smile was thin. "Please. I'm not stupid."
Silence stretched between them.
Then the man sighed, pushing his glasses up. "Relax. If I wanted you dead, you'd already be bleeding out. I'm here to help."
"Why?"
"Because Orlando was my colleague. My friend." The man stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "And because the system sent you here for a reason beyond just reading his work."
He extended a hand.
"Dr. Marcus Webb. I was Orlando's research partner before he... disappeared."
Ino stared at the offered hand, mind racing. The system hadn't mentioned other people. Hadn't warned him.
But something in Dr. Webb's expression—grief, determination, exhaustion—felt genuine.
Slowly, Ino shook his hand.
"Ino Siente."
"I know," Dr. Webb said. "The system told me you'd be coming."
What?
Before Ino could respond, the system pinged:
「 DING! 」
Progress: 353/354 Final item located.
Unlocking: Orlando's Memory Fragment Preparation required...
Warning: Direct memory transfer may cause severe disorientation
Recommended: Secure location before proceeding
Do you wish to continue? [YES] / [NO]
Dr. Webb watched the changes in Ino's expression. "You're seeing the notification, aren't you? The memory fragment?"
"How do you—"
"Because I went through this exact process three months ago." Dr. Webb's expression darkened. "Before Orlando vanished. Before everything went to hell."
He gestured to the door.
"Come on. If you're about to receive his memories, you'll want to be somewhere you won't crack your skull open when you collapse. My office is upstairs."
Dr. Webb's office was cramped but comfortable—books everywhere, a worn leather chair, coffee stains on the desk. The window overlooked the library courtyard, now dark with evening.
"Sit," Webb ordered, pointing to the chair. "When the transfer hits, you'll go down hard."
Ino sat, every instinct screaming this was a bad idea. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because Orlando left instructions." Webb pulled a sealed envelope from his desk drawer. Yellowed. Dated three months ago. "He said if someone ever came looking for him—someone with a golden eye—I should give them this."
He handed Ino the envelope.
Inside, a single page. Orlando's handwriting, cramped and urgent:
"To whoever bears the mark—
If you're reading this, then the System has chosen you as I was chosen. You're looking for me because you need something only I can provide.
I'm sorry.
What you're about to experience—my memories, my research, my failures—will change you. The truth about the Apostles, about the Higher Existences, about what's really at stake...
It will break something inside you.
But you need to know. Because in 6 days, everything ends.
Trust Marcus. He's the only one left who remembers me.
And when you find me—when you reach Vista Myr—tell me I was right about the Convergence.
—Orlando De Von Deus"
Ino's hands trembled. Six days. Orlando had known. Had written this months ago.
"Vista Myr?" Ino looked up at Webb. "What is that?"
"Another world. A place between realities." Webb's expression was grim. "Where Orlando is now. Where the System will send you next."
The system notification pulsed:
Ready to receive Memory Fragment? [YES] / [NO]
Warning: This action cannot be undone Information obtained may be disturbing Mental fortitude will be tested Final confirmation required
Ino looked at the letter again. At Orlando's desperate scrawl.
It will break something inside you.
"Do it," Ino said.
He selected [YES].
Pain.
Searing, absolute, consuming pain.
Ino's back arched, his scream catching in his throat as memories that weren't his own poured into his mind like molten metal.
—research lab, late at night, Orlando scribbling equations—
—the discovery of Vista Myr—
—the desperate plan, the last gambit, the final message sent across time—
Too much. Too fast. Ino's consciousness fractured under the weight of it all, splintering into a thousand pieces as Orlando's life overlaid his own.
He felt Orlando's hands writing the letter to the future Apostle.
Felt Orlando's fear as he stepped through the portal to Vista Myr.
And beneath it all, one terrible truth:
The gods are playing a game. And humanity has already lost.
Darkness took him.
When Ino woke, he was on the floor of Webb's office. His head felt like it had been split open and poorly reassembled. Every thought came with a spike of agony.
"Easy." Webb's voice, concerned. "Don't try to move yet. The integration takes time."
Ino groaned. His vision swam, double images overlaying each other—Webb's office and Orlando's last memory of it, months ago.
"How long?" Ino managed.
"Twenty minutes. You're lucky—Orlando was unconscious for three hours."
Slowly, carefully, Ino pushed himself upright. The world tilted but stayed relatively stable.
He knew things now. Things he shouldn't. Orlando's research, yes. But also feelings.
The system pinged:
「 DING! 」
Memory Integration: Complete Progress: 354/354 SUB-MISSION COMPLETE
Reward: Information Unlocked New Directive Available Analyzing subject knowledge... Analysis complete.
Subject: Orlando De Von Deus Current
Location: Vista Myr (Dimension Β-7)
Status: Alive
Accessibility: Requires dimensional transfer Preparing transport...
"Vista Myr," Ino whispered. Where Orlando was waiting.
Webb helped him to his feet. "You understand now, don't you?"
"Yeah." Ino's voice was hollow. "I'm a fucking game piece."
"We all are." Webb's smile was bitter. "But game pieces can still choose how they move."
The system notification expanded:
「 DING! 」
Dimensional Transfer Ready Destination: Vista Myr
Warning: No guaranteed return
Your god is watching with great interest.
Transfer in: 10... 9... 8...
"Wait—" Ino started.
7... 6... 5...
Webb grabbed his shoulder. "Listen to me. When you find Orlando, tell him we're running out of time. Tell him the Convergence—"
4... 3...
"—is happening faster than we thought. Tell him—"
2... 1...
The world folded.
Webb's office vanished.
And Ino fell screaming into the space between worlds.
[END OF CHAPTER 6]
LOCATION UPDATE Previous: Earth (Dimension A-1)
Current: Vista Myr (Dimension Β-7)
Status: Transfer Complete New Objective Loading... Please stand by... Your god hopes you survive long enough to be useful...