The wind howled across the rooftop.
Cold sharp relentless It tore through the silence left behind by her words, carrying with it the distant echoes of a broken city—sirens long dead, metal collapsing somewhere far away, and the low, guttural roars of monsters claiming what remained of the night.
Raon stood still "…a novel." That words lingering around in his head.
Not loud.
Not forceful.
Yet it refused to fade.
Below, Seoul burned in scattered fragments—flickers of fire dancing between shattered buildings, shadows stretching unnaturally beneath the fractured glow of the moon.
Smoke drifted upward, staining the sky like ink spilled across paper.
Raon didn't turn around.
He didn't need to because he could feel her gaze which are Calm and measured and watching him and waiting for a reaction or for an denial or for anything.
But Raon remained silent.
Because the moment those words were spoken…Something inside him had already responded.
"…You didn't look surprised."Her voice cut through the wind an Soft but precise voice.
Raon exhaled slowly, the cold air biting faintly at his lungs as it slipped past his lips in a thin, fading breath.
"Surprised?"
The word came out quieter than he expected, almost as if it didn't belong to him. The wind carried it away the moment it formed, dissolving it into the restless night.
A faint curve touched the corner of his lips—too subtle to be called a smile. It wasn't amusement. It wasn't disbelief.
It was recognition.
"I was," he said after a moment, his voice was calm, and steady.
There was a brief pause before he added, just as quietly, "Just not now."
For the first time, he turned.
The movement was slow, deliberate, as if there was no need for urgency. His eyes settled on her, steady and unreadable, giving away nothing of what moved beneath the surface.
"You said this is a novel."
Each word was measured, carefully placed, as though he was testing their weight before letting them exist.
"Then tell me something."
The air between them seemed to tighten. Even the distant chaos—the sound of collapsing metal, the low, guttural roars echoing through the ruined city—felt muted, as if the world itself had stepped back to listen.
Raon took a step forward, his gaze never leaving her.
"How much do you know about the novel?" he asked.
There was no aggression in his tone, but there was something far sharper—calculation.
Silence followed.
But inside his mind, there was no silence at all there were many thought that were coming in his mind
– If she was a reader, then the real question wasn't whether she knew about the novel.but
It was how far she had read the novel.
Because this wasn't a story someone could simply finish without commitment. It had stretched over fifteen years—fifteen years of serialization, growth, and decay.
In its early years, it had been everywhere. Popular. Celebrated. Discussed across the world. It had won awards, dominated forums, and gathered a massive audience that followed it obsessively.
But time changed everything after five years, readers had started to drop it . And after ten, only a handful remained. And by the end…
Raon's gaze sharpened slightly, though his expression didn't change.
and then an there were thought that were coming to his mind like –So which one are you?Someone who left when it became too long… too complicated…Or someone who endured until the end?
Because that difference wasn't smallIt was everything.Information meant advantage.
And right now, he couldn't afford to reveal how much he knew.Not to her and Not yet.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then she moved slightly, her expression shifting—not into surprise, but understanding.
"You didn't ask which novel I was talking about," she said.
Her voice remained calm, but there was something observant beneath it, something that had already begun connecting the pieces.
"And you weren't shocked when I said this world is now an part of an novel. "
She took a small step closer, her eyes fixed on him.
"That means you already knew about it that it all is an part of an novel and you also know of which novel it is."
Raon didn't respond.
He didn't deny it. He didn't confirm it.
He simply stood there, his gaze drifting past her, toward the burning remains of the city beyond, as if she wasn't the center of his attention.
As if she wasn't important enough to demand it.
For a brief moment, she studied him in silence.
No reaction. No shock. No confusion.
Nothing.
"…I see," she said softly.
There was a pause before she continued.
"Then I'll answer your question."
Her head tilted slightly, her eyes narrowing just a fraction.
"But before that… I want to ask you that how will you know if I'm telling the truth?"
Raon's gaze shifted back to her . And then he said "Then how will you know if I am?" he replied without hesitation.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"I have a skill," she said.
There was a subtle change in the air—barely noticeable, like a ripple passing through something unseen.
"It tells me whether someone is lying or not."
Raon remained still. and then "I have my own methods," he said simply.
At that exact moment, a notification appeared before his eyes.
[Skill Activated: Copy]
[Target Skill Detected: Lie Detection – Rank C]
[Copying…]
[Complete]
[Lie Detection (Rank C) has been successfully copied.]
There was no visible reaction on his face, but something in his gaze sharpened slightly as the new ability settled into place.
He activated it immediately.
Silently.
And in that instant, he understood.
She hadn't lied.
Not once.
"Then…" she said, watching him carefully. "How about a game?"
The wind howled between them, carrying ash through the air.
"If neither of us can lie, then let's make this simple."
A faint curve formed on her lips.
" We are going to ask each other Three questions. And we can tell if someone is tell truth or not and for making it fan we can pass one question only. "
She paused.
"Fair?"
Raon didn't answer right away. His eyes remained on her, measuring, calculating, weighing the risks against the possible gain.
Then, he said quietly— "…Alright so My first question is the same."
He stepped forward slightly.
"How much do you know about the novel?"
This time, she didn't hesitate.
"I read it for seven years," she said.
Her tone was calm, but there was a faint trace of dissatisfaction beneath it.
"The novel was long. Too long. And it didn't have an ending—not back then."
She exhaled softly.
"So I dropped it."
Her eyes hardened slightly.
"And also I didn't like the direction the story was taking."
There was a brief pause before she added, almost dismissively—
"And honestly… who would be insane enough to keep reading something like that all the way to the end?"
A notification appeared instantly.
[Lie Detection: Statement Verified — TRUE]
Raon's eyes dimmed slightly.
Seven years.
Not enough.
Not even close.
A quiet line was drawn between them—one she couldn't see it was the line of Knowledge , Advantage, Control one have.
She looked at him and said "…My turn."
Her voice was calm, but there was a subtle shift beneath it now—something more deliberate, more focused.
She held his gaze for a moment before asking,
"How long has it been… since you realized this world is part of a novel?"
The wind passed between them, quieter than before, as if the question itself carried weight.
Raon didn't answer immediately.
Not because he didn't have one answer for it.
But because he chose not to rush it.
"…After the second scenario," he said at last. "That's when I was certain."
His tone remained even.
"That this world… is part of a novel I've already read."
Silence.
Then—a faint flicker in her eyes.Her skill had already confirmed it. He wasn't lying.Not even slightly.
Which meant—He knows the novel and he was not guessing or he was not assuming it.
Raon didn't react to her reaction.
He simply looked at her.
"Now my turn."
There was no hesitation.
"If you already knew this world is part of a novel…" he said, his voice steady, "then why reveal it to me?"
A pause.
"And more importantly—why ask if I knew about it or not?"
The question landed heavier than the previous ones.
Because this one wasn't about information.
It was about intent.
For the first time, she didn't answer immediately.
Her gaze shifted slightly, as if she was weighing her words more carefully now.
A second passed and the she said "…I was looking for someone,".
Her voice was quieter now.
"Someone reliable."
A small pause.
"Someone I could trust.And someone like me who knows about that novel."
Raon's gaze didn't change.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
She exhaled softly, as if she had already expected that question.
"If you've read the novel," she said, "then you should already understand this."
A slight pause.
"We're not the only ones who know the story."
"There are others,people also who knows about it. " she continued. "They are other Readers.and there are some People who know parts of the story… and some who know more than others."
Her tone hardened slightly.
"And some… who know the end."
Raon's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
She noticed it and the she continues .
"This novel wasn't small one , At one point, it was famous worldwide. That means the readers weren't limited to one place."
And then she takes an step closer.
"They're in Seoul, across Korea. And probably… beyond it ."
The wind rose again, carrying ash between them.
"But that's not the real problem."
A pause.
Her expression changed and it was not the fear or not panic it was something colder.
"There's an group."
Raon didn't interrupt.Didn't react.But his attention sharpened.
And then she continues "They're made up of people who have read the novel," "At least… enough of it."
Another pause.
"And they're hunting the others and they're killing the other readers."
Silence.
The distant city groaned somewhere in the dark.
"For one reason," she continued.
Her eyes locked onto his.
"To change the ending of the story."
A brief moment passed.
Then—
"They call themselves…" she said slowly,
"The Prophets."
The name lingered in the air as if Unsettling.
Deliberate as if it carried its own weight.
Raon didn't respond immediately.
His expression didn't change.
But inside—
Something shifted.
Prophets.People who didn't just know the story—But also believed they had the right to rewrite it and for that they are killing the other reader who knows about it.
"…And you?" Raon asked after a moment, his voice calm, almost indifferent.
"Where do you stand in all this?"
A slight tilt of her head.
"I'm someone who doesn't want to die," she replied simply."And someone who knows that surviving alone… isn't realistic."
Her gaze didn't waver.
"That's why I told you.Because if you really are a reader—Then you're either going to become my ally…"
A brief silence.
"…or my enemy."
The wind howled again.
Louder this time.
As if the world itself had decided to respond.
Raon stood there, unmoving.
Looking at her.
Measuring and Calculating something.
And then Very slowly—A faint, almost invisible smile touched his lips.
Not warmth.
Not friendliness.
Something far colder.
"…Prophets," he repeated quietly.