The room was quiet too quiet.
Elowen lay flat on her bed, her small frame swallowed by silk sheets that felt far too grand for someone who once died alone. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling, unblinking, as if she could peel back the layers of fate just by staring hard enough.
"…Pippin."
A soft glow flickered beside her, and the familiar little system window popped into view.
[Yes, Host?]
Her fingers curled slightly into the sheets.
"Why did I die?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and sharp.
Pippin didn't answer immediately.
Elowen turned her head slightly, her expression calm but her eyes weren't. They were searching. Demanding.
"In the original story," she continued softly, "my ending was death. Right?"
[…Yes.]
She swallowed.
"But… why?"
Her voice cracked just a little this time.
"My brother… he was nice to me." She blinked slowly, recalling faint fragments. "He didn't hate me. Not really. So why did everything go so wrong?"
The system flickered, its light dimming slightly as if hesitating.
[The original narrative is complex, Host. Multiple factors contributed to your ending.]
Elowen frowned.
"That's not an answer."
Silence.
She pushed herself up slightly, leaning against the headboard. Her gaze drifted to the bedside table, where something small rested.
Her hand reached out.
A necklace.
Delicate. Silver. With a faintly glowing gem at its center.
Her mother's necklace.
Her fingers trembled ever so slightly as she picked it up.
"…This," she whispered, holding it up. "This belonged to my mother, didn't it?"
[Yes, Host.]
Elowen stared at it, her reflection faintly visible in the gem.
"Did it have something to do with my death?"
Another pause.
[…It is an important item in the original storyline.]
Her eyes narrowed.
"Important how?"
[That information is currently restricted.]
She clicked her tongue softly, annoyed.
"Then show me the book."
The system glitched slightly.
[The book?]
"The original story," Elowen said, her voice steady now. "If everything is written already, then I'll just read it myself."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then
A faint shimmer appeared in the air before her.
Pages. Countless pages.
A book formed, hovering just within reach.
Elowen's eyes lit up not with excitement, but with something sharper. Determination.
She reached out.
Her fingers brushed the cover
And suddenly
The pages blurred.
The words twisted into incomprehensible symbols, shifting and rewriting themselves faster than she could follow.
Her brows furrowed.
"…I can't read it."
[Correct, Host.]
Her hand stilled.
[You cannot fully access the original story until its events have either occurred… or been altered beyond recognition.]
Elowen slowly pulled her hand back.
"So I'm… locked out of my own fate?"
[In a sense, yes.]
Silence settled again.
She looked down at the necklace in her hand, gripping it tighter this time.
"…Then I'll just have to figure it out myself."
Her voice was quiet but firm.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Her gaze lifted, sharp and unwavering.
"I won't die again."
The system flickered softly.
[Of course, Host.]
A small pause.
Then, almost gently
[I won't let you.]
Elowen leaned back into her pillows, the necklace resting against her chest now.
Her eyes slowly closed.
But her mind, Her mind was wide awake.
Because somewhere in this story…
Something had gone terribly wrong.
And she was going to find it.
No matter what it took.