Chapter 4

Noah’s breath came in uneven gasps, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. The blood-red screen hovered in front of him like a phantom’s decree, its cruel mission pulsing with an unnatural glow.

Mission: Assassinate King Aldric Valtheron and seize the throne.

Time Remaining: 24 hours, 59 minutes.

Failure Penalty: Immediate Death.

His mind spun. He barely had a grip on surviving in this world, and now he was supposed to kill the most powerful man in the kingdom? His own father? That was beyond suicide.

[This system is insane! How the hell am I supposed to do this?!]

But the true nightmare wasn’t the mission itself—it was the six men seated around him, all staring at the glowing screen with unreadable expressions. The air in the dining hall had thickened, tension crackling like a storm about to break.

Noah swallowed hard, trying to gauge their reactions. Lucian’s golden eyes were narrowed in sharp contemplation, his hand resting just above his sword hilt. Damien sat unnervingly still, his piercing gaze dissecting Noah as though trying to uncover something hidden beneath his skin. Ezra and Soren exchanged a look—brief but heavy with meaning.

It was Veyron who finally broke the silence. His crimson eyes gleamed as he leaned forward, a twisted smile playing on his lips. “Fascinating,” he murmured. “So this is the power that controls you.”

Noah’s breath hitched. [What?]

Lucian’s fingers tapped against the table, a slow, rhythmic beat. “This isn’t magic,” he said. “Not of this world, at least.”

Ezra scoffed, tilting his head. “And yet it holds power over you.”

Noah forced himself to smirk, masking his terror. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Soren’s eyes sharpened. “Lie.”

A pulse of warning ran through Noah’s veins. He was treading on thin ice.

Caius exhaled softly, swirling his wine. “Whether you deny it or not, we all saw the same thing. A command, a countdown, a death sentence.” His gaze locked onto Noah’s. “Tell me, Ravenn, do you truly intend to kill your father?”

Noah’s stomach churned. The words tasted like poison on his tongue. If he said no, would the system punish him? If he said yes… would these men let him live?

The system screen flickered as if taunting him. Time Remaining: 24 hours, 57 minutes.

[Dammit, think!]

Noah pushed his chair back and stood, his smirk growing sharper despite the dread clawing at his insides. “What does it matter to you?” He swept his gaze over them, forcing bravado into his stance. “Are you worried about me? Or are you worried about what happens if I fail?”

Lucian’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You misunderstand.”

“Oh?” Noah folded his arms. “Then enlighten me.”

Damien finally moved, standing with deliberate slowness. “If something like this can dictate your life,” he said, voice cold as steel, “then it can dictate your death just as easily.”

A shiver ran down Noah’s spine. The meaning was clear.

[They don’t just see the system as dangerous. They see it as a threat to me.]

Caius tilted his head. “You’re trapped, aren’t you?”

Noah’s pulse roared in his ears. He needed to shut this conversation down—now.

“What an amusing theory.” He turned on his heel, heading for the doors. “But I have a mission to prepare for.”

Before he could reach the exit, a hand clamped around his wrist.

Soren.

Noah’s breath hitched as he was pulled back, forced to meet the knight’s piercing blue gaze. “And what if we stop you?” Soren’s voice was quiet, but the threat within it was deafening.

Noah tensed. The room was too quiet, the pressure suffocating. Every instinct screamed that he was walking a razor’s edge.

Then, as if the system itself wished to remind him of the stakes, a sharp jolt of pain lashed through his body. He barely bit back a cry, staggering as the electric burn seared through his veins.

System Alert: Compliance is mandatory.

Noah gasped, his knees nearly buckling. The six men tensed, their eyes flashing with something dangerously close to fury.

[They saw that. They saw me suffer.]

Lucian’s fists clenched. “This system is more than dangerous.”

Veyron’s smile faded. “It’s cruel.”

Ezra exhaled sharply. “And it won’t let him go.”

Noah’s breath shuddered as he straightened, forcing himself to glare at them despite the tremors wracking his body. “This is my burden.”

Damien stepped forward, his gaze unrelenting. “And what if we don’t let you bear it alone?”

Noah froze.

[What…?]

The system’s countdown ticked away mercilessly, but for the first time since this nightmare began, Noah wasn’t sure who his greatest threat was—the system that sought to control him, or the six men who refused to let him face it alone.

Time Remaining: 24 hours, 55 minutes.

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