At first, I felt heat. Then cold.
Then something hit me hard enough to send me crashing into rubble.
"What the—" I spat out dust, coughing.
I squinted through the wind, trying to make sense of my surroundings.
This had to be a Knot site. And worse than that—it wasn't a Dungeon, it was a Distorted Realm.
I'd never been in one, but it was obvious. The air crackled with magic. Shards of ice flew through the night sky and the wind carried an almost musical quality—eerie, like wind chimes. Up ahead, a medieval castle went in and out of focus, pale in the moonlight.
Goosebumps ran up my spine, up the nape of my neck.
Distorted Realms were chaotic zones where a Knot's magic spilled out before it could be stabilized into a Dungeon, creating surreal, unstable environments where the System's algorithms failed to provide full support.
Artifacts and rare items could be found here, just as in Dungeons, but they were often unsafe. In fact, Destabilized Artifacts—dangerous items with unpredictable effects—fueled Baekhaven's underground market, much to the frustration of agencies like KARMA.
Artifacts aside, these places were supposed to trap people who could not interface with the System, distort their minds, and create surreal illusions that made rescue difficult. Yet, this area was eerily empty. I knew it was nighttime, but… was everyone actually sleeping through this?
As I was still on the ground, trying to get my bearings, a shadow loomed over me.
I looked up.
A tall figure in a brown trench coat was glaring down at me like I'd personally ruined his day—the effect somehow made even more ominous by the fact that he was currently surrounded by a blazing shield of fire.
The high collar of a black sweater sat softly against his throat, at odds with the sharpness of his gaze. His expression was unreadable, save for the vague irritation in his eyes.
I'd know him anywhere.
"You." Llewellyn's voice was colder than the magical ice shards flying past. "Who are you? And why are you here?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Nothing came to mind either.
Damn it.
Wondering whether I'd been concussed into meeting my parasocial delusions, I scrambled back to my feet, patting the dust off my hoodie and jeans. The System had teleported me with my shoes, even though I hadn't been wearing them at home. Some kind of protection from the cold also seemed to be active—but it wasn't doing much.
My eyes landed on the sword in Llewellyn's hand, and the article Niamh had shared earlier flashed through my mind.
Damn. So the photos had been legit—and still somehow they hadn't done it justice.
They hadn't done justice to the one holding the sword either.
Llewellyn's fire shield seemed to pulse brighter with his irritation. The heat emanating from it made my face sting.
"Why are there no people here?" I asked instead.
Llewellyn's gaze sharpened. "Already evacuated," he said shortly. "Why are you still here?"
Before I could reply, a notification popped up.
[System Notification: Necessary preconditions satisfied! Match confirmed!]
What?
Llewellyn seemed to be staring at a notification of his own. His frown deepened, the fire swirling around him flaring hotter. "Well?"
I looked back at him. "Would you believe that I was just passing through?"
Llewellyn's eyes narrowed. He studied me like I was a particularly annoying bug splattered under his shoe.
"Passing through," he said flatly.
"I was literally at home until two minutes ago."
"And then the System sent you here." Llewellyn's tone was sharp. "Why?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. Did you piss it off and I'm the forced DLC?"
Llewellyn shot me a glare.
Well, what did he expect? He was the expert!
I'd only dealt with the System a handful of times—I didn't even know it could teleport people without their consent!
Is that how it works? Just throw people at the problem and hope for the best?
Maybe that's how it started for him.
Still, he was Llewellyn. What the hell was I doing here?
"Stay close," Llewellyn ordered, already walking.
"What?"
"If the System sent you here, you must have a role. Figure it out."
I opened my mouth to argue, but another notification cut me off.
[System Notification: "Elemental Insight" is active!]
I stared.
What was that?!
As far as I knew, the only System power I had barely did anything useful—it just nudged me in random directions occasionally, like check out this coffee shop or apply for this job. Nothing like this.
Did I have Elemental Magic? Since when?! I'd tried multiple times in the past, after the System had appeared to me for the first time, and nothing had ever happened.
I was still staring at the notification when suddenly, Llewellyn shoved me aside.
Fire shot past where I'd been standing, and I hit the ground, hard.
"Whatever it is, use it," Llewellyn barked. "Now."
Use it. Right. Yes.
But how?!
I scrambled back to my feet, ignoring the ache in my bones.
The distorted landscape twisted around like it was alive, the castle looming closer then further away—its walls turning from fire to ice. Pathways formed and split under the pressure of the elements.
The Knot—an enormous mass of Elemental Magic—could be seen near the castle's keep, massive and unstable.
The notification flashed again.
[System Notification: "Elemental Insight" is active!]
Llewellyn had already thrown himself back into action, intercepting the outbursts of Elemental Magic, his sword swooshing at incredible speed. Each motion was sharp and precise, flowing cleanly into the next.
"Focus!" Llewellyn yelled, not even sparing me a glance.
Focus. Yes. But on what?
The ground buckled under another explosion. I rolled sideways, scratching my palms. My breathing quickened, the wind carrying scents of ash and metal.
I had to do something or I was going to die here. The problem was, I had no idea what.
I took cover behind a tree trunk and tried to will something—anything—to happen.
Nothing.
I couldn't feel any surge of power or clarity, no Magic, nothing even remotely useful. Was the System wrong? The only thing there was an… itch–
…Wait.
I zeroed in on the itch deep in my chest.
The more I focused on it, the more it sharpened, pulling beneath my sternum.
I steadied myself as the sensation grew stronger.
What was this?! Had it been there before?!
The itch tightened under my ribs. I glanced at Llewellyn and the sensation flared even harder.
I pressed my tongue against my teeth. Fuck.
The itch grew more intense until it was all-encompassing, seemingly scraping from within.
It felt like someone was scooping my chest raw from the inside with a spoon, drawing my gaze toward the Knot.
Another explosion rocked the ground, knocking me back against the tree trunk. The wind picked up, carrying ice shards sharp enough to slice skin. I pressed closer to the tree.
My chest was driving me mad—the itch burrowing deeper, making it difficult to think.
"Move!" Llewellyn suddenly yelled, his voice cutting through the uproar of the Elements.
I dove just as a ball of Fire struck the tree, splitting it in half. The smell of burning wood filled the air as I rolled across gravel, scraping my arms where my hoodie had slid up.
The notification flashed again.
[System Notification: "Elemental Insight" is active!]
What was I supposed to do with that? The System kept insisting, but it offered no guidance!
Wind chimes echoed through the air, distorted, like bells underwater. Moonlight filtered through the chaos.
A wave of Fire swept past, so close that I staggered backward.
The itch sharpened every time I looked at the Knot, like it wanted me to see it.
I had to focus on the feeling or I would go mad.
I closed my eyes briefly, hoping not to die—and tried to feel it properly. I didn't know what I was reaching for, just that something in me wanted to reach.
The sensation in my chest intensified, gouging me out.
It was unbearable.
It was like it wasn't even mine.
A cosmic itch underneath everything—deep, deep, deep, deep, deep down.
Then something clicked, diamond-like and urgent in my chest—and everything shifted.