The Weave sang.
Orion stood at the edge of the Soulforge's fading brilliance, the air around him still thick with residual energy. Threads of green and gold pulsed in time with his breathing, drifting around his form like strands of fate caught in a timeless current.
But the real shift wasn't in the world around him.
It was in him.
Within his soul, the echo of Phantom was no more. What remained was far more refined. Intelligent. Purposeful.
> [RAPHAEL – Integrated System Intelligence Activated.]
A soft shimmer crawled across his vision as Raphael's presence settled, not just in the system, but in his thoughts—layered across every perception. He felt the difference immediately.
It wasn't just about power anymore.
It was about control.
> ["I have completed recalibration of your cognitive load," Raphael said, his voice smooth, almost gentle. "You are now functioning at a 142% increase in baseline efficiency. Thought Acceleration and Parallel Operation are fully online."]
"Feels like I'm running a dozen simulations just by blinking." Orion flexed his fingers, watching trails of energy follow each movement like phantom echoes. "You're not just in my head—you're reading the world for me."
> ["And adjusting it to favor your victory."]
The answer came with a window:
> [New Feature Unlocked – Story Anchor: Passive Narrative Adjustment Field] {Description: The system subtly rewrites reality around the user to favor narrative convergence, assisting in dramatic tension, foreshadowing, and plot resolution. Caution advised.}
"Holy meta," Orion muttered with a chuckle. "I've officially gone full Isekai Protagonist."
> ["Technically, you surpassed that threshold during the Trial of Identity. This is post-narrative ascension."]
He couldn't help but laugh at the phrasing. "That's so anime it hurts."
---
> [New System Notification – Fateweaver Terminal Update]
[Quests, Trials, and Gacha Expanded.]
> [New Feature: Fate Nexus – Access rare timelines, abilities, and anomalous events.] [Fate Tokens: 1 Available]
"About time." Orion brought up the interface with a thought.
The Fate Nexus appeared as a rotating cube of shimmering glyphs and golden rings, pulsing with temporal distortion. Each face represented a possibility—an outcome waiting to be rewritten.
> [Spin? One Token required.]
He took a breath.
"Let's see what fate owes me."
He flicked his finger across the cube—and it spun.
Light flared.
> [Fateweaver Gacha Result: Acquired – Cosmic Blueprint:
[Bounded Strand Bow – "Verdant Grasp"]
> [Special Strand Weapon – Class: Destiny-Type / Bow]
{Description: A weapon made of woven strands of the Weave. Arrows explode into tethering darts that ensnare enemies and collapse unstable realities.}
> [Ability Unlocked: Strand Surge – Passive movement boost and grapple via reality threads.]
[Raphael Compatibility: 100%. Entity may evolve.]
Orion's breath caught as the bow manifested in front of him—an elegant arc of emerald light and woven matter. The string shimmered between solid and unreal. A symbol at the hilt pulsed with a Yggdrasil-like glyph.
> ["Strand manipulation calibration complete," Raphael noted. "Connection to the multiversal Weave has stabilized. Probability of narrative shaping increased."]
"Damn," Orion whispered, running his fingers along the bowstring. "Now this is god-tier."
> [New Quest Added – Trial of the Woven Fate]
[Objective: Master the power of the Strand and its metaphysical implications. Traverse the edge of fractured timelines.]
[ Reward: Access to Future Threadwalking | Story Anchor Upgrade]
He lowered the bow, eyes gleaming with new clarity.
His power now rivaled gods—not just in brute force, but in perception, control, and influence. The Weave, the system, Raphael… they weren't just tools. They were parts of him now.
"Alright," Orion murmured. "Let's move this story forward."
---
> [Return to Present Timeline – System Transition Imminent]
A soft hum began to rise as the Forge crumbled behind him, the Loom fading back into nothingness. The world tilted—
And the light consumed him.
—
Back in the Abbey – Present Time
Hunter's bedroom was dim, peaceful, almost serene.
Orion stirred beneath the sheets.
Three days had passed since the resurrection.
But they would never know that those three days had stretched into eternities.
He opened his eyes.
Not slowly.
Sharply.
The golden glow of Raphael's systems flickered behind his pupils before fading. The choker at his throat—now Raphael's dormant form—pulsed once in quiet acknowledgement. A seal once more, but now self-aware.
The new armor, weapons, the bow—they all shimmered out of sight, stashed safely within the [Spatial Pocket] Raphael maintained.
On the surface, he looked exactly as he had before.
But beneath?
A god in waiting.
> ["Welcome back, Orion," Raphael murmured in his mind.
"Shall we begin the deception?"]
He smiled faintly. "Time to play the part."
A knock came at the door.
"Yo, you still alive in there?" Nico's voice rang playfully. "Caretaker's got everyone whispering like you're some resurrected savior or something."
"Technically," he whispers, smoothing his old robes and armour, "they're not wrong."
The story had resumed.
But the player?
Was no longer the same.
---
End of Chapter 15
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