smoke would

stood clean and white, I could still remember the heat against

fire too, then the da

only

the quiet garden below. In my first life, the flames had starte

e plan

em pulse

status:

affectio

ional instabil

nore

longer felt lik

ival

interrupted

nt

mposed, loyal to Mark above all else. In my previous life, he

la

"The Lord has ordered additiona

eason?" I a

ity co

ty con

't taking ch

he event of a fire... how quickl

on shifted,

," he replied carefully. "The stone

had b

min

h me

s timeline," I said quie

es sha

ember,"

e di

just

just

thers reta

d. "Smoke. Chaos. The Lord c

something

ed me out?

ghtened. "

uck harder th

ake it past t

d run into

r

em buzze

ion lev

nal response

wan before my express

eath the east wing," I said quietly

"You suspect in

es

t life, the fire ha

i

ele

ntio

ore. "I will repor

till, replaying every detai

war

rgum

nfron

fla

set the fire didn'

nted me

flickered

d interferen

anipulation

fr

ern

n," I w

ave noth

mors were alr

roposal had sh

ispering. Some looked at me wit

s wife, then I was a lo

to re

d hall slowly, pretending

tepped in

Iso

rp-eyed. Alw

congratulated me with a sm

moothly. "I was surprised

honesty,"

ly. "Honesty can be da

disappoi

curved

oes not take re

awa

e a moment too long be

lking, something

ontrolled the wes

ife, her political i

I d

be free to

cion wasn

accusations withou

ing, Rowa

t wing storage," he reported quietly in m

od ran

was del

es

o has a

carefully. "And memb

un

l. Unto

ed sl

long after the proposal di

ee d

ee

e countdown ha

stem c

window r

ality risk

pply deliveries three days b

d. "I will

, I closed th

ee

would burn again

le

I cha

n knock

me, it

ceremony, dismissin

investigati

hav

nd

re was

t look s

ected a

rms. "Why didn

irst timeline, yo

y caught m

ow?" I

stepping closer, "I am t

lt heavier

kill me," I said, "then

ession h

touches you

ss in his voice

em pulse

affectio

hreshold ap

emanded suddenly. "We

t me for a

ne," he said slowly,

n't in m

?" I

unt. An arrow

ched m

d been a

in the

him aside out

affe

was strategy

he replied. "For me,

e stre

on felt h

to kill a monster,

wasn't

an who ran

remembered

shadows, someone po

id finally. "That'

rpened. "You

es

e set a

se qui

tra

fire," he said calmly. "Bu

a was d

nly way to expos

glitched

ating from

ystem stabi

nore

iving in this world, I wasn'

g about survi

to leave, he pa

ar

es

e said quietly, "I will not

ngered long

ee

he truth burned it

this

ld be