Rowan sat on the cold stone floor of the tunnel, trying to catch his breath, still shaken from the close call with Ardyn. His pulse was still racing, and the sting of his palms, raw from gripping the sword too tightly, reminded him of how far he still had to go. Ardyn's skill with a blade was on a different level altogether. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the sudden realization that he was stuck in a world where he didn't belong.
"Relax, grunt," Ardyn said, his voice calm but still laced with a hint of amusement. "You did better than I expected. Most people would've panicked."
Rowan wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to steady his breathing. He hadn't expected to be thrown into a fight so soon. Hell, he hadn't expected to be thrown into a fight at all. He'd been a passive observer, someone who read stories from the comfort of his couch, not someone who lived them. But here he was, caught in the middle of a war, with the power to survive—if only he could figure out how to use it properly.
"What's the deal with this system, anyway?" Rowan asked, still trying to make sense of the glowing text that appeared in his mind whenever something important happened. The power he'd been granted, the Shardbound System, had given him a skill—Memory Echo—but what else was it capable of?
Ardyn cocked his head, his dark eyes narrowing. "You don't know?"
Rowan sighed, rubbing his temples. "No, I don't. This… this whole situation is pretty overwhelming. One minute, I'm reading a book, and the next I'm fighting for my life in it. And now I've got some kind of system that gives me power but drains me dry in the process. I don't exactly know what I'm doing."
Ardyn snorted. "Well, that sounds familiar. Welcome to the world, kid."
"Kid?" Rowan shot him a glare, but Ardyn only grinned.
"Trust me, you're not the first person to get pulled into this mess. The system's part of it—part of the reason why some of us have a chance to survive longer than we should. It's a trick. They think it's helping, but in the end, it controls you."
"What do you mean?" Rowan asked, furrowing his brow.
Ardyn looked away, his expression turning distant for a moment, as if contemplating something darker. "You'll find out soon enough. But don't think it's a gift. You've got power now, sure, but every time you use it, it gets harder to resist the pull. The system pushes you toward certain choices. And when it's ready, it will make you choose a side—just like everyone else."
Rowan absorbed the weight of Ardyn's words. The idea of being controlled, of being led down a path without knowing where it would end, made his stomach twist. This wasn't the grand adventure he had imagined when reading fantasy novels. This was dangerous. This was real.
"I can't just play the hero like I'm some side character in a story," Rowan muttered.
"No, you can't." Ardyn agreed, his voice low and grim. "You're not the hero. And you sure as hell aren't the villain. You're the wildcard—the one who could tip the scales in either direction, if you can figure out how to use that shard of yours."
Rowan's mind whirred. The system had been a mystery so far—he had no idea how or why it was giving him this ability, or even if it was something he could control. But Ardyn was right about one thing: the system wasn't just some tool for survival. It was something deeper, darker.
"Okay, I get it," Rowan said, standing up, brushing the dirt off his pants. "But what now? I can't just keep hiding out in tunnels forever. I need to figure out what I'm supposed to do next. I've read the damn book—well, most of it—but it doesn't exactly tell me how to handle this situation."
Ardyn's eyes flickered with a knowing gleam. "Then you'll need to learn the rules of this world. And you'll need to make allies, whether you like it or not. This isn't the kind of place you survive by being a lone wolf."
Rowan frowned. "Allies?"
"Yeah. You're going to need more than your little shard if you're going to make it. Trust me. People here are dangerous. There's no such thing as a good guy in this world—just people with different agendas. And if you can't figure out where you stand, you'll end up dead."
Rowan didn't like the sound of that. "So… what now? Do I just start trusting people? How do I know who's on my side?"
Ardyn leaned against the wall of the tunnel, arms crossed. "You don't. You won't. Not until you've been burned a few times."
Rowan's heart sank. This wasn't what he had imagined when he'd first picked up 'Between the pages'. There was no shining hero to rally behind, no clear line between good and evil. It was all gray. And Rowan was standing right in the middle of it.
"What about the Crimson King?" Rowan asked, the name rolling off his tongue with a chill. He hadn't expected to face him so soon. In the book, the King was a shadow, a looming figure whose presence only grew stronger as the story progressed. Rowan had hoped to stay far, far away from him.
Ardyn's smirk returned, but there was no humor in it. "You're not ready for that yet. The Crimson King's power is… beyond anything you've seen. If you really want to know what you're up against, wait until you're on the front lines. You'll understand soon enough."
Rowan felt the weight of Ardyn's words sink in. The front lines. The battle he had almost survived. It was coming. Soon.
"Fine," Rowan said, his voice quiet but firm. "I'll play your game, but I need more than cryptic warnings. What exactly am I supposed to do now?"
Ardyn's grin returned, this time more genuine. "First thing's first—get your head straight. You're not going to survive by just copying people's skills. You need to build your own strength. And that's where I come in."
Rowan blinked. "You're going to help me?"
Ardyn's grin widened. "Oh, I'll help. But first, you've got to prove you're worth my time. Meet me outside the fortress walls. We'll start your training."
Rowan hesitated, uncertainty gnawing at his gut. He still didn't fully trust Ardyn, but the mercenary was right. He couldn't keep running forever. He needed to be ready for whatever came next.
"Alright," Rowan said, finally nodding. "I'll meet you there."
Ardyn gave a short nod, then turned toward the tunnel exit. "Don't keep me waiting."
As Ardyn's footsteps receded, Rowan lingered for a moment longer, his mind racing. The Shardbound System was a powerful tool, but it was also a trap. It would push him toward choices, toward alliances, toward goals—whether he was ready for them or not.
But one thing was clear: Rowan wasn't just an extra anymore. He wasn't a nameless soldier caught in the crossfire of someone else's war.
He was part of the story now. And it was time for him to decide how it would end.