I followed Kara through the forest, my mind racing with questions. She walked with the effortless grace of someone who knew exactly where they were going—while I stumbled over roots and uneven ground, still getting used to my body.

  It didn’t feel wrong, exactly. Just... different. Lighter. Stronger. Like something had shifted in ways I couldn’t fully grasp.

  Kara didn’t speak as we moved through the trees, and I wasn’t sure if that was because she was deep in thought or because she simply didn’t care to explain things to me yet. Either way, I had too many questions swirling in my head to stay silent for long.

  “So,” I said, clearing my throat, “you’re telling me I was... sent here. Into my own story.”

  Kara glanced at me over her shoulder. “Yes.”

  “And the gods had something to do with it?”

  She hesitated, just for a second. “That’s one way to put it.”

  I frowned. That wasn’t an answer. But before I could press her, the trees thinned, revealing a clearing. And in the distance, rising above the landscape like a fortress of glass and marble, was something I knew all too well.

  A city.

  No—the city.

  Solmaris. The capital of the human kingdom.

  I stopped in my tracks. My heart pounded in my chest as I took in the sight. The towering walls, the sprawling districts, the massive spires that reached toward the sky, glowing faintly under the perpetual twilight of this world. I had written this city. I had built it with words, described its every street, its every secret.

  But seeing it now? Feeling it?

  This wasn’t a world on a page anymore.

  Kara paused when she noticed I wasn’t keeping up. She studied me, her expression unreadable. “Something wrong?”

  I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “No. It’s just... different, seeing it in person.”

  “You’ll need to get used to that.” She turned and started walking again. “The System doesn’t wait for hesitation.”

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  I forced my legs to move, still overwhelmed by the sheer reality of it all. The dirt beneath my boots. The distant sounds of the city—market vendors calling, blacksmiths hammering, the murmur of thousands of lives going about their day.

  Everything felt too real.

  And the worst part?

  It wasn’t just the world that felt real. It was the rules.

  The System.

  I had written it as a guiding force, an invisible hand that ensured balance. It wasn’t something that could be broken, not without consequences. And Kara—she was its enforcer.

  Which meant if I was here, in this world, then I was bound by those same rules.

  I swallowed hard.

  What did that mean for me?

  A World That Moves Without Me

  We reached the outer gates of the city, where a line of travelers and merchants were waiting for entry. Guards in polished armor stood watch, their spears glinting under the golden light.

  Again, I felt the weight of my own writing pressing down on me. I had designed their uniforms, their weapons, the way they would act in the presence of strangers. And yet, they were more than just characters in a book.

  They were alive.

  As we approached, Kara didn’t stop. She walked straight to the gate, and just as I was about to warn her that we might need to follow protocol, the guards didn’t even look at her. They simply stepped aside, as if an unseen force had commanded them.

  Of course.

  Kara wasn’t just another person. She was part of the System itself.

  I hesitated, but when I moved to follow, one of the guards did stop me.

  “Halt.” His voice was firm, professional. “State your name and business in Solmaris.”

  For a moment, I just stood there, thrown off by the fact that I had to introduce myself in a world that I had created.

  “My name is Haider,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I... I’m a traveler.”

  The guard narrowed his eyes. “Where are you coming from?”

  I opened my mouth. Then closed it. I had no idea how to answer that.

  But before I could figure out what to say, Kara turned back slightly. “He’s with me.”

  The guard stiffened. For the first time, he really looked at Kara. His expression shifted, something like recognition flashing across his face—though I doubted he fully understood what he was recognizing.

  “I... see.” He stepped aside. “Apologies. Please, go ahead.”

  Kara didn’t say anything else. She just started walking again.

  I hurried to catch up.

  “So,” I muttered as we passed through the gates, “am I just supposed to ignore the fact that you have absolute authority over everything?”

  Kara gave me a sidelong glance. “You gave me this authority, didn’t you?”

  I tensed. That was true.

  I had written Kara as the System’s enforcer. She wasn’t a ruler, not in the political sense, but she was something beyond rulers. The System’s existence was absolute, and she was its living embodiment.

  And yet, as I walked beside her, I realized something unsettling.

  She wasn’t acting like an all-powerful entity.

  She was choosing to guide me. To let me figure things out at my own pace.

  Why?

  What did she know that I didn’t?

  The First Rule of This World

  As we entered the city, the streets unfolded around us in a dazzling display of life. Merchants hawked their wares, children darted between crowds, the scent of freshly baked bread mixed with the sharper tang of iron and magic in the air.

  I had always imagined what it would feel like to step into my own world.

  But I had never expected to be lost in it.

  Kara led me through the winding streets until we reached a quieter district—one where the noise faded, and the buildings were older, sturdier. She stopped in front of what looked like a modest inn, its wooden sign swaying gently in the breeze.

  “This is where you’ll be staying,” she said.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Just like that? No explanations? No divine revelations?”

  She gave me a flat look. “You don’t need divine revelations. You need information. And for that, you need time to adjust.”

  I crossed my arms. “You still haven’t answered the biggest question.”

  Kara tilted her head slightly. “And what’s that?”

  I met her gaze. “Why was I sent here?”

  For the first time since I’d met her, Kara hesitated.

  Then, finally, she said, “Because the System doesn’t make errors. And if you’re here, that means something is wrong with this world.”

  A cold chill ran down my spine.

  She turned away. “Rest for now. We’ll talk more soon.”

  And with that, she left me standing at the threshold of a world I had created—one that no longer belonged to me.