My ribs ached with each breath, a reminder that I wasn't fully healed yet. Six more days of recovery, six days to get my mana back to full capacity. Six days to prepare mentally for what was coming. And then two weeks that would either free me or kill me.

No pressure.

When we reached the safe house, I headed straight for my room. Not to sleep, though I probably should have. To think. To really process what I'd agreed to.

The system activated as soon as the door closed behind me.

[FATE'S SEVERANCE TRAINING: SCHEDULED]

[PARTICIPANTS: Hadeon Ravana (S+ rank), Adrian Celestius (SSS-rank)]

[ESTIMATED TIMELINES:

- Current recovery: 6 days remaining

- Travel to facility: 2 days

- Training duration: 14 days

- Total time commitment: 22 days]

[PROBABILITY ANALYSIS:

Death probability: 33%

Permanent injury probability: 33%

Success probability: 34%]

[WARNING: These probabilities assume optimal conditions. Any complications during training will reduce success chance significantly.]

[ADDITIONAL WARNING: If both you and Adrian fail, resistance leadership collapses. Council will exploit the vacuum.]

[RECOMMENDATION: Stagger training. One of you should learn first, then teach the other once technique is proven survivable.]

I stared at that last line. The system wanted us to train separately. Reduce the risk of total failure by not putting both leaders at risk simultaneously.

It made logical sense.

But logic wasn't the only consideration here.

"We're doing it together," I said aloud. "Adrian and I. Same time, same place. Not negotiable."

[UNDERSTOOD]

[QUESTION: Why take unnecessary risk?]

"Because if we're asking people to follow us into a war against reality-controlling entities, we need to demonstrate we're willing to take the same risks. Lead from the front. Besides..." I sat on the edge of the bed. "Adrian needs to know someone understands what he's going through. Same for me. We'll be better at this together than separate."

[ANALYSIS: Emotional reasoning over tactical optimization]

[EVALUATION: Statistically suboptimal]

[ASSESSMENT: ...but consistent with your established pattern of prioritizing relationships over pure efficiency]

[FINAL JUDGMENT: Proceed as planned]

[ADDITIONAL SUPPORT INITIATED]

The last line surprised me. "Additional support?"

[During training, this system will monitor your vital signs and narrative stability. If you begin to fade during Contact stage, emergency alert will activate. Cannot prevent death, but can provide early warning.]

"That's... actually helpful. Thank you."

[ATTEMPTING TO KEEP HOST ALIVE IS WITHIN SYSTEM PARAMETERS]

[ALSO: WOULD PREFER NOT TO BE DEACTIVATED IF HOST DIES]

[SELF-PRESERVATION IS LOGICAL]

I laughed despite myself. The system had developed a surprising amount of personality over the months. Started as a simple interface, now it made jokes about not wanting to die. Character growth wasn't just for humans, apparently.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in."

Lucille entered, closing the door behind her. She leaned against it, arms crossed, expression serious. "We need to talk."

"I know what you're going to say."

"Do you?"

"You're going to tell me this is dangerous and ask if I've considered alternatives and remind me that I have people who depend on me staying alive." I met her eyes. "And I'm going to say yes, I've considered everything, and I'm doing it anyway because the alternative is worse."

Lucille was quiet for a moment. Then she pushed off from the door and sat beside me on the bed. "Actually, I was going to say I understand why you're doing it, and I'll support your decision, but if you die I'm going to be extremely angry with you."

That caught me off guard. "You're not going to try to talk me out of it?"

"Would it work?"

"No."

"Then why waste both our time?" She looked at her hands. "I've watched you make decision after decision that should have gotten you killed. The duel with Adrian. The League attack. Every time, you survived because you prepared better than everyone expected. You're good at staying alive when the odds say you shouldn't be."

"This is different. Victoria said...."

"I know what Victoria said. One in three. Terrible odds." Lucille's voice was steady. "But you're not a normal S-plus rank fighter. You're you. You plan for everything. You prepare contingencies. You survive situations you shouldn't. If anyone can beat those odds, it's you."

The confidence in her voice was almost overwhelming. She genuinely believed it.

"I might die anyway," I said quietly. "Despite preparation. Despite everything. The technique requires channeling life force. That's not something you can plan around."

"Then you'll die trying to be free instead of living as someone's puppet. I can respect that." She leaned her head on my shoulder. "But I still prefer the option where you don't die."

"Me too."

We sat in silence for a while. The afternoon sun streamed through the window, painting patterns on the floor. Outside, I could hear distant voices. The safe house continuing its daily routine. People living and preparing and hoping.

Six days until everything changed.

"Will you do something for me?" Lucille asked.

"What?"

"If you die during training..." She paused. "Tell someone to tell me. Don't let me wait wondering."

The request hit harder than expected. She wasn't asking me not to go. Wasn't asking me to reconsider. Just asking to know if I died. The practicality of it, the acceptance, was somehow worse than if she'd begged me to stay.

"I will," I promised. "Victoria already has instructions for notifying next of kin. I'll make sure you're on that list."

"Thank you."

Another silence. Comfortable despite the weight of the conversation.

"For what it's worth," Lucille said, "I think you'll succeed. You're too contrary to let fate have the last word."

I smiled. "Spite-based survival. Adrian would approve."

"Adrian would approve of a lot of terrible ideas. That's why you two get along."

Fair point.

The day wound down slowly. Dinner with the team, everyone trying not to focus on the elephant in the room. Ravenna asked technical questions about the technique. Marcus wanted to know if there were any equipment requirements, Seraphina confirmed defensive arrangements for while we were gone.

Normal planning conversations covering up the fact that they might not see us alive again.

Adrian's team joined us for part of the evening. Elena still looked unhappy but resigned. Diana and Thomas were quietly supportive. Marcus Ashford kept making dark jokes about funeral arrangements until Elena told him to shut up.

It was almost like old times. Before the League attack. Before the Council ultimatum. Just two groups of people eating dinner together and pretending everything was fine.

But everyone knew it wasn't.

Six days. Then we left for the mountains and either learned something that might save us all or died trying.

I went to bed that night thinking about fate threads. Invisible constraints binding everyone to their narrative roles. The Council's mechanism for controlling reality. Victoria had cut hers. Ezekiel had cut his. Now Adrian and I would try.

One in three chance of success.

Terrible odds.

But I'd beaten worse.

At least, that's what I told myself as I drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow, the countdown began.

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