"Sophisticated parasites. They don't just randomly harvest the world, they cultivate it." She manipulated the orrery, zooming in on our world. "Every hundred years or so, they engineer a cycle. Choose a hero. Designate villains. Demons. Script major events. Then they sit back and collect the energy as the story plays out according to their design."

"Adrian is this cycle's hero."

"Correct. Chosen from birth. Enhanced with power beyond what should be natural. Given... guidance and major luck." The word dripped with contempt. "That voice in his head that he thinks is divine inspiration? That's Council manipulation feeding him information. Nudging his decisions. Making him believe he's destined for greatness."

My stomach churned even though I'd known this. Hearing it confirmed was different. "And the villains?"

"Disposable. Meant to challenge the hero enough to make the story interesting, then die dramatically to cement the hero's legend." She looked at me. "Their control is so strong that we never even think and ask, why do we need a single hero to lead up when we have abundance of strong people?

"I believe they also interfere with our memories. Also, they've given everyone their roles to play. Like you...a disposable."

I kept my face neutral even as my spin tinged. "The poison assassination at the Spring Festival."

Her eyebrows rose. "You know the specific?"

"My family's records were... very detailed." Another necessary lie. "They documented patterns across cycles, predicted major things...."

"Then you know how thoroughly they script things." She moved to a bookshelf, pulled out an ancient tome. "Every major event. Every encounter. Every death. All planned in advance."

She opened the book, showing records spanning centuries.

"Look. The Radiant Hero cycle, two hundred years ago. Hero named Aldric Brightblade. Defeated the 'Shadow Demon King Valthor.' Became a beloved ruler." She flipped pages. "Then mysteriously died at age thirty-four when he started questioning the nature of his power."

More pages turned.

But of course I've learned all of this.

"The Celestial Champion cycle, three hundred years ago. Hero named Seraphine Goldenheart. Defeated the 'Void Lord Krevic.' United warring kingdoms." Her finger traced the text. "Then vanished without a trace when she discovered old records suggesting she wasn't the first 'chosen one.'"

She looked up at me. "The pattern repeats. Hero rises. Villain falls. Order is restored. Then the hero either dies, disappears, or becomes a tyrant. Because once they've served their purpose, the Council doesn't need them anymore. Sometimes they even become the next cycle's villain."

"What about villains who survive their designated deaths?"

"Very few do." She gestured to herself. "Those who manage it end up like me. Hiding. Using false names. Never staying anywhere too long. Because the Council doesn't like loose ends that can talk about what they've seen."

"You were part of previous cycle's villains." I said and my eyes widened.

She nodded slowly. "I was Iris Voidwalker. One hundred years ago. Designated as the 'Dark Sorceress' who threatened the kingdom. I was supposed to die to sharpen the sword of the hero."

The same as Ravenna was supposed to die.

"They recycle plots," I said.

"Why create new ones when the old ones work? It's efficient. Predictable." She sat down heavily. "The hero of that cycle was named Marcus Lightbringer. A powerful and charismatic. Everything a hero should be. We were enemies, as scripted."

Her voice grew distant, painful.

"But we were also both intelligent enough to notice inconsistencies. Things that didn't make sense. Coincidences that were too convenient. We started investigating separately, then... we compared notes."

"You discovered the truth together?"

"We discovered we were both puppets in someone else's story. That our enmity was manufactured. That everything we thought we were fighting for was a lie." She took another drink. "And we fell in love. Because of course we did, two people trapped in the same nightmare, seeing each other as actual people instead of story roles."

The pain in her voice was raw even after a century.

"We decided to fight back. Together. We thought, naively, that love could overcome destiny. That if we just refused to play our parts, the story would break and we'd be free."

"What happened?"

"The Council sent enforcers." Her hands tightened around the glass. "Beings made of power. They killed Marcus. Erased him from the world so thoroughly that most people don't even remember he existed. I barely escaped."

She looked at me with eyes that had witnessed something terrible.

"I survived through cowardice. I ran and I hid. I changed my name and became someone else. Spent a century hiding in plain sight at this academy, the one place the Council doesn't closely monitor because they think it's already under their control."

"And you've been waiting. For what?"

"For someone like you." She leaned forward. "Someone who knows the truth but fights anyway. Who builds instead of just hiding. Who has a chance, however small, of actually winning instead of just surviving."

I smiled tightly. "Professor Iris....you're waiting for someone like me? You are much stronger than me, you know more than me. Don't tell me... you don't want to fight because you're afraid of them?"

She shuddered but didn't say anything, her face appeared darker as she looked at me.

I shook my head.

Ah....humans.

"How do they choose who becomes a hero or villain?" I asked instead. "What makes Adrian special?"

Professor Iris pulled herself out of her thoughts and moved to another shelf, pulling out a different book, this one filled with diagrams and arcane formulas.

"Destiny weight. Every person has it, a measure of their importance to the overall scheme of things. Most people have minimal weight. Background characters. But some are born with more."

She showed me charts displaying different levels.

"Adrian was born with high Destiny weight. Natural talent, attractive features and a compelling backstory, he's an orphan who doesn't know his real parents are actually minor nobility. The Council saw his potential and enhanced it. Gave him SSS-rank power that shouldn't be naturally possible. Implanted suggestions in his mind. Made him what he is."

"And me?"

"You were born with moderate negative destiny weight. Villain material, but minor. A stepping stone for the hero. Meant to challenge him briefly, then die to prove his superiority." She looked at me seriously. "But something changed. You started acting off-script. Making choices the Council didn't predict. Your negative narrative weight has been... transforming. Becoming something else entirely."

"What do you mean?"

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