Chapter 20 – The Stair of Seven Fates
> "Each step holds a version of you… one you never became."
– The Voice Beyond the Ink
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Kaian placed his foot on the first step of the Stairway of Forgotten Chapters, and the world bent.
The stair didn't rise into the sky—it rose into possibility.
Seven radiant steps.
Seven sealed realms.
Seven versions of fate.
Each one forged from paths he was never allowed to walk.
And as he stepped onto the first, time folded in on itself.
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[FATE ONE: THE MONSTER KING]
Worldload Activated: Kaian – Chosen by Ruin
In a world where Kaian had embraced his destructive instincts, he stood not as a savior, but as the crowned King of Obliteration—a tyrant with godlike power, feared by every realm.
His eyes glowed with dark glyphs. His cloak was stitched with the names of cities he'd erased.
And he turned to face the real Kaian with a twisted grin.
> "So… you're the version that resisted.
Let's see how long that lasts."
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The Inkblade reacted.
But Kaian hesitated.
Not from fear—but recognition.
He felt the rage, the hunger, the darkness of the tyrant version of himself.
> "That was almost me."
> "It still could be."
They clashed.
The Inkblade met the King's Crown of Collapse.
Each strike shattered echoes of destroyed worlds.
But Kaian didn't fight to win.
He fought to understand.
> "You're not my failure," Kaian muttered as their blades locked.
"You're my reminder."
And with one decisive move, Kaian didn't kill the Monster King—he rewrote him.
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[PATH ONE COMPLETED]
Fate Accepted. Lesson Learned: Power without restraint corrupts potential.
Kaian's Resolve Deepened. Author Rank: Ascending Initiate
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As the tyrant form dissolved into light, the second step pulsed.
A soft voice echoed:
> "To ascend, you must face yourself… seven times."
Kaian took a breath—and rose.
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Meanwhile – The Architect
He watched Kaian ascend, faster than any anomaly in recorded existence.
> "He's adapting too quickly…"
Behind him, the Council of Structural Divinity murmured, worried.
> "Shall we engage the Boundary Scribes?"
"No… not yet. Let him reach Step Four. That's where most anomalies shatter."
The Architect nodded coldly.
> "Let him dream of authorship. The ink dries eventually."
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In the Shadows of Fate
The First Writer walked across collapsing timelines, gathering fragments of Kaian's discarded paths.
His staff tapped once with each echo collected.
> "I built this stair for a successor who never came.
Now one climbs it…
…and he's not even trying to survive."
The First Writer smiled.
> "He's trying to understand."
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