The world had changed again.
After escaping the Silent World, Harvie and Edna arrived at the border of a strange land—the Kingdom of Solistra. It looked beautiful at first. Golden towers. Clear skies. Calm roads. But something felt... wrong.
No wind. No birds. No sound of people.
Edna stepped beside him, her hand brushing against his. "Is this place... alive?"
Harvie didn't answer right away. He stared at the trees. The leaves didn't move. A falling apple froze mid-air. The sun didn't shift. It was as if time itself was sleeping.
He opened the System.
> [ERROR: SYSTEM INTERFACE NOT FOUND.]
> [REWIND DISABLED IN REGION: SOLISTRA.]
His heart skipped. "I'm mortal in this place," he whispered.
Edna looked at him, worried. "You mean—if you die here…"
"I don't come back."
They walked slowly into the silent city. People stood in place, mid-step or mid-laugh. Their eyes were open. But they didn't blink.
Like dolls.
Then, with a sudden wind, time moved. The city came alive.
The people blinked. Laughed. Walked.
As if they were never frozen.
Harvie staggered. The moment felt real—but also fake. His instincts screamed.
A knight in silver armor stepped forward. "The Queen has been waiting for you, Harvie."
Edna gasped. "How does she know your name?"
Harvie's eyes narrowed. "I don't know. But let's find out."
---
The throne room was made of glass. Light danced on the floor like waves.
Queen Aureline stood tall, her long white hair glowing faintly. She wore no crown—but her presence felt heavy, older than mountains.
She smiled sadly when she saw Harvie. "So it is you. Chrono's Mistake."
Harvie stiffened. "What does that mean?"
"You do not belong. You were never part of this script."
He stepped forward. "I didn't ask to be born into this. I didn't ask to carry this Seal."
"No. But you carry it still. And now, the world is breaking around you."
Edna stepped in. "What do you want from us?"
Queen Aureline's voice was soft. "I offer peace. Stay here. Give up the Seal quest. Live like the others—without time, without pain."
Harvie shook his head. "I can't. The Seals must be broken. The world won't survive otherwise."
The Queen's eyes darkened. "Then you will bring ruin. Just like before."
"Before?"
She turned away. "You were here once. Long ago. You failed. The world burned."
Harvie clenched his fists. "Then I'll do better this time."
---
That night, in a quiet guest chamber, Harvie sat by the window, watching the frozen stars.
He couldn't sleep. Not because of fear—but because of something else.
He felt... small.
The world was moving on its own. The System was failing. The Seals were twisting. Even the people weren't normal anymore.
He looked at his hand. It was shaking.
"I'm just a patch," he whispered.
Edna walked over, her robe brushing the floor. "What are you thinking?"
Harvie looked at her. "That maybe I was never meant to exist."
She reached out, holding his hand tightly. "Then I'll make sure you keep existing."
He smiled weakly. "Thanks, Edna."
Outside, the stars blinked—just once—and then froze again.
And far below the castle, something ancient began to stir.