Aelira's fingers tightened around Lyra's wrist as another ripple passed overhead.
The sky blinked.
Once.Twice.Then paused—like a cursor waiting for input.
Lyra's breath caught in her throat. "It's watching."
"No," Aelira murmured. "It's choosing."
A silence descended that felt too deliberate. Like the calm before a screen loads.Even the wind dared not speak.
Lyra turned her head slowly—toward a part of the sky that shimmered like heat haze.
There, floating in the empty air—
—was a notification box.
Her pulse stuttered.
This was no longer the Author's world.And yet… new prompts were appearing.
Would you like to restore deleted characters?
Top-voted:① The First Queen② Kael③ Violet④ Draft Zero
Aelira read the words and took a step back. "They're voting?"
Lyra's mouth went dry.
"Not just voting. They're… interacting."
They weren't alone in their own story anymore.
Now, an audience was watching from beyond the page.
This isn't narrative. This is engagement.
