Volume 2, Chapter 10: The Goddess of Broken Vows Is Stalking Me (and I Might Deserve It)
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It started with a cold wind.
Not magical. Not divine.
Just… familiar.
Kai felt it behind his eyes before it touched his skin.
A presence he hadn't felt since—
"She's here," Nyxa said quietly.
Yui instinctively stepped in front of him.
Iseria unsheathed her blade.
Velmaria's hands lit with flame.
From the forest mist walked a tall woman clad in flowing black-and-silver robes. Her hair was starlight-dark, her lips crimson regret, and her eyes—twin eclipses of judgment.
Everyone froze.
Even the Codex Amoris shook in Kai's pack.
The woman's voice echoed softly, cruelly: "Hello… Beloved."
Kai's stomach dropped. "Vashara."
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[ALERT: High-Level Divine Entity Detected – Vashara, Goddess of Oaths and Forgotten Promises]
[Relationship Status: Complicated]
[History: Former Pact-Partner to Kai in a Previous Timeline]
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Yui blinked. "Wait—she's your ex?"
Kai groaned. "She's more like… a divine mistake I never deleted."
Velmaria whispered, "You dated a goddess of vengeance?"
"She wasn't vengeful at the time!"
Vashara floated closer, ignoring the others. "You promised me eternity, Kai. Then you rebooted the timeline. And forgot."
"I didn't forget—I died!" Kai snapped. "Then got resurrected with a glitched system and a dozen goddesses trying to kill or kiss me!"
She tilted her head. "You kissed me too."
Everyone turned to stare at him.
Kai mumbled, "It was complicated."
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> [FLASHBACK RECONSTRUCTED – Hidden Timeline Thread Unlocked]
[Vashara Pact Memory (Fragmented)]
[You knelt. She cried. You said "Forever." You meant it. Then time broke.]
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Yui stepped forward. "He's not yours anymore."
Seraphina added, "He chose us."
Veyra muttered, "I told you he was cursed."
Vashara smiled. "I'm not here to reclaim him. I'm here to punish him. For breaking the oldest vow—love unfulfilled."
Nyxa beeped. "Her presence is destabilizing local time. If she invokes a vow-revenge protocol, reality might collapse into a heartbreak loop."
Kai raised a hand. "Okay. Maybe let's not collapse reality?"
Vashara opened her hand.
A ring floated above it. Black gold. Carved with ancient runes.
"The vow you made still exists. One soulbound to you must take it... or it will shatter your system."
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[New Quest: Resolve the Broken Vow Without Shattering the Glitch Core]
[Options: Reaffirm Vow, Transfer It, or Cleanse the Bond]
[Risk: Emotional overload. Death optional.]
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Kai looked around.
His harem watched him silently. None jealous. Just... aware.
Yui stepped forward. "Give it to me."
Kai blinked. "What?"
"I'll carry the vow. If it saves you."
Velmaria shoved her aside. "No way. I've known him longer."
Iseria stepped forward. "He's my idiot. My vow."
Even Seraphina sighed. "If it must be done, I accept."
Kai's head spun. "Guys—"
Vashara narrowed her eyes. "No. Only one may bear it. And only if he asks."
Kai closed his eyes.
He remembered the pain.
The weight.
The truth.
Then looked up.
"No."
Everyone paused.
Kai walked up to Vashara.
"I won't hand off my guilt. I won't pawn my past onto someone I love. I'll face it. With you. One last time."
He took the ring.
And slid it on.
Reality trembled.
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[Quest Path Triggered: Cleanse the Vow Through Emotional Reconciliation]
[Prepare for Memory Fusion Ritual – Warning: Emotional damage may occur]
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Suddenly, he was in her realm.
Black roses. Falling stars. Memories stitched like constellations.
Vashara stood beside him, no longer divine. Just... a woman who once believed in him.
They walked through moments they shared.
A shared laugh beneath a collapsing temple.
A dance during a divine eclipse.
Their kiss before his glitch shattered everything.
He looked at her. "I did love you."
She whispered, "And I loved being yours. Until you stopped existing."
"I'm sorry."
Vashara's breath caught.
And she cried—not with fury, but relief.
The ring dissolved.
And a new one formed—silver, unbound, pure.
"Go," she said.
Kai opened his eyes back in reality.
Vashara was gone.
The ring... remained in his palm.
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[Quest Complete: Cleansed Broken Vow]
[System Stability Restored – Glitch Level Up: Now Immune to Retroactive Divine Promises]
[Bonus: New Passive – "Truthspeaker" – You cannot lie about love. Ever.]
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That night, Kai sat alone beneath the stars.
Until Yui sat beside him. Then Velmaria. Then Seraphina. Iseria. Veyra. Nyxa.
They didn't speak.
Didn't need to.
Until Nyxa blinked. "Incoming Quest Notification."
Everyone groaned.
Kai peeked at the glowing text.
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> [Volume Complete – Divine Lust Protocols: Love in the Age of Collapse]
[Next Volume Teaser: The Apocalypse Wants to Date Me (And She's Hot)]
[First Chapter Title: "When the End of the World Asked Me Out Over Coffee"]
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Kai stared.
Then laughed.
And his harem?
They laughed with him.
Together.
Still alive.
Still in love.
Still doomed.
But together.
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End of Chapter 10 – End of Volume 2