> [System World 99 Unlocked: Nominalis - The Realm of Names]
In this world, names are power. Speak a true name to invoke its legacy. Steal one… and become what you are not.
---
As the survivors emerged through the collapsing portal of the Silent Archive, a burning light met them.
They stood at the edge of a golden desert, where sandstorms howled with voices—not of wind, but of names. Each grain shimmered with inscriptions in ancient tongues. Obelisks littered the landscape, each etched with monikers long erased from memory.
> "This place… it's alive with identities," whispered Ria, her hand glowing faintly as the system synced her presence.
Suddenly, a warning flashed:
> [ALERT – SYSTEM INTERFERENCE DETECTED]
Warning: Your True Name has been replicated. You are no longer the sole bearer of your identity.
Current Imposter: LIAN (Ranked #11)
Lian's eyes narrowed. "Someone took my name…?"
Jayce scanned the desert, face tight. "That's not just identity theft. That's a declaration of war."
---
NEW RULES OF NOMINALIS
1. Every name has weight. Speak someone's name aloud, and you invoke a fraction of their strength or past.
2. False names decay. Any name used falsely will rot the bearer's soul.
3. True names empower. Use your real name at the right place and time, and miracles may occur.
4. A name stolen must be reclaimed in blood.
---
Suddenly, a shadow stepped out of the sandstorm.
He wore a cloak of whispers, each whisper a stolen name.
His eyes matched Lian's.
His aura? Identical.
He smiled with Lian's voice.
"You abandoned this name," the imposter said. "I'm doing better things with it."
Lian stepped forward. "I didn't abandon anything."
"You didn't earn it either. I survived the Abyss Rift. You skipped it."
Ria pulled her blade. "He knows your history—"
"Because he stole my timeline too," Lian growled.
> [System Update: Nemesis Encounter – False Lian (World Title Holder: "The Chosen Flame")]
[Victory Condition: Reclaim Your Name and Defeat the Echo Chamber]
The imposter unsheathed a burning sword made from the title "Fate Diver."
Jayce's eyes widened. "He even stole your evolution path."
"He stole everything."
The battle ignited—
But not just in the world.
It tore reality itself.
When the two Lians clashed, memories split, timelines bled, and names warped.
Every swing from the false Lian generated echoes—copies of moments that could've been.
> A version where Lian let Jayce die. A version where Lian betrayed Ria. A version where Lian wasn't the hero at all.
"WHO ARE YOU REALLY?" the imposter screamed as their blades locked.
"I'm the one who remembers," Lian said, eyes glowing. "And I don't need fate to win."
He slammed his fist into the ground—
And the system obeyed.
> [Talent Fusion Unlocked: Coin Multiplier + Fate Diver]
New Fusion Talent: Destined Dividend
Gain strength every time a choice with real consequence is made. Your "luck" becomes currency that fuels power—and truth.
Gold coins rained from the sky—
Each one a decision Lian never regretted.
The battlefield shifted as Lian pushed forward, now striking not just with strength, but with a story no one else could forge.
The false Lian cracked—
And screamed.
> [IMPOSTER NAME REVOKED.]
["LIAN" has been reclaimed.]
---
But as the imposter died, he whispered:
"You may have your name back… but your title is next. Someone else already wears it in the next world."
And then he vanished into wind.
---
Aftermath
The group gathered, scarred, quiet.
Jayce held one of the gold coins. "These represent… all the times you chose us."
Lian nodded, breath heavy. "And I'll keep choosing you."
But far away, atop a pyramid of forgotten thrones—
A girl smiled. Her eyes gleamed like mirrors. Around her neck: a nameplate that read "Ria."
Not hers.
Not yet.
---