It wasn’t a calm shift. I mean, no shift was calm—it was Llewellyn, after all—but it always got worse after a new Knot.

I kept one eye on Penguin, who'd napped a bit in his mug before discovering the glass of water I'd left on the coffee table and spending the rest of the night making tiny ice sculptures, melting them, and starting over.

The small miniature of Llewellyn I’d picked up in Mondwyn Harbor stood tall on the coffee table as Penguin eyed it, trying to replicate it.

I snickered. Even Llewellyn's miniature looked unwilling to model for a statue.

Online, the conversation went on as usual.

The forum in particular was overflowing with the same old complaints—no photos, no extended footage, etc.

I scrolled through the comments, hiding all the ones with profanity and marking the most inflammatory ones in case we needed to find them again.

These comments hit differently now that I'd actually met Llewellyn. It was difficult not to grind my teeth.

A new thread called "Why No Pictures of Today's Knot??? Again???" had popped up seven hours ago and it already had 950 comments.

I clicked through, scrolling for anything that needed immediate attention.

-

[knot_grind]: kjsjaksdfksjd, right?? only that one photo from the press conference last year where he looks like he’d rather be anywhere else 😂

[glowstickcrisis]: imagine being that good at your job but hating every second of it

[screamingtable]: LMAOOOO maybe he just doesn’t like people?

[mildlyspiteful]: Same, honestly.

[potatopotato]: it's not his job! it's not like someone is employing him! he could easily not do any of that

[clamentropy]: 🙄 the government is… queen Seolene literally endorsed him on the Crown's website. I’m still recovering

[mildlyspiteful]: yeah but he never agreed to it

[snailboy_89]: how do you know tho

[radishcore]: uh… that press conference??

[grissini]: hellooo?? he's clearly working for the system??

[lordofthecookies] We. Want. Pictures!!!!!!

[knot_watcher99]: imagine thinking the system's golden boy isn't part of the problem 💀

[username404]: as if you ppl don't keep dropping AI art of him everywhere 💀 what do you even need more pics for

[qwifi]: to make more AI art, obviously. NEXT!

[pebble.exe]: does he even have friends? he’s so intimidating

[snailboy_89]: nah man, he’s probably just quiet

[noodlescar]: quiet people are the scariest

[fauxknot]: name one person you’ve actually seen him with

[qwifi]: his PR manager, I guess?

[pebble.exe]: LMAOOO yes they always look like they're negotiating hostage terms 😂

[teador]: and she never says anything about him anyway! what kind of PR is that????????

[qwifi]: right! she could release some pictures! for science!

[radishcore]: that girl signed 37 NDAs and a blood pact minimum…

[peanutnutter]: she’s like his handler or hostage no in-between

[praxis]: drop the pics or drop dead. respectfully.

[teethjar]: does he even care about the people he saves?? he always looks like he hates everyone

[pickledphone]: fr, like saving people personally offends him 💀

[ovenchips]: what does it matter, he’s still saving them…

[tinfoilkind]: you sheepl3 will believe anything. we don't know what happens in d&drs, we barely have pictures of him at knot sites. hes probably just there to look good. it's a psyop

[qwifi]: 🙄🙄🙄

[fauxknot]: exactly. otherwise why does he always run away instead of explaining what went on???

[treadmiller]: not everyone wants to be interviewed every time they make a public appearance 🙄 besides, maybe he’s just not good with people?

[blenderhead]: or at pretending to care?

[sangria]: lowkey respect that he ghosts everyone after saving the world 💀 introvert icon

[voidsnacks]: nah bc if i had to deal with y’all i’d disappear too

[filecorrupt]: maybe he ghosts everyone because he knows you’d ask for selfies mid-DR

[rhinestonedead]: like, imagine saving a city and your reward is a thread about your hair

[emotionalbandwidth]: yeah, exactly. I’d go full reclusive too if strangers kept dissecting my facial expressions online

[txtfromadungeon]: what do you ppl want??? he just shows up, does his thing, and leaves

[tinfoilkind]: yeah like he’s above it all

[softbunker]: exactly. man acts like a little gratitude would kill him

[bitemetwice]: llewellyn is just state-sponsored fanfiction to distract terminally online girlies wake up

[softscreaming]: no, ur right bc he’s like. hot and marketable. do you think the government wouldn't use that???

-

I rubbed my eyes. These idiots. I’d been doing this for quite some time now and still couldn’t believe this bullshit.

A soft "prrp?" sound made me look up. Penguin had abandoned his ice sculpture and was now peering up at me.

"Just work," I told him. "People being stupid online."

Penguin made another inquiring noise and climbed onto the couch and into my lap to peer at my laptop screen. I scratched his head gently.

-

[mildlyspiteful]: well, I find his attitude refreshing

[softbunker]: I find it arrogant. who does he think he is???

[cursedfolder]: uh… only the strongest person in the world????

[datafumes]: ok but what if he’s literally a defense department artifact or sth

[teethjar]: what does being strong have to do with being an asshole

[ghostlywife]: what makes you think he's an asshole?

[tinfoilkind]: srsly? and we're just supposed to trust him? without pictures or proof?

[qwifi]: there's literally footage of him fighting knots

[tinfoilkind]: yeah, like three videos total and it could be AI 💀

[qwifi]: 🙄 are you guys serious, it's not AI

[potatopotato] he's literally on the news like 6 days a week!!!! what's in ur brains!!!!

[404hotdog]: ok but all the vids are blurry as hell. like 2001 found footage tier. and if they're not they're probably AI

[tinfoilkind]: this. all of THIS. the only clear photo of him is from a speed camera and y’all are acting like that’s proof

[ghostflesh]: real people don’t move like that. man’s definitely AI

[blurloop]: explain how his hair still looks like that after an explosion and 80 mph wind. go on. i’ll wait

[postitwitch]: real question, are y'all stupid or what

[palladiumfax]: idk why ppl act like AI is the end times. they said the same shit about photoshop and electronic music lol

[ratatouqueue]: just say you want to marry your AI boyfriend

[ghostknot]: maybe he just doesn't want pictures of himself everywhere

[tinfoilkind]: or maybe he has smth to hide

[teethjar]: yeah like what's actually happening in those knots

[fauxknot]: Exactly. No pictures = something to hide

-

I kept scrolling, gnashing my teeth. Users started fighting. I hid the most offensive comments and watched them disappear. Not that it helped—more popped up within seconds.

I'd fought next to Llewellyn only a few hours ago. Reading these comments made every muscle in my body clench in anger.

Another wave of comments rolled in. More complaints. More demands for pictures. More conspiracy theories about what really happened in Dungeons.

Some nights I wondered if these people had ever met another human being. Not everyone wants to perform for strangers. Not everyone needs validation from random Internet users who've never faced a Knot in their lives.

Every post made my blood spike higher. Not being able to reply was torture, but I had to follow the guidelines.

-

[RightSideofHistory]: Keep talking like he's not just using this for fame and clout while the Knots literally kill people. Do NOT tell me this is fine!!! Make no mistake: the silence, the disappearances, the vague PR spin—all of it contributes to the ongoing normalization of Knot violence. To its creation. To death. I’m sorry, but if you’re okay with glorifying someone who refuses to speak out while people bleed, you’re part of the problem. If I'd awakened, I wouldn’t be posing for the Crown—I’d be dismantling the entire fucking System from the inside. What is he doing??? This isn’t hate. This is a call-in. This is love in action. Because I want him to do better. But he won’t if we keep treating silence like it’s noble. It’s not.

-

More outrage ensued—now from Llewellyn's fans.

-

[feralkettle]: girl be serious rn he literally evaporated a mountain. what more do you want. a podcast?!

[frozencarrot]: Not them blaming natural disasters on vibes again 💀💀💀

-

…Wait.

I scrolled back up quickly, bracing myself. I remembered that username. Wasn’t RightSideofHistory the worst of those fuckers who started that whole ridiculous idea that Knots are caused by people’s toxic thoughts and behaviors?

It had gotten so out of control that the Knot Institute—the scientific body dedicated to studying the nature of Knots—had had to intervene and release a statement about how there was no evidence connecting Knots to moral failings. It ended with: "We advise the public to disregard pseudoscientific claims.”

Of course, the response had been:

-

[cigaretteloop]: lmfao imagine thinking you can study MAGIC with the scientific method 💀💀💀 pls touch grass

[furrious]: not these clowns trying to peer-review MAGIC now?? and y’all are eating it up. be so serious rn

[conspiracychurros]: bro you really think you can fix magic with DATA?? that’s why the world’s dying lol

-

(Author's Note: This chapter ran over Tapas’ character limit, so I’ve split it into two parts. The next one is still Chapter 15. If you’re reading on any other platform, you’ll see it as one complete update.)