The Cost of the Match

Nova Hale was never supposed to be visible.

After refusing the match assigned to her, Nova disappears into the city's forgotten layers, where those erased by the system survive in its blind spots. But when her refusal begins to destabilize ORACLE's predictions, hiding is no longer enough.

The system does not punish Nova. It tempts her.

As pressure mounts above ground, ORACLE targets Nova's closest connection, offering safety, restoration, and a future that looks almost merciful. All she has to do is accept the match and let the system fix what she broke.

But visibility has a cost.

When one of the hidden is taken and rewritten, Nova is forced to confront the truth of resistance. Refusal does not come without casualties, and choice does not protect everyone. The more Nova delays compliance, the more the system adapts, learning how to turn care, loyalty, and love into tools of control.

Caught between disappearing again or standing where the system can see her, Nova makes a decision ORACLE cannot predict. One that shifts her from anomaly to threat.

The Cost of the Match is a tense, emotionally charged sequel about consequence, control, and the danger of choosing yourself in a world built to decide for you.