(Back to the modern world) - After reading the novel.
Nicole rolled her eyes and her face resting on her palm, The soft glow of her bedside lamp spilled over the worn, yellowed pages of the old book. It had been written back in 1955, yet here she was, almost seventy years later, reading the book.
"Stupid book." She was eating her peeled bananas.
She just scanned the whole book then turns out to be a disappointment. "Who would write something as stupid as this? Are they broken or something?" She yawns.
"I'm lucky, I didn't read the whole story," Chews on the peeled bananas, "I get it why my classmate cried on something like this. She must also be stupid."
"Damn, their stupidity is on the next level."
"I can rewrite this for them, to make it even better." She burried her face on her arms.
"Gosh.. I am so tired! Midterms tomorrow! Grr!" I burried my face on the book. "Why did I even wasted my time on this?!" I slammed my fists on the table. "I need to review.. Shit. Shit.. Shit!"
I rushed to get my bag, my books and notes to review, but I wasn't too lazy, I really tried. I tried reviewing, but the novel book destructs me, it has no title and the infront was torned. "Stupid." I threw it in the trash can.
I tried reading my books and notes, but nothing seemed to stick.
"Wahh!" I groaned, scooping a handful of air from the page and smacking it onto my head as if my brain would magically absorb it that way.
It was already 1 a.m., and my midterm exam was at 6 a.m. tomorrow.
How on earth was I supposed to study now?
I wanted to study, I really did, but my laziness had other plans. It was like this tiny evil spirit whispering, "Come on, just play one game... just one!"
I groaned, grabbed my phone, and glared at it like it was my greatest enemy. "Not today!" I declared dramatically and threw it onto the bed, far, far away from me.
Five minutes later…
There it was again, that teasing urge. My fingers twitched. My phone called my name softly, seductively. "Just one round won't hurt…"
I jumped on the bed, grabbed my phone, and betrayed myself.
And just like that, three hours vanished into thin air.
When I finally checked the time, 4 a.m. My heart dropped.
"WAHHH! NO!! SHIT! SHIT!" I screamed, bolting upright.
I rushed to my table, flipping open my books like a madwoman. "Come on, brain! Absorb! ABSORB!" I muttered, reading the same paragraph for the tenth time.
I even tried all the tricks - standing up, walking in circles, splashing cold water on my face, pinching my arm, doing deep breathing. Nothing worked.
The only thing that seemed to wake up was my exhaustion.
By 4:45 a.m., I was staring at my book with droopy eyes, whispering, "Please… come inside my head, even just the formulas…"
My eyelids grew heavier. My hand went limp. My head tilted forward
BAM!
My forehead met the open book, and I stayed there, unmoving.
And that's how I ended up falling asleep, drooling on page 43 of "Calculus," the very topic that would appear on the first question of the exam.
But little did I know, that.. that time, my head really hit the table hard and blood spills from my head.
Far beyond Nicole's small, ordinary world: Beyond time, beyond stories, beyond reason itself, someone heard her.
Someone ancient.
Someone listening.
The air shimmered faintly, as if the universe itself had paused. Then, with a sound softer than a sigh, the world went still.
The darkness grew weightless. Then, a single thread of light appeared, stretching across the void like a living flame.
Nicole stirred. Her lashes fluttered, tears still clinging to her eyes.
"Mom?" she whispered weakly.
She was standing now, though she couldn't remember how.
Her room was gone, replaced by an endless expanse of quiet and light. The ground beneath her shimmered like glass, and every breath felt too real to be a dream.
"H-Hello?" she called softly, her voice trembling, still thick with tears. "Is anyone there?"
A deep voice answered, from nowhere, and everywhere at once.
"Nicole."
Her heart leapt to her throat. She spun around, eyes wide. "Who said that?!"
From the golden light stepped a figure.
His form glowed softly, like sunlight caught in human shape.
His eyes held galaxies, stars being born and dying in a single heartbeat. Nicole's tears fell suddenly, her first time seeing a perfect face.
Nicole blinked, cheeks burning. So pretty. So handsome. I wanna marry him. And then, without shame, she muttered aloud, "My future husband."
Even in death, she still had the guts to flirt.
"Nicole," the figure said, his voice echoing with gentle amusement, "I heard what you said."
"W-What did I say?" she stammered, quickly wiping her tears.
"You said," he replied, eyes glinting, "that you could rewrite the novel on your own."
Her brows furrowed. "Rewrite? What rewrite? I didn't say anything like that!"
"You do not remember?" His lips curved faintly, not quite a smile, not quite mockery. 'Then I will make you remember."
He raised his hand, placing his palm gently atop her head.
A sudden flash and memories flooded in.
Nicole gasped, stumbling back. "Who are you?! And what does this have to do with me?"
"I am going to take you inside the novel," the man said, his tone calm, certain.
Nicole blinked at him. Then let out a nervous laugh. "Nice joke, sir. I need to go back now."
The man's expression softened. "You cannot go back, Nicole."
'Excuse me?"
"You already died."
She froze. "What do you mean, died?"
"From exhaustion," he said simply. "You hit your head on the table too hard. You didn't mean to, but… you were tired."
Nicole stared at him, half in disbelief, half in horror.
'You're joking. Right? Is this some kind of weird prank or afterlife audition?"
The man stepped closer, his gaze steady and kind. "I am Avrios, the God of Creation. Seraphina's creator."
Nicole's lips parted. "Seraphina…" she whispered, looking down at her trembling hands. "The woman from the book?"
Avrios nodded once.
Nicole laughed weakly, shaking her head. "No way. This is ridiculous. Ha. Ha. Impossible."
Avrios tilted his head slightly. "That is why, Nicole, you must be careful of what you speak. You never know how powerful your words truly are."
He lifted a hand, tracing a shape in the air, light bloomed from his fingertips.
Nicole gasped as the world around her began to twist, pulling her in.
"W-Wait, what are you doing?!"
Her voice faded. The light swallowed her whole.
"Stubborn girl," Avrios murmured softly, watching the glow fade. "Let's see if you can rewrite destiny now."
Avrios turned away and came back to his chambers where his throne was, before he could sit, he saw his younger brother, kneeling down.
A god was on his knees, his divine form trembling, tears falling like shards of light. He cried out, voice breaking, begging to his brother for the sake of his beloved.
The image of Seraphina's death refused to leave him. It clung to him like a nightmare that wouldn't fade, every scream, every drop of blood replaying in his mind.
Nolan collapsed to his knees, his hands clawing into the floor until his nails breaking and his knuckles split open. His breath came in ragged gasps, like the air itself was cutting his lungs.
"Why?" His voice broke into the night, rough and raw.
"Why did you let her die like that? She wasn't a monster! She wasn't what they thought, she was innocent!" His body shook, his voice cracking under the weight of it. "She didn't deserve this..."
The God's voice came, deep and unfeeling.
"Her fate was decided. Some lives are meant to end in tragedy."
Nolan's head snapped up, his golden eyes burning with rage. His hands pressed against his chest as if to keep himself from falling apart.
"Don't you dare," he whispered, voice trembling, before it rose into a broken roar.
"Don't you dare call her death fate. She fought every single day just to breathe in a world that hated her! She clawed and bled and begged... and I just stood there. I watched!"
His voice cracked, his whole body trembling. "I should've saved her. I said help me, I should've saved her! But you stopped me."
"You were not meant to save her."
Nolan laughed then, but it was sharp, bitter, like glass cutting his throat. "Not meant to, Avrios? Then what the hell am I meant for? Tell me!" He staggered to his feet, voice hoarse but blazing with fury.
"All my life I've slaughtered and burned in your name. I've destroyed kingdoms, snuffed out millions of lives, because you told me. I've been your weapon, your executioner, your obedient puppet!"
His chest heaved, eyes wet, voice breaking into something almost childlike. "And the one time- the one time... begged for something for myself, you let her die!"
Silence stretched, the kind that hurt.
Finally, the God spoke again, cold and final.
"Her soul is gone. She cannot return. But the world may begin again. Another will take her place. Her story will restart."
Nolan froze, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. Slowly, he shook his head, his voice trembling with disbelief. "Another…?"
His laugh came sharp, angry, aching. "You want me to watch a stranger wear her skin? To hear her voice on someone else's lips? To pretend it's her when it's not?!" His voice rose into a scream, hoarse and broken.
"I don't want a replacement! I don't want another soul inside her, I want her! Seraphina, alone. With her stubbornness, her fire, the way she smiled when no one was looking! I want her back!"
The sky seemed to tremble with the weight of his fury, but the God's voice stayed cold.
"This is all you will have. Accept it… or lose even this mercy."
Nolan's shoulders shook violently, his hands clawing into his face as if he could rip out the ache inside him.
He wanted to fight. He wanted to tear the heavens down, to break free, to scream until the God of Creation himself bled.
But the chains of command dug deeper, pressing down on him like iron. His sobs broke free, muffled by his palms, rough and raw, nothing like the cries of a weapon, but the cries of a man who had lost the only light he ever loved.
When his voice finally steadied, it came low and cracked, full of fire even through his pain. ".. If another soul is forced into her life, then I'll protect her. Not because you told me to. Not because you willed it. But because it's the only way I can hold on to my Seraphina… even if it's not her."
He lifted his head, eyes red and wet, glaring into the silence above.
"But don't mistake this for obedience. I will never forgive you... And don't ever think I will let you control me again, I'm gonna make sure of that.. Because if you do, I don't care if you're my older brother or the God of creation, I will cut your neck."
The God of Creation gave no reply. Silence itself was the decree. And so, Nolan rose from his knees and walked out going back to the world.
And somewhere far away, fate began to stir, pulling another soul into Seraphina's story.
Nolan was walking through the silent hallway, his steps echoing toward the great door of the God of Creation.
But before his hand could touch the threshold, a voice, vast and timeless, rolled through the air.
Then the God of Creation speaks:
"The Goddess herself shall rise… and vengeance will be hers."
Nolan froze, his eyes widening as the words struck him like thunder. He turned sharply, voice breaking with disbelief. "W-What do you mean?"
"AVRIOS! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!"
Nicole opened her eyes.
The world smelled faintly of rain and roses.
A soft breeze brushed against her skin, and the warmth of sunlight kissed her face.
Her lashes fluttered, heavy with sleep. Her chest rose unevenly, each breath trembling as though her body was fighting its way back from somewhere far away.
A voice broke through the silence, quiet and uncertain.
"..My lady?"
Nicole groaned softly, her throat dry, her head spinning. That's weird, she thought groggily. Did someone just call me... my lady right after that weird man?
Her brows furrowed as she forced her eyes open. The light stung. Everything looked blurred and unfamiliar.
The first thing she saw was a man.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark armor polished to a cold gleam. His midnight blue hair, fell loosely over his forehead, his red eyes shadowed and intense.
But his expression.. his expression was broken. He looked like someone who hadn't slept in days. His gloved hand was holding hers tightly, trembling.
"Ahh! Who... who are you?!" Nicole rasped, blinking rapidly. Her screams came out hoarse, small, terrified.
The man froze completely. His eyes widened, his lips parting in disbelief. "My lady?" he whispered, voice trembling as though the words hurt him.
"It is me. Havoc. General Zyran Havoc Vane. You... you don't remember?"
Nicole just stared at him. Her pulse quickened. Havoc? That name... why did it sound familiar?
She sat up slightly, ignoring the ache that shot through her body. The room around her swam into focus. Velvet curtains hung from tall windows, sunlight spilling over marble floors. The air smelled of rosewater and medicine, faintly sweet and heavy.
This isn't my room. This isn't where the God is.
Her heart thudded in panic. The walls were too ornate, the furniture too grand. There was no laptop, no phone, no messy pile of notebooks by her bedside. Nothing familiar at all.
"Wait," she said shakily, pressing a hand to her temple. "This isn't... this isn't out apartment. Where am I? Where is the God?! What is this place?!" Her tears suddenly fell.
"I feel so weird!"
"My lady, please!" Havoc said quickly, reaching out before she could stand. His touch was careful but firm, grounding her back against the pillows. "You mustn't move. You've been ill for three days. The healers feared you wouldn't wake."
Healers? Illness? Wouldn't wake?
Havoc leans and hugs her gently, he kisses Seraphina's forehead. "Shh.. don't cry, my lady. Everything will be alright.
Nicole froze at the sudden affection, Havoc? The executioner?
Her mind raced. No. This can't be real. She remembered falling asleep. She was just reading a book, just scanning and just the end part! Seraphina's story.
Then the dream... the light... the man who claimed to be God, the one that put her inside the novel, that extremely handsome God.
Havoc pulls away, his moves were soft and gentle to me, contrast to the General Havoc, the cruel General or Seraphina's executioner..
She swallowed hard. "No. No. No. no, no, no, no, no. I'm dreaming," she muttered, gripping the blanket tightly. "I must be. This is insane." She laughs like a crazy woman. "What are you guys? Cosplayers??"
The man's eyes softened. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, breaking through her rising panic. "You scared me," he whispered, barely audible. "You truly scared me, my lady."
Nicole blinked up at him. "You're... crying?"
He stiffened, startled. Then quickly turned his head away. "Forgive me, my lady. I... lost my composure. It won't happen again."
She tilted her head, still dazed.
He looked exhausted, his armor dulled, his knuckles raw, eyes bloodshot as if he hadn't left her side. He looked at her not like a stranger, but like someone mourning and relieved all at once.
"My lady..." he whispered again, as if the title itself would make her remember.
Her gaze dropped to her hands. They weren't hers. The fingers were long and delicate, the skin pale and flawless. She touched her hair, and her breath caught when soft, white-gold strands slipped through her fingers like silk.
Maybe.. he has reasons why he did that? Maybe.. I misunderstood him in the novel, who really Havoc is?
Slowly, she turned her head toward the mirror across the room.
The reflection staring back at her was not Nicole.
Her lips parted in shock. The girl on the mirror had Seraphina's face.
Her heart stilled completely. No..
"I'm inside the novel?!"
📌
Wahh, sorry if the chapters 1 and 2 are too long! I'll make sure the upcoming chapters will be guve justice.
- Vivi (*^O^*)