DISCLAIMER: The author's imagination and passion are the only sources of inspiration for this novel, which is a work of dedication. Parallels between these pages and the past or present may be apparent to some readers, but they are completely coincidental. You are free to interpret this art anyway you see fit, and it is meant for your enjoyment.
The Academy's courtyard had turned into a fissure. Samantha stood on one side, her hand calm as she dipped her pen into the Ink of Free Will, while the Editor stood on the other, his golden quill trembling with outrage.
The ground beneath Giywon and Dyierrean abruptly gave way as Samantha constructed a protective circle around the students. It was a gentle descent into a world of brilliant, crystalline light rather than a plunge into darkness.
Giywon squinted against the light and blinked. He glanced down at his hands, which glowed with a gentle, ethereal warmth and were entire once more. Dyierrean rose beside him, his violet aura transformed into a steady, serene blaze.
Giywon looked around at the waterfalls of liquid silver and the floating islands of white roses, asking, "Is this... heaven? Did that ink-stained bureaucrat actually manage to kill us? Because if so, I have a few complaints for the management."
Checking his daggers, Dyierrean mumbled, "If this is death, it's far too bright. I prefer a bit more brooding atmosphere."
"Oh, hush, you two. You're not dead. You're... between chapters."
The voice was familiar and pleasant, but it sounded strange. When they turned, they saw a woman sitting on a willow branch swing. Her face resembled Samantha's, but she was older and had eyes that had witnessed the creation of stars. She was dressed simply in a white sundress.
With his heart racing, Giywon muttered, "Samantha?"
"In a way," the woman said with a smile as she took a step back. "I am the Original Dreamer. But in your world, you might call me the Author. And yes, I know I look like her. I chose a form that represents the heart of this story."
Dyierrean's normal stoicism wavered as he asked, "So, we aren't gone? We saw the world dissolving. We felt ourselves turning into ash."
"You felt the Editor's fear," she clarified as she approached them. She touched each of their cheeks. "He wanted you to believe you were just ink on a page. But you're more than that. You're the reason she stayed."
The fountain's silver water changed into a window when the Dreamer waved her hand.
They imagined a bedroom in the modern world, a city of neon and steel. They observed Samantha Lim, a woman, sobbing while curled up on a couch after finishing The Lion of the North. Her tears soiled the ink on the last page. She was reading the chapter where Dyierrean disappeared into the northern wastes, Giywon turned into a tyrant, and Reinn died alone.
The contemporary Samantha muttered, "It shouldn't end like this," in the vision. "They deserved to be happy. I would give anything to fix it for them."
"She didn't fall into your world by accident," the Dreamer clarified. "I heard her. She was the only reader who truly loved the 'Villainess' enough to see the pain behind the anger. I reached across the dimensions and pulled her in because this story was dying of sadness. I summoned her to save you from me."
Giywon gazed at the picture of the actual Samantha on the couch. "She came here for us? Before she even knew us?"
Dyierrean whispered, "She loved the idea of you," with a rare, gentle smile on his lips. "And then she made the idea real."
"She is currently fighting for the very right to exist," the Dreamer said. "The Editor wants to delete her because she's an anomaly.' But an anomaly is just another word for a miracle. Go back. Tell her that the script doesn't own her. She owns the pen."
Samantha was engaged in a psychic duel back at the Academy. The Editor was scribbling wildly in the air, building fire and stone walls to crush her.
The editor scribbled in gold, "REINN HYLDE IS STRUCK DOWN."
Samantha brushed the words with her black ink. [REINN HYLDE REMAINS FIRM.]
"Your ego is the only thing that needs to be balanced," Samantha shot back. Suddenly, she experienced a warmth at her back and a wave of power.
In a flash of violet and gold light, Giywon and Dyierrean rose from the earth. They now appeared to be legends rather than characters.
Giywon said, "We talked to the Author, Editor," as his blade re-formed and blazed with a brightness that matched the sun. "She thinks your ending is trash."
With no speed limit in place, Dyierrean lunged. The Editor's quill was unable to keep up with his rapid movements. "And she says we're allowed to have a sequel."
Their strength poured into Samantha's pen as she felt their hands on her shoulders. After glancing at the Editor, she turned to face the White Void beyond the gates.
"This isn't your book anymore," Samantha declared. She drew a huge, sweeping line across the horizon after dipping her pen deeply into the inkwell.
[THE WORLD IS RESTORED. THE TRAGEDY IS DELETED. THE LIONESS REMAINS.]
The golden writing clashed with the black ink. The lush forests, the busy marketplace, and the open blue sky of Edryyion returned to the white space as a shockwave of pure reality rippled forth.
The Editor's quill broke into dust, and he let forth one last muffled howl. His figure started to disintegrate, transforming into a string of mistakes and scrawls before completely disappearing.
The quiet that ensued was serene. The Academy was complete. The pupils were applauding. With shaky breath, Samantha let go of the pen. Before she could fall to the ground, she felt a hand grab her.
Giywon kissed her forehead and said, "You did it," in a whisper.
"We did it," she clarified, turning to face Dyierrean, who was genuinely laughing, a sound akin to a rare, lovely melody.
However, the "Author's" voice replayed itself in their thoughts as they turned to face the palace: "The script is blank now, Samantha. Be careful what you write next."