We had just left the grocery store; it was the middle of the night. The air was bone-chillingly cold, as if winter had decided to announce its presence forcefully, and I was being carried on Luca's back. I was holding the book, reading its ending aloud to them as they walked beside me, each carrying a bag in one hand and a treat in the other. Their faces displayed a mix of expressions: some were smiling, others had raised eyebrows, listening intently as I recited the final lines.
I reached the last sentence, and I don't know how the words escaped me, feeling a strange mix of emotions: sorrow for the end, and a loathing for this type of conclusion.
"The hero sacrificed himself to erase an age of madness andCreated an era of peace.. The End... Haaaaa..." A long sigh escaped me; I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath the whole time. I looked at the book in my hands, a multitude of questions swirling in my head: Why? How did the novel end like this? Why did the conclusion turn into this unfortunate fate? How many people sacrificed their lives for this ending?
I wondered internally: Were their sacrifices worth it? No... it wasn't worth it. If they had been more aware, it wouldn't have taken all this pain...
I turned my head to the remaining six, holding a slight hope that one of them might have an explanation for the ending or anything that would make me believe it was good. I wish I hadn't looked! Ahh... I found a strange expression on each of their faces. Disappointment, astonishment, anger, heartbreak, and disgust were visible in their eyes, as if the novel hadn't just betrayed me, but all of us.
"Haa... that was a tragic ending! It's the first time I've regretted winning the bet, but I did win, Alain!" Luca said with a cold smile, extending his hand to Alain, waiting for the bet money. His supposedly triumphant look carried a subtle bitterness.
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying that was really the end?" Meliss asked with an angry and shocked expression, turning to me. Her eyes were blazing, as if she were ready to pick a fight with the author himself.
"That's what's written here." I raised the book to her, pointing my finger at the last sentence. My tone held no triumph; it was just an acknowledgment of the harsh truth.
"Are you saying my favorite character died for an ending like this?" Yuna asked in a sad, resigned tone, looking at the cup of hot chocolate she held. Her voice was faint, as if she was trying to absorb the shock of loss.
"My time... my time spent reading this novel was wasted! I wish I had slept instead of reading it," Liam said, looking at the pillow attached to his back in a way that suggested he was ready to sleep anywhere, at any moment.
"You... your time was wasted, but me, my money, my precious money! I see it flying out of my pocket to go into Luca's pocket," Alain said in an exaggeratedly mournful tone, looking at Liam, then turning to Luca, whose face was etched with a look of victory. He looked at the outstretched palm of Luca's hand, sighed in regret, and with visible reluctance and pain, took out the money and placed it on Luca's hand.
"Created an era of peace! That's nonsense in my opinion! As long as there is good, there is evil too," Evan said in an pained and philosophical tone, looking at me, then turning to the rest.
"But the heroes' ending was tragic," Yuna said, shuddering as she recalled their demise.
"Yes, you're right. You know what? I still have nightmares because of that ending, and what made it worse was the author's illustration of it... Ugh!" Evan said, shivering, then a forceful sneeze ruined the atmosphere. Meliss handed him a tissue, saying with sisterly affection:
"Didn't I tell you to wear warmer clothes? We're on the doorstep of winter." She took off her coat and placed it over his shoulder.
"I forgot... Oh, thanks, sis," Evan said, nodding, gratitude shining in his eyes.
"Seriously...! Is anyone else affected besides me or what? It's a novel we've been reading for ten years, in case you didn't know!" I said, looking at them. Well, their reactions were within my expectations, yet I wished for a different kind of reaction; one that matched a novel that had been with us for so long. My eyes were still fixed on the last sentence of the novel, searching for something I couldn't find.
"Louyan!" Luca called my name, raising his head to look at me, as if he had read the silent sadness in my mind.
"Huh... what is it?" I lifted my head from the book to meet his eyes.
"I bet it was the best ending for them," he said, the look of deep regret and sadness clear in his eye, as if the bet on money had evaporated, replaced by a bet on fate.
"Yes, he's right. Death was the best ending for them. If they hadn't died, a worse fate would have awaited them," Meliss said with a strange, wise look, then took a batch of cookies out of her bag. She put one in my mouth and handed out the rest.
"Well, even though the way they died was scary..." Liam said, yawning and taking the cookie from Meliss, trying to lighten the subject.
"Just their ending? The whole novel is strange and scary," Alain said, counting the money left in his pocket, preoccupied with the material, trying to distract his mind from the ending.
"Well, the events of the novel spared neither hero nor villain," Evan said, looking at the quiet, cold street. Then, as if it were a moment of collective mourning, none of them disturbed the silence of the night.
I looked at them for a moment, then lifted my head, taking in the dark atmosphere. The night was cold and dark, and the only solace was the dim streetlights. I sighed and reread the novel. I didn't know why, but I wanted to read it again. Yes, I know what I feel, and I know what they all felt. We wished for a happy ending for them... a warm ending. We wished someone had helped them, whether heroes or villains. We wished someone had lent a helping hand to them, but I think the novel had cursed them forever. Our wish was simple: a little warmth and rescue for characters we loved, but it seems their fate was sealed by cruelty and loss.
"Well, but the most tragic and heartbreaking thing in it is the love! Ahh, everyone who loved had an unbearable ending. I remember we cheered on many couples, but look where we ended up, hahaha! We started wishing for them to have an easy, quick death to find peace," Yuna said, her eyes breaking the night's tranquility with a flicker of sorrow, then she laughed, but her laugh wasn't ordinary; it was dry and regretful. Then she turned to us and said in a tone she tried to make cheerful: "Well, it's a good thing we agreed to stay single forever! That's much better than other love problems." They all laughed, nodding in agreement with her, a resonant laugh trying to ease the atmosphere. I looked at her, agreeing internally, and smiled, remembering it had been six years since that promise.
"Let's forget about love matters now! Who do you think was the smartest?" I asked to lighten the mood, smiling, knowing I would ignite another kind of conflict that we habitually engaged in with passion.
"It's the villains! Most of their plans went through," Luca said, looking at the rest with a look ready for debate and challenge.
"No, it was the heroes! Even though they mostly failed, we can't deny their plans were brilliant. If it weren't for their bad luck, they would have won," Yuna argued with Luca insistently.
"I think it was the villains. I mean, they managed to bring in a lot of money from their plans," Alain said, raising his head after finishing counting his money, with a strict practical logic.
"It's the heroes! Even though no one stood by them, they still tried to protect people," Evan said in a mournful and defensive tone for lost nobility, then turned to his sister, who in turn said:
"Brother, don't rely on emotion in your assessment! In any case, the villains' ending was slightly more merciful than the heroes'."
"Merciful, my foot! Who are you kidding, Meliss? It was just as bad, if not worse! The funny thing is that the heroes weren't the ones who caused this ending for them," Liam said between yawns, waving his hand with defeated boredom.
"Alright, that's enough! Both the heroes and the villains are fools," I said, smiling sadly at their argument, which always ended this way. I sighed, thinking that this might be the last time we argue over this reason. They turned to me, nodding seriously at my statement.
"Anyway, they say the author is going to make a new novel that talks about the same world, too..." Evan was interrupted by shouting protests from all sides:
"No!"
"Impossible!"
"I won't read it, and you won't read it! This is your last year before going to university, so you have to study hard to catch up with me, Alain, and Luca," Meliss said, giving us a terrifying look, like a mother ordering her children to study. We all nodded in agreement with an obedience mixed with internal laughter.
Hahahaha, I laughed internally at her as I looked at her. Yes, that's the Meliss I know! Then I turned to everyone. Despite knowing them for over eleven years, and most of us not being siblings by blood, we are the dearest of friends.
What am I saying? Friends? Ahh! We all know internally that we are much more than that. We feel for each other; if one of us is happy, you find everyone rejoicing with them, and if one is sad, you find all of them sincerely and deeply comforting them. I sighed with a smile, we... we are family, and I am proud and happy about that.
Then I looked back at the book in my hand, a book... and I let out a heavy sigh. I recalled the events of the novel, thinking about those words, the characters, and the events that still urgently circled in my head. I sighed deeply again, making a decision that wrung my heart with sadness. "I think I should throw it away," I said in a tone overwhelmed by the bitterness of grief.
They all turned to me, their expressions a mix of different emotions: some sighed, but they met my gaze with a strange resolve in their eyes.
"Yes, let's do it! I mean, keeping it with us will only remind me that I was deprived of sleep to read it," Liam said, looking at me with an uncharacteristic determination, as if trying to convince himself before convincing me.
"I agree with Liam. Looking at it will remind me that I gave my money to Luca," Alain said in a bitter tone full of regret, recalling the money he lost because of his foolish bet with Luca.
"You mean the money you lost, not the money you gave," Luca corrected him with a confident, wicked smile, then turned to me with a strange tone, as if leaving the choice to me with a sort of feigned indifference: "Louyan, throw it if you want. I won't object."
"I agree with him. If I keep it, I'll remember my favorite's ending every time I look at it," Yuna said in a gentle, sad tone, giving me a look filled with disappointment.
"Yes, it's better to throw it away because it causes me terrible nightmares," Evan said, then turned to me with features dominated by genuine horror, but his expression quickly and fleetingly shifted to a strange determination as he impulsively said: "Wait! Before you throw it, we have to do something. Follow me!"
Evan smiled that sly smile and ran towards the park near our house. We had no choice but to follow him. Then he looked at us, saying with overwhelming enthusiasm: "We're going to do what it says brings happiness! It was in the book, and I've always wanted to try it! Now, before throwing the book away, we have to try it! Come on, put the bags aside and sit in a circle. Louyan, give us the book!"
He said it with strange excitement, a look of fervent curiosity gleaming in his eyes. I handed him the book, laughing with the rest at his impulse. I turned to find them all excited, except for one. I got off Luca's back and found him muttering in a low, disgruntled voice: "Oh... I hope we don't get into another problem." Luca sighed with a weary look, watching our erupting enthusiasm. I laughed at that; well, he's the one who always cleans up our messes.
"Alright, let's do it!" I said, about to sit down, only to find Evan turning to me and explaining thoroughly: "The youngest Louyan sits in the middle. So, we will be a circle and you will sit in the middle of it. This is what's written here. It was difficult to translate from the ancient language," Evan said, reading the book and grumbling about the difficulty of the language it was written in, then continued: "Let everyone place something precious to them in front of them. Of course, something inanimate and not a human!"
No sooner had he spoken than he seriously placed a can of food in front of him. I turned to everyone to see that Meliss had placed her sword—I don't know where she got it—Yuna had placed her blue necklace, Liam had placed his comfortable pillow, Alain had placed a shining pile of gold coins, and Luca had placed a book that I knew he cherished. Then they all looked at me.
In turn, I placed a golden pocket watch that had two layers: one for the watch, and the other holding a picture of all of us. I smiled as I looked at it, then placed it in front of me.
"Now, close your eyes and repeat after me," Evan said with strange seriousness, reciting incomprehensible words, and we repeated after him with a faith mixed with curiosity. As soon as he finished, we opened our eyes.
"I didn't feel anything," I said with some disappointment, looking at Evan, whose features were marked by clear sadness due to the failure.
"Come on, Evan, happiness doesn't happen quickly. My only fear is that it will reverse on us now!" Luca said, trying to alleviate Evan's feelings with a sarcastic tone. We all stood up, gathering our things to go home.
"Hurry up! If anyone saw us, they'd think we were crazy fools," I laughed with gentle sarcasm as I collected the bags from the ground, forgetting the decision to throw away the book for a moment.
"I wish it had at least rained money on us," Alain said in a joking, sarcastic tone, looking mockingly at Evan and laughing.
"Hahahahaha, it's not funny, Alain! I really felt we would succeed! But as Luca said, maybe it will take some time... Oh, who am I kidding, for heaven's sake!" Evan yelled in regret and frustration, looking desperately at the book in his hand then said to me:
"Well, it's time to throw it away... Ah, what about the previous parts and the rest of the things we bought? Like the bookmarks, phones, and cards?" he asked, raising both eyebrows in confusion and worry about the material loss.
"We have to sell them! Why throw away money, for heaven's sake?" Alain said quickly and grumblingly, looking at me and Evan with annoyance at the idea of waste.
"Just throw this book away; it has disturbing pictures for my eyes. Now, let's go home, I feel tired," Liam said with boredom and exhaustion, rubbing his eyes in discomfort.
"Yes, well, it was a phase... Now, let's go," I said calmly and steadily as we continued walking down the street. Then we stood in front of the trash can; the air was quiet, as if it were a final farewell. Then we all held the book and said in one voice:
"3... 2... 1... Goodbye." Yes, we threw it away, smiling at it with a quiet, accepting smile for the end.
"Now, let's go home," Evan said, looking at us with a slight relief after making the decision.
"What do you think would happen if we were in it?" I asked thoughtfully, and they all turned to me.
"We would steal all the money in their world," Alain said with a mischievous and playful smile.
"We would protect them... I want to protect both the heroes and the villains," Yuna said, smiling a quiet, emotional smile that reflected her desire for peace.
"Don't say that! I want some peace and quiet," Liam said with a disgruntled look, not wanting any trouble.
"In short, we would overturn the entire system of the novel," Luca said, looking at me with confidence and conclusion.
"Yes, but I don't want to be in it," Evan said, his features marked by horror and fear, and I looked at them and smiled.
"Yes, our world is crazy, and we don't need additional madness. So, now the obstacle in front of us is graduation and going to university," I said calmly and determinedly, noticing that we were getting closer to home.
Then Alain turned to us completely and said with a slight cunning smile:
"Oh, by the way... the renovation work is about to finish."
Ah, yes... the renovation work.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm the strain, and when I opened them, the blood froze in my veins. Suddenly, I saw a circular gate glowing green and blue, opening with a terrifying silence behind Alain, and it swiftly and breathtakingly pulled him in.
I didn't understand how I reached him so fast, but I lunged like a maniac and grabbed his hand immediately, trying to pull him away from this mysterious and sudden danger.
Then I felt the rest of them pulling both Alain and me away from the gate as well. Everything was so fast and utterly confusing that we didn't have time to scream or even try to resist. We glimpsed the terror in each other's eyes before everything disappeared.
In the next moment, the gate suddenly grew, as if it swallowed all of us at once into its cold depths. I tried to scream, but nothing came out of my throat... The shock and awe paralyzed everything inside me.
But in the midst of this paralysis, I don't know where the strength came from, so I quickly shouted with all the consciousness I had left:
"Hold on to each other!"
As if they had heard my voice piercing the chaos, everyone grabbed the nearest person: Yuna held Evan, Meliss held Liam, and Luca held me and Alain. A strange, fleeting sense of fragile safety didn't last long.
But a terrible pain surged through me, as if my bones were being shattered and remade! An indescribable, acute pain, a wrenching of life from the body! From the shock and agony that blinded my senses, I let go of Alain's hand, who didn't feel me at that moment because of the intensity of the pain.
Then, as if he noticed, he looked at me with swift horror and tried to grab me, but a strange, overpowering light engulfed us. I felt myself burning... burning completely! This is painful, very painful... Oh my God!
Then everything around us disappeared, and only a mysterious light remained, consuming us... And after that, I didn't know if we would survive or not...