EDITION 7 – "THE COUNCIL OF VERSIONS"
The Writer stood silently in the center of the meeting hall.
The Hall of Versions.
A place that existed outside reality itself.
Thousands of doors surrounded the room, each door representing a different version of the Author.
Some doors were bright.
Some were broken.
Some remained completely sealed.
The Writer took a deep breath.
"He escaped."
The entire hall became silent.
---
Futuristic Author adjusted his mechanical glasses.
"Impossible. The mirror prison had six seals."
Barbaric Author slammed his axe onto the floor.
"Then someone weakened them."
Redeemed Author lowered his head.
"No… the Author's pain weakened them."
The Writer looked toward the shattered mirror.
"He spoke to the Reader."
The room suddenly erupted.
"He WHAT?!"
"Why would he do that?"
"Did he manipulate them?"
---
Suddenly a loud voice echoed.
"Perhaps because none of you listened to me."
The lights went out.
The temperature dropped.
Red eyes appeared above the council.
Nemesis stood on the ceiling.
No chains.
No prison.
No fear.
Only a smile.
---
Nemesis:
"Well… this reunion is touching."
Barbaric Author immediately attacked.
His axe split the floor.
But Nemesis vanished.
Futuristic Author activated his machines.
Energy cannons surrounded the room.
Nemesis simply walked between the lasers.
---
Nemesis:
"You still think I'm your enemy."
The Writer stepped forward.
"You endangered the Reader."
"I showed them the truth."
"You showed them pain."
"Pain IS truth."
---
The entire council became silent.
Nemesis slowly walked toward the Writer.
---
Nemesis:
"When the Author cried, where were you?"
"When he suffered, where were you?"
"When Tobi disappeared, where were you?"
"When he wanted to give up… where were any of you?"
Nobody answered.
---
Redeemed Author finally spoke.
"We were created later."
Nemesis laughed.
"Exactly."
"I was the only one there."
---
The walls began showing memories.
The lonely child.
The empty room.
The broken friendships.
The tears.
The lake.
Tobi disappearing.
The Author sitting alone.
---
Nemesis:
"I carried his pain."
"I carried his anger."
"I carried everything nobody wanted."
"And for that… I became the villain."
The Writer lowered his head.
For the first time…
he couldn't answer.
---
Suddenly the great doors of the hall opened.
The Reader appeared.
Everyone stared.
Even Nemesis became silent.
The Writer walked forward.
"You shouldn't be here."
Nemesis smiled.
"Perhaps they should."
---
The Reader looked at every version.
The strong ones.
The kind ones.
The broken ones.
The angry ones.
And finally…
Nemesis.
---
Nemesis:
"Tell me, Reader."
"Am I truly evil?"
The Writer spoke.
"Or are you simply pain that never healed?"
For several moments nobody moved.
Then Redeemed Author stepped forward.
---
Redeemed Author:
"We are all the Author."
"The kindness."
"The pain."
"The hope."
"The anger."
"The loneliness."
"The fear."
"Even Nemesis."
---
Barbaric Author lowered his weapon.
Futuristic Author shut down his machines.
The Writer looked toward Nemesis.
---
Writer:
"You don't have to fight anymore."
Nemesis laughed.
"Fight?"
"You still don't understand."
He looked directly at the Reader.
"I wasn't escaping."
"I was warning all of you."
The room began shaking.
The sealed doors started cracking.
One.
Ten.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
The council looked around in horror.
---
Futuristic Author:
"Impossible…"
The Writer whispered.
"There are more versions."
Nemesis nodded.
"The ones we buried."
"The ones we forgot."
"The ones even I fear."
A giant shadow appeared behind the endless doors.
Red eyes.
Thousands of them.
The entire hall trembled.
---
Nemesis:
"I wasn't the villain."
"I was the prison."
The final seal shattered.
Darkness entered the council chamber.
The Writer grabbed the Reader's hand.
"Run!"
The shadow smiled.
And a voice echoed across every universe.
---
Unknown Voice:
"At last…"
"I've finally found you."
The screen fades to black.
---
END OF EDITION 7
NEXT EDITION:
EDITION 8 – "THE FORGOTTEN VERSION"
"Some versions are created by pain. Others are created by fear. But one was created by something far worse..."