The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 61 - This Is My Story Now

Like... seriously... Tave had tried. He had clawed his way this far, pushing himself harder than ever just to survive. To break free, to stay ahead of the coming catastrophe, to keep himself from being swallowed by a world he didn't even belong to.

He had done everything to avoid falling too deep into the mess he himself had once created on paper.

But now... Theo, the original protagonist, was standing right in front of him.

His voice filled with fury. A man brought to life not just with every word he typed and thought. But with vengeance.

Tave had always known, deep down, that this moment could come. That if Theo ever realized the truth, if he ever remembered what had been done to him. He would come for him.

And now he had.

"I can see it in your eyes, Tave..." The man's voice cut through the silence. "You're not as strong. Not as unshakable. Not like me."

"Your heart is soft. Fragile. You shake so easily... and that's why your destruction will be so much more beautiful... And so much more painful than mine ever was."

Tave stood still, lips pressed tightly together. What was he even supposed to say?

That he was just an innocent author who wrote a story he thought was fun? That watching the protagonist suffer was part of the thrill, part of the satisfaction of good storytelling?

No. Saying that would only fan the flames.

What should he say then?

"Sorry I killed off the people you loved... but hey, at least my book got popular"?

"It wasn't supposed to be real"?

None of it would make this better. None of it would save him.

Because who the hell would have predicted that his own story would come to life. And that the one he wrote to endure endless pain would rise and look him dead in the eyes?

No.

There were no right words here. Nothing he could say would ever be enough.

"I will hurt the people you care about." The man's voice was low, calm, and ice-cold. Every word was striking with precision.

Tave's fists clenched.

Something shifted in him. Up until now, he had tried to stay in control, to think, to calculate. But that, that line. It cracked something.

"Your sister?" the man continued. "Oh, she's not really your sister, right? So I suppose it's fine if I take her... maybe light a little fire in your heart. See what it takes to break you."

"Don't you dare say anything about her." Tave snapped.

The words burst from him before he could even think. But it was too late. He was already triggered.

His eyes sharpened. His stance shifted.

He didn't even know what his feelings were toward Lily anymore. He shouldn't have any ties with her. Shouldn't be this affected.

He was not the old Tave.

But the memories, the instinct, the moments. They were all real to him now. And he still had a human heart. Even if his blood carried something wilder now.

"Everyone you'll meet... everyone you try to protect... your reasons to live, your reasons to fight..."

The man's voice dropped into a chilling whisper.

"I'll destroy them. One... by... one!"

Tave stared him down, breathing sharp and heavy. "Shut up," he growled, "or I'll make you."

The man smiled. A small, cold, merciless smile.

"I'll do everything you fear. The worst things you can imagine. Yes, all of it. Whatever horrors live in that twisted little author's mind of yours... I'll bring them to life."

And he meant every word. Tave could feel it. The sincerity of madness in that voice.

"You know what's worse than pain, Tave?" His voice dropped into a low, deliberate murmur. "It's knowing that everything, every tear, every death, every regret... Could've been avoided... if only you hadn't written it."

He smiled, slow and cold.

"I won't need to hurt your body. That's too easy. Too shallow."

"No... I'll tear apart your certainty. I'll make you doubt everything. Your purpose, your choices, your very right to exist in this world."

Tave's expression tightened, but the man didn't stop.

"You'll wake up every day wondering if the people around you would still smile at you... if they knew that all that awaits them is destruction. And it's all because of you!"

"You'll watch their backs and think, if they knew the truth, would they even look at me the same way? Would they even speak to me again?"

His voice darkened, now lined with quiet venom.

"I'll make you second-guess every act of kindness you receive. Every bond you try to form. I'll whisper into your mind, again and again. You don't deserve them."

"And worst of all?" He stepped forward just slightly, just enough. "You'll believe it."

The cave felt colder, despite the lingering heat of the lava behind them.

"You'll walk with them, fight beside them, protect them... and every time they laugh, every time they trust you. Deep inside, you'll know it's a lie."

"You'll start to wonder. Am I saving them? Or just delaying their deaths?"

"You'll lose yourself slowly, quietly... and no one will notice until the catastrophe comes to them!"

He tilted his head slightly, voice a whisper now.

"That's the real punishment, Tave. Not fire. Not swords. Just the slow unraveling of the soul."

And with that, he gave one final smile. The kind that didn't need blood to wound.

"No..." Tave finally spoke, his voice low and steady

His patience, his restraint had been shattered.

The man tilted his head, lifting his chin slightly as if to mock the defiance in Tave's tone.

"That won't happen," Tave continued, his eyes narrowing. "Not if I end this... right now."

For a heartbeat, the man's expression remained unreadable. Then... A grin. Slow, wide, wicked.

A grin of satisfaction. A grin of triumph. As if this... This very moment was what he had been waiting for all along.

Without hesitation, he reached for his sword. "Let's see just how strong you've become, then."

Tave knew the truth. He wasn't ready. Not really. He had barely survived binding a single spirit. His new core had only just stabilized. But none of that mattered now.

He had to fight.

Not because he could win. But because he refused to live in fear. He refused to carry the shadow of this man's threats any longer.

The man's voice rang out again. "Let's see if you can kill me, Tave!"

Tave raised his sword. His grip tightened. His body still ached, but his will, his resolve was clearer than ever!

He would use everything. Every shred of strength. Every spark of fire in his blood. Even if it cost him everything.

Because he would not be chained by fear. He would not let this man define him. He would not kneel.

Not now. Not ever!

They stood across from each other, weapons drawn. The tension was crackling between them.

Tave didn't know how strong Theo had become. But it didn't matter now.

He'd thought he'd have more time to prepare, to grow stronger before this moment came. But challenges never wait. They arrive not when you're ready, but when they decide it's time.

And this was his time. This was his test.

Would he surrender to the fate standing before him?

Or would he fight back, and choose his own path!