#the end!!!!!!

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Please Fix the Story - Side Part - Liam

LAST SIDE PART! Liam's story. I really hope you guys enjoy! This has been a wild ride, and I can't wait to move on to whatever is next!

Masterpost linked here

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“Every dragon has a treasure.”

Grandfather spoke seriously to me, his large silver form towering over my small one. I never felt fear or discomfort facing him, despite his enormous size, however, because his eyes were always filled with warmth and love.

“Like gold?” I asked, rolling on the ground to scratch the new scales on my back. “Or diamonds?”

“Treasure for a dragon is much more than a simple shiny object.” Grandfather watched my actions with a toothy grin. “It represents something much greater than that. A treasure can’t be owned by the dragon, quite the opposite in fact.”

He reached out a claw, flipping me over and patting the dirt and grass from the ridges on my back. I looked up at him, stunned by the seriousness in his gaze. “A dragon’s treasure is whatever owns his heart. It is a piece of their soul, the truest home a dragon can have is by his treasure’s side. If something happens to the treasure, it destroys the heart of the dragon… so we protect our treasures with our lives.”

“Wow! I want a treasure!” I tried to fly, but my immature wings could only lift me a few feet before I fell back down to the ground.

“Oh Little One, you will.” He assured me. “Every dragon does.”

“Wait... then what’s your treasure?”

His eyes grew very sad. “My treasure was your grandmother. I loved her more than life itself.”

“My grandmother? I shook my head, confused. “Where is she?”

“She passed, Child. She had to leave me first.” His eyes had tears in them. “Dragons are nearly immortal, but there are still far too many things that can end our journeys early.”

“I thought you said if something happens to your treasure…?”

“Her death destroyed me… I wanted to follow her.” He stared out at the sky. “But your parents had fallen in the same battle… and I couldn’t leave my Little One alone. You were just an egg then.” His eyes focused back on me. “I will always miss her, my heart will never be the same. However, she would want me to care for you, raise you well. You are our grandchild, a living proof of her existence, and I am fortunate to have the chance to be your family.”

I rushed over and hugged Grandpa’s leg. “It’s okay! Don’t be sad!  I love you!”

“I love you too!” He smiled again. “And one day, Little One, when you find your treasure, I hope that you both know nothing but peace and joy. “

“I’ll find my treasure! And then you can live with both of us!”

His large claw rested gently on my head. “I would love that.”

I went to sleep that night, dreaming of family and a bright future ahead.

The next day, I lost everything.  

_______________________________

I was playing in a field, chasing butterflies. I scampered after a bright blue one, capturing it gently between my claws.

“Pretty!” I admired its big blue wings. “I wish I could fly like you! Grandpa says I need to grow a few more years before my wings will be big enough.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “But I practice anyways! When I can fly I’ll go looking for my treasure! And then I will grow up big and strong and protect everyone, so no one has to be sad like my grandpa ever again!”

The butterfly flapped its wings nervously, and I opened my claws to release it. “Go home, butterfly! Bye bye!”

I watched as it flew away… directly into a blue portal that materialized in front of me. The poor creature was incinerated as I stared, horrified.

“What is going on…?” A glowing blue figure stepped out. It looked somewhat human, but not at the same time. I briefly wondered if it was like Grandpa, who could take a human form when he needed to be smaller. As I considered this, the being stepped closer, its eyes focused directly on me. Feeling uneasy, I backed away a few steps.

YOU ARE A DRAGON?

The words were spoken and at the same time wrote themselves in the sky above me. I knew how to read, Grandpa had taught me, but I had never heard of a being that could speak written words into existence.

“Y-yes! I’m a mighty dragon like my grandpa!” I puffed out my chest proudly, but after a moment my shoulders still shrank back in fear.

YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.

“Chosen? For what?”

YOU WILL BE A MIGHTY HERO, TRAVELING TO MANY WORLDS, SAVING THE UNIVERSE. YOU WILL BE GIVEN UNIMAGINABLE POWER AND WEALTH. YOU WILL BE THE GREATEST DRAGON TO EVER EXIST.

“… cool.” I thought it over. “Can my grandpa come?”

NO. THIS WORLD WILL BE DESTROYED BY YOUR DEPARTURE.

“Oh… no thank you, then.” I started backing away. “I have to go home now.”

YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN. REFUSAL WILL NOT BE ALLOWED.

I turned away to run “GRANDPA!”

“CHILD! RUN!” I saw my grandfather, his large silver form flying desperately towards me. In his eyes I saw a look I had never seen before, no matter how many dangers we had faced since my hatching.

He looked scared.

“GRANDPA!”

YOU MUST ACCEPT YOUR FATE.

Power made of blue fire wrapped around me. My grandfather was close enough to breath his own fire towards the unknown being, but it disintegrated into nothingness as it neared it.

“LITTLE ONE! NO!”

A terrified cry. Tear-filled eyes. A look of anguish.

My last memory of my grandfather, before my home realm was destroyed.

And then I was truly alone.

_______________________________

I was taken to a new realm, a realm only for me. Nothing else could live there. Insects, plants, even moss and mold… they would appear briefly, live just long enough for me to dream that this time, things would be different, before withering away. Death was my constant companion in this realm. Each time a new living creature or plant would arrive, I would tell myself not to hope. Hope would only result in more pain. But still my young heart beat quickly with it each time I discovered something new.

But soon, loneliness would no longer be my greatest fear. The System began dragging me into lower realms, telling me to play my part.

I will never forget my first mission.

It was a high school world. My character was a bully, one that tormented the hero and heroine relentlessly. His father was a very wealthy and influential man, and this boy leveraged every once of that prestige to make others miserable.

When I arrived, I was scared, confused. I had never been a human before, much less in a place of only humans. Even as I tried to orient myself to my new surroundings, however, I was given a mission:

My mission was to die.  

In the story, character failed to separate the hero and his love. In this end his misdeeds were exposed on the internet, and the entire world turned against him. Even his father disowned him, cutting off financial support, which had been the only affection he had bothered to bestow upon the boy.

"EVIL! VILLAIN!"

He received thousands upon thousands of messages like this.

"WORTHLESS! DIE!"

Near the end of the story, the villain took his own life. My mission was to continue with the villain’s role as written, while the hero’s story would be changed to save the realm.

I refused.

My grandfather had always taught me to be kind to others, and to myself. I couldn’t bully the two leads, any more than I could harm myself because others wanted me to. I was still a dragon, at least at heart, and I would stay strong.

When I changed the ending, the world faded around me with a simple glowing message:

MISSION FAILED.

I was back in my dragon form in my prison realm, and standing in front of me was an angry young man.

“Are you happy?” He asked me, his eyes cold.

“I don’t understand. Who are you?”

“Obviously you don’t understand!” He pointed at himself. “I am the hero.” His finger turned towards me. “YOU are the villain. We each have our parts to play.”

“I don’t want to harm others, or myself.” I backed away, showing my teeth in a way grandpa had taught me to scare off bad guys like him. “Go away!”

His response was a vicious smile. “Do you know what happened to that world? That lower realm we had traveled to?”

I shook my head.

“Show him, System!” With a wave of his hand a portal opened up next to me. I tried to back away further, but paused at the sight inside:

My character refused to jump off the school roof, as the original ending dictated. As my character was surrounded in blue fire and slumped to the ground, the entire world began bending and warping. The world slowly began to cave in on itself, turning into nothingness.

It was a familiar sight to me, and as I watched, golden tears dripped from my eyes.

It was exactly like the destruction of my home world.

“You killed them.” I whispered, horrified.

“No. YOU killed them.” He leaned forward, and the madness in his eyes terrified me. “You didn’t play your part! The world became unstable and collapsed. Do you understand? All those children you met, all the teachers and parents… every single person you met in that realm… dead. All because of you.”

My small claws covered my head, trying to hide. “NO!”

“Oh yes, what a wonderful villain you turned out to be.” He laughed. “You bring nothing but pain and destruction to those around you, and you need to learn to follow the rules.”

“…”

“You must accept your fate, Villain.” He left with those parting words, which would haunt me each moment going forward

_______________________________

I changed shortly after that. Each time I was dragged into a lower realm, I would get my mission, and fulfill it as simply and quickly as possible. I avoided bullying or harming others, only possible as my mission was almost always regarding the ending for the villain. But the ending required was always terrible.

Death continued to be my constant companion, this time my own. Countless missions of death and destruction, until they all blurred into one another. I never knew if my obedience to the mission changed the fates of these realms or not as Adonis and the System would never tell me. I could only hope.

I matured into adulthood, but nothing changed in my suffering. I had almost forgotten who I was. I had no name but "Villain", I had no purpose but to be defeated so that others could thrive.

I did take some solace in that my current compliance did not make them happy. My race towards the ending of each realm irritated Adonis, which I learned was the name of the hero who would visit me occasionally in my realm.

“You are moving too fast! I don’t have any time to do my part in the realm as you race towards your own bad ending! If you can’t play along…” He trailed off with a threatening tone.

I looked at him without interest. His words meant nothing to me. “You cannot threaten me.” I told him, feeling numb.  “You have already destroyed everything I love. My family is gone. I am alone.”

And I was alone.

On the rare nights I wasn’t dragged into the lower realms to die, I would dream of my home. Of watching dragons fly freely in the sky. Of my grandfather and his loving smile, of his dream that I would find my treasure and live out my days in joy and peace. Each time i dreamt, the details would fade a bit more. I was losing my sense of self, of any purpose other than that which had been forced on me.

I was a dragon, my grandpa said that was something to be proud of.

But I slowly I turned into something else, something twisted. I was becoming the villain I had been named and nothing more.

If life had continued on that way, I don’t know what my ending would have been. A dragon is immortal, but there are still ways to cut their journeys short. Death of hope, destruction of the soul, is one of those ways. I was heading towards a point of no return.

And then I met Bel.

_______________________________

We first met in a lower realm, where I was an assassin, she the heroine. She was lost, confused, and acting totally out of character for the story, which shocked me. I hadn't known there was another traveler like Adonis. After we ran into each other, she spoke to me normally, even kindly, overwhelming me by even the brief interaction. When she asked my name, I responded “Villain” the only one I could remember.

She misheard and called me Liam.

I didn’t correct her, it was the best name I had ever been called.  We drank coffee and talked, and it was the happiest time I could remember since the destruction of my world.

But all good things must end, and there was a counter to finish this mission.  Our missions in this world were the same: the death of the assassin. Seeing her worried gaze on me, I realized this was the first time someone had showed me concern since my grandfather.

I didn’t want her to be sad.

I drank poison, pretending to drink her cup by mistake, and walked away.

Death was my constant companion, but I didn’t want her to see me die.

I saw her a few times after that, mostly in non-human or monstrous forms. She remained the same no matter my appearance, which made me start to wonder a very dangerous thought: would she still be so kind if she knew I was a dragon, a villain?

I buried that hope deep within my heart, not wanting to examine it too closely. But soon it would be difficult to ignore.

_______________________________

Adonis cast her into my realm. He was punishing her, trying to force her to agree with accepting the path and bonds of fate. He knew she would suffer in my realm, slowly having her life drained from her. He must have expected her to cave, to turn back to him in less than a day.

I too thought she would return to the Higher Realm. Initially I treated her coldly, not wanting to have any hope that she would be different than any other living animal or plant that appeared in this place. She would leave here, and it was best I wasn’t too attached.

But Adonis and I both underestimated the wonderful stubbornness of Bel.

She felt the draining effect of the realm, yes, but refused to give in, wanting to stay. I hovered over her, watching her increasingly pale form with increasing anxiety. I had to do something, but what could I, a prisoner and villain, possibly do?

When I got pulled into the lower realm once more, it was a horror story, a world of vampires. I adjusted to my new form, and instead of heading straight to my destruction as I typically did, I found Adonis instead.

“Are you enjoying the company, Villain?” He asked me with a sarcastic grin.

“I actually go by Liam now.” I responded blandly, my fear of him long ago corroded by time and countless deaths. “And yes, I’m happy for her presence.”

Adonis’ eyes filled with rage. “You are NOTHING to her. Nothing but a villain. And don’t get too comfortable, she will be leaving soon.”

“That’s up to her, isn’t it? She wasn’t too happy with you last time I checked.”

He swung his fist at my head in anger, but it was a useless move. I was a vampire in this world. Compared to me, his human form might as well be moving in slow motion. I dodged his arm easily, and knocked him to the ground.

“She doesn’t belong there!” He spat out.

"Why not?" I hoped he would say something to help me figure out how to help her.

Fortunately he obliged. “Her very nature is that of a heroine. Your realm will reject her, slowly destroy her. Just like your pathetic and evil nature keeps you alive and well in your little prison. You can’t change your nature, Villain. That evil place shares your energy, but will only drain hers until she dies.”

I felt relieved at the extra information, but also horrified at the same time. “You do remember that you were the one to put her in that realm, right? Were you trying to kill her?!”

Adonis smiled. “She just needed a little reminder of who she is, and what she needs to do.”

“And what is that?”

“She needs to accept her fate.”

At his words, I reached out, grabbing his neck and lifting him off the ground. My nails pierced the skin of his neck, his blood dripped down my hand onto the floor and I felt my fangs pierce my gums, preparing to feed. I held back though, not wanting to taste his blood. It smells terrible. I assume the energy within must be very contaminated by his self-absorbed soul and ruthless nature. I thought, my brain slowly making a connection.

Wait… if blood carries energy, and the essence of one’s nature… Then I might have a way to help Bel.

Even as I felt excited about this revelation, I felt a sharp pain in my back. I turned, just in time to see the heroine of the story holding a stake, stabbing it through to my heart.

Adonis laughed as my hand released him and I stumbled backwards, clutching at my chest. “See, monster? The heroine will only ever despise you and kill you if she can.”

“That’s not Bel.” I muttered, feeling my life fade from me. “That woman is a character from this world.”

“Bel IS the heroine, Villain, she will be the prototype from which all heroines will derive their fate. She can only be the heroine.  Just like you can only be a monster. She will never stay by your side." He stepped closer. "I’m just waiting for her to realize the truth of what you are and what she is. And then she’ll return to me. Return to where she belongs.”

The last thing I saw in this realm was his confident smile, and the heroine’s blank uncaring stare.

I died painfully in that realm, but it gave me an idea. I fed her my dragon blood, filled with the same energy as the realm that imprisoned us. It sustained her briefly, but I worried that it was only delaying the inevitable.

We spent the time together, getting to know each other better. She was kind, curious, outspoken. She found the humor in everything, and slowly I found myself joking alongside her. A deep certainty grew within me.

She was my treasure.

Just like my Grandpa said. Not an object, not something that could be owned. My heart belonged to her. I, who had lost any home since the destruction of my own world, had found it: by her side.

I took a chance, showed her my true self, my heart in my throat the entire time as her eyes studied my dragon form.

She smiled, and the love I felt was overwhelming. I was drowning in it. For the first time in a long time, I felt that I was something more than just a villain, a monster.

I was a dragon, and she was my treasure. I would protect her with my life, protect her happiness, no matter what.

_______________________________

But our story, at least the first time around, was not one with a happy ending, but a tragedy.

I proposed. Asked her to marry me in the mermaid realm. She agreed, and we had a wedding. She had made a deal with the sea witch to marry her true love, and at the moment we said “I do” her mission was complete.

We returned to my prison, to my realm.

And she was dying.

I felt my heart dying with her. A part of me wanted to force her to return to the Higher Realm, to be safe. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t ask her to buy her safety with her freedom. I could only allow her to make her own choice, and stay by her side. I remembered vaguely my grandfather telling me about my grandmother’s death. And I understood. I couldn’t resume my hopeless lonely existence I couldn’t continue without her.

I would stay with her, and I would die with her.

But the end I expected didn’t come. The System made a deal with her and I watched on, holding my breath, as she agreed. And as she disappeared, I panicked.

“LET ME FOLLOW HER!”

The System studied me, looking at me closely without emotion or curiosity. It was as if it was solving a mathematical equation that I was a part of.

SHE HAS MADE A DEAL, YOU CANNOT FOLLOW HER.

“I’ll make a deal too! Take anything you want, please just let me follow, let me protect her!”  My heart, my soul was tearing in two, she was so far from me, and she was in danger.

YOU HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER.

“You can have ME! You can have your perfect villain! I’ll play my role, I’ll never once step out of line or rush to the end! You can have the puppet you always wanted.”

... YOU WOULD SACRIFICE YOUR FREE WILL?

I didn't hesitate.

“For her? Anything.”

Words scrolled in front of me. The deal the System offered. I would be allowed no memories, but I could follow her to every world. I wasn’t worried about not remembering her. She was part of my soul, my treasure. I could no more harm her than I could rip my own heart from my chest. But the cost.

Oh, the cost.

It was a deal with the devil, but still I considered it. The System, sensing my hesitation, spoke again.

SHE HAS COMPLETED FIVE WORLDS ALREADY… BUT WITHOUT PURPOSE SHE IS IGNORING THE POWER AVAILABLE TO HER. HER WILL IS FALTERING. CALCULATED CHANCE OF SUCCESS IS LESS THAN ONE PERCENT.

“If I take this deal and help her? Does it improve her chances?”

UNKNOWN. SIX WORLDS.

I felt my soul tearing apart. The System was demanding I put not just my freedom and will on the line, but countless worlds that I had saved before. If I agreed, I would have no defense. I would be the monster, the villain that Adonis called me.

Not Bel’s Liam.

The System’s monster.

SHE IS STARTING THE ELEVENTH WORLD. AT CURRENT CALCULATIONS, SHE WILL GIVE UP IN THE TWELFTH. THE DEAL WILL BE SUCCESSFUL, AND ALTHOUGH YOUR OFFER TO HAVE A PERFECT VILLAIN WOULD GREATLY SIMPLIFY THE PROCESS... YOU CAN BE REPLACED. YOU ARE UNNECESSARY. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO ACCEPT.

Bel needed me. I had a choice, and I willingly made it. And even if I damned my soul for eternity, I would burn happily for her safety.

I pressed “Yes”.

_______________________________

“Every dragon has a treasure.”

A young child sat in front of me in the park, his eyes wide with wonder. His dark hair resembled my own, but his eyes…

His eyes were just like his mother’s.

“Like pirate treasure?!” He asked excitedly, and I couldn’t help but laugh, remembering a long ago conversation with my grandfather.

“No, much better than that! A dragon’s treasure can’t be owned, because it is the treasure who owns the dragon’s heart. The truest home a dragon can have is by his treasure’s side. And so, we dragons protect our treasures with their lives.”

“Wow! Do YOU have a treasure, Dad?”

At his question, I looked over to the side, where Bel and our other three children were. They were sneaking up on a couple sitting on a park bench, a handsome man in a suit, speaking to a young woman wearing a loosely fitted dress.

“I'm sorry but I have to go." The man said dramatically.

"Where are you going?! And why?"

"I can’t tell you what’s going on, Penny!”

“Why not?!” The woman he called Penny cried. “Please, Charles, Don't leave! You don’t understand, I really need you here! What’s going on? Just talk to me!”

 “It’s for your own protection.” He paused. “Wait, why do you really need me here? Is something going on?”

Penny looked away. “Never mind.”

“STOP RIGHT THERE!”

PSST!

Our little girl, Hannah, raced forward with her sister Selina and her brother Adam, all wielding small spray bottles.

“Who are you…?” Charles tried to ask, only to be pushed down in his seat by the horde of children.

“You two have terrible communication skills!” Hannah put her hands on her hips, glaring at the male and female leads. “And at this rate you two are headed towards a bad end.”

“What?” Penny shook her head. “We communicate just fine!”

“If that is what you think good communication is, I hate to see what you think bad looks like!” Adam rolled his eyes. “Just because you both are technically speaking words in the same language does not mean you can communicate.”

“Yeah, what they said.” Selina, the quiet one of the three, finally spoke up.

“Listen you little…” Charles started to swear, but stopped, sputtering, when Selina sprayed him in the face.

PSST!

“Sorry, could you repeat that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of the stupid coming out of your mouth.”

Charles tried to stand up, a hand raised threateningly, only to scream in pain as Bel put him into an arm lock and expressionlessly forced him back onto his bench.

“Hands to yourself, and listen to the children.”

“Why should I listen to these snot nosed brats?”

“Because even children have more common sense than you two. Also if you don’t listen I’ll just beat you both up until you agree.”

“YEAH! OUR MOM WILL BEAT YOU UP!” Hannah shouted.

“AND THEN OUR DAD WILL EAT YOU!” Adam added.

Hannah looked back at her brother, whispering. “Dad doesn’t eat people!”

He shrugged in response.  “They don’t know that.”

Selina stepped forward.

“First” She pointed at the hero. “Charles here is leaving to deal with assassin’s hired by his estranged father. They told him that if he doesn’t return home to take over the family business, they will have his love…” She pointed at Penny. “YOU… killed. He’s worried that if for some reason he doesn’t make it, that you would blame yourself. So he hopes to keep you in the dark, to protect you.”

“How did you know that?!” Charles burst out, and then looked chagrined as he realized he had confirmed her words.

“You really are trying to protect me? You’re not trying to trick or dump me?” Penny looked relieved.

“I’m sorry, Dear, I just was worried… I love you!”

“I love you too…”

PSST!

Selina sprayed Penny this time.

“What was that for?! We cleared the misunderstanding!” Penny wiped her face with hand, annoyed.

Hannah and Adam joined their sister.

“Oh really? You’ve talked about everything?”

“Not hiding any story-changing, unnecessary secrets?”

Penny paused, looking guilty. Charles panicked, holding her hand. “What is it? No matter what, we’ll face it together!”

“Like you were going to face your family?”

“… Sorry.”

“it’s okay. I’ve been hiding a secret too.” She glanced over at the three bright eyed children and their brandished water dispensers with a shudder. “...I’m pregnant.”

“…” Charles sat back, obviously shocked.

“I knew you wouldn’t be happy!” With a cry, Penny tried to run away.

PSST!

All three children sprayed her back down into her seat.

“Nice try, heroine, but avoiding difficult conversations and living in unnecessary misunderstandings isn’t gonna happen around us!” Hannah smiled, the expression strangely threatening for a child.

“Fine.” She timidly stared at the hero. “What are you thinking?”

Charles stood up, and wordlessly hugged Penny into his arms. “I love you!” He spun her around in a circle, and then panicked, setting her down gently. “I’m sorry! I picked you up while you’re pregnant! Is our baby okay?! Should I take you to the hospital?!”

Penny laughed. “Baby and I are fine.”

He hugged her again, this time very gently. “I won’t leave you. We’ll face everything: this pregnancy, our families… side by side.” He knelt down in front of her. “Marry me?”

“We’re already married?”

“That was an arranged marriage, let’s get married because WE want to!”

“YES!” The two hugged again, while the three children and Bel looked on approvingly, with polite applause.

“Not bad." Adam commented.

"Yeah, some good listening, some compromise…” Hannah added.

“They’re still both idiots.” Selina muttered under her breath, and then forced a smile. “I mean, good job!” She gave a halfhearted thumbs up, which the other two mimicked.

“Um… thanks.” The hero and heroine paused, staring confused at the three. “Who are you guys? And how do you know so much about us?”

The children took a fancy pose. “We’re the Hero Rehabilitation Unit! Although we’re missing our other brother who’s over there with our dad!” Hannah pointed at us. “He’s a big villain dragon and is awesome! Our Mom is an almighty inhuman existence that can travel to infinite worlds!”

“What…?

Bel pulled them away. “Just ignore us, and don’t keep secrets from each other from now on! Communication is the key to a healthy marriage!”

“Mom! You were supposed to pose with us!”

“I never agreed to that!”

I watched my wife argue with our children, once again feeling relieved again that she had taken this whole: having-four-children-at-once thing in stride. We hadn’t been sure what to expect, given our different natures. But four eggs all at once… was definitely still a shock.

After the hatching, we had moved back to the vampire world that we had been before. Selina the familiar was a godsend during those crazy first months. Watching her quip and sarcasm her way through four newborns, including her namesake, had been entertaining. Although her sense of humor definitely had rubbed off on the kids.

And now they have grown. However, being half-dragon, half-immortal System, they aged a bit slowly. At least they could all freely change between dragon and human forms since birth, unlike a full-blooded dragon like myself who could only change at adulthood.

Bel saw me staring, and gave me a smile. The love I saw in the expression made my heart beat faster. I loved my wife more every day. Although I HAD been worried at first, after the System and Adonis had been defeated. She and I both knew the deal I made, what I had done to follow her. I was terrified that she might leave me now that she knew everything. She could have shunned me, never saw me again, and I wouldn't have blamed her for it. Her response at the time, instead, had healed my fractured soul.

"When I look at you, Liam, I don't see a hero or a villain. You agreed to the System's deal, yes. You risked countless worlds, putting my safety in front of all of their lives. But if you hadn't, I would have failed, and the whole universe would still be heading for destruction. Some may judge us, some may agree with us. All I can say is, given the same choice as you... I would do the same."

I still felt guilty at times, but as I traveled the realms with my wife and children, saving worlds. I slowly made peace with the past. No one would be enslaved by fate again. We would save realms like my home world from destruction. Just like my grandfather wished, we lived out our days with joy and peace. I hoped our happiness would allow my grandfather's soul to rest.

I smiled back at Bel.

“Dad!” My son Kellen called my attention again. “You didn’t answer my question! Do you have a treasure?”

I smiled at him, and then nodded and pointed over at his mother, Bel.

My wife. My love. My heart. My home.

My treasure.

[goldenhourhimbo]

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[sadclowncentral]

shoutout to the guy who after unsuccessfully hitting on my sister and being politely declined asked her "is it okay if i ask your brother instead" and when she said yes gave me a long and searching look before sighing and going "no. i am not drunk enough to go for a dude. but you look like an angel" happy bisexual pride to this man and this man only. hope you figure it out soon king

[chiisana-lion]

[cordspaghetti]

really factual recounting with no embellishments whatsoever

[theshitpostcalligrapher]

the curse of summer is buying and eating an inadvisable amount of fruit in single sittings.

[spitblaze]

[guy who doesnt watch shows voice] yeah ive been meaning to watch that show

[sayruq]

like to charge reblog to cast

[moodsandtenses]

There's something hilarious about how so much subsequent media has positioned Vampires and Werewolves as, like, binary opposite entities, and then you read Dracula (1897) and realize that wolves are that guy's preferred solution to every problem. You'd say something to Dracula about "ah yes, werewolves, vampires' great eternal enemies," and he'd just be like "you mean my subcontractors?"

[unsung-idiot]

don't show him modern technology; it won't end well

bonus under the cut:

[pjharvey-moved]

making fun of americans is pretty much always ok if youre not doing it in an edgelord “you guys have so many school shootings” way or acting like we’re the only country that has racism. but like posts about americans and hamburger get me every time

[la7ma-mafrooma]

Keep talking about Palestine!

[stump-not-found]

i like you because of your terrible personality, generally awful demeanor, and inability to watch 3D movies . not despite

[lipglossanon]

[politijohn]

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[redstonedust]

yknow AI art has ruined an entire genre of painting to me, i saw one of those smooth anime-realism pieces and immidiately thought ''ugh, AI art'' until i noticed it was posted by an established deviantart user 6 years ago. like ive never been a huge fan of that genre but it looks like a pretty difficult style to master and i feel bad for the artists who specialized in anime-realism only to have their entire market jacked by people typing keywords into midjourney.