The air smelled like burnt parchment and forgotten endings. Alex and Kairo stood at the mouth of a cavernous dungeon, its walls carved from the spines of ancient novels. Somewhere deep inside pulsed the Storyweaver's core—a heart of ink and algorithm.
Kairo's scar glowed like a neon brand, casting jagged shadows. "This place rearranges itself. Touch nothing."
"Too late," Alex muttered, yanking their hand back from a wall that whispered "Plot twist ahead!" in their mother's voice.
[System Alert]
Welcome to the Labyrinth of Lost Drafts.
Primary Quest: Reach the Core
Hidden Objective: Don't trust the walls.
***
The floor collapsed. They fell into a memory—Alex's first foster home, pixelated and warped. A younger version of themself sat at a desk, scribbling furiously.
"I'll make you real," another child-Alex whispered to a dragon doodle. "I'll make them all see."
Kairo grabbed present-Alex's arm. "Nostalgia's a death trap here."
They shattered the memory with a dagger strike. The dragon doodle roared, crumbling into ash.
[Reward: +10% Sanity (Temporary)]
***
Second Trap: The Forgotten Antagonist
The labyrinth spat them into a colosseum. At its center stood Lucien, but wrong—his Demon King armor rusted, his horns cracked.
"You…" Lucien rasped, sword trembling. "You left me here. In the drafts."
Alex's grip tightened on their dagger. "You chose this."
"I chose nothing!" Lucien lunged, strikes wild with decaying code. "The Storyweaver overwrote me. Just like it will you!"
Kairo intercepted, blades clashing. "He's a ghost. A echo."
"He's a warning," Alex hissed.
They fought. Lucien dissolved mid-swing, his final scream a static hiss: "You'll join me…"
***
A chamber of mirrors. Each reflected a different Alex:
- A bestselling author signing books.
- A hollow-eyed NPC in someone else's story.
- A version holding hands with Kairo, both unglitched, happy.
Alex shattered the glass. "Nice try, narrator."
Kairo stared at the shards. "You ever wonder—"
"No."
***
The labyrinth ended at a cathedral of light. At its altar floated the Storyweaver's core...?—a pulsing, golden quill suspended above a book older than time.
Book Title: Alex Veyra: Draft 001
Kairo's breath hitched. "It's… your story. The first one you ever wrote."
Alex stepped forward. The book flipped open, revealing crayon drawings of dragons and knights. A child's handwriting: "And they lived happily ever after. The end."
The Storyweaver's voice oozed from the pages: "You could've stayed here. Been loved. But you wanted more."
Alex's cybernetic arm glitched, torn between sword and pen. "I wanted real."
"Then take it."
The core erupted.
***
The dragon from Alex's childhood drawing surged to life—a patchwork of crayon wax and glowing code.
Name: Draconis Ignis
Trope: [Protector of Innocence]
Weakness: ???
Alex's dagger bounced off its scales. Kairo's blades sparked against its claws.
"It's not evil," Alex realized. "It's… scared."
The dragon roared, shaking the cathedral. "Why did you abandon me?!"
Alex dropped their weapon. "I didn't. I'm here."
They pressed a hand to the dragon's snout. The crayon melted, revealing the core's true form—a trembling, golden flame.
***
Achievement Unlocked: [Reclaim Your Narrative]
Reward: [Ａᴜ𝚝𝗵oʀ'𝗌 𝗥e𝚜ᴏ𝗹𝚟ᴇ – 𝗧iᴇ𝗿 𝟷] – 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝚞ɴ𝗲 𝚝𝗼 𝗦t𝗼𝗿ʏ𝚠e𝗮𝘃ᴇr'𝗌 dirᴇc𝘁 𝗰𝗼ɴtrol.
***
"IMPOSSIBLE... HOW?" The Storyweaver's voice echoed.
"Sorry, but this is not just your draft anymore." Alex smirked, twirling their pen on their right hand.
The labyrinth collapsed. Alex and Kairo stood in a void, the core's flame cradled in their hands.
Kairo's scar dimmed. "What now?"
Alex smiled, weary but unbroken. "We write a better ending."