The soft hum of the TV was the only sound that filled the room, as Zephyr lay sprawled across the couch. His legs stretched out, and his arm dangled over the side, his fingers grazing the floor. The kind of lazy, half-hearted posture that only someone who had mastered the art of doing nothing could hold. He wasn't watching the show; the screen was just there for the sake of background noise. His mind was a million miles away, drifting from one thought to the next.
From the kitchen, the sounds of the kettle whistling and the faint clinking of cups reached his ears. The smell of something hot and sweet wafted through the air, but Zephyr didn't move. He didn't care. His eyes remained fixed on the screen, but his attention was far more consumed by his own thoughts than anything happening on the show.
It wasn't until a loud thud echoed from the hallway that he snapped out of his stupor. The door to the living room burst open, and in walked Ethan, Zephyr's older brother by two years. Ethan had always been the more serious one—efficient, sharp, and a little too obsessed with keeping everything in order. Today, however, he was fuming. His face was flushed, and he stormed over to the couch, sitting down next to Zephyr with a huff.
"Man, you won't believe this," Ethan muttered, shaking his head. "I just finished reading that stupid novel you recommended to me. You know, Path Of An Excorsist? Yeah, that one. The ending was absolute garbage! Total disappointment!"
"What's wrong with it?" Zephyr asked, feigning confusion as he kicked back further into the couch. "I thought it was good."
Ethan's face turned red, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "Good? Good? Are you even serious right now?" He shook his head in disbelief. "That was the worst plot twist ever! The protagonist gets a huge power boost out of nowhere, then gives up on everything he fought for! What kind of writing is that? And the romance, an harem? Complete waste of time!"
Zephyr's grin widened. "I haven't read it," he said casually, leaning forward to make eye contact with Ethan. "I just heard people on the bus talking about how much it sucked, so I painted it to be this great thing to get you to waste your time. Glorious, right?"
Ethan froze, blinking in disbelief. "You—You did what? You tricked me into reading that piece of crap?" he said, barely able to contain his anger. "You're an absolute menace!"
Zephyr laughed softly, enjoying the scene unfolding before him. "Yeah, you're welcome. All part of the service."
Ethan shook his head and turned towards the kitchen, clearly fed up. "I'm going to take a bath. You're unbelievable."
Zephyr returned to his comfortable position, the silence stretching out in the wake of Ethan's departure. His mind began to wander, and for a brief moment, a thought struck him. Then without further ado he picked up his brother phone and scrolled into the comment section.
[Chapter 2068 Comments Section – 10:32 PM]
LoneReaderX: This ending sucks harder than a black hole, all I can say is fuck you Author.
GhostLolz: Can't believe I read 1.2 million words just for this.
SwordSaint420: Plot armor so thick I'm surprised the author didn't give it a name.
Fish: The villain's motivation was "just because"? Really?
LoneReaderX: Your mom's so slow she took five months to make a joke and it still wasn't funny. Just like this damn story.
LoneReaderX: This author writes like he speedran disappointment."
Satisfied, he cracked his knuckles. The buzz of vindictive release buzzed through him.
He yawned. "I need to touch glass". He got up from his seat went to the kitchen poured himself a glass of water, he quickly sipped the water eager to return back to roasting the author.
Then he blinked.
Just once.
And when he opened his eyes… the water was gone.
His room. Gone. His chair. Gone. The world… gone.
In its place was an infinite golden expanse, like light had frozen in place. A fogless void, not empty—just clean. Like time hadn't touched this place yet.
Zephyr blinked again.
His heart started to raced. His breathing grew shallow as the air around him turned cold and unyielding. There was nothing. No walls, no ground beneath him, just an infinite expanse of gold. The color of the air itself seemed to shimmer and pulsate, and Zephyr's mind struggled to catch up.
He was… somewhere else.
And he wasn't alone.
Four others stood nearby.
A girl with dyed green hair and piercings. A tall guy with a smug, twitchy energy. A quiet boy with round glasses and a nervous look. And a sharp-eyed girl with her arms crossed, already sizing up the situation.
Zephyr didn't even have time to react before a new presence made itself known.
He turned.
A man—tall, impossibly tall—stood before them in silver-white robes, his hands folded behind his back. His hair shimmered like mercury, his skin glowed faintly like moonlight, and on the back of his right hand pulsed a glowing infinity symbol.
"You five," the man said, "were chosen."
"Chosen? For what?" the green-haired girl said, curiosity filled her voice.
The man smiled gently. Not warm—knowing.
"Because your words pierced deeper than any blade. Your hatred held insight. Your mockery, clarity. You insulted the Author—and that broke his heart."
Zephyr frowned. "Wait… are you saying—"
"You read the story. You knew the world. You saw its flaws—and now… you are part of it."
The tall guy burst out laughing. "No way. No friggin' way. This is some elaborate VR prank, or that red bull was expired."
But then the man spoke again.
"This is no prank, you insulted me— I mean the author which is not me, why would you think the author is me—as I was saying the floor is yours create a better ending".
As the word sank in the people realized that it was real and truth to be told they became excited, they thought of the powers they would wield and the site seeing, truth to be told this world was their second life. It was their go to after a gruelling battle with the outside world. Their inner musing was disturbed by a humming sound turning they saw a boy in a hoodie holding his head and humming.
"What are you doing". The green haired girl said to the boy.
But zephyr didn't answer as he continued to hum.
"I think he is denying reality". The boy in glass spoke out.
"This is real". The silver haired man spoke out.
"Please stop talking". Zephyr said an he resumed humming and massaging his head.
"This is happening".
"Please stop talking".
"The sooner you accept the better".
"Please stop talking". Zephyr was hellbent on denying it.
'this got to be a dream, yes a lucid nightmare there is no way I am in that world, I haven't even read it'.
A thought struck him as he quickly raised up his head. "Wait a moment, I haven't read it so can I refuse".
"You insulted the Author despite never reading it, you disgust me, no". The man gave him a reply with a disgusted expression.
"Wh—
"Can you take back the insults, the harsh words you said, I don't think so".
"Anyway is they any cheat". The green haired girl spoke out.
"Nope, you start from little just like the protagonist".
"But he got a cheat". She countered.
"You future knowledge is already a cheat".
"Bu—
"No more questions off you go".
It was as if the world dimmed and zephyr found himself in a world of pain.