Insufficient Story

A month has passed since the so-called ‘passing of the twins’ happened. The kingdom is now slowly returning to normal. Espoir Town’s business also resumed smoothly.

Still, I know that it is about time for Prince Blane to leave the palace to secretly investigate the death of the twins. Chapter One took place after the mourning period and when the prince appealed to the king to investigate the case further.

Of course, his appeals fell into deaf ears. The king wanted to protect the peace within the palace and the kingdom, and if it was revealed that the death of the twins was a conspiracy of one of his children, the peace of the Arcenciel kingdom would definitely crumble.

Prince Blane, righteous as he was, could not accept how his father easily dismissed the death of his youngest siblings. So he started doubting everything that he previously knew about the royal family. He decided to act alone and search for the truth.

Prince Blane is the main character of this world, he believes that the twins are already dead and uncovering the truth of their death is his purpose.

As long as he believes that Prince Noir and Princess Bianca are dead, a Plot Hole will not occur. But once he found out that they were still alive… everything that I and Oleander did to save the lives of the twins will be rendered meaningless.

I was presented with a choice… to make Kuro and Shiro my prophets in order for them to live under my direct protection.

But as someone who knew their past… I don’t want to betray them by forcing them to be something that they don’t want to be.

I sighed to myself and leaned on the chair, staring at the ceiling of the library on the first floor of the Sanctuary.

How troublesome.

Right now, I am rereading the [Dream-colored Sky], and there doesn’t seem to be any changes yet. Prince Blane will still leave the palace and his adventure will proceed as planned.

I guess what’s bothering me more is what will happen after Chapter Ten. The last chapter written in the book of this world. It is still five years from now, but I’m not complacent enough to wait and see if the world will stop then.

If there’s something that I realized after anything… that is I need to end this story properly. I can’t just carelessly throw my words away. If I want to destroy this tragedy-stricken world, I have to do it in a way that will justify the past, the present, and the future satisfactorily.

I looked down on my hand where the crack was hidden by magic. It might be hidden from sight, but it’s still there.

If I run out of options, can I just brute force my way?

I clenched my hand tightly.

No, I’ll create a world where everyone gets a happy ending. That includes me too.

“Sensei, can you check this?”

Kuro peeked from a nearby shelf. He was holding a piece of paper in his hands.

“Sure. Let me see it, Kuro-kun.”

Kuro showed me a drawing of the collaborative project that we were making for the bookshop that I am planning to open. It was an illustration for a novel that I planned to sell because there really isn’t that much entertainment in this world.

At first, when Kuro found out about it, he said that he would draw illustrations for my story and the two of us decided to collaborate. Of course, he will be given proper credit and compensation. Artists should be appreciated properly.

“Oh! This is well made! As expected of CHLOE-san!”

“S-stop using my screen name, Sensei!” he complained with a flustered face. “But w-well… I’m glad that you like it.”

“Thank you for this, Kuro-kun.”

Kuro-kun’s dream in his past life was to draw something for the author Lapis Lazuli. It was a dream that will never be realized in our former world, but in this another world, we could clear our unfulfilled regrets.

Kuro’s attention went to the book that I was reading, he quickly recognized it as the book that he first saw in that room when I first took them in.

“That book….”

“Ah, yes, it’s [Dream-colored Sky].”

“So it really is. Say, Sensei, can you know the future from that book?” he asked curiously.

“I can, but it’s limited. This story is still focused on the main character, anything beyond Prince Blane’s experience is practically unknown.”

“Hmm… I guess that’s a given, Prince Blane is the main character anyways,” Kuro said with a shrug.

“Say, Kuro-kun, I haven’t asked you directly before, but… what do you think of this story?”

“Eh?” Kuro flinched, then he touched his chin and pondered.

“Don’t you feel that it’s boring? There really weren't many action scenes there, it’s just mostly internal monologue and it’s slowpaced. Moreover, there wasn’t a clear antagonist even until the last chapter.”

“Personally, I think there is a unique charm in Sensei’s writing. I wouldn’t call it boring just because there are only a few action scenes. Also, internal monologues are necessary for that kind of story given its mystery undertone,” Kuro explained. “As a reader, I think it is really great.”

“R-really…?”

Kuro nodded.

“Yes. But you see, there is no such thing as a story that everyone will like. Each reader has different preferences from one another, and a single story will not be able to cater to the wants of all readers from different walks of life.”

My eyes widened and my mouth agape from his words.

I wonder what this feeling is… I feel like I want to cry.

“Sensei, even if no one reads your story at first or if no one likes your writing, a day will come that someone who was meant to read it will be able to find it,” Kuro smiled brightly. “When that time comes, I’m sure they will also like your stories in the same way that I did.”

I reached out my hand to his head and gave him a headpat. He looked pleased about it and smiled brightly at me.

“Thank you for liking my story, Kuro-kun.”

Kuro is right.

It was hard to gain recognition if you were just starting, and there might be more people who dislike your work than those who like it. Even so, your stories will eventually be found by the people who are meant to read it and they will love it more than you expected them to.

I guess I was impatient in my past life. As a fresh graduate, I was pressured to quickly become a part of society and find stable work. No matter how much I liked writing, I was pressured by time that made me feel that I was being left behind.

Maybe if I continued writing for a little while more, I wouldn’t have— No.

It’s no use regretting it now.

It was a shame that I’ve led such a pathetic life, but there’s no way I’m going to repeat the same mistakes now, right?

This is my life now. This time, I will live with pride and confidence as a writer— as a creator.

Kuro and I continued talking about [Dream-colored Sky] after that. He told me that his favorite character is the first princess, Princess Scarlet, because of her strong presence and bold personality.

“Princess Scarlet is really beautiful in person, but she’s too intimidating even though we’re her siblings. I still like her though,” Kuro enthusiastically said.

“I also enjoyed writing about her character! She acts unwavering but she also has a soft spot for her siblings, right?”

“I agree, she’s kind of a tsundere but that’s what makes her the best!”

“Haha, I guess you really like her.”

“Yep! Ah, but I don’t want to return to the palace anymore,” Kuro said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Say, Kuro-kun, as someone who read [Dream-colored Sky], who do you think is the one behind the attack on the twins?” I asked.

“Hmm… I used to think that it was the First Prince Geoluread, but when I think about it, he doesn’t have any motives to do it. I also considered Princess Ione’s faction given that she’s the daughter of a concubine… but she’s just three years older than us. It’s hard to think that a kid like that could be the mastermind of that assassination.”

“How about Phyllis? Azure? Cobalt?”

“Prince Phyllis is too simple-minded to be the mastermind, he only likes to look good in front of everyone. Princess Azure and Prince Cobalt have their own worlds, even back when we were in the palace, those two barely paid attention to us.”

“Well, maybe someone’s hiding something.” I commented.

“Who is it, Sensei?”

“Ehh… if I told you, it’s going to be a spoiler, right?” I huffed playfully.

“No way! That’s so unfair, Sensei!”

I just chuckled awkwardly to myself.

Actually, I don’t know who it is anymore.

Yes, that’s right.

I’ve lost sight of the ending of this story already.

I think it’s predictable because Kuro managed to point Geoluread, my first suspect. But when I was setting him up as the mastermind, I realized that he really doesn’t have any motives to do so.

He is the First Prince, he has a high claim to the throne and if you think about it, there is no reason for him to get rid of the twins who are not only the last in line, but are younger than him by more than a decade.

In fact, none of the siblings has any reasons to do so.

I actually thought of singling out one of the siblings and creating a twist that will be revealed in the ending, but because I like what I’ve already written about them, I could not taint their images that I poured a lot of thoughts into.

I’ve thought of making an outsider do it too, like a demon lord, a crooked aristocrat, or maybe anyone else, but I was worried that a twist like that would kill the whole premise… so I got stuck overthinking. And with my circumstances then, I lost the chance to redeem the plot that I messed up.

No wonder this story has a lot of plot holes… literally and figuratively.

I am fully aware that this is my blunder, and I intend to take full responsibility for it. I really do.

I really messed up big time now, didn’t I? Haha, I’m cooked.

“Say, Sensei… we’re still not safe, are we?” Kuro asked quietly.

“E-eh? What could you mean by that?” I averted my gaze unconsciously.

“Sensei, you’re obviously lying!” Kuro pointed at my face. “Please tell the truth! I may look like an eight year old brat to you, but I am already sixteen years old mentally, it’s not like I’m a naive kid!”

“Uurgh…”

I really don’t want to tell him about it.

As an adult, my protectiveness towards these kids won’t allow me to let them know that this entire farce of their lives being in constant danger is far from over. I just can’t say it.

But looking at it from Kuro’s perspective…

Maybe it’s better to let him know. He has been the guardian of his own sister for a long time in their past lives, they never relied on adults before because they feel that they cannot trust them and me gaining their trust seems to be just because of their admiration and not because they could rely on me.

I heaved a deep sigh, then stared at his determined eyes.

“Kuro-kun, the truth is—”

Before I could finish my sentence, he cut me off.

“Sensei, make me your prophet.”

“Eh?”

My mouth hangs open.

“Let me be your prophet.”

“W-wait! Hold on, Kuro-kun! If you feel pressured to do it, you don’t have to!” I argued.

“I’ve thought about it already. It’s true that Shiro and I don't have a good experience when it comes to god or religion in our past lives, but this world and that world are different.”

“Still, you don’t have to force it…”

“Sensei, our family was extremely religious in our past lives,” he started and averted his gaze at me. “When we were eight years old, Shiro was enshrined and was given the task to be a sacrifice to something like a mountain god. As kids, we believed that our parents were right… but it wasn’t like that at all. There’s nothing right about it.”

Kuro looked down and clenched his first tightly.

“For the sake of the so-called faith, they will do anything even if that means killing their own child. Since then, I’ve hated anything related to religions. I no longer believed in any god.”

“Kuro-kun…”

“But Sensei, if I were to put my faith in you, would you promise to not hurt us?”

I gritted my teeth. I feel upset. Not to Kuro, but to the adults that treated them horribly in their former lives.

It was the duty of adults to protect children, but those bastards… they don’t deserve to be called parents at all!

I reached my hands at Kuro and hugged him tightly.

“I will protect you no matter what. I won’t hurt you, nor will I let anyone else hurt you… I promise,” I firmly spoke. My brows furrowed with anger to those who wronged them in the past, and I swore to him and to myself that I will protect them at all costs.

Kuro flinched at first, then he returned the hug and clenched my sleeves tightly. His trembling hands were so small, it grips my heart with pain. I hate that I could only grit my teeth for now.

“S-sensei… I… I believe you… okay?” Kuro said in a muffled voice as he buried his face in my arms. He was also sobbing lightly, indicating that he’s crying.

“Un. Thank you for believing in me. I will become a goddess worthy of your faith, my dear prophet, Kuro.”

As I spoke those words, the world now recognized him as a prophet of the Creator Goddess. No one should be able to recklessly touch him now.

I hope Shiro will be able to trust me too. But even if she won’t, I will still protect her unconditionally.

It’s not just them, I will make sure that everyone… Dolce, Sol, Ollie, and Oleander won’t suffer anymore from now on.

It might be too grand of a word to declare, but I will definitely do something about it. Even if I had to bleed again, even if I had to shatter more than before… As long as someone believes in me, I will keep going.

Kuro continued crying and I comforted him by rubbing circles on his back. He and Shiro had it hard in their past lives too, although our lives are vastly different from each other, their lives are in itself, a tragedy as well.

Maybe this world is actually a place of gathering for tragic souls.

I wouldn’t be surprised to be honest.

A tragic story… tragic characters… a tragic author… and equally tragic readers…

Before I knew it, Kuro cried himself to sleep in my arms. Looking at him like this really made him look fragile and defenseless.

“Sixteen years old is still a kid, Kuro-kun,” I whispered to him with a light chuckle. It’s not like he will hear it anyway.

I touched his tear-stained cheek and gently wiped the tears away.

“You’ve done well, child. From now on, grow up happily and healthily. I will make sure of it, so just live without worries.”

This world is still lacking.

In order to destroy this tragedy-stricken world, I will do anything to fill those gaps and create a future for everyone to have a happy ending.

It might sound idealistic… Well, that’s because it is.

To be honest, I still have a lot of questions about this world. There’s still a lot that I don’t know, but I’m not the type of writer who always follows the outline anyways.

Well, that was one of the reasons why this story is incomplete so I can’t say that it’s a good idea, but I’ll look for a potential loophole that I can use to keep this world going even after the tenth chapter.

This story is insufficient in more ways than one.

Before I knew it, I also fell asleep while sitting on a chair and still embracing the sleeping Kuro.

__________

When I opened my eyes, all I could see is white.

“It’s too short, isn’t it?” someone spoke.

I turned around to look for the source of the voice, but there was no one there. Everywhere I look, it’s just white.

Is this another Memory Fracture?

“Not quite~” the voice answered.

Judging by how it sounded, it was a woman. Probably a middle-aged lady.

“Was I?”

I flinched when the voice changed from being a woman to a man.

“Haha, my bad. I’m just playing a little~” the voice turned to being a woman again.

I opened my mouth, intending to ask who they were, but no voice came out.

W-what’s going on here? Where am I?

“Rest assured that I am not an enemy, I just want to have a chat.”

A chat? What for?

“This story. It’s extremely short, isn’t it? Looking back on it, there wasn’t really anything impressive about it.”

Are you looking for a fight?!

“Ahaha, no way. I wouldn’t dream of fighting the Creator Goddess. This is just feedback. A feedback, nothing more~”

Feedback…

“Take it as a book review after the ending of a story~”

That’s…! No way! This story is far from over!

“Even if you said so, YOUR story has ended now. It was unfortunate, but this is as far as you go, Ruri Nanashi.”

W-what?!

What does that mean?!

As if I will accept that! I just got myself together as the Creator Goddess, but you’re telling me that it's over for me now?! Don’t joke with me!

What will happen to everyone, to Ollie… to the twins… to Espoir Town… especially to Oleander… if I’m gone, he will just become the only god of the world again. He will just shatter himself more. I don’t want to betray him just because of something like this!

“My, my, calm down first. If you think about it, are you even in the position of worrying about others?”

Of course, I am!

“Heh. Let’s put that aside for now. Honestly, this story— Ah, I’m not talking about [Dream-colored Sky], I’m talking about YOUR story, the one where you reincarnated in the world of the story that you wrote, okay?” the voice mused, “The story where you are a goddess, where you wanted to destroy the tragedy-stricken world, and where you intend to create a happy ending for everyone.”

I furrowed my brows and clenched my fist tightly.

What of it? Do you have a problem with that?

“Nope, not at all. But I’m kind of skeptical about it… up until halfway, it feels aimless. It only really started after meeting the twins. And even after it, it feels lackluster. If Oleander did not appear then, this story would definitely feel empty.”

Was it wrong to feel confused after suddenly waking up in another world? It’s not like I expected to be reincarnated, nor did I want to! I just died, damn it!

Are you expecting me to figure out everything right away? Or are you saying that I should rejoice because I got transported to another world? Should I get excited over magic? Fantasy world? Royals and nobles?

Drop the bullshit!

“...”

My story feels empty? Is it aimless? Of course it is! I’m still figuring out my life! Even right now, I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything!

I’m angry. I’m really pissed at whoever this voice is.

I’m just an adult who lost everything.

Yes, I have nothing anymore.

Even so… I eventually gained something. Something to protect, something to treasure, something to care…

It took a while, but I managed to obtain something that I want to keep for myself. The bonds, the memories, the promises…

“How much time do you need?” the voice spoke out of nowhere.

Eh?

“How many more chapters? Perhaps how many words?”

…

“It’s true that this is as far as you will go for now, but I agree with you. It’s normal to be clueless at first, life was always like that, right?”

Of course, it is!

“Fufu, I like that answer.” She chuckled. “Very well, I shall give you how much time that you need to keep your story from moving. But not right away, maybe after a little while. That’s why, show me a great story, okay?”

What are you…?

“Haha, who knows? Perhaps I’m just like you, or maybe I’m not. It’s such a shame… if only we had more chapters, or even just a few pages more… you will definitely know that.”

Wait!

Will I be able to talk to you again?

“In a different book, maybe.”

A different book? What does that mean?

“Fufu, that’s for me to know and for you to find out, Lapis.”

What is this feeling…? I feel dissatisfied from talking with this person, I feel like I wasn’t really having the same conversation with her.

“Oops, we went over the word count now. We shall part ways here.”

Wait! I still have a lot of questions for you!

“Nuh-uh. No can do. I’ll give you one last chapter. The way to reach the end that you desire shall be paved there, but I’ll tell you… though the time that you spent in this story was short, it wasn’t useless.”

Ah, okay…

“Stay strong, okay? Your story is just about to start.”

Un. I will.

“Great. Until next time, my dear —”