The Pens of Fate [13](Saga remastered) {Jun.27, 2023}

Note from the Author

This book contains and mentions sensitive material relating to mental illnesses, several personality disorders, suicide, suicidal thoughts, post-traumatic stress disorder, murder, gore/violence, death, alcoholism, self-harm, depression and many others. Reader discretion is highly advised and it is important to practice self-care during and after reading. Some of the events, people, and timelines are based on true aspects of my life, so keep a clear mindset.

To my inner angels who kept fighting against the demons of my mind, I want to thank you for it. And to those inner monsters of mine, thank you for being my inspiration for the nightmares that came out of these stories. To the angels who stood beside me while I battled the evil inside of under my own skin that I kept covered, these books and stories will represent how you have been there for me. 

And to the younger me, who probably didn’t know that they were main character in their own grand tale; you were going to do great things. Don't you ever look back and question the choices that lead you to the me that I have become...

Octavia saw Adaline holding the Devil’s Pen and grabbed Zach’s arm, “WE NEED TO GET THAT PEN AWAY FROM ADALINE, NOW!” The group bolted towards Ethan and Adaline. Ethan was the only one who had a look of shock when Zach approached them, leading the others. Adaline locked eyes with James who gave them a small understanding nod, dropped the Pen and charged at Ethan, tackling him to the ground. Adaline looked up towards the sky and mouthed something. Something that only Zach would understand as the two were engulfed by a bright light. 

December 16 

Tina sat across from Ethan during the school’s second lunch period. It had been two weeks since Adaline had vanished from both the real world and the world that had been almost wiped out due to Ethan. Something both inside of Ethan and his physical appearance changed that day as well. When Adaline tackled him, his heart had more love in it now. His eyes were brown now and he had a Bible verse on his wrist even though he had never read the Bible. Zach pointed it out when Ethan came to. Zach, James, Vivienne, Arthur, and Grace were the ones that Adaline’s disappearance affected the most. They took turns going through each world searching for them. Everyone slowly returned to their own world to attempt to get back to normal life and hoped Adaline would show up on their own. Both Zach and James kept replaying that last moment in their heads, trying to find a different way. 

Adaline looked up towards the sky, fighting back tears, and mouthed “I’m sorry” as a blinding light stopped everyone in their tracks. After blinking for a few seconds, Zach saw the last of his best friend. James felt something rubbing up against his leg like a cat would. When he looked down, a folded up note in the shape of a cat was trying to get his attention. After picking up the paper, it unfolded with a happy purr in James’s arms. After he read it, James placed it into his pocket and moved towards an unconscious Ethan… 

In an unknown world of story plots and half baked ideas, Adaline stood in front of them self, surrounded by darkness. Adaline rubbed their forehead and muttered under their breath, “Ah, my head,” as they took in everything, “Who are you and where am I?” Adaline came up with an even better question, Who am I? Adaline tried to think but their head was blank. The other Adaline just smiled, “I am you and you are Adaline Anderson, a proud writer, and a creative person that needs to do something big in order to finish this war.” Adaline stood in confusion and silence as the other Adaline started to walk away. The darkness around them began to reveal a moment in time. 

Somewhere unknown, a girl sat in the dark, her lime green eyes glowed as she watched a camera monitor. There was a girl on the other side of the screen chained to a wall. As the green-eyed girl went to inch her arm, a masked figure walked into the room. “Ma'am, the preparations are ready.” He said as she pulled her sleeve over a wolf paw tattoo with the word "wanderer" in the middle of it. “Perfect. Now it’s time to find the next devil’s spawn.” She stood up as he turned to leave but he hesitated, “Ma’am? What does that tattoo mean?” She smiled sweetly, “It is the curse of Cain, the wanderer in Genesis.” ...

Back where Adaline watched, they understood what the past version meant by ‘War’. Ethan was only the beginning, the thought passed through Adaline’s mind as they made their way through the darkness… 

The man’s footsteps echoed through the long hallway as he ran for his life. It felt like his heart would pop out of his chest. It seemed like fear was all that kept him alive at this point. His eyes bolted around in their sockets, looking for a way out. There was nothing to help him. After running for what felt like hours, the man came to an abrupt stop. His path was blocked by a stone wall. The man turned around to see the glowing red eyes of the monster that had only one job; to kill anyone who was placed in this labyrinth of judgment. As the glowing red eyes closer the man’s breath thinned within each breath. The moonlight coming from the only window in that hallway lit up only what was in front of him. When the creature stepped into the moonlight, the man finally knew the meaning of beauty. She was truly a snake in human form with reddish-almost black eyes and long raven hair with two blood-red streaks. Her thin body was wrapped in snakeskin and black leather. Bloodstained her pale skin on cheeks, parts of her hands and legs. Fangs poked out behind her top lip and there was green liquid dripping down her chin; venom... 

The girl stood over the man’s body as a hidden door opened up behind her. Two masked figures followed a lime-green-eyed girl with short pixie hair cut into the hallway. The green-eyed girl smiled sweetly as if the dead body was a birthday gift, “Oh, nicely done, Coraline.” The girl then walked towards the body and bent down to check the pulse, “You are ready to go into the world.” Later that night, Coraline sat in her windowless bunker that was her bedroom. This was her world. It was all that she knew; maybe she had come from the outside world, but she couldn’t remember if that was the case.

She was nine-years-old when she woke up in an unfamiliar place with chains on her hands and legs. The room that she was in was dark but it was definitely a basement. There was something shiny and clear on the dark stone floor. What is that? Coraline thought, reaching down to touch it. Blood. The gray stone walls were covered in the blood of some kind of animal. The smell of blood met her nose. The floor felt wet and sticky with blood and mud from outside. In the corner, full of darkness, also chained to the floor were several kids who looked to be around her age and older. Some were still unconscious while others cried out for their families. The closest kid was a boy who had two different colored eyes; one was baby blue and the other was a light brown. He and many others died in the lab that made the survivors into weapons. Coraline later found out that she was the only nine-year-old that had lived through the experiments. As she grew older, some of her memories came back. The one person that she clearly remembered was the girl with lime green eyes... 

The green-eyed girl sat in the darkness, lost in her thoughts. She had been having strange dreams about a person who looked like her but had brown eyes. The person in her dreams had been crying uncontrollably and just stood there mouthing the words “I’m sorry, Zach” repeatedly. The green-eyed girl had no idea who Zach was or how he was connected to her, but she had the time to worry about that later. As she opened her eyes the door opened. Coraline stepped in along with one of the masked figures. The girl smiled as she stood up and reached for a small box laying on her desk, “Coraline, you are now the snake sin.” The masked figure opened the box and took out the contents; a snake-like mask…