The Pens of Fate [9](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, and depression. Reader discretion is highly advised and it is important to practice self-care during and after reading. There is foul language, substance abuse, multiple types of abuse as well. 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...

Adaline and James had gotten away from the rest of the group after taking Lason to the real world to charge. They had opened a portal to a world where their favorite monsters roamed free to heal their arm before anyone else could see it. The arm that they had written on during the fire had begun to swell and turn a purplish-black in color. Using the Pen of the Devil already was bad but using any of the pens on yourself was definitely bad. The Devil’s Pen is cursed; the user could die if not taking care of the curse properly. Adaline and James quickly hid behind some trees as a small doll with bright red hair walked past. The couple continued to walk among the trees, avoiding several other creatures that happened to be hunting for any victims. After a long walk, the two finally came to a small seashore. 

The white sand sparkled in the moonlight as the waves came in and out. The seas connect all the worlds and power the portals. This was one of the seas that flow through all the worlds but this is the only one that can heal Adaline’s arm. 

Adaline rolled up one of their sleeves and headed towards the water. James looked back to the darkness in between the trees as a flash of movement caught his eye. At that moment the couple knew that the enemy was close by… 

  Adaline stood out in the open when they heard a twig snap behind them. Adaline turned around to find Ethan was standing there. Adaline sighed, “Well, here we are. I knew you would find out the truth; I expected nothing less from myself.” Ethan’s face softened, “Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance?” Adaline looked down to see one of their older notebooks in his hand, “A good writer keeps all of their work to improve one’s skills. You are not the first Ethan Eval and you probably won’t be the last since we are the same person.” He probably found it in one of the hollowed out trees, Adaline thought as Ethan’s eyes narrowed, “We are nothing alike. You are soft and can’t kill anyone; not even yourself!” He said it as he ran towards them in a rage. Ethan was blinded by pure emotion that he didn’t see James hiding among the trees, already aiming his gun. The loud bang echoed as Ethan lost his footing. He fell face first into the water. The waves pulled him under as he slowly lost consciousness… 

Adaline and James looked as the waves continued to come in. They both had the same thought: This fight is not over yet…  

Ethan emerged out of water in a coughing fit trying not to choke on the salty water. The last thing he remembered before passing out was gazing up at the stars… 

Ethan woke up on the white sand, looking up at a little girl in a pair of faded blue jeans that had been stained with dirt and blood. The girl’s purple hoodie had a rip at the sleeve. She had bandages wrapped around her head, covering one of her eyes. The girl’s one blue eye, soulless and death-like, watched as the world around her went on. The second eye was under a layer of band-aids that were a whitish-gray as if they needed to be changed. The girl’s face had an emotionless stare to it like she was lost in thought, “Why are you here, brother?” The girl was from one of Adaline’s failed attempts to write a good horror story. Ethan quickly looked down at his left arm where he had thought that he had been shot but the only thing there was a bullet hole in his dress coat’s selevee. Ethan ignored the girl’s question and looked back at the water… 

That girl had been on the island her whole life. She wandered into a small clearing where time had stopped. This was her world. Adaline never finished her story so the island had become a scrap yard for the hopeless stories that time had forgotten. The girl went to her spot and the world began to move again... 

The cold autumn wind picked up red and orange leaves and carried them over the paved road. The road went on for miles and cut through deep woods of green and gray. The road ended just outside the afternoon sun’s reach. An old building of decay and faded red bricks stood in the shadows. The broken glass from the windows shimmered on the dirt. In the front of the building, a big tree. The tree had broken rope tied to one of the tree’s branches. A few feet from the tree, laying on its side in a patch of faded grass, stood a black tier. The tire was a part of the broken tire string. The tree’s blown bark had a caving of a heart in it. The building, old and smelled of death, loomed over the small girl. The girl’s face had an emotionless stare to it like she was lost in thought. Memories of the room with the horrible machines that made a loud humming sound kept her and the other children up at night.

At that moment, a nun walked towards the girl. The nun, thin and full of beauty, walked with grace towards the smiling child. The nun, a woman in her mid-twenties, kneaded before the girl, tried to fight back tears. The girl had now had a look of confusion as the two walked into the building.

A long hallway led the two to an old wooden door at the end. The door creaked as it opened. The room, small with one broken window, held the horrible machines. The children stood against the furthest wall while men in white robes stood in a circle in the middle of the room. The nun started to beg the men in white as one grabbed one of the children and pulled him into the middle of the circle. One of the men walked over to a table covered in test tubes and stabbed a needle with light green fluid inside of it. He then walked over to the nun and stabbed her in the neck with the needle. The children’s screams were heard for miles, but when the authorities came it was too late… 

The room had blood stains that covered everything. The bodies of the men in white robes were torn and parts were everywhere...