Hey you.
Yeah, you. The one reading this right now.
I have to just… stop for a second. Breathe. And look at where we are.
Chapter 57. We've crossed a whole ocean of words to get here, you and me. And the fact that you're still here, that you're reading this right now, honestly… it does something to my heart I can't really explain.
I have to confess something. I was terrified. Like, completely frozen. Because a long time ago, I started another story. I loved it so much, built this whole world in my head… and then life got loud, and my own doubts got louder, and I just… stopped. I left it hanging. And that guilt sat in my chest for years, this heavy, cold rock of 'you didn't finish what you started.'
So when I started typing the first words for Elara and Cassian, that fear was my shadow. Every single chapter, it whispered, "You're gonna abandon this one too. Why even try?"
Choosing a name for this book was a whole drama in itself! I wanted something cool and mysterious, but my brain kept serving up these super basic, boring titles. I was so annoyed. In the end, I just gave up and went with this crazy-long, messy title that just FELT right, even though I was 100% sure nobody would click on it. I mean, who clicks on a story with a title that looks like a whole sentence, right? I was prepared to be writing this for, like, three people.
But you showed up.
You. With your kudos, your quiet reads. You became my silent co-writer, my reason to silence that doubting voice. Every time I thought about slowing down, I'd remember that someone out there might be waiting to see what happens next to this messed-up, loving, fighting family. You gave this story its heartbeat.
So this is not a goodbye. Not even close. The final chapter of this book is written, and it's resting, getting ready for its big day soon. But until then, the world doesn't just stop spinning. There are side stories – moments between the moments, whispers of what happened off-page, maybe even a peek at where some shadows are gathering next. I'll be posting those for us to live in while we wait.
And this journey with you has lit a fire in me. I'm not the same writer who started, trembling, at Chapter 1. I see the cracks in my own work now, not with disappointment, but with a fierce kind of excitement. Because seeing them means I can learn. I can get stronger. My next stories will be better, sharper, more alive – because you taught me how to finish, and how to fight for what I've created.
This isn't about sympathy. I don't want you to feel sorry for the scared kid I was. I want you to feel the blazing energy of the writer I am becoming. I want you to look at this story we built together. Thank you for sticking with me.
We did this. We took characters named in a text prompt and made them breathe, made them love and lose and fight until they became real. That's powerful magic.
So thank you. From the very bottom of my fiery, determined, endlessly grateful heart.
The last chapter is coming. But our story? Oh, it's just getting started.
With all my tenacity,
Your Author
Ruby_of_the_Night.