Tsk… SmallSnake…
Sitting in front of my computer, I wiped away a stubborn tear trailing down my cheek — I swear, it was just dust. Nearly at chapter 600, and my mind was a complete mess. The plot twist involving Ren, the Demon King… the Akashic Records… SmallSnake's sacrifice…
Man, what an absurd story.That author is a genius.
My name is Daniel. I'm sixteen years old, and to be honest, my life has been a wreck lately. My parents died a little over two years ago — a car accident on the bridge, a brutal crash. The vehicle was left completely unrecognizable. I was the only one who survived… maybe because I was sitting in the back seat, or maybe just out of sheer luck.
Since then, I've been an orphan. I receive government support, a pension most people would consider comfortable, but none of that replaces what I lost. The truth is, I fell into such a deep depression that sometimes I can't even believe I'm still here. Days went by without eating, without moving, without any will to get out of bed. Deep down, I felt guilty for not having died alongside them in that accident.
At some point, I found a refuge: fiction.Anime, light novels, series — anything that could pull me away from reality for a while. Watching heroes struggle against the impossible gave me at least a sliver of hope. There was something beautiful about Tanjiro trying to save his sister, or the straw-hatted boy chasing after the greatest treasure in the world.
But nothing captivated me quite like The Author's POV.
That story hooked me in a surreal way. From chapter 1 to chapter 600 in just a few days. I laughed, cried, cheered. From Melissa Hall's explosive fits of rage to Kevin Voss's existential breakdowns — not to mention the everlasting trauma of Experiment 876. For a few hours, the world I was reading about was the only one that still had any color.
I finished a massive chapter and leaned back in my chair. It was already late, and I should've gone to sleep, but I stayed there, staring at the screen a little longer. Until—
Pop!
{Welcome to the Dream Network!}
— Huh?
A pop-up appeared right in the middle of the screen.
{Would you like to participate in a short personality quiz?}
— That's… weird.
A quiz? Like those "Which One Piece character are you?" kinds of tests? Wow, it had been a while. A silly wave of nostalgia hit me. I used to love doing those when I was younger.
— Well, what could possibly go wrong? — I muttered, clicking "Yes."
BOOM!
A sudden thunderclap exploded out of nowhere, making me jump out of my chair. The bedroom light flickered and went out, leaving only the bluish glow of the monitor.
— Oh great… I think the light bulb burned out — I complained, trying to laugh off the scare. — At least the PC's still on.
{What is your favorite fictional universe?}
— Easy. The Author's POV.
{Which character has your favorite appearance?}
— "Hmm… I guess Muichiro Tokito."
I always liked his look — fragile, calm… kind of like me.Small build, long hair, large eyes. But unlike me, he didn't have this tired face, dark circles etched beneath his eyes. He was like… an improved version of someone I never managed to become.
{What is your favorite power system?}
This one made me think a little longer. I could choose Haki, Cursed Energy, Nen… but what I truly liked wasn't the strongest system.
It was the most human one.
— Breathing Techniques — I murmured. — From Demon Slayer.
{And finally: what would you do differently in your favorite fictional universe?}
I stayed silent for a while.
I never wanted to be the protagonist of anything. Not the hero, not the guy with a harem, not the one who saves the world. I just wanted… to be part of it. To help. To stop the people I admired so much from having to suffer so deeply.
So I typed:
"I would like to make the characters happier."
I pressed "Submit."
At that exact moment, the ground shook.
— W-what…?
An earthquake? In Brazil? That makes no sense! I grabbed onto the desk as everything began to tremble violently.
{We wish you a pleasant journey, Traveler.}
That was the last message I saw before the monitor toppled off the desk and shattered against the floor.
— S-shit!
I tried to step back, but lost my balance. My head slammed hard against something. The pain came fast and sharp, and before I could think of anything else—
Everything went dark.