📖 EDITION 17 — "THE BOY BEFORE NEMESIS"
Season 1
Opening Scene
Darkness.
A single page turned inside the mysterious book.
The Writer and the Dreamer stood in silence.
The words written on its cover slowly glowed.
"Every monster was once someone's child."
The room trembled.
The pages flipped by themselves.
This time...
The memory did not stop.
Years Ago...
A beautiful valley stretched beneath a golden sunrise.
Rivers sparkled like glass.
Children laughed together.
Versions trained, learned, and built their future.
Among them...
A young boy ran across the grass.
He smiled brighter than anyone else.
He greeted every Version he passed.
Young Boy
"Morning!"
Everyone smiled back.
He carried books instead of weapons.
Whenever someone fell...
He was the first to help them up.
Whenever someone cried...
He stayed beside them until they smiled again.
The Dreamer watched in disbelief.
Dreamer
"...That's really him?"
The Writer nodded slowly.
Writer
"Before the darkness..."
The young boy dreamed of only one thing.
To become...
A Guardian.
Not the strongest.
Not the smartest.
Just someone who could protect everyone.
One afternoon...
He climbed a hill overlooking the Council City.
He looked toward the massive Council Hall.
His eyes sparkled.
Young Boy
"One day..."
"I'll stand there too."
An old instructor laughed softly.
Instructor
"And what will you do when you get there?"
The boy smiled.
Young Boy
"I'll make sure nobody feels alone."
The Dreamer smiled.
Dreamer
"He really was kind..."
The Writer looked away.
Writer
"Kindness..."
"Can be both a strength..."
"And a weakness."
The Test
Years passed.
The young Versions gathered for their first evaluation.
Each one demonstrated their abilities.
Some were masters of combat.
Others possessed incredible intelligence.
Others controlled powerful elements.
Finally...
It was the young boy's turn.
Council Examiner
"Show us your power."
The boy stood silently.
He looked at the battlefield.
Instead of attacking...
He walked toward an injured training partner.
He healed his wounds.
Then helped him stand.
The Council members frowned.
Examiner
"That's all?"
The boy nodded.
Young Boy
"If I can save someone..."
"That's enough."
The Council whispered among themselves.
Council Member
"He has no offensive talent."
Another spoke.
Council Member
"His kindness will become a burden."
A third shook his head.
Council Member
"He'll never survive real conflict."
The Dreamer's smile slowly disappeared.
Dreamer
"They judged him..."
The Writer quietly answered.
Writer
"They judged only what they could see."
Alone
Days became weeks.
Weeks became months.
The other Versions advanced.
They trained together.
Celebrated together.
Became stronger together.
The young boy...
Was slowly left behind.
Not because anyone hated him.
But because everyone believed...
He wasn't useful.
One evening...
He sat alone beside a lake.
Watching the stars.
Young Boy
"Maybe..."
"I'm just not good enough."
No one heard him.
Or so he thought.
An old librarian quietly approached.
He sat beside the boy.
Librarian
"Do you know what stars are?"
The boy shook his head.
Librarian
"No."
The old man smiled.
Librarian
"They're lights..."
"That shine even in endless darkness."
The boy looked up.
Librarian
"Never stop shining."
The boy smiled again.
For a little while...
He believed those words.
The Beginning of the Crack
Months later...
A mission went terribly wrong.
Several young Versions became trapped beneath collapsing ruins.
Everyone hesitated.
The structure was unstable.
If someone entered...
They might never return.
Without thinking...
The young boy ran inside.
Soldier
"WAIT!"
The ruins continued collapsing.
Dust filled the air.
Minutes passed.
Then...
The boy emerged.
Carrying the final survivor on his shoulders.
Bleeding.
Barely able to stand.
Instead of applause...
The Council Commander frowned.
Commander
"You disobeyed orders."
The boy froze.
Young Boy
"...But I saved them."
Commander
"You endangered yourself."
The boy looked around.
Nobody defended him.
Not even those he had rescued.
The Dreamer clenched his fists.
Dreamer
"They didn't even thank him..."
The Writer closed his eyes.
Writer
"No..."
Writer
"They only saw the mistake."
The Last Smile
That night...
The young boy stood beneath the same hill where he once dreamed of joining the Council.
He looked toward the stars again.
But this time...
His smile wasn't as bright.
Young Boy
"Maybe..."
"They're right."
He quietly walked away.
Behind him...
The wind blew across the empty hill.
His footprints slowly disappeared.
Back in the present...
The memory faded.
The Dreamer stood completely still.
Dreamer
"So..."
"It didn't happen all at once."
The Writer nodded.
Writer
"No."
Writer
"A heart doesn't break in a single day."
He gently closed the book.
Writer
"It breaks..."
"One disappointment at a time."
The lights inside the library dimmed.
Another page turned by itself.
Across the page...
Three shadows appeared.
Standing behind the young boy.
Watching him from the darkness.
Their faces could not yet be seen.
Only their silhouettes.
The Writer stared at the page.
Writer
"They've arrived..."
The Dreamer looked closer.
Dreamer
"Who are they?"
The Writer didn't answer.
The page slowly turned black.
END OF EDITION 17
📖 CONTINUATION
EDITION 18 — "THE THREE WHO STOOD BESIDE HIM"
"When the world turned its back on one broken soul... three others stepped forward. One sought understanding. One sought purpose. One sought revenge. Together, they would change the fate of the Edition Universe forever."