Chapter 1 - Before the Storm Breaks

[In every story, characters have their roles to play. Some are there to shine, others to oppose, and many to simply fill the spaces in between. But no matter their purpose, the most important thing for any character is to survive until the end, to reach the epilogue.

From the protagonist's perspective, reaching the epilogue may seem inevitable. But through the eyes of the antagonist, it is an arduous battle against fate itself, a journey laden with obstacles at every step.

A story may weave together countless antagonists, each striving for a place in the epilogue, but there is only one protagonist, destined to have its place at the end. The protagonist’s presence is assured, while for the antagonists, survival to the end is a rare triumph.

Some writers even craft antagonists solely for the epilogue, a final challenge, the so-called ‘final boss,’ born to mark the story's climax and fall by its end.

But in every story, there are more than just protagonists and antagonists. There are those who exist simply to fill the gaps, the so-called extras. Now, let me ask you: is their journey to the epilogue an effortless one, like the protagonist, or is it fraught with unseen challenges, like the antagonists?

Some might claim that being an extra is the easiest role, just follow the protagonist, they say. But in the real world, is it so simple to recognize the protagonist? If one stood before you, would you even know they were the hero of your story? Or perhaps more crucially, could you truly discern whether the person you trust is a protagonist or an antagonist of your world?]

This was the last page of the book Noah Escritor was reading. It had been an interesting book, one that left him with more questions than answers. Even after reading every single line, he was still confused about who was right, who was wrong, who was the hero, and who was the villain.

That isn’t to say there wasn’t any hero or villain in the story, the story was filled with characters that could be considered as such.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

There was the reincarnator, the one who had tried and failed to complete his challenges countless times, and now is only a shell of a human, a strong shell of a human, but still, a shell of a human.

There was a villain, but not the usual one-directional villain. After reading a few chapters from his POV, I even started to root for him to complete his goals.

The real protagonist of the story, an extra who got transmigrated only to change the epilogue of the book, was a total mess, treating the characters as unreal, merely characters in a book he had read.

At the end of the story, he was still confused about who was the one he should be cheering for, who he should be hating, and even who to really focus on.

This was something really rare for him, as a writer and editor himself he has read countless stories, whether finished or dropped, but not even one has impacted him as this one did.

It wasn’t just the complexity of the plot, it was the way the characters were never black or white, always something in between. The writing wasn’t full of details, but it felt real, something that Noah had always aspired to in his work but had never quite achieved.

It looked really different, it was so similar to life, that Escritor started to even doubt his ability as a writer.

“Sigh”

He glanced at the wall lined with medals, the skyscraper view outside his window, the luxurious bed, and the expensive apartment he had purchased with royalties from his novels.

“Is a rookie author really that much better than me?”

All that he has amassed over the years, all the ego and confidence that have built over his work, his masterpieces as he had once called them, are all crumbling when compared to the book he has just read.

He went to the balcony, lit a cigarette, and started thinking about what his life meant. For him his work was everything, he had started his career really early in life, and it wasn’t an instant blow. Only after years and years of unsuccessfulness did he have his first hit novel.

He always thought that he was a really talented and dedicated writer, but that book... that book changed this.

As his fingers felt the slight burn of the cigarette nearing its end, Noah flicked it out the window and returned to his computer. He typed a message to the author of the book.

“As you have requested, I read your book. It’s something new to a genre that has gone stale in the last few years, this will change things for a while. I can’t wait to create my own story in this world you’ve created. Rated 9,5/10”

It didn’t take long for the author to reply.

“I’m glad you liked it. Things are about to change, and I’m really curious to see if you have what it takes to create your own story. Good luck, you will need it!”

A vein throbbed visibly in Noah’s head as he read the message.