Conquering the underworld with my beautiful dragon wives-Chapter 40: ‏ A Story That Wrote Itself—The Book Laughed

The silence after Ethan spoke... it wasn’t just quiet. It was that kind of silence that hits right before a storm.

Everyone was staring at him.

The first book—the one with just one page—was still sitting on the table, but somehow... it felt like it was waiting. Like a loyal dog, just waiting for its master to say the word.

Ethan stood up. He looked way too calm. Like someone who finally figured out why everything’s kinda meaningless... but decides to keep going anyway because "why not?"

"I got a question," Ethan’s voice echoed through the house. "If I read this book and stop being human, what does that mean? Like, do I grow horns? Fly around? Or maybe I just can’t eat food without thinking about its atomic structure?"

Fayra burst out laughing.

"I just wanna know if you’re still gonna be able to wash the dishes if you’re not human anymore."

Ethan smirked and ran his hand across the mark on his arm.

"Maybe we’re thinking about it the wrong way. Maybe we’re supposed to lose something... something we don’t even need anymore."

Luna said out loud,

"Ooohh here we go! Wise philosopher mode activated! Keep going, oh master of mindfulness!"

Ethan grinned with a bit of mischief.

"Shush. I’m just getting warmed up."

Then, he placed his finger on the first book—the one with the empty page.

But he didn’t write anything.

He just said,

"I don’t wanna write yet. I need to know how far this pen can go. We’ve always looked for answers... but maybe it’s time to start asking different questions."

The door to the cabin opened.

By itself. No one touched it.

And outside... didn’t even look like "outside."

The sky wasn’t blue.

The ground wasn’t made of dirt.

It was all like a blank canvas. Just waiting for someone to splash paint on it. White, empty, but... breathing.

Luna, eyes wide open, said,

"What the heck is this? Like... God’s art studio?!"

Fayra stepped outside and said,

"I feel like if I sneeze, a galaxy’s gonna pop out."

Selena walked ahead, picked up some of the white ground, and said,

"Oh my god... is this... shredded cheese?!"

Ethan joined them, crouched down, dipped his finger into the ground, tasted it, and with a completely serious face said,

"...Tasteless cream. But if you add a little sugar, you could probably build a world on it."

Everyone burst out laughing.

And then... that weird silence came back.

Ethan took a deep breath and walked back inside. Headed to the second book—the one with the secrets of the universe. This time... he didn’t open it.

He said out loud,

"You know what’s the weirdest part? This book’s waiting for one of us to read it. But it never says what happens after. Just that if you read it, you can’t go back to being the same person."

Alice asked,

"So what are you gonna do?"

Ethan smiled.

"First... I’m making tea. Then I’ll decide."

Luna shook her head.

"This guy would still make tea in the middle of the apocalypse."

A few minutes later, they were all sitting around the table.

The tea was boiling.

Steam swirled in the air, but outside... that white canvas was still there.

Ethan turned to the others and said,

"You know... I always thought I was supposed to be the hero of this story. But now... I don’t even think we’re in a story."

Fayra raised her eyebrows.

"Oh no, he’s getting philosophical again."

Ethan laughed.

"No no, hear me out. Maybe these books—they’re just tools. Maybe there’s no author out there. Maybe we’re just a bunch of people who decided... to find the truth."

Alice quietly said,

"And maybe the truth isn’t a place. It’s just... a path."

Ethan nodded.

"And this mark on my hand? Every time we take a step forward, it opens a little more. I feel like... if it opens all the way, we’ll either see everything... or there’ll be nothing left to see."

Silence again.

Until a laugh echoed out.

From where?

The first book.

Yeah.

The book laughed.

Then a sentence appeared on its page—handwriting that looked like none of theirs:

"You still don’t get it. This was the beginning, not the end. And now that you understand writing... it’s time to create."

Then the page cleared.

Ethan placed his hand on the book and this time, softly said:

"Alright... I think it’s time."

And he wrote:

"We want a door. A real one. That takes us to where the answers are. Not just more questions."

A door appeared.

Made of light.

Everyone stood up.

Selena grabbed her sword and said with a smile,

"Dear God... I really hope there’s coffee on the other side."

Fayra laughed,

"Or at least a bathroom. ’Cause I can’t hold it anymore!"

Luna:

"I just wanna know if I’m allowed to scream if there’s monsters over there."

Ethan smiled.

But this time, it was... different.

Not a smile from a regular guy.

It was the kind of smile someone wears after tasting the truth... and still being hungry.

And he said:

"Let’s see if this time, the story writes us... or we write the story."

Then, with one step,

they walked into the new light.

The door opened.

Not like regular doors that creak or go click.

This one... opened with the sound of an electric banana turning on. Yeah. An electric banana. And the ding of a pizza shop bell.

Golden-orange light poured over the world like syrup. The air was filled with the smell of fresh pizza, spicy tomato sauce, and stretchy cheese. Not just pizza... the smell of joy. The smell of freedom. The kind of feeling that wraps around you when you laugh out loud in your room late at night.

And when they stepped inside...

Everything changed.

Not just the look of it. The feel of it.

Like their brain, heart, and stomach all yelled at once: "Hold up! Something important’s about to happen here."

Luna held her breath and said,

"Are we... at a party?"

And she wasn’t wrong.

They were in the middle of a happy city. Clear balloons floated everywhere, each one with a golden fish flying inside. People (or beings with tails and a third eye) were dancing. Pizza shops with honking rooftops had skater delivery guys throwing pizzas in the air—somehow landing exactly in the hands of whoever needed one right at that second.

Alice looked around in awe and asked,

"Is this gravity... or hunger?"

Selena, with her mouth full, mumbled,

"Bothhh!"

Ethan, still holding the book, said quietly,

"I think... here, we’re the creators. But not of everything. Just of our experiences. This place feels like a playground... made to show us something."

Fayra stood by an ice cream truck that offered a new flavor with every glance. But her eyes weren’t on the desserts. She was looking past the happiness.

"This place is too nice... too tasty. Is this really the truth? Or... just a layer? A distraction to make us forget what we were trying to learn?"

Right then, a sound came. Not from the sky. Not from the ground.

From the book.

The first one.

The one with only one page... that changed every time.

Now it said:

"If you wanna know why you’re here, you have to let go of what you love the most."

Silence.

Selena groaned,

"Oh no... no no no. You mean I have to give up pizza? That’s what I love the most!"

The teddy bear sitting on Luna’s shoulder said in a rough voice,

"I... I really like chocolate flavor. But I guess... I can think about cheese. Cheese is okay..."

Alice looked away from the group, hesitating.

"I... I think what I love most... is believing love is still possible. But if I let go of that... maybe I won’t be human anymore."

Ethan smiled—but this one came with a bit of pain.

His eyes drifted to the second book.

The thick one.

The one full of secrets...

No one had dared to open it yet.

"If we are in a story we can write... maybe we gotta rewrite ourselves first."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the top of a pizza shop.

A man in a white suit with sunglasses and hair made of smoke held a loudspeaker.

"Yo, semi-god creators! You, with your hungry writer hearts! It’s time to enter the next zone! Welcome to ’The Park of Forgotten Stories!’ Only those who give something up... can find something bigger."

A big door opened. Not with smoke or magic.

With music. Guitars and brass instruments playing.

Written on it:

"Don’t walk through... unless you’re ready to stop being yourself."

Ethan said,

"Guys... should we go back? Or go all the way?"

Selena laughed.

"I came for the truth. But honestly? I was really here for the adventure."

Luna patted the teddy bear, who was now staring nervously at the door.

"You coming?"

The bear said with a sniffle,

"Yeah... but if anyone eats me, write that I come back to life, please."

Alice whispered,

"I still don’t know what I’m looking for. But at least... I’m with you all."

Fayra closed her eyes.

Somewhere inside, something was shifting.

Something deep.

"I’m not scared of the truth. I just wanna know... this time, will the truth be kind to us or not?"

They all stepped through the door.

And the world... changed.

Not like before. This time, it wasn’t a dream. Not a nightmare either.

Just... a blank page.

In the middle of a desert where the only sound was their footsteps, there was one thing in the sky: a single line.

Then, a sentence appeared:

"New page opened. Please write your truth."

Ethan lifted his pen.

And they all got ready

to build their next world.