I couldn't believe my eyes. All attention was on Jasmine, the war coming to a standstill just to witness her.
 
While others were mesmerized, I felt the opposite: utter failure. I had done everything, even sacrificed a piece of my soul, but I still failed. Everything aligned with destiny.
 
"WAAAAH!!" Even as I cried louder, no one noticed me. I couldn't break their focus. The feeling of losing everything to one person. I felt drained, numb to the pain of my wounds, unable to discern if the pain in my chest was from the wound or the emotional turmoil.
 
I laughed, my tears flowing uncontrollably, my body exhausted from crying. "Your work is beautiful," I murmured, gazing around.
 
"There's a hero fighting in the war. There's a heroine supporting him. Everyone... happy and peaceful." I slowly turned to Nathan.
 
"B-But where do I fit in? Is it so hard to give everyone a good life? W-Why me? Out of everyone, why am I the one you're torturing? Why am I the one you've made suffer here?" I cried, forcing myself to stand and approach him.
 
"D-Didn't you say you created this? My destiny? Ours? Even the system I encountered?" I asked, my voice trembling. He looked surprised, but I had no time to understand his confusion. My emotions were paramount.
 
"P-Please, I’ll do anything, just give me back what you took!" I begged, shaking his shoulders. He grabbed my wrists, stopping me.
 
"You have a system too?" he asked, his voice laced with disbelief. I laughed.
 
"Why wouldn't you expect that? I know everything that will happen because of this system. I tried to sabotage destiny, but I couldn't do anything! WHAT WAS THE POINT OF IT APPEARING?!" I cried, my voice filled with frustration.
 
He pulled me into a hug, which surprised me. "Stop. I’m sorry. Everything had to happen because the world would be destroyed if the protagonist failed. I didn’t mean to involve you, but you managed to change things a little. You’re safe, that's enough to say you fought against fate. Let's just leave, forget about this. That way, you’ll be safe," he said calmly, his voice laced with concern.
 
I pushed him away, studying his expression. I laughed, realizing something. "Do you have feelings for me?" I asked, my voice laced with amusement.
 
"Are you a sadist?" I taunted, backing away.
 
"Cia, I had no choice. I was worried this world would be destroyed. Initially, I didn't feel any connection to this world, so I could kill or eliminate anyone who interfered with my work, but now... it's different. You’re the only woman who’s constantly on my mind. Cia, it’s too late to help the protagonist. The ending is here, so you can start your new life with me," he added, his voice still dictatorial, still trying to control the decisions of those around him.
 
"With you?" I questioned, stepping closer to him, pushing him back and grabbing his collar.
 
"You think the person who killed my children, who repeatedly plotted to kill me while helping the bitch who stole everything from me... you think I’d go with you? I can’t even stand to be near you, let alone go with you?" I spat, my voice filled with disgust.
 
I pushed him hard, sending him crashing to the ground. He was furious, rising to his feet and pushing me against a tree, choking me.
 
"I've been holding back, Cia! Do you know how much would change if you lived? But I'm willing to risk it for you! YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO COME WITH ME!" he roared, but I forced myself to laugh, mocking him.
 
"Nothing will change. Watch the crazy destiny you created. After everything that’s happened, do you think I’ll stay here?" I replied, shaking my head.
 
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice laced with confusion.
 
"I-I didn’t succeed. I lost. I couldn’t change my fate. Blood, mana, heart, even my soul, I gambled it all to get back what I had. I-I was gone the moment I stepped into this place. Only fragments of my soul traveled here," I confessed, realizing it only now, lost in my desperation to get my children back.
 
"C-Cia, I don’t understand! You’re just joking again, right? Y-Yes, you’re always tricking me to escape. I’m right here in front of you, you’re fine!" he shouted.
 
"That’s exactly it. I’m too unscathed for it to be real," I replied, watching him become increasingly bewildered.
 
He pulled me into a tight embrace. "No. You’re mine! You’ll live if I say so. The book is finished, so you’re safe!"
 
Possession.
 
Do you think I could live with a twisted person like you? Impossible.
 
I let him hold me, feeling my body fading. My soul had a limited time left.
 
I looked at Jasmine, who was being thanked by the knights of the empire. "It’s over. This is the ending I read in your story," I said.
 
Jasmine turned to us, her eyes burning with fury as she saw me. "Gracia Matilladious! As a Saintess, it’s my duty to destroy a demon like you! You will pay for your sins and the evil you’ve done!" she screamed.
 
I released Nathan’s grip and approached her, watching the system fade, but I just smiled as I saw the description next to my name change.
 
"Final Boss."
 
"It’s not necessary," I replied, watching my body slowly disappear.
 
"You’ve won. In fact, you haven’t lost. Be happy, because you took my life to get here," I said, my voice laced with bitterness.
 
Mathias stepped forward, but his hand went right through me.
 
"Gracia, what does this mean?!" he screamed, his voice filled with panic.
 
"The End. Happy ending," I replied, but he couldn’t understand.
 
I closed my eyes and embraced the light, my body fading.
 
"I’m tired," I whispered, my last words before disappearing completely.
 
Third Person Point of View
 
"Where is she? That’s not just her soul. Where’s her body?!" Nathan was losing his mind, repeating Gracia’s name and ranting about the book.
 
"I created her. She’s mine! Only I have the right to take her life!" Nathan roared, his voice filled with rage.
 
Meanwhile, Gracia’s lifeless body remained in the palace. The teleportation magic had failed, and her body was enveloped in a dark aura.
 
Duchess Matilladious nearly fainted, holding Gracia’s lifeless form.
 
"Why! Why didn’t you listen! Don’t you care about us anymore?!" she wailed. There was nothing they could do about Gracia’s decision; all they could do was cry.
 
"This wouldn’t have happened if you had listened! How important were those children to you?! They weren’t real!" the Duke raged, but his words were lost on the person he was addressing.
 
Gracia’s blood pooled around her, staining her body, making her almost unrecognizable.
 
Moments later, Jasmine arrived at the palace with Nathan and Mathias. Seeing Gracia’s lifeless form, Jasmine snatched it with her magic, encasing it in a magical barrier.
 
"What are you doing with my daughter? Give her back!" the Duchess screamed.
 
Jasmine smiled, reveling in her victory. But her revenge against Gracia wasn’t complete; she wasn’t satisfied without her life.
 
"Gracia used black magic. It’s a betrayal of the empire and magic itself. Someone like her, who sold her soul to a demon, doesn’t deserve to be mourned!" Jasmine shrieked, her voice filled with hatred.
 
"As Saintess, she must be hung at the Imperial gate, and her crimes must be announced to everyone so others won’t follow her example," she commanded.
 
Nathan suddenly appeared before her, slapping her before choking her. His eyes were lifeless, his expression vacant.
 
"It’s over. She’s gone, so be quiet, even about her body," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
 
Mathias couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Gracia, so he approached her, reaching out to touch her. But Nathan stopped him.
 
"You have no right to touch her."
 
"I’m her husband, so I have the right to mourn my wife…" He trailed off, shaking his head as tears streamed down his face.
 
"No. This is my fault from the beginning. My children wouldn’t have lost their mother if I hadn’t made a mistake. If I had cherished her," he said, his voice filled with regret. He looked around, searching for the children, but he saw nothing.
 
"Where are the children? Where are my children?" he asked his in-laws.
 
"You don’t have any children. After Gracia’s miscarriage, she created lakrima children using her mana. The fact that Jasmine suddenly became so powerful means they’re dead," Samantha explained, her voice laced with anger.
 
Moments later, thick black clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning crackled across the heavens.