Chapter 2: Into the portal

Last time

"When shall we start?? Hikari asked as she looked at the three authors. "Right now?" Lavern asked as he looked at the other two. "Are you ready to see your fates?" Orpheus asked as he smirked. "I'm surprised that they have no further questions," Stella said as she looked at the three hugging. "That must be why the relics choose them," Lavern said.

"At this point, nothing seems impossible. So be open about it." Hikari said as she smiled at the three.

Present Time

"Wait, Wait, Wait," Artemis said. Everyone then looked at Artemis and waited for her dialogue. "We don't even know the first thing to do. We have minor fighting experience. We didn't even have any survival training," She said as she sighed. "You do have a point," Hikari said as she stood up. "It wouldn't make sense if you send us without prior knowledge, backstory, and training," Hikari then added. "And it doesn't make sense. If you are the Authors, why can't you finish the stories yourselves?" Yua asked as she looked at the three. "We merely call ourselves the authors, but in truth, we are the guardians," Lavern said. "Our goal and purpose is to protect the stories from outside forces and help protect their world." He added as he stood up. "We don't know who the author is, but his stories are complete. However, some stories go on without a purpose, hence why the paradoxes existed." He then ended his dialogue.

"You are a bunch of introverted kids..." Stella started. "I guess it would sense if we would train you a bit," She added as she lead them to this plain area. "Or we could use Lavern's magic on them," Orpheus said. "Before we do, why did it takes you girls awhile to assess the situation?" Stella asked. "We need to buffer a bit. It doesn't happen often, but yeah." Yua replied as they walked.

"Another thing, are you Harry or a twin?" Hikari said as she looked at Orpheus. "I am his alternative self," Orpheus said nonchalantly. "He is me, but not." He added. "That is so cool!" Hikari said as she chuckled. "So, how are you going to train three lazy and introverted bummed teenage girls in a short notice?" Yua asked. "We will infuse magic in you that will help you fight and survive," Lavern said as he flicked Artemis' head. "Ouch! What did you do that for?" Artemis asked angrily. "For you to get the ability, I just said," Lavern explained as he patted her head. He then flicked the other two female's forehead.

"Why don't you try it out?" Orpheus then suggested as he volunteered to be the punching bag. Hikari was the first to move. She kicked Orpheus in the waist and pinned him down. "What the?" Yua and Artemis said as they looked at her. "I have no idea how I did that," Hikari said as she looked surprised. She then jumped off of him and apologized. "No, it's alright. I volunteered to be a punching bag," Orpheus said as he stood up.

 "How about you two?" He added as he looked at them. Artemis then moved and kicked his chest. This lead to the male falling. And Artemis put her foot down on the Celestial being's chest. "I'm enjoying this," Stella said as she chuckled. Lavern nodded and enjoyed watching Orpheus get beaten by teens 1/3 of his size. "I'm enjoying this as well!" Hikari said as she chuckled as she saw Artemis claiming victory. Once Artemis got off Orpheus, and he stood up, it was Yua's turn. She just walked to Orpheus, and the taller male tried to attack, but Yua merely dodge and pined him at the back.

"Wow, that was surprising." She said as she stood up. "Wait, before you send us. I have a question." Hikari said softly. "We all have lives before this. I have a sister that needs me in the future and a family that relies on me." She then said. "How long will this take in our world?" She then said sternly. "Along with that, If we agree to become Paradoxes, will our existence in that world disappear, or will we become like Orpheus?" Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "Erasing your existence is not needed, and if you choose to become Paradoxes, you will become an alternative selves of your world. Just like how I was." Orpheus said as he smiled. "If you choose not to, the time in your world slows down tremendously to the point where a hundred years is merely a few seconds." He added.

 "Is that all?" Lavern asked as he looked at the other two. "If we di-" Artemis was about to say, but then she got cut off by Stella. "You won't die, you are practically immortal, but if that happens. Time restarts, and you will be able to live that day again." She said as she looked at the three. "Do we have to do this?" Yua asked as she looked at her friends then at the three celestial beings. "I know that other people need the Paradoxes, but I want to ensure that my friends, my sisters, will be safe? As Hikari said, she has a sister to uphold. Artemis still has a lot ahead of her. For me, I may be the youngest and the most crack one, but I care deeply for these two. So, will you ensure our safety?" She said sternly. You can feel their love for each other. It's a wholesome friendship, and it made the guardians smile. "She's just like you," Stella said as she looked at Lavern. "Yes, dearie, you all will be safe in our hands." She said as she hugged the three of them. "Don't be scared," She said as she patted their heads.

Once their questions answered, Hikari's eyes burned into the guardians. "Where do we go next?" She said. " You gave us the power, and we also have the relics that choose us. But we wouldn't have any backstory. Which would make us very suspicious, and it won't end well." She then added.

"How do you suggest we fix this problem then?" Artemis asked. Artemis and Hikari were very intuitive. They tend to think deeply about what to do and on the next decision. "The chain of the pocket watch should be placed on the pen and start writing on the lyre notebook," Lavern said. Everybody then looked at him. He was reading a book. "It comes with a manual in ancient text." He then said as he showed the book. There were what look like text, but our protagonist can't understand a single word. It's like a new math lesson in school. "Well, that's great," Stella said as she smiled. "Before we start writing a past for your role, you have four stories to choose from." She said as four books descended in front of them. The books were all different in a way, but their covers had something missing. Some were missing color while others were missing something important. 

"Each of these stories are incomplete. They are missing a pop of color, or it's missing its purpose." Stella explained as the books displayed themselves. "These books need your help to be completed and finally continue writing its path." Orpheus then added. "Stars A Blinding," Lavern read as he pointed to one of the books. The cover of the book was missing half of it. The color was also faded, and it didn't look nice at all. "A supposed story about three kingdoms blinded with jealousy and rage with each other. What's missing is the solution." He explained as he looked at another book. "Misunderstood is good," Stella said as she held the book. The cover was missing its color, and it was so dull. 

"I'm not fond of this one, but maybe you can change it. The main protagonist is the antagonist? Something like that." She said as she shook her head. "It's a villain redemption arc." She added as she let the book fly again. "Oh~ I love this one," Orpheus said as he took the next book. "Who tells your story?" He read the title. The book cover displayed three knights, which is the only part with color.

"A story about a group of teens becoming knights for their kingdom." He then said as he placed the book back in the line. "The last one is called The Fall," Lavern said as he pointed to the book with little to no cover page. The only thing that stood out was the infinity sign. "That book is unique cause it's the only book that barely has any foothold," Orpheus said as he looked at the book. "It's the reason why the Paradoxes exist. The former team got trapped in that book for an unknown cause. But as Stella said, we'll be protecting you three." Lavern said as he patted their heads. "Now you brats, pick your fates. Once you pick your fates, you'll be able to write a backstory." He said as he gestured to the books.

Each of our protagonists has there own fair share of thoughts. Let's see what they think. Hikari just looked at each book. She observed the covers to see any hidden meaning. She honestly was ecstatic with the idea of completing stories. She always wanted a touch of drama and excitement in her life. She wants to be somewhat like Y/n in the stories. Pretty, popular, well-liked, lucky, and very versatile with situations. Y/n was a good role model in one way or another. She just didn't want to be as stupid or as dense as Y/n is. 

She looked at her items and at the books that flew. But at the same time, she was scared. She was scared of what's ahead of her. She was afraid of being alone and losing her friends. Artemis, on the other hand, she was anxious. She wants to do this, but at the same time, she was scared. She knew that this adventure might hurt them in ways they never really thought.

She read the blue eyes series by TaeTae_lyfe, and this event is it. She knew what might happen and is afraid of falling for people or getting attached. She knew that Hikari and Yua feel an attachment and get hurt. She's scared of the pain they might feel. Yua just didn't care what they pick. She was anxious, of course, but she knew that Hikari would love this. Yua just wanted to go back to her bed and believe this is a dream. But she also can't just abandon her friends. 

Once the three talked for a while, they finally decided what to pick. "Stars A Blinding sounds lovely, doesn't it?" Hikari said as she smiled. "It is, I'm surprised your indecisiveness hasn't struck yet." Artemis teased. "We'll do the Stars A Blinding first," Yua said to Stella as she tugged on the much taller female's dress. Hikari took the book and observed its cover.

The cover itself was void of color and looked dull. There in the middle, were three symbols. One was a golden heart with angel wings, the other was an open book with unreadable text, and the last one was a lion with a dove. Those were the only one's colored. The background was plain and didn't have anything else. The title was in a white contrast to the background.

"So, who is going to write the story?" Yua asked as she held the notebook out to the two other girls. "Hikari!" Artemis said. The chubbier girl was about to disagree, but she just sighed and accepted the offer. With the help of the three guardians, Hikari was able to create a sustainable past for the three of them. "Why am I doing this again?" Hikari muttered to herself. Orpheus was about to answer but then got smacked by Stella. "Don't answer that," She said as she chuckled. The three guardians chuckled as they saw the chubby female writing down vigorously. After a while, they were able to make a decent back story.

Once Hikari closed the notebook, it started glowing. Soon three small booklets appeared in front of the three girls. Each of the books was a different color and represented a different girl. "So I'm Skyler," Hikari said as she opened the notebook. "Didn't you plan that?" Yua asked as she looked at her weirdly. "No and Yes. I was planning to make Skyler my name, but I forgot to specify who is who." The shorter girl said as she chuckled nervously. "Well, I am Audrielle, that means Yua is Yumi. You did everything correctly." Artemis said as she patted Hikari's head.

'Shall we proceed then?" Orpheus asked as he smiled at the three. "I guess we shall!" Hikari said as she gripped her pen close. "Here are bags for each of you," Stella said as she gave each of them a bag. Hikari received a purse that is a bit bigger than her own. But the two were the same. The blue color of her bag matched with the flowers that were pleasing to the eye. When she opened it, there were already items in it. She took off her backpack and transferred a few items. She chose not to bring her phone or any electronics. "Don't bring any electronics nor anything modern. It would ruin the story," Hikari said as she looked at the two. "Along with make-up, Artemis. As much as possible, avoid anything modern. For the sake of the story, we should be careful," She added as she saw what Artemis was packing. The older female sighed in sadness and disappointment.

"Welp, goodbye non-crusty looking face," Artemis whined as she placed her make up kit out of the bag. Her companions heed her orders and begone transferring their items one by one. Out of everyone, Hikari was the only one that packed a lot of things. Artemis just transferred her essentials like wipes and some moisturizers. Yua, on the other hand, had nothing to transfer. She didn't bring anything other than her phone and money. Yua's bag was black and had a crown as a design. "Now it's time to go," Artemis said as she clutched her bag. She received an antique-looking bag. She loved the design, and she knew it was going to be useful as well.

"Let's go see where our fate takes us!" Artemis said as she hugged her two friends. The guardians chuckled at their interaction. Orpheus took the book that they have chosen and placed it down. "Star A Blinding, The Paradoxes will be landing. Intertwine their fates with the rest, put them up to the test. May they complete you once and for all. So that the evil may fall." The guardians chanted over and over again until a portal appeared. "And this is where fate will take you brats," Lavern said as he looked at the portal. He reached out his hands to the passageway, but his hands didn't go in. Rather, it looked as in he was touching the glass. When Hikari's hand touched the portal, it went in.

"Now is the time to go. No worries, your outfits would change immediately along with the age you have placed in the book," Stella explained as she smiled softly. Hikari nodded and went in the passageway. The other two followed her, and once they were all in, it closed. Orpheus sighed and chuckled. "I hope the relics didn't choose some psychopaths. They seem to understand and accepted the news better than the rest of us," He said as he stared at the place where the portal was. "I bet not. It seems as if Hikari or Yua is the one that's holding their sanity together. Plus, they'll be fine, right?" Stella asked as she looked at Lavern. "They'll be fine, I hope." He then responded.

"I have a feeling that this is their fate after all," Orpheus said as he smiled softly.