Chapter 38 - Aftermath

The next day, at exactly 9 o'clock in the morning, Elisa and I decided to watch the conclusion of our game. We really wanted to know what happened next when we defeated the final ultimate boss monster Andromeia and her flower field. After all, every story we started must be properly finished, and every tale must have a proper ending. It's much more better that way than to be left with a cliffhanger.

Watching the conclusion is also like, a little farewell to my game addiction, and a start of something new in my life.

So here's what happened:

The people who have fallen asleep because of the pollens didn't remember anything. They've absolutely forgotten everything, even their dreams. When they woke up, they didn't even stop and realize that something very strange happened to them. Suspicions never aroused. They didn't even wonder why they're sleeping on the ground when they woke up. When I asked them about this, the NPC's (Non-Player Characters) said that they "slipped and fell." They're just "standing right back up." "I'm busy", "I'm in a hurry", "Don't disturb me", "I need to go", "I have no time for this nonsense" they said...

And so the older ones continued with their busy lives, full of work... Sigh...

They're not even angry when their dreams were used as a scythe of death. In fact, they didn't give any second thought about it.

Their coldness and indifference is astounding.

The only thing they did noticed, and reached the morning news is this:

Their calendar dates are late by one day. So, they need to adjust it.

A Robot Knight Animatronics malfunctioned and damaged the lobby of a certain company.

All the fast food chains, restaurants, cafes, and convenience stores had record breaking sales, the highest sales ever recorded in that year on food and beverages. The lines are so long, it reached the streets! Packed meals, food stuff, and drinks are wiped clean from establishments!

Because of that, everyone's late!

Still, life goes back to normal, and we, Lionel and Elisa, became the greatest unsung heroes of Iris City.

The credits began to roll, congratulating and thanking us for successfully finishing the game...

Sigh...

What an ending!

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(Game Master's Point of View)

Lionel and Elisa became the best of friends. Her parents gladly welcomed and adopted him as their own son. But they are more surprised in Elisa's miraculous recovery. You see, Elisa's sickness has no cure. So they were overjoyed when they learned that Elisa is finally cured. They were all happy indeed.

Now, Lionel stays in Elisa's home. He's not living on that old, abandoned building anymore. They talk, tell jokes and stories. They run and play sports on the playground, under the healthy warmth of the sun. They still play video games, but not too much anymore. Everything in moderation as the old saying goes, not obsession, not addiction. They also started new hobbies like reading story books, comics, and painting. They also watch anime, cartoons, and most importantly, they've started going to school and study hard for their future.

This, is the true ending of the game: When a player finishes it, he/she picks up something valuable - a moral, a life lesson - and uses it to change his/her life for the better.

This, is the true goal of the Server of Iris - To be a stepping stone to improve people's lives, to help them grow and become the best version of themselves, to give them a source of income, and achieve their lifelong dreams.

The End.

One of the many stories of The Server of Iris: COMPLETED!

======================================================

(Back to our Main Storyline - The Story of Teslan Dama De Noche!)

FINALLY!!!! I have finished one of the many grand stories of The Server of Iris! WOOHOO!!! Yes! Everyone can write! Everyone has the ability to write! But to make that everyday decision to finish what I started is no joke! Procrastination is always there, waving its ugly hand, an ever lingering temptation. But it can be conquered! It's never impossible! MAN!!! When I started writing, nothing ever goes as planned! The schedule I've set for myself gets thrown out of the window! I've specifically set the length of the story, but it gets longer! There are times when I forgot what I wanted to write and run out of ideas altogether! ARGH!!! THE FRUSTRATION!!!

BUT!!!

After all those long months of struggle, when I finally finished the manuscript, a sudden rush of relief and happiness surged within me.

I've set a goal, and I reached it.

I started something, and I finished it.

I've set my mind in it, and I accomplished it!

There's just something about the fruits of our labor and small victories that's so satisfying. It's like a proof that we're not lazy and our hard work is not in vain.

When I finished the story of Lionel and Elisa, I leaned all the weight of my tired back on my bamboo chair and starred at the clear blue sky.

My imagination started to run wild and my head is then filled with dreams of grandeur...

For me, the story is good... Good enough to be published.

Good enough to become a "New Arc Times Bestseller"! Oh boy, I'll be famous!

And then... A Jollywood director discovers my book and decides to make a movie adaptation of it! Who knows? Maybe he or she would collaborate with me and I'll become a star! Ha! Ha! Ha! It's gonna be an epic! No! It's gonna be a blockbuster! And I'll earn millions of dollars!

But my imagination didn't stop there.

If my story could earn millions... THEN THE SERVER OF IRIS CAN BE FINALLY BUILT!!! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

I wasted no time.

"This could be it. This could be the break I'm was searching for..."

I turned my Glass Phone on and searched for publishing houses. In just a few seconds, I found dozens of them and I quickly sent the digital copies of my manuscripts via e-mail.

Just like my job-hunting days after my college graduation, I've waited patiently for many weeks, eagerly expecting for some good news. And after countless depressing rejections, there's finally one publishing company who gave me a chance and published my story, free of charge.

On that moment, and that single moment alone, I was on cloud nine.

I couldn't believe it... Someone actually accepted my manuscript and printed 3000 copies of it as a pocketbook! Man, I was so ecstatic! Who knew I'm gonna be famous like G.K. Rawring or G.R.R. Tokein?! Someone out there will definitely discover the uniqueness of my story and turn it into a movie! My whole life's gonna change and I'M GONNA BECOME A MILLIONAIRE!!! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

I signed the contract without any hesitation and waited for the money to flow in.

Time flew by so fast, I didn't even noticed that weeks turned into months...

And after half a year...

I only sold one copy of my book...

Sigh...

I never felt so tired, so drained, so discouraged, and so disappointed in my life...

Sigh...

I turned my voice diary on.

"Teslan, you're an absolute knucklehead. You have a special talent of learning things the hardest way possible. I'm so sick of it, and I'm so tired of it. I'll record this failure so I'll never forget about it. I'll listen to this time and time again so it will never get out of my mind."

"Sky-high expectations will only lead to earth shattering disappointments."

"An unknown writer like me needs to build and establish a GOOD NAME, and it takes many years of hard work and heartaches. There are no shortcuts. There has never been a shortcut."

"An unknown writer like me needs all the publicity, all the contacts I can get in order to sell my book."

"I need to spend money to earn money. Publicity, Marketing, Advertising, A Good Book Agent to Sales Pitch my Book to Multiple Publishing Houses and Movie Studios... I need to invest in those things in order to promote my book. Those things costs serious amount of money. And I just don't have the money."

"Never let your expenditures in writing and promoting be higher than your potential earnings."

"There's no such thing as an Overnight Millionaire Writer. Everything takes time."

"Making a living out of writing is seriously hard, but not impossible. Still, never quit your day job. Writing is only a passive sideline source of income."

"Last, but definitely not the least, never have a high opinion about yourself. Never think too high of yourself. Be humble, Teslan. Always be humble..."

"This... painful failure... taught me an important lesson that I've never learned before..."

"Humility."

I turned the Voice Diary off...

Sigh...

Oh well...

Back to the drawing board...

Or maybe I should just stop trying and... I don't know... Look for a wife...? I got a hot spring business established already so... I think I can provide for my future wife and children...

I'm not getting any younger...

(Author's Note: This chapter is close to my heart because I experienced all of this things first hand. It's all based on real life experiences. Dear Reader, I'm not discouraging you if you ever decided to try your hand on writing stories. I only want to give you a warning and a friendly advice. Making a career out of writing is never easy. The competition for reader's attention is fierce. If you've made up your mind to become a writer, steel yourself for there will be many heartbreaks. Lower and make your expectations realistic. Most importantly, do it for fun. Write because you're enjoying it, because you love it. If the time comes that writing makes you sad and exhausted, take a break. Try something new, and maybe, after that, you can find the energy and enthusiasm to start over again.)