Living Off My Reader's Gifts

"You are really trash. What gave you the nerve to become a villain crossing my path?" The taunt echoed through the walls of the castle as a man lay defeated on the ground.

His body bore the marks of battle—wounds oozing crimson, bruises forming dark constellations upon his flesh. Each tear that cascaded down his face mirrored the agony etched within him, finding their path to the hard, cold floor.

He pounded his hand on the unforgiving surface, yearning to rise again, longing for another chance to fight.

However, such a possibility was no longer within his reach.

'Why? Why me? Why am I not capable enough to avenge her?'

This was the end for him.

The end for the villain.

The end for Zeus Augustine.

Zeus gasped for air, his chest aching with each breath. The words of his enemy echoing in his mind, reverberating through his being.

'In the end, I couldn't avenge her. Useless. Completely useless. Was it too much to ask for justice, God? Neither could I protect her, nor could I punish those who wronged her.' Anger surged within Zeus, a fiery torrent coursing through his veins.

Yet, to his dismay and fate's pleasure. He found himself powerless to act.

'Was I ever truly a villain? My sole desire was to seek retribution for the death of my beloved adopted daughter. My daughter who should be playing infront of my eye. Those greedy bastards! They took her away from me. Killed her. Yet, they have the nerve to call me a villain. A Demon King? May their fates be damned because if karma befalls on everyone without distinguishing. I hope it does on them as well. And, crush their skulls under the weight of their crimes.'

A man who had never harmed a single innocent soul was now a villain in the eyes of all for wanting to chase revenge for a little girl.

His daughter.

The daughter who used to light up Zeus's dull world.

'I can't understand the working of this world anymore. Righteous... Hahaha... What a joke! The nerve to call oneself righteous after killing a ten-year old to suck out her divine power. Righteous, indeed.'

As he lay there, Zeus could help but pour out his frustration and loss in form of mock and anger.

'Now, as I think of it, I think... It all crumbled away on that very day. The day she closed her radiant, oceanic blue eyes.'

"Zeus Agustine! Do you confess to treason against the king!? Do you confess that the loss of your daughter distorted his judgment, leading to your descent into darkness!? Confess!" The man used the tip of his sword to lift Zeus's head, forcing their eyes to meet.

Within Zeus, the scars of a villain ran deep, wounds that no amount of power or malice could ever heal. The pain of the loss of his daughter etched itself into the very core of his being, serving as a relentless reminder of his failure.

A failure of what he dreamt to become when he picked up the giggling child in his arms.

A good father.

Zeus closed his eyes, allowing the tears to flow freely. He was not weeping for himself. He was not weeping for he was about to die at the hands of a man who called himself the savior of all.

He was weeping because though his end was near he failed to avenge his daughter.

"Do you confess!?"

'My end.'

"Yes! I confess to my cri-" However, Zeus wasn't even given a chance to confess. As the sword came down. Slashing the air, peirceing through his heart. He closed his eyes as his daughter's smile flashed on those closing curtains. Before the show was over as it all turned dark.

The man standing in front of Zeus kicked his lifeless body as he took out a golden shining orb from his pocket.

"Master, he's dead. We've won." The man answered in a breathless, happy voice unable to control his excitement.

"Good job, Chris. It's finally over. The bastard's finally dead. Good job, my beloved discipline. You have killed The Demon King. Now, the world is purified once again. Come back. Come back home. You have fulfilled your mission." The voice of the orb rang in the room as Chris walked to the door, leaving Zeus's dead body behind.

His adventures and missions. All have finally come to a close after defeating The Demon King.

The End.

****

Tic - Tak - Tic.

The sound of the keyboard that disturbed the eternal silence of the room, came to a still. The man sitting on the chair stretched his arms as he laid back on his chair.

"Finally. After three and a half years. I finally completed this book. Such a headache." The man complained as he closed his eyes for a moment to rest. That was when the black screen of his phone lit up as the room was now filled with the sound of a ringtone.

The man opened his eyes, frustated as he picked up his phone without glancing at the Caller ID.

"Who's - "

"WHAT THE HELL, DAMIEN!? HOW CAN YOU FUCKING END THE BOOK!? HAVE YOU LOST IT? THE READERS ARE COMPLAINING. AND, ZEUS!? YOU KILLED HIM WHEN READERS LIKED HIM THE MOST. THAT'S THE MOST PROFITABLE CHARACTER IN THE ENTIRE STORY! WHAT ARE YOU-"

"So?"

"Well, you can't just kill off the most beloved character like that. You need to give the readers a satisfying ending. Maybe, no ending if possible."

"It's a non-exclusive, Ren."

"It brings the platform most benefits!"

"Doesn't involve me."

"But, we've spent three years together? What about those three years."

"Three and a half."

"Huh?"

"We've spent three and a half years together, Ren."

"Exactly. So, don't leave me, Damien."

"You sound like a dramatic girlfriend I never had, Ren. You're just my editor."

"Come on, Damien! Just think about all the profit shares you'll be getting, Damien. You surely can't say no to money. Right?"

"No."

"What?"

"I don't need money anymore. My daughter is dead, Ren. And, I have last stage cancer."

Ren let out an exasperated sigh. " Damien, this-"

But, Damien didn't offer his editor a chance to finish as he ended the call and placed the phone back on the table. He stared at the screen as he watched the comments pop up.

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◇◇COMMENTS◇◇

■□■ Daven254236 : Trashy Novel. Wasted money for Zeus. Zeus didn't even get his revenge. Let alone a happy ending. Disappointed.

■□■ Crissyyyy666 : My idol died. Curse you, dumb author. Hope you have a painful death.

■□■ 799Remy : Well, this is a novel that for some reason doesn't have a cliché or copy-paste tag. Talking about yourself in the third person is a check.Timeskip until you're a +-adult-check. You don't even want to read more after 3 chapters because you realize that the next will be the same clichéd story you and I have already read 9999 times. The cool villain is killed and the submissive overpowered MC who did nothing wins.

■□■ Herrignton47 : Zeus deserved better.

■□■ Geryy5675 : I regret giving this book so many gifts. The MC is trash. The author more trash. Poor Zeus.

◇◇Load More...◇◇

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As the comments continued to flood in, Damien's eyes continued to scan them.

'Ha... All they care about is me killing Zeus. No one cares about my reason for killing Zeus. And, I have spent three and a half years with these readers.'

Damien walked to his bed as he lied down on the mattress, defeated.

'Why do they not understand? Zeus is not just a character to me. It's me. I'm Zeus. Every emotion that coursed through Zeus's veins belongs to my shattered heart.'

No one knew that Zeus's dead daughter Catelyn was modelled after his own daughter. The one who gave him a cause to live. The one who gave him a reason to write.

Write this story...

'It's was all over now.' The thought ran across Damien's head as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

He had poured his heart and soul into this story, into Zeus, even when he created him as a villain. And, now that it was all coming to an end the pain in his chest was unbearable.

'No one understood me except her... My little Kate...'

They didn't know the personal connection that Damien had to Zeus.

There was no Zeus without Damien. And, now that Damien was on the verge of dying. Zeus had to die.

'That was for the best.'

As Damien laid there on his bed, tears slid down his eyes.

The time for him to meet his daughter was coming closer. And, closer. And, closer.

His body shivered from a sudden jolt of pain as Damien's eyes closed.

'I wish I could spend a few more moments with my little one. I wish I could get rid of this guilt that burns inside my heart. I wish I could turn back time and save her that night even if it's all a dream.

My little Kate.'

Was the last thought in Damien's mind as he faded into the darkness.