A long time ago, in a land much like the one in which I was struggling for life, there was a great bard who claimed to comprehend far more than he did.

I considered myself not only well-educated and well-versed in the appropriate usage of the beauty that was the English language but also a remarkable connoisseur of women.

It was my belief that I could perceive what lay beyond the veil of women's beauty. That I could observe clearly the feeble creatures who hid there, who could scarcely attempt to imagine their existence without the support of strong men. I was naïve enough to imagine that without men's strength, the women would succumb to difficulties, that would but collapse in the face of danger.

I even dared once eternalize those words in my writing by stating: 'Women may fall when there's no strength in men.'

The great bard could not have been more erroneous. He made the mistake of conforming to the standards of the time. He allowed himself to be misguided by the fear of men. The same fear that he unknowingly shared, that the women could be as strong and as capable as men. That, in turn, would signify that they required no gentlemen to defend their honor and protect their lives.

Without that, my very notion of myself, of who I was supposed to be, was crumbling down at a rapid speed. For if the roles assigned to me by society were genuinely the ones that I was supposed to perform in the great play that was life itself, how was I supposed to find my place in the world, my purpose?

"Shawn are you alright?" My angel asked, offering me her hand.

Worry was etched on her charming face. However, there was equal amount of bravery as well. So much so that I was ashamed for doubting, even for a second, my purpose in the world.

I was to stand by the one I cherish, to raise with my family by my side, and chase away the evil that my gullibility brought forth.

"I am well, my lady. Utterly grateful for your chivalry." I stated, bowing briskly, as there was not time enough for me to express the utmost extent of my gratitude.

She bobbed her head in acknowledgment and provided me with a weapon similar to the one she wielded. A club of sorts that I did not recognize as anything I was familiar with and yet appreciated beyond measure.

Being able to provide some measure of resistance to the approaching force was comforting. It allowed me to ascertain my manhood to some level.

"Continue the chant. It was working!" Rebecca yelled from a few meters away.

As I obliged her, I noticed that she had similarly offered assistance to K and that they were both standing upright, chanting their hearts' desires.

It appeared to me that the modern world that I had found myself in allowed much more deviation from the norm. Men were permitted to demonstrate weakness in the face of adversity, though grudgingly. Furthermore, feminine bravery was allowed to shine through and bestow help to those blessed by their presence.

"Get them! Quickly!" the devil yelled at the humans.

Confused by the odd tone, the mob hesitated for an instant as if unsure what it was that they were attempting to achieve. The expressions on their faces changed. The conviction of their righteousness wavered at the perception of the rage in the voice which spurred them on.

"The evil is playing tricks on you! If you don't defeat it as soon as possible, they will get your children. They will turn your precious little ones into monsters of similar stature," the ghost said, looking at the devil reproachfully.

At the mention of their young, the people seemed to return their attention to us. Their focus was yet again on the quest that they were about to undertake, our absolute destruction.

Even as the colors swirled around the power that emanated from our very hearts, something was hindering our progress. It was as if not enough energy was available to us to completely free the people from their trance.

"It's not working effectively enough!" I exclaimed loud enough for K and Rebecca to hear me.

"But why not? It must be the way! Just look at those crazy colors!" K yelled back.

The material manifestation of the power that resided in our hearts was enough to convince even hesitant K. To prove that what we were attempting was the right path to take. Furthermore, that served another purpose. It convinced me that Marisol and Rebecca were right.

However, I perceived something that neither of them did.

As much as we all loved each other in our own different ways, one thing might have tainted that bond, my lack of complete transparency.

Though I had shared with them most of what I knew as the truth, there was still a crucial part of my heart, of my soul, that I shared with none of them. There was another revelation that I should have made, and that was gnawing at my conscious. I perceived it to be the sole cause of our failure.

"I believe I may be able to provide a solution to this problem. K, Rebecca, would you mind offering us protection while I share with Marisol what I should have communicated to her from the moment I perceived the truth," I said.

"Sure, dude, but hurry up, we can't do miracles," K said as he and Rebecca positioned themselves in front of Marisol and myself.

"What is it, Shawn? What more can there possibly be than the time-traveling Shakespeare who set free monsters from his most dreadful nightmares?" Marisol asked, noting my hesitance to divulge my very last secret.

"I understand your incredulity, my lady. However, there is one more fact which I failed to share with you though I should have. For you see, at the time, I possessed a steadfast belief that..." I attempted to say.

"Move it along, Shakespeare!" K yelled over his shoulder while fighting the approaching humans.

He made the word 'Shakespeare' sound like an inappropriate word. It made me realize that I had chosen the most unfortunate possible timing to attempt to delay my revelation.

"I was not completely straightforward when recounting you the tale of the pen. I did not wish to procure any love. I desired to be reconnected with my darling wife." I admitted.

"Well, I am sorry that didn't happen," Marisol said with strange coldness in her voice.

It was the type of frigid cold that I had never perceived in her voice before, not even when I was utterly harsh towards her in my ignorance.

"You do not comprehend my words, my lady. It did occur. You embody the reincarnation of my beloved wife," I said, attempting not to further anger Marisol by procrastinating with my revelations.

"Are you sure?" Marisol asked, shocked.

However, her tone of voice was considerably milder, which provided me with some hope that perhaps my ultimate truth would not shatter all my hopes and dreams for the future.

"I am certain," I replied.

"Is it the consequence of the pen's power, or has that always been true?" Marisol asked.

"I am not certain, but I do believe that the power behind the pen would not be capable of altering reality, just reveal what was hidden from the human eye. It is not competent enough to forge connections but allow people to become aware of them." I said.

Moments later, an intense golden light started shining from my chest. After that, it was merged with a bright red light coming forth from Marisol's heart. They became one in a supreme dance of light and feelings. More than ever, I felt joined with her and with my true self.

The revelation of the truth exposed the extent of the power of our connection.

As we stepped away from behind our friends, half of the people from the enraged crowd shielded their eyes from the brilliance of our brilliant light.

Seconds later, those same people slowly moved away in separate directions as if no longer recalling the purpose of their approach. They seemed to have remembered what they ought to have been doing and thus proceeded with their everyday lives.

"It's working," Rebecca said, fascinated by the light Marisol and I shared.

"Not well enough," I countered as I noted that a fair number of people remained.

They furnished themselves with anything they could acquire from their surroundings. Upon doing so, they maintained their steady approach that was only slightly hindered by the brilliance of our combined light.

That was when they threw the gathered objects at us, causing a substantial amount of blood to flow and screams to burst forth from our mouths.