Keth Vasileniy stood at the window overlooking the Iredescent capital city of Auraglen. His beloved ship, the Silent Whisper, had landed within range of Mirror Castle on planet Iredescent.

His creator, Éira Blask, the author of the Iredescent series, was inside a cylinder. Demian Daggers stood near the cylinder, monitoring the process. It took an entire day for a human to turn into an Iredescent.

It was Keth's first time on planet Iredescent. He never had the chance until now, a chance he gladly seized. Keth left the room and was looking out the window in the hallway, thinking over the recent turn of events.

Meeting his creator for the first time. Encountering various characters from the Iredescent stories. The Christmas celebration that was held on the most magnificent Iredescent ship belonging to the former Ruler of Iredescent, Tren Tristanle.

Or current Ruler, Keth thought, unsure who exactly was the current Ruler.

The Iredescent Ruler had returned alive and well. There was a joyful celebration when Suduko Tristanle reunited with his son Tren Tristanle.

An Iredescent soldier named Raymond Saylin had become the Ruler of Iredescent after Tren's death. Raymond cried as he hugged Tren, happy to see him again. The Ruler prior to Suduko Tristanle, Iressa's father Nend Nyssi, was alive and well, along with his wife Aryle Nyssi and all their children, the siblings Iressa finally got to meet.

With all the Rulers of Iredescent gathered together, including Peridot Shodi and Irina Acai, they decided to rule together as a collective monarchy, rather than casting a vote or having Raistin decide who would be the dominant Ruler.

Of course, all major decisions were either approved or denied by the Phoenix, the ultimate authority. Every Iredescent Ruler, past and present, was given rooms at Mirror Castle, living alone or with their families. The characters were overjoyed at the rare chance to meet every Iredescent Ruler mentioned in the Iredescent books, every Iredescent Ruler present in the same place.

There were happy reunions everywhere, not just with the Tristanle and Nyssi families. The entire planet held a celebration, not only to celebrate the surprise return of all the Rulers of Iredescent and their families, not only to celebrate the various characters meeting each other, but also in regards to Éira Blask, the creator of Iredescent.

Keth recalled Éira's reaction the first time she saw planet Iredescent from aboard his ship. Tears of joy literally ran down her face when Éira arrived on planet Iredescent, the sci-fi fantasy world she always longed to escape to, the world she finally got to see with her own eyes.

Demian asked Keth if he wanted to turn into an Iredescent, but Keth declined, saying he was quite happy being human and he had no desire to become anything else. Though he was originally from planet Verdamnt, Keth thought of planet Mijishin as his home planet, since he underwent military training and became an illusionist soldier on that planet. He considered his ship, the Silent Whisper, his true home, for it allowed him to go anywhere he desired.

And now, I'm on planet Iredescent.

Keth understood Éira's love for Iredescent. What he was struggling to understand was how Éira would affect the future of Iredescent.

Including his own future.

I did not expect to meet my creator in such a way. Certainly did not expect to fall in love with her, Keth thought, recalling his first kiss with Éira. She surprised him with a second kiss on the voyage to Iredescent. He had no doubt there would be more surprises, especially after she became an Iredescent. He knew they would be staying on Iredescent for some time before Éira would travel the galaxy, visiting other planets.

Keth was more than happy to take Éira anywhere she wanted. He even took to looking after her hedgehog Pearl after Éira went in the cylinder. Presently, Keth stood at the window, so many thoughts on his mind, the sensation of Éira's kiss still on his lips.

"You know, I could ask if you would like some tea, but since I already know you would most certainly like some tea, I could ask you to select a flavor, but since I'm such a wonderful telepath, I know exactly the tea blend you would like to drink, so I'll simply ask you to have some tea," Demian said as he sauntered into the hallway where Keth was standing at the window.

Keth turned around, his long floor-length, black gothic style trench coat making a delightful swishing sound as he moved. He had a silver sword sheathed at his side, his sleek black boots completing his stylish outfit. He had black hair and coffee brown eyes with black eyeliner, or guyliner as it was called when men wore eyeliner. He was very thin and slim, charming and handsome in appearance.

"Then you would know that I want to try all the tea blends. Which one would I be trying first?"

Demian smiled, his brown eyes teeming with knowledge. "The Stripes blend, of course. The one named after Vengimi's son, Matvei Carven, who goes by the name Stripes. The Stripes blend is an exotic green tea with caramel, pineapple, orange peel, and ginger."

"Indeed, a wonderful blend. Let us enjoy it."

Demian and Keth enjoyed the Stripes tea in the royal kitchen, along with awesome Iredescent tiramisu and blackberries.

"How much time before – " Keth started to say, when Demian interrupted him, saying, "Just an hour before Éira will emerge from the cylinder in her Iredescent form."

Keth became silent, pondering over it. He took another sip of tea, trusting Demian that the process would go well. He didn't know why he felt a little nervous at the prospect of meeting Éira in her Iredescent form.

Demian poured more tea into his cup. "Relax, Keth. There is no reason for nervousness, especially here on Iredescent."

"I suppose I have a reason, since I'm the one who happened to have gotten close with the very person who created us and the entire planet," said Keth, pushing aside his empty plate. "We only just met. I've known Éira for a night. Well, a night and whatever the timespan was when I had to return Éira to planet Earth after allowing her a glimpse of planet Iredescent, then after she settled things on Earth and was finally able to stay on Iredescent for an extended time."

Demian finished the last of his cake slice before leaning back. He loved cake, especially German chocolate black forest cake. "The only thing that will change is her physical appearance. She will have wings and sparkly skin, but she will still be Éira Blask."

"And I will still be Keth Vasileniy." Another sip of tea, then a sigh. "What if I marry her?"

"Then it wouldn't be a planet-wide celebration; it would be a galaxy-wide celebration," said Demian. "Too soon, perhaps? Or are you sure she's the one for you?"

"I am certain she's the one. I don't need a destiny radar to prove it."

"Yet you think, would Éira?" Demian took a sip of tea, suddenly solemn.

"Exactly my worry," Keth admitted, glancing down at the tea.

Demian set his tea cup down. "I think you've no reason to worry, Keth. If anything, you should feel honored. It's not usual for an author and a character to be together in such a way." Demian glanced at his comect screen to check the time. "We should get going. Less than an hour now."

Keth followed Demian to the transformation room. Raistin was already at the monitor, admiring the outfit Crimson designed for Éira while she was in the cylinder.

Raistin looked up when Demian and Keth entered the transformation room. His cheerful voice rang like melodic chimes, emulating his excitement. "Hey, guys! Look what Crimson designed for Éira. She's gonna be super surprised and happy!"

"How much longer now?" Keth asked, to which Demian responded, "Thirty minutes."

Raistin had firewalled the room, allowing only Demian and Keth to enter, preventing anyone else from entering the room. There was much caution involved in ensuring a successful transformation. Phoenixes were the only lifeforms entrusted with such an important task. However, Raistin allowed Demian to turn Éira, allowing the creator of irangels to turn the creator of Iredescent.

"Ten minutes," said Demian.

Keth took several deep breaths, trying to remain calm. The nervousness was like a chariot race being pulled by anxious horses and fluttering butterflies.

Raistin placed something in his hands, making him hold it. "Give this to Éira when she wakes up," Raistin said, winking as he smiled cheerfully.

Keth looked down at the flower bouquet he was holding: red roses tied with a holographic purple ribbon, violets, chamomile, Queen Anne's lace, pink peonies, and black roses.

Keth looked up when he heard the cylinder open, revealing Éira in her Iredescent form. Éira was moved to a sparkly purple bed while still unconscious, the cylinder tray moving her from the cylinder to the bed.

Keth slowly approached Éira, feeling as though time stood still. Raistin and Demian smiled as they watched, pleased everything went well.

Éira was wearing a sparkling, violet purple princess style dress with long sleeves that had a slight puff just below the shoulder, the puffs trimmed in violet purple ribbon to make it look medieval style. Small purple roses danced at the neckline just below the collarbone, her light shimmery diamond fair skin adorned with the silver ruby necklace Crimson gave Éira.

A voluminous gown trailed down to her heels, which were entirely opal with a mirror finish. Small purple flowers danced amid her long, ankle-length violet-tinted black hair resting around her shoulders and body.

Her wings spread out behind her on the bed, a marvelous display of extremely sparkly purple that ranged from lilac purple to royal purple, color-shifting into various shades of purple.

Éira opened her eyes, revealing sparkly violet purple eyes. They lit up with happiness, every sparkle coming to life as she moved.

Keth felt all the worry and nervousness drain as Éira met his eyes, smiling happily when she saw he held a lovely flower bouquet.

"For my princess," Keth said, handing her the flowers. "I mean, you look so much like a princess. I believe you said you wish to become a space traveler like me. Perhaps you would like tea and tiramisu? Even though I just had some with Demian, I would happily – "

Emotion appeared on Éira's face, along with misty tears in her eyes. It was as if she had finally received confirmation, Demian thought as Éira suddenly hugged Keth, appreciating him.

"Tea and tiramisu sounds wonderful," Éira said to Keth, speaking for the first time as an Iredescent. She still had a European accent indicating her Slavic birth. "But seeing you is even more wonderful."

Keth warmly held Éira in an embrace. Raistin and Demian joined in, forming a group hug as they congratulated Éira and led her towards the door, no longer firewalled.

They were greeted by a crowd of characters cheering upon the sight of the Iredescent Éira. Glitter cascaded like a pleasant rain shower as sparkles glimmered and crows cawed in merriment, flying with ribbons tied to their feet. Hedgehogs perched on peoples' shoulders, holding roses adorned with pearls.

Éira felt Keth's hand on her back as if to steady her, Demian at Éira's other side. Éira held the flowers Keth gave her while Raistin cheerfully announced Éira's successful transformation from human to Iredescent.

"Technically, Éira is an irangel," said Demian, correcting Raistin. "But yes, she turned from human to Iredescent."

There was an outdoor celebration with long rows of tables and chairs decorated in shimmery purple ribbons and roses. Various characters enjoyed the Iredescent tiramisu and desserts, along with tea and cherry blossoms.

Raistin set off fireworks on repeat. Iro formed beautiful water fountains. Crimson was pleased when he saw Éira wearing the dress and necklace he gave her.

Mara gave Éira homemade cinnamon toast and snow drop cookies. Éira hugged her in thanks. Pitch, Meteoryte, and Amari were seated with Iressa and Tren, ecstatic to spend much-needed family time now that they were brought back to life in this way.

Keth watched Éira as she looked around, feeling like everything was perfect. Keth took another sip of Raistin's cherry blossom green tea, thinking it was a rather splendid tea blend, very Japan inspired. Éira had already finished her tea and tiramisu, leaving the table to interact with her irangel characters. Keth sat back, his eyes fixed on Éira as Demian taught her how to fly. After the fun flying lesson, Éira went to hug every character, speaking with each one.

Among those characters was Mallen Zaliċ, who had resumed his Csa form upon arrival back into the Iredescent world; therefore, he was no longer a vampire.

In the fairytalesque vampire story called The Immortal, a powerful lifeform known as the Ileín turned vampires into Csa. After the vampires angered the Ileín on planet Magarra, he cursed them to become the Csa, confusing the vampires when he gave them a human-like form, without the awful disadvantages of being a vampire.

But the Csa had a serious detriment: they were wiped out entirely by the most powerful Iredescent called the Black Rose. Ironically, the Black Rose became the Csa leader's wife. Yet the Csa still perished, and the Iredescent legend ended with the last Black Rose.

Every Csa had an individual sword, a uniquely crafted weapon with a blade like a diamond. Vampire blood floated with a mysterious white liquid that was the Iredescent n-r element, creating a lava lamp like effect inside the sword. The sword was essentially see through, enabling to see the combination. Csa were able to turn into the form of a lethal ribbon, a two human-sized crow form, and a human-like Csa form.

Even in the cloudy sky with no sun, Mallen's fair skin glittered with an opalescent shimmer, making him look like an Iredescent. His sword was sheathed, hidden from view. His long, shoulder-length dark raven hair and olive green eyes were in conjunction with his attractive looks. His stylish attire spoke of his talents as an intergalactic fashion designer.

Mallen gave Éira an entire wardrobe of stylish clothing he made for her, asking her to wear one of the dresses he designed.

Éira went inside the castle to change clothes, walking out in a lovely light blue dress with violet purple ribbons on the sleeves. The dress had an opalescent sheath that contained a long sword that appeared to be made of diamond steel, with an Iredescent Rose emblem on the hilt.

Seeing Éira admiring the dress and sword, Mallen asked Éira if she would like for him to teach her sword fighting. Éira expressed her eagerness in learning, excited that she would learn how to sword fight just like in medieval fantasy stories.

There was a moment of alarm when an alien spaceship entered the portal hovering near Mirror Castle, the portal a vivid swirl of purple and blue colors that allowed entrance to planet Iredescent.

A glowing figure emerged from the metallic spaceship, causing people to back away. He was humanoid, entirely golden yellow, lethal to touch. He was the most powerful entity, perhaps more so than the Phoenix.

Mallen immediately turned white, his face pale as he gripped his sword tightly, though a sword would do him no good in this situation. Keth looked astonished, his hand on the hilt of his own sword. Demian learned who he was from his thoughts, and from the memories running through Mallen's mind.

Raistin stared in awe, surprised to finally see him for the first time. Unsure whether he was a friendly character or an enemy, Raistin turned into his Phoenix form so he could be ready to protect the characters should this new person prove harmful or threatening in any way.

It was the Ileín, pronounced eye line.

"You finally uploaded my story," said the Ileín, looking upon Éira. "I came to thank you, creator of Iredescent."

The Ileín turned to the Phoenix, saying, "We finally meet, awesome Phoenix. Our stories ran parallel in the dystopian prequel story The Ileín, though we never met until now."

"I didn't read that story," Raistin responded while retaining his Phoenix form. "That was the only story I didn't read because I didn't want to revisit my depressing past."

"I sometimes work on that story when I'm depressed," Éira admitted. "It's partially completed, but it does have a bittersweet ending."

The Ileín glowed vividly. "Éira, I want you to know that your story will have a happy ending. You may be trying to escape reality, writing to escape all that you secretly feel, but there are good things in store for you. The impossible shall become possible. All that you dream will soon become real.

"Don't give up. Keep going. Though the darkness tries to drown you, stealing your hope of happiness, do not become entangled in despair. You keep saying 'sparkle on', so indeed, sparkle on and be merry, even when darkness tries to seduce you, even when despair seems more tangible than your hopes and dreams.

"Like I said, the impossible shall become possible. Claim it, and sparkle on. The darkness is the unprevailant one. You just need to remember that whenever you are trapped in that dark, lonely place. Let this be your reminder, Éira."

With that, the Ileín returned to his ship, waving at the characters as he left Iredescent via the portal. The Phoenix returned, switching forms once his feet touched the ground.

"Let's start those sword fighting lessons, shall we," said Mallen, eager to put the Ileín's sudden appearance out of sight, out of mind.

Wanting to do the same, Éira reveled in the sword fighting lessons with Mallen, who was an expert sword fighter. Flying lessons with Demian and sword fighting lessons with Mallen included ship navigation lessons taught by Tori Nichok, an irangel character of the Black Rose arc.

No longer a villain, Tori spent most of her days reading the Iredescent series, learning about the world Éira created. Tori wanted to explore the galaxy and visit other planets, but after speaking with Demian, Tori agreed to teach Éira how to pilot a ship. Having flown both human and Iredescent ships, knowing how to chart paths and set courses, Tori was experienced in ship piloting and navigation.

The next important lesson was taught by Cydtin Mikasian, another irangel character of the Black Rose arc. The lesson was –

"Shopping? Really?" Éira asked Cydtin, dismayed when he led her to an Iredescent mall.

Cydtin glanced at Éira, puzzled by her bored tone. "Yes, we do need to go shopping for fabric material, but that isn't the lesson. I will be teaching you how to design, create, sew, and make your own clothing. I started learning from the Iredescent fashion designers, Tiae and Cloridy, and now that Mallen is visiting Iredescent, I've become apprenticed to all three fashion designers, just like Crimson. It made sense for me to learn, since I successfully created a clothing line. Tiae and Cloridy are currently busy with lots of orders, Crimson is with his family, and Mallen wants to teach you sword fighting, so I will teach you fashion design."

An appreciative look came over Éira's face. She warmly hugged Cydtin in understanding. "Thank you, Cydtin. I've always wanted to learn fashion design."

And so, Éira learned everything she had always wanted to learn. The Iredescent author and her beloved tiramisu lived happily ever after on planet Iredescent.

Until the night a glowing light appeared, forming outside Tren's bedroom window. The handsome Iredescent man ignored the light and continued to sleep, concerned when the light became brighter and more intense, flickering on and off like a broken light switch.

Tren rolled out of bed, quietly going over to the window. He pushed the curtain aside, wondering what had awoken him.

His deep blue eyes widened in astonishment when he saw the source of the glowing light, coming from the portal hovering near Mirror Castle. Oh no, Tren thought, feeling a nervous trepidation run through him as he realized the significance of the flickering light.

Tren pushed the curtain back in place, glancing at Iressa to make sure she was still asleep. He kissed her cheek and stroked her violet purple hair before leaving the bedroom.

Tren left Mirror Castle via wings, flying in the night sky as he headed for the Leeiyor residence in Crow Forest. Along the way, Tren sent Crimson a comect message, letting him know he was coming over. He flew above the forest and garden, landing a careful distance away from the Phoenix flames that encircled the beautiful Phoenix home.

Crimson emerged from his home, shirtless and dressed only in slim black jeans. He parted the flames for Tren and waited until he went inside the house before closing the gap. He shut the door, wondering why Tren came to see him in the middle of the night.

Crimson's eyes widened in astonishment when Tren explained what he saw. He followed Tren to the portal, frozen in shock when he saw why the portal light was flickering.

Broken cracks appeared along one side of the portal. Though the rest of the portal was intact, it was clear that it would give out soon, due to the constant pressure being put on the portal to remain active. The mystical water was what powered the portal, and it was in limited supply. The broken portal was a serious issue, one that posed a great detrimental danger.

"Whom should we tell? We don't want to alarm everyone, but somebody needs to be informed of this." Tren indicated the broken portal, watching it warily.

"I will tell my father and grandfather. They will know what to do," said Crimson, taking Tren with him as he went to alert his Phoenix kin.

Iro and Raistin were just as shocked as Crimson. Iro sighed sadly while Raistin looked stricken, fearing the impending disaster should the portal collapse.

"Don't tell the telepaths nor any of the irangels," Raistin said decisively. "We'll need to keep this to ourselves for the time being, until we figure out a way to resolve this. This happened shortly after Éira arrived on Iredescent; therefore, I think Éira is the one who needs to resolve this."

"I'll tell her," Tren said, extending his wings to fly out, but Crimson seized him by the arm.

"Tell Keth first and advise him to tell Éira. He's always with her. He might become suspicious if Éira is suddenly secretive. They just started dating; I don't want anything to jeopardize their new relationship, creating any unnecessary trust issues. Therefore, both Éira and Keth need to know."

"Alright," said Tren, furling his wings. "Should I go tell them now?"

"Get some sleep first. When you wake up, find Keth and tell him," Raistin advised. "I think it would be better if Keth hears this first. He is a space traveler who might've encountered something like this in his space travels. He might have an idea of how to repair the portal. If not, he might provide some sort of insight to this situation."

"I'll fly with you to Mirror Castle," said Crimson, putting on a long sleeve shirt and black leather jacket. He hugged Raistin and Iro before leaving with Tren. After he made sure Tren returned safely and was back in his room with Iressa, Crimson returned to his own home and went back to sleep in his room with Mara.

________________

Tren awoke. He picked out a deep blue sleeveless shirt and pants of the finest material, making sure to dress nicely since Crimson always pleaded for him to dress nice, and Tren had stubbornly failed to do so. Now that he was alive once again, Tren sought to follow Crimson's wants, no longer seeking to disappoint his cousin.

Iressa was lovely as ever, her diamond skin sparkling as she brushed her long straight, violet purple hair. She was wearing a simple elegant purple dress that went all the way to the floor, hugging her curves and bringing out her natural beauty with glitter and allure, as reference to her Iredescent ability to materialize and manipulate glitter.

Tren hugged his wife, thankful that they were here on Iredescent, alive and well, with their children and families.

He tried to keep his thoughts from the serious issue, focusing on the wonderful breakfast and tea held indoors in the Mirror Castle dining room.

Éira and Keth arrived at Mirror Castle early that morning, delighted to enjoy breakfast with everyone. The warm, delicious smell of waffles drifted throughout the hallway as Crimson stepped into the dining area. He immediately locked eyes with Tren and motioned for him to follow.

Tren met up with Crimson in the hallway, but Crimson whispered, "Telepaths can still hear" and so they left Mirror Castle to speak privately near Crimson's home.

In the beautiful gardens, Crimson explained to Tren his reasoning when Raistin went to check on the portal that morning. Tren left sometime later, looking for Keth.

Keth was alone in his ship, making tea. Éira had left to spend time with her characters. Keth looked up when Tren entered the ship's kitchen area, having wandered around the ship, unfamiliar with its surroundings.

"Hey, Keth. I need to speak with you."

"Is it about Éira?" Keth asked, placing the tea kettle on the stove. He reached for a tea box, inhaling the pleasant scent from its contents. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure," said Tren, moving to sit at the table. "And no, this is not about Éira. It's about all of us."

Keth frowned, wondering what Tren meant. He placed blackberry scones and apple roses on the table, two of his favorite desserts.

After the tea kettle whistled to indicate the heated water, Keth poured water into two cups, the tea sachets already in them. He set Tren's tea cup on the table in front of him, holding his own tea cup as he sat across from him, pushing back his long, stylish black trench coat as he sat comfortably. He set the tea cup down, waiting for it to cool.

Tren waited until the tea cooled and they were able to enjoy the tea with desserts before he decided to tell Keth what was going on. "Keth, what would you do if you were suddenly trapped within a story?"

"Trapped within a story? What a ridiculous notion," said Keth, taking another bite of his apple rose dessert made with puff pastry. "Why would I worry about such a thing?"

"You will when the portal closes."

Keth dropped the dessert, shocked over what Tren said. "What did you say?" he asked in incredulity. He assumed the portal would stay open forever.

"Crimson explained it to me after Raistin went to check up on the portal this morning. Because Meteoryte used some of the mystical water to power Éira's necklace, some of the structure is weakening. Once it weakens entirely and collapses, we'll all be sent to the stories we came from, and we will remain permanently encased within our stories.

"That means Iressa and I won't be able to leave the Crimson arc, the irangels won't be able to leave the Black Rose arc, and you won't be able to leave the story you came from, The Illusionist. Because we won't be able to leave, we'll be sent back to where we left off in our stories. Iressa and I died in our stories, so that means we will die. You died as well, so you will die should you become trapped in your story."

"Glittering stars." Keth was so stunned it was all he could say.

Tren continued, "Since you are closest to Éira, Raistin decided it would be best to tell you first. Not even the telepaths know of this."

"Éira would be forced to stay either in her Iredescent world or the Real world. No doubt she would elect to stay in the Iredescent world of her creation."

"But of what consequence? She'll have to choose a story to be locked into, or she would become trapped within the outbound threads of the Iredescent world, wandering through empty space until death. Which story do you think she would choose? She would be separated from you if she chose a different story. What do you suppose is her favorite story, and of which arc?"

"My stars," Keth murmured, nervously running a hand through his hair. "I don't know her well enough to know her that well."

"The telepaths would know. Should we ask Cydtin or Demian?"

"Demian. He can access her thoughts and memories via physical touch. He'll know her innermost thoughts, understanding her in a way deeper than intimacy." How delightfully lucky of him, Keth thought, secretly wanting to know Éira in such a way, at least physically.

"Wow, you're really in love with her," Tren remarked, noticing his jealousy.

Keth scowled, ignoring his remark. He left the ship and started walking towards Mirror Castle, Tren following him.

"Think about tiramisu and glitter," Tren unexpectedly said, surprising Keth. "We don't want the telepaths to know of this issue."

"Why shouldn't they know? This affects all of us," Keth said, going directly towards the portal. He stood a careful distance away, looking up at the broken structure. "Glittering stars," he murmured, seeing the cracks had become wider, as the portal tried its best to maintain the constant pressure.

Keth turned around, his long trench coat swishing as he sought to find Éira and inform her of the urgent situation. Tren went with Keth, walking alongside him as they searched the castle grounds.

They found Éira on Mallen's ship, practicing sword fighting with Mallen. The attractive Csa lowered his sword when he saw Keth and Tren walk in.

Éira sheathed her sword. "What's wrong? You guys look upset."

Tren began to suggest that they should speak privately with Éira, not wanting Mallen to hear, but Keth cut him off, saying firmly, "I don't care if he knows! He has the right to know of this situation, since it will impact every character in the Iredescent world."

"Know what?" Mallen asked, sensing something wrong. He sheathed his sword and folded his arms, giving his full attention. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell them," Tren insisted. Keth allowed Tren to explain the issue with the portal and how it would affect everyone.

Éira was stunned to silence. Mallen unfolded his arms, horrified to learn of the issue. He turned to Éira, who asked Tren to take her to see the portal.

The four of them stood facing the portal, Keth with deep sadness, Éira with surprised shock, Tren with determination, and Mallen with rigid anger.

"So it's breaking under too much pressure, since some of its power source was taken?" Mallen asked, turning towards Tren and Keth.

Tren nodded in confirmation.

Mallen voiced his idea of going to planet Verdamnt to try to retrieve some of the mystical water, but Keth put a hand on his arm, saying, "No, Mallen. It will surely collapse if you leave Iredescent. None of us can exit the portal when it's unstable like this. We need to figure out a way to resolve this here from the 'main realm' as Raistin calls it."

"How do you propose we do so?" Mallen asked heatedly. "There is no mystical water here on Iredescent. No extra power source, unless Meteoryte can take the mystical water's components from Éira's necklace."

Éira touched her silver ruby necklace, the necklace she started wearing because Crimson gave it to her. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Éira said, "If it's possible, Meteoryte can try to restore the power source using my necklace."

"We'll have to speak with Meteoryte about this," said Keth, hoping that would be the solution.

"Meteoryte is your son, is he not?" Mallen asked Tren. "He looks so much like you."

Meteoryte was in his room doing schoolwork, Pitch was writing a story on his laptop, and Amari was playing disc with Iro, which was essentially throwing a Frisbee, but Iredescent style with a flat holographic disc.

Schoolwork was abandoned, the story unfinished, the disc left sailing in the air, as the news was spilt. Mara already learned the news from Crimson, so she wasn't surprised. But the children were certainly surprised.

When Mallen asked if Meteoryte could restore the power source with Éira's necklace, Meteoryte shook his head. "Even if we applied extra power, the pressure is too much. The portal will collapse. When it does, it will send us to the stories we came from. Éira, it could potentially kick you out of the Iredescent world and send you back to the Real world."

"No way I'm going back to the Real world," Éira said decisively. "As the creator of Iredescent, I will stay with my creation in the Iredescent world."

"Regardless of your intent to stay, the portal would still kick you out," Meteoryte told her. He turned to Keth, asking, "Do you know of a possible way we can steady the broken portal?"

"I know not of a possible way," Keth said unhappily. "All my space travels didn't prepare me for this nightmare. I do not wish to be sent back to my story where I will surely die upon my return to The Illusionist."

Keth felt Éira hold his hand, though the warm touch didn't comfort him. He excused himself and went inside Crimson's house, needing to be alone with his thoughts.

Crimson was silent, feeling Keth's depression settle on him as he feared losing Tren and Iressa again. His father Iro spoke up, saying, "What if we firewalled the portal? Would that hold it together and keep it from collapsing?"

"We can try," said Crimson, eager for any hope of a solution.

But when they tried, the Phoenix firewall failed in holding the portal in place. It buckled, threatening to fall apart at any given moment. Worried, Raistin stepped in and attempted to telekinetically steady it, but his telekinetic hold faltered under the immense pressure.

"That isn't the solution," they heard Demian's voice say from below, a somber tone in his voice.

Crimson, Iro, and Raistin glanced down to see the irangel look up directly at the trio in their Phoenix forms. Crimson descended, transforming into his Iredescent form. Iro dropped down mid-transformation, and Raistin remained adrift near the portal.

"What is your solution, then?" Crimson asked sharply.

Demian understood his fear and urgency in resolving the issue as quickly as possible. He waited until Iro walked up to them and Raistin decided to land, switching forms once his feet touched the ground, before he spoke to them of the plan he had come up with, having learned of the issue through their nervous, anxious thoughts.

A plan they readily seized, desperate for a solution.

________________

They held a meeting to discuss Demian's plan. Keth, Éira, Mallen, Meteoryte, Tren, Iressa, Pitch, Mara, Crimson, Amari, Iro, Raistin, Cydtin, Tori, and Demian gathered in a conference room at Mirror Castle.

"Here's the plan," Demian said, leading the meeting. "We will leave Iredescent on Tren's ship, the Glimmer Ride. Based on Meteoryte's mathematical estimations, the portal is able to withstand a ship traveling through it just once before it is bound to collapse. We have limited time before the portal collapses. Should it collapse, the portal will close, which will close out this main realm, and boot us all back into our stories.

"Éira, you are in the most danger since you are not from a particular story and you came from the Real world. Most likely the portal would send you back to the Real world. There is the chance you might remain trapped in this realm, which would close out and vanish from existence."

"Glittering yikes," Amari murmured.

Éira was silent, feeling rather stressed from learning of the potential outcome.

Demian continued, "With all of us on Tren's ship, we will escape the portal before it collapses. Our targeted escape is within the prequel story The Iredescent, the safest story that will ensure none of us will die, since there are no tragic deaths in The Iredescent.

"All those who don't die in their stories, including irangels like Cydtin, will remain in this realm, since they are safe even if they get booted back into their stories.

"But characters like Tren and Iressa absolutely need to escape to another story prior to the collapse, that way they will already be safe in another story and won't get booted into the story they came from. Does this make sense?"

Everyone nodded, deciding whether to stay or go.

Pitch, Meteoryte, Amari, Mara, Iro, Raistin, and Crimson refused to stay, wanting to go with Tren and Iressa. Cydtin was content with staying with the other characters in the main realm. Demian, Mallen, Keth, Tren, Iressa, and Tori would have to leave before the portal collapsed. Éira would go with them.

The crows, Valiant and Mutig, voiced their intentions of coming with the characters on Tren's ship, excited to go into outer space. Even Pearl lifted her cute nose in the air, smelling an upcoming adventure.

It was a desperate plan, but a plan nonetheless.

________________

The characters prepared to leave Iredescent, taking up rooms on Tren's ship and saying farewell to the other characters.

Cydtin presented Éira with a shimmery blue gift box, wanting to cheer her up with tiramisu cookies.

Éira was standing at the window, terrified at the thought of potentially losing her characters. She had the sense these deaths would be permanent, that once they got booted back into their story and died, there was no coming back. Therefore, it was of utmost urgency to get all the characters into a safe story before the portal collapsed.

Having read her thoughts via his telepathic ability, Cydtin set the gift box on a nearby table and said to reassure, "You won't lose any of your characters. They'll be safe within The Iredescent. Nobody will die. Not Keth, not Tren nor Iressa, nor any other character. Even you will be safe, Éira."

"There is still the chance it could all go wrong," said Éira, turning to face Cydtin.

"Yes, but let us hold on to the chance that it could all go right," said Cydtin, holding Éira in an embrace. "I don't know if I'll ever see you again. I certainly hope so, but if I don't get to, then I will always remember you and be thankful for the opportunity to meet you."

Éira hugged Cydtin for a long time. She did the same with every character, not knowing when she would see them next.

While Éira was with her characters, Keth was pacing around in his ship, on the verge of panicking. Hearing his distressed thoughts, Demian sought to alleviate them, asking Mallen to assist.

Since Mallen read every story Éira had written for her Iredescent series, he came up with a wonderful way to calm Keth's worries and ensure that things would indeed go well. The men hastened to ready Keth, excited for the event he had in mind.

Éira found Keth in the Mirror Castle library, attempting to tie a ribboned rose around Pearl. He was dressed in a black suit Mallen designed for him, with his signature trench coat over the suit. Éira thought it was unusual for Keth to wear such a nice suit, though she supposed it was simply because he wanted to look nice, as he always succeeding in doing.

"It doesn't exactly work on real hedgehogs," said Éira, then she realized what she said and revised, "I mean Earth hedgehogs from the Real world."

Keth slowly rose, appearing to be thinking about something. Allowing Pearl to roam free and run around the library, the doors closed to ensure her safety so she wouldn't wander out and get lost, Keth handed Éira the bouquet of red roses he had placed on a stack of books, tied with purple ribbon.

"For you, Éira," Keth said softly, placing a holographic box in her hand along with the roses.

In the box was a special tea blend Keth created for Éira, calling it the Éira blend. With Mallen and Demian's help, Keth gathered the ingredients to make the Éira blend, comprised of roses, peppermint, chamomile, vanilla, cardamom, blue butterfly pea tea, blackberry, and small pieces of lemon to make the blue tea turn purple. There was edible glitter in the silk tea sachets to add sparkle to the drink.

Éira enthusiastically hugged Keth, thanking him for the tea and roses.

Demian stood a few bookshelves away, hidden behind the bookshelf as he monitored Éira's thoughts.

She has no idea, Demian informed Keth, surprised by her unusual cluelessness, since Éira was usually observant and very attentive to detail, though he figured it was mostly due to the stress of the portal situation. This will surely take away the stress, Demian thought privately, looking forward to the next few minutes.

Mallen was perched atop the bookshelves, secretly taking pictures of the pivotal moment. He smiled as he included Pearl happily running in some of those pictures. He zoomed in on the tea blend and roses, on the beautiful sparkly purple dress and the long black trench coat, on the stack of books and fairy lights placed throughout the library to give it a magical fairytale appearance.

As Éira stood smelling the lovely roses and tea blend, Keth took a deep breath and dropped down to one knee. As Éira looked at him in surprise, Keth said, "Éira, I want to marry you."

In case I die, Keth thought, terrified by the thought of losing Éira and being permanently trapped in his story, since he was a fictional character and Éira was from another world.

He withdrew a small dark blue box, revealing a ring. Instead of diamond, the gemstone was color-shifting alexandrite. Purple roses spiraled in multifaceted sparkles, the ring an opalescent mirrored silver in an elegant design.

"Will you marry me, Éira Blask?"

Éira was speechless, absolutely stunned. She didn't move, remaining frozen in place, unable to believe this was actually happening to her. She wondered if perhaps this was a dream. But the rose scent was real, and Éira knew this was not a dream; this was reality.

Keth became concerned. "Éira, I'm sorry this is so sudden. Please forgive me. I know this is rather impulsive of me, but I do love you. I know you've been deceived and mistreated by former exes in your past, but I will never hurt you. I won't abandon you, nor will I ever let you down. I want to marry you. Will you marry me? Éira? Irina? Please answer me."

"Yes," Éira responded, finally finding her voice. "Yes, I will marry you, Keth." She held Keth in a hug, the warm familiar, physical feel of him further proof that this was real, not a dream. She smiled and kissed him, feeling like she was finally home, with the deep connection and belonging she always wanted to feel with a man.

"If I may, I would still like to have my sword and trench coat at our wedding," said Keth, feeling relieved she said yes.

Éira smiled happily. "You certainly may. I would really like that." Then she remembered the impending portal situation and said, "But we need to get you into another story first. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me," Keth promised, holding Éira in a strong embrace.

"You're right," said Éira, looking up at Keth. "My stories will always be with me."

"And I am your story come to life," said Keth, kissing Éira.

Demian and Mallen approached Keth and Éira, expressing their congratulations on the engaged couple. Pearl skittered around the men and brushed against Éira's heels, wanting to be picked up. Éira smiled when Keth picked up Pearl, snuggling her against his chest. Pearl went inside his trench coat pocket, enjoying how dark and warm it was. Keth moved her to the inside coat pocket so she could be closer to his chest.

"Time to go," said Tren, appearing at the door.

Keth, Éira, Demian, and Mallen followed Tren out of the Mirror Castle library.

There was a crowd of characters surrounding Tren's ship. Tren's parents Suduko and Mirella, his siblings Teal and Istria, Iressa's parents Nend and Aryle, and her siblings Yasmine, Sulir, Isaro, and Idare, were already on the ship. Raistin, Iro, Crimson, Mara, Iressa, Pitch, Meteoryte, and Amari were hugging Raistin's wife Tereza and Iro's wife Antha, the women who decided to stay in the main realm.

"You're heading for The Iredescent; you'll meet me there anyway," Tereza said to Raistin, fastening an endearing smile on him. "I will be seeing you soon."

Antha twirled in Iro's arms, enjoying a dance with her husband. She kissed him passionately, saying, "I'll see you soon, my love. We will meet again."

Crimson remained close to Iressa, his eyes scanning for Tren. His face instantly became that of relief when he saw him. "Good, you're here." Turning to Pitch, Crimson said, "My firelight, protect Tren and Iressa for me. I will be back shortly."

Crimson went to Éira, holding a bundle in his arms. "Éira, a new dress for you. Mallen, Cydtin, and I designed it."

Éira appreciatively hugged Crimson and thanked him. Éira then went inside a Mirror Castle bedroom to change clothes.

Éira emerged from the castle in a new dress, a royal blue dress that reached to her ankles. dress was long sleeved and of a much simpler design compared to the more elaborate dresses, but Éira loved it and how shimmery it was, the material like silk.

Her shoes were stylish black boots designed by Mallen, with glittery opal roses and a purple ribbon cascading down the heel. The

Her super long, straight black hair was adorned with a simple jeweled royal blue headband. Her purple wings spread out in a glimmer of sparkles, her eyes full of appreciation for the new dress.

"Why blue?" Iressa asked, knowing purple was Éira's favorite color.

"Because it brings out her blue eyes," Crimson answered, the expert on style and fashion.

"Plus it's my favorite color," said Cydtin, to which Tren said, "Mine too."

"But she has purple eyes now," Iressa stated, making Crimson realize.

Stunned silence followed before Crimson waved a hand, using his abilities to change the color of the dress from blue to purple. He smirked, saying, "Now it will bring out her purple eyes and match them correctly."

After all the goodbyes and farewells, the wishes and good lucks, Crimson went to pilot Tren's ship, insisting on being the one to lead them out of the portal and into the prequel story The Iredescent.

Demian took a deep breath as the Glimmer Ride began to ascend. The characters stood near the futuristic style ship entrance for one last glance of planet Iredescent.

Keth was holding Éira's hand as he looked at the Silent Whisper, trusting Cydtin to look after his ship, since he was one of the characters staying in the main realm. Tren's ship was well stocked with tea blends and desserts, along with good food and drinks.

Tori approached Demian, her sexy black heels clack-clacking as she sauntered over to him. Tori was wearing a black leather jacket over a fancy white shirt and black skirt with a thin red belt. She placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "I'm so glad I finally got to be on planet Iredescent. Hopefully I can stay when we enter the prequel story."

"Must be quite the thrilling experience, going from one prequel story to another," Mallen commented, joining them at the ship entrance.

The Tristanle and Nyssi families were safe inside the ship, huddled near the windows. Keth, Éira, Demian, Tori, Mallen, Iressa, Tren, and Iro stood near the ship entrance. Crimson was the pilot, focused on making sure it was a successful voyage. Raistin stood beside Crimson, keeping a careful watch as well.

Everyone held their breath as Tren's ship neared the portal. Valiant and Mutig landed on Crimson's shoulders as he kept a solid course, going full speed. Crimson shut the ship entrance door and locked it in place, requesting for anyone to remain inside the ship. Everyone went towards the windows, watching in anticipation as the ship proceeded to near the glowing portal.

Éira held her hedgehog Pearl in a royal purple shawl. Keth pulled Éira close, holding her against his chest. He stared intently at the portal, willing it to remain steady.

Éira's silvery ruby necklace lit up at the same moment Tren's ship passed through the portal, leaving the main realm.

A bright light shone, the bridge between fantasy and reality appearing as a vast open area of outer space, with several portals leading to different stories. The portals were oval shaped with the names of each story above them. Each portal was of a different color based on the story.

The stories in the Iredescent series appeared in chronological order, starting with the origin of the Phoenix before the events of the Black Rose arc prior to the events in the Crimson arc.

⚙️ The Ileín ⚙️
🏰 The Immortal 🏰
🔥 The Iredescent 🔥
⚔️ The Illusionist ⚔️
🪽 The Irangel 🪽
🌹The Unshadowed 🌹
💎 The Unprevailant 💎
🐦‍⬛ The Undeterred 🐦‍⬛
💫 The Unfound 💫
🪐 The Undestroyed 🪐
❤️ The Unscathed 💖

Above them was a wider oval portal leading to the Real world. It glowed blue and green, giving the appearance of planet Earth.

"So far so good," Raistin said as Crimson navigated Tren's ship in direction of the prequel story The Iredescent, a light purple portal with orange flame-like effects around it.

Keth stared at the portal beside it, the color-shifting muted purple and sage green portal that led to his prequel story The Illusionist. His grip tightened, Éira's back pressed close to his chest.

Pearl peeked out of the shawl, sniffing her nose in the air as she looked around curiously. Upon hearing a loud cracking sound, Pearl hid underneath the shawl, digging into the soft cotton material.

"Spoke too soon," Raistin murmured as the portal to the main realm buckled, flickering rapidly as it finally began to collapse.

"Swirling galaxies!" Tren exclaimed as he lost balance on the ship, which rocked from side to side from impact with a release of energy that suddenly lashed out from the portal. "Crimson!"

"The portal is collapsing!" Crimson shouted. He took several slow deep breaths to try to ease the panic that overtook him. Energy waves kept spiraling out from the released energy, traveling through outer space like waves from an earthquake, with the portal as its epicenter.

Iro attempted to shield the ship, but the energy waves kept disintegrating them. Valiant and Mutig flew around the ship's interior, cawing in fear and nervousness. Raistin's voice was unusually shrill as he tried unsuccessfully to keep a telekinetic hold on the ship, which kept shaking and rocking from wave impact.

Mallen and Tori fell against each other as the wave knocked them off balance, making them fall. Mallen felt uncomfortable when the beautiful blonde irangel landed on him in a rather suggestive position, much so that he was able to feel her pushup bra through her shirt. Tori lifted herself from Mallen, too stunned to feel embarrassed.

It's not like she wanted to land on me like that, Mallen thought, his face turning red.

Keth shut his eyes and kept holding Éira as close as possible, refusing to let go in fear they might get separated.

Demian was assaulted with the panicked, nervous, terrified, petrified, scared thoughts going through everyone's mind, so much that he got on his knees, his hands on his head as if trying to shut out the thoughts, but he was a telepath and was unable to shut them out.

Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, that even a powerful irangel like Demian was unable to quell the chaos, their creator Éira was held captive in Keth's arms, and everyone was freaking out, even Crimson who was usually so calm and collected, Iressa endeavored to do something incredibly ridiculous, something that seemed impossible, but just might become possible.

Despite Crimson's protests, Iressa opened the ship entrance door and released a tsunami of glitter to counteract with the continuous energy waves. Iro gasped when he saw Iressa at the ship entrance door. Tren called out for Iressa. Crimson released a red firewall to shield Iressa and protect her, but Raistin dispelled it, his face incredulous as he pointed at the portal and said, "Look, it's working!"

Like glue, Iressa's glitter managed to hold the portal together, keeping it steady and in place. The energy waves ceased, enabling the ship to stop rocking from side to side. Iro held out a hand to Demian, helping him to stand up. Raistin took the helm, allowing Crimson to mentally recover. Tren stood next to Crimson, looking in astonishment at the glittered portal.

Per Éira's request, Keth reluctantly relinquished his hold on her, taking Pearl in his arms, as Éira walked over to the ship entrance, standing next to Iressa.

"Awesome work," Éira told Iressa, amazed by her glitter ability. "Very impressive."

"Should be smooth sailing now," said Raistin, turning the ship towards The Iredescent.

As everyone began to relax, Crimson stood with his hand on the ship wall, ready to shut the ship entrance soon as Éira and Iressa were to step away. Keth went over to Raistin, standing near him as Mutig came to rest on Keth's shoulder.

"That was one glam of a ride! I do not want to be rocked like that again!"

"Rock-a-bye crow, on the ship deck," Valiant sang mockingly, presenting a rather unskilled rendition of the lullaby. "When the stars glow, the night sky will shine."

Mutig gave him a scornful look. "Your singing sucks," he told him flatly.

"I'd have to agree," Mallen admitted, wincing from Valiant's awful singing. "Sounds like a mournful, dying whale."

Valiant was shocked, but he kept his beak shut and didn't say anything else. He made a mental note to ask Crimson and Raistin for singing lessons; Phoenixes were known to be amazing singers, with Raistin's voice often described as the voice of an angel.

Keth handed Pearl to Éira, since Pearl was getting restless and wanted to go back to her home. Éira lovingly held Pearl, holding the hedgehog up to her face as she began to walk away from the ship entrance and towards the rooms.

A loose quill fell from the purple shawl, unnoticed since it was so small. It dropped on the hard floor, settling there for a moment, before Tren's shoe pushed it as he was walking past Éira on his way to Iressa, inadvertently moving the quill closer to the ship entrance.

As Tren and Iressa began walking away from the ship entrance, Crimson waited until they were a safe distance away before he proceeded to shut the entrance. As it slid upward, the quill slipped out of the entrance, falling into outer space. The release of air caused by the entrance shutting forced the quill towards the main realm portal, floating in its direction.

Tren's ship was several distances away from The Iredescent. The hedgehog quill continued to float directly towards the main realm portal, unseen by the passengers.

Just when everyone thought they were in the clear and no longer in danger, Pearl's loose hedgehog quill came into direct contact with the main realm portal, the sharp quill poking it softly. Iressa's glitter instantly evaporated, the glue undone, the portal shattering as it collapsed entirely.

Everyone paused at the sound of the awful shattering, a sound similar to that of a frozen waterfall finally breaking and releasing a tremendous amount of water. Because the portal finally collapsed, it would release a tremendous amount of energy.

It's over. We're done for, Demian thought, feeling like it was doomsday as he faced the incoming wave, helpless to stop it. Even if he summoned the Black Rose's power, the drawn power wouldn't arrive in time, since the energy wave would hit them too fast. It was only a matter of seconds before it would hit the ship, damaging it beyond repair.

"No!" Iro yelled, Raistin halting as he turned to glance at the window in shock. Iro attempted to firewall the ship, but the energy wave disintegrated the firewall, too powerful even for a Phoenix to counter.

Feeling the need to personally protect a small creature from harm, Valiant seized the shawl bundle from Éira's arms, grasping it firmly in his claws, just as Mutig involuntarily slammed into him.

Crimson, Tren, and Iressa were thrown off balance, Iressa falling into Demian. Crimson and Tren were knocked into Keth and Éira.

"Éira!" Keth exclaimed, seizing her in a protective hug.

Éira enjoyed the feel of a man's arms around her. However, it felt almost constant that she was restrained in such a way and at random times. Perhaps in retaliation, I should kiss him as many times as he holds me.

Crimson, Tren, and Mallen held onto Éira as though she was a life jacket in the midst of a sea of chaos. Understanding why the men seemed to be clinging to Éira, assuming they would be safest with their creator, Raistin set about trying to salvage what was left of Tren's ship, to no avail.

Pieces of the shipwreck floated into outer space, dividing the characters and sending them towards various portals, effectively trapping them in different stories.

Because they were within the place between fantasy and reality, a place that looked and felt like outer space, the outer space didn't affect them as it would in real life, and so it didn't kill them as they were forced off the ship, the Glimmer Ride splintering into pieces after the energy wave hit.

Keth, Éira, Crimson, Tren, and Mallen were thrown out of the ship, launched directly into The Undeterred. The portal shimmered dark purple and black, sealing shut with an iridescent film soon as they entered the story. They landed on the floor in Crimson's spacious bedroom at Mirror Castle, since The Undeterred ended with Crimson's creation of the Iredescent AI called the Glitterati.

Demian, Iressa, Pitch, and Meteoryte were trapped in The Unshadowed, entering the forest green portal that sealed with the same iridescent film as The Undeterred. They appeared in the sparkling night sky and landed right beside the Black Rose as she stood on the balcony of Mirror Castle. The Black Rose recognized Demian, but Valerie had no idea who Iressa, Pitch, and Meteoryte were.

Amari was alone, trapped in The Unfound. Amari entered the royal purple and blue portal, surprised she ended up in Tren's spaceship. Amari cautiously looked around, wondering where the ship was heading, unaware The Unfound ended when Tren and Crimson finally went to planet Earth in search of Iressa, the stolen princess of Iredescent.

So strange to see the same ship, wrecked and unwrecked, Amari thought, hoping she wasn't in for another shipwreck. What a surreal experience.

Mara and Tori were trapped in The Illusionist. They looked around the interior of the ship they landed on, unsure where they were going.

"Did you read this book yet?" Tori asked Mara, who responded, "Not yet, why?"

"I only read a few chapters, since that was all Éira wrote so far. Not sure what's the ending, but I think we'll need to prepare to get captured by Mijishian pirates," said Tori, tying her long blonde hair in a ponytail.

"No wait," Mara said as she recognized the ship. "This is Keth's ship, the Silent Whisper. So this story starts and ends with his ship."

"But who is the pilot?" Tori asked, her voice becoming serious. "Keth said he dies in this story."

"Vengimi Carven," Mara remembered as several chapters from The Unprevailant provided clarity to the outcome of The Illusionist. "He keeps Keth's ship after his death. He does eventually find his son and reunites with him on planet Iredescent."

"That is really good news," Tori said in relief. "I'm glad this story has a happy ending."

Iro ended up in The Irangel, with Éira's necklace in his hand. He got up from the floor, alarmed by the sight of blood on the floor.

It's not my own blood, Iro realized upon looking at the shimmery purple blood. Iro looked around, surprised to see a human Demian as he walked inside the glass building they were in. This is before he became an irangel, Iro realized. He glanced at Éira's necklace, which shimmered like a beacon, giving Iro hope for his new situation.

Valiant and Mutig were screaming as they entered the portal to The Immortal, Valiant cawing hysterically and Mutig cawing fearfully, feeling as though they were on a wild roller coaster ride. An unconcerned, completely dauntless Pearl peeked out of the shawl, thinking what an awesome adventure this was.

The crows landed inside a spaceship, Pearl safe amid the shawl as she fell on top of Mutig. Valiant looked around, wondering why they were inside a spaceship instead of on green grass, when he remembered that The Immortal ended when Mallen's ship was on its way to planet Iredescent.

That means we're heading for planet Iredescent, Valiant thought, feeling relieved. The Undeterred is the story that happens right after The Immortal. Valiant shows up for the first time in The Undeterred.

Pearl stepped out of the shawl and began running, excitedly exploring the new spaceship she was in, which was Mallen's ship. Alarmed, Mutig flew after Pearl, the responsible crow keeping a watchful eye as he babysat the adventurous hedgehog. Valiant remained at the window, silently awaiting the sight of planet Iredescent.

Raistin was the only one who made it to The Iredescent. He landed directly beside Tereza, since the story ended when Raistin and his family moved to planet Iredescent.

Happy to see his wife again, Raistin held Tereza in a hug, kissing her passionately as the sunset embraced them in warmth.

A young ten year old Iro stood beside them, already used to his parents' display of affection, since they showed it often. He held their hands, Raistin holding Iro's right hand and Tereza holding Iro's left hand. The family looked out the ship window to see a beautiful view of Japan while the ship continued to lift off into outer space. The lovely scent of scones and tulips wafted throughout the ship's interior, further adding to their delight.

Tren's parents Suduko and Mirella, Iressa's parents Nend and Aryle, Tren's siblings Teal and Istria, and the Nyssi children, were sent to the Real world. They landed outside Éira's apartment, startled to be on planet Earth.

Nend felt something poke him. He reached into his back pocket, glad to see it was Éira's apartment key.

Hopefully her fridge is stocked with food, Suduko thought, unaware he was in for a disappointment since Éira's fridge was nearly empty, containing only pomegranate juice, a carton of eggs, butter, and some leftover soup. The freezer had frozen berries and some salmon, but no ice cream.

Not even tiramisu, Suduko thought sadly as he closed the fridge. He glanced at the family, wondering how they would all fit in the single home apartment. It had two bedrooms, but one of the bedrooms was used as an office to work in.

Meanwhile Éira opened her eyes, revealing sparkling purple irises. Éira was pressed hard against Keth's chest, his strong arms around her. Nearby, Tren was trying to free himself from Crimson, who held his cousin in a similar embrace to protect him.

Mallen was deathly silent, realizing the horrible truth as he stood gazing at his surroundings. Since he read all the books in the Iredescent series and was very well familiar with them, Mallen instantly recognized what story they entered.

Mallen worriedly turned to Éira as she disengaged from Keth's embrace and stood up, smoothing out her hair and dress. The headband was long gone, having disappeared into another portal.

Mallen's petrified voice sounded small as he pleaded, "Éira Blask." He felt a change come over him, filling him with fear as he realized what was happening.

Mallen grasped Éira's hand in panic as he literally began turning into black alphabet letters, in both the English and Romanian languages, his body disappearing into a jumble of letters.

Éira gasped, startled by the terrifying sight. She firmly held Mallen's hand, but it disappeared into the form of letters, falling atop where his body was. When Éira hesitantly touched the letters, they turned into ink, indicating the fictional character was gone for good and could never be brought back to life, only existing within story pages. It was then that Éira knew Mallen permanently died. His death was final.

Keth was traumatized from seeing what had happened to Mallen. So that's how we die: by turning into alphabet letters made of ink, Keth thought, feeling tears spring to his eyes.

Mallen had become somewhat of a friend to Keth, a trusted character and comrade. He didn't know him that well, having personally met Mallen only once during a flashback in The Illusionist, not meeting again until The Unfolded. But seeing a fictional character die in such a way....

Éira began crying, upset over the loss of her character. Crimson was the one who held her this time, holding Éira close as she cried. He closed his eyes as tears fell from his own eyes, tearfully mourning the loss of a good friend.

Tren was silent, not knowing what to do. He felt tears mist his eyes as he remembered a few scenes from The Undeterred, of his own interactions with Mallen. It had been somewhat strange meeting him both as a teenager and an adult.

Crimson and Tren were teenagers in The Undeterred, the last book of the Black Rose arc. Though Crimson was close with the Black Rose and shared an aunt/nephew like relationship with her, he was also close to Mallen due to his fashion design apprenticeship with him.

But Éira was the one who created all her characters, knowing each one so that to Éira, they were like real people. Therefore, Éira felt the most loss, then Crimson, then Tren, then Keth.

After a time of mourning, Crimson slowly pulled away from Éira. "We need to move on. There are people who need us."

"Iressa," Tren said, hoping she made it in a safe story. "And my son Meteoryte."

"All your other characters," said Keth, speaking to Éira.

"So what now?" said Tren. "They're out there somewhere and we need to find them."

"Perhaps this is your Iredescent ability," Crimson mused, pondering over something. He used his Iredescent ability to materialize and place a vase underneath Mallen's body comprised entirely of ink, the ink pouring into the vase and thus providing a makeshift inkwell. He moved the inkwell right next to his desk, his drawing papers neatly organized atop his desk, the papers that he used for his fashion design.

"Éira, we'll need you to write using an Iredescent hedgehog quill and Mallen's ink. Since it was an Earth hedgehog quill that brought about this mess, an Iredescent hedgehog quill will bring the way out of this mess. We already have the materials: my desk and chair, my drawing paper you can use to write on, Iriza's quill, and Mallen's ink."

"You keep a hedgehog quill on your desk?" Tren asked Crimson, then he remembered the sparkliest Iredescent hedgehog Iriza sometimes visited Crimson.

Keth was astounded. "Are you serious?!"

"What! No way I'm doing that," said Éira, shocked Crimson would suggest such a morbid thing. "That's like writing in someone's blood...."

"Don't let Mallen's death be in vain," Crimson said sternly. "He would've wanted you to use his blood in such a way."

"It's not blood though, it's ink," Tren stated.

"Like that makes it any better," Keth murmured.

Éira was very hesitant, not feeling up to the task. Crimson placed his hands on her shoulders, levelling his eyes at her.

"Éira, we have no way of knowing if the others made it safely. Comects don't work for some reason, and there is no way of reaching your other characters. You need to write, Éira. It is the only way out of this mess. Towards something better. You don't want to be stuck in this story forever, do you?"

Éira sighed, knowing Crimson was right. Éira sat down at Crimson's desk, picked up the hedgehog quill, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

The men left her alone, giving her space and time to write. Crimson asked if she wanted anything to eat or drink, but Éira politely declined, too shaken up. Keth wanted to try to comfort her, but Tren shook his head and pulled Keth to the side.

"Let her write," Tren said quietly. "I believe what Crimson believes in regards to Éira's Iredescent ability to bring fiction to life via her writing."

As Keth listened, Tren continued, "I know you have no personal attachments besides Éira, and your soldier friend Vengimi. It is different for you. But I have a wife and son. Crimson has a family. We need to make sure they are safe. We don't know which story they ended up in. Éira is the only way we can learn what happened to them. You would feel the urgency if you were to be separated from Éira."

"You're right," Keth said in understanding. "What exactly is Éira writing?"

"Our way out," Tren said at the same time Crimson said, "Our solution."

"And it starts with two words," Keth said, glancing at Éira as she continued to write.

So strange writing the old-fashioned way, rather than on a computer or laptop, or a notebook, Éira thought as she used the sparkly hedgehog quill and Mallen's ink to write. The words lined up nicely on the page, forming in her neat cursive handwriting.

Crimson, Tren, and Keth were seated on Crimson's bed, looking like a boy band, dressed stylishly and ready to rock and glitter.

At last, Éira completed her writing and signed off with the two words: The End.

Immediately, there was a rumbling sound in the distance, a tear in the fabric of space. The two worlds, fantasy and reality, began to merge, bridged by an unseen place that appeared in the form of outer space, since Iredescent was a sci-fi fantasy world.

A glowing purple and gold light shimmered magically around the paper Éira was writing on. The paper levitated, lifting on its own, startling the men and writer as it breezed by them and flew out the balcony window. They went to look outside, astonished when the paper increased in size, forming a sort of magic carpet or ramp made of paper with the edges turned upwards.

The extended giant paper moved towards the balcony window just as a portal appeared distances away, a glowing blue with multicolor sparkles and the same magical glow as the paper.

Éira cautiously stepped forward, realizing this was the way out, the solution to their predicament. The paper glowed brighter, as if beckoning Éira and her characters to come aboard. Éira turned to her characters, extending a hand to them as if inviting them to come with her.

Feeling like he should go first, Crimson took Éira's hand, walking forward in front of Keth. He gently moved Éira aside and stepped onto the paper, which felt solid like a floor. He motioned for Tren, who cautiously stepped beside Crimson. Éira went last, Keth taking hold of Éira's hand as she stepped onto the paper.

With everyone on board, the paper shimmered before taking off towards the portal. Éira directly faced the swirling structure, Crimson placing a red firewall around the paper for extra protection, as Tren and Keth took a last glance at Mirror Castle from The Undeterred story.

Crimson, Tren, Keth, and Éira braced themselves as they entered the portal, leaving the story and heading towards the place merged as the bridge between fantasy and reality, the alternate world called Realisia.

And so, this story ends with two words:

The End

________________

Music:

"Reminisce"
by INTRELOCK

"Across the Ocean"
by A Million in Vermillion

«Улетаешь» by Katusha Svoboda
(means Flying in Russian)

"Reality Bites (Sebastian Krieg Remix)"
by Matt Darey feat. Sir Adrian

"My Eyes (HIGHSOCIETY Remix)"
by The Anix

"Take My Future"
by The Anix

"Crush Me"
by Go Periscope

"Breathe"
by Coldrain

"Bleed"
by Aysyne

"Multiverse"
by Bastet

"Hyperion" and "Empyrean"
by Celldweller

"Prince Caspian (Hybrid Remix)"
by Harry Gregson-Williams

"Mystified"
by James Dooley

"Mirror Mirror"
by INTRELOCK

________________

✨ What started off as a Christmas special turned into an ongoing sci-fi adventure series, it seems. I'm just so happy to have my characters back, from both arcs. Iressa will be a more predominant character in the next special story, probably in summer or fall. Already have an idea for the story triquel, but I gotta stop going off tangent and I need to finish my arc stories first. Getting way too caught in this.

✨ As for Tren's question of which is my favorite story, and of which arc. Every single story in the Iredescent series holds a special place in my heart, for they are like pieces of me, scattered and formed into the characters of my Iredescent world. Some characters are more like me than other characters. Some characters only share certain characteristics while others are exactly like me. Favorite characters usually occur when they are either: a person that inspires me, are mostly like me or entirely like me, or they are my dream men, or they help me get through some of my darkest times.

✨In addition, Valiant and Mutig and Pearl are officially main characters that will show up in every special story from now on.

Sparkle on!
~ Éira Blask