Author's note: Hello, dreamers! This is it. The final chapter in book 1! It's been a roller coaster of a year, and I can't believe I'm finally here! So, this chapter will be extra long, with the second half of the battle first, second is something I don't want to reveal until it happens, and third is the final scene with everyone together. I also will be posting an epilogue after this, teasing the plot and main topic of the next book. So, without further ado, enjoy!
Tracklist for this chapter: (Three of them are Lilith's songs when she sings on stage.)
1. I Miss You -End Credits Verison - Tom and Jerry the Movie
2. Mainichi ga Brand New Day - fushigiboshi no futagohime (Just the melody)
3. Here Beside Me -Mulan 2
4. Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure - Mother's Lullaby (When Lilith reunites with Dire's spirit)
Disclaimer! Any of the characters, ideas, locations, or stories that aren't my OCs or part of my personal ideas aren't mine and I do not claim to own them.
No new characters this time.
Lilith was walking towards Dio, fury in her face. She had never thought about revenge before in her life. Not until Dire was cruelly stolen from her.
Now she needed it.
Cadenza didn't know what to do. She ran towards Lilith. "Lilith, Dio wants you dead, too! PLEASE don't do this!
Lilith stopped in her tracks and stared at Cadenza. "When he died, didn't you want revenge?"
Lilith's words felt like a sword through Cadenza's heart. "W-who are you talking about?"
"In the original timeline. After the battle at the end of 2014, when Esperanza was replaced, you became queen. You wanted revenge when the one you loved was taken from you, just as I do!" Lilith said.
"I-I just don't want to see you die, too!" Cadenza said.
"If I die, at least it won't be in vain," Lilith said, before going to face Dio.
"Do you really think you can defeat me? By all means, go ahead and try!" Dio said.
At that moment, Lilith started doubting what she was doing. She was terrified. If Dio could take down a big warrior like Dire, surely he would be able to dispatch Lilith no problem!
But Lilith wasn't a fragile maiden.
She had power. Coletta, Cadenza, Lilith, and the others probably had more power than Lilith would ever have, but she wasn't thinking about that right now.
She was thinking about Dire.
How desperate he looked when he shielded her.
The pain-stricken expression on his face when he took the knife.
How he sacrificed his life, his future, everything, just for Lilith.
How he died in her arms.
And here was the evil man who made all of that happen, standing before her.
Lilith lost all reasoning. She sent a burst of ice magic towards Dio, ready to give him the fate he originally had planned for Dire.
Dio's body began to freeze, and he realized what Lilith was doing. He tried to break free from the ice, but this ice was different. Frosterian ice is the coldest and most powerful of all.
Dio couldn't move. Lilith was advancing towards him, ready to go in for the kill. "Let me go! You can't do this! I will not be defeated by the likes of you!" Dio shouted, enraged. Lilith froze his head, so he would never see or talk again.
After freezing him, Lilith transformed into her new form- Ice Dragon. She blasted Dio with her newfound powers and shattered him into millions of tiny shards of ice.
He was gone.
After the deed was done, Lilith collapsed next to Dire. She cried, this time harder than last. She was paralyzed with sorrow. It felt like she was sinking. It felt like quicksand was pulling her under, drowning her.
She remembers the ring. Tears in her eyes, she stared at it, then at Dire. "G-goodbye, my love... I'll restore and rule Frosteria for you. I promise I'll try to find your sister. I promise."
Lilith blew Dire one last kiss, then stood up, and addressed the Nightdreamer army. "Dio is dead, and Megan and the queen are in Fallingstar. The Nightdreamer army is losing."
The Nightdreamers realized they were defeated, and set down their weapons.
Meanwhile, back in Fallingstar, Lily was still trying to talk sense into Megan. "Please, come back with us!" Lily said.
"NEVER!" Megan prepared to fire a blast of magic at Lily, but the two of them disappeared back to Haventown.
When Megan saw what had happened, she flipped out. "WHAT? WHY HAS THE NIGHTDREAMER ARMY SURRENDERED?" Megan shouted.
One of the Nightdreamers spoke up. "Because we were given the command of a queen." He was referring to Lilith.
"I AM A QUEEN! Since my dear mother sealed herself away within my gem, I'm the queen!" Megan shouted.
Another soldier spoke up. "You weren't here, so Queen Lilith was the only one around."
"But where's Dio?" Megan asked.
Lilith approached Megan. "He killed my Dire. I did what I had to do."
Oh, no... Please, not this... Lily could feel tears welling up in her eyes...
"Y-you killed my brother..." Megan's cold exterior was coming apart.
The same thing... The same thing happened with Lucas... A hero killed him. For the first time, Lily felt truly bad for Megan.
Megan looked down. "Both my mother and brother are gone..." This wasn't good... Any child, even an evil one, needed someone to take care of them...
The Nightdreamer version of Randall Boggs spoke up. "We'll take care of you!" All of the Nightdreamers raised a cheer.
Aurora was shocked. even if the Nightdreamers were, 'the bad guys,' they still cared about their princess...
"Thank you, everyone..." Megan said, a tear in her eye. "Everyone, I have an announcement to make." The Nightdreamers stood in the presence of Megan. "My new mission is to avenge my brother's death, and bring my mother back."
"That's MY task, also!" Lily yelled, trying to get Megan to understand the two of them were the same. "When Lucas was killed by a hero, I secretly hated heroes for a time. Now that I've gotten to know them, I love them!" She pointed at Megan. "If you'd only come with us, and make friends!" Lily said.
Megan wasn't convinced. "When Scott Pilgrim killed Lucas Lee, did you want to befriend him?"
Lily shook her head.
"Then why would I want to make friends with Lilith? He killed my brother." Megan said.
"Megan, please, you have to listen to me! We should be forgiving one another!" Lily said.
Megan was done. She sent a ball of energy towards Lily, but Lily sent one, too. The two of them played beam-O-war, but Lily was losing.
"Please, everyone! I need your help!" Lily said.
Everyone came to her aid. Mike, Sully, The Muppets, The Winx, The Gang of Five, and everyone else Lily had met channeled their powers into her. Even the purified versions of the villains joined in. Megan was losing. Before the beam could hit her, she quickly teleported her and the other Nightdreamers away, back to the Nightdreamer's lair.
Megan's disembodied voice said, "You haven't seen the last of me! I'll have my revenge!" Before the voice faded.
The battle was over. Even though the Nightdreamers would return someday, peace had returned to Haventown, and the sun came out.
"We did it..." Lily said.
"And it was all thanks to you!" Coletta said.
"No, it wasn't. It was all of you. I would never have been able to push Megan's beam back if you hadn't lent me your powers." Lily said.
"Even though Morgana is gone, Megan's still around. We don't want to hurt her, we need to find a way to take her powers, and convince her to join us." Aurora said. She smiled. But for now, we can rest easy.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
"But we have one more thing to do," Coletta said. She took Lily's hand.
All of the Daydreamers traveled with them. They were headed to the Mountains of Beginnings and Endings, to place the Heart where it belonged, and speak to the Author.
They got to the top and saw the pedestal where the Heart belonged.
Coletta handed Lily the Heart. "You should place it. You're the heir."
Lily shook her head. "You're the first incarnation. You're more worthy of placing it."
Cadenza chimed in. "Since we're all incarnations, the three of us should do it together." The three of them held the Heart and placed it upon the pedestal.
All of a sudden, the Heart began emitting intense, pink light. The area around glowed every shade of pink imaginable. Suddenly, a disembodied voice spoke.
You've come far, Daydreamers.
"Author? Is that you?" Lily asked, in awe.
Yes. I am your Author. I control you. I choose what happens to you.
"Author... Please tell me... Why did you let Dire die? Why did you let Dio kill him? If you control everything, you should've made Dire live." Lily asked.
Because a story wouldn't exist without conflict. I killed Dire to build Lilith's character.
"Why did you kill Lucas?" This is what Lily really didn't understand.
Lucas's death was out of my control. He was Fictonian, so that means a different Great Author was in control of what happened to him.
Lily didn't know what to say to that. Then she remembered. "My wish. The wish I made at the river... Author, will it come true? If it does, when?" Lily asked.
Your wish will come true, in the future. Good things will come to those who wait. Even if you have to wait years, you will be reunited.
Knowing she would see Lucas again was reassurance enough. "Ok. Thank you." Lily said.
The Author spoke again. You have learned valuable lessons on this journey. First, you learned that monsters aren't as bad as they might seem, next, you learned how villains can become friends with heroes. Next, you learned about the importance of teamwork, then, watching the tragedy of Dire and Lilith unfold, you learned about sacrifice. Dire and Lilith were willing to sacrifice one another's lives just to protect each other. But most importantly, you learned about new beginnings. Lily, every hero you came across was able to start over anew.
"Thank you, Author," Lily said. "But, why is your home called the 'Mountain of Beginnings and Endings?" Lily had been curious about this since she was younger.
My home is called the Mountain of Beginnings because at the beginning of every adventure you go on after this, I will give you your task, and at the ending, I will tell you about the lesson you learned. Now it is time for me to go. I will see you later. But before I leave, I have one more gift.
Coletta felt strange, like at that moment, she could feel time moving.
"My immortality... It's gone..." Tears began streaming down Coletta's face. "THANK YOU! Now I never have to worry about being left behind ever again!" Coletta shouted.
Since the Author created you as a mature woman, you have started aging. You have the body of a twenty-nine-year-old, but the mind of an antiemetic being. You are mortal just like your friends. When you find Esperanza, her immortality will be taken, also. Cadenza, it will be your turn when it comes time for your arc to start.
"Thank you..." Coletta bowed before the Author, even though she couldn't see her.
You're welcome. I will see you later. The Author's voice completely faded.
"I think we should head back home," Lily said.
So they did. There was some cleaning up to be done after the battle, but other than that, everything was ok.
One month later...
December 24th, 2012
It was Christmas Eve, and everyone was celebrating one month since Megan's defeat. Carols were being sung, presents were being wrapped, Christmas dinner was being prepared, and the mood was festive and wonderful.
Lilith was feeling a little bit better but still wished she could spend her first Christmas in the Mansion of Lucidity with Dire.
"Cadenza, could I talk to you about something?
"Sure." Cadenza said. "I'm wrapping gifts right now, so could you turn away, just in case you see one of yours?" Cadenza asked.
"Alright." Lilith giggled and turned away. "Before we went to The Muppets' world, you had that terrible vision. You saw someone sacrifice themself to save me. Do you think you got Walter's name wrong since it was one of your first visions? I think Dire was the one you saw dying." Lilith said.
"I think you're right. Since the incident a month ago, I've been thinking about that." Cadenza said.
Lilith sighed. "I can't believe he's gone..."
"Don't cry, Lilith." Cadenza covered up the gifts she had yet to wrap and walked over to Lilith. "Remember what he said? You'll meet him again someday."
"I know, but I don't when that'll be!" Lilith said.
"You never know. But until then, you can sing about him. In the original timeline, after I lost my love, I would always sing songs that reminded me about him. Singing sad songs would help me let my tears out, and would make me feel better." Cadenza said.
"What should I sing?" Lilith asked.
"Anything you want. Oh, I have a personal suggestion." Cadenza whispered into Lilith's ear.
"I know that song! It's from one of the Author's childhood movies!" Lilith said.
"Yeah. You can sing either version of the song, but I like the end credit version the best!" Cadenza said.
"Thank you. You're a good friend." Lilith said, before leaving.
Christmas at the Mansion of Lucidity is the biggest event of the year, so a big stage was set up, and everyone was singing Christmas music of all kinds. Rosie was the head of the Christmas carol department, so Lilith had to ask her if it was ok to sing a non-Christmas song.
"Normally I wouldn't let you, but since you're singing about something important, you're allowed. Each group is allowed a max of three songs each, so just write them down here." Rosie handed Lilith a clipboard.
"You're all set!" Rosie said.
Lilith went backstage to prepare. She looked at herself in the mirror and said to herself. "You can do this. Wait a minute, can you?" Lilith ran took a peek at the audience. "No, Lilith, you can't do this! What were you thinking?" Lilith said.
Cadenza heard Lilith doubting herself. "You know, I was just like this when I first sang in front of a live audience. I remember like it was yesterday. I was supposed to sing Tomorrow from Annie. I was so nervous, that I tried to hide and hope my understudy would go on instead of me. I decided to go on, of course, after one of my friends reassured me." Cadenza said. "You're not me. You don't have anything to be afraid of. Don't think about the audience, just think about Dire." Cadenza's words were very reassuring.
"O-Ok." Lilith took a deep breath. "Thanks, Dennie. I can do this." Lilith finished getting ready and went out onstage.
"Hi, everyone. I'm not singing any Christmas music tonight, but instead, my three songs will be about my love, Dire.
Lilith cleared her throat and sang. First, she sang I Miss You, which was painful because it was bittersweet but hopeful. It represented Lilith's desire to see Dire again.
She finished her first song, and everyone applauded. "My second song is to the melody of a song called Mainichi ga Brand New Day. I was listening to this beautiful song, and decided to write my own lyrics to go with the melody." Lilith said. She was nervous about singing this one.
Musical intro
The reason I sing this song, is because my love is gone... oh, how I miss you and long for you to return, I'm overwhelmed, by my sadness... you told me before you died... someday, we'd meet again, but I just can't wait, for you that long, that's the reason I'm singing so sadly...
pre-chorus
But I just need to have some hope... Our Love will be the strongest thing in the universe, it will give me renewed hope...
chorus
I will never forget you, or never stop waiting, until the day when we both meet again, there will always be tomorrow no matter how sad I am, I miss you, and can't wait, to see you...
violin Interlude
When the violin started playing, a tear slipped down Lilith's cheek.
Second verse
You were my first love, and I tried to save you... I guess it was fate, for you to leave me, I still dream of you every night...
Pre-chorus
How could I forget my first true love? You might even be the love of my life and my best friend...
second chorus
thank you for the time we spent together, even though it wasn't for very long, I will always keep you in my memory, I thank you, for these treasures.
When Lilith finished the song, the crowd went wild. She didn't think they would like it that much.
THIRD SONG! THIRD SONG! THIRD SONG!
Lilith couldn't believe it! The crowd actually wanted to hear her third song! "My third song is the most important of them all. It's the first song I sang to Dire..." Lilith sang here beside me and had to fight back tears. She was crying tears of sadness and joy. After Lilith finished singing, the crowd went wild yet again.
They love me. Lilith thought.
After she was done singing, Lilith stepped outside to admire the scenery. Haventown at Christmas was so beautiful. Lilith decided to circle the house and look at the Christmas lights. They were beautiful hues of red, blue, green, purple, and other colors. She was about done looking when she felt a presence behind her. Lilith turned around.
It was Dire.
He was just in spirit form, but he was there.
"Hello, Lilith," Dire said.
Lilith couldn't help it. She ran to Dire to hug him, but she went through him because he was a ghost. She finally broke down and sobbed freely. "I-I missed you SO much!" Lilith said.
"Me too. The author has allowed me to return to you one last time." Dire said.
"But Dire... I want to kiss you... Can't she make you whole again, just for one moment?" Lilith thought it couldn't be done, but the Author was merciful.
Your wish is my command.
Dire's body was no longer transparent. Lilith ran to him. The two of them shared a long kiss. Dire ran his hands through Lilith's hair. The two of them were so much in love, but Dire had to leave.
"Dire, please... I don't know what to do without you..." Lilith said.
"Lilith. You are so strong. You are stronger than any woman I've ever met. You can do it. I miss you, too, and I can't wait to see you. I've been watching over you from afar, and heard the songs you sang for me." Dire said.
"Ok, Dire... I'll cherish this moment forever. Until I see the light., and see you again." Lilith said.
Dire bowed to Lilith. "My job is done. You don't need me to protect you, anymore." Dire kissed Lilith's hand, which caused her to blush.
Dire turned back into a spirit and began to ascend. "May Frosteria prosper under your rule, Queen Lilith. I'm sorry I couldn't rule alongside you as king." Dire said.
"Thank you, Dire! I'll see you on the other side!" Lilith shouted up at him.
Until we meet again. Dire said before his voice faded.
Lilith stood there, before saying, "Thank you, author."
Lilith saw through one of the mansion windows everyone gathering in the living room. Something was happening. She ran back into the living room in record time. Aurora and Lily were giving a speech.
"This has been the longest and craziest five months of any of our lives, but we got through them together," Aurora said.
Lily was next. "2013's gonna be even better! No matter what those Nightdreamers throw at us, we'll get through it together!" Lily said.
"2013 will be amazing, but this year was a big one, too. It truly was the Dawn of the New Multiverse.
The end (For now!)
Author's note: Wow. Guys, I'm literally so happy right now! That was my first fanfic I've ever fully comepleted! Over three years after getting my account, I did it! After countless re writes, I finally finished the first book! As for what's in store for book 2, I'm revealing the title right now: Etheria book 1: In Your Dreams. In 2013, I was getting into Lucid dreaming a lot, and would be able to control my dreams. This book was mostly about new beginnings, so the next one will be all about dreams. This book utilized daydreaming as its main topic, but next book will use night dreaming. I'm also posting this story to Wattpad! Later today I'll make an account and cross post my first story! PS about the Mainichi ga Brand New Day song, the lyrics may not match up with the melody that well, so I'll take the lyrics off if you don't like them. So, I hope everyone enjoyed the final chapter, and I'll see you in the next book! Stay Lucid!
-EtheriaCadenza, 2021