The wind had changed.
It wasn't the kind of thing most people noticed, but John did. He stood in the middle of the town square with his coat wrapped tight around him, watching as the weather twisted. Clouds moved like time-lapse film, swirling in unnatural patterns. The birds weren't singing. The air was still but charged, like it was holding its breath.
Lucifer stood beside him, silent, eyes locked on the sky. The old devil didn't speak much when he was truly worried, and that silence said more than words ever could.
Then, without warning, the sky tore open.
It wasn't a crack or a thunderbolt. It was more like reality itself had been sliced down the middle. A glowing rift shimmered above the town like a curtain drawn back, revealing a void beyond. A place where time didn't work right and gravity had no rules. From it stepped Chuck—clean, calm, and terrifying in his stillness.
He wore a simple shirt, hands in his pockets like he'd just come back from vacation.
"Hey, kids," he said, smiling like this was all a big joke.
The entire town froze. Jack instinctively moved to shield Emma. Dean stepped in front of Amara. Sam gripped Jessica's hand. Lucifer didn't move. His face was blank, but his body was coiled like a spring.
Selene reached for John's hand. Her grip was firm.
Chuck walked forward slowly, letting his eyes scan the gathered crowd. "I've been watching. You all look happy. Content. Cozy."
No one said a word.
"That's the problem," he continued, voice still light but growing sharper. "This wasn't supposed to happen. You weren't supposed to get your happy endings. You were supposed to fight, bleed, scream. That was the point. Conflict. Drama."
Lucifer stepped forward, voice low. "We're not your puppets anymore."
Chuck's smile dropped.
John spoke next. "You've been gone. Why come back now?"
Chuck tilted his head, as if surprised by the question. "Because you rewrote the ending. And not with tragedy or sacrifice—no. You chose love. Peace. Forgiveness." His face twisted. "That's not compelling."
"You mean that's not under your control," Sam shot back.
Chuck sighed. "I gave you all purpose. Meaning. Without me, you're just… noise."
Amara stepped forward then, calm and unafraid. "You don't get to decide what we are anymore."
Chuck narrowed his eyes at her. "You should be grateful I even let you walk free."
John felt it then—an energy building in the air, like static before lightning. Chuck's eyes glowed faintly. Reality around him rippled.
"You've all forgotten what I can do," he said, stepping toward the chapel. "Let me remind you."
He raised a hand. The sky above Haven darkened, stars blinking out one by one. Thunder rolled in without clouds. Trees bent. The earth trembled. Then—
A golden dome of energy slammed down over the town. A shield. Jack stood at the center, holding his arms out, eyes blazing with light. "Not this time."
Chuck blinked. "The kid's stronger than I thought."
Lucifer chuckled. "You have no idea."
Behind them, symbols started to glow across the ground—wards, sigils, protection spells woven together by Sam and Jessica over the last few weeks. A net of intention and willpower, drawn not from fear but from unity.
Chuck sneered. "You think magic tricks and good intentions can stop me?"
"No," John said quietly, stepping forward, hand still in Selene's. "But together, we can."
The people of Haven gathered behind him. Not warriors. Not gods. Just people who had chosen peace.
Chuck's eyes narrowed. "Then I guess we'll see what happens when the Author picks up his pen again."
The rift above them pulsed. Energy crackled. The real fight was about to begin.
But this time, they weren't characters in his story. They were writing their own.