The stairway ended in a place that didn't follow rules. Reality rippled like fabric caught in wind. Floating islands orbited a star-shaped temple, and runes of every known language—magical, mortal, and divine—shimmered across the space.
The Codex Prime hovered in the center.
Cain stepped forward first. "The Editor has arrived."
David approached the Codex, but it spoke before he could touch it. "Before you write the world anew, prove that you've learned what makes a story real."
A trial of memories began. Each ally relived their darkest moments. Seraphine was forced to re-fight her mother's death. Miri watched her Earth family forget her. Cain confronted the man he had once killed for power.
David faced his original self—the boy from Earth, still reading "Genius Swordsman."
"Are you happy you left?" the boy asked.
David looked down. "No. But I'm glad I did."
They embraced. The trial ended.