Danny stepped through the dark stone door and into an endless void. The ground beneath him was smooth black marble, reflecting his image like a mirror. The sky above was a swirl of shifting gray and red clouds as if the world itself was waiting for something to begin.
Then, ahead of him, stood a lone figure.
Danny narrowed his eyes as he recognized the tall, lean silhouette, draped in a tattered black cloak. The figure raised its head, revealing a smooth, silver mask—an unreadable expression that seemed almost mocking.
In its hand, it held Danny's pen.
"You have something that belongs to me," Danny said, stepping forward.
The figure tilted its head slightly, then raised the pen into the air. Dark energy surged from it, wrapping around the figure's body. The cloak tightened, shifting, reshaping.
Danny's stomach dropped as the transformation completed.
Standing before him now was himself—but not quite. This doppelgänger looked exactly like him, down to the last detail, except for one thing: his eyes. They were colder, sharper. Empty.
The copy twirled the pen between its fingers, smirking. "Are you sure it belongs to you?"
Danny barely had time to react before the doppelgänger lunged.
A streak of black energy slashed through the air, aimed straight at Danny's chest. He barely dodged in time, rolling to the side as the attack sliced through the ground, leaving behind a jagged, smoldering crack.
Danny scrambled to his feet, heart pounding. He wasn't just fighting an opponent—he was fighting himself.
His copy was fast, unnervingly fast. Every move Danny made, his doppelgänger countered with terrifying precision. They were perfectly matched, their strengths and weaknesses mirrored in real time.
The fight became a blur. Dodging, countering, attacking—every motion seamlessly fluid, like two dancers locked in a deadly rhythm. Danny's fists ached from blocking attacks, his legs burned from constant movement.
But while his doppelgänger fought with flawless precision, Danny fought with something more.
Real emotion.
Danny gritted his teeth. He wasn't perfect. He made mistakes. He second-guessed himself. He hesitated. But that was what made him real.
His doppelgänger lunged again, aiming for his throat. This time, Danny didn't dodge—he stepped forward, blocking the strike with his forearm and countering with a punch to the copy's ribs.
The impact sent a sharp shockwave through the void. The doppelgänger staggered, eyes wide.
Danny didn't stop. He drove his knee into its stomach, then spun and slammed his elbow into the back of its head. The doppelgänger collapsed onto one knee, its cold smirk now replaced with something else—uncertainty.
His double slashed the air with the pen, and darkness poured from its tip like ink spilling onto a page. The darkness twisted and expanded, taking shape, solidifying into grotesque forms.
Monsters.
Their bodies were ink-black, their limbs jagged and stretched too long, their eyes hollow and empty. They twitched and convulsed unnaturally as if they were only half-real.
Danny barely had time to react before the creatures lunged.
He dodged the first swipe, rolling to the side as razor-sharp claws tore through the air where he'd just been standing. He scrambled backward, gripping his fists, his mind racing.
The doppelgänger flicked the pen again, and more creatures rose from the void, surrounding Danny in a wide circle.
Danny's heart pounded. Okay. This is bad.
One of the creatures lunged, swiping at him with clawed fingers. Danny ducked and spun, barely avoiding another attack from behind. He lashed out with a kick, but his foot passed through the creature's body as if it were made of smoke.
They weren't just monsters. They were nightmares.
The doppelgänger laughed. "What's wrong? You created this world. You should be able to handle it."
Danny gritted his teeth. His doppelgänger was right. He wasn't fighting physical beings—he was fighting ideas.
And ideas could be rewritten.
He needed to think. Fast.
As another creature lunged, Danny leapt backward, scanning the monsters with sharp eyes. If they were made from the pen's ink, then they had to obey rules.
Which meant they had weaknesses.
One of the creatures struck again, and this time, instead of dodging, Danny let it hit him—just barely. As its claws swiped across his arm, he felt something strange.
The creature's form wavered.
It wasn't real.
It only existed because Danny believed it did.
A plan clicked into place.
Danny took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a split second. Then he whispered to himself, They're not real.
When he opened his eyes, the creatures faltered. Their movements became sluggish, unstable.
Danny grinned. Bingo.
The doppelgänger frowned. "What are you doing?"
Danny took a step forward. "You might have my pen, but this is my dream."
He raised a hand and imagined something different. Not monsters. Not fear.
Light.
From his fingertips, golden light exploded outward, slamming into the shadowy creatures. They shrieked and twisted, their bodies dissolving like ink dripping into water.
One by one, they vanished.
Danny exhaled, his body shaking from the effort. He had rewritten reality.
His doppelgänger's smirk faltered.
Danny stepped forward, eyes locked onto his double. "You're not stronger than me," he said, voice firm. "You're not weaker than me, either. You are me. But I'm more than just my anger and doubt."
The doppelgänger clenched his jaw, his figure flickering like a glitch.
And then, slowly, he smiled.
With an almost amused expression, he tossed the pen into the air. Danny caught it effortlessly. The moment his fingers wrapped around it, a surge of energy pulsed through him.
The doppelgänger took a step back. His smirk remained, but there was something softer in his gaze now. "Good luck, Danny."
And then he faded, dissolving into golden dust.
Ahead of him, a golden door shimmered into existence.
Danny didn't hesitate. He stepped through.
--------------------------&------------------------------
April's eyes fluttered open.
She was in her room.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, the faint scent of coffee and morning air drifting through the air. Her blankets were soft, warm, familiar.
Had everything been a dream?
Slowly, she climbed out of bed, rubbing her eyes. As she stepped out of her room, the familiar sounds of morning greeted her—her mom humming in the kitchen, the clinking of dishes, the distant murmur of a news broadcast.
"Morning, sweetie," her mom said without turning around. "Breakfast is almost ready."
April opened her mouth, but no words came out. This was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong.
She grabbed her backpack and left the house in a hurry. The neighborhood was peaceful, the sun bright in the sky, students walking to school as if nothing had ever changed.
As if she had never stepped foot on the Island of Love and Hate.
When she arrived at school, the halls were exactly as she remembered—bustling with students, the walls lined with posters about upcoming events.
And then she saw him.
Danny was at his locker, laughing with a girl beside him.
April's heart nearly stopped.
She stepped forward, her lips parting. "Danny?"
Danny turned, his green eyes landing on her. But instead of smiling, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Uh... do I know you?" he asked.
April felt like the air had been knocked from her lungs.
The girl beside him—a tall, effortlessly pretty blonde—leaned into him with a smirk. "Who's this, babe?"
Babe.
April's fists clenched.
Danny shrugged. "No idea."
Danny, it's me," she said, forcing a weak smile. "April."
Danny blinked, then let out a casual laugh. "I think you've got the wrong guy."
April's body went cold.
Her heart screamed at her to fight back, to make him remember. But another voice whispered—does it even matter? If he wants to act like you don't exist… then maybe you shouldn't care.
She turned on her heel and walked away.
The rest of the school day was a blur. She barely heard the teachers, barely noticed the students around her. Her mind was stuck on one thing—Danny didn't know her, His unfamiliar stare. The way he had ignored her.
And for the first time, she felt like she might break.
That night, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Her chest was tight. Her fingers trembled.
Why does this hurt so much?
She squeezed her eyes shut. Because I…
She took a shaky breath. I love him.
The thought was terrifying, but it was also undeniable.
And if she really loved him, then she wasn't going to let this illusion win.
The next morning, she walked into school with a plan. She was going to create a chance for them to be alone. And she was going to confess.
Because she wasn't going to lose him—not to this world, not to this test.
She found Danny alone at his locker, the blonde girl nowhere in sight.
April took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Danny, I need to talk to you."
He turned to her, his gaze unreadable. "…Why?"
April swallowed hard. "Because I love you. And I don't care if you think you don't need me—I need you."
Danny didn't say anything he just smiled.
The world shuddered. The school hallway cracked, dissolving into streaks of golden light. The students faded. The walls melted away.
And in front of her, a green door covered in vines appeared.
April didn't hesitate. She pushed it open and stepped through
Danny stepped through the golden door just as April emerged from the green one.
The moment their eyes met, time seemed to stop.
For what felt like an eternity, they just stood there, staring at each other, speechless.
Danny's heart pounded in his chest. He could see the emotions flickering across April's face—relief, exhaustion, something deeper, something raw. He knew his face probably mirrored the same feelings. They had been apart for what felt like forever, each struggling through their own trials, and yet, somehow, they had both made it back.
April took a shaky step forward. Danny followed.
And then—
They ran.
April collided into Danny's arms, and he caught her without hesitation, lifting her off her feet as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His grip was tight, like he never wanted to let go, like he was afraid that if he did, she might disappear again.
April buried her face into his shoulder, breathing him in, her heart racing. "You're real," she whispered. "You're actually real, I'm so sorry for what I said on the boat"
Danny let out a breathless laugh, holding her even tighter. "I was about to say the same thing."
Neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke.
For a moment, nothing else in the world mattered.
Then, behind them, a soft hum filled the air.
Slowly, they pulled apart, their hands lingering for just a second longer before they turned to see what had appeared.
In the center of a calm, slow-moving river stood a stone pedestal, its surface glowing faintly. Beside it, a wooden boat bobbed gently in the water, as if waiting for them.
Danny and April exchanged one final glance, and without needing to say a word, they stepped forward—together.