The Creators finished their discussion and agreed to "meet" in the Golden Zone to decide Donovan's fate.
"Alright, Donovan. In thirty days, you are to present yourself at the Golden Zone," Ryu declared, his voice steady but wary.
"Yes, this situation is something we must all address together," Zane added, his gaze unwavering. "It's not personal, Donovan."
Riven leaned in, a sly smile gracing her lips. "Well, handsome, because of what you did, it seems that even the Great Guardian has sensed your aura… And that worries me."
At the mention of the Great Guardian, even the most powerful Creators fell silent, tension rippling through the air. Donovan's calm exterior barely masked a flicker of unease; he knew well the power she wielded.
Ryu nodded, breaking the silence. "We should go prepare the Golden Zone. She'll demand perfection."
With that, each Creator opened a portal, slipping into their own realms, leaving Donovan alone to contemplate the magnitude of his actions—what he had destroyed, and what he had created.
On the other side, Angelita approached Ryan, her eyes full of worry.
"R-Ryan, what is the Golden Zone?" she asked.
Ryan took a slow breath, gathering his thoughts. "It is the highest place after Nothingness—a sanctum within the Nothingness, containing the original Books of Creation. You could say we're inside a book right now, but the Golden Zone holds the original books, the true source of all existence."
Angelita's brow furrowed, struggling to absorb the complexity of his words.
"We're… in a book?" she repeated, disbelief edging her voice.
"Yes," Ryan nodded. "Imagine an infinite book with endless pages, each one containing countless realities, worlds, and lives. Each Creator holds dominion over a page, but only the Golden Zone contains the originals, the eternal templates from which all stories flow. That's why the multiverse feels boundless."
As Angelita tried to process the enormity of existence within existence, her thoughts drifted to Donovan.
"What will happen to him?" she asked quietly, glancing over at Donovan's solitary figure.
Ryan's expression softened. "Let's just hope the Great Guardian is more lenient this time."
Together, Angelita and Ryan approached Donovan, who sat motionless, deep in thought.
"Hey, Donovan," Ryan greeted him. "What's going on now?"
Donovan's voice was low and tinged with regret. "…I could have saved her, but…"
Without a word, Angelita wrapped her arms around him, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. Ryan placed a comforting hand on Donovan's shoulder.
"Listen, my friend. We've all lost more than we can count. You're a Creator—yet even you feel this emptiness. Maybe that's what keeps the balance in this existence," Ryan said, his voice softening into a sad smile.
With one last look, Ryan stood, vanishing with a single motion.
Angelita watched him disappear, a question in her eyes. "Where did he go?"
"To one of the infinite layers of the Third Heaven. That's where the palaces of the gods lie," Donovan replied, his tone cold and distant.
Days passed in a heavy silence. Angelita's parents eventually learned of the situation, casting a shadow of gloom over the palace. Angelita often wandered the gardens alone, seeking solace in the vast beauty of nature.
One day, she noticed Donovan sitting in the corner of the garden, smoke curling around him. She walked over, surprised.
"I didn't know you smoked."
Donovan glanced at her, a faint smirk touching his lips. "These aren't Earth cigarettes. They're made of pure energy—restorative, not harmful."
"So… they purify the soul?" she asked, attempting a smile.
Donovan gave a single, detached nod.
They sat together in silence, Donovan puffing on his cigarette, lost in thought. Angelita studied him, her gaze searching. Finally, she broke the silence.
"Why are you so… emotionless? You don't even seem upset about your daughter," she said softly.
"Why feel sad about something that doesn't exist?" Donovan replied, his voice as hollow as the Nothingness he wielded.
Angelita's eyes widened, her mind reeling. "W-What do you mean?"
Donovan lifted a hand, pointing at the city spread out below them. "This does not exist."
After he said that, the entire city vanished, as if it had never been there. Angelita's heart raced in terror, but Donovan was unbothered. He pointed in every direction, calmly repeating, "This does not exist," and one by one, entire realms disappeared until they were surrounded by nothing but endless white.
Angelita gripped the edge of her chair, her pulse pounding as she faced him in this vast, blank void.
"You see, Angelita," Donovan said, "nothing exists. All of this… all of you… are mere words on a page, ink shaped by my will. People, universes, dimensions—they are all part of what I imagine and write. Without me, you are nothing."
She struggled to find her voice. "A-And I…?"
Donovan's gaze remained unfeeling. "Yes. Just a few words on paper."
Tears filled Angelita's eyes, a profound sadness mixing with a spark of anger. She rose to her feet, her hand trembling as she slapped Donovan with all her strength. He caught her wrist effortlessly, his grip firm but indifferent.
Angelita's voice quivered, but her eyes held a fierce determination. "Then I will become a creator too, Donovan, and free myself from these restrictions… from you."
Donovan released her, watching her walk into the void with a slight, almost imperceptible smile. For the first time, he felt a faint tug of pride. "She has potential," he murmured, as she vanished into the endless white. "At last, a spark."
Moments later, a gate of shimmering energy opened, and John Smith stepped through. His eyes, a fierce shade of red, burned with purpose as he confronted Donovan.
Donovan rose from his seat, cigarette still in hand, his yellow eyes reflecting the same icy detachment. "Did you really erase it all, Donovan?" John demanded, fists clenched.
Donovan's gaze didn't waver. "This reality is mine to shape, John. It exists only because I allow it." He took a drag from his cigarette, exhaling smoke like a deity breathing life into void. "And you will not change that."
John Smith's expression hardened, a quiet fury simmering beneath his calm exterior. He assumed a fighting stance, his eyes blazing. "Then excuse me, but I must challenge that choice."
Donovan's empty eyes narrowed slightly, his expression still cool and unreadable. He placed his hands in his pockets, blowing out another plume of smoke, his voice low and unyielding. "Then show me, John, how you intend to change my decisions."
The air thickened with tension, an unspoken understanding passing between them—this was no ordinary confrontation. Donovan's yellow eyes glowed deadly, mirroring the red fire of John Smith's gaze as they prepared to clash, two powers transcending existence itself, poised to reshape everything with a single movement.