Edited by: Kuro and Lille
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When his book finally hit the shelves, many people flocked to buy it.
Thousands of physical copies were sold in just the first hour, shocking store owners around the country. Many digital copies were sold and were being read.
Calvin was not nervous about his story not being up to par. It was detailed, engaging, and realistic yet not. The man who lived that life was basically twisting a bit of it, but it was still something he experienced firsthand.
The first book told about how Captain Ralph and Sterias met, how they found out about Fernas, and how they started their plans to prevent Fernas from getting the Earthians involved. It ended with the start of the rebellion in the Empire, leaving the readers at a major cliffhanger.
Many people loved the action yet love-filled story, but some opposed the main couple.
Homophobic people and comments sprung up, complaining as to why the characters had to be gay. Gays were shunned by God, what's the use of turning a perfectly good story, gay?
Calvin sneered as he saw those comments and news channels that bashed him for his book. People actually thought that there were only two sides to the world, like flipping a coin you get either one or the other. But there were many more complexities to people. People had multiple identities. People adapted. People grew. People change. But many folks were scared of change.
There will be people who hate and complain, but as long as you stayed true to yourself, why did those people matter?
[I don't understand why humans have a problem with differences. With differences there is beauty. With curves and edges, there is variety. With change, there is motion. If people do not change, then they will not go anywhere.]
'Well said System. Humans have always been such creatures. No matter what world, no matter what period; there will be wars, there will be fights, there will be discrimination, there will be hatred. Among these masses of people, there will be some who seek out change because they know the world needs that change. It's the silver lining between the dark clouds that gives me hope.'
Calvin got up, stretched, and then yawned. "Lucy, let's start accepting those interviews."
"It's time to tell the world what needs to be said. If they can't accept these words, then there is nothing else I can do. You can give them a seed to plant in the ground, but if they don't water and nourish it, it won't grow. All we can do is hope they will take care of the seed and give it life."
*****
Over the next few weeks, Calvin was booked for interviews. People wanted to know his inspiration for the story, but most importantly, why did the main couple have to be gay.
Calvin, who was sitting at his first interview for the book, was at a news station, waiting for his cue. Since it was live, he would show up on the program at 11:30 AM, and he had about 20 minutes to talk about his book and answer questions. Fairly simple, but he was annoyed that the time was ticking too slowly. He had another appointment soon so he wanted to hurry up and get this done.
After this, Calvin was going to meet up with James for lunch. The man reached out to him, so why not entertain him and see what he had to say?
Calvin sighed. He truly hated going to interviews but it was another type of publicity so he had to go.
"Mr. Scott, are you ready?" The interviewer asked. Her name was Naomi and she was an attractive woman in her 40's. She always did the morning news for the area. She was the Queen of News Channel 20.
"Mmm, I am ready."
The cameraman nodded. "Going live in 3, 2, 1..."
Naomi got into character: "Good morning, everyone. We hope that everyone is having a great morning. Today, we have a special guest! This author is named Calvin Scott, best known for his first series, Zeonia. Recently, he came out with the first book to his new series, I'd Do Anything for You. Mr. Scott, how would you describe this first book?"
Calvin replied with a greeting first, "Good morning everyone, and thanks for having me here today Naomi."
"My book, I'd Do Anything for You, tells a tale about a man who fights for the peace of the world his beloved lived in. He became a villain just so that he could protect the love of his life, he became a villain to protect that world, and the people in that world, but most importantly, he fights because he loves the man who loves that world. It's a series that goes through human selflessness, and selfishness, but also the determination and motivation one could have for something important to them.
"Even if we don't see Captain Ralph as a villain, the people in that world do. It's not about what we see and read, but what they, the people in the story, see and feel. That's what I wanted to portray in this series."
"Wow, you thought that far ahead. Then what is your take on your characters? Why did each character have the roles they have?"
"Ralph is the captain of the exploration team from Earth. This role that he has, gives him the sense of responsibility he has throughout the series. Fernas is a bright young man who just started his career. What he wanted were riches and fame. He didn't have as much experience as Captain Ralph, showing his immaturity but also his naivety. He believed so thoroughly that the people of Earth would help these people. He felt that what he was doing was really the right thing, but he didn't have the experience that Captain Ralph had, which made way for conflict."
"So it's who they are and their experiences that make it impossible to avoid conflict. How interesting."
"Yes, they both had good intentions but their ideas and how they implemented them is what made it so that there was conflict between them."
The interviewer was happy that Calvin gave an in-depth answer. "Thank you for explaining this to the viewers and me. But here's a question that everyone keeps asking, why is the main couple gay? Is there a reason?"
"Why? But why not?"
The interviewer was stunned by his answer but he kept going. It was probably because he said it with no hesitation.
"Love is different for everyone. People experience feelings of love differently. Love comes in all shapes and sizes, regardless of gender. It just so happens that they are a gay couple. When I dreamt of this story, the man fell in love with his savior, the kindness in his heart, and the driven purpose to help others. With how Captain Ralph felt about responsibility, loyalty, and kindness, with how he felt about each world he had to watch be destroyed, it would be shocking if he didn't fall in love with Sterias who had such a deep passion and love for the world and its people.
"People can complain and hate all they want, but what is between Captain Ralph and Sterias is genuine. I will not change it nor will I worry about what others have to say. Each character will stay true to themselves. Regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, people are people. I hope that people will at least show basic human respect to others as human beings, not by their differing identities, beliefs, and values. Plus, the story world is different from ours. Their concept of what is right and wrong is different from ours. We should not judge them based on our society. We don't have that right."
"Thank you for answering. Hopefully, the readers will feel the same way as you do."
After answering a couple more questions, the interview was wrapped up and he was allowed to go along with his day.
It was time for lunch, so Calvin went to the restaurant that was agreed upon. When he got there, James was already there.
"I'm sorry, did you wait long?" Calvin asked as he sat down. He ordered some water and got comfortable.
James shook his head. "No, I just got here as well." He seemed more reserved, unlike his fake attitude that was shown at the gala.
"What did you want to talk about, James?" Calvin went straight to the point.
James, who was unprepared to talk about it right away, looked down. He clenched his teeth and fist before he eventually relaxed.
"I would like to apologize for stealing your story. I know there is no way you will ever forgive me, but I wanted to tell you. I will quit being an author and come out to the public."
Calvin stared at him for a moment. Before sighing. "I already forgave you and won't sue you either, but why the change of heart?" This was not his wish, but it was the original Calvin's wish and he promised he would follow those wishes.
"When I saw you that day, I realized I was not fit to be an author... And I felt guilty. Even though at first, I thought it wouldn't kill anyone if I stole just one story, I realized the burden that it came with. I... in a moment of weakness, took the book you worked so hard on. I could never be an author. I'm sorry." He bowed in apology in his seat, his forehead was on the table. No one knew what they were talking about but it seemed like a legitimate apology.
James knew he was wrong. He realized how difficult it was to write when he tried to write a sequel to Calvin's book. He couldn't. He struggled for months trying to make a sequel to a story that wasn't even his.
Every time he saw that book, he saw Calvin who struggled so hard to write it. Calvin had terrible writer's blocks to the point he cried to James from time to time, but he still ended up finishing it. Then James took the book. How could he not feel guilty? Seeing his face at the gala, becoming a person he could hardly recognize, made the guilt swell up. He couldn't live with himself anymore.
"What will happen to you after you quit?" Calvin knew this man was genuine in his apology. All the negative feelings and thoughts about James slipped his mind. He understood why Calvin never asked for revenge. The original knew James. James was human. He felt greed but also guilt. He felt happiness, joy, and sorrow. He couldn't even be mad at James.
Living in the villain system for so long, he forgot people had emotions just like he did. Each and every person he encountered was real and so were their feelings. He needed to keep reminding himself that so he wouldn't fall to revenge so quickly.
"I plan on going around the country teaching poor kids how to read and write."
The country they lived in charged money to go to primary (elementary) school and beyond. Only middle-class families and up could afford to send their kids to school. A lot of poor families went to work at 14 or helped their families around the farm unless they got a scholarship. Sometimes kids had to stay at home while their parents worked in factories.
"After teaching as many kids as I can around this country for 5 years, I will go to another country and stay for another 5 years. I know a lot of languages and I realized I have a gift for them, so I might as well share that gift with the world. I will keep doing this until I die."
This man had already made up his mind. He wanted to give back to the people of this world to make up for the crimes that he did.
"I see. Then I will support you. I will make sure you always have money to live comfortably."
James was shocked. "No... You don't have to do that. Not after I..."
"Think of it as a monthly donation. Plus, you were my editor... I still value your existence and hope that you will be able to follow your dreams."
James couldn't contain his feelings anymore and cried. He felt so bad. He felt so guilty. The man in front of him was too kind.
But he felt so much relief that he was forgiven.
*****
James and Calvin talked for a couple of hours before giving each other one last hug. James was planning on telling everyone about what happened the following day. They decided that even though he wouldn't be charged for plagiarism and theft, he would be giving the money that the book made to selected charities. Afterward, he would quit his job and with the help of Calvin, teach kids how to read and write.
After that heart-to-heart moment with James, System 225 was baffled. The host was so petty with James, so why did he decide to forgive James in the end? He wasn't surprised that the Host was mean to James at first. The Host hated people who cheat in all capacities.
[Host, why did you forgive James?]
'System, from one human to another, one could see he truly felt guilt and wanted to fix things. People make mistakes, people walk down the wrong roads. If some people are given a chance, they will turn around and find the right path to walk on. James proved to me that he decided to change for the better. He found the path that he wanted to walk on, so I opened the gate for him to continue down that road.
'I believe everyone deserves a second chance if they really meant what they said. If he didn't feel that amount of guilt in his apology, I wouldn't have helped him. I could see it in his eyes that he was sincere.'
Calvin was not a monster who only thought about revenge. He knew when to give up, how to limit himself, and when others deserved forgiveness. He was human. He was not perfect. He couldn't expect others to be perfect when he was not.
He hoped that James would be able to find what he wanted to find on his new journey.