Bonus Chapter – Voices Beyond the Pages

His world faded to white. 

No monsters. No cursed libraries. No broken timelines or gods of death—just… peace. 

A soft breeze swept through what looked like an endless field of blank pages. Somewhere up above, glowing numbers shimmered in the sky. 

7,300. 

The number pulsed like a heartbeat. 

One by one, the gang gathered beneath it. 

Amelia was the first to show up, brushing dust off her coat and looking up at the glowing number. 

"…7,300 views," she murmured, a bit in awe. "That's… a lot of eyes." 

She turned around, calm but with a slight smile creeping in. 

"I always thought I'd fade away in someone else's story. But here we are. Seen. Heard. Remembered." She paused, then added quietly, "Thanks for that." 

Camila popped in next, sword across her waist and not emotionally prepared for this. 

"Wait, we're doing a thank-you chapter again? What even am I supposed to say? 'Thanks for witnessing almost get stabbed for character development?'" 

She glanced at the number in the sky, then looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. 

"Fine. I'll say it." A beat. "Thanks for reading. I don't know who you are, but… I'm glad I didn't have to go through all that alone." 

Liam arrived last, barefoot, holding a cup of tea and looking like he hadn't slept in three chapters. 

He blinked at the number, then gave a tired smile. 

"You kept showing up, huh?" 

He plopped down in the grass, gazing up at the sky. 

"You've seen me fall apart. You've watched me burn out. You've seen me trying again. I have no idea why you stuck around… but I'm thankful you did." 

Then there was a flicker of shadow and a whisper of wind. 

Athena appeared, standing still and silent for a moment. 

When she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. 

"I thought I was gone. That I'd just be a memory lost to the dark." 

She looked towards the readers—the ones beyond the page. 

"But you… pulled me out. Page by page." 

A soft smile formed on her lips. 

"Thank you. For finding me." 

And then came Satoshi, as energetic as ever. 

He flopped down in the middle of the field, arms behind his head. 

"7.3k, huh? Not too shabby for a bunch of weirdos watching a death god lose his mind live." 

He grinned. 

"But seriously. If you've been here from the beginning or you're just catching up, it doesn't matter." 

He raised a hand toward the sky, tracing the number with his fingers. 

"You're part of the story now. So stick around. The real fun is just getting started." 

The wind blew again, and the pages shifted. 

And somewhere, between the silence and the sky, a whisper echoed from the Author's pen: 

"Thank you. Seriously. We write, but you—You make this story real." 

[End Bonus Chapter – Thank You for 7.3k Views!]✨ Comment below: Which character's thank-you hit you the hardest? Or… who didn't mean it but said it anyway?