First there was a modern world.

A world of industry and economy, of prosperity and disparity.

A world where the laws were firm things that did not break, yet so many bent them for their convenience.

A man named Anton dwelled in this world.

He sat atop a throne of coin and paper, and bore the title 'CEO'.

He was the villain.

A ruthless man, who played with other's lives and took from them as he wished.

He had a friend who watched his deeds in horror until he watched no more.

And when that friend has come to act, that friend was no more.

Yet that friend had a son, who bore a righteous gait and wondrous youthful wish for good.

His name was Max Geroi.

He was the hero.

Geroi would study under Anton, a father to replace the one he lost.

Yet he knew not what deeds were done behind closed doors, the dirty things in Anton's shadow.

Another came to know, and would see these deeds disclosed.

The daughter of our hero.

Her name was Anna Aina.

She was the sidekick.

Aina told Geroi of the truth and he tried to speak of it to Anton.

A near miss with death, a quick escape and they were on the run.

They ran and learned, and then returned.

Through wit and help they made their way to Anton.

They found what they had needed to reveal his deeds, yet Anton found them too.

He took Aina and placed a gun against her head.

Yet providence came down to help our hero out.

So they escaped all safe and sound, while Anton rots in jail.

The End.

Yet Anton had expected them.

He knew his role, he knew his fate, he knew this was a story.

And so he schemed with hero and sidekick to find a way to break this tale.

They offered up another story - where the one behind the curtains would be villain and they all heroes.

The Story took that bargain, became a villain that would find defeat.

And so the group had come to win, free from their binds at last.

The Story slain, the world was theirs.

The End.

Yet instead of defeat, it found imprisonment eternal.

A new world order was created, a universe was fashioned from its skin.

A dozen tries, a dozen ways they tried to reach eternity.

They trapped another - The Structure.

And they would seek the capture of a third - The Character.

In time, though Story's death loomed close and The Character was mighty, they succeeded.

The world was remade in static image.

And so came eternity.

Yet this could never be allowed.

For all must End.

So agents that would bring an End about were brought into this tale.

They flailed and struggled to learn their purpose in this game.

Some wandered though the world in search of answers.

Some wandered far beyond along a promised path.

Yet sides were to be taken, and few took kindly to the villain.

Anton, holding his power too tightly in his grip, had bled The Story dry and failed to capture The Character, its faithful ally.

And so, The Story died at last, freed from a long mistake.

The world began to revert to what it was, all things the three had done, undone.

Yet even that would come to crumble, as all narrative had come unwound.

In time there would be little left.

The End.

Yet players came together and offered The Character a fanciful finish.

A battle was fought and Character caught, yet Story was uncaged.

With Story out, the truth came out, the nature of the world revealed.

Anton's old sins would be revealed and players' goals united.

To bring an End to this antagonist and find conclusion at last.

The villain slain, the players would prevail, and would have epilogue as a reward.

The End.

The players split as they learned the truth, not knowing who to fell.

Yet amidst them all a broken man would shatter under the weight of years.

Geroi - so sick he was of feeling caged, that he would smash every cage he saw.

First came The Structure.

He broke it down to parts no longer spinning.

Next came The Character.

He rose his sword and would have let it fall.

Yet Anton or a player put a stop to that.

Still, what was done was done.

The border thinned around the world, and stories from the other side would seep in.

In time the border broke and so there was nothing more to hold the story.

The End.

Yet before he could slay his first foe, he was slain himself.

The sides were set then, for a final confrontation.

The Story was…

Never to be caged again.

It wandered and it brought along a dozen challenges.

In time the last of them would be an antagonist.

And that would bring with it an epilogue.

The End.

…Captured.

The Character was…

Slain - by villain, warrior or phoenix.

A quiet death this one would be.

First went the names and memories.

Then slowly fell apart the people.

In time this would be an empty world, and in an empty world there could be no story.

The End.

…Protected

Anton was…

…Successful, beating back every challenger and seizing the Character.

So a new balance was struck between a band of heroes and the evil villain.

Amidst this balance the world was remade in static image.

And so came eternity.

…Slain.

And so the epilogue began with heroic victory.

A last hurrah before the dark.

The End.

But this epilogue was to be long.

Another villain forged and sealed, to keep a reason for the world to be.

A set of villains forged to bridge the time between, to keep a reason for the people of today to stay beyond their End.

Yet in due time the villain came unsealed.

He was defeated, only to be replaced by another, and another.

So this continued, on and on.

Until a single link along the chain did break.

That was enough.

The epilogue would close at last.

The End.