The Royal Purple AU

The main character

     Val read the contract over and over. His eyes were wide as he took in the information. The troll slowly lowered the pages and stared at the being of light before him. “So, you’re telling me,” Val starts, “that if I make this deal with you, you will make me the main character in this story of yours?” 

     “Of course. The whole story will revolve around you. You’ll just have to leave your current life behind in exchange for a new one. I will task you with moving the story along to certain plot points by sending you letters. If you refuse to follow my story, I will simply take control of the story myself. But for the most part, I let the story go at its own pace.” The being’s words echoed, this combined with the light and a strange fuzzy filter obscuring the author’s appearance, gave them an ethereal look and sound.

     Val swallows at the thought of someone else controlling him and the people he knows. “And if I don’t sign the contract?”

     The author groaned, ”Then you can stay here or live in another universe I own. I can give you a job working for me or give you a different offer for your own story. If you want, I can make you forget that this interaction ever happened.”

     The troll thought about this offer for a long moment. “Why should I make this deal with you? What do you get out of this?” Val pointed a finger at the author.
The being glared at the accusatory finger before answering, “Every universe is can be a work of fiction in another. I record these stories and release them in universes I own and the one I’m from.” The author explained this fact like it was obvious and wasn’t worth asking.

     Val had a thought pop into his head, “Then will I even be real? If you can fully control this universe once you own it, then what stops me from losing my own autonomy? You could just put a thought in my head or make me do anything you want.” Val questioned the author’s methods.

     “How about this, I will add the clause that I can’t actively make you, or anyone in that story, do what they wouldn’t actually do. The story will be based on my interpretation of you and my characters, so it may be a little off, but it will ultimately be what I think will happen if you were put in that situation.” The author made a new contract appear out of thin air. “You will see that everything is in order, along with a list of plot points you may or may not see in the story. You will be responsible for moving the story along and not interfering by preventing the plot points. These points are negotiable, but by signing this contract, you agree to live by the agreed points in the story. You will also be allowed to live through alternate timelines and leave the story at any time. Before you ask, if you leave for good then the characters will either be frozen in time waiting for you to return or me to put them somewhere else, I could reveal myself to them and offer them similar deals, or I scrap this universe.”

     “Scrap them?”

     “Yes, to erase the story entirely. To reuse sets and characters but wash away the memories, or simply destroy the universe or have it fully archived so people can replay it or live through it themselves. If that happens, just know it isn’t painful to be scrapped.”

     Val read over the contract and thought over it, mulling over every word. “But, everyone will get a happy ending, right?”

     “Of course, more rather, everyone will get the ending you want for them. What we want for them. We’re a team, after all, or will be.” The author smiled at Val and handed the troll the contract and a pen.

   Val hesitantly took both items and trembled under the author’s expectant gaze. Eventually, Val looked at the being and smiled, “Deal.” The troll signed his name, and a bright white light overtook his vision. Val heard the author say one last thing.

     “Chapter 1, Valorant Treble Strings.”