Aaaaaah! Mwahahahaha! It's over. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed riding along with M'yu as much as I did. It means the world to me that you finished his journey with him. I'm planning on doing lots more edits in the future, so if you have literally anything you wished had been different, let me know! I'd love to incorporate it into the final, published version of the book someday.

I thought since you'd listened to me ramble for 30+ chapters, you might be willing to listen to me ramble for a few more paragraphs. Because as much as M'yu's story has my heart, another—true—story has my heart even more. I'm hoping you'll let me share it with you.

Roughly 2,000 years ago, an innocent man died a criminal's death. He hadn't done anything other than speak the truth, and the local elites hated him for it. They sent him to a trumped-up court and had him publicly executed.

But he didn't go against his will. He could have gotten away if he'd wanted to. He could have, but he didn't. He died willingly, not to satisfy the anger of the elites, but to satisfy something so important, its impact stretches across time. This man sacrificed himself to satisfy God's rightful anger against humanity.

God was angry because people are evil and do evil things. Hate fills the world; people lie to each other, murder each other, are cruel and unjust. He's the creator and the king of the world, but his subjects rebel against him. They lie about him. They hurt his world. They hurt each other.

Someone has to pay for these crimes. We should each have to pay for our own crimes. But rather than throw everyone into the judgment they deserve, God offers an alternative. He allowed himself to be born as a human. He lived a perfect life. And then he died to pay for our crimes.

This man who died was Jesus, the God-man.

And because he's God, he didn't stay dead.

He came back to life just three days later. He showed himself to several people. Many of these would go on to be killed because they proclaimed his resurrection and rightful kingship. They were willing to die telling Jesus' story because he had changed everything. 

Jesus offers a kingdom of justice, unlike the broken, crooked world. He offers forgiveness, even for the things you think no one could ever forgive you for. He offers a second life, life after death, just like he has. He adopts you into his family and gives you a place to belong. He loves you.

All you have to do is 1) believe he died for you and 2) submit to him as the rightful king.

Because one day, the King is coming back. He'll establish his perfect kingdom in a perfect world. It will be a paradise with no more rebellion, no more injustice, no more hate. 

I want you to be there. So I implore you: join the rightful King's side. Turn away from your crimes against him. Believe that he sacrificed himself for you. Believe that he came back to life for you.

Because one day, every crime will be paid for. A debt is owed; a punishment is due. You can pay for it yourself—or you can let Jesus stand in your place.

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.
Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)