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Ryoko AI 18

Prologue  Alaska,USA In a secret mountain compound  So it did work Dr Ken? Yeah but it's unstable,You really have the guts to come here even you know it's dangerous,said by Dr Ken before looking on his boss and a friend, Von Maya a renowned scientist and a bussinesman  How could I miss the born of new technology that will change the world soon beside you already drained the power right?ask by Mr Maya Of course reply by Dr Ken  Dr Ken pass the tablet on Mr Maya where the latest report of the said technology can be seen on tablet, Mr Maya look at the screen  And a smile appeared on his face this is the fruit of their hardship,a seven year research and trillions of US dollars being spent on this project  In a screen of the tablet he can see a Crystal ball,yes a crystal ball a trillion dollars and seven years of research for a crystal ball but this is not a ordinary crystal ball this crystal ball that can store energy,its like a mini nuclear plant but it's size are almost the size of ball of golf. Mr Maya put the tablet on the table and look at Dr ken and say , Our plan  to colonize Mars and another planets no longer a dream Dr ken Are the Noah 1 is ready?,dr Ken asked  Not yet but we still can test the other prototype ships besides US space force department are asking me to when this project will finish.mr Maya reply  Well they fund almost half of this project so they have a reason to ask They continue talking until a notification appeared on the screen that alert the duo  What is it,ask by Mr Maya  Dr Ken grab the tablet and see what is wrong,after seeing the content of the notification he immediately grabbed Mr Maya and tell him that they need get out in the mountain   We need to get out here,the device is spiking again and much violent ,dr Ken said,Dr Ken open his phone to alert everyone in the compound that they need to evacuate the mountain  i thought your team drain the power on the crystal Mr Maya ask We did but I don't know what's happening right now Dr Ken reply  Let's talk about later we need to get out here first,i have the chopper here waiting for us how about the staff and your team,Mr Maya ask  Don't worry about them under the mountain we already built a underground train before we started this project  After exiting the lab,dr Ken surprise to see the bodyguards of Mr Maya guarding the door on the lab despite the chaos, What is happening sir,ask by Nord leader of security of Mr Maya  We need to get out here first,contact    The pilot tell him the chopper must ready before we arrive there  Yes sir  Nord immediately did what Mr Maya told him  The group immediately left and go to the other side of the mountain where the chopper waiting for them  Even they walking Dr Ken think why the crystal have spiking despite no energy,if this project fail there will be no second chance, the time and money spent on this project, plus if the government know about the failure they will immediately cancel this project  Dammit,thats the only words Dr Ken can say  Mr Maya and the rest heard it but did not pay attention to it  When they arrived in the landing zone they immediately board the chopper and told the pilot to fly immediately.   Two days later  In Anchorage city Dr Ken and Mr Maya and a group of scientist watched the footage of violent spike of the crystal before the footage cut  How was it,ask by Mr Maya  If your asking us we don't know the answer,reply one of the scientist  Well at least it didn't blow up the mountain said one of the scientist  How about sending a small team on the mountain so we know what really happened there plus we don't detect any spike anymore said by Mr Maya Then who's gonna go there,we cannot involve the government here  They will know that we almost fail reply by Dr Ken  How about Us, They immediately turn where the voice came from Mr Nord,are you sure about this ask by Dr Ken  Of course besides that's all we can do to help Mr Maya   Thank you Mr nord said by Mr Maya  Dr Ken know why these bodyguards are loyal for Mr Maya because one thing he is sure these 6 bodyguards  Mr Maya help all of them Financialy  I will also come your gonna need a guide there,said by dr Ken    OK, reply by Mr nord  I'm not a native English so,sorry But please support me   

The dance has just begun. It's nothing other than a slow waltz replaying in my head constantly. A fitting sound of delightful notes caressing my own consciousness. It plays in the background, as if it were a soundtrack accompanying my own life. Today is the first day at my new orphanage. The kids here don't seem to be welcoming me in a warm embrace, as the lady in a suit told me before coming here. Instead, they appear to be quite hostile in my regards. It must be because I am new, an unknown face. I got shown around. I was slowly getting accustomed to my new home. For lunch, I sit and eat alone. I tried sitting with others, but I wasn't well received. I asked if they wanted to be friends with me, but they told me to learn my own place and pushed me away. For dinner, I cry alone. I decided to skip eating and go directly to bed. After all, I don't have too much of an appetite nowadays anyway. And the food doesn't taste nearly as good as what mom used to cook for me. At school, everyone ignores me. They all act nice and respectful, but I keep getting left out of every group activity such as games of tag. I heard them talking behind my back too. One day, three bullies approached me. They thought I was an easy target. The bullying ranged from verbal assault to full on physical beating. While it was hard to endure the pain, I didn't cry. This was the most interaction I had had since months. I let it happen. I didn't tattle to the teachers or retaliate in any way. After all, they must have had some problems of their own for them to act this way. I didn't want to hurt them. I really didn't, I swear. "Messing with ya is getting kinda boring. Why do you never fight back? What a wimp." "He's just like his parents. Did you hear? His mom and dad are two weakly cowards who killed themselves!" "Haha, really? Oi, that explains so much! They probably couldn't handle having such a shitty son." The dance picked up. The slow waltz wasn't slow anymore. A frenetic and chaotic rhythm that didn't allow one to even breathe was what it became - a pauseless and permanent hammering just waiting to burst and pop. Why did they have to talk about my parents? Where did the malice come from? What did I do to deserve words like this? The tears that had been longing to come out finally escaped, and adorned my angry visage. I think that was the most emotion I had ever felt at once. Or perhaps, the faucet of feelings I had confined inside myself started leaking. My fist moved on his own. Fueled by stale rage, frustration, sadness and confusion, I hit all three of the bullies. It didn't fix my pain. Nor did it make me feel better at all. In fact, it actually saddened me to see them groveling on the floor, hurt and crying. But I let fury get the best of me and I hurt people. In the end, I was no different than an animal, was I? Then... why? Why did I feel such an action was necessary? It was wrong, yet it felt right. A thing I had to do, no matter what. What happened after wasn't optimal. I got suspended from school. After the news reached home, I got grounded at the orphanage. I met with the director. He shouted and shouted, while hitting me with a whip. It hurt more than the bullies. "What did you think you were doing, huh?! How dare you bring disrespect to a charitable organization like ours?! Not only did you tarnish our reputation, but also... tsk, do you know who the parents of the kids you've beaten up are? Huh?! They aren't parentless parasytes like you!" The kids that used to avoid and ignore me now did so not because of me not being a loner outcast, but because they were afraid of me. The way they looked at me, I could see they perceived me as some kind of freak, a monster. Truth be told, I was still an outcast. I didn't fit in anywhere back then and neither did I now. I kept spending my days following the same empty routine everyday. The only emotion I felt was pure disgust, both at myself and the unfair world I live in that gave me this life. When I looked in the mirror, I gazed upon a lifeless corpse. My own. No sign of life seemed to be shown in my reflection. My eyes were dead, the glimmer of hope and the spark once there now entirely dissipated. A meaningless existence I got burdened with. Yes, burdened. It only felt like a burden that I carried unwillingly, day after day. The only reason I hadn't killed myself yet, is because I didn't want to forget my own parents. I found a few hobbies to keep me thoughtless. If my mind and hands were focused on something else, then I could avoid facing my own delusions. Was this a cowardly escape? Perhaps so. But I enjoyed them. One of them was reading. When I first came here at the orphanage, I was given a book from the priest. The Holy Bible. That was the foundation for what led me to thinking books were utterly useless - or at least, the one that was handed to me was. Scriptures of nothing more than baseless belief, used to incite false hope of salvation. Were all works of text such meaningless? I was wrong, after all. A great ordeal of knowledge is to be gained from tomes. A quick trip to the library revelead this. But to lay it on the line, I wasn't exactly keen on those types of books. I found myself glued to books of stories, made up ones - those of heroes fighting to save the world, or mayhaps even villains conquering it.  Was I hypocritical? I used to judge people for reading the Bible, for it was all nonsensical deception. Yet, here I was, partaking in the imagination of fantastical worlds, where greater good is fought for at the hands of beings we can't even fathom. A plethora of feelings escaping from the paper in my hands, leading me to constantly turn page. No... the reason I was reading such books was different. Or was it? It made my own problems look nonexistent, on the scale of what was happening in those worlds. Tales of friendship, betrayal, romance - suddenly, I felt myself shook at the realization of my own emotions.  I started reading everyday. It was my own escape from the nightmare I live in.  The other hobby I pursued was writing. After reading such adventures, I had to write my own. Of course, it wasn't nearly as remotely interesting and polished. But I wrote anyway. Not because I wanted to practice, nor because I hoped for someone to eventually read it. The reason was simple. It was theraupetical. I could build my own fantastical world, and bring it to real life by using a pen.  Was I losing myself into a spiral of delusions? I really didn't care, though. I was so lost in it that I put myself as the self-insert protagonist in the story. I didn't know if I longed to be the hero of the story or whatever, but this was indeed my own fool's paradise.  One day, a new kid got admitted to the orphanage. He was wearing rectangle, squared glasses and his physique looked quite skinny and frail. His scrawny demeanor didn't fit his blonde hair and green eyes at all. The instant I placed my gaze upon him, he panickingly turned his stare the other way instantly, as if he were completely terrified of me. Did rumors travel so fast that new kids were able to know about me before even settling down? One could swiftly seize his personality just by closely observing. His mannerisms, the way he walked, his facial expression - they were all typical traits of an introverted person. In fact, he seemed shy and close to being afraid of almost everything. This was naturally not optimal for making friends and knowing people. In a way, it reminded me of myself; not that I cared about it anymore, though.  Whilst in the middle of reading a book on my bed, I could feel him lurking around. His presence was easily noticeable. "What is it?" I asked, with an annoyed tone. "Y-You read books too?" he asked in return, fidgeting with his hands behind his back.  I didn't reply, for I wasn't particularly interested. Why didn't this guy just scram away and leave me alone? "Did you see the game of the one you're reading right now?" What's he talking about? Game? Fine. I guess he was able to catch my attention in the end. "What are you talking about?" He stopped fidgeting with his hands and brought forward a rectangular black leather case. He pulled a tiny, portable gaming console out of it. It was my first time seeing something like this from so close. After all, my parents weren't so well off. The black display screen turned from black to a magnitude of different colors, creating a vibrant image. The game's title screen logo was the same as the one on the cover of the book - and the artwork of the protagonist matched as well.  One could live the story of the protagonist and be fully immersed in it. The character moved based on the commands it received, while also being able to talk and interact with anything on his path. In the background, a pleasant and epic soundtrack was playing as if it was accompanying the hero. My eyes were glaring in awe. "Want to play together?"  Yes. Yes, I do. Thanks for kindly asking. We had hastily become friends. William was his name. William Ames. He was 2 years younger than me.  His relatively young parents were the victims of a horrific car accident, unfortunately passing away and leaving him alone in this world. There were no known relatives that could take care of him, thus he was sent to the orphanage in order to rot away just like the rest of us. Well, it doesn't matter if you're weak, William. You're my first friend, thus I will protect you. He was really obsessed with fantasy books and games, just like I had been lately. The portable gaming console was a birthday present he had received from his parents, shortly before they left this world. He had a lot more knowledge than me on the likes of novels, comics, games and so forth - which is why he taught me a lot about them, and showed me a lot of cool things I would have never dreamed about seeing if I were on my own. In a way, I thought of him as my younger sibling. "Damn! I can't get past this level. Can you do it for me, Will?" "I could, but would you really feel satisfied after?" "Tsk... you're right." But in another way, it felt like he could also have been my older brother. As time passed, though, I could sense the light in his eyes dimming. I was not entirely sure if this was due to feelings of sadness from his parents' death resurfacing or because he wasn't getting accustomed in the orphanage as well as he had hoped to. Uncapable of determining it on my own, I decided to simply ask him. "Hey, Will, is something wrong? You don't seem yourself these days." "Yes. Everything's fine. Don't worry." he replied. As the words were coming out of his mouth, his lips were trembling. "Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything." Uttering these words, I didn't expect the following aftermath to ensue. William broke in a well of tears, a ugly cry. Snot and tears were flowing down his otherwise kind visage, and fogging his glasses. This completely shattered my heart. What's going on? After hugging him and getting him to calm down, he finally explained the situation to me. He was the target of bullying at school. I couldn't open my mouth anymore. Hah. Hahah. Hahahahah. Such a simple thing. Why do I feel such stinging pain in my heart? Why are my eyes flaring up with furious rage? Why do I feel such evil grudge towards the people who have hurt my friend?  How dare you touch him. Who... Who allowed you to let my friend grieve and suffer even more than he already had been?! I comforted William and told him everything will be fine, putting on a thoughtless masquerade in front of him.  But other types of emotions were harboring inside me. The next day my knuckles were stained with blood. I didn't kill them, that would have been way too much. I just beat some sense into them. I had been suspended once again. Not that I cared in the least. I know what I did is wrong. You don't have to keep telling me that. Sure, I could have told the teacher, or some other adult figure lurking around. Would they have done what's necessary? Would they have stopped them from bullying in the future? No. They would have simply reprimanded them, with no other repercussion for their actions. If I have to let go of becoming a hero to protect my friend, then I do not aspire to become one. The feeling of disgust I had within myself the first time I defended myself is gone. Inflicting pain on others who've inflicted pain might not be righteous, and it might be what breeds more violence in the first place - but I could handle that violence in William's stead. The words William told me after he knew about the entire ordeal though, made me shudder. "You're my hero!" he exclaimed, with stars in his eyes. He looked up with admiration in his stare. "Huh? But I hurt them pretty badly, and it wasn't my role to do so..." William hit the table with his fist. "Yes, and?! They were bad guys. Villains. If they didn't want to get beaten up then they shouldn't have hurt others in the first place, don't you think?" "Are they actually bad people? A person isn't a white or black matter, it's a gray area we are talking about... who knows the hardships they might be living through, as well? A hero wouldn't just beat people senseless, would he?" "What about our hardships?" "What?" "Many things have happened to us as well. We don't bully people though, do we? And who knows, maybe because you stepped in they will change their mentality as well. I don't care about what anyone says, you're a hero to me, brother." The thought of being his hero resonated in my head. He managed to destroy the internal struggle I had been having inside my own head with such ease, kindling my heart. For that I was truly thankful - that he was my friend, as well. There was a videogame he had had his eyes on for quite a while, and it was his birthday soon. I decided to get that for him as a present; there were a few problems, though. Orphans usually didn't have much money to spend on frivolous things, and games were kinda expensive. Therefore, I decided to get a job. An illegal one partially for me to have. After all, I was still underaged. But it shouldn't be a problem if we were talking about unreported employment. Cleaning and washing dishes at a restaurant was easy enough even for me to do, and the owner was more than glad to take me in - paying me only a measly amount, of course. But it was still worth it. This meant that I could spend less time with William. I lied and told him that I had classes to attend to at school in the afternoon, for I had been suspended for quite a long time and had to catch up with school material. He looked sad, but he understood. I was saddened too, for not being able to stay at his side and hang out. Sacrifices were needed though, if I wanted to give him this present. After working for what seemed to be an everlasting amount of time, I finally had spared enough money to quit the job and purchased the game. "Happy 13th birthday, William." I said, holding a small cake adorned by candles in my hands. "H-Huh? How did you know today was my birthday?" "The date in the game's savestate. Exactly 1 year ago, you began your adventure." William seemed astonished. "I got you a present as well." I put the birthday cake to the side and handed him the game. He grabbed it, and looked down at the cover art. Did he think it was that beautiful? No. I rapidly realized my mistake. Teardrops slowly started pouring from William's hidden face, covering the game cover in a puddle. "Man, you gotta stop cryi-" Before I could finish my sentence, he hugged me as tight as he could and buried his head deep in my chest. His embrace felt warm, and suddenly my heart was filled with glee. I hugged him back and started patting him on the back. "Thanks, brother. For everything you do for me." Hearing those words made me as joyous as ever. I just wish he realized that what I have done for him, is nothing compared to what he has done for me. Thanks, William. "What do you say we try the game out?" "Yeah, let's do that!" Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever. The very next day, as soon as I woke up, I had regretted opening my eyes. For William was not there anymore - he had gotten adopted. The dance returned. The waltz turned into a slow, melancholic melody. A previously chaotic tune now rearranged to contain pure, depressed tones was now the background to my own thoughts.

   Sob a cobertura da noite, os murmúrios de uma cidade que nunca verdadeiramente dormia ecoavam pelas ruas. Enquanto o som ritmado de seus sapatos denunciava seu caminhar determinado, um 'blipe' soou em seu pulso, anunciando a chegada da primeira hora do dia. Por um breve momento, as nuvens coloridas pelo luzeiro urbano se desvelaram, revelando a pálida face da lua cheia. Banhado pelo luar, o homem de passos decididos devolve um sorriso.        Para muitos a quietude e a escuridão da noite eram arautos de estranheza ou apreensão, mas para a mulher que ocupava a mesa junto à vidraça, o escurecer manifestava a alforria do seu coração: sob a presença do luar, ela se sentia verdadeiramente livre.   Em seus ouvidos, a melodia do jazz  suave que ecoava pelas paredes do bar.  Sob sua pele, a gentil luz alaranjada de lâmpadas incandescentes. Em seu peito, a apreensão do iminente encontro.        Do clicar da calçada de concreto ao silêncio do tapete vermelho ao ranger da escada de madeira, seus passos ainda soavam decididos. Um singelo aceno de cabeça ao barman, foi devolvido com um gesto discreto apontando para a mesa junta a parede de vidro no fundo do bar. Sua visão logo foi arrebatada:   Longos cabelos vermelhos descansados por sobre seus ombros e costas. Seu olhar amendoado era distante, mas preenchido pela constelação das luzes da cidade. Contra a mesa, sua mão singela apoiava um rosto esculpido pela expectativa.       O clicar dos sapatos dele contra o piso de madeira a puxaram do seu transe, e com um movimento à esquerda, seus olhos se encontraram. Ele seguiu sem quebrar o ritmo de seus passos, ela se endireitou em seu assento, ambos se conduzindo com graça e compostura tal que por pouco puderam ocultar a particular hesitação de quando o coração salta uma batida.     Ambos à mesa, face a face. Enquanto seus lábios arqueavam em sorrisos expectantes, suas mentes corriam em busca de palavras apropriadas para dar inicio ao encontro daquela noite, sem sequer considerar que tais frivolidades seriam relegadas ao esquecimento com o alvorecer da manhã. As palavras remanescentes daquela noite seriam aquelas que pouco a pouco instigavam, atraiam e atiçavam.     O ponteiro longo do relógio antigo na parede completava a segunda volta desde que o olhar dos dois havia se cruzado naquela noite. Mergulhados na presença um do outro, por pouco não notaram serem os únicos patronos restantes no bar, e tão breve veio o convite para que estendessem o encontro daquela noite para além daquele local.

 "Pri: "Priva" "Private" said a voice, loud enough for the knocked out solders to awake up, "we have to get moving," said the same voice as the man who the voice belong to grabbed the now awakened private, confused at the not only the gun shots and loud bangs of the bombs, but also the number of solders charging forward under a heavy gun fire towards a trench. The private, who was wearing a normal soldier's attire, had no clue what was going on; he doesn't remember who he is, who he was, or where he is; all he knows is that he is in a war and he needs to stay alive, which he did as he immediately got up and marched forwards. "Private, what are you doing?" said the man who woke up the private; "private, that is a no man's land, get back," but the private couldn't hear as the adrenaline got his blood pumping, triggering the flight or fight response. Bullets whizzed past him as he charged forward; by some miracle, no bullet hit him, When the first enemy soldier appeared in front of him, by muscle memory, the private lifted his gun and aimed at the enemy, taking his shot, and the private hit the enemy in the chest as he continued to move forward. The private continued to run but immediately aimed his gun again when another enemy appeared. He took a shot, killing the enemy, but his luck seemed to be cut short  as he got shot in the shoulder. But thanks to the adrenaline in his blood, the private continued to move forward until a screen appeared, one with a gold outline, almost defined. [ extraction system online, basic extraction system available, free wide range extraction commencing automatically.] The private didnt seem to care about the strange phenomenon that appeared infornt of him as he continued to shoot and charge, eventually the adrelinen in his blood started to calm done as his brain became clear and clear, " i am fucked," was the first sentence that the private said since he woke up. [ free wide range extraction successful, the host will need to commence wide range extraction manually next, please keep mind that wide range extraction will put the system on cooldown for a month] +[ healing: 10,000]  +[ paralysing poison: 80 ]  +[ cyanide poisoning: 1,000 ] +[ enhanced condition] +[ lasso of hestia ] Now that his brain was clearer, he registered what was happening and wondered, "What the fuck is happening, and why can't I remember anything?" Privately, though, as he took cover behind a tree, a piece of information, appeared in his mind, It was about the extraction system, something otherworldly, a program that allows the private to extract anything valuable, even superpowers. 'You got to be fucking joking' private thought as bullets hit the tree that he was hiding behind, "Fuck," he said as he got out of the cover and started shooting the enemies, "Shit, that hurt' Now that the adrenaline was out of is system, private started feeling pain, "Let's hope this works' he thought as he mobilized one of the things extracted  by the system, which was the healing, the healing was extracted from the medics and quantified by the system, which he could then use on anything. Mobilizing the healing, the private heals himself. Then suddenly the same gold screen appeared. [ NAME: ALUCARD ] [ ENERGY: 100/100 ] [ EXTRACTED: [Healing: 9,990] [paralyzing poison: 8 ] [Cyanide poison: 1,000] [ money: 1,000 ] [ enhanced condition: the user possess enhanced condition, giving the user superspeed, strength, durability, stamina, immortality and healing( passive: off) TIER 1 ] Another gunshot to the tree drew private now Alucard's attention, as he continued to use healing on himself. While using the healing, he suddenly had an idea,'since you have so much cyanide, why dont you try some more,' he thought as he took a grenade from his belt and filled it with cyanide, which was somehow possible, and threw it on the enemy's trench. The explosion, coupled with the cyanide poison, killed nearly 70% of the enemy, Suddenly, their attention was drawn from Alucard to someone else, a woman, dressed in some sort of medieval armor, wielding a sword and shield, which she wasn't using but just the guantlets on her hands to deflect bullets, ' fuck, what the hell is that?' asked Alucard himself as he saw what the woman was capable of but then again, if what he read was true, then he shouldn't be that surprised. 'Now that i think about it, didn't the system say that it did wide range extraction, could the enhanced condition be from?' Alucard thought to himself that with every inch that she took, he became more and more certain that the enhanced condition came from her. Some of the soldiers turned their attention to Alucard and continued to put pressure on him, but Alucard picked them off one by one, More men came, likely to support the woman who was pinned down, One of the newly arrived soldiers threw a grenade on the enemy, which gave the woman enough time to leap on to the trench and start to smash the weapons with her shield, With only a few soldiers remaining, Alucard was able to snipe the enemy soldier and kill the last one. After all of the soldiers were killed, the woman came up to Alucard and said, "That was very brave of you," smiling at him. "It was stupid," he said as he got up and continued to move, past the trenches since he couldn't stop now that he was this far in. "Why did you do it then?" the woman asked, leaving Alucard with no answer as she leaped, but strangely, no one questioned. Moving into the village, "I will go in," the woman said, leaving the men speechless. But what they didn't notice was, that Alucard was already in the village, "Alright, lets see how this works' he said as he activated the enhanced condition skill, and as soon as he did so, everything began to slow, even his heart, and the gunshot faded. It's like when his body continued to release adrelanin but was ten times, if not a hundred times, stronger, he could feel the strength coursing through his veins.

Everything...was...black..... . . . . It was darkness everywhere with a tint of light shining while air bubbles floated out of a lifeless body neither going up...or going down.. How big the void was...you would never know. From a normal point of view, you would say it stretches out infinitely horizontally and vertically. 'Where am I' I thought out loud but noise wasn't coming from my mouth...moreover my mind.. The voice in my head seemed to have an echo or had been muffled like in the water... 'Where am I...I can't open my eyes...it is just dark.' I was curious, curious to fact that it was a new experience for me that I couldn't open my eyes in this dream I am in. Like I was restricted from doing... It felt like I was floating in water, feeling like I was going down but also at the same time going up Maybe I was still and just was there, who knows There, lying in the dark, I was there for what seemed a hard 6 hours or just a long time overall Deep, long silence, silence to make you bored, silence enough to make a sane man turn insane. Only noise you would hear or just feel is water bubbles here and there. Long hours turned into a day to days from days to weeks... the cycle going on and on...and on . . . . Still floating, the body still remains in the depths of this deep chamber of silence. There...Julian lies having his mind morphed deeply after what seems like many years of just darkness and memories. Questions were rushing in his mind: "Am I in hell?" "Did I die?" "Is this the entombment the Book of Revelations spoke of?" Countless and thousands of questions roamed through out his head from time going by slow.. Then something happened finally.. . . 'Welp, I guess still nothing yet again after all..' I thought out. I was able to go to sleep somehow but every time I awoke from each slumber, it was the same black that grew on me. Waking back up to this had me realize....this wasn't a dream I don't know how long I was here, I went insane a couple of times. Luckily, I learned to grasp my sanity back and just accepted where I was. If I was to remain trapped in Tartarus, so be it. After a couple minutes, my head started to tingle, my mind or whatever. Do I even have a head at this point? It was a light tingle then it started growing slowly. Slowly to now its pace dragging up fast! It was a super, ticklish tingle for a few moments but then it turned to a fiery burning sensation. My agony was echoing in each corner of my mind, it was literally hell. Swish! Swash! I could hear water outside of my lifeless vessel surging rapidly like a tumbling riptide. Boom! Water was sounding crashes to each other with huge booms and bangs. My sense of touch picked up the water now rising up like a tsunami for some reason... CRASH! 'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH' from that moment forward all it was for me was pure...pain Adding to the pain, my whole life I lived was rushing through my head! From the first memory I experienced to the last I lived. I was reliving each by each, cycling through every emotion I ever felt: sadness, happiness, nostalgia from agony, envy, greed, lust...so forth and so on Because of the constant surge, my mind broke! Causing me to stop working and pass out with every bit of life in me fading...away..... with one last memory standing...echoing... "Perseus.." . . . . . Voices now rang around. Now switching to a different place. 4 people in the room, 2 especially anxious standing around a bed for a certain occasion. The Birth of Life! 1 stood a tall man with messy dark hair with a little tail on the back of his head and a lean muscular build. The other stood an adorable 4 year old little girl peaking behind the tall man anxiously along with him. What were they peaking at? Of course the mother going through the tribulation of giving birth to Julian and also the nurse helping to deliver the child. They peaked from behind the door. The mother laying on her back was named Delilah, a beautiful woman with hair as white as pure snow and light. Along with a smooth and soft, pale complexion to compliment the white hair. However....her expression wasn't so pretty... She was moaning in pain trying to push the baby out, gripping onto the sheets sweating. Few moments later, a baby could be heard crying. With success of the delivery, the family exploded in excitement after the words of the nurse. "After checking the mana veins of the newborn, I am happy to announce to you, Elric and Delilah, a healthy baby boy!" The nurse said with a smile Delilah worked up a weak smile and exhaled a sigh of relief, while in the background, the other 2  were dancing and jumping around in incredible excitement! Born on the celebration of Demeter's rising, May 2th, year 247 of the Orelian calendar.... Julian is born!

“Libre Alarki-” He looked over to see her standing tall and politely with her hands behind her back. She was probably the tallest he knew and her glare was not forgiving. It didn’t matter what you did or who did it, her way was the way. “A word?” Her brow was tense as it seemed of most times. He could never really tell but sometimes she had the same look at him as Truett.  “Scrol Melark- does that mean I say a word of my choosing?”  Scrol Melark shook her head with a chuckle. “No… It means I must talk to you somewhere privately- '' Her glance led over to the other Libre at the desk over. “Preferably in my office.” “Scrol Melark- should I bring anything?” His hands were firm on his book that he had been studying. Maybe a little too much studying with the worn pages and the dark circles under his eyes.  Her gaze softened towards him in a way of its color rather than a vibe. It was still cold but in a way, it was to only comfort him.“Bring your things to leave.” With a shift of her shoulders, she turned towards the exit. “I’ll see you shortly.” The other Libre stood up with haste, “But Scrol Melark- What about the project? We’ve yet to finish-” “Libre Lexi… Libre Alarki is working on that project, do not take credit for it. He needs a break for other things.” She stood at the door as she looked at the two in the dim light and nearly empty observatory. “You both should leave for home.” A soft click, and her shadow left from behind the twelve glass paneled french doors. Those panels were the only natural light he got and it reached all the way to the tip of his shoes. Alarki looked upon his book. Its grey leather cover was worn down more recently. Maybe while he rested he’d be able to give it a new cover in honor of his ancestors. Would it be too obvious? He already knew too much to seem innocent. That would have to be a request from Scrol Melark.  “Larki?” Alarki jumped in his seat with a sort of slowness before realizing it was just Lexi. “Yes?” Lexi folded her hands in front of her with a little tilt to her head, her long blonde hair falling over her shoulders. “May I ask something?” “Yes…” He held onto the book like a hug, resting it on his chest.  “Are you sure you don’t want help with the project? It must be difficult to carry it alone.” “I can carry it. It is not that heavy.”  Lexi burst out laughing, almost scaring Alarki out of his seat. “Not the book, you silly! I meant the translating… can’t you teach it to me so I can help?” “Oh…” His muscles were still tense but he sunk. If only he could. “I not know. Scrol Melark gave me permission. Have you permission?” “I don’t see why I would need it. I’m a Libre! I can study what I wish!” The smile on her face deepened his heart further in his chest. He shook his head. “Not here.” He put the book in his satchel and pulled it over his shoulder. He gathered more of his papers and stored them away as Lexi looked at him perplexed.  “Not here? Here is the only place we can study!” Alarki wrapped his cloak around his shoulders. It was so light yet so heavy. His posture drooped as he thought about it. Three weeks of brutal work was what it took Truett to gift it to him. To see the smile on his face… sometimes he wondered why Truett tried so hard for him. He faced Lexi and forced a polite smile, “Not this book.” He pushed in his chair and gave a polite bow of his head, “I take my leave.” Lexi stepped aside so he could leave. “Good-bye!” She waved her hand with a polite sway and a smile. He returned the gesture of the phrase and waved before leaving. With the doors closed behind him, he felt better than before. Despite how nice she was, he was scared she wouldn’t be so generous if she found out why and how he could translate this text. As Truett sometimes says, ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we get there… together.’  He crossed the room to identical french doors as the Libre Studying room, except this one had her name engraved in gold. With a soft knock he waited, hoping she would open the doors soon. Of course, like always, she was there to open the doors for him. Once both were safe inside, she spread her hand across to the chair in front of her desk. “Take a seat.” He sat down just as she asked and waited till she was seated. Her eyes glared into his eyes with her arms crossed on the table. He didn’t know this expression well, despite working with her for many years, but it was one he still feared regardless.  “I know… that we are in quite a tense situation here…” She tapped her finger in thought for a moment. “There have been a lot of Riots recently nearby. I know we have kept you here to keep you safe for the past few weeks. Recent news shows I can’t guarantee that you will be any safer here. I know you haven’t heard much because of your studying. From what I’ve gathered, Rioters have been burning and hurting just about anyone… and burning places with sacred information of your kind.” Alarki’s eyes drooped at the news, the cape feeling heavier on his shoulders. “Now this establishment and yourself could be safe. But you also could not be at the same time…” Scrol Melark sat up in her seat a little taller. “I will leave that up to you. You can stay here… or I give you permission to leave to sea for a short time before things get too rough.” His brows furrowed as he thought. “I may go home?” “Yes… only if you wish…” Scrol Melark was patient as she looked upon him. He fit the hem of his pants between his nails as he contemplated the situation. He wasn’t really safe either way now. The Library of Ol’ Praeterita was the most secure of all the land. Maybe the entire world! It would take a lot to burn it all and it wasn’t even flammable from the outside. However, he felt so lonely here. This was not home to him no matter how safe it was for him. “Libre Alarki,” she leaned forward across her desk. “I have an itching suspicion you have several barring questions for me.” Alarki’s eyes flinched from his lap to her. “I… Is it possible to keep Truett here?” “That would be too out of the ordinary. Not only is he a peasant compared to us but a sailor. Sailors can’t read. It would make you less safe than you already are.” Her hand moved across the desk to reassure him but not to touch him. “I know that’s not what you wanted to hear. I think what you need is honesty, however, and not tainted fairy tales.” Alarki nodded with slumped shoulders. “I understand. Thank you.” “It’s my pleasure.” Scrol Melark sat up straight once more. “Not that I want to hurry you, but I would make your decision fairly quick. Per our situation, that is.” Alarki nodded. Staying wouldn’t be good. They all knew how Riots went. Everything burned to the ground. People died. Innocent people at that. The libraries especially. The Library of Ol’Praeterita would be in question. It was the biggest library in all the world and the safest too. It had things from ancient times ago. Even of his culture’s time. Which is what made it dangerous. No one would dare try to harm the Library of Ol’Praeterita. Not even the worst of people, but the weighing factor was his kind.  He knew he didn’t want to die here. Not away from Truett. Truett wouldn’t know for weeks… possibly months if he died in a Riot. Especially at the Library of Ol’Praeterita. Regardless of it’s many records of who entered and left, Scrol Melark forbid that Alarki be put in record. She said it was for his safety that he be a ‘ghost’.  “I want to go home.” Scrol Melark gave a nod in one slow bow. “Then let it be.” She stood up and grabbed her shoulder cloak. Clanging metal filled the air as it swooped onto her shoulder. It always grabbed his attention when she did so. It was only the shoulder plate and its many dangling ornaments. “Let me bring you home. We’ll take the safe route.” Alarki got up from his chair and followed Scrol Melark out of her office. In a way, her height and status hid him as they walked through the library. The observatory was just about his favorite place too. If he wasn’t so tired, he would have run up the stairs. Scrol Melark was first to enter the room before Alarki when an old man spotted them. A smile lit up on Alarki’s face before he ran to him.  The old man saw him and beamed a bright grin, “Oh my child!” His arms wrapped Alarki in one big hug as Alarki buried the side of his face in his beard. The old man patted his back. “My sweet child.” Scrol Melark crossed her arms with a hint of a smile but still glared. She cleared her throat before politely looking upon the two with a non-demeaning look, “Astri Columni?” The old man pulled away from Alarki to look up at Scrol Melark from his chair, “Yes, Scrol Melark?” “Have you any news?” With the slight flick of her eyes towards the glass dome, all three knew exactly what she meant. Columni swirled his chair around to his telescope so he could see the layout of the city a little better. “Uhhhh… well it’s been very quiet. I wouldn’t say that’s bad but I also wouldn’t say it’s good. If you are looking for trouble, it’s possible you are in the eye of a storm, Scrol Melark.” “From your observation, North Bound is the safest route then?” Columni swirled back around with a hesitant nod, “I would say so. It would be best not to be on the streets if you take Alarki home.” “Then North Bound we will go.” Scrol Melark looked over to Alarki. “Are you ready?” Alarki looked over at Columni with a sort of longing. Columni was the only person at the library that made him feel at home. Not only did he know, but he respected him to the fullest and even learned more about his culture to teach him what his ancestors couldn’t. Columni nodded to him to go on with a soft smile. Alarki looked back up at Scrol Melark and nodded once. “Yes, Scrol Melark.” Scrol Melark returned with a bow of her head. “Say your goodbyes.” Alarki fell back into Columni’s arms with a sort of mourning. Columni patted his back as he let him melt. “It will be alright, sweet child.” Alarki sighed heavily as he held onto him for a little longer. Being who he was, he knew that anytime he saw someone, it could be his last. He softly smiled through his mourning and pulled away to look him in the eye. “Thank you, Papa Columni.” “Thank you.” Columni smiled at him with warmth. “You are innocent. I know we will meet again.” Alarki nodded with a little smile. He would miss Columni a great deal if this was truly the last time.  Columni took his pendant from around his neck and put it around Alarki’s. “From my culture to yours… it will keep you safe.” Alarki placed the pendant in his palm to see it. It was a beautiful stone with a holographic scene. To him, it reminded him of a galaxy with the floating particles inside of the white opal. “Thank you, Papa Columni.” “It is my greatest pleasure.” With his hands on Alarki’s shoulder he smiled. “Now go. Home awaits you.” Alarki bowed his head and turned to Scrol Melark. Her glare rested upon the two before she bowed as well. “We will see you again in due time. Now, to North Bound.” “Yes!” Columni stood from his chair and put his shoulder into the book case. Once it was moved, a tunnel straight down was revealed. “May my luck be your wish.” “Thank you.” Scrol Melark fit her soles on the slim ledge inside the tube before bowing a head to both of them. “Good day, Astri Columni.” She looked over to Alarki. “I will see you at the bottom.” With a swift sweep of her feet, she was gone below.  Alarki peered down the hole to see the black space that had engulfed her. He shakily sighed to relieve the stress in his chest. If it was one tunnel he hated, it was this one. There were just too many memories of darkness inside him to make this tunnel feel comfortable to him.  Columni rested a hand on his back with a reassuring smile, “It will be alright, sweet child. Just put your shoes on the ledges.” Alarki used Columni’s help to steady himself on the worn golden ledges. He looked down at the dark and whimpered slightly. His knees shook barely, but enough to have Columni keep his hold on him.  “It will be okay.” Columni tilted his chin to look at him. “Don’t look at the dark. Look at the light. It will take you a lot farther.” “Then why do I go to the dark?” “Because the light you seek is through the dark.” Columni patted his shoulder before taking Alarki’s hand and folding Alarki’s fingers around his gifted pendant. “Remember. You are safe.” Columni rested a gentle hand over Alarki’s eyes to remind him not to look. Once he pulled away, Alarki stood there alone in the tunnel with his eyes closed and slow breathing. The Light you seek is through the dark. He took in a deep breath and swept his feet to the darkness below.

Hera was pulling me forward before I really realized it. I was already caught up in the noise and music and the people, and we were just barely in the door. She turned her face to me and jerked her head to the side. Her grin was fierce. I followed her through the entrance crowd in a daze, the thumping, pounding beat slamming against my body like waves on a beach. "Where are we going?" I shouted, but it was completely lost in the noise. She looked over her shoulder and mouthed something, but I couldn't make it out. We wound up in front of the bar, the pixie cut bartender swinging around to look us over as the concert attendees started to roll up. Hera had to lean forward and almost yell to be heard, but she gestured over her shoulder at me and the bartender glanced up and nodded, turning to pull down a bottle and pour something. I leaned down next to Hera's short sleek dyed hair, raising my voice again. "What are we doing?" She looked up at me with a smirk, the her teeth glinting through her blood red lipstick. "Taking care of you!" I raised an eyebrow at her, and she rolled her eyes, standing on her toes again to lean into my ear. Her breath was warm on my neck.  "You said you wanted me to take the lead tonight, yeah?" I nodded. I had, in fact, said that. I hated being anxious and having to choose things while we were out together. I could tell she had grinned without even seeing her face. "Then follow my lead!" Hera turned back to the bar, and I leaned forward on it, watching her for a long moment. She really was incredibly pretty. Her features looked like they were hewn to a cutting edge in the golden-toned brown of her skin. She gave off the impression of someone who knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. Which Hera did. Her eyes were keen and her smile sharp, and she smiled without caring who was watching her. She had gotten new tattoos in the time since I had last seen her, the swirling, artistic designs curling around her wrists and up to the back of her neck where they peeked over the collar of her crisp black leather jacket. Silver rings sat in her left eyebrow, pierced on the end. The muscles of her arms were toned and obvious in the tightness of her jacket sleeves. She had a septum piercing that she was always fiddling with when she thought others weren't looking, and her ears were bedecked in silver chains and sword earrings. Hera wasn't much shorter than me, but our height difference was just enough to get her to have to look up when we were standing together and talking. I found it funny, especially whenever she made a face after realizing it. She gave me trouble about being too tall. It worked out. Her and I had been friends since college. We were inseparable since we met, really- well, at least until we both left school. I was her straight guy best friend, who was always there for her through her girlfriends and breakups and dramas. She was my lesbian best friend, who showed up the men around me with impeccable repair skills and the number of drinks she could hold and women she could swing. I turned to look back out at the stage as the opening band played off to scattered applause. The crowded room was dark, the stage lights on, and there was a held breath as somebody came onto stage. It was just a roadie, setting the bass guitar up for the lead of the band we were here to see. He smirked at the people in the front row as they heckled him and went back to talking. My eyes went to the symbol on the front of the drumkit- bold and sharp, the band's name in red. I had sent Hera a first-tour tee of theirs for her birthday last year, from when their logo was far less developed, and she was wearing it now as she laughed at something the bartender had said. They were hot too, I thought, and right up Hera's alley. She'd probably get their number for after the gig. A pang of loss went through me like a splash of cold water. I swallowed and shoved it away, looking back out on the stage. The lights were going down, and you could taste the anticipation in the air. Hera had introduced me to this band when we first met in undergrad several years ago. This was their reunion tour, and they had happened to be just a two hour drive away on my birthday. Tonight was also a reunion for us, a few years after we had both - somehow - survived college. Hera had been away for a while at a secondary school she didn't talk much about, but she was finally back, and the first thing she wanted was to take me out with her just like old times. We had talked frequently since school, but Hera couldn't get away long enough to visit in the meantime, and I couldn't afford to travel that much with my job. She bought the tickets for this a month in advance, and I had booked a hotel room for us, thinking of all the times we had traveled together for stuff in college and how drunk we'd both get. I didn't want either of us to have to skip part of the night just to drive home. I had slipped into a bad habit in the time since I had last seen her, fantasizing about the memories of our outings like this, making them over in my head to be dates- but Hera was strictly platonic when it came to men. Too many bad experiences, she said. She was extremely homosexual, and spent a good chunk of time talking about the victim complex and privileges of straight white cis men. She was right, and I respected that. I benefited from stuff she'd never have access to, and I tried my best to recognize when it was happening after she opened my eyes to it. Our friendship was safe. It didn't have any surprises. We were both off the table from each other romantically, so we didn't have to worry about the same things others did. Hera was really important to me, and I would never, ever take a step to ruin that. I glanced up across the bar at the mirrored wall backing the rows and rows of alcohol bottles, my eyes inevitably tracking to my reflection in the mirror. The bar was dark, the glass smudged, and the music loud enough to rattle the glass, but I knew what I looked like clear as day. My reflection was of a gangly, long proportioned guy with awkward, indecisive stubble that never shaved down evenly against my pale face, and short dark brown hair that- try as I might- was slowly starting to climb up my forehead. I sighed, dropping my eyes down. It was the same look that greeted me in the mirror every morning, complete with tired bags under my green eyes bright in contrast with my white cheeks. My outfit wasn't much. A band tee, jeans, a grey beanie to hide my hairline, and a pair of leather bracelets, since I was feeling risky today. I had on a blue flannel I thrifted recently in a poor attempt to dress up, but as it was a little ill fitting for my body, the whole look came off as kind of sad. It wasn't worth thinking about. I had enough to pay attention between the the concert and Hera's promise that she'd take care of everything. We had eaten before we came- Hera saying I needed to "keep my strength up" and "be ready for anything", which was typical for her. I was a little worried about my tolerance since I hadn't done much drinking for a while. But, hey, no time like the present. Behind me, a roar was rising. The crowd was screaming as the band took the stage, all extra lights in the venue dimming. The first notes of their opening song wailed out, and the noise with the crowd shook the ceiling. Hera was watching me, I noticed, her expression inscrutable. I blinked the thoughts away and she leaned forward, pressing a shotglass into my hand. "What is it," I asked in a shouted question. "Do you trust me?" she hollered back. I laughed, and nodded. "Yes! Always!" "Then let me pick, and don't ask questions! I'd be obligated to answer all of them, and we'd never leave the bar!" Her grin was wide and genuine. I nodded back, putting up a thumb in agreement. Hera always picked what I'd like and she rarely got it wrong. I knocked the first drink of the night back with a grin to match hers. The whiskey slid down my throat and filled my mouth with warmth. She nudged me in the ribs when I grinned back at her. She had to lean in almost to my ear. "Happy birthday, Robin!" Robin was her nickname for me. She had shaken her head when I introduced myself as Robert in that class so long ago now, pressing a finger to my orange shirt with my brown leather jacket and saying I was too bright and alert to be anything but a songbird. I hadn't heard it from her in person in a while, and I ducked my head, hiding the blush that crept across my cheeks. It felt good. I had missed this. We slid into the chanting crowd after our first shots, Hera shouldering her way to the front as I followed. The lead singer screamed into the mic and pointed down at me. I shouted the chorus back with the crowd and she grinned in a breath and turned away, the drums pounding, the music crashing over me. I closed my eyes and let it take me. It drove everything else out of my head. All I felt was the song. We moved, after some time jostling at the front, to make room for others to come up. Hera was at my shoulder for all of it, which struck me as odd. I was used to her floating around the concert floor saying hi to everyone she knew. That wasn't her tonight. Tonight she was by my side. I thought about that a little too long and heat rose into my cheeks. I shook my head and the thoughts away. Not now. Nothing has changed. Don't make this weird. She probably just didn't know anyone here, a lot of our friends from the area had since moved on. The buzz from the shots were starting to settle into the tips of my fingers, and I could feel it loosening thoughts, things I usually kept to myself. Then Hera took my hand again and was pulling me through the crowd. I followed, helpless in her wake, as we turned down a back corridor to find ourselves outside of a pair of bathroom doors. Single unit, it looked like. There was a 'everyone welcome' sign taped to both, marked with a three pointed gender symbol that I slid my eyes off of. It wasn't meant for me. The music still punched through the floorboards here, shaking my shoes as I looked at Hera. Did she want me to guard the door while she went? Maybe the lock was broken. And then she pulled me along through the door, and I heard the lock click behind us, and then my back was pushed against cool tile, and my brain was struggling to realize what was happening. Hera had me pressed against the wall next to the sink. Her limbs flexed as one of her knees pinned solidly between my thighs, her arms holding me in place. She shot me a look with her chin inclined up, her eyes flashing with green light. "H-Hera?" My adam's apple bobbed under her thumb. "I'm not- what's happening?" "Do you want me, Robin?" Her voice was very low, her nickname for me rolling off her tongue. I nodded frantically, my heart in my throat. She looked up at me and grinned that sharp grin and I felt myself rise up as heat flooded through my body. "I- yes- but you're a lesbian, and I'm just-" She put a finger to my lips, pulling my beanie off my head with a hand as she physically pressed herself close in against me. "Shhh. Do you trust me?" "Yes." More than anything. "Good." She leaned forward and kissed me, deeply, and it felt like electricity crackled through the contact. It shocked me, the buzz of energy flickering through my face. She tasted like whiskey and sharp vodka and the gum I had watched her discard before we came inside. I thought I saw the tattoos on her wrists start to glow with green light, and then willed myself to focus and stop imagining things. I had to stop her before she made a mistake, no matter how much I wanted it. I pulled back and my lips came away from hers and I felt my whole self want to press back into that warmth. I could taste her lipstick. My head fell back against the wall, and it was swimming. "Hera, what are you doing?" "What I should have done the day we met," she whispered, and shoved her face into my shoulder to bite at the base of my throat. All rational thought fled my mind as her teeth met my skin. I was captivated. I could have sat there with her mouth on my throat all night and then - then her hand had my shirt pushed up and was flat against my stomach just under my belly button, and I couldn't think clearly anymore.  She slipped her short-cropped nails under layers of fabric to slide her hand lower, pressed against my skin, green sparks rising from where she touched me. And then she had me cradled in her cupped hand, and I realized I hadn't said or thought anything at all in a little while. The music had faded, and all I could hear was my heartbeat in my ears, thumping quickly like a bird in flight. "Are you okay, Robin?" I nodded, not trusting myself to speak in fear that I'd just whimper. She nodded too, leaning in. "Can I keep going?" I nodded quickly and said "yes" through the rattling heartbeat in my throat, the word more of a breath than a sound. Her sharp grin curled across her face and I felt her hand tighten around my stiffness. "Well, then, you're mine." One hand pulled my shoulder off the wall, spinning me till my back was to her and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. The other kept a firm grip on me, twisting with the motion. And then her hand was moving as she pulled me against her, pressing my tense shaft against the soft skin of myself, in short, quick sharp strokes. I think I saw stars. I stumbled back into her waiting embrace as I stood there, legs shaking, completely dumbfounded, and she kissed my neck again. I was close. I was so close already, and she pressed in with a long stroke and the light on her wrist flared in emerald green and I cried out her name as I came into her waiting hand. I shuddered, and very suddenly the moment was too real. I was pressed against Hera, and I was very aware of the shape of her chest pressed against my back, and of the fact that she had just given me a handjob in the bathroom of a basement bar. This was what I had imagined for so, so long, but it was wrong. Hera was going to regret this. She had made a mistake. I had let her do something I knew she hated, and I knew it was wrong but she was making me feel good so I went along with it anyway- I twitched, down there, as Hera slowly removed her hand. I could smell my own musk as she brought her sticky fingers to her lips and touched the tip of her tongue to them.  "I've been waiting for this for years," she said quietly. My head swam. That didn't make sense. I opened my mouth to reply, or apologize, or something, to show her that I hadn't meant this, shouldn't have agreed when I surely wasn't who she wanted, that I had never wanted to take advantage of her trust - and then a wave of heat spread over my body from lower within me and I collapsed into her waiting arms. Every inch of my whole body felt like it was asleep, crackling with the sensation of television static. Hera held me off the ground with that strength of hers. She pressed her lips to my forehead, whispering trust me, and I cried out again. I could feel tears streaming down my face, like a dam had broken. I couldn't think. I clutched at her shoulders for something to hold, anything, and my whole body shuddered uncontrollably. All I could see was Hera's face, her eyes, and that smile, her sharp, knowing smile. My chest hurt. I could feel the skin on my forehead itch and itch, my whole scalp itch, like it was dancing with static shock. My face, too, felt that sharp static pain, and I felt like my mouth was on fire. My back and my whole lower body down to my toes were clamoring for attention, the strongest sensation in a throbbing pulse between my legs. I held on to her like a lifeline, completely overwhelmed. Finally, what felt like ages later, it subsided. I gasped for air. Hera slowly raised me back to my feet and I staggered in her arms, not letting go of her shoulders. I could still feel the music thumping in the floorboards, so not that much time must have passed, though it had felt like an eternity. "What- what the fuck was that about!?" My voice was quick with anxiety. Hera shrugged, smiling. "What do you mean?" I stared up at her, and shook my head sharply. Hair whipped around, a weight on my neck.  "You- you know- you just fucked me?! Am I high? Am I dreaming? You're not into me, you're not - you're gay, for fuck's sake, I went with you to the pride march, I helped with the club, I- you're a lesbian! You don't fuck men!" I could hear my voice raise as I went. "Yeah?" Her voice sounded amused, and she had her head pulled slightly back, her eyes taking in every angle of my face. I stared back at her, confused. The angle from below made her irises look deep and rich with the glimmering color of green and brown swirling in their depths, in the harsh bathroom light. Her makeup was flawless, a wing on both sides, iridescent hues of eye shadow picking out the highlights of her irises. "You got it. I'm a lesbian. I don't fuck men." "Then why-" I had been building up to some point, I was sure, but she leaned forward again and put a finger to my lips as my mouth was moving and I tasted something salty and richly scented and the words died in my throat, my breath hitching. I pushed my tongue out between my teeth, parting my lips, and touched it to her finger. She laughed in surprise and put her fingers in my mouth as I licked my own cum from her hand. Hera's grin curled back up across her face as she spoke, watching me suck at her fingertips. "Wow, you're a slut, huh?" Her tone was teasing as I pulled her hand away from my mouth. I stood there for a long, dumb moment, holding her wrist in my hand, the leather bracelet on my wrist slipped to the middle of my arm. My fingers encircled the complex, weaving tattoo on her wrist, the one that I thought had been shining with green light a few minutes ago. The rich scent of my own cum filled my whole mouth, tempered by the aftertaste of whiskey. I couldn't process the words she had just said. I couldn't process the taste in my mouth. My clothes felt too big and too small at the same time. My hair still itched, and Hera kept pushing it out of my eyes with gentle fingers, smiling at me like she'd never seen me before. That wasn't right. My hair wasn't that long. My mind was racing, but it wasn't moving at all. I couldn't string two thoughts together in the aftermath of what had just happened. I distinctly felt like I was going to burst into tears. "Here." Hera had me, drawing me back into her arms again, and she stepped to the side to peer into a graffiti covered floor length mirror. Between the markings of "XOXO CALL ME" and "I FUCKED YOUR MOTHER" and "life is beautiful, I choose love~" (plus the addendum "WITH YOUR MOTHER"), two women looked back out at us. One was Hera, her short hair mussed, black jacket askew. A grey beanie was stuck half in her jacket pocket. In Hera's tight embrace, a little shorter than her, was a young woman who stared back at the mirror with wide eyes. Her features were rounder and softer than Hera's, and her deep green eyes shone in the light. Her long healthy dark hair swept over her face and down to her shoulders. Her chest was mostly concealed by the shapeless band tee she had on, but she was simply about to burst out of the jeans she was wearing, they were so tight on her thighs- and too long for her. She was wearing a blue flannel that fit her figure well, the collar rakish against the multiple bite marks and blemishes teeth and tongue had left against the pale light skin of her collarbone, marks encircled by smeared red lipstick. Her wrists had leather bracelets around them. She looked like a complete lesbian, like someone I'd expect to have seen in Hera's arms on any given weekend back in school. She looked like me. I raised my hand in wonder, watching the woman mirror my movement. Her bracelet fell in the exact same way as mine and I could feel shock settle over my body. Hera pulled me close to her chest, her voice lowered to a whisper. "Look at you. You're beautiful." My mouth hung open as I stared at my reflection and then I brought both hands up to cover it, my eyes suddenly brimming with tears. Hera smiled as she talked. "I've been wanting to do this for you for a long time, but I was never quite certain back then. I had to be sure I could do it right. I had to be sure it was what you wanted. This time, though..." She kissed the nape of my neck, parting my long hair with her face. She stayed there for a long moment and I could feel her hot breath on my skin. "Happy birthday, Robin. My treat. I hope it makes up for the ones I missed." I turned my face away from the mirror and buried my head in her chest, the tears coming fast as my hair curtained around my face. "I- I'm-" "Shhh," Hera said, her hand coming up to run her fingers through my hair. "Take your time. You don't owe me a single thing. You could leave right now and I'd never blame you. This is yours, your body. It's yours. I had to give you this because I know you, I know how much you've done in silence for years. I know how much you deserve this, how much you think you don't." I sobbed, hiccuping until I cried myself out in her arms. Finally, I untangled myself from her embrace, stepping back to look at her. Her rich, deep eyes flickered up and down my body and I felt myself blush in a way I had never experienced in my life- here, in front of me, was someone I wanted, who seemed to want me, who was showing that interest openly and was willing to reciprocate my desire, who apparently knew my body and needed it. I had never expected to know what that meant. I had never expected to know how it felt, to be held in her vision like some beautiful woman she was hungry to bed. I pushed my hair out of my face behind my ear, and I cleared my throat. "You... changed me. You gave me this. I can't- I can't believe- that was magic? You're a witch?" She stuck her hands in her pockets, shrugging as a slight blush crept into her cheeks. "Well, of a sorts, I guess-" I crossed the space between us with a step and pressed my mouth to hers with an eagerness I had never felt before. My lips parted, then hers, then my tongue was among her teeth and meeting her own and the way she ran it down the length of mine made me shudder, my knees suddenly weak. I grabbed at the collar of her shirt and pulled her closer, in and in, until finally we broke away gasping for air. I looked up at her. "Will you teach me that?" "To be a witch? I mean, I can, it just takes a lot of hard work-" I laughed, the notes of my voice an unfamiliar peal in the room, but they felt right. They felt like they were mine. "No, silly. How to use my tongue like that." "Oh. Oh. Well- yes- it's not that hard, honestly-" "Then show me!" I could feel my whole face blush furiously red but I couldn't help it. I felt more daring than I ever had been. I never would have asked for sex in a public bathroom before, but this felt like something completely necessary. My body wanted it, my mind wanted it, I wanted it. I didn't feel guilt- I just wanted her. I wanted Hera. Her hands came to my ass and she squeezed, lifting me up in her arms as I squeaked in surprise. She sat me on the edge of the battered sink and fumbled with the fly of my jeans, leaning forward to kiss me again. My hands came to hers and I helped loose my tight pants, and then they were around my ankles, along with my very wet underwear, and she was sinking to her knees, as one hand clenched tightly around my thigh and her other hand parted me and her mouth found the wet hot space between my legs, and Hera drew her tongue over me as I rolled my head back and gasped. I came very quickly and sagged, expecting it to be over- but Hera pressed on and the shocks filled my whole body again, and then again, each time getting deeper and stronger. I shuddered and cried out, my head thrown back, my fingers entangled in her hair, pulling her closer to me as I came again and again. I said her name in a wreck. I repeated it like a prayer. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. It was transcendent. It was bliss. And then someone banged heavily on the bathroom door and we both jumped, startled. Hera's head came up from between my legs and she coughed, clearing her throat once and then hollering "FUCK OFF!" at the top of her lungs. I squirmed back, my back against the tiles of the wall again, suddenly incredibly aware of how naked and spread out I was.  A voice shouted back through the door- "People gotta piss, lady! Take your girl home or something! Jesus christ, worst part of this joint, two single restrooms and people fucking in both of them..." I met Hera's gaze between my legs and we both laughed, partially in disbelief. "Just a minute!" she shouted back, her grin curled up again. She had my jeans in her hand and she was helping me back into them, which was a real struggle. I had definitely gone up a size or two in just my ass. We had to cuff them to adjust for my shorter height. Finally, I was standing again, only to realize that my legs were shaking so badly that I had to clutch at Hera's shoulder to catch myself. She laughed, holding me up. "Yeah, that's a thing that happens." She curled a strong arm around my waist and unlocked the door. Hera led me out. I stared at the floor as eyes fixed onto us in the hallway. The original speaker was a tall bearded man in leather chaps, who chuckled as we emerged. Hera held up a finger in a rude gesture and everyone in the line for the door laughed. "You sure did a number on her, huh?" "Fuck off or hers won't be the only number I lay out tonight," she said, pulling me closer to her side. My ears were burning hot and red. The laughter rippled around the group again and the speaker whistled. "Shiiit. I can't do that, I gotta walk out of here!"  A hand clapped my shoulder and a girl was saying to me "Nice catch, sister-" and then somebody pushed into the restroom and the attention of the line slipped away from us as others groaned. "Cmon man, make it quick! I'm about to piss right here..." We somehow made it back to the bar, where a pair of stools were free. The music was lower than the high-energy opening as the band went through one of their long concept albums. I watched the singer at the front of the stage, her bright red mohawk twisting behind her as she sang from deep in her throat into the mic. Vaguely, a memory floated back into my mind, of the day Hera had offered me an earbud after class and we sat in the sun and she had showed me this album for the first time. When I watched the light play on her face with her eyes closed and I realized I had fallen in love. How quickly, how deeply I had buried it, to protect her- to protect myself. Her expression when she had opened her eyes and smiled back at me, her face glowing like she was full of sunlight. I watched the crowd dance and flock in front of the stage like a flight of birds. My head was on Hera's shoulder. She shifted, an arm coming up over my shoulder to hold me close, protectively. Her voice was quiet.  "You okay?" I nodded, turning my face to look up at her.  "Yeah." My heart surged as I looked at her, and I caught my breath. "I'm okay." She laughed under her breath, and her hand came to my face, brushing over my lips. "You really are beautiful," she murmured, her fingers resting on the curve of my cheek. I felt myself blush deep red again, a curious sensation throbbing between my legs. It was familiar but- not as physical, not anymore. Pulsing need rippled through my chest and went lower. I swallowed, my heart in my throat. She smiled, her eyes lowering as she watched my expression and I squeezed my eyes shut, shoving my face into her jacket. "What?" She laughed. My voice was muffled against her chest. "Shut up!" "I'm not saying anything!" "Yes you are! You're saying it with your face!"  "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were Little Miss Mind Reader," she said teasingly, her hand dropping away from my cheek. My brain skipped a beat. Miss. Miss. "How did you know?" The words slipped out of my mouth, and I blinked my eyes open again, looking up at her. Hera shifted, signaling the barkeep who came back with a pair of glasses. She pushed one into my hand, and I ruefully lifted my head from her shoulder to take a sip from it. I expected the bitter taste of alcohol, but clear cold water flowed, and I drank deeply. I noticed the bartender looking me up and down as I lowered my glass. They winked at me and I blushed, going red again, before they turned away to someone else.  Hera watched this moment with a smile and then turned her head back to look out at the crowd. "It was back in our third year, I think. After Allie dumped me." I winced, remembering how messy that breakup had been, how much it had hurt her. She looked down at the drink in her hands. "You stayed up with me all night. We got really drunk together, and we watched some movie. And then- I almost kissed you, but you pushed me away, and you cried, and you said that you wanted to love me, but you couldn't do it as a man, and you couldn't be a woman. That you wanted to be a girl so badly, but it wasn't something you could do. You weren't strong enough, or something. You were scared." I was silent, the memories flickering through my head as I watched her. She was saying the words I had locked away for years. She glanced back down at me. "You were right, not to kiss me then. It was a bad moment. You didn't deserve for me to treat you as a rebound. But..." She shook her head. "I told you it didn't matter. That if you wanted to be a woman, you were a woman, and I could love you as you were. That... I think that terrified you. You made me swear to never talk about it again. You said it hurt to think about." The words rattled around in my head. "It- it did." She pulled me back into her shoulder in her embrace, leaning her head against the top of mine. I could tell she understood what I had felt. Her voice lowered as she raised her other hand, twisting her wrists around to look over the tattoos that had shone with green light. "I went to find how to help you. I left to learn that magic. Well, that and other stuff." I pulled my head back, lifting my face to stare at her. She blinked back at me, her expression carefully neutral. "You- you did this for me? You learned magic for me?" She nodded quietly, and rubbed the back of her neck with a hand. "Well, it runs in my family. We're an old magic line... but that's a secret." She flashed me a smile. "I knew it could be done- my grandma did it for grandda some time after they first met- but I didn't want to fuck it up or to hurt you. So I went and trained with grandma for a couple of years without telling you anything." She looked down. "I'm sorry." I shook my head. "What- what if I had stopped talking to you? Or if I had found somebody else, or," My voice trailed off as I thought of all the possible ways we could have been separated for good, of the odds that brought us back together again. Hera stared down at the drink in her hands. "I guess I had faith in you," she said quietly. I stared at her for a long silent minute and realized I was crying quietly again. When she glanced up, she laughed, and then roughly pulled me back into her shoulder.  "You sap." "You knew I loved you-" My voice was choked with emotion. I felt like I was feeling more in this moment than I ever had in my life. "Of course I did. I know when a girl falls for me." "But-"  "Shh." She kissed my forehead, tugging my beanie back down over my long hair. "No more protesting, Robin. You're a woman, open and shut." I sniffed, and nodded against her shoulder. The warmth of her skin pressed against my cheek. I thought of the moment in the sunlight, so long ago for us now. I could feel those old walls - the defenses I was certain I had to protect myself with, the expectations I had set - start to fall away. Another question bubbled up in my chest before it took my tongue and I said it. "Will you dance with me?" She drained her glass of water in one go and stood, bringing me to my feet. "I thought you'd never ask." Her grin was back, and she looked like she could take on the world. Maybe she could. I believed she could in that moment. She pulled me by the hand back into the crowd, and I felt myself relax as the music took my body. My body. New, yet old, yet still mine. The music wasn't drowning me, this time- it was lifting me up, holding me. My thoughts weren't gone. I was fully here and now. I watched her as she spun to pull me into her arms. It felt right. It felt like everything I had ever wanted. I kissed her for real then, in the pounding, surging tide of the music, lips locked together, ignoring everyone around us. When we finally drew apart for a breath, my grin matched hers.  "I love you, Hera," I said, pressing my forehead to hers on tiptoe. She choked out a laugh and I saw that she was crying. She pulled me into an embrace that felt like it could last forever. "I love you, Robin." She said it again, late that night, back in our hotel room alone with me, but louder and many times in a row. And I said it again to her, that night, and when we woke in each other's arms in the morning. And I will say it again, and again, and I will keep doing so, for as long as she'll have me. Forever.   shiftdruid Hello world! My name's Shift and I'm coming to you from the futchest of femme/butch locations, the couch next to my incredible wife and our spooky black void familiar. Thank you for reading my debut story! This is the first time I've written a gender bender piece AND the first time I've ever written erotica. Hera and Robin reflect a lot about what was important to me in fiction as a closeted youth years ago, when male-gazey (and really bigoted!) TF stories relegated to the back corners of the internet were one of the only places you could find narratives about being trans. The good, affirming, queer and gender-nonconforming stories were few and far between, and I treasured the ones I found dearly. We're doing much better these day, thankfully - having spaces where LGBTQIA+ authors (love you, ace sibs!) can express themselves have been a big step in that ongoing journey. I can't wait to see where we go next. It would mean the world to me if you wrote a review, rated the fic, or just left a comment saying hello! I have some long-form fiction in the works right now- some grand and sweeping, some soft and spicy, all queer affirming. If that sounds interesting, give me a follow, and please consider tipping so I can spend more time writing self-indulgent pieces for queer women and sapphic lovers like you.  Trans love and queer solidarity will save the world! 🔀🌱❤️

Azerman's Kingdom Kanchelsis, the vampire deity, built the kingdom. Kanchelsis, according to tradition, was a compassionate and benevolent god who valued peace and harmony. As a result, he created a Heven for humans and vampires. Although it may appear strange, Kanchelsis, despite being a vampire, never loathed humanity. Instead, he cherished them in the same way that he loves his own kind. Vampires and humans were at odds in the early phases of civilisation. As a result, many people were killed on both sides. As the conflict progresses, other civilizations, such as the elves and dwarves, become models of perfection and peaceful races. However, when God Kanchelsis was born in this earth, everything changed. He put an end to the never-ending struggle between humans and vampires by establishing two powerful nations, one for vampires and one for humans. The humans agreed, as did the vampires, and that day became known as the most momentous day in history. Kanchelsis, with his god-like abilities, built large cities for both tribes, taught them how to live correctly, and imposed regulations.Kanchelsis also devised a technique for vampires to thrive without human blood. Despite being the god, he asked the humans for a little bit of their blood to give to the vampire realm in exchange for a fair trade of food and clothes for humans, which they agreed and swore to fulfill the arrangement. As a result, The Human Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Last Light, came into being. "The Kingdom of Azerman," the vampire's name, was derived from the final name of the vampire deity Kanchelsis. The humans' reasoning was simple: the kingdom was their final refuge. Kanchelsis built the peace he desired after the foundation of the two great nations, which served the goal of his life. As time passed, the enmity between the two species faded, and what replaced it was friendship and love. From these pleasant days came a sad day that caused millions of people and vampires to suffer. Kanchelsis takes his life on that day. It was stated that he died because he had served his mission and no longer necessary it. Although many humans and vampires wished he could live and protect them, they realized it was impossible. The larger entities had no choice but to depart the earth. As a result, Kanchelsis chose to die in front of millions of people and vampires as his final request, which all vampires and humans agreed on and attended his death day. Before dying, he made a speech in which he predicted what would happen to them. 1) Title: The Day God Cries It was predicted that there would come a day when the human race would once again bask in each other's blood, signaling the end of God's efforts. 2) Title:When darkness blankets the entire planet, light always emerges from within the gloom. According to the prophesy, something massive will fly and have wings as depicted, threatening Chao and the entire planet. However, he asserted that light will emerge, implying that something will protect and fight back, bringing the light back. On to the third and final of the three main prophesies. 3) Title: The Boy with a Pure Heart and the Girl Who Despises This was one of the most complicated prophesies that perplexed millions of people, and it is still being researched today to solve the enigma. Kanchelsis stated in this prophesy, "As the time of the end comes, one will bring darkness and one will carry hope, and the people of both races will follow their shown route, but in the end, only one will survive." But be courageous and strong, since these are difficult and perplexing times. Because both sides will give you "greater good." He took a brief pause before turning to face the massive throng. "I hope if you both read this in some type of book in the future, you won't kill each other," he says for the first time with considerable passion. '' My successors." A tear falls from His sanctified eyes. Then, walking to the center of the stage, he pulled out a blade and stabbed it into his heart while millions of people wept, watching their god's death. As Kanchelsis lay dead on the stage floor, two representatives from each sides stepped up and carried his body up to a casket. Then it was buried beneath where he was standing. Nahmir was the name of the city, which no nation claimed. Things were not that different between humans and vampires after Kanchelsis died. In retrospect, they became closer, and by sharing the grief of Kanchelsis' passing, they found something to relate to more. Many people began to arrive in the Kingdom of Azerman and chose to settle since they were treated with equality and respect. A large number of vampires have also settled in the Human Kingdom. However, both races are concerned with the same issue today. How long will this tranquillity last? A boy with black luscious hair and red eyes with a lovely face may be seen sparring with an older appearing man in a field. "Well done, young master, you managed to hit me." While fending off the boy's sword strike, the elderly guy muttered. "Haah, I did, but it was not close enough, so take this one." The boy dashed straight at the elderly man as the man saw fit to counter it, but he was in for a shock. The boy, reaching close quarters, made a big jump and rolled his body. "Childish, Young Master, Move" The old gentleman He thrust his Woden sword towards the skies to counter the onslaught.  jaspers  pace was fairly great due to the rolling, and he then made contact with the elderly man's blade. "Ukhh" The old man couldn't handle the pressure and backed away, hardly defending himself. Getting to the ground The boy altered his attire and stance. "So, Mathew, what are your thoughts now?" The boy remarked with a sneer on his face. "I'm impressed at how quickly the young master acquired a dual swing move." He moved up to a neighboring table on the lawn, sat, and wiped away his sweat. "Well, I observed this move many times and it was extremely exciting to behold, so I performed some secret training to surprise you." '' "Young master japser, you truly are the prodigy of the Petrova family and the proud owner of Purgatory's mask." "Hey, stop With your honey words, so let's practise again. " "I'm an old guy, young master. Consider me sometimes. We've been training for 4 hours and yet want to practice more." The old guy smiled strainedly, while Jasper, recognizing his error, murmured quietly, "Oops, I forgot." While Jasper was resting, a manservant approached him and told him that his mother had remembered him. "Is Mom okay?"  The manservant nodes and leaves. "I guess it's the end of our training, Mathew," he says as he walks away from the field, as Mathew sighs with relief. Then Mathew sat on the grass and extended his hands, then glanced up at the sky and said, "It's been so long since I've been with Master Jasper, it's honestly challenging to imagine he'll depart the state." Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. "What am I doing crying? I should be pleased that he is entering a new phase of his life." At that moment, a voice called out to Mathew, and he turned around to see a gorgeous man dressed in a Butler uniform identical to Mathew's. In their breast pockets is a star-shaped symbol with a cross in the middle. It is owned by the Petrova family. Mathew gets to his feet and comes up to the individual in front of me. "Luther, what brings you here? are you here for, young master? I'm sorry he's not here. Mrs. Victoria has called him into her chamber. " "Mr. Mathew, thank you for informing me. But I'm here for a different reason." Luthor stated Looking at Mathew's face with a serious expression,which Mathew noticing asked. "All right, fill me in." "It appears that Silver Coven They have been attempting to incite civil war between the territories of Viscount Judas Cutler and Count Damon Dethanatos. Our spies confirmed this via the Serval information loop. In the city of Emden, there is a tiny establishment. They are supposed to be leading this operation from there." "Has Lord Alfredo been made aware of this?" ''For that reason, I've come to you, Mr. Mathew. What should I do?" Mathew nodded, placed his palm on his chin, and thought for a while before responding. "In any event, notify Lord Alfredo and go on to your next assignment. It is possible to just eliminate the perpetrators, but this would be a waste of effort. It will just push them to be more cautious." "So, what do you recommend?" Luthor queried, his voice tense. "You indicated that their headquarters are in Emden, correct? That implies we'll go undercover and track them down." "Mathew, Mr. You know whose territory that is, don't you? We will not be able to get access to their lands." "Who is requesting permission? I never meant to complete this quest flawlessly. We'll leave at midnight, and please keep this mission a secret from everyone. particularly young master Jasper" "I'll keep that in mind, so I'll take my leave . Mr.Mathew" ..... ... ..... Jasper entered the mansion and made his way to her mother's chamber. As he approached the door, he noticed two maids standing there with their heads down. "Does Mom happen to be here?" "Yes, young master, she has been anticipating your arrival  Please enter "The maid opened the door for Jake as he walked in. "Jasper, my dear. You've arrived. I've been waiting for you for a long time." Victoria Petrova, Jasper's mother, was a beauty among beauties. Her hair is long and luscious, similar to Jasper's, and she has crimson eyes with long eyelashes and scarlet lips. She has a little mole just to the right of her chin, which adds to her already lovely face. Jasper bowed, then straightened his back. "Sorry about that, Mom. I was practicing with Mathew, you see. As a reason, I'm running a little late. I'm curious as to why Mom summoned me here, though "While stroking his chin, Jasper muttered. "Jasper, you should avoid training and instead enjoy your final days here before departing." "You already know how I am. I can't breathe unless I work out." "Well, I suppose you're accurate. You are, at the end of the day, your father's son." She summoned a maid and whispered something into her ears. The maid then leaves the room, accepting Victoria's command. "What did you tell her mom?" Japser, intrigued, asked. "You'll see, it's your farewell present." "Gift? It's unusual for Mom to offer me one." "That's rude, Jasper. Your mother has been trying to be good to you, and you treat me like this. Humph, I'm in hurt." Victoria pouted and folded her arms, causing her large breasts to bounce, as she glanced away. "Okay, I'm sorry, you're the finest. Happy?" She smiled and rose from her chair, wrapping her arms around Jasper and caressing his hair. "That's how you treat your mother.. Praise me more" She kissed his head. "You're using too much force, Mom. If you don't let go of your arm, I'll be smashed." As the mother and son scene was playing out, a knock came out as Victoria, releasing the jasper from her embrace, told the maid to come in. Jasper awaited the interpretation of what her mother had planned for his present as well. When the door opened, the maid from earlier came in first, followed by a young looking female. The girl welcomed Japser's mother with a respectful curtsy. "My lady , It's such a great honor to meet you. " She switched her glance to Jasper, whose two cheeks were glowing red, and nodded gleefully. His eyes were a bright crimson. The girl grinned as she gazed at Jasper. Jasper's heart skips a beat when he sees that lovely, mesmerizing grin. Everything about her drew him in: her lovely face, her crimson eyes, and her perfume, which was more addictive than anything he had ever encountered. Her ash blonde hair glistened in the sunlight, and her little lips were reminiscent of rose petals. His stare was one of the most sacred things I had ever seen. But this was not the case, which was why Japser was drawn to her. Her blood sweet smell was so alluring that Japser struggled to control his bloodlust. "Are you okay, Jasper?" "I'm alright," The girl approached Japser and introduced herself, lowering her head. "You may address me as feriya, Lord. Lady Victoria has chosen me to be your personal attendant, and I pledge that I will devote my entire soul and body to serving you."  She stated as she walked backwards to join the other maid. Japser, taken aback, looked to her mother, who was beaming brilliantly. "Mom, I need to talk to you alone for a bit." When Victoria heard her son's comments, she looked at the maid, who nodded and exited the room with the girl named Feriya. Jasper inquired of her mother as they exited the room. "Mom, why would you hire a human as an attendant when you know I'm still learning to control my bloodlust?" "Hiring a human girl for the job does not bother me. Concerning your blood thirst difficulties, I believe this arrangement will greatly assist you in learning to manage it, just as it did for Mathew." "But, Mom, I wanted Mathew to be my attendant." "There are no arguments. I've already spoken, and there's no going back. You're also reaching the age when you'll need to engage in certain sexual relations." "Mom, I'm off,"  Japser Blushing leaves the room while her mother giggles seeing her son's running back. .... As Jasper entered his room, he drew back the curtains, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the whole space. Then, standing in front of a mirror near his bed, he began to undress himself. whilst singing a song He enters the bathroom, putting a towel around his waist, to take a shower. As the cold water falls on his skin, he recalls the face of the girl named Feriya. The way she looked at Japser lingered in his imagination. He strolled outside the bathroom after closing the faucet and picking up the towel. As he exited, he noticed that a new pair of sleepwear had been placed on the bed over the blanket. "Did anyone enter my room?" He just put them on and lay down on the bed, taking up a book from his massive shelf, which was stocked with hundreds of books. As he was ready to open the book, a creaky sound came from the room's door, and Japser noticed Feriya stepping in. 'What exactly is she doing here?' Jasper was perplexed, but he chose to listen to the reason. Feriya moved over to the bed with a bright smile on her face. Feriya moved over to the bed with a bright smile on her face. "A-ah, right? Yes, I have worn them and thanks for that,  "Japser said by returning his attention to his book. Minutes passed, but Feriya remained still. "Is there anything more you want to say? If not, you may return to your lodgings; it is almost late." Her crimson eyes gazed at Japsers' face as she started to undress herself. "W-what are you doing?" She remained silent and continued to undress herself. She was dressed in a gorgeous and appealing nightgown when she finished. "Lady Victoria commanded me to serve you at night as well, young master. Please bear with me since I am novice "She began to creep closer Japser, climbing onto the bed. Jasper's thoughts was racing, not because he felt timid, but because of the blood aroma in his nostrils. Jasper's gaze was drawn to her white neck as she crawled, which was stunning to say the least. 'What am I thinking?' he wonders, dismissing his negative ideas. Feriya placed her lips on Japsers' lips and began to kiss her just as he was going to stop him. Jasper was taken aback at first and attempted to distance himself from her, but the sweetness he was experiencing was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He let go of his reluctance and began to respond to her advances. He forced his tongue into her mouth, which caused Feriya to open her eyes wide before embracing his tongue and kissed him passionately. Japser grabbed her waist, pushed her up against his knees, and began kissing her neck. "Young Master, it tickles." He felt something warm trickling into his back as he kissed her.He paused kissing her neck and looked her in the eyes. She was sobbing. A sudden guilt hit him as he let go of her body. "Could you please leave?" he said, turning his gaze elsewhere. "I apologize, young master; I believed I was ready— "There is no need for an explanation; you are free to depart." Feriya apologizes once more and exits the room. ——— Feriya strode across the deserted corridor, gritting her teeth and cursing someone quietly. "I'm sickened by that filthy bastard." She entered her assigned room after a few minutes of wandering. She reached for a nearby desk and took out a picture frame with three people smiling in it.She stared at it, then said, "Mom, Dad, I've made it here." She came to a halt as tears streamed down her cheeks. She proceeded, wiping the tears from her cheeks, this time with amazing resolve. "To be honest, it was quite difficult for mom and dad. But don't worry, your strong daughter did it anyhow. I know you don't want me to go down this road, but don't feel bad about it. It is my sole determination, to avenge you, and I will do it regardless of the odds. But it's quite lonely without you. *sob* Maybe someday I'll meet you, and when I do, I'll gladly tell you my story with my own tongue. Wait for me, mum and dad, till then." She sobbed in front of the photo frame that night.

[Hey stop that I just bought that game.] [Yeah I know you ordered it on eBay right?] My name is Nathen Miles the one I'm arguing with is my big sister. Brandy Miles, she's a tomboy and acts for manly than anyone I know. I'm 16 years old while she's 19 years old.[Come on let's go to GameStop the game you got was a fake.] Brandy was right I was so happy to get the game I wasn't paying attention and ordered a fake copy of the game I wanted. That's the thing about my family we can argue all day long but at the end of the day still care about each other. My family has my father whose a police officer. My mother works in a flower shop. my big sis[Brandy] and little sisters who are twins[mia and lily]. We went out to brandy's car it was a dodge and all-black like GTA5As we drive towards the nearest game stop we start talking. [How the permit state test coming ]she asks while driving. [It's okay if I ever find out I would kick his ass. What do I need to understand all the signs for.] She hits my head for kussing. She's been teaching me how to drive. Which is simple the problem is all the signs still I passed that monster of a test. [How's finding a girlfriend coming along?] [Since when did I start looking for a girlfriend I enjoy being a single man] To that, she just laughs. I don't have any skills when it comes to picking up girls. The pretty girls in school are all mostly stuck up or dumb. Lots of them wear makeup and the girls with nice figures all go for the rich boys, In terms of looks I would rate myself are 7 out of 10. I know I'm not the best but I'm definitely not the worst. I have short black curly hair with light brown eyes. An average build a little bit overweight in the stomach but not noticeable unless I wear something tight or take my shirt off. [Since when did you become a man] my sister asks even tho she knows I have zero skills. When it comes to picking up girls As she says that she looks down at m crotch. To that provocation, I can only shut my mouth as I see a smirk forming on her face. When we pull up to Gamestop's parking lot and enter the store. The store clerk a man in his 20s looks at my sister or I should say a certain part of her. Brandy's light brown skin compared to my light skin. She has a pretty face thin brows a straight nose and average size breasts with a full behind. That shows well in her tight jeans and black shirt. [Sis you have another admier] She understands what I mean and finds the clerk looking at her behind. Once she caught him looking the clerk instantly started to act like he was working.I find the game I wanted and went to the cashier to pay. After I and brandy leave the store. Me and brand talk as she drives home. We pull up in the driveway of our house. Our house is a normal size house with 2 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms that's all on one level.I go get some game time in before my parents come home. They get off around 3:30 and the twin's school let out at 4:00. After a while of game time, I hear the front door open and know everyone's home. I go to help the twins with their homework.It's what I always do when they come home. They both have blue eyes and black hair with tan skin which can only be described as adorable.They both call me big brother when they want something. They are so young but already know how to use their cuteness to their advantage. [How was school?] [Boring that teacher likes to touch our face.] The twins are really adorable even though I have to hold myself back from hugging them. [That's because you're both so cute ] [Nathen come to help me cook dinner]I heard my mom yell in my room I tell the twins to work by themselves for a while. Helping mom throw down in the kitchen is a part of my daily routine. I can say for a fact no one can cook like her. [Hey brat when are you going to get a girfirend]She asks as she seasoned the meat.[Come on not you too your the mother you should stop me from getting a girlfirend][Really there's no cute girl you like none at all?] She says as she pocks my stomach with a cooking utensil. We continue to talk about nonsense as we cook dinner. That's we I hear dad come out of the bathroom. Followed by a stench the stench of a big shit. When I was throwing down in the kitchen he was blowing up the bathroom. [Dad really you could have at least used air fresher.] [I did you just can't smell it yet] As he walked into the kitchen the stench seem to have a mind of its own. It spread into the kitchen and my sibling's room. My sister was the first to come out of her only to be hit with the stench.[God dad what did you eat at taco bell?] [I did how did you know?]Then we heard mom say it was time for dinner.So we all stop talking about how dad killed the bathroom. We talk and laugh as we eat dinner.[Nathen are you really not coming with us on the trip?]My parents are planning a trip to see our family in Texas. I wasn't interested and going I would rather stay and watch anime than play nice with people I don't know. [No I'll just stay home you'll only be gone for a few days.]Dad hassled me about being safe even tho he was being overprotective he is a police officer after all.After dinner, my sister washes the dishes while I dry and the twins put them away. Then I help mom do the laundry I see the burn mark on her arm. Mom is quite cute with a figure like brandy with brown hair and light brown eyes. With a motherly aura around her with a gentle personality.When I was 7 and big sis was 10 we were playing and not paying attention and knocked over boiling cooking oil. She pulled us out of the way and got burned in the process. I thought she would be angry but she looked at us with worry on her face and showed a beautiful smile when she saw we were safe.Once finished we all went to bed early because they had a flight in the morning.

It was a cold, rainy, winter night, lying in my bed talking to my best friend of mine. It was break so both of us were enjoying break away from school from tests and all that jazz. Having it being very stress inducing and intense with keeping good grades, it was very needed especially me being someone who never got good grades before but its highschool yet again It is literally everything y'know haaaaaaa.... We gotten 3 weeks off and during this time I spent it with getting close with my friend Leena She is a heavy emo girl who I think is very nice and sweet with being funny with hints of being weird a lot of the times. And I also spent most of my break sleeping since tests and studying took my sleep away for a good chunk of my past 2 weeks. We both talked about Christmas coming up and more stuff of our break. She was gonna go shopping to get gifts for her family and pet dog Lulu while I had nothing going besides getting my hours of sleep in and reading manga, more novels, watching anime, and listening to a lot of rock music and metal since I have been going through another emo phase of mine. I  am very nerdy and love especially spending my time reading novels and manga since I loved the genre of reincarnation or isekai genre in general and overall literature. You can call me an obsessed bookworm haha. I have always loved learning and reading fictional stories like the 'Percy Jackson' series and mythology. It's just.... you are able to dive into your own world and imagine such exquisite possibilities and live such fantasies in your own mind! It makes feel so free and has my binds of this mortal and feeble body break off to fly and reach the stars to become one of my own. To shine bright and show such unfathomable...pristine presence in the nightly galaxy as a constellation. Life is so boring and isn't so exciting here. Many can agree with me. Most of us want to leave this planet and would rather sleep to stay in our dreams than wake up to this place to be easily cheated out of happiness. Sometimes it just feels like the universe gifted us dreams as blessings and curses to us living in the chalky impossible, eh? Ha! Man I sometimes I wonder if I am still a 16 year old or a old philosopher debating and theorizing the world to find out the secrets hidden in the shadows. 'Haaaaaaaaa....I think it is time to call it a night since it is getting pretty late...' Me: Oi, I think Ima head to sleep now since I am getting pretty tired for some reason for these pass days. L: Alright. Are you feeling ok? Because you haven't been yourself kind of lately. Me: Eh. If I had to guess, It must just be school and haven't gotten much sleep cuz of it. Also, still feel guilty with not giving your gift when I said I was gonna so many times.. L: UGH! What did I say many times, I don't mind. You don't need to force yourself to do something you aren't really comfortable to do. Me: Yeah but I wanna get over my dumb ass shyness. It is very annoying and plus I really wanted to give this poster -.- L: .__. *sigh* It is fineeeee besides break is ongoing so nothing we can do till schools opens back up. Me: Truers indeed... >Leena liked your message< L: Trust and believe me, It is fine. We can talk about this more later tmr so be sure to get some rest. You don't wanna overwork your body staying up late. Me: Alright, I'll try to in a bit. L: Great! Everything will be ok I promise :) Goodnight and sleep well Me: Goodnight and you sleep well too haha text you later >Leena liked your message< I heaved a deep exhale throwing my phone aside after ending the conversation. 'Now this sucks.' 'I'm not the talkative type. I am bit of a mute but she is the only person that gets me to talk and open up. So without her... life is boring...' For a bit, I pouted over it then stopped after a few minutes. "Welp no use crying over it y'know.." I said while jumping in bed and laying my head down. For a couple minutes more...I pondered....after reading some stories... Pondering over magic and previous dreams since I always remember every single one. Being a cultivator fighting multiple opponents, being a mage using multiple elements of magic, multiple versions of me fighting... 'Why am I thinking of this all of a sudden?' It was weird but all day I been thinking about it so it was no biggie. A minute later I relaxed and finally dozed off..... . . . Everything...is....black

RING RING RING!I wake you to the sound of my phone ringing I lazily stretch my arm over and answer it. It's my grandparent they have seen the news and know what happened. They were very sad. I could hear her sniffles through her words.[I just sniff saw the sniff news. How are you doing?][I'm doing what I can how are you, grandma?]I know it must have hit her hard too after all lost 3 of 4 grandchildren. [Don't worry your grandparents will take care of you.] [Thanks grandma ] I say as my eyes turn slightly red.Just like 5 months went by the airline gave composition to the families who died in the explosion. 1,000 per person so I go 5,000 I wasn't happy though. They were priceless to me and no amount of money could buy them back. The cause of the explosion was a gas leak because it wasn't properly checked. The airline had to pay quite a lot to make up for the mistake. I stayed at home and got a part-time job. My grandparents often dropped by to see how I was doing. I lost a lot of weight over these 5 months. My grades dropped from honor roll to that of a below-average student. The teachers understood why and did what they could to help. I noticed that my grandparents were coughing whenever they came over. It got worse they came over even though they did their best to hide it. They both knew they didn't have much time left. Until one Sunday they came over. Grandma had on a pink church dress while grandpa had on a black suit.[Hey grandma how was church?] [I was great I just wish you would come sometimes for this old lady.][Right you come more and save me hum I men come more for your grandmother.]To that grandma just hits granddad they both meant in high school and have been together ever since.They both argue both it's just the way they are. I have been slowly getting used to life without them I feel sad sometimes.Even tho I'm adapting of course I miss them. A year goes by in a flash I graduate from high school at 17 years old. I come home with a smile on my face it was hard I thought about dropping out more than a few times. But as I was about to order out to celebrate. I receive a phone call from the hospital my grandma had a heart attack. I quickly drive to the hospital I drive my sisters dodge ever since I got my permit.I go to the front desk and ask from the room she was in once the nurse tells me I go to the 5th floor and find her room number. Once I get there I see her talking to the nurse and her expression seems calm. As I enter the room my grandma asked the doctor to leave the room. She has that serious look in her eyes. That kind when she is extremely serious. [Nathan][Yes grandma]I hold her as she lays on the hospital bed.[You know I'm dying don't you?]She asks with a smile on her face like what she's talking about isn't a big deal.[Yes grandma I noticed you were getting sick you and grandpa] [Yes Nathen we both have cancer and have a few months left at most.]Hearing this my eyes redden my family left and now my grandparents too. Knowing what I was thinking she pulled me into a tight hug.[ It's okay Nathan that the cycle of life and death isn't the end.] Once grandpa come he checks on grandma once he sees she's fine he calms down. They both know they are going to die soon and want to spend the last few months in peace.After a few days, she was discharged from the hospital.Time went by I visited my grandparents 5 times a week went work and repeated. Quickly 3 months went by and as grandma said her time came. I got the phone call I wished I never would get after confirming she was gone. What really hurt was what I heard next when grandpa found out she passed in her sleep. He sent all the money in their bank account to me. Then he held her as he overdosed on sleeping pills. That night I got drunk and cried even though I know it was going to happen it still hurt. When I was drowning my sorrows I noticed something when I closed my eyes. A 100-dollar bill but I'm sure it was in my mind. When I thought about it appeared in my hand. I was shocked is this like one of those powers in novels I thought. Maybe I'm just drunk I'm happy about this power and sad about my grandparent's death.

The belltower of the assembly rang with the same gusto it rang every morning. It raised the students from their beds as usual, but for them this day was everything but. It was the last day for that year of schooling at the assembly.  Thomen, as the other students, started his day with the usual routine. From his room he went to the washing room. Nobody had yet turned the heater on, so they could either shower in cold water or wait until it was hot enough to enjoy. Thomen had decided he would use every minute of the day so he gritted his teeth and went into the freezing water straight from the lake.  The washed boys threw on their black trousers, white shirts and dark blue students’ coats and descended from the boys' wing to the communal wing of the dormitory and at the breakfast table, Thomen saw Elle. He was enchanted by her green eyes as she talked to her best friend Lila. Thomen would have drunk in more of her radiance if his friend and roommate Dale hadn’t bumped into him.  “Hey, don’t stare so much, or people will think you want to shag the dog next.”  “Shut up, Dale. I don’t care. She might not be a human but she’s still a person, isn’t she?”  Dale’s voice took on a less humorous tone. “Let crolans to their kind, take humans to ours.”  Thomen looked back to Elle, who had taken place not too far from him and Dale. He could not see her green eyes, but her short, cream coloured fur coruscated in the morning light. With her arm, she reached all across the table for a bread roll, cut it open and started buttering. Lila made a jest Thomen couldn’t understand and Elle giggled. It was a beautiful sound.  “Stop staring, mate.”  Thomen ignored that, but he did notice one of Elle’s ears perking up and twisting towards their position, she was about to look his way. Before he could see her eyes entirely, Thomen quickly looked away. He saw that his plate was empty. He reached for a bread roll and decided on bacon, scrambled eggs and cheese. When he had put it all together and took his first bite, he dared another glance. Their eyes met. Her pupils widened from slits to circles and he quickly looked away. They were both fifteen, any time spent too close to another would be enough to give people around them funny ideas.  After breakfast, the students of all years left the dormitory and walked the short path upwards to the assembly. There would be no ordinary lessons that day. All exams had been written, all results declared and all curricula fulfilled. Each professor had the opportunity to endear themselves to the students for the next year, it was the last day before the students left for three months of summer. After six years in the assembly, Thomen knew which one would make the greatest display. The students were free to visit any presentation or lecture they wished, no restriction on age or subject, but he had given himself a specific instruction: he would go wherever Elle was going. She decided to go to Professor Carnelle, who was an excellent evocator. Her displays of fire and frost were a joy to behold. With her delicate hand, she wrote the finest patterns and scripts and managed to cram so many instructions and conditions on even the tiniest of areas, it was dizzying to think of the attention she put into it.  A single wooden ball the size of her thumb whirred around its axis as it hovered over the heads of students, who were packed tightly in the small lecture room seating barely thirty. As this wooden ball whirred and hovered, the air flowed at incredible speeds through the carved grooves on its surface, the two distinct set of carved grooves that interlocked tightly but never truly touched. One of them cooled the air so far down it turned into a frigid mist sprinkling the students with snowflakes, while the other heated it up so far it tore crackling sparks with it and spewed them across the room, while Professor Carnelle guided the streams with her wand of ash, turning them into dancing swirls and clashing vortices above the students’ heads. One of the sparks landed on the far tip of Elle’s ear and she flicked it away with a movement as natural as blinking. Thomen stared without interruption, Dale had chosen to attend Professor Lucen’s presentation on minimalist control of telekinetic spells.  Thomen met Dale at lunch, which was just a light meal; dinner would be a feast.  “I decided against going home immediately.” Dale told. “I think I'll be heading to the north coast with Garre and the others.”  “Why the sudden change? Won’t your parents miss you? What does your Master have to say about it?”  “I will send a pigeon message from the city. They will be quite alright. My Master won’t mind, he barely ever needs help with his studies anyway, I just get in his way.”  “I couldn’t do that. Master Tolle expects me back. He has another apprentice to teach before he can send him off to the assembly, too. If I didn’t help him out, he’d be overloaded with orders. There aren’t many magi around our parts.”  “Oh, that’s right, you’re a countryside bumpkin. I could never be an artisan mage, I want to get a proper degree and then a doctorate.”  Thomen raised an eyebrow in scepticism. “What do you mean, proper degree? Master Tolle has a proper degree. Just because it’s not from a university doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. He takes care of several villages. Without him the saws, mills and looms of dozens of villages would soon cease to work.”  Dale raised his hands to assuage Thomen. “I know, I know. But I don’t want to be a mage who keeps the world turning, I want to figure out what makes it turn and how to forge ahead. I want to invent new looms and saws, or even new applications and tools entirely. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your goals, but my ambitions lie higher.”  “At least I can already make something. The greatest thing you ever made was turning that log into a piece of coal with your miscalculated spell last year. Either way, touring the north coast is no option for me. I wish you and the others much fun. Plan on doing anything other than drinking?”  “Oh come on now, you know we’re not old enough.”  “Never stopped us before.” Thomen said with a mischievous grin.  Ignoring Thomen’s comment, Dale continued. “Besides, there are plenty of sights to see. The Watcher’s Rock is said to be pretty this time of year. I want to jump off it into the sea below.”  For a moment, Thomen felt the urge to come with. The hot summer months were the ideal time to escape into the cold northern waters. He was interrupted in his fantasy by the beautiful sound of a certain giggle. Before he could turn his head –  “Don’t stare, mate!”  “Let me. At least I didn’t get slaps or kicks from half the girls here for any creepy letters.”  “A man got to be bold, or he’ll always stay a boy.” He seemed to make a pause. “But not so bold as to shag a do- AUGH!“  Thomen had kicked Dale’s shin with all his might under the table. “Stop talking about people of other races like that. If you talked bad about an urshog or mohouk this way, they’d cave your head in. You’re just being mean because crolans are smaller.”  “Well she’s not an urshog or a mohouk, she’s a crolan and I don’t have anything against them, but come on, dating one? Doing it with one?”  “I hope you dont plan on any long sea voyages then. There’s lots of sea dogs on a ship.”  The comment was met with only eye rolling on Dale's side. They finished their meal and decided on the spectacles to observe. Dale decided on Professor Nall's class and Thomen followed suit when he noticed Elle going the same way, without Lila. Nall was a favourite among the playful and lazy. He taught most notably magic and mundane properties as well as mineralogy, but his passion was sports and games and so he liked to tinker on magical tools that made those more fun. His last lecture of the year would usually be letting the students test out his latest inventions.   They sat in groups between two and six and were handed boxes by him with hastily scribbled instructions. After playing a game about caravans and escorts where the escort pieces would actually bump into each other on command, he decided to rotate to another group, in the hopes of getting to play with Elle, who had just received a large playing board from Professor Nall. Thomen sensed his chanced and moved quickly.  “Are you looking for players?” He asked her and she looked at him in confusion. Her green eyes were the depth of mystery to him. Their colour reminded him of moss on sandstone and few specks of yellow and red could be seen.  “I don’t know what to do with this. He said it’s played with usual playing cards.” She walked to a nearby table and put the board down, then pulled out a pack of cards and an instruction manual from her students' robes. “It says here we need to each draw eleven cards and place five face down on the board on our side and five plus one face up. Winner is who manages to force the other’s cards all face up first.”  The wooden board was entirely covered with instructions carved in arcane glyphs. Some Thomen could understand, others would require some study. Some of the glyphs indicated the twenty-two spaces where they would put down their eleven cards: two rows at five cards each plus an eleventh “head card” that seemed to have some significance. When certain conditions were met, cards would flip face-down or face-up. Both Thomen and Elle tried to figure out the rules from the instructions, but they could not remember more than two of the convoluted rules.  “I don’t get why he didn’t just put the glyphs on the cards instead.” Elle asked at some point.  “Because every spell is only as durable as its base. The cards would just burn up after a while. Carving the board every thousand games or so is easier.”  Elle hummed and nodded, which made the hair of her mane sway back and forth. “I guess that’s true, but it is so cumbersome.” Thomen had always been fascinated by the upright standing hair of the crolans’ manes. Like wild horses, their manes were stiff and coarse, and many of their women wove ribbons and beads into them to keep them somewhat down. Their men were often braggards and boasters that only too gladly showed off their manes, beards and chest hair. The females however were said to have no hair on those two specific areas, yet between those, a crest of puffy white hair sprung up, smooth like silk and smelling of-  “What are you doing for the summer?” Elle’s voice interrupted his fantasy.  “Uuuh.” Thomen had to think for a moment. “Help Master Tollen, I guess. He is always busy and I need the practice if I want to follow into his footsteps.”  “Do you get to carve any glyphs?” Elle was again reading through the instructions to figure out why her eight of leaves had just flipped face-down. “All I get to do is removing old and worn-out ribbons from poles and hanging up the new ones.”  “If I didn’t help him three months out of the year, he would barely have any time. Master Tolle gives me the blueprint for the glyphs, I draw the glyphs on the object and our artisan carves them in.”  “Oh, I envy you.” Elle seemed to have found what she had been looking for and decided to swap one of her face-up cards. As she placed it, she put great care into not letting her claws touch the paper. Thomen paid close attention to each and every single one of her movements. She returned her hand to her lap and below the table, which left Thomen staring at her blouse, out of which poked just the tiniest tip of the silky hair of her chest, of that long crest that ran between her breasts, until Elle drew her students’ robes close with a quick movement. “I said my turn is over, Thomen.” Her glare showed Thomen she did not approve of his idle eyes.  “Oh, I am sorry, yes, you are right.” Thomen’s heart sank, he did not know what had come over him. He decided to swap a face-down and a face-up card and finished his move by putting his hand on his side of the baord and announcing “My turn is over”, whereupon one of Elle’s cards flipped face-up, bringing her total count to seven face-up. His frustration however rose, as he had still not found a proper way to actually talk to Elle about what was truly on his mind whenever he saw her.  Elle took the manual to council again and tried to understand what had just happened. Thomen looked at her green eyes scanning the awful scribbling of Professor Nall’s, until they glanced to him for a careful moment, she saw him returning her look and furrowed her brow in judgemental anger.  She threw the manual up. “I DON’T GET THIS! AAARGH!”. She messed up her mane in frustration and scratched her head, which shortly after summoned Professor Nall to them. He held his colourfully painted staff close and smiled as if he was awaiting the punchline to a joke.  “Is there something I can help you with?”  “EVERYTHING!” Elle replied angrily, whereupon she quickly caught herself, adjusted her pose and corrected her tone. “I mean,… The rules are quite obtuse as they are written, I am afraid, Professor Nall.”  True to his playful nature, Professor Nall merely giggled. “I guess it is a fairly early concept, why don’t you join those over there? They had quite the fun with their previous round and I want to see a bigger group trying their hands at that game.” He pointed to another group waving to them.  Elle and Thomen did as recommended and for the rest of the “lecture” and had their fair bit of fun, but rarely exchanged glances. The second afternoon lecture would see them separated as Dale insisted on showing him Professor Carnella’s Pheonix Flight performance, a dazzling display of evocation, where raw energies were summoned forth to take the shape of a fiery bird performing aerial stunts, safely above the lake.  During the entire performance, Thomen thought about a way to talk to Elle on more direct terms, when suddenly, the performance itself gave him an idea. He reached into his satchel and retrieved coal pencil and paper. With the ancient rune of butterfly, he managed to construct a spell to take a specific shape and behaviour, now all he needed was a fixed position from Elle and her direction and distance and he could send any letter he wanted. The dinner would offer the perfect opportunity.  Dinner was served while the summer sun was still above the horizon. If he was lucky, he could invite Elle to witness the sundown above the lake with him. He hatched his plan.  All the students from year one to seven gathered in the large communal dining room. Normally, the younger students would rise and eat later, but this day, all got to eat together in the large ballroom. No balls tonight, that was reserved for the winter solstice, but the feast was served. Roasts with gravy as thick as glue, potatoes as large as two fists baked to perfection, vegetables of all kinds in the lightest steam imaginable. For Thomen, it was the greatest feast of the semester. His friends may have wealthier parents, but he enjoyed this thoroughly for he had ample reason to.  While he was enjoying the greatest course of his year, he scribbled the necessary calculations on his paper, judging distance and direction from Elle, who was again happily chatting with Lila. Dale was watching him scribble and calculate closely, barely any the wiser. Finally, between his first and second serving, he was done. He would enact his plan when the desert was served – shepherd's pie with cowberry preserves – and show Elle his true feelings.  He wrote a short poem in the centre of the paper bearing all the necessary glyphs, to tell her his feelings and his plans for sundown.  When fire and water meet.  The summer’s dawn we may greet.  Together in silent company.  So that I may embrace you tenderly.  He was sure, this would be the move he had been too hesitant to do so far. The shepherd’s pie finally came and just when one of the two servants remaining this late in the year had put it down before Elle, Thomen raised the paper sitting gently on his flat left hand and snapped the fingers of his right. The sound attracted some attention, naturally, and so everyone saw as the paper on his hand began to fold up into the shape of a butterfly, only for the current of magic energy to scorch and engulf the paper moments later. The charred paper nonetheless flew over to where Elle was sitting, burning up further on the way and landing on her preserves just as it crumbled into white ashes.  Snickers and giggles were heard from all those at the table except Thomen and Elle. He gritted his teeth as she looked at him direly enough to curse his name. Dale leaned over to him with a stupid grin. “You forgot the first rule: a spell is only as durable as its base.”  “Was that really necessary, Thomen? Are you this petty?” Elle took her knife and flung the pile of ash-covered preserves onto the table. Her glare went deeply into Thomen’s heart. He slouched his shoulders without noticing and jammed his fork into his pie without any appetite left.  The sunset found Thomen sitting alone on the lake shore. The tiny island with the crone’s tower sat there, alone, only reachable by boat. He threw a pebble into the water. He heard someone approach from behind and knew it was Dale.  “You messed that one up really well, I have to say.”  “Shut up.”  Dale sat down next to him. “No, really. Your mastery of that spell was probably just a single word off perfect, if your intent was to forever drive her away.”  “Shut! Up!”  “Maybe you ought to come with Garre and me and the rest. Maybe seeing different places will show you that there’s other things to care about than girls.”  Thomen turned to Dale with a hiss. “You only say that because every girl here thinks you’re a creep or a pervert. Of course you’d look for girls elsewhere!”  “Hey, I'm going on a trip with the boys. I got enough of that for a while. Maybe once we’re done here, I will go see what the university campus has to offer.”  Thomen got up. “I have no nerve for this right now, Dale.” He decided to go for a walk all around the lake.   The walk did not clear anything up in his head. When he was opposite of the assembly, he sat down again. The last orange rays were bathing the stone walls in fire. The dormitory with its horseshoe shape glittered the newest of all, of smooth sandstone blocks without any mortar staying atop each other with no problems of instability. The buildings housing the lecture halls in a multitude of styles and ages stood clustered together somewhat apart from the dormitory. Most of then were of closer-sourced granite, some buildings rounded, others with hard rectangular corner. The crone’s tower on the tiny island was the oldest one still standing, on the verge of crookedness, but still used for the pigeons and crows of the assembly. Despite the assembly’s remote location, it was still connected to the universities of the distant cities, not just by messenger pigeon, but also by the ropeway, hanging from pole to pole as far as the eye could seen to the distant west.  Thomen sat there until the stars appeared on the night sky, a bright swirl like milk, seemingly watching over the world in silent contemplation. Thomen got up and went back to the dormitory. A few students were still playing in the common rooms, some even with Professor Nall's inventions, but most stuck by mundane playing pieces. He didn’t find Elle anywhere and toyed with the thought of staying, but he couldn’t motivate himself to join in anywhere. He retreated to his and Dale’s room and crawled under the sheets. He felt like just disappearing.  The next morning broke and Thomen had not disappeared. He still felt like an idiot, however. He did not shower that day, he just ate breakfast, packed his things and went outside to the ropeway. Some students were already waiting, others had not yet finished packing or eating. The last pole of the ropeway's arm that was used to bring goods and people to this remote location stood right down from the assembly’s hill.  Several of the rope gondolas were already lined up, basically just two long rowboats, one the roof of the other, affixed to a hooked mast at each end. The boats inside and outside, the masts and even the poles bearing runes finely carved and painted carefully all over their surface. The Professors were checking each of the gondolas with great care, to make sure the spell’s glyphs had not worn down too much. Where necessary, she touched up the crumbling paint. The students were coming together into groups of eight for each gondola, by whether they would head north, south or west from the next city. Thomen had to go south.  Thomen went over to Dale, who would go north from the city. They exchanged a few words, he wished Dale great fun on his tour of the northern coast, then they waited as Professor Cornelle declared the first gondola fit for the journey and admitted the first group of students. The eight dragged the gondola over between the first two poles, where the ropes hung lowest to the ground. They hooked it onto the rope running to the right and got into the swaying and dangling boat. As the first put their feet on the boat’s floor, the gondola stabilised, the hooks hovered just an inch away from the rope and two of the students retrieved pushing poles from the gondola’s side. Everyone waved and called goodbyes, then the students used the poles to push themselves off from the ground. Gently and without sound, the gondola hovered along the rope. After just a few pushes with the poles, it began to accelerate by itself and soon whizzed towards the horizon.  It continued like that, waiting for a gondola to be entirely checked, hung on the ropes and then off they were. Elle stood by the side. Her destination was the city itself, so she could ride in any group, she had come down last from the dormitory, maybe because of her morning groom, and joined the last group, Thomen’s. She stood with then, but talked to nobody, especially not Thomen, and stared out over the lake.  Maybe for a few of the youngest, riding gondolas was anything other than a regular occurrence, so they quickly got in their gondola, waved the professors and servants goodbye and pushed themselves off. Moments later, the gondola had taken up enough speed to leave the assembly out of sight within minutes.  Hills, hamlets and houses whizzed past them. The rhythmic rising and lowering of the rope as it was draped from pole to pole took over the scene for the students. Thomen looked over to Elle and sighed. He thought about what he could say to her, how best to apologize, but with the wind droning in their ears and all the other people here, it would not be the best situation. Thomen was disrupted in his train of thought by one of the younger boys pointing ahead and yelling. “Hey, one of the poles is missing!”  And truly, ahead, one of the poles had been taken down and the ropes cut. A group of people stood at the ready with a new pole, which they were now trying to set up. It seemed the nearby villagers had been given a new pole in anticipation of another one’s failure. The gondola stopped at the last connected pole and the students got out to walk over to the crowd.  A man among them was discussing whether to take the other poles down as well to attach the new ropes. Without a raised platform, it would require them to arduously fasten the new section of rope into the fitting while sitting atop the pole. Alternatively, they would have to take the other poles out of the ground as well to secure the ropes more easily.  The people of the village kept arguing for either point, seemingly ignoring the students trying to get home for the summer, until Elle took a step forward.  “I can do it. I can attach the ropes without you having to take the other poles down.”  At that, the people of the village turned around. One mumbled something to another one so that the students would not hear it, then the frontmost man spoke up. “Sure, a crolan could do that. Be our guest, young lady.”  Elle nodded and took off her shoes. From what seemed perfectly normal shoes for humans, she pulled something that was somewhere between a foot and a hand. Five long, dextrous toes that made up more than half the entire foot, ending in curved claws like the feet of a marten and a short, thick palm reminiscent only slightly of a heel. Thomen was eager to watch how she would use those to climb the poles.  She bit down on the rope as far as it fit into her mouth to hold onto it, then one of the villagers gave her a heavy knife with an inward-curving cutting edge, which she put under the belt holding her skirt. As Elle climbed the pole, her swaying body and limbs got her up the ten, maybe fifteen yards of the pole in no time. Her strong fingers and toes as well as her claws found ample purchase on the soft wood. That’s when Thomen noticed something about the wood.  It was white cedar, a very soft wood good for small workpieces and instruments, but horrible for poles bearing loads or construction. The glyphs and geometries of magic instructions had easily been carved into the surface with blunt and bent tools, Thomen had spent enough time helping the artisan Master Tolle employed to notice that.  Elle had arrived at the top, pried open the brass fittings of the rope and started to cutting the ends of the two ropes with a diagonal cut, then pushing them into another tightly before fastening the fitting again with a few strikes with the handle of the knife. As she worked up there, Thomen saw that she was wearing short trousers underneath her skirt, as expected of a lady of a race that liked climbing this much, he had seen her laze about in the trees across the assembly’s area many times. Immediately after, he reprimanded himself in his head for even trying to look under a lady’s skirt.  She was down the pole and quickly went up the second one to affix the other end of the rope just as quickly. She was done and the students pushed the gondola onto the new rope and got inside to test whether the ends of the rope were properly and solidly connected. The gondola stabilized and hovered as expected and the rope held; the people of the village cheered to the crolan. Elle made her descent, but on her way down, Thomen saw one of her claws catching into one of the glyphs. A piece of the glyph broke out and fell to the ground as a shredded woodchip.  The gondola suddenly fell from its magic suspension and rocked left and right like a clock’s pendulum. One of the younger girls squealed at the suddenness and the people of the village groaned in anger.  “Great, you broke it. Now we have to exchange that one too.” One man said. A women sneered at her “Cut your claws like you should! You’re not an animal, are you.”  Elle stood there, back against the pole not knowing what to say. She looked over to the gondola, where the other students got out and prepared to take it off the rope. One of the boys called over to her. “Come on, we can just pull it over the few hundred yards to the next pole, continue from there.”  Leaving the people of the village standing there after not really helping them in the first place seemed wrong to Thomen. He walked towards Elle and the crowd.  “Go ahead, go with your friends.” One of the men said. “We will deal with this properly, that’s what we get for trying to take a shortcut, I guess.”  Elle looked intimidated; her ears hung low at the side of her head, she fidgeted with her toes and took another step backwards. Thomen addressed one from the crowd. “Do you have a wood chisel and a smoothing stone? I can fix this properly.”  “Oh, you go as well, boy. Let the adults handle this.”  “Well, the adults used cedar wood, horrible for poles like this. I don’t know if someone gave you these for cheap or if you decided to crudely copy the other poles hoping it would be enough, but I know how to carve glyphs into wood, so hand me some tools.” Thomen came to stand next to Elle, who still fidgeted with her toes. He kept his chest puffed up and thrust outwards towards the man, who turned around and then, with only half conviction answered.  “I guess we have some tools, I’ll go get them.”  With a halfway decent wood chisel and a piece of sandstone, Thomen removed the entirety of the damaged glyph, then sanded the surface smooth. The wood of the pole now had a deep, wide dent, but into this, Thomen could easily carve the missing glyph. It was a minor act, but he paid attention closely to make sure it was better made than the rest of the pole. When he was finally done, he gave the other students a thumbs up. They got back into the gondola and it worked just as before. He wiped the sweat of his brow, then looked to Elle. She seemed glad, almost a tiny bit impressed. She gave him a half-hearted smile, as if she had still not forgotten his behaviour the day before, then she went ahead and hopped into the gondola. Thomen turned to the people of the village and gave a last bit of advice.  “Use oak before you blame everybody else!”  He got back inside the gondola and just with a few pushes, were back up to speed. It had been much more effort and time then just dragging the gondola over to the next pole, but he did not care. Solving a problem properly the first time is the way to go. Master Tolle may not be the fastest working, but his solutions always work and they always hold up. Some may work less accurately, maybe even give themselves more business on purpose by forcing people to replace their tools more often, but that was not the moral thing to do.  The journey continued uneventful until finally, about an hour after they had left, the city came into view. It’s spires of mottled sandstone in red and yellow, gleamed in the noon sun as they rose on the central hill, at the top of which towers stood to keep all the city safe and operational. Ropeways converged from all directions, merged and split at switches, dutifully operated by mages whop recognized the students’ robes and waved to wish them fun on their summer break. Other gondolas with passengers and cargo joined them on the ropes or left into their own destinations. Students’ robes and caps of red and yellow and even more colours were seen around the city. The cart passed by the most outer wall and stopped by a station by the river. From here, Thomen and six of the others would take a cart southbound, Elle left, Thomen’s heart sank.  Before she split from the group, he ran after her.  “Wait, Elle, please!”  She turned around with a glare. It seemed not quite as angry or judgemental as before. “Yes?”  “I wanted to apologize. I acted kind of stupid. Especially that with the butterfly, I really wasn’t thinking that one through properly. Please don’t be mad at me.”  Elle chuckled. “If I stayed mad at every boy my age who acted like an idiot, I’d be mad all the time.”  A small spark of joy rose in Thomen. “Can I write you a letter then?”  Much to Thomen’s relief, Elle nodded. “Address it to Mistress Gira. She’ll get it.”  “I will. Have a nice summer.”   “And you to.” Elle smiled and Thomen felt relieved enough to jump with joy, but he composed himself, then he caught up with the others. All that was left was to write a proper letter to detail to her how he felt. That couldn’t be so hard, could it?   

I woke up early that Friday morning around 7 pm to help the twins finish packing for the trip. They were the last to be ready. The flight was at 8:30. Once everyone was ready, we got into Mom's van and she drove to the airport. It took a while to get through inspection but was still on time for the flight. When their flight ticket was called, I got a hug from the cute twins and my mom and big sister. [Don't have too much fun with those girls]My sister said before she walked ahead which I just rolled my eyes at. I told the twins to be good and gave them the last hug. I watch my family climb the stars to enter the plane from the window in the airport. I watched them get on the plane the twins holding their mother's hand inter the plane. I watched as they went to their seats on the plane. Their seats had widows so I waved at the the twins and they waved back. The plane was starting up followed by the families of the other passengers waving. Then I saw my mother give a beautiful motherly smile through the window of the plane. BOOOOOOOOOM !!!! The engine of the plane explode followed by the other engine followed by the rest of the plane. I still had my hand In a waving position shocked at what I just witnessed. The smile of my mother I had just seen was swallowed by flames. I just stood there in shock my brain couldn't process what my eyes saw. The plane was in flames just a look and even a fool can tell no one survived. WHAT.HOW.WHY. My face showed different expressions my heart was pounding. The police and ambulance came there and were crying. I was lost in a world of my own my family I just had eaten with. That I had dinner with last night was gone just like that. It just didn't feel real to me how could it. How did this happen? I was upset, angry, and shocked. I just stood there and watched as the firefighters put out the flames. That's when they announced that there were no survivors. I stood there for what seemed like 3 hours.I waited there hoping they were wrong and found some survivors. Hoping that my family was injured by the flames but not dead. But that never happened with tears streaming down my face I could only walk away from the airport. Thinking why did this happen? Were we not good enough did we not pray enough was it something I did? I just couldn't accept it my overprotective father my tomboy big sister my adore little sisters and my gentle mother. [WHY WHY DID THIS HAPPEN WWWHHHYYYY?]I couldn't help but yell at the sky I walked a full 4 hours from the airport. The scene of the fire engulfing my mother's smile played over and over in my head. Thinking of helping my mother cook and doing laundry. Help my little sisters with their homework and make them laugh with tickles when they get the right answer. The time dad showed me how to change a tire. That time my big sister forced me to go shopping with her and carry her bags. The time she came home after taking her driver's test she was so happy. Memories that keep hitting me like a hammer as I walked home. The image of my family laughing and smiling last night came into my mind. My face was wet with tears as I took my key to open my door. As I walk in I see a quiet lonely, deserted house. I walked to the bookshelf grabbing a photo album. Looking at memories of when we woke up on Christmas to open up gifts.The time big sis got drunk and passed out on my bed. On the twin's birthday when we out to eat at a buffet.I put down the photo album and walk around the houseI go to my parent's room there I find a picture of me and my siblings. The room had a king-size bed with 2 dressers on the opposite side of the room it was really neat probably my mothers doing.Then my big sisters and the twins just look at where they just were last night. It brought more tears to my eyes that the family I was laughing with just a few hours ago is gone. I look out the window only to see darkness. I've been here drowning in my own misery all day. I slowly make my way to my bedroom to go tired bed physically and mentally tired. Doing my best to face reality I cry myself to sleep realizing my family is gone.

Early night on a weekday. The rustic interior. Dim and yet cosy light.  The counter seat. And I, all alone, already ordered my first glass. I have always wanted to try this newly-opened bar that’s around the area. It has been very popular because of the beautiful bartender, who’s making my drink at the moment.  Today is supposed to be a high-school reunion. It has been ten years since the class of 2012 graduated, and almost everyone in my class should be attending it at the moment.  Since the reunion is somewhere in Central Tokyo, no one will see me here. It’s perfect.   After all, I can’t face her. <Her?> The bartender asks as she is making my drink. Yes, Mika. My old crush, who got married last year. No, not a crush.  Mika was more than that. It was as if we were in a relationship. Or at least that’s what I’d like to think.  It was never an official one, but we were so close to each other. We attend the same university and even lived together for more than five years.  That was why I got heartbroken when she told me that she was engaged to a man. He was introduced to her by her parents. I suppose she saw no future in our relationship. We can’t even get legally married in this country, given that we are both girls…   With that, the first glass arrived on the table. House Special, as ordered as I’m curious about the purplish colour.  As I drink it, I can taste the sweet alcoholic grape flavour that is similar to wine. The homemade grape liquor was pretty refreshing. A nice first drink as I continue the story to the bartender.   You see, I’m an office worker. I might have made enough for a living. However, my job is getting more stressful. One day, I was offered to take a promotion. I thought I need to ‘grow up’ and accept it. After all, I need to make more money to be able to take care of Mika. I thought that it was the best choice for both of us. But as a result, I end up not making enough time for her. Thinking back on it, it was the main reason for our split. Mika was not excited about the promotion, which surprised me at first. The fact that I always return late at night and left early did not help, we did not have time for each other throughout the weekdays. On the weekend I will be too drained to do anything with her, and she would complain when I end up doing it half-assed. Not to mention that with increased responsibility, work had become so unpredictable. One day, I even miss our anniversary dinner because of an emergency at work. When I returned, she had already packed her belongings and left. We did not talk to each other for months until she messaged me about the engagement. I guess we did ‘break up’ at that time… We don’t even fight, it just… ends.   I did not even come to her wedding last year, so there’s no way I am meeting her today. I feel bad for my other friends, though. Some of them came here from another city, and even the ones working in another country now.  I suppose I can try inviting them afterwards. Hopefully, they will be available by then.   <Bring them here as well when you do.>Hmm? Nice idea. Sure, I will keep it in mind.   I look around as I notice, the bar is not so full. I guess it’s still early, I practically come here at the opening hour. Perhaps I am lucky that the bartender can listen to my story that way. She occasionally stopped to make the drinks for the customers at other tables, but as I am sitting on the bar stool facing her, she can keep listening to my story.  Perhaps it was uncommon for someone to drink alone at this hour, but here I am. But, where else should I go? Where do people typically go on these hours anyway? Probably dinner with their friends, which I am avoiding. Or going out with family.    <What about your family?> Eh- It’s another can of worms to open. I need to be less sober to talk about it, so one more glass. This time, something sour. On the rocks.   The bartender chuckles a bit as she took a Japanese bourbon and pours it into the whiskey glass that already has ice in it. She adds some lemon juice and light green-coloured syrup into the drinks, before shaking it gently to have the colour layers. As I taste it after, it was apparently a plum juice, which added to the freshness of the drink. And bourbon is 40% alcohol, so I get a bit tipsy as I start to continue my story. My relationship with my family is also getting worse. They live in the countryside, but nowadays I don’t even feel like going back home every year. I only do it out of necessity, always taking the last train to, and first train from the village. Why, you are asking? You see, I am their oldest daughter, who is still unmarried. Meanwhile, my younger brother is already expecting his second child. Good for them, I guess. They had always asked for grandchildren from me and had mellowed down when my brother had his. I suppose I owe him something for that.   I don’t get why my parents need to worry about me. It’s my own life after all. I am fine living alone, and I don’t ask anything from them. I sometimes wish I can be left alone… I know that’s selfish of me, but… Sigh, thinking about it makes me feel like I am a bad daughter…  One more glass of anything, please. I said as I finish the drink in a single gulp. I suppose I am too frustrated while talking about it…  Not wanting to make me too drunk, the bartender makes something light for me. A mix of a liqueur that is popular with women because of its lightness, and pear juice to make it even milder. I stop talking for a while as I plant my face on the counter to rest…    Not long after, one of the waitresses reminds me that it is the last order for food. What time is it, again?  Eh? It's already almost 10?  I suppose the reunion dinner is already over by now. It will be funny if they end up coming here. The probability is there since this bar is pretty popular at the moment.    There are no empty seats inside the bar, however. They are a large group anyway, so it is going to be difficult to get a table. Good for me, I suppose. I can stay here a bit longer.  I should order something again… Perhaps some snacks? I am starting to get hungry, the last time I ate was before coming here, so it had been a while.    However, bar foods are usually for sharing as I end up asking the bartender about them.    <We can prepare a single-person platter for you. Off the menu >   Ah, really? That's very thoughtful of you. I'll have one.  As I wait for my food, I look around at the bar. Even the bar counters are occupied at this hour as the bar gets lively.  The waiter arrived with a single-person plate, filled with french fries, chicken wings and small toasted sandwiches.    I’d take a beer with this. Eh? I’m on my fourth glass? A beer should be fine, don’t you think? I’m not that drunk yet. A lighter one? I suppose I can try it.  It’s a European brand that I don’t normally drink, tailored for women and the ones with a preference for lighter content. The beer tastes smooth and really goes well with the food served. I love the sauce of the chicken wings, as well as the fluffiness of the egg in the sandwich. Come to think of it, food is the only thing that makes me happy in these past couple of years… I think I can call it a newfound passion since at times I’ll travel to a place on the outskirts of Tokyo to try the restaurants recommended for me. No wonder I am gaining weight… And now I am drinking my fourth glass…  That’s it. No more drinks for me then… I finish my food alongside the beer as I rest for a while. I still want to be in the bar though, and with the fact that the queue is getting longer, I figure that it is best to order something else. Something non-alcoholic, perhaps…   <What about a mocktail? It can help you sober up as well.> Ooh, that’s perfect! I’d love something fizzy. That’s… a melon float? But it tastes different from the one in a family restaurant. Eh? Italian soda, and gelato? That’s new. I love the sweet taste, and it’s very creamy.   I wish the bar already existed two years ago… I’d have come here every day after the ‘breakup’.    <I was still in a bartender course two years ago>   Eh? You were still in university two years ago? I thought we are in the same age.  Must be nice, being young… As I get into my 30s, I can’t even stay awake for long nowadays. Like, I am already getting a bit drowsy now… What time is it?Eh? Almost midnight?  I think I got to go now. I am almost sobering up thanks to the mocktail. Can’t believe I’m already here for hours… I am sorry for the inconvenience caused.   <It’s fine. You’re a customer after all. I’m happy to accompany you and listen to your story.> Oh please, you’re too kind. I’m going to make my payment now. How much is it?   <Here’s your bill> This should be enough. The price’s quite reasonable, and the drinks are delicious.  I also enjoyed the platter.   <Thank you for your visit.> No, I am the grateful one. I haven’t opened up like this to someone for a while, and it’s refreshing. Thank you for listening to my story,  I pause, as I glanced at the nametag on her chest. “Setsuna-san.”   My name is Furuya Eri. And I’ll visit here again. 

I ran away trying hard to get away from laughing faces. I turned backwards because I was normally good at walking backwards but my eyes were full of tears so I couldn't see as well. I bumped into someone and stumbled forward. My heel caught on the edge of the pavement and I looked down as the ground became closer. My head banged sharply against it and it made more tears stream down my face. I heard laughter and people racing towards me. Suddenly I heard someone yelling then people talking. The footsteps began moving again. Away this time. I swallowed hard. A hand was placed on my shoulder and a girl was next to me, kneeling. "Are you alright?" She asked in almost a whisper. I looked up and confronted the girl. She had medium black frizzy hair, brown eyes, dark skin and was looking perfect in the school uniform of a black skirt, long sleeved light blue shirt, long socks, black heels and a tie. The tie was perfectly placed and every strand of her hair was in order. "Who are you?" I asked. "My name is Nicole. Are you okay?" I nodded, "T-thank you." I swallowed again. The girl smiled, "What's your name?" "Julia."  "That's a pretty name." Nicole stood and held out her hand to help me.  I took it and she pulled me to my feet. The way she pulled I was pressed against her. "I hope you don't mind me asking but . . . why were they making fun of you?" "Because I like girls."  "You like girls? What's so wrong with that?" Nicole looked confused. "You don't think it's weird?" Nicole shook her head, "No! In fact I like girls too!" She grinned and took my hand, "It's cool to finally meet someone the same, "Wanna go to lunch with me?" "I normally skip . . ." I stared at Nicole and she frowned, "But I guess I'll come this time." She grinned and suddenly was running. It was hard to keep up with her but I managed. "I really hope we can be friends! What would you think of that?" Nicole asked as she ran. "Sure! That would be great!" "Good!" She smiled again and we ran all the way to the cafeteria. It was weird for me. I wasn't used to being surrounded by people and even sitting with them. Nicole was next to me talking about something when one of my worst bullies, Maddy, came over. "Hey Julia." She smirked, "Wanna be my girlfriend?" I looked up at her surprised, "Wait . . . what?" "No. She doesn't. Because she's already taken." "Oh yeah? Who would like her?" Maddy looked at me, "No offense." "Her girlfriend." "Who's her girlfriend then?" Nicole glanced at me then down at her food. "Yeah, cause she doesn't!" Maddy laughed, "You seriously thought I wanted to be YOUR girlfriend?! Even if I DID like girls, which I don't, I would never like YOU!" She threw her head back and laughed harder. "HER GIRLFRIEND IS ME!" Nicole stood and the bench pushed back. The cafeteria fell silent. "Y-you?" Maddy looked at her shocked, "I thought you liked GUYS." "No. I don't." "Prove it." Maddy said firmly. "I will." Nicole clenched her teeth. "You have two weeks to convince me. Good luck." Maddy turned angrily and stormed off. "What did you just do?" I whispered harshly towards Nicole. "I guess you'll have to really act like my girlfriend for the next two weeks then. If you have a girlfriend I'm betting people will make less fun of you. Well we're doing that, I'll try to find you an actual one!" "Excuse me?!" I suddenly bolted up and left the cafeteria, boiling with anger. I heard Nicole racing after me, "Julia! Wait! Let me explain!" I stopped and faced her, "Do you know how humiliating that is?!" Nicole stopped running and looked at me, "I'm sorry, okay? Can you just please do it?" I sighed and my mind gave up, "Fine."  "Yay!" Nicole jumped forward and hugged me. My heart began to flutter and I pushed her away. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Too close." "You'll have to get used to it. We'll be doing stuff like this for the next two weeks." "Two weeks?!"  "Yeah, she said two weeks. You ready?" "Sure." "Oh Julia!" Maddy's voice came from down the hallway. "You gotta trust me." "Okay. I do." I smiled and Nicole pulled me closer, "Wait what are you going to-"  She kissed me just as Maddy came in.  I heard her gasp. Her footsteps came but they were going away. Nicole pulled away, "Okay, you gotta get used to it. Sorry." I went over and kissed her again. She wrapped her hands around me and pulled away. She hugged me, putting her head on my shoulder. Now I had a girlfriend. A girlfriend . . . sweet.

I knew from the first day that these two weeks would be hard. Maddy was being more annoying then usual. When I walked into school she went to me instantly, asking about Nicole. Nicole came racing to me saying, "Sorry I'm late! Had to bring my little sister to her school!". Maddy got upset then left me alone. At lunch I was talking with Nicole when some younger kid came and poked my back. I turned and looked at them, "Yeah?" "I-is it true that you guys are the lesbian couple?" I glanced at Nicole. "Yes, yes we are." Nicole spoke for me. "Oh really? That's so cool!"  I smiled at the girl and then she walked away.  "Why did you say that?" "Because, it might as well be true." Nicole shrugged and got up and began to wander.  Might as well be true? What was she saying? I brushed it off and finished my food.    Maddy chatted with her friends, always glancing at me then snickering. God, could she be more annoying? The teacher was going to the bathroom so she wasn't there. I didn't know anyone in this class so I didn't talk. Maddy stood, said something to her friend who then stood and they turned and both walked to me. Maddy's friend was a strong looking dude with dark skin and straight black hair. I looked him up and down then sighed. "Yeah?" I asked. "My friend here, his name is Jacob, has a crush on you." Maddy smirked. "A crush? Huh, oh really? Well tough luck buddy I'm lesbian and have a girlfriend." Jacob's face filled with anger and embarrassment, "You said she was single!" He whispered harshly towards Maddy. "She is. Don't worry, she loves to lie." "Sorry but I'm NOT you. Thank God for that." I took out my notebook and began Flipping the pages to find a blank one. "Excuse me?! You did NOT just say that!" "Oh, but I did." I looked up at Maddy.  "Oh you little bitch! I'll make you regret ever even thinking that!" Maddy groaned and stormed off. Jacob glanced at me, "Who are you dating?" He asked. "Nicole." I looked back at my notebook. "Nicole?" Jacob repeated then he stopped, "She's my sister. I didn't know she was dating anyone." I stared at Jacob shocked, "Really?" Jacob nodded.  I looked at him and suddenly a loud voice came from the hallway and the teacher opened the door. "You kids are so loud I heard you from down the hallway! In your seats!" The teacher turned to the board then turned back, "Now!" Kids scrambled to their seats as the teacher began her lesson.    A lunch I found Nicole and prepared to ask her about Jacob but when I saw her I decided I better not. Her face was full of bitter anger and sadness.  "What happened?" I asked as I slid into the spot next to her. "Today has been horrible." "Do you want to talk about it?" Nicole glanced at me, "Sure." She turned to face me. "Well first of all, tell me what made it so bad." "Okay. I failed a math test, got pushed around by Maddy, couldn't find my homework and got detention, forgot my lunch, got news that my little sister is in the hospital but I'm not allowed to leave to see her, and I'm really tired because I was up all night doing that homework that I lost." I waited patiently to see if she would say anything else. I looked at her closed mouth, "Anything else?" She shook her head. "Well first of all, it was only one test and math is hard either way, Maddy bothers everyone, and I'm sorry about your sister but at least your not banned from seeing her ever also go to bed early so you aren't as tired tomorrow." "What about detention?" "I'll join you." "But you don't-"  I stood and took my tray. Maddy was walking towards us and I flung the tray in her face. Food splattered all over her and she gasped in horror. "You witch!" "Sorry, that's you." I turned again and sat down. Nicole looked at me surprised. A teacher came running over and angrily told me, "Detention after school Miss Julia!" "Of course. I'm sorry." I blinked my eyes innocently and the teacher stormed off. "Why'd you do THAT?"  "See, you won't be alone in detention now. Besides, Maddy deserved it." "T-thanks." Nicole smirked, "Never had someone who would throw a tray at another person for me." I smiled, "Well now you do."  Nicole laughed.  This was great. Now Nicole liked me more. 

Cultivator At Heaven's Gate Existence. The infinite world of possibilities. Within it, individuals with immense power could create their own worlds using their individual Dao. But Existence was also dangerous. Many people with great potential, talent, ideas and wisdom die before getting the chance to shine. And that's not good! So a bunch of good people created the Heavens. Four large planes where people could train and grow before entering the true Existence. They also acted in-between realms between Existence and millions of minor worlds that existed below. “Did you hear about the guard sitting outside Third Heaven’s west entrance?”“Apparently he has been since the founding.”“He is said to be all-powerful.”“Everyone who enters from the west and speaks with is said to reach a new level of understanding. And leave the Heavens earlier than their peers.” Unlike what the rumours suggest. No, he wasn’t Heaven’s guard, no he wasn’t here since the start, and no he wasn’t all-powerful. Luard was currently his name. A portmanteau of Lone Guard–which was what he referred to. He forgot what his original name was near the start of his time here after getting into a small accident. Learning, practising and researching everything he could. But no matter what he tried he could never progress and leave the Heavens. Once he tried asking for help from the doctor, even though he knew it wouldn’t do anything.  The doctor was surprised The Lone Guard Luard was asking but complied and helped him.This led the doctor to spend the next trying to find the problem which led to his enlightenment and further understanding of the art of healing and the makeup of the human body. However, as expected there wasn’t anything wrong with Luard’s body. This just led to the doctor double-doing on his initial thoughts that he was a being designed to help those find their needed enlightenment. “I know, I knew, I understand, but I don’t understand…” Luard looked up to fifty-eight suns and one hundred and one moons filled sky. Looking back, a lot has happened in his long life… that neared its end. His appearance never changed thanks to his cultivation but he knew… His body wouldn’t last much longer without breaking through the next barrier. “I’m full, yet I’m missing…” He accidentally and purposely saved multiple people’s lives, defeat a ten-headed hippopotamus demon, watch multiple worlds fall into the minor realms, convinced a catfish demon to eat a cat, and certainly met many interesting people and creatures.  “Argh, why does cultivation of Dao and the universe have to be so hard?” His mind looked back on a few of them. None in particular, he had seen tens of thousand after, just a couple of random ones that his mind decided to revisit today.   Another day, another century sitting outside the west gate of Third Heaven. Luard sat on his old wooden chair, seemingly thinking, but only those who had the power to read minds really knew. Then from the wasteland, a figure emerged.  Hostile killing intent and bloodthirst radiated from the figure. Over two metres tall. Wearing an extremely high-quality blue and gold robe–that could easily defend against attacks like heavy armour–but it was sloppy worn.  “I’m Hack,” his hand reached for his sword tied to his waist–with no scabbard–while Luard open his eyes to see the newest inhabitant of Third Heaven. Donning an impressive long golden beard, the fifteenth biggest pair of muscles Luard had ever seen.“May we have a discussion first?” said Luard. Wanting to ensure Hack wouldn’t cause harm… to himself. Speaking stern steady voice, Hack asked “What’s a discussion?”Luard replied, “Simply a chat.”Nodding in understanding, “Oh, you mean Zacard?” Hack replied.“What does ‘Zacard’ mean in your language?”“Before or after battle talk.” Internally Luard sighed but didn’t let it show. “Well what Dao, art, magic or way? Do you swim along?” “The combat way.” Hack grabbed his hilt, ready to fight. “What is combat?”“Fighting.” Luard emphasised “Physically?”Weirdly determined Hack replied, “Of course!”“Is that it?”Hack stiffened, “Why is… that important?”“Well you could’ve chosen, the art of the–sword, axe, spear, fist, any other weapon or even crafting. “‘Crafting?’”“Yes,” Luard pointed to Hack’s sword, “the process to make to weapons and clothes you’re wearing.”“These weren’t ‘crafted’ they existed, and worn by winners.”Luard was… getting a better idea of the minor world where this ‘Hack’ had come from. “Okay then,” Luard went back to what he said earlier, “But why did you choose combat instead any weapon Dao? Why combat instead Blood, Bloodshed, Bloodthirst? Combat instead of surviving, death or life.” “Cause that is the combat way,” he screamed and pulled out his sword. A blood-red wave of energy emerged, cleaving the air in two. Flying towards Luard with the intent to kill. However, Luard just sat and waited. And as soon the blade reached his face, it dispersed into nothingness. Confused and worried at this strange magic, Hack spoke “What did you d–”“Hidden talisman–this time–but that’s not important,” Luard’s eye stared harshly into Hack’s. Berating him “You got angry–”Hack was about to interrupt but froze when Luard continued with “–You have lost the combat of minds.”Hack stood still. His left hand stayed resting on his handle, while his head looked into the sky in contemplation. Internally Luard sighed but didn’t let it show. Another talent… makes sense. Most who brute force their way into Heaven end up near the west entrance. Seven days passed. Before finally, Hack opened his eyes again, “...I understand… I’ve been blind to the deeper meanings, that I knew existed.” “So you did know all along?”“Yes…” He looked up embarrassed, “Every time, every day that I perched the way of combat, I knew something was missing. I even said as much… But it was that missing piece that fascinated me the most.” “Swords, Spears, Axes. I watched as other easily mastered those ways, those simple Daos as you called them. I didn’t gain the quick boons of strength that my peers did, –honestly looking back, it was partly to prove them wrong–but I lost sight of why I travelled my way.”“Thank you, senior.” Hack bowed for the first time in his life. “It’s fine,” replied Luard and pointed at the city through the gate, “Good luck within the city, try not to trouble the nice people.” “I understand.” Thanked Hack, and he went on his way. He did eventually cause some more trouble but that wasn’t Luard’s business. “The realm opening is still closing. Let’s see what Hack’s world is like.”Luard used a technique to allow his sight to see beyond the crack. He saw a large world that looked like a large battlefield where a considerable number of ancient powerful weapons–which would be hard to find even in Heavens–were buried into the ground, and clothes covered a few of them. The dirt of the world ensured any damage done to the weapons or armour would naturally recover when buried. A world truly fit for continuous fighting. Especially since this same dirt provides the nurturance needed to live. The people also couldn’t do much else as nature and natural metals were non-existent. “What interesting world, would make some old bastards greedy if they could enter it.” For the most part, people from the Heavens and Existence weren’t allowed to enter the minor worlds as their very existence could unstabilize them.    Within Existence, numerous cultivators would create their own mini-worlds using their Dao. Whole words could be created through the use of a single Dao, creating millions of marvels which littered Existence. “What’s going on!” Luard heard the screaming pained voice of a woman. “The foundations are wrong!” He opened his eyes to see this girl stumbling around, looking sick. Wearing what was referred to as ‘mage robs’. Many people lived in Heaven, many coming from drastically different worlds, backgrounds and times. A mix of white, black, gold and red, the top layer was designed fancily but Luard could tell the layer below was made out of flexible and durable martial, purely for function. “Everything feels wrong.” Her knees shook and she collapsed to the ground.Luard stood up, “Calm down, everything okay.” Ignoring what Luard was saying, she asked “Is this the true world?!” Luard replied, “This is Heaven, the world above yours yes, and the in-between point between the minor worlds and Existence.”“Fire, Water, Earth, and Air are the foundations of the world,” her eyes shake “But here they are equal… everything equal.”   She’s having a crisis.   People who made their way forcible into Heaven were talented. But still, the fundamental changes in the structure of the worlds could affect people on a very fundamental level. This was especially the case when the world they came from had very skewed rules–which usually wasn’t the case as most minor worlds existed in an equilibrium. Where every Dao and energy exist in equal amounts. Luard calmly asked, “May I ask your name?” It took a few moments but she replied “…Margaret Stella Claria Shelloved.” Still, however, she wasn’t looking good.“You can create a world with just one of those Dao did you know?”“...That’s impossible.” She denied “It would create imbalances, life wouldn’t be even able to form!” Luard smiled, “That’s where you are wrong.” “I can’t show out here, but by going into the city–” He pointed at the gate–“you will find people who have the capabilities to view the created worlds within Existence.” Margaret stayed silent. “Worlds created with just the Dao of Music, or Passion, Song, Death, Destruction, Earth!” Luard pronounced each one louder than the last, “And of course, you can create a world with multiple Dao as well.”“A perfect world with the foundation your use to, the elements you’ve honed and mastered is possible.”“Even the world you once lived in was probably like that before the creator died.” This sentence caused Margaret to pause. “So hypothetically, even if I did gain the strength to fix this feeling and make my world, it would be useless and fall after I die?”  “No.” Luard said firmly “While there are many minor worlds that were once Existence worlds that had fallen. In truth, those worlds just hadn’t been completed yet before their creator passed.” As an incomplete Existence fell, it was dyed in all worldly energies that existed. Eventually reaching a point where it becomes ‘complete’, usually means it loses its uniqueness but sometimes a little remains. However, at other times a large amount of those original building blocks remain creating vastly different powers, concepts, and people. Margaret's eyes teared up and enlarged like a scared hopeful child “Really?”  “I never lie to those who need the truth.” “Thank…you for helping me.” “Do you feel better now…?” Margaret Stella Claria Shelloved's body finally stopped shaking. Standing up she looked to the sky, finally entering into a calm mind to comprehend everything.“So, if yo–oh she entered enlightenment… Left. Luard would never say he didn’t like helping people, but he couldn’t say it was particularly fun watching thousands achieve enlightenment when he ‘help’. The only expectation would be people like Margaret Stella Claria Shelloved… Too many people die from the sudden fundamental changes in the universe… Luard internally sighed in sadness. After spending four hours standing still, ribbons of red, green, blue, and white wrapped around her like and formed an egg.  Weird… Guess this is a minor world thing… Two days passed, and the ribbons finally dispersed. Margaret appeared looking healthier than ever. “Creation is possible with everything, and I can crave my own path within it.” She mumbled. “Yes, doesn’t matter if the world is made from; Sky, Earth and Sea; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water; or Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.” Luard sat back down, “They are all equally valid.” Margaret replied with a grateful smile “Yes, I understand.”Luard smiled, “Okay good, now just follow the path into the cit–” Boom!A ring of fire, water, rocks and a current of wind formed around the two of them, “Now let’s fight!”Luard replied “What?” “As deceased master once said, ‘best way to test new abilities is through sudden combat!’ Gaia Obiteration, D-O-M-A-I-N, Nautur’s potential.” Millions of shades of colour, infinite orbs of elements and Margaret herself glowing in a rainbow hue. Luard internally sighed, before chanting “Not-hin-gne-ss.” Everything that existed didn’t and Margaret fell to the ground unconscious, “Why do I always get the crazy ones?”   Probably one of the most memorable new guests into Third Heaven happened over a thousand years ago. It started as another ordinary day among the millions of ordinary days… well that was a lie, it was ordinary but it was the 1000th year adversary of something… Luard didn’t actually know what they were celebrating, as people within Third Heaven loved to celebrate anything to bring the people together, There was a massive pull-down. Tearing reality, twisting gravity, stretching space. Then one by one, figures emerged. Luard in a state of semi-conscious, wonder aloud “A new guest?” He tried opening his eyes only the blind by bright golden-blue light. Hmmmmmm… What is happening? A large pyramid base structure, with a flat top and a large majestic throne on top. Surrounding it on all sides were heavily armed guards. One of the guards walked forward and pulled a golden scroll, cleaning their throat, they read out the scroll “Grand Elders, your successor, champion, and divine daughter, Meng Xiu has arrived.”  Only then did Luard look at who sat on top of the pyramid, a short girl… A child. Wearing overly facial clothes and her hair was perfectly formed into two large black buns.  She looks sick, hopefully she isn’t overheating from all those clothes. Luard mentally commented on the state of the young lady’s skin, and the girl in question stared back with her large ruby-red eyes. “Guard may you lead us to your masters!” The scroll soldier demanded. Luard casually replied, “Sorry, you’re in the wrong place.” The majority of the crowd of soldiers was stunned silent while the scroll guard choked and coughed blood at Luard’s reply. Wow, I thought divine healer Qing Yin cured everyone of that dreaded genetic sickness… Did this world or man’s family miss out? Or is it resurfacing again… I should send her a letter. Heavens didn’t have any central body, power structures or much of any overarching forms of power. There had been attempts, but four worlds filled with extremely powerful individuals and even more powerful ones watching from Existence. No one could claim to be Heaven’s master, let only ‘Grand Elders’. Then an extremely childish voice rang its tune, “What do you mean, lone guard…” Speaking with extra ferocity when she announced what his seeming profession was. Quite cute…  “You are in the wrong place–” Another guard wearing more refine armour rushed forward and yelled out, “Insolent guard!” “Th–” Luard tried to continue but he was interrupted again. The guard kept screaming “Formation Striking Phoenix Dragon!!! Full Frontal!” “–is isn’t wher–” “Your dare insult our majestic dynasty!” What is he on about? Luard was genuinely confused but he came up with a hypothesis. He could be sick, confused or maybe something malicious. Looking up, he saw the child on the throne reel back in embarrassment. “Fire! Light Rays!” The commander demanded. The child stood up and cried “Wait stop!” but her voice couldn’t over the commander's snarl.” “Haaa,” Luard sighed. “Fade,” as the beams tried to impale Luard they just disappeared into nothing.“A Divine Expert!” The commander cried. “I apologise we had orders from our divine lady!” His eyes pointed at the child on the chair.Rumblings began among the ‘princesses’ guard, some feared for their life while others stayed firm and strong waiting for their leader’s command.“As I was saying, you appeared in the wrong location.” Luard clapped “You did a ‘too good job’.”“...What do you mean,” the child mumbled.“This is Heaven, Third Heaven to be exact–west gate. The in-between realm between all the minor worlds and Existence itself.”“Get to the point!” Yelled Meng Xiu. She was getting flustered and tears began to fill her eyes, which Luard understood. Currently, she was completely off course, in a foreign land and her life could possibly be in danger from her point of view. “Okay… maybe this would help, why and how did you come here?” Luard asked a simple question. “I cultivated to the stage where the next stop was the Divine Realm, where the God of our world watched and communicated from, but I had so much extra energy I could bring my entourage with me…” “So what were you supposed to do once you got to this ‘Divine Realm’,” Luard ask. Using his powers to take a peek through the leftover energies to see what her world is like.“...Train to become a True God.” “Well this isn’t that ‘Divine Realm’, which is just, in fact, another minor world linked to your minor world just a couple levels higher, however. This is Heaven the in-between realm between your minor worlds and the vast infinite possibilities of Existence.” Many minor worlds were contacted with each other. Some shared and worked to get symbiotic, while others were hostile or had a strict hierarchy. “Now you and your men, have an opportunity to train, reaching strengths you never thought possible.” “So I don’t have to listen to annoying bully elders anymore?” She squeakily asked. “Nope,” Luard confirmed. “No one will force you to do everything. They will support but not force… And if they try… just scream and hundreds will come to your aid, people hate it when someone tries to harm or bully the innocent here.” A bright smile slowly formed on the child’s face and she jumped down with excitement. “Young divine miss, you can’t listen to this crazed man!” The commander brought himself forward, “I’ve been giving strict orders to protect, guide and support you.”  Meng Xiu's body shook… What trauma did you give this child?! Luard eye closed his eyes in anger. “Meng Xiu, be careful who you trust…” Luard patted her head before, “Mind Read.” Using his powers on the commander. “The mind, body and soul. Each of these contains so much knowledge about oneself. Ingrained.” Meng Xiu girls glowed for a second, obtained enlightenment, understanding it all so fast she went back to normal before even Luard noticed.  “Yo–!” “Freeze.” Luard commanded, and the commander froze unable to do anything. “This man was sent to ensure no matter where you ended up, an issue would occur and you would be killed.” said Luard. Luard looked back at the child, to check if she was okay but found. She’s different… Did someone cast a spell on her?... Soul Read… oh no, just got enlightenment cause of course she did…  “You can do whatever you want with him,” Luard stared daggers back into the man “He won’t be moving for a week.” “Um-mm thank you!” The girl screamed with a smile, giving Luard a big hug, and then danced into the brightly colour city, today. The guards stood dazed for a second. “Wait for us young miss!   Luard rested, slept and thought. Thought, reminisce and remembered. Some who believe him–that he was an ordinary person–called him a genius and God of Teaching for knowing so much. He scoffed partly believing it could be done by anyone who had enough time to just learn, but he recognised his own unique talents did help him. The number of geniuses was staggering. But you didn’t need to be one or have much talent to reach Existence. It had been proven thousands of times after all. The only people who said they didn’t have talent–were those who didn’t try or gave up, those whose talent gave them immense amounts of luck or those whose talent was training extreme amounts without going crazy. Everyone had a talent. Yes, some people’s talent was much greater than their peers, but it was possible for everyone to succeed. Luard recognised his talent, he was good at remembering and learning new information. It was just it didn’t help him with his current problem. It just never clicked. “I’ve read every book, study every art, I can explain everything in a way people with the right talent for the subject can gain enlightenment.” “I know, I knew, I understand, but I don’t understand…” Luard looked up to fifty-eight suns and one hundred and one moons filled sky. “What is this magically ‘click’?” He screamed, “What must I do to break these barriers!” He cast a barrier so he wouldn’t bug anyone. Even though there was plenty of loud noise made every day… Had he despaired multiple times? Yes. They were the final barriers that blocked him, but no matter what he learnt, trained or experienced he couldn’t break past that last barrier. He sat there in silence for four hundred and fifty-two days, luckily or unluckily there were no newcomers to Third Heaven to break him out of his trance. “...Please someone help.” Then he felt something fill his vessel. Maybe it was some higher being that decided to help him out, an evil creature finally deciding it had enough toying with him, or something else. A single plead, after years of never asking for help unlock a different barrier on his heart. One that no one knew about or could find. The lock didn’t prevent him from advancing. But, by removing it, it allowed an alternate key to be formed. Millions of years of good karma flooded into him. Favours, goodwill, and wishes of support entered him. No physical happen to his body but in his mind, everything glowed in a myriad of colours.  He didn’t achieve enlightenment in the end, but he still was able to succeed in breaking his barriers–the final ones  “I might need a new name now… not exactly going to stay sitting here being the ‘lone guard’” Luard looked back nostalgic, “Actually it be weirder to change one’s name after millions of years if they don’t even hate it…” He scratched his head in embarrassment. He now had many things he wanted to do–that he couldn’t do before. Meet new and old people in Existence, create his own world and help people without feeling any negative feelings again.       Bobple Thanks for Reading, and here is an Afterword I guess. Cultivation stories always a place in my heart due to the simple fact they were the fast online stories I read because why not? I didn't like reading (which I wish I didn't, so I could start reading sooner), so it was hard for me to start reading anything. But I needed something to past the time and a friend recommended me a story and rest is history I suppose. So back to this one-shot. The initial plan was for it to be a 30 chapter story, then it changed to a 10 chapter story. To finally a one-shot. The plot would possible be 1~3 chapter short stories about Luard (who was just considered the nameless guard in the early drafts), as he welcomes and sometimes shows people around Third Heaven.  I had always wanted to try and write something Cultivation related, and I might make a more proper Cultivation story in the future, but for now I'm happy I was at least able to write this. Hopefully I keep improving with my quality and writing speed, and I hope you all have wonderful day. Take and see you next time.  

Once upon a time, there's a princess named Tsukuyomi who lived in the moon. She was alone, and only had her rabbit. Together, they would watch over the humans every single night. Seeing how people have families and friends made Tsukuyomi lonelier.  She prayed and prayed, wishing for thr gods to listen to her requests.  Hence, the gods decided to grant her wish and befriended her. These kind gods were then called as the guardians of the moon. Yet, time flied and the chaotic god called Ragnarok woke up. He caused havoc among mortals. In order to save humanity, the guardians sacrificed themselves resulting for their powers seal into stones. Ragnarok fell into deep slumber; but, the moon princess was left all alone once again.

"He ran that way, find him and kill him!" Running from the still-distant yell, the villain once again narrowly escaped death. This time, however, he was badly wounded by the hero’s sword.  His demon magic core was also gradually evaporating thanks to the holy magic imbued in the weapon. ”That damn piece of-”, he cursed through his teeth as he painfully continued moving forward. Using the ever-so-convenient escape tunnels every self-respecting villain owns, he headed to the deepest part of the dungeons - and most importantly, the sacrificial altar. Hearing clamoring coming closer from the tunnels behind him, the villain finally stopped in front of a freshly killed youth on a stone pedestal.  Lying there naked, the young man's skin faintly glowed in the torchlight, and if the silver dagger wasn’t still embedded in his heart, one could say that he was only sleeping. With a powerful yank the villain detached the dagger, and chanted a spell. The gaping hole in the corpse’s chest closed and the blood around it evaporated, leaving behind no evidence of his gruesome death. The villain took a deep breath and while chanting another spell, plunged the dagger through his own heart, gasping and falling to his knees from the pain. With shaking hands he touched his chest where the blood kept pumping out like a fountain and, with the last bit of their magic, used the blood to draw an array on the corpse’s chest. The villain victoriously grinned as the world around him started to turn black, and then his lifeless body toppled to the cold stone floor. The bloody array began to glow faintly and then disappeared, like it had never decorated the youth’s body. For a moment, the scene was like that of Romeo and Juliet, two beautiful people brought to their tragic end by cruel twists of fate. — The hero and his entourage finally arrived to the sacrificial hall from the tunnels, only to witness a shocking scene. A naked person was standing next to the villain’s corpse, holding a dagger dripping with blood. ”I... I killed him”, the youth gasped, his voice trembling slightly as the dagger he held previously loudly clattered to the floor, ”Please... Please help me get out of here!” The young man knelt down and started sobbing. ’If the hero doesn’t fall for this, all my years as a villain have been wasted’, the youth thought while keeping up his heart-wrenching act. 'Good thing we killed this prisoner right before they arrived to the castle, I’d really be a goner otherwise! His looks certainly aren't hard to look at either... But... My poor gorgeous original body. Those abs, those eyes, the infamously large... Ahem. Not to even mention all that lost magical power, really too pitiful, too pitiful...' He shed a few actual tears between the fake ones, before slowly lifting his red eyes towards the oddly pale-looking hero. ”It... It’s you...” the hero whispered, stepping forward, causing the kneeling youth to freeze. ’Did he recognise me?! It should not be possible!’ The villain started to panic internally but managed to remain calm on the outside, looking the hero straight in the eyes, ”You...” But the villain never got to finish his phrase. The hero ran towards him and lifted him into his embrace. The villain didn't dare to make a move as the hero’s hands were wrapped around him, squeezing just a little bit too hard. ”I thought I lost you when the villain’s soldiers attacked”, the hero sobbed next to the villain’s ear, ”I will never let go of you again. I love you.” Loosening his embrace the hero softly started stroking the youth’s face, before gently lifting his chin. ”I. Love. You”, he said even louder, ”Will you marry me?” Before waiting for an answer from the stupefied youth he caught him in a passionate kiss. The villain could feel the hero’s longing and desperation penetrate his soul through their lips. Only after he started to feel dizzy from the lack of oxygen the hero finally let go, and smiled with such pure joy that the villain wanted to stab him dead right then and there. ’This youth is... Was... The hero’s lover’, the villain shuddered and cold sweat started to roll down his slender neck. ’Well, fuck.’

" Can this be over now? "   With my remaining consciousness, I asked myself as I wore that rope. " Stop shaking! " My weakling's body disobeyed my command. I guess I'm a loser even in death. My devils lurking inside my rotten soul whispered in my ears. The devilish idea was: stop thinking and do it! The pain I felt as I pushed the chair was agonizing. If it's for eternal rest, I can withstand a few seconds.   Are you intrigued by my past, interested in knowing my life? Nothing is interesting about it!   Well, my name is Ryan. I'm an electrical engineering who worked his ass off for thirty years. I'm a victim of this creativity-sucking system. I remember I stumbled upon a webnovel called: " My vampire system. " I thought to myself, is that a fiction based on a true story? It's because we all have that system in real life, only instead of craving blood, it absorbs happiness and imagination. My only way of surviving that misery was my favorite video game franchise: Final fantasy. I fell in love with the seventh part the most. Being with Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough was my escape ticket. Only, things never went well. One day as I was playing the ff7 remake, my two years old daughter fell from the balcony. As the doctors try to save her damaged brain, I saw my darling die before my eyes. It was my fault. My wife was at work, and it was my job to take care of the baby. Only, I failed. The news spread, and I was the number one most hated person in the city. " A 30 years old man, let his baby daughter die because of an addictive game! " I lost my marriage, my parents, as they blamed me for their granddaughter's death. I was kicked from the job I spent 23 years of my life in order to have it. My only remaining light of hope was the video game until, Until my sentence came, to be banned from playing video games. I lost everything, I had no more reason to live. Does that explain to you why I decided to make that decision? It was all good until a luminous shape cut the rope and the next thing I found, was myself clad in a towel. I was shaking with fear when his warm hands calmed me down. " Who are you? Are you the god of death? Will I go to hell? " I asked him. " Oh, you fool. I am not your God. " he replied. " Then who are you? " " I'm the head of the arbiters of fate, an entity that is responsible for all the final fantasy realms. " " Wait, what? " " I selected you for a mission. But first, do you mind spending the rest of your life in final fantasy 7 world? " My eyes dilated, I forgot the breezing cold and I stopped shivering: " Of course, I would love to. Please, my lord, God? " " Just call me, entity. " I tried to kiss his holy hands but he wouldn't let me. " Before that, I grant your wish, here are the rules: I will revive you in Zack's Fair body, you have one mission: To prevent the apocalypse. That bastard Sephirot screwed reality by becoming one with Mako. You already know the story. " I didn't think clearly about the rules, I was blinded by the excitement and joy. " Fine, I accept your terms. " " Close your eyes! " His warm hand touched my heart and I felt my soul leaving my body.   Everything was dark until I opened my eyes.   Why am I smelling blood?   Why do my clothes feel heavier?     I got up and my eyes were full of uncontrollable tears.     The marvelous Shinra's building. It was,   full of lights.   I could see how massive it is from this cliff. This is just a test and for fun. If you want me to continue it say it in the comments!

My name is Eli, and I love video games, all kinds of video games, but the one that I love the most are RPG's.  Recently however, I have struggled to find an RPG to play. I've played all the classics, all the modern hits, and now it seems that I have played all the good ones. So you can imagine my surprise when I see an ad pop up for a brand new RPG, I clicked on the website and the trailer blew me away. It appeared to be exactly what I was looking for, the graphics were beautiful, the animations slick, and most of all, a turn-based battle system. Since it was only $20, I decided to order it. I know that it could have been a scam, but I was so desperate for a new game I was willing to just buy it. That was 3 days ago, the package is supposed to be delivered today. Right now I am sitting by my window, almost dying in anticipation. Just then a delivery truck comes down the street, I pop out of my seat and sprint to the door. I wait for just the moment that the delivery truck stops at my house and open the door to run out. Yes! Finally I'll be able to play! I don't even care that I am in my pajamas, I run up the delivery man before he steps onto my lawn and grab the package out of his hands. "Thanks Mister!" I sprint into the house to unbox the package. I lay it down on my kitchen table and grab some scissors. I cut open the box. What's this? It comes with it's own console to play it on? And for only 20$? That's a crazy good deal! It doesn't come in a box, just console and disk. I grab it and sprint to the T.V. in my room to hook it up. After around 5 minutes of struggling (Real gamers will know my pain) I manage to plug in all the necessary cords and boot up the console. INSERT DISK.  I'm getting so excited! I insert the disk and the screen goes to white. Wow. The screen is getting really, really white. That's when I realized, it's not the screen that's getting white, it's my whole vision! I desperately look around, but everything is fading to white! I try blinking repeatedly but nothing has changed. Eventually everything goes white, and not only do I lose my vision, but I also lose all my other senses, until I am just floating in a pure white space. Am I still in my house? Or did I get transported to wherever this place is?  Create Character Huh? What is this screen in front of my face? And why is there a person standing in it? That's when I realize that this is just like my RPGs, I am creating my character. Oh boy. I've really gone crazy haven't I, I've been so RPG deprived that I'm seeing illusions of game menu's while I'm in the real world. Or wherever I am. Well the menu doesn't seem to be going away, so I might as well play along. I tap on the arrows to select my characters appearance, I decide to go with a dark haired teenager and click accept. Character Created, stats randomized. Stats? Wow, whoever is working my brain today must be having some fun.  Create Save? Yes/No Guess I'm doing this huh? Oh, well too late to go back now. I click Yes and my vision fades black.   When I wake up I am completely confused with my surroundings. Am I... in a home of sorts?  Just then an old man walks into my room. Based on his clothes I can only guess that he is cosplaying as a wizard?  In a old man voice he speaks to me, "Hero! A grave danger is beginning to plague this world! You must save us all!" Hero? Wait a minute, I recognize those lines. They were said in the trailer of the RPG that I was about to play. Is this dude also a fan? Wait a minute, where am I? Did this guy kidnap me for some sick roleplay? I try to get some answers, "Hey! Who are you? And why did you take me?"  He looks at me, "I am the old wizard Merlin, I didn't take you anywhere. This is the house that you have been living in for the past 16 years." What? No it hasn't!  He continues, "Hero! You are currently in the small town of Loninia! Head to the capital city of Alzheim and speak to the king!" I look at him blankly, what the hell is he talking about. "Hero! I must get going! But I wish you the utmost luck in your journey!" He then heads out the door quickly. I stare at the door that he walked out of. What the heck was that? Jeez, I better get out here. I step off the bed and start walking towards the door. I spot a chest on the floor and walk over to it. I open it and the same screen that I saw earlier popped up again. Received Basic Sword Received Basic Armor Received 20 Gold Say "Menu" to check further details What the heck? Am I still in that RPG dream? I'm about to say menu when I look up from the chest and spot a mirror! I Instantly look around, because instead of seeing myself, in the mirror, I see a young teenager, probably around 16 with black hair... wait a minute. That's my character I made earlier! Wait this is all to real for a dream! Did I get sucked into the game I bought?  Well this certainly isn't what I expected. But I suppose it'll be better than my past life.          

Fluffy white clouds floated across the blue skies of spring. The sun shone down on the garden, brightening the colours of the flowers and leaves into verdant jewels. A cluster of women sprawled out on thick carpets under the shade of the golden-roof pavilion, their voices bright as they indulged in conversation, tea and tiny delicate sweets. They had all learnt inedia, but on such a lovely spring day, these treats matched perfectly. Li Hua was one of these women. One hand played absently with her long black hair, as her eyes wandered between the joyous open flowers and the light-hearted faces of her friends. Her eyes couldn’t help but linger on one Meng Yujie. Meng Yujie’s hair was pulled up all into a top knot. In the relatively warm day—and as a cultivator who rarely felt the cold—Meng Yujie had opted for thin white outer robes that showed clearly her defined shoulders and arms that her inner purple robe did not cover. In contrast, Li Hua was taller, but also slighter. Her body resisted taking any kind of curve, despite all her careful cultivation, though she did her best to hide that fact with her robes. For a brief moment, Meng Yujie glanced at Li Hua. Yujie smiled and moved a small flower-shaped sweet onto Hua’s plate. “A delicious flower for Xiao Hua,” Yujie said, her eyes sparkling. “T-thank you, Meng Yujie,” Hua said, feeling warmth bursting over her chest, and tingling as she called her Meng Yujie instead of senior martial sister Meng. Under Yujie’s gaze, Hua nibbled on the sweet, the flavour of cherry blossom delicate on her tongue. She couldn’t help but be reminded of That Event that occurred in this very garden.    Ten years ago, Li Hua—though that was not her name then—had run into this garden, harassed by the boys in her sect’s first-year cultivation group. “You’re such a girl! Are you even a boy?” the boys had said, laughing. “Do you like men? Should we find you a women’s robe to wear?” Li Hua froze, because that was what she wanted in her heart. Even though everyone called her a boy, in her heart, she knew she wasn’t. She just wasn’t. Yes, she liked the martial cultivations that mortals tended to associate with men. But she wasn’t a man. “Oh, you like men?” one of the boys said. “We should tell the sect master to move you in with the other cut-sleeves…” “Who are you.” A cold voice cut through the air, sharp as the blade levelled at the leader of the boys. At the other end as a young female cultivator, her hair and clothes in slight disarray, for she had just finished a training session. “These gardens are restricted from...the likes of you,” she continued. “We were just having fun,” the boy said. “Look at him,” he said, pointing at Li Hua. “He’s even more pitiful than a girl!” The girl with the sword turned to the person that would be Li Hua. “What is your name?” she asked. Li Hua had shaken her head. “I...I don’t like my name,” she mumbled. The other boys heard. “He has the manliest name, strong and virile, yet he’s like this!” Fists clenched. “I’m...I’m not a boy.” Realisation dawned on the face of the girl with the sword. She turned to the boys and glared at them. “Leave, you bastards. Just wait til the second Head Disciple of my sect hears about this.” Between the sword and the promise of retribution from higher authorities, the boys fled. Tears started rolling down Li Hua’s cheeks. It wasn’t of anger or frustration. It was because this girl was the first person who had protected Li Hua in this way. The girl gave a hmpf. “Inconsiderate assholes,” she muttered. She sheathed her sword and placed a hand under Li Hua’s chin. “Now, now, don’t be so sad,” she said. “How could I see your lovely smile through your tears? Here.” She offered the crying girl her own mandarin-scented handkerchief to dry her eyes. “If you don’t like your name…” The girl knelt by the flower beds and plucked out pink peony with many petals. With care, she threaded it through Li Hua’s hair. “How about the name Hua? After all, you are as beautiful as the flowers.” Hua meant flower blossom. Li Hua had nodded, unable to speak for the tightness in her chest and throat.   After that, the girl, whose name was Meng Yujie, organised for Li Hua to be transferred to her sect. Under the guidance of Meng Yujie and her senior martial siblings, Li Hua had learnt sword and weaponry cultivation, advancing the stages to try to catch up to her senior martial sister Meng Yujie. In consultation with some healing-based cultivators, Li Hua had slowly changed her body using her cultivation, “healing” her body to make it comfortable to herself.   In the present day, Meng Yujie poured Li Hua and the other martial sisters another cup of tea. After the round of sipping tea, Meng Yujie continued on what she was talking about: “...yes, this moving-meditation should be a very good cultivation technique. Really, Head Disciple forcing us martial cultivators to practice stationary meditation for cultivation is too much. We are not scholarly!” “Meng Yujie will break through to the next stage at this rate,” one of the other cultivators teased. “Don’t forget about us when you do, big sister!” “Have you tried this moving-meditation yourself?” a younger cultivator, Wang Liu, enquired, her eyes serious. Some of the other cultivators teased Wang Liu for her studiousness, but nonetheless, Meng Yujie answered just as seriously. Li Hua sipped her tea and simply let the conversations flow, engaging whenever someone asked for her input. Footsteps drew everyone’s attention as another cultivator, Dou Quan, hurried down the garden paths. “Ah, everyone!” Dou Quan called out. She pouted as she noticed what they were doing. “You were having a tea party without me?” “Eh, you were busy! What is the news?” Dou Quan brightened again. “Those cultivators from the Golden Sun Sect are here! The really handsome ones!” “Do you want a husband already, Xiao Qian?” someone teased. “Or just some fun?” another said. But nonetheless, many of them stood up, excitement on their faces. For some of them, seeing handsome men was nothing to be ashamed of. For others, men from other sects were fresh blood. “Yujie, coming?” Dou Quan asked as the other cultivators neatened their robes. Only three remained in the pavilion. Meng Yujie made a face. “You know I feel nothing for men. Just accept any challenges for me. I will stay here and enjoy the spring and the flowers.” Some of the women smirked, holding up their sleeves or fans over their mouths. “If you say so,” one of them commented. The young studious cultivator, Wang Liu, said, “I will go and practice walking meditation.” Lastly, Li Hua said, “I also would like peace and quiet.” Dou Quan shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’ll share any gifts those handsome cultivators give us,” she promised. She and the other cultivators left, chatting amongst each other. “If you’ll excuse me, senior martial sisters,” Wang Liu said politely, and after Li Hua’s and Meng Yujie’s farewells, Wang Liu also left. Now, it was just Li Hua and Meng Yujie. Nervousness spiked in Li Hua as she remembered what was stored in her spatial storage ring. “More tea?” Meng Yujie asked. Li Hua shook her head, suddenly feeling shy. “Hm,” Yujie didn’t seem to believe Li Hua and instead shifted closer. “You know, it's been ten years.” Li Hua’s eyes widened, turning quickly to Meng Yujie. “You remember?” Meng Yujie smiled. “Of course I remember!” she said, patting Li Hua’s shoulder. “How could I forget my first meeting with a flower?” Li Hua nudged her back. “Stop teasing me!” she muttered, looking away. Although it was true that her body had slowly changed, it still did not match exactly with women who had the fortune of being born as themselves. Li Hua never bathed with the other women, despite everyone’s assurances that it was fine; she could not even fathom showing herself to Meng Yujie, it was decades too soon. “Xiao Hua,” Meng Yujie said. “Xiao Hua, why are you drawing away from me?” “You're too nice to everyone!” Meng Yujie laughed. “Xiao Hua thinks too highly of me! I’m very mean to people I don’t like. Now, what is bothering my Xiao Hua?” Li Hua busied herself with rummaging through her spatial storage, even though she knew exactly where and what she was looking for. “I remembered that I never thanked Senior Martial Sister Meng for that day,” she said. She pulled out a cloth-wrapped object and presented it to Meng Yujie. “Please accept this small token of thanks, that cannot convey how grateful I am to you.” “...” Meng Yujie accepted the package. Her lips curved up at the images of swords stitched onto the cloth. Li Hua watched nervously as Meng Yujie unwrapped it. Meng Yujie lifted the object: it was a purple sword tassel, the colour being Meng Yujie’s favourite, instead of the usual red or gold or black tassels. When Meng Yujie said nothing, Li Hua hurried to speak. “I worked with Third Disciple on this sword tassel for you. I collected the silk from the spiritual silk worms during one of my missions, and Third Disciple helped me dye and enchant it. You do not need luck, this tassel will help your blade cut through air and shake off dirt and blood that accumulates. Ah, but if you don’t like it, do not pressure yourself to use it, it’s fine…” “Xiao Hua, this is beautiful.” Meng Yujie immediately summoned forth her sword, Light Through Dark. She removed her old black silk tassel and affixed the purple tassel. “It’s perfect.” Li Hua ducked her head in embarrassment. Heat bloomed across her cheeks, as relief and joy mixed in her heart. “It is nothing…” “Xiao Hua…” Li Hua flinched back when Meng Yujie rested a hand on Li Hua’s knee. Meng Yujie withdrew her hand, her expression serious, her dark brown eyes seemingly searching into Li Hua’s soul. “Why do you draw away from me when we get so close? If I can be honest?” Li Hua nodded silently. “If I can be honest, during the first years, I understand why you wanted to stay away. When a person is uncomfortable with their own body, how could they let anyone closer?” Li Hua’s eyes widened. She wanted the earth to swallow her up, for how Meng Yujie had noticed that. “But as the days and months and years past, I have seen how you have grown into a confident, strong woman. Have you not seen how the junior disciples watch you with hearts in their eyes? You are always there to listen to our troubles, but you rarely tell us your troubles. Li Hua, when I say I love flowers, I love them for flowers in their soul, not their outside meat-costumes.” “You’re so vulgar!” Li Hua said in shock. Meng Yujie grinned mischievously. “Li Hua, if I may be even more vulgar, I have had many thoughts about dual cultivating with you.” Li Hua was even more shocked. “S-Senior Martial Sister Meng!” “Didn’t I tell you to call me Meng Yujie? Yujie? Jiejie? And what were you thinking of? I think we should practice a two-person sword style, fighting back-to-back. Next year, there is the inter-sect competition that has a team event.” “But surely...what about Senior Martial Sister Dou Quan?” Meng Yujie made a face. “I don’t want to kiss her.” She shook her head. “No, this sort of hinting romancing is too hard. I’ve been doing it for so many years and yet you don’t see!” “???!!” Meng Yujie captured Li Hua’s hand and declared, “I really like Li Hua. Her eyes are like sparkling amber, her hair like exquisite silk, her sword cutting rivers of blood!” Li Hua couldn’t help but snort at Meng Yujie’s ridiculousness. That river of blood event happened only once, for heaven’s sake! Also, laughing helped Li Hua not think about Meng Yujie’s apparent confession. Meng Yujie’s voice softened. “We are cultivators, we live for a long, long time. I know I should be patient. But I wanted to tell Li Hua that I like every part of her, understood? From her outside to her inside to her soul. I will kiss every part of the flower if she consented, but I will resist when she does not.” A lump grew in Li Hua’s throat. “How. How, Meng Yujie…” “You are like a blade that has pierced my heart,” Meng Yujie said. Li Hua shook her head. “No, you are the one who pierced my heart from the first day.” “You don’t believe me?” Meng Yujie’s tone dropped. “I…” “Li Hua. If consequences did not exist, if your body was exactly how you wanted it, what would you like to do right now?” The world seemed to fade around them, as Li Hua fell into the world in Meng Yujie’s sharp eyes. Li Hua swallowed. Her voice turned whispery. “If consequences did not exist, if...everything...then I would like Senior Martial Sister Meng to kiss me.” A brightness returned to Meng Yujie’s eyes. “Would Junior Martial Sister Li Hua accept a kiss as an early birthday present?” Li Hua could barely nod. Meng Yujie’s lips curved up. She leaned over, placing a hand on Li Hua’s arm. Her face moved closer, heat building up between them. Thump thump thump was Li Hua’s heart. Li Hua closed her eyes, unable to watch Meng Yujie’s face. Meng Yujie’s lips were like petals against Li Hua’s cheeks, against the tip of Li Hua’s nose. But disappointingly, not on Li Hua’s lips. Li Hua opened her eyes, pouting a little as Meng Yujie shifted back. “How was that?” Meng Yujie asked, sounding pleased and satisfied. “You—you call that a kiss?” Li Hua said. Unbeknownst to Li Hua, Meng Yujie felt as though she’d kicked a puppy. “Well, yes,” Meng Yujie said. She cleared her throat. “Unless you want something more?” Her eyes curved mischievously. “Then you should come and collect.” Li Hua wanted to be mischievous too. She tugged Meng Yujie closer again, and this time kissed...Meng Yujie’s chin. Annoyed, Li Hua tried again and landed on Meng Yujie’s mouth. Sensation alighted on Li Hua’s lips. And a heat flooded her cheeks as she realised her audacity. Meng Yujie licked her lips. “Xiao Hua…Are you feeling better now?” Li Hua nodded. She hadn’t felt any dysphoria when they kissed. Quite the opposite, actually. “Then, should we practice some more kissing? Just kissing?” Li Hua nodded. Meng Yujie grinned, punching the air. “Yes!” Just then, wind blew through the gardens, shaking pink cherry blossoms to snow around them. Petals landed on their clothes and in their tea cups. Li Hua looked around them, and laughed. “Is this the world’s way of also saying yes?” “I think it is,” Meng Yujie said immediately. She tilted her head at Li Hua. “I think these flowers suit you. I’ll find a junior disciple to conjure cherry blossoms as you walk.” Li Hua nudged Meng Yujie playfully. “You’re so ridiculous!” “But you’re a flower,” Meng Yujie said, pretending to sound slighted. “Look at these petal-lips.” Li Hua started to pout, but then Meng Yujie kissed her properly. As Meng Yujie kept her hands strictly above waist, Li Hua finally relaxed, soaking into the decadent feeling of Meng Yujie kissing her. Never had Li Hua imagined kissing to feel this good—not even all the romance books could truly describe this! The blue sky had turned to golden-orange streaks by the time they finally stood up. Some of the flowers were beginning to close for the night, and the leaves were looking more orange-dark-green. Meng Yujie kissed Li Hua again, as though she couldn’t get enough. Li Hua soaked up the affection like a plant soaking up sunlight. Meng Yujie took Li Hua’s hand. Meng Yujie’s grip was firm: she clearly regretted nothing. And with that unreserved attraction, Li Hua couldn’t help but follow Meng Yujie’s lead. Even if that lead was to the main hall with the other disciples who all looked at their joined hands and smiled knowingly, some of them even going as far as to congratulate the two, or say, “Finally!” Li Hua had buried her face in Meng Yujie’s hair in embarrassment.   ?The End?

BethOfTheWild Warning that there is some internalized transphobia James looked up from his phone in shock as a loud, pulsating thrum filled his bedroom. A swirling mass of purple energy had formed by his door and seemed to be growing larger and more defined as the seconds passed. He nervously cast about for anything he could use to defend himself, but only found pillows and a glass of water. By this point, the energy had resolved into a portal about the height of a person. James caught a brief glimpse of a room full of complex, chrome-plated machinery before two women stepped through and the portal abruptly closed. One woman was tall and thin with cat-eye glasses and a lab coat over a band t-shirt, while the other was short, with a shock of blue hair, several piercings, and a denim jacket studded with pins. James held up his glass of water in what he hoped was a threatening manner, right before the taller woman started to laugh. “Sam, I was telling you I got it to work! And oh my god, look at tiny egg me!” The woman’s voice was slightly deeper than James was expecting, but at least she didn’t sound… threatening? And the more he looked, the more he had a vague nagging feeling that she looked familiar. A bit like his mom, actually, if you changed the hair color and added glasses. Now focusing on James, the taller woman seemed to realize something. “Oh, I’m sorry, you’re probably really freaked out right now. So basically, uh…. I’m you from the future.” She looked at the shorter woman again before the two of them broke into laughter. “I… uhh… what the fuck? Is this some kind of prank? How did you make that--thing appear, and how are you in my room? What the actual fuck is happening?!” The taller woman finally steadied herself. “Sorry, sorry, I should explain better. I--so basically I’m Jamie, this is my partner Sam, and I’m you from a decade in the future. Specifically, a version of you that transitioned and then, well,  invented a working time machine.” She shrugged. “You’re such a genius, babe,” Sam chimed in, wrapping her arm around Jamie’s lower back. James squinted at Jamie. He couldn’t deny that she looked related to him, and even had a similar face, although it was rounder and had generally softer features. “Okay, I guess I believe you’re from the future because I really don’t have a better way of explaining that portal thing that you jumped out of. You’re me, though? Like, I’m not a girl. I admit I read a lot of gender bender stuff online but it’s not even that unusual a thing to be into for straight guys, and I’ve considered that I could be trans but there really just isn’t a good reason to think that. I took a quiz that said I was a guy with some feminine tendencies and everything.” Jamie facepalmed. “God, I remember that fucking quiz. I don’t know what dumbass thought they could make a multiple choice survey that TELLS YOU YOUR GENDER. That’s so fucking stupid.” She suddenly perked up. “Oh, I have more evidence!” Jamie pulled out a phone(?), unfolded it into a tablet, and shoved the screen towards James. James gingerly accepted it, seeing a series of photos that started with him, and slowly got more feminine until the last photo, which was clearly Jamie. “Wow, I, uh… that’s pretty convincing, honestly. W-why are you here, though? You didn’t just come back here to show me some photos, right? Aren’t you worried about causing a paradox or something?” Jamie started to speak but was drowned out by another loud humming noise. Another portal--this time green, was opening near James’ closet. After a few moments, a man stepped out and the portal closed. The man also looked strangely familiar to James. In fact, he looked like a cross between old pictures he had seen of his grandpa and James himself. Jamie swore quietly under her breath. “God, not this asshole.” The man strode over to James and grabbed him by his shoulders. “Listen to me, James. Do NOT believe anything these women say. They’re trying to lead you down the wrong path. I know it may seem tempting, but if you reject their degeneracy you’ll come out the other side stronger, I promise. I should know; after all, I’m you from the future.” Jamie was staring daggers at the man. “Fuck off, Jim. Take your weird alt-right bullshit back to your own timeline.” At this point, James was intensely confused. “I… I thought she was me from the future. How can you both be?” Jamie started to talk before Jim talked louder over her. “So, the future isn’t fully determined yet. You can think of it as a quantum event that hasn’t yet been observed, so the superposition hasn’t collapsed yet.” Seeing that James still looked confused, Jamie took over explaining. “Think of time as--a river. You, and your present, are in a boat that’s constantly moving forward down the river. Up ahead the river splits into two branches. Depending on how you shift your weight in the boat, the boat could go down one path or the other. Both branches exist, but you and your present--the boat--can only take one of them.” “Okay, I think I get it,” James said. “So you could both be my future?” “Yes,” Jamie and Jim said at once, before glaring at each other. Sam rubbed at Jamie’s back. “Remember your breathing exercises.” Jamie squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in and out slowly before seeming to calm down. Jim, on the other hand, seemed angrier than ever. Jabbing his finger at Jamie, he started yelling. “Do you see this pervert? This half-and-half freak? You don’t want to be like that, do you? Driving off everyone who loves you and cares about you, weirding out people on the street, destined to never have kids or a marriage or a stable job? Look, you’re a good kid, right? You work hard, try to fulfill your obligations and avoid letting your family down. Imagine how they’d react to this. It would just be incredibly, deeply selfish to act on your basest impulses and to hurt your family like this.” Now it was Sam’s turn to get angry. “Okay, shut the fuck up. You have no idea what you’re talking about. First of all, Jamie is amazing and is dating me and has a great lab job, and she’s closer to her mom and sisters than she ever was before transitioning. I’m not going to say people were great right away, but everyone who really matters came around and accepted her, and they can tell she’s happier now.” Jamie hugged Sam, saying “You’re amazing too,” before turning to Jim. “Hey, how’s your relationship with the fam? Oh, right, your anger issues meant you kept getting into fights with people about dumb shit and now half the family doesn’t want to talk to you. And about no one loving you? Have you gotten around to dating anyone yet, ever, even though you’re almost 30?” Jim briefly winced. “Okay, I’m saving myself for marriage, and I just need to meet the right woman. And besides, it’s better to spend your vital energy on your career than it is to waste it on meaningless pleasure.” Jim turned to James. “Look, even if you don’t agree with what I said, you have to recognize the truth of what I’m saying. You took that quiz and saw what it said. It doesn’t make any sense to believe your vague subjective feelings over objective, mathematical fact. And look, I’m not a transphobe, okay? I just think it’s not the right decision for me--you--us. And you’ve seen documentaries and read stuff online. Real trans people know their gender from a young age, and there’s nothing sexual about it. What you have is just a fetish, and although you might enjoy it as a fantasy, it doesn’t make any sense to fuck up your real life and relationships by trying to chase some ridiculous dream. You’ve waited too long anyway, it’s too late for you to ever become a convincing woman now that you’ve already gone through most of puberty.” Jamie interrupted. “That’s such bullshit. I can’t believe you’ve already given up on convincing her that she’s not trans and you’re just trying to scare her out of transitioning, so she can be a coward like you. Look at me. I look fine, I get gendered correctly pretty much 100% of the time, and unlike before, I actually feel like I look cute! And regardless of how you look, feeling good about yourself matters a lot more than what other people think.” Sam whispered “I think you look cute too,” before briefly pecking Jamie on the lips. James groaned. “Please don’t rub your PDA in our faces. At least not in front of the kid.” “Kid? She’s a teenager. You remember as well as I do all the porn we had watched by this age. Come on, if you’re going to argue with me you could at least not be so disingenuous about it.” Jamie started digging around in the pocket of her lab coat before pulling out a bottle of pills. As she tried to hand it to James, Jim literally slapped it out of her hand. “Okay, I’ve fucking had enough. You wanna fight, douchebag?” “Sure, I’ll kick your ass if that’s what you want. Show the kid how years of hormones degrade your muscles.” Jamie reached under her lab coat and pulled out some kind of streamlined, silvery gun. Leveling it at Jim, she muttered, “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use this.” Jim flinched backwards in shock. “Whoa, what the fuck?! You’re going to shoot me? We were just having a civil debate, and here you have to go bringing violence into it.” Jamie turned to Sam before slowly lowering the gun. “Jesus, I wasn’t actually going to shoot you. Don’t act like you’re the martyr here, you literally just assaulted me.” “Oh come on, that was hardly assault. See, James, this is a great example of how this bitch stretches the truth.” “What the fu--You literally hit me! You hit that bottle out of my hand! Everyone here saw it. Why are you acting like that’s fine and reasonable, but me just threatening you is a horrible crime?” James decided it was about time to intervene. “Look, please don’t hurt each other, okay? You’re basically just hurting yourself. And besides, getting in a fight isn’t going to do anything to convince me. I think I just need some time to think about this, okay? I’m not sure how time travel works, but could you leave now and maybe come back tomorrow?” Jamie nodded. “Sure, I know this is a lot to process and you can take all the time you need. I’ll come back the same time tomorrow--it’ll only be a few seconds for me, though.” “And I’ll also come back, to act as a counterweight to this bitch’s lies.” With that, the room was suddenly filled with loud thrumming as both parties generated their portals and stepped through. James was suddenly all alone in his room, left in a sudden overwhelming silence to just lay on his bed and think. *** As promised, they returned the next day, at exactly the same time. Jamie popped out, alone this time, shortly followed by Jim.  “Hey, so hopefully you’ve had some time to think now. Have you come to any conclusions yet?” asked Jamie. “Christ, stop pressuring him. Don’t assume that all versions of us are like you.” “Please, you two, don’t argue! You’re just stressing me out and making it harder to think.” James turned to Jamie. “So, I believe you when you say that you’re trans and you’re happy you transitioned. But it’s not clear to me that that means I’m trans. What ultimately made you decide that you’re trans?” “Good question. So, like you, I used to think a lot about gender and I sometimes had this urge to try women’s clothing or to try to look like a girl. I always suppressed those thoughts up until I went to college, where a combination of new friends and the internet made me realize that cis guys don’t constantly think about being girls, and that it was worth meaningfully investigating if I might be trans. I started out trying to wear women’s clothing, and in some ways that felt better, but it also really forefronted all the parts of my body that I wasn’t happy with. After thinking about things for a few months, I started the process to get on hormones. About six months after that I started to come out as trans to everyone, and about a year after that I also got around to changing my legal name. But basically, the key thing was realizing that you don’t have to prove that you’re trans. The very fact that you think so much about your gender means it’s likely that you are trans. And I think it’s just generally a positive thing to explore that and find out more about yourself and what makes you feel good, although it does take time to get past societal hangups and the feeling that you’re doing something wrong or forbidden.” James nodded. “Okay, that’s helpful, thanks. Jim, what makes you sure that you’re not trans?” “First of all, I don’t like how you worded the question. It’s ridiculous to ask me to prove that I’m normal. But in general, why would I think that? It’s not like I grew up playing with Barbies or trying to wear dresses. I never thought I was a girl, and I didn’t act feminine because I knew that just wasn’t what boys did. Sure, like you two I did used to think about gender a lot, but I think I was just confused. Adolescence is a difficult time and I lacked a strong father figure, so it’s not surprising that I would latch onto my mother as the next best role model to emulate. And over time, I held strong and things have gotten better. I don’t let myself dwell on gender or other unhealthy thoughts; instead, I try to focus on my hobbies, my career, and my relationships with others. Sure, being a girl used to sound nice to be, but realistically it’s not an actual option. The most I could have been was a crude imitation of a girl, and to achieve that I’d have to be willing to sacrifice basically everything. Society doesn’t really approve of people who aren’t normal men and women, despite what some people might claim, and there’s reasons for that. Humans evolved as men and women for a reason, so they could reproduce and raise a family in a stable unit. There isn’t some magical soul or spirit separate from the body, and there isn’t gender separate from sex. Thinking that you’re another gender is a mental illness, indicative of something gone wrong in your childhood, and that shouldn’t be catered to or it’ll just get worse over time.” James scratched his head. “So are you saying that trans people don’t exist?” “No, I just think a lot of people who claim to be trans have other mental illnesses. I’ll admit there might be a few intersex people where their brain structure doesn’t match their genitals, and in that case I support medical transition in order to have their body match their brains.” Jamie interrupted. “Okay, first of all, fuck you. People should have autonomy over their own bodies, and sex and gender aren’t even close to that clear-cut anyway. Lots of cultures have had third genders, so don’t act like our modern Western two-gender system is inherent and unchanging.” “Okay, look, I’m not saying that trans people or other genders don’t exist. But the literature says that MTFs are generally motivated either by being aroused by the idea of themselves as a woman, or the desire to attract heterosexual men. In our case, with the amount of gender transformation fetish content we used to read, and frequent thoughts about how we’d look crossdressing, we’re pretty clearly in the first category. It’s called autogynephilia, and it undermines your dualist ideas of some gender identity separate from the body.” “I don’t even believe in that dualist stuff, and honestly you’re just trying to distract us from the actual issue. If you’ve actually read the literature you’re citing, you’d know that even those authors are in agreement that transitioning is the ONLY successful treatment for negative emotions resulting from gender dysphoria. So the reason you want to transition is literally irrelevant. Besides, it doesn’t matter if there’s some definable, objective thing called gender identity. What matters is people doing what makes them happy.” Jim sighed. “Okay, you might have a point. But don’t you think pursuing your own happiness at the expense of others is incredibly selfish? We’d all like to be happy, obviously, but not everyone gets that privilege.” “I just philosophically disagree with your way of seeing this. Someone transitioning doesn’t inherently hurt anyone. Any negative repercussions from societal judgment are an issue with society, not something wrong with being trans. And it’s not like being trans is a choice. The real choice is to suppress it and to deeply hurt yourself, or to express it and to be happy, but with some risk of others reacting badly.” “In an ideal world I’d agree with you, but we don’t live in an ideal world. Someone choosing to transition knows what will happen, and acting like they don’t is unproductive. You know our family lives in a somewhat conservative area and Mom constantly talks to neighbors and other parents. Do you really want all of them judging her as a failed parent?” “I can tell you with certainty that that won’t be what happens. Most people will be fine with it. They don’t really care. Why should they? Most people are too busy worrying about their own life to really worry about others’. There’s a few people who are rude and unpleasant about it, some awkward situations, but that’s hardly the end of the world. Besides, most of those people were already not great, and I see this as just revealing their true colors.” Jim rubbed his eyes. “Jesus, you just have a rebuttal for everything I say. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, given that I’m sure you’ve thought about most of the same things, but I thought I’d have more rebuttals to you.” Jamie chuckled. “I’m not too surprised. I bet you haven’t let yourself think about gender all that much, from what you were saying, so you’re basically still in the same mindset as me several years ago. I think I’ve changed a lot and developed just from letting myself be myself, while you’ve been so tightly wound trying to be the person you think you have to be that you’ve just ended up kind of running in the same place.” Jim sighed. “At this rate, you’re gonna convince me that I should transition.” Jamie leaned over and hugged Jim. After a brief expression of shock, he relaxed and returned the embrace. James had seen enough. “Okay, well, I think I’ve decided.” Turning towards Jamie, she said “See you in a few years.” Jamie laughed, and ran over to hug James. In the background, Jim seemed to finally relax, looking the least angry James had ever seen him. Re-opening her portal, Jamie turned back and briefly saluted before jumping through. Jim turned to James and sighed. “Well, I guess I lost. Can’t say I’m too upset. I have to admit… Jamie seems a lot happier than I’ve ever been. I think this is for the best.” James nodded, before getting up to hug Jim. “You’ll always be a part of us, Jim. I don’t think Jamie could exist without you.” Jim laughed. “Maybe so. Anyway, before I go, I just wanted to say… make better decisions than me, kid, okay? Just… try and do what makes you happy.” James nodded. “I promise.” Jim opened his portal, nodding once at James before stepping through. James’ bedroom was once again left silent and empty, but this time it felt different. They were both still there.

LapisLioness Well, I hoped to release this Midnight my time between Christmas Eve and Day, but hey, it is as it is! And it's published at midnight in some timezone! CW:// Vague Suicidal Ideation, Gender Dysphoria, It's a Wonderful Life references. The snow fell gently as I looked over the edge of the bridge. It was a freezing night bundled up in my coat thinking again about the melancholy that the season brings… As I stared into the waters I thought about just how fragile my life truly was…  A feminine voice interrupted my musings. "You know… Staring that intently off the edge of a bridge on Christmas eve… People may get the idea you're trying to recreate a certain Christmas film… If you need someone to play the role of the angel, I'm your gal. Name's Claire."  “Bailey.” I mumbled out, trying to watch the falling snow for some semblance of beauty. “And before you crack a joke, yes that’s my last name it’s what my friends call me, no you can’t know the first, no, I don’t like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ so if we can we just not make jokes about it that’d be great.” I felt bad being so rude to her to be honest, but right now it was warranted. I wasn’t about to kill myself just because I was staring off this bridge, it wasn’t as though the thought hadn’t crossed my mind, but I knew doing that would just make things harder for Allison…  Claire only chuckled. “Oh, you are gonna hate why I’m here just as much as the bosses said you would…” I turned to her furrowing my brow. “What are you talking about bos-” “Just look into the river, I get the feeling you’d hate me being coy about it…” Was her only reply. I decided to humor her and saw words begin to form from the ice as certain parts of the water began to freeze before my eyes.  “Yeah, I’m here to do the angel thing. Sorry. ~ Claire” Welp… Either I was dreaming or this was real... No harm in assuming the latter I figured… "Okay, look, if you’re here to do the It's a Wonderful Life thing then job’s done. I’m not gonna kill myself, things are a little rough but I’m staying alive…” Claire sighed. “Yeah, that’s kinda the problem Bailey… You’re spiraling… You’re alive but not living… You only talk to your parents when necessary… You haven’t spent any time with any of your friends, in person or otherwise, in months… Everyone upstairs is convinced the only reason you aren’t avoiding your girlfriend is because it’s kinda impossible what with you two living together… And we both know what your plans are, come the new year…” I froze at the biting criticism… It’s true… I WAS planning to break up with Allison in the New Year… Heck, I’d considered doing it tonight but I didn’t want to ruin her Christmas any more than it would be having to spend it with me… “Okay… You got me…” I said turning to Claire, rage settling into my voice. “But are you REALLY gonna tell me you don’t get that I’m doing her a favor? That I’m NOT in her way of finding someone better? She’s a fantastic woman, loyal, caring, beautiful, she could have her pick of any guy or girl on this planet and they’d be so happy to have her! I DON’T deserve her and you can’t tell me I do!” I felt like crying but once again my useless body couldn’t even manage that much… I was sad and desperate inside but all I could manage was ‘Angry man’ once more… And yet- Claire simply gave a frown full of pity. “I’m sorry you feel like that Bailey… That you can’t see what she loves in you… You aren’t unworthy of love, you matter… We just need to get you to a point where you can love yourself as much as everyone else does maybe then-” “There’s no point to it Claire.” I spat out. “I’ve tried to love myself… I’m too fucking broken for it… I’ve spent days staring in the mirror at his fucking dumb face, not able to get what other people even see in him… You’re here to do the It’s a Wonderful Life thing? Fine. Just show me what it’d be like for her if Mr. Bailey didn’t exist… I guarantee you even if some people are sad, she’ll be just fine…” Claire seemed distraught for a moment, and was about to speak when a wicked grin crossed her face… “You know what… That isn’t a bad idea… Maybe you’ll even find you like this little game of what if better than reality.” I balked at that. Wasn’t her entire job here to make me want to live my life more, not less? And yet she didn’t give me a chance to reply before continuing.  “Alright so here’s the deal, we’re gonna see a bit of Allison’s Christmas Eve from a world where Mr. Bailey no longer exists. I’ll make it clear though we AREN’T going by It’s a Wonderful Life rules… More A Christmas Carol rules. It’s just a vision, nobody will be able to see or hear us, and I am physically and spiritually unable to make it a reality. I can’t change the past anyway, but I promise you on my soul and honor as an angel that what I’m showing you IS a possible time that is accurate to reality. The ONLY thing I’m changing is the fact Mr. Bailey does not exist at that time, and other than that, there’s no other difference I’m sneaking in to influence your thoughts… Are you up for it…” Something in me paused at her words… There was something about her working that felt like this was a trick… Like she was framing it VERY specifically as a Genie might when asking if you’re SURE about what you just wished for… But for the life of me, I couldn’t guess what… Unless… “And by ‘Mr. Bailey, you mean me and not my father right?” “I’m not referring to your father or any of your male relatives when I say Mr. Bailey. Nor the guy from the movie.” She confirmed with a grin…  I sighed… Despite the feeling I’d regret this I held out my hand. “Sure then… What do I have to lose?” With a chuckle that was FAR too devious sounding for an angel, she clasped my hand. “Get ready. This is gonna feel weird…” And with that, the snowfall swirled around us, growing thicker quickly until it kicked up a mighty fog around us… And as fast as it kicked up, it fell away… And we were suddenly in a warmly lit living room.  “W-where are we?” I asked, looking around at the unfamiliar space. “I thought we were seeing how things were for Allison? This isn’t her apartment…” Claire only smiled warmly “You forget, we are taking a peek at a world without Mr. Bailey… She chose that apartment so you’d have a place to live together… This place… Well, we shall have to see won’t we?” Before I could reply I heard a familiar giggle. “Oh it’s fine babe, I totally get it… You just drive safe okay?” My now possibly not-in phase with this reality heart skipped a beat as I looked into the kitchen to see who was speaking and it was just who I thought… Allison. As beautiful as ever, speaking with her phone tucked into her shoulder as she seemed to check the turkey in the oven. “Yes it is a shame they needed you to work on Christmas Eve but hey, at least I get Christmas Day all to myself and my beautiful girlfriend. Love ya too babe! Bye!” My heart filled with joy and despair at this as I looked at Claire. “See, beautiful girlfriend. What did I tell you… She looks like she’s in a happy relationship. That's a clear upgrade from me and her…” “You don’t seem surprised that she’s not with a man…” Claire noted. I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you know this already?” She chuckled. “This is essentially a cosmic therapy session. It’ll do you no good if we don’t talk about your feelings.” “Fine.” I sighed. “Allison’s pretty open about being bi with a preference for girls… So before you ask, yes. I think she’s better off not being weighed down by a guy like me…”  Claire hummed. “Don’t you think if that bothered her she would have told you that it did?” “I- She…” I struggled to put words to my discomfort. “I think… It bothers me… Because I know she’s settling… She’s happy but not as happy as she could be if I wasn’t holding her back…” Claire looked to me with a sigh. “Bailey… You aren’t holding her back… If people love you then accepting that love isn’t a burden… I know it's hard but there’s something keeping you from that… I want to help you past that but I need you to trust me… Can you do that?” I nodded calmly, wasn’t much point in fighting her. “The follow me to the mantle, I need you to see who this girl Allison is with is.” We walked over to the imitation fireplace and I took a long look at the pictures on the mantle all of them were Allison in various romantic situations with the same girl. A girl who… Looked familiar in a way I couldn’t place… In fact, she kinda looked like me… Did Allison have a thing for brunettes? But as I stared deeper into the pictures I saw the resemblance was more than superficial… Her face was almost like my Mom’s… I swore she could be my sister but she didn’t look a day older or younger than me as far as I could tell… Hell if I didn’t know any better I’d say that- My thoughts came crashing to a halt as soon as the unbidden thought slipped perfectly into my mind… I was… She was me… The feeling swelled deep inside of me… Years and years of one emotion pushed deep inside of me for most of my life… I turned to Claire… And I exploded.  "You… Think you're SO smart don't you!" I exploded with rage at her. "You're trying to tell me my life would be better if I was born a girl? Well, guess what? I KNEW that jackass! I knew since I was 12!” I threw my hands up as I paced in away from her, my anger straining to cover the hurt I was feeling from this… From knowing I couldn’t be the girl in the pictures, whoever she is, and the fact she was cheated out of existing because I had to be born the shitty guy I am…  “But you knew that…” I turned back to Claire, mustering up as much anger as I could as I jabbed a finger at her accusingly as I closed the distance with each word. “I should have seen this coming with that stupid "Mr. Bailey" specificity… This was some stupid cosmic excuse to rub the one thing I knew was wrong but I can't change in my damn face! What was I supposed to do? Beg you to somehow change my past?" I took in a deep, shuddering breath, suddenly realizing that I had begun to cry… I regathered what little strength I had enough to make out a pained whisper. "You already said that's impossible…" I felt a soft hug from Claire… It was nice… Like when Allison held me when I was falling apart, but it was a different sort of care… Allison did that because of our romantic connection… This was like what I imagined comfort from a friend is like… She began to whisper to me. "Oh, Bailey you poor children I’m sorry… I thought that would be enough to figure it out…"  I sniffed. The angel's embrace was comforting but I was still falling apart. "Figure what out?"  Without words, she gently pulled away and guided my vision to the tree skirt.  It was a lovely homemade thing, built from three wide strips of thick felt, but more important than the material was the fact that each strip was a different pastel color. Blue on the outer ring, pink the next inward, and white on the space closest to the tree… "You're…" I said with a gasp, my hands covering my nose and mouth. If it meant what I thought she was saying… The beautiful girl I saw was me in that way… "You're saying that I'm… That I can be…" Claire smiled knowingly. "Yes Bailey that's what I'm here for. The only difference between your life and this one is that the you of this time accepted herself five years ago. It isn't too late for you either…" "I-" The words got stuck in my throat. It was even better news than what I thought she was saying. "I did my research… I thought I was stuck as a cis guy because I wasn't trans enough, that I was faking the feelings that made me question…" "That's more common among trans women than you think… Most cis men don't see staying one as being stuck you know…" Those words filled me with so much hope… That trans women weren’t as universally sure before figuring things out as I’d been led to believe… That my feelings of benign trapped were normal. “And if the only difference was her really just that she realized five years ago… Clair. Please, I need you to say this for me. I-” The words got caught in my throat. “Even if I’m five years later to figure this out than her… Even if I won’t be as pretty… You’re saying I can be her right? That I can finally kill and bury the old name for good… Please, don’t take away this hope.” “My dear girl.” I shuddered at that, dear girl, hearing someone other than Allison call me that outside of intimate roleplay… It was an old kind of good, but taking it out of that context and making it so casual, so natural… It just felt right. But Claire wasn’t done. “That’s exactly why we’re here. You ARE trans and you are ALLOWED to be a woman. It’s that simple. And you want to know the best part of this?” I giggled at that. Giggled! The tears I was now aware of, brought by joy and not pain, streaked down my face as I wiped them off on the sleeve of my coat. “Sure, but I doubt it can top that little revelation…” “I said we’re going by a Christmas Carol Rules right? Well, I’ll tell you one more thing… In this little game, I’m not playing the ghost of Christmas Past or Present.” I was in shock at that. “Y-you mean-” She interrupted “It isn’t a guarantee. This isn’t the future, that doesn’t exist yet. This is a future. You want this? Then you need to fight for it just as much as the possible you on that mantle did.” I gave a smile once more. “So you’re saying these are not the shadows of the things that will be, but that they are only shadows of things that may be.” Claire chucked at that as she stuck a hand into the pocket of her coat. “You got that right Madame.” Gawd I hope I never tire of hearing things like that. “Let’s get you back to living again...” From the pocket, her hand revealed a shimmering handful of gold dust before I could comment she blew it in my face and I was soon to pass out as the darkness overtook me I could hear her words echo…   “Now go out and make these shadows be.~” “-iley! Bailey com’on wake up!” I felt myself being shaken out of slumber by a masculine voice I recognized and-Right! James, one of our friends from Allisons LGBTQ support group meetings…  As the thought occurred to me the past few minutes came rushing back to me as my eyes shot open like a flash. I was asleep in the snow by the bridge. I didn’t care I stood up as quickly as I could, I was so full of life.  “James? Why are you here? Did Claire call you? Where is she?” I looked around for her but there was no sign of her… Was it a dream or- “Claire? Bailey, I have no clue who you’re talking about… I’m here cause Allison is worried about you sick about you! You said you were going out for fresh air an hour ago! She called everyone to look for you… And as far as I can tell your footprints are the only ones… Look B, I hope you aren’t dreaming up someone to leave her for, you two a pretty damn good together, you know, for a cis couple.” He said with a playful flair to hide his worry, I could tell. “Just, look B, you know why people come to this bridge this time of year… Are you sure you’re okay dude?” Dude. HA! Gawd that felt so shitty to hear, and so good to know why… Questioning whether Claire was real or not didn’t matter! Even if she was dreamt up by a part of my subconscious to give me the wake-up call I needed, I didn’t care! Because I knew the message she had for me was real. All I could do was laugh for a solid minute. “James, I have never felt more okay or less a dude!” I said with a shit-eating grin. “I’ll be tagging along to the next meetup like Allison’s been trying to get me to do for months I’ll see you then! And a Merry Christmas! I need to get home to my girlfriend!” And with that, I began sprinting home through the snow.  “Bailey! Wait! I have so many questions!” He called but I wasn’t listening. In the mood, I was in if I stuck around I’d come out to him on the spot, and while he’d make an excellent second person to tell, Allison deserved to be the first to know.  I ran through the streets full of cheer shouting greetings to everyone I passed. I must have seemed like a madwoman but I didn’t care! I was just so happy! Before I knew it I was back at our apartment building. I didn’t even bother waiting for the elevator, I ran right up the stairs, I wasn’t exactly in shape and would never DREAM of normally running this much, but something about the magic of the situation just made it easy! I rapped at the door to our apartment as fast as my hand could manage! And soon it opened, and Allison was standing right there… Goodness, she was the best… And she seemed so worried about little me… Hopefully, that didn’t last long. I couldn’t help it I gave her a hug right away. “Oh!- Bailey!” She said pulling me in and shutting the door. “Are you alright? James called and said he found you asleep on deadman’s bridge on the park trail! And you just started rambling and shouting before running off and-” “I’m great Allie! Better than I’ve been for as long as I can remember!” My Grin only widened as she guided me over to the couch, I had her sit down by me. “I just woke up from what was probably just a dream, but I think it’s given me the most wonderful epiphany ever! During the time we’ve dated have you ever missed having a girlfriend.” Her face grew stern. “Bailey I know where this is going and you can drop it. I’m perfectly happy with you and you are NOT pushing me away like you’ve done to everyone else because you think you’re a burden.” Gosh, she’s still so amazing even if she misunderstands, I need to stop being a person who needs to get her like this but that’s a problem we can solve later. “Oh Allie after the night I had, I wouldn’t dream of ever leaving you. I have great news though! Turns out you’ve had a girlfriend this whole time! And she’s right here!”  Allison froze processing it for a moment until a sparkle came into her eyes. “Honey… Are you saying you’re-” “I’m saying I’m trans!” I threw my hands up in the air with glee. And then that smile of hers, that smile that could pay its weight in gold in this pointless capitalist system, made its appearance as she leaned into me. “Honey that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!” She gave me a peck on the cheek. And pulled back holding my hand tightly before looking into my eyes. “Do you have a new name yet? Pronouns? Does James know yet? I’d ask how long you’ve known but I think the answer to that is already obvious.”  I couldn’t help but giggle at her clearly seeing through my obvious freshness. “Not quite sure we can keep using Bailey as a placeholder for now, she/her I think, I could have told him but I wanted you to know first, and yeah, I kinda am obvious now aren’t I.” And with that, she gave one more kiss on my forehead. “Of course my lovely girlfriend, I’d do anything for my dear Bailey, I love her so, and am so happy for her.” I knew my face had to have been red from the cold, but I knew the blush she gave me must have made it deeper. I pulled her into one more embrace. “Thank you Allie… You’re the best Girlfriend a girl could ask for… I know this won’t be easy… But with you here to help me through it… I feel like I can take on anything.” On that Christmas Eve, the life of the Mr. Bailey who went to the bridge that night came to a close… But that’s alright because the life of Holly Justine Bailey began… And maybe I’m a bit biased but, I’d say that her life from then on was a Beautiful one… Heck, I’d even say it was Wonderful…   LapisLioness Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! May you spend that time with people who love and cherish you!

Seth's life had been an endless cycle of pain and misery from the very beginning. His mother was a young adult who never really wanted a child, and as a result, Seth was born out of wedlock. He never knew his father, and his mother was a prostitute who had no time or inclination to care for her kid. Growing up, Seth's life was filled with pain and neglect. His mother would often leave him alone for days at a time, without food or water. When she was around, she would sometimes lash out at him, hitting him with whatever was at hand or screaming at him for no reason. Seth quickly learned to hide from his mother, to be quiet and stay out of her way as much as possible. He spent most of his time alone in their small apartment, with no one to talk to or play with. He had no friends, no toys, no books - nothing to distract him from the constant ache of hunger and the fear that gripped him when his mother was in a rage. As Seth grew older, he longed for a way out of his miserable life. He would often escape into his imagination, dreaming of a world where he was loved and cherished. But those dreams always faded away, leaving him alone and more desperate than ever. Things reached a breaking point when Seth was thirteen years old. He had been left alone in his tiny apartment for days without any food or water. His mother had gone on a bender and hadn't returned for days and it seemed like nobody cared about his existence. Seth was left to die in that cold, empty room, with nothing but his thoughts and pain to accompany him in his last moments. But that was not the end for Seth. In a way, it was only the beginning. Seth woke up to find himself in a strange place, surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Everything was blurry, and he couldn't make sense of what was happening. He tried to move his arms and legs, but they felt weak and unresponsive. As Seth's senses slowly came back to him, he saw a relatively young couple looking down at him with what seemed like love and adoration in their eyes. They were both smiling, and he could feel the warmth of their embrace. He didn't understand his situation or how he had gotten there. But their eyes held a warmth and kindness that Seth had never known before. One day, after a pretty long period of time has passed since he found himself in this new mysterious environment, the woman's face appeared in front of him. It was a kind and gentle face, and she smiled at him. "Hello there, little Mun," she said softly. "How are you doing today?" Seth, or as they were calling him now, Mun, looked up at her with round widened eyes and then at the man standing beside the woman. This was his 'father'. Mun couldn't believe it. He never had such a figure in his life before. Mangetsu had a warm smile on his face, and Mun felt an instant connection to him. As he spent more time with his 'new family', Mun began to learn more about them. Tsuki was a skilled weaver, and she spent most of her time creating beautiful fabrics that she sold at the local markets. Mangetsu was a farmer, and he grew crops on their small piece of land. Mun was fascinated by the way they worked together to make a living. Years have passed, and Mun is now 5 years old. As He grew older, Mun began to realize that his life was different from the other children in his village. He had memories and experiences that no one else seemed to share. Mun couldn't explain it, but he had a sense of being older than he appeared. He became more and more fascinated by the world around him. He would often wander through the fields and forests surrounding his village, marveling at the beauty and diversity of the landscape. He would spend hours exploring, learning, and discovering new things. Mun's parents were always there for him, offering him guidance and support. One day, while Mun was playing with Mangetsu in the fields, he asked his father about their village. "What's the name of this place?" he asked. Mangetsu smiled at his son. "This is Rokuro, Mun. It's a small village on the outskirts of the Land of Earth. We're surrounded by rocky fields and forests, and we live a simple life here." Mun was fascinated by his father's words. He had never heard of the Land of Earth before, and he didn't know that there were other villages and towns beyond Rokuro. But he could tell that Mangetsu was proud of their village, and Mun felt a sense of belonging in this new world. As time passed, Mun grew to love his new family more and more. He learned that Mangetsu was the son of the village chief, his grandfather, and that Tsuki had married into the family. Mun was happy to be a part of this loving and supportive community, and he felt like he had finally found a place where he belonged. He loved his parents and was grateful for the life they had given him. Mun was a happy child, full of curiosity and wonder, eager to explore the world around him. He would often accompany his parents on their daily tasks, watching as they tended to their farm and animals. Mun would help with whatever he could, even if it meant getting his hands dirty. He loved being outside, surrounded by nature, and felt a sense of freedom and joy that he couldn't describe. Mun's parents were the center of his world, and he looked up to them with admiration and respect. They taught him the value of hard work, kindness, and compassion, instilling in him a strong sense of morality and ethics. Mun was grateful for their love and guidance, and he couldn't imagine his life without them. He was content to enjoy his life in Rokuro. He had a loving family, a beautiful village, and a world full of wonder waiting to be explored. Mun knew that he was lucky to be alive and to have this chance at a new life, and he was determined to make the most of it. One day as the sun began to set, the villagers of Rokuro were going about their daily business. Suddenly, the peaceful silence was shattered. While Mun was out playing in the fields, he heard a commotion coming from his village. Mun rushed back to his home as he felt a sudden surge of fear in his heart. As he entered, he went into his room and looked out of his window, he saw masked figures jumping from rooftop to rooftop, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. He had never been in a situation like this before. The village was under attack, but Mun had no idea what was happening. Mun's parents rushed into his room, grabbing him and trying to get him to safety. Tsuki shoved him into a nearby shed and locked the door, telling him to stay hidden and quiet. He could hear her and his father shouting, the sound of their screams causing a lump to form in his throat. Mun's eyes filled with tears as he clutched onto the door handle, his tiny hands shaking with fear. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion that shook the ground beneath his feet. Mun's heart pounded in his chest as he heard the sound of the fighting stop. He could hear footsteps approaching the shed, causing him to freeze in terror. The door burst open, revealing a tall man with a scarred face and a bandana covering his mouth. Mun let out a scream as the man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him into the air. "Well, well, well," the man sneered. "What do we have here? A little brat hiding in a shed? Looks like we hit the jackpot, boys!" Mun struggled to get free, but the man's grip was too tight. He was lifted out of the shed and thrown onto the ground. He landed hard, the impact knocking the breath out of him. He looked up, his vision blurred with tears, and saw a group of men staring down at him with cruel grins on their faces. Mun's heart pounded in his chest as he realized he was completely helpless. After what felt like eternity, the young boy was frozen in fear and couldn't move, he couldn't do anything as he lay there, bleeding and dying. Mun's family and all the villagers were killed in the attack, he was left alone, his body broken and battered. As he was struggling for his last breaths, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of regret and sorrow. He wished he could have done something to save his parents and his fellow villagers, but he was just a helpless child caught in the crossfire of a war he didn't even understand. Mun couldn't help but wonder what his purpose in life was if it was just to die so young and so tragically. In his dying moments, he heard a strange voice whisper in his ears "The Experiment has failed. Unable to awaken Shibai Ōtsutsuki. The Vessel has died prematurely. A resurrection process is now being initiated. A severe temporary limitation of the vessel's maximum potential output is necessary to facilitate the process." Suddenly, a bright light shone down on him, and he felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. He felt a strange sensation in his eyes, as if they were burning. He closed them, trying to shut out the sensation, but it only grew stronger. His once brown eyes were now a piercing blue color and a strange pattern started swirling on his skin before it faded. Mun didn't understand what's going on nor what the voice was saying, but before he could think more, he lost consciousness, everything went black. Zenarks That is the first chapter right there :)) I really, really really! look forward to your feedback!! Really hope you liked it!! ;))

Chapter 1. The Singularity SpikeLeviathanEmperor : Hey this is my very first fanfic on this platform hope you guys enjoy this and i'm very sorry for my bad grammar, english is not my main language annd i'm prettymuch experimenting on some stuff. Somewhere in antartica a giant white building stand among the blizzard, and that is chaldea a secret organization purpose to save humanity  from a giant threats from a servant. Now what is a servant now that you wondering servant is are Heroic Spirits that you, as the Master, command in Battle. Each Servant has a Class, active skills, passive skills, and Noble Phantasm. They are also grouped into 3 types the Knight classes (Saber, Archer and Lancer), Cavalry classes (Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker) and Extra classes (Ruler, Avenger, Moon Cancer, Shielder, Alter Ego, Foreigner and Pretender). Anyway we getting of tracks. "Master wait up" said a young girl with a cute face awithe her short purple hair, From what we can see that she is in fact chasing someone through narrow hallway in all white and the girl that she cahsing was wearing all white dress having the same hair lenght as the woman who shout. "There's no time for it mashu!!....For i gonna summon the best servant ever on this organization...even BETTER THAN MY BROTHER HAHAHAHA" The orange hair girl shout on top of her lungs while running full speed ahead, But the thing that she doesn't know that. "BUT GUDAKO SENPAI YOU FORGOT YOUR BRA!!" Said mashu to the girl that know we  know the name is gudako, But instead of listening to mashu gudako just keep runnning doesn't care anything of what mashu said. SCENE CHANGE "So what do we know about this new singularity?" A girl with a white hair walking to through hallway with a guy with a lab coats having a reddish hair. "Well all we know that this singularity take place in camelot which is in england" Said the guy who wearing lab coats. "Well i see let's go to the monitoring room shall we doctor romani?" The girl start to walk away first and with romani following behind her real quick. They walk through the hallways in a fast pace untill gudako smash into doctor romani, making her fall to the ground while the doc just shake it off  like it was nothing. "Ugh it's you again how many time is told you to not run when you in an hallways huh?!" The white hair girl ask woth a furious tone in her voice which make gudako shake in fears and hide behind mashu who only try to catch her reath. TO BE CONTINUED    

Bronzeapollo Was asked by some friends to run a Dungeons and Dragons Campaign. Since I hate the idea of being normal I decided to write the campaign from scratch. The first session is Sunday, so looks like we have some work ahead of us, and if my track record says anything this is going to end horribly! All jokes aside, included here is going to be the prologue for the story, with the first chapter being what happens in Sunday's session. The continent Vihill was split into many sections over the centuries since it's conception. All vied for the central island that myths state to be the steps to Godhood. It is believed that the race who stands the precipice of the holy land will for the next century rule Vihill. The first challenge is the pearly gates that robotically asks, "Are you the worthy?" The First Demon King who conquered Vihill declared, "I." Only to be smote where he stood. The Human Pope who spread prosperity wherever he stepped claimed, "Yes." Only to be turned to ash instantly. The Elven Lords, he Dwarven Grandmasters, Orc Chieftain, Dragon King all lost their lives to the Pearly Gates. This foreboding and deadly history did not slow those who chased the glory, to be the worthy. With the generations that passed select races declined participation, unwilling to take part in the bloodshed for the competition.  Eventually the historic continental war was turned in an annual contest, Gremor. Most recently, the Elves beat the Demons and their Champion stood at the foot of the steps. Unlike every ruler before her, she returned from the gates unharmed. Witnesses praised her as Goddess; Bards spread her legends at every corner post.  Following the conquest, the routine Vihelm, meeting of leaders, was held. Compatriots of the leaders stated the rulers made trips to their respective vaults with no notice of what they did in there. They became wry of ambassadors turning them away without reason.  A decade has passed as we enter year 11AA, however; no future champion took strides through the holy arch. For what reason could put all leaders on edge? What did the Elven Champion return with? Only a tight group of people know the answer to this; but all wish to know, "Are you the Worthy?"

Welcome to the show! I am your godly, omniscient and oh so handsome narrator. You can call me Fate and this is a story that will either make you cry like a little weakling or enrage you to the point of no return, HAHAHA! But either way you can. Not. do. Anything. About. It~ so sit back and enjoy the show or not I couldn’t give a f*ck. Let’s goooooo! Ahem I am going to need my glasses for this…  On a calm and quiet autumn’s day the planets lined up perfectly and the destinies of two ordinary people were changed completely. What happens next is either a blessing or a curse but it will be up to them to figure that out, who knows maybe they will find the answers they have been looking for all their lives. Whistling of the wind~ A young girl looks out the window and her mind is occupied. She has a lot on her mind and is in a complete trance, her thoughts are so profound she can feel a strange flow surrounding her. Buuuut… ‘’Nayeon!!!’’ Shouted someone behind her, a woman crossing her arms while tapping her foot was standing in the doorway. It was her mother. ‘’Why haven't you gotten ready for school? You silly girl breakfast is getting cold.’’ Nayeon’s mother reaches over and hugs her. Nayeon is flustered and starts to panic, ‘’Moooom i'll be downstairs soon you interrupted my errr’’ her mother answered her with a smug face, ‘’your day dreaming?’’ Nayeon took a deep breath and knew her mother was right and couldn't say anything back so she proceeded to push her mother out the door. ‘’I'm going to eat all the pancakes!’’ She yelled while running down the staircase. ‘’That child is still troubled’’, her mother says as she places her hand on her head and takes a deep breath. She has a thought, ‘’what if there's someone out there who is like my daughter.’’ Not too far away in the broken down slums a young boy is sitting on the roof of his apartment staring into the sky and in thought, another boy walking on the road looks up and shouts. ‘’Hyuk! We are going to be late to school get down here.’’ Hyuk looks down and smiles; he then proceeds to jump down and lands perfectly. ‘’Let’s go, I don't want to get chewed out for being late again.’’ Nayeon is being driven to school by her mother and is looking out the window the breeze is pushing against her hair and her eyes are wide open full of curiosity, Hyuk is walking to school with his friend he has his head held up looking up at the sky his eyes wide open filled with hope. These two are on their path to meet each other. What will happen… Will curiosity and hope clash? Or will they join hands. Their story is a weird one but let’s see what happens til the end.

As Mila pulled him, Ash realized how much pheromones there were. His nose crinkled as he hesitantly let Mila pull him. "I am going to get us drinks." Mila said as she let go of Ash's arm. Unknowingly a pair of golden eyes had set his eyes on him. Kain's POV: Kain had come here with my annoying, younger playboy brother who said that he was supposedly a workaholic and dragged him here. He quite frankly like my job. Although he didn't don't see him right now, his best guess is that he is busy hooking up with someone. *sighs*. " What am I even doing listen to my stupid brother." Kain thought. But a sudden breeze of vanilla caused his breathe to hitch. The smell wasn't overpowering, it was just the right balance.  Kain looked around to see who the scent belonged to. His eyes danced around the crowded bar until it stopped on a young man. The youth was utterly beautiful to say the least. By the looks of it he was an Omega. Kain has seen a lot of  beautiful Omegas in his day, but nothing compared to him. The Omega had skinny body. He had curves that would make any man go crazy. He had smooth pale white skin that would make any women mad with jealousy and deep blood red rosy lips. He had long silky wavy platinum blond that swayed beautifully. His jade like eyes green eyes and baby face did not go unnoticed from Kain's bright golden eyes. Kain could not look away even if he wanted to. It was like was was paralyzed his beauty. Looking at him he felt so... so whole? He desperately wanted to know who this young man was. Unknowingly Kain had decided to make this man his.

~Day Before~   " Remember to turn in your forms" the teacher called out over the loud chatter of people.  If you listened closely, you would hear a girl with high-pitched voice going in great detail about how her and her family was were going camping and how she hated spending time with her family because they were so annoying.   Ash took his time gathering his things as he was in no rush. He suddenly felt a heavy weight on his shoulder, already knowing what it was, or rather who that was, he says "What?" he says in an annoyed tone.   "Ash, what are you doing tonight?" Milla say bluntly. She was know around the school for her cold personality and loud motorcycle she took to school each morning. The part about Milla's cold exterior didn't count when she was around Ash, considering how they have been friends since 3rd grade.   " Nothing much. Why?" As he said this Milla seemed pleased because a small, mysterious grin grazed her face.   "Since you have nothing planed, do you want to" She    ~That same evening~   Ash was sitting on his bed scrolling through Instargram annoyed, waiting for Milla to come because was late. She was always so fashionably late to everything. Suddenly a message popped up on his phone.   Milla😈: I'am here, come outside   'Finally' Ash though.   PrettyAngela Also here are picture of Ash and Milla and their outfits. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DNH5NrME8HukflHdUC8A6syjZ1UILPccZDs0Nin426M/

Name: Empress Bee Description: Allows the user of the Quirk to summon, at most, 1 Beehive per every five years. For example, for someone that is five years old, they can summon 1 Beehive. At 10, they can summon 2. At 15, they can summon 3. And so on. Each Beehive will have one Queen Bee that the user can control at will. Once the user controls one of the Queen Bees, all of the other Queen Bees instinctively know, and this also allows the user to control the Queen Bee's, that the user is controlling, subjects better. Drawbacks: The user, if going over the limit of summons, can feel as if they are having an extreme allergic reaction against bee stings. When they are actually completely fine, but if actually stung by a bee in this state, can die in a matter of minutes. In this state, all bees will be attracted to the user and any time the user kills a bee, the bees get stronger and more angry at the user. Can only be used by females. Possible Hero Name(s): Bee Empress Possible Villain Name(s): Stinger Possible Evolutions: Sovereign Bee Goddess Bee Devil Bee

A man, barefoot in torn clothing, ran through the forest on a cold island. The man had dirty brownish bond hair that hung to his shoulders and a wild shaggy beard.. His pants were in need of immediate repair, having multiple holes and rips in them. A sleeveless green hooded jacket adorned his torso. He leapt from trees and vaulted off of rocks. He ran on the relatively soft forest ground before climbing the harder and rougher rock hill. He got to he top of the hill, where he spotted a small fishing boat. He hopped off the hill, seemingly resolute, doing a parkour roll to avoid breaking his legs. He then goes to a bow and arrow, wrapped in green cloth, that was hidden behind some rocks. The arrowhead was made of flint rock, so when the man struck the arrowhead against the stone at his feet, it lit on fire. He nocked the arrow, pulled the bowstring back and let the arrow loose. The arrow hit a neatly made stack of firewood. An explosion of fire occured. It immediately alerted the men on the fishing boat. The men on the boat decided to check out the island. when they reached the island, they disembarked, seeing a ragged barefoot man walking towards their boat. The man, his hood up, dropped to his knees once they were a few feet away and took his hood off. The fisherman picked the man up until he stood and led him to their boat. 'The name of the island that they found me on was called Lian Yu. It's mandarin for Purgatory. For over twenty years, I have lived inside of Oliver Queen. From him coming out of our mother to the birth of our sister, Thea to us being stranded on the island, I was there for all of it. I had to watch while he made mistake after mistake, doing things that he would regret, that I would regret. For the past five years, I have felt that something was happening.  I watched and waited for my feelings to lead to something and now after over 20 years, it seems that me and Oliver have merged, we are now one. I am returning home, not the hanger-on, the second soul. I am now one man, one soul who will fight to right the wrongs of his former self and save his city, protect his family. I am Oliver Queen.'

I awoke in my bed chambers with Mira standing at the foot of my bed with my chest wrapped in gauze as I moved it felt like my entire body was on fire. “Take it easy Freya your fully healed but I’m not sure how you are still even still alive.” Looking at Mira I grunted in response. “Did you catch the person who sent that arrow at me Mira?” “We did your highness although we are uncertain how he got into the city with a weapon capable of hurting you. Let alone how he bypassed all of our guards and patrol’s.” “Mira I received a message that stated you wanted to meet me alone on the ramparts of the city walls. The message even had your code verification phrase on it." “Your majesty I would never ask you to meet me alone in a place like that. There is no privacy. I’m sure you were lured there as you being out in the open would make you a better target for the assassin.” Looking at Mira I knew that her words made sense as Mira really would not meet me in a place like that.  “That still leaves the matter of how they learned the code phrase we use in our messages Mira.” “I’m aware of the security breach. We have confirmed that all our code phrases have been compromised including your own Majesty.” Falling back down on my pillows and taking a deep breath. Mira continued to wait for me to speak.  Strangely my chest does not hurt from my injury. None of my old injuries hurt anymore either for that matter.  Since I’ve always had rapid healing capabilities I've been able to recover extremely quickly from any injury.  Well it’s still scars and can hurt periodically I’ve never had any serious wound that has not healed remarkably fast. It's part of my secret that has never been shared with another living soul. My Undying Phoenix Body is a condition that makes it extremely hard to permanently injure or hurt me. In fact one of my reasons for joining so many fights is to allow my Phoenix body to finish evolving.  After so many years of battles I thought it was impossible for me to be injured ever again. Let alone complete my Undying Phoenix Body. But the impossible happened. I’m sure that I was killed by that arrow but then it was absorbed into my body. Then there was that voice it was a voice of supreme authority. That voice was very feminine and sultry.  Continuing to wait for me to continue the conversation. Mira waited patiently for me. Getting up out of my large red bed.  Mira immediately rushed to help me stand giving me her support. Grabbing her smooth skin it felt weird to touch Mira but why is that. I’ve never allowed myself to be in a relationship before. Never would I consider being with a man not for a lack of them trying but it’s part of my condition. My Undying Phoenix Body makes it impossible for me to be intimate with another person.  A condition of completing the Undying Phoenix Body is that I remain a virgin. However if I had to pick a partner Mira would definitely be a good candidate. If my Undying Phoenix Body has been completed then would that not mean that I’m able to finally be intimate with a woman. The girls closest to me are The Order Of Eternity many of these girls are not even human. Would they even want a relationship with me. “Mira since whoever is behind my attack is able to infiltrate so deeply into our ranks then we need to move to activate contingency plan Trident.” Mira looked at me seriously after I said that. "I will instruct our hidden forces to begin the clean up of the empire so that we can lure out the conspirators behind your attack." Mira said. Moving away from Mira. I stood on my own. It seems as if all of my strength has returned.  Not just that my body is filled with so much more than I've ever originally had. “Child you are my Inheritor so of course my partner will surpass human limitations” As I was changing I heard that voice. “Who’s there show yourself before this empress?" “Ha ha child there is nothing to show you for now. I exist inside of you as your other half. Once only half formed now we are completed. We are the Immortal Phoenix. We are the ones who defy the games of the gods.” I'm bit suspicious about this voice. However at the mention of the gods it would indeed explain much of the breach in my security if they are indeed involved. In the attempt on my life. “Not just your life Freya Conleth but mine as well. However little did they know that I exist within you. With the attempt on your life. We have been completed and thus reborn in my immortal flames." “What do you mean we have been reborn?" “Freya you know the answer to this already. You are no longer human Freya your heart has been replaced with the Flame Of Sitri the heart of a phoenix.” “The flame of Sitri” My hand touched my chest where I felt a strange familiar warmth where my heart should have been. No longer longer beating but instead burning.  Join my Patre0n to read chapter 3 and 4 of my novel Her Will Eternal. Which will be posted by the end of the day Saturday. Starting at only 3$ up to 20$ all patreon tiers have access to all advanced chapters. And discord access. I'm expecting to complete at least to chapter 6 or seven on my Patreon by the end of the day on Sunday. Thanks for the support.

The basement Part 1Bum Bum bum…Sound and sound of crackling thumps echoed along a dark, funereal tunnel.Butt…"Tsk""Damn! I hate this smell and this hellish heat"A burly, ragged figure lurked in the darkness of this tunnel, his countenance was in a deplorable state and his scowl was clearly visible.The only items that made him stand out in this tunnel filled with darkness were a worn-out light bulb and his key ring with many keys.His name was Bartholomew, but many knew him only as the old man of the mine, his nickname lived up to his position as superintendent of the sector of the great state mine of his country, the Kingdom of Ohan. Of course, he knew full well that his name was pretty for his rank, but there was nothing noble about his dirty work and it was to inspect and punish the diggers of this dark little hell."I have to hurry and get there soon before these bastards kill some more, sadistic fucking military."Bartolomeu spat on the ground as he increased his steps in the narrow galleries of the mine.Bum Bum bum…At the sound of the countless thumps, he crept deeper and deeper into complete darkness.He knew his absence would be a headache later on if he lost a few more diggers under his tutelage, not because he cared or because the kingdom would miss its beloved subjects, his problems would come from planning the kingdom's expansion. mine and all cheap and submissive labor was valuable to a kingdom that was in total decline.Bart didn't know why the kingdom's rulers were so committed to the sole purpose of excavating their largest and oldest mine in the kingdom.But he knew well that this goal was a goal of the highest degree of internal and external security.He had heard from military and aristocrats that the Kingdom of Ohan was crippling and even asking for a deal with its greatest enemy, the kingdom of Extheryu. A conflict that had lasted for years and intensified more and more was now being handled sparingly.As Bartholomew pondered whether this was hearsay or true, he finally reached his post and that's when he heard the screams of grown men and the voices of crying children.Bartolomeu didn't wait and accelerated his steps even more towards the door of the room where the voices came from."Damn brat, I'm going to rip your guts out!"“Major Paulus!”The entire scene Bartholomew saw in his eyes was a middle-aged man in a shabby, sweaty uniform holding a large knife in his right hand and a thin, dirty child in his left.

Sitting while overlooking the evening sky of my empire I received a message from my subordinate Mira. Leader of the Order Of Eternity. My advisory council and friends. Getting up from my throne I proceeded to walk the halls of my blood red palace. Much of it reflected my passion for fire. Because much like a fire my passion for battle and destruction is sometimes second to none. At least that’s according to Mira. Arriving at the designated meeting spot for Mira indicated in her message. I’m surprised to find that the dam girl is not here. Why would she even want to meet me on the ramparts of the city wall? Standing here on this cold night in my fiery red armor with my twin swords at my hips. I'm beginning to get a bad feeling as if this situation was not right. Where are the night watch and city guards for the streets of the city down below? With these questions on my mind my ears immediately pick up the distinctive sound of a powerful arrow heading towards me. Turning to meet the arrow then trying to jump out of it’s way but that proved to be impossible. This allowed the flaming red arrow to hit me dead center in the chest as the arrow pierced my armor going directly into my heart. With the arrow hitting me my hand moved by instinct to shoot off a colored fire ball into the sky. This is a unique signal created by me to call for help in emergencies. In the distance I heard Mira and the others coming my way rapidly. “It’s the Empress distress signal quickly find her! Find Freya Conleth we need to get to her majesty!!" Hearing Mira my body began to heat up as my footing became unstable and began to back up against the rampart. As I did so I ended up falling off of the city walls. Landing in the river that surrounds the city. "Child of destiny the criteria has been met. Well done on the completion of the Undying Phoenix Body. Now we shall tear this word asunder together." “What who’s there?" I heard the powerful voice again. “Rest now my child. Your questions will be answered all in due time.” After hearing that voice for a second time I went into a deep sleep. Unaware of the final changes taking place in my body . My condition is known only to me. My Undying Phoenix Body. Has been completed with that attack that hit me in the heart. How unaware could I have been for a conspiracy that sought to take my life to exist right under my nose. Such a conspiracy must have been hidden deeply within the human Empire and possibly beyond. After I fell into the river Mira and the others were quick to retrieve my body as they found me they were shocked to discover my shattered armor chest plate. My armor is made of some of the strongest materials in existence. Making it clear to them that someone tried to assassinate me. As they retrieved my body they discovered that not only was my armor-shattered but the arrow had pierced my chest and went directly into my heart. However the arrow that was supposed to be in me. Was nowhere to be found because it was absorbed by my body in the completion of the Undying Phoenix body. Instead in my chest where my heart originally would have been was now a fiercely hot burning fire that is slowly healing the wound on my chest. As it did so the speed of healing grew ever more rapid with no one completely sure yet what the full effects of this attempt on my life would have on my future. What everyone did know was that while I was unconscious at least I'm alive. Something that was not supposed to happen. Something that defied the fate of the gods.

“Guhe!” I was kicked in the stomach and the force from it caused my back to hit the wall and fall down “Hey didn't I told you to bring 10,000 today?!”  The one who kicked me– Ueno Yui Shouted at me as she showed me the contents of my wallet “What am I gonna do with only this 2,000?!” After shouting at me, she stomped on my face “...!”  Even my voice won't come out anymore...  Ueno Yui, she's basically the queen of this school since her family owns the school, no matter what she did, every one would turn a blind eye, or her family will just give them money to shut up.  Why is she asking me for money you ask? I don't know, she probably just enjoys asking me things I obviously can't provide, giving her more reasons to beat me up.  “Hey I'm talking to you, answer me now!”  She once again kicked my face while laughing She's clearly enjoying this — “Make sure to bring 10,000 tomorrow or you won't get off just like this”  After a while of kicking me again and again, she finally got bored and left “....sniff....” After making sure that she's not around anymore I started to cry silently I can't cry around her because it's only gonna make her more exited and will start beating me up severely She's just a sadistic bastard in all aspects who enjoys seeing me suffer “I should have never got in this school”  It was the start of my first year high school when I accidentally bump into her and spilled my drink in her uniform “Oi, what do you think you're doing?”  (Cute!) I said to my self as I look at her face She has a blonde hair, a beautiful face and big oppai I still don't know who is she back then and I regret thinking of her like that “Ah, I'm sorry hahaha”  I politely bowed and apologized to her while blushing “If you want I could pay for–”  Before I could finish my sentence I immediately got punched and got knocked out After waking up I was laying in some sort of storage room, looking up, I saw the beautiful lady I accidentally hit earlier Uwaa I can see her panty, it's black!  “Umm why am I here–”  Again as I was in the middle of talking I was kicked in the face “Oi, could you repeat what did you say earlier after apologizing?”  Apologizing? ah you mean “If you want I'm gonna pay–”  And again, I was kicked, this time in the torso before finishing my sentence “What did you say? YOU will pay ME??”  “Uguh!”  I was kicked again “Don't you know who I am?!!”  Then I was getting beaten up the whole day by her After that day all my classmates suddenly got distant and didn't want to get close to me I was excluded, and no one was there to help me She marked me as her plaything and destroyed my life “I'm just a puppet of hers”  *shiiii* (rain sfx)  “Haha..... Hahahahahahaha* Am I going insane? I think so While laughing like a madman I remembered the title of an article that I saw this morning 'Your fruitful high school life full of love and fun starts now!'  “Fruitful high school life my ass!! If this is the 'fruitful' high school life that you're talking about, I'd rather die than become her puppet forever!!”  Shouting to particularly no one, I give my best to stand up despite my aching body and ran into the nearest bridge “I don't want this life of a puppet”  Whispering to myself I jumped into the raging lake in the middle of a storm

His sword swing holds true to its trajectory, yet he fails to decapitate the scoundrel's head as the target glides gently backwards, two steps away from the lethal blade. "What's the matter? Tired after a few swings?" Tartus gloats at him, looking at the numbers he did to Aran's body. From missing portions of his flank, crushed left arm to the heavily mutilated face and a hole where his right eye should be, yet Aran just gaze at the man and spit a bloody spit towards the putrid man's feet, which leads to him recoiling three more steps. "Shut the fuck up, you halfbreed," scorns Aran, fully knowing that Tartus will take it as furious as he can be, not that he give a hoot about this backstabbing traitor thinks. "YOOOUUU MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!" And it comes true immediately as Tartus screams, chantlessly casting Lacerating Wind and hurling thirty wind blades the size of a fully spread herring gull towards the mortally wounded man. Aran, approach by the imminent death, is strangely calm as he walks forward and casually dodging the initial twenty five by leaning and bending, but not before swinging his damaged left arm, or what is left on the forearm, towards the rest of oncoming wind blades. *Swwh* is the only sound made as the blade slices Aran's left arm clean off, leaving a bloody stump as he grimaced and the cut off arm bounced off the remaining blades and soaring towards Tartus. "This is your plan?! To fling your prided left arm at me?! What a hilarious display from the Left Arm of Altis!" While gloating, Tartus instantly erects a mana shield while backing off away from what he perceived as a trap, knowing the man very well for his viciousness. Which is true, as Aran chuckled and clicked his tongue and the flying arm burst into a bloody mist, avoiding the mana shield and coating the half demon with blood. "What the fuck!?!?" As Tartus tries to wipe the blood off of his face, considering he has always been a massive clean freak, Aran just smirk and whispers, "Blood for Blood." On cue, Tartus' body bursts into wounds, the exact same as of Aran's, whereas Aran's body returns back to its pristine state, minus the missing and bloodied pieces of his clothes. "ARGHHHHHggrrr!!!!!" Shrieked Tartus from the sudden pain, "you never like dirty stuff, nor pain in physical activities, kind of obvious you will pick mage and fling shit at people," Aran talks to him like an old friend, swapping the long sword to his left as he walks leisurely to the downed foe. "And yet you can tolerate yourself being such a filthy mutt and even dab on the demonic magic that you swore to Lilia that you will not touch even at death," charging the longsword with mana until the sword groans from the input, he kicks Tartus who is trying to crawl away and steps on the right side of his face. "Get away from me!" Shouted Tartus with hints of fear in his voice, "that is Blood Magic! You fucking hypocrite!" He tries to get rid of Aran's increasingly crushing foot with his right hand and stump, only to have Aran easing and stomping in harder. "Yeah, I know, and I love every second for killing you the sixth time you know that?"  "What are you-" Tartus' words cut short as Aran burst his head for the glory kill, and swifty slashes with the overcharged longsword at the nearly invisible smoke that exploded out of his corpse, the longsword shatters after the blow, leaving only the hilt in Aran's hand. Silent screams seem to echo in the background as the smoke slowly disappears to nothingness, and Aran breathes a sigh as he checks his quest board. Quest: SMITE THE TRAITOR! (CLEAR) Request: (Rare) General Clive had noticed that there is a traitor amongst the elites in Altis, your job is to locate and punish the traitor, FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION! Quest rewards: 300,000,000 EXP Altis Elites Swordsmanship (Unique) 2 Shop Jewels Quest failure: Removal of Rank from Altis Elites Reputation in Altis minus 30 ... And the list goes on with the fate from failing the quest, Aran can only smirk in bitterness as he understands the system being more cane than carrot from the first few times he did the quests, though the occasional carrots are of high value, like the Shop Jewels. Due to having "Altis Elites Swordsmanship", the reward "Altis Elites Swordsmanship" will now be used as EXP to increase its skill level. As though to progress the plot, a huge explosion from afar snaps Aran back, as he watches from afar, one of the obelisks in the capital of Altis collapses into rubble, ending the mana formation that has been shielding the city from the hordes of monsters, demons and anything the city deemed non-human. "Karmatic, yet hilarious," grunted Aran as he runs towards the capital, but not before stripping Tartus of his gears and selling them in the in-system store to earn him some System Credits, it ain't Shop Jewel and it ain't much, but coins are still coins. When he reaches the gate of the capital, death throes of its citizens can be heard and the smell of blood and smoke propagate through the air, informing the death of the capital. "It's the Left Arm!" The voice was more excited than fear, and hordes of beastmen, with their animal features on a human body, and monsters started to charge towards Aran, wanting to rip him into pieces. "Mobs," mocked Aran as he swung the hilt on his left hand and a mana blade managed to spring out, replacing the steel blade, and elongated until it passed the back of the crowd. With a casual swing, he dismembers the crowd and chaos descends as their pained howls alert the lynching groups in the streets.  "LEFT ARM!! YOU WILL PAY FOR KILLING MY ENTIRE FA-" a muscular demon rushes towards Aran while performing an overhead axe swing, only have his forehead punctured by the extended mana blade. "Ik*rose, sh*nso," chuckled Aran at his bad impersonation and turns his back to face the actual threats while cancelling the beam mana blade. Three females, a mage, a shieldbearer and a swordmaiden, facing Aran with disdain and hatred in their eyes and murderous aura oozing. "Aran, do you know your sins?" Spoke the silver hair mage, her ruby eyes that earn her praises are now filled with rage, seeing he is still alive even what he had done to them.  "As a matter of fact, I do," stunning the ladies, but immediately they spring into defensive stance as Aran lets out his own aura, "and that is to not kill the rest of you when I had the chance." Aran lied, not out of his kindness of his heart.  *** In the severely damaged throne room, the old king sits on his throne, he would look dignified, if it wasn't the fact that he is headless and said head is getting worn like a sock puppet by the effeminate boy in purple hair. "Huwmans are the beswt~" mocked Orten while gesturing with the king's head towards the audience, the captured royal family and nobles who are in the capital who are kneeling no thanks to the monster troopers pointing their spears. Orten grins maniacally as he can finally declare Altis as his and springboard to the Curtus Empire, he licked his lips thinking about the Empress Agata and her sensual form, but snaps back at the commotion in the audience. "You filthy mudblood!" "Bastard child!" Are the noises made by the resisting crowd, the spur has seemed to build up courage for the rest as they struggle to get up from their knees. Before the troopers start to stab the rowdy crowd, Orten simply swipes his hand and those on their legs are immediately decapitated, the blood spewing seem to wake the crowd to their surroundings as they quieten down lest they become shorter by a head.  The troopers fervorously saluted at their king's might but Orten couldn't care less as simply just looked at the scrawling crowd, fancying his eyes on some women, [comfort women for the army for those that I don't want then.] He is about to give the signal to separate the women from the dead, but not before a searing pain punches through his chest, "ARGH!" The pain is enough for him to lose control of his powers, as he pushes everything away from him at a ten meter radius and instantly blows away his audience and the room. Ignoring the confused crowd, "Su Zhen…" he whimpered, but not before another searing pain struck him.  "WHO THE FUCK IS KILLING MY WIVES!!!!" He springs out of the castle and swiftly flies towards where the telepathic pains are felt. *** "Marie, you are quite a pest, aren't you?" Aran, with refreshed wounds on his body again, stepped on the infuriated silver hair mage's abundant chest and pinned her to the ground. He wheezles to regain his breath and look back at the short but decisive fight,  Su Zhen the asian looking swordmaiden, with her glossy ponytailed long hair still fluttering from her decapitated head, her head would have been a pretty ornament, if it wasn't the mark horizontally across her nose bridge showing where she has been cut down. Her body is still fresh and plump on all the right sides though, ignoring the massive cavity in her chest. Annie, the sporty blond with silky hair reaching her shoulders, her perky tits and tight abs and ass gives her a wild aura, in the battle field and perhaps in bed. She wielded the tower shield as tall as herself, said tower shield is now bisected in half, alongside its master with the cut from crown to groin.  Marie, the remaining left from the hostile bunch, her silver hair soiled with soot and both her arms cut off by Aran to prevent any spells from her. She grimaced as the weight of the man's foot was crushing her, choking her from breathing. She can only glare in defiance and fear for she knows that only Orten can save her. "YOU BASTARD!!!!! RELEASE HER!!!!" Speak of the devil and he comes flying in, Orten, with rage distorting his girly face, flies at speeds closing mach one and hands reaching out as though to rip Aran to pieces. Marie can only be happy for a moment because Aran immediately decapitates her once he sees his objective flying towards him. "YOUUUUU FUCKERRRRRR!!!!!" Orten manages to pick up speed once more as he lunges at the swordsman, arms punching through his chest even though Aran has been piling up his defenses through aura and spells. "YOU BASTAR-" "Shut the fuck up, you halfbreed," pausing a bit as Aran's words are forcefully wheezed out, "everyone of you is a fucking halfblood nowadays," and pulls out the magic stone, initially dull crimson and shines omniously as Aran uses his other arm to hold onto the "protagonist" tightly. "What!?" As Orten is trying to tear apart Aran to break free, it is pointless as the spell has long been activated as soon as he pulls the stone out. White light blinds both of their eyes as their surrounding seemingly becomes silent and hot. Searing pains flair all over his body, the wiggling halfbreed that has deeply embedded himself into his chest is not helping, Aran needs to outlive Orten in order for his goal and he distracts himself by looking at the notifications going wild. You have killed Princess Latiara! You have killed Duke Nigel! You have killed a Minotaur! You have killed Viscount Mark! You have killed... . . . . [Wee! I am a knight!] Laughing at his horrible joke with a throat long burned off by the magic nuke, said nuke which isn't a nuke and more like a big beam of microwave constantly burning the capital and its vicinity as long as the circle is not disturbed. He has been doing this for the past three tries so he is pretty sure that the stuff can keep burning so long as the leylines have not been disturbed, it sucks for this shitty world to lose most of its magical particles and occupants all getting cancer but he doesn't give a hoot. Being stuck in this place forever hasn't been improving his behaviour, so why bother to start now? You have killed… You have killed Monster King Orten! A feat that will be written down in history! Judging solely by notifications, which took ages as Aran can no longer feel anything, not even pain as his five senses are long gone and all his troubles have been resolved with just this single notification, he turns off the spell "hanging by a thread" and gets the usual notification, one that he comes to love and hate. YOU HAVE DIED. [Then let me stay dead.] Welcome Adventurer! To the wonderful world of Yitis! [Oh, fuck you]

“Where am I?”  I said to myself as I look around When I gained my consciousness I was already sitting in a chair  inside this dark room If I remember it correctly, I was in the middle of jumping the bridge “Is this the afterlife?”  If so then thank you, I don't have to suffer anymore...  It's so peaceful here, I like it *pita pita* (Walking sfx)  As soon as I heard that someone was walking, all of it immediately came to me and I started to panic “Haa haa...” (Breathing sfx)  Why am I so stupid!! there's no way that this is the after life!!  Is this another one of Ueno's trick?! I don't know!!!  Why is it so dark here?! l don't know!!!!  Am I getting beat up again?! I don't know!!!!!  I need to get way!!  I want to run!!  I can't run!!  I'm stuck here in this seat!!!  Why can't I escape!? I don't know!!!!  Why can't I run?! I don't know!!!  *pita pita pita* It's getting closer!!!!  Please help me!!!  I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!  In amidst of me panicking The walking noise subsided and I felt warmth, warmth that was so soft, warmth that was so kind, warmth that was so caring  It was hugging me while caressing my head “Yosh yosh... That was a painful experience right?”  This isn't Ueno....  “Don't worry I got you now...” Who are you...?  “Now why don't you open your eyes first and see for yourself?”  As if I was enchanted by her voice, I unconsciously opened my eyes Opening my eyes I was greeted by a magnificently beautiful face, black hair and round onyx eyes “See, I'm not scary aren't I?”  Her voice is so soft and graceful, her face is beautiful and cute She's the splitting image of the infamous Yamato Nadeshiko, The Ideal Japanese Women “Now that you know that I'm not an enemy, why won't you let it all out”  “I'll listen patiently” she added while smiling gracefully “Uwaaaaaaaaahhh”  After seeing her like that, my tears immediately burst out and I cried as loud as I can

Everything seemed so dull, but so harsh at the same time. The light from the barely visible sun underneath the heavy snow that fell, the deathly freezing cold, even the wind that gently pushed the snow along to the ground where it would lay to rest. Much like himself. ————— The young boy had been surfing along the snowy banks of the Hebra mountains to see if he could get beat his best time in a race down a path in the mountain, and despite there being a blizzard, he still went out anyways. He should have known that it was silly to do such a thing.  Despite going down this trail many times, he had gotten himself lost in the mountains due to the thick snow that clouded his vision, alongside of getting lost in his own thoughts while surfing down. He had been so tired lately from the amount of fighting and lack of rest he was getting, that he didn't even notice that he had been lost until he finally snapped out of his thoughts. He looked around and groaned at the freezing weather, hugging himself tight to attempt to keep himself warm. Which wasn't helping very much, unfortunately. He couldn't even see his own hand 3 feet in front of his face, let alone his surroundings, so he was stuck. In the freezing cold. With nothing to light a fire with. He did stumble across some trees after a while of treading through the snow, so he managed to get a little bit of firewood after cutting one down with the axe he had carried with him.  Though firewood is no use without anything to light it.  He quietly cursed under his breath in annoyance as he stumbled through the snow, tripping every so often with how thick it had gotten on the ground. He audibly swallowed to soothe some of the dryness of his throat even through the loud sound of the wind howling in his ears, though it didn't help much.  The wind was so cold and he had been breathing heavily due to having to use every ounce of strength he had to push through the strong wind and to trek through the thickly packed snow. Everything felt like it was either numb or on fire due to how cold he was. His lungs, eyes, nose, everything.  When he finally reached a cavern in the mountain, he shakily sighed in relief on being granted a break from the harsh cold. He stepped inside and set the wood he had been carrying down, his muscles throbbing lightly from the strenuous activity.  He sat himself down to think, hugging his legs to his chest and burying his nose deep into his legs as he trembled from the cold seeping through every fibre of his being. He just wanted to be at his cozy little house he had made for himself while staring at the picture of him with Zelda and the other champions while he sharpened his blades, or even trekking through other parts of Hyrule and just having fun. Being free. This was quite the opposite of what he was hoping was in store for him.  He was starting to regret ever even coming here. To regret waking up in that dreaded dark room. To regret having those horrible and soul-eating nightmares that he would have every time he attempted to sleep. He regretted so much, and yet, he couldn't even help but feel sad for himself at this point. He thought he could get away with ignoring his duties for just a little while so he could enjoy being young. Being a kid. But the Goddess had other things in mind, apparently.  He could already hear the Champion Revali laughing in his face if he ever heard of this. The way he would smirk and look down on him like he was a nobody. The way he doubted his every choice and movement.  He hated it. He never once spoke his opinion ever since he was but a mere child.  He was told his duty was to be a knight from birth, and he never questioned it. At least, until now.  Why had he just let everyone get their way with him? Why did he have to spend his life being this miracle beacon of hope for everyone else? Why couldn't he just be looked at like any other traveler passing by instead of..this?  He shook himself out of his thoughts with a shudder, not liking to delve too deep into the abyss of his train of thought. He knew how dark it could get. He picked himself up after thinking for a while and drug himself out of the cave with a loud and drawn out sigh, soft grumbles falling from his lips as he hugged himself and treaded once more through the storm.  He eventually came across a large hunk of ore, his face brightening up a bit with relief.  He took out his axe from its holder and swung.  Once.  Twice.  It broke open after the third hit, spilling out a couple of hunks of Flint and Amber. His usually stoic expression upturning with the creases of his small smile.  He picked up the hunks of ore, and treaded off to attempt to find his way back to the cavern. He was confident he knew the way back, so he continued on. And on. And on..and on.  Until he finally could barely see the entrance to the cave. He was fairly proud of himself for finding his way back, humming contently as he shuffled through the snow to hurry back into it since he was starting to get a bit too cold again.  As he came in, he noticed something different about the cave. It didn't have the same ridges, nor was it as small as the other one. He felt a chill go up his spine on seeing something move in the darkness at the back of the cave, hearing deep growls and snarls coming from the dark figure. It was a big creature, and it was obviously not happy that Link had interrupted its sleep.  He took a moment to adjust himself before he ran out as he heard the sound of large paws hitting the rocky ground behind him. And it was speeding up rather fast too.  He had been out of weapons for a while, so he was stuck with his axe and a flimsy bokoblin shield he snatched from some unlucky bokoblin on the way up the mountain.  He was screwed.  He attempted to swung it at the creature when he turned around and had ducked, just barely missed getting his head torn off his shoulders by the force of the swing the creature took. He then finally opened his eyes to see that it was a bear. A rather large one, at that. Probably a male judging by its size. But that wasn't important right now. He swung again, this time hitting the bear in the side, causing it to let out a horribly deep snarl as it took another swing at him. This time he couldn't dodge in time, its claws tearing at his face and throwing him to the ground with enough force to knock what remained of his breath out of his lungs. He wheezed for air, finding himself on the top of a rock as he tried to catch his breath.  The bear didn't relent, lunging at him and bending down before it sunk its teeth into the skin of his shoulder and pulled its head back, causing a loud and horribly pained shriek to fall from Link's lips as he tried to free his trapped limbs. Tears were already rolling down his face as sobs fell from his lips, unable to handle the pain. Especially due to the cold piercing through his exposed muscles as blood gushed out of the open and very jagged wound.  The creature dipped down for another bite, this time at his leg. It ripped its head away yet again, tearing a large portion of his muscle out and ripping another loud wail of pain from the boys lips. He just wanted it to be over with. He wish he never left the cave. Tears spilled down his bloody face as he attempted to see through the blood seeping into the eye that hadn't been cut into with razor sharp claws, blinking away the tears and blood as his vision blurred red.  He sucked in a sharp breath on seeing the creature dip down yet again, but towards his face this time. He shut his eyes tightly as the creature dug its horrid teeth into his neck and for the last time, ripped the flesh away from his body. His loud cry of pain got silenced by the gurgle that followed through afterwards of blood spilling into his airway. He was desperately trying to breathe, but it wasn't working. He frantically clawed at the bear, but his limbs soon went limp due to the lack of oxygen and energy, and fell to his sides as his head lolled back against the ground with his back arching over and resting against the rock.  The creature stood by for a while and sniffed him, waiting to see if he moved. After a little while of watching and noticing him not moving, it finally left back to its cavern.  He felt his vision blur out as he slowly succumbed to the darkness that overtook his consciousness, tears mindlessly flowing down the expanse of his temples and into his hair. He finally felt at peace, his lungs not breathing in the painfully cold air around him. His limbs feeling weightless as he stared at the sky, the snow falling into his eyes as he slowly blinked the snowflakes away.  His consciousness finally dissipated, leaving him with a seemingly endless room of darkness. He didn't feel the weight of any weapons or even of his limbs. He felt so free.  But then, suddenly, after being pulled very quickly into what seemed to be a very bright beam of light that hurt his eyes, or whatever he was seeing with, he laid gasping awake as he quickly sat up and clutched at his chest. He quickly felt up his throat and shoulder. Nothing but torn fabric and smooth, but definitely still cold, flesh. So it wasn't some kind of dream as he had suspected while he was laid in the expanse of the dark realm of death. The pain he had experienced before he jolted awake had him reeling with adrenaline, but afterwards now that he was fully conscious, the pain almost felt like a distant dream. As if he hadn't just had a bear on top of him ripping him apart. A soft sigh fell from his lips as he stood, his legs lightly trembling beneath him, but he moved anyways depite the trembling in another direction since the blizzard had calmed for the moment and he could see for the first time in what felt like hours. He thought to himself that he should be happy that he was healed and alive, but he felt so off about it. Almost annoyed at the fact that he was awake. As he walked, he suddenly remembered he had Mipha's grace actively watching over him and very faintly hearing her voice in the back of his mind just a split second before he had been pulled into the beam of light.  Another drawn out sigh fell from his lips again, his fingers carding through his hair in an attempt to calm himself. He thought for a few moments before hugging himself tightly again as he tread through the snow, thinking to himself. He just wished that he hadn't been pulled back to life this time.

As I finished writing my daily diary, I had nothing much left to do except the fight that occurred last night means that I would have to take care of the food today. And with a faint grumble from my mouth, I closed my diary. As I looked towards the door of my father's room, I was reminded of another daily task my mom used to do. Taking care of my father's washroom because of his bad habit of not drowning the pee, or poo. Granted the flush doesn't work but still, he should take some responsibility. Though I guess his back is not really in any condition to be doing some weight lifting as you have to use a bucket after his spine had some medical issues. With an irritated mind, as all of the things that I would be doing after this is not part of my responsibility at all, I got up and went to gather all the trash bags. Gathering them all together, I went out of the house with the 17 small bags of trash when my mother peeked from the window, up above."John, think for yourself. Get a big bag and dump all of them, small ones, inside that!!" I facepalmed. What in world is Mom Doing, shouting like that? What if the neighbours hear it? We are just polluting the community anyways. I sighed. What else can I do? If I say anything to her, she would only see that I am explaining this to her, and the thing that she hates the most in her life is when someone explains to her, anything, in which she ought to, either change her ways or show a little tact. It just goes right over her head. And worst introduces a couple of black chilli fries in her brain, which she smokes for the rest of the day. You just know you will get a piece of that burned chilli fries, once again, given without any tact, as it can be the middle of the busiest street but she will shout as if it's the attic of our own house. As I was returning inside to get the bag, I heard another nuisance. This day just keeps on getting worse and worse and it hardly has started even. And oh there she was, sitting in front of the front gate, purring and licking her feet, waiting to follow me inside. The last thing I wanted was for my father and mother to get into an argument as they went through quite a hot one, together, one-sided, but together just last night. With a small brush of my grey slippers, I tried to keep the cat out with my feet, and with one hand, opened the door, went inside, and closed it, all at breakneck speed. With a smirk, I felt accomplished. Quite accomplished. As I entered inside, I saw the clock and my smirk got slightly doused, only to be removed and replaced with annoyance. I forgot to wake up Dad. God Damn It. The last thing I wanted at this moment was to listen to his blabbering about the fight and all that. I hardly got enough sleep to go through all these antsy tasks, especially as the first ones to do in the morning.Tiptoeing and entered the room, only for my scowl to deepen while inside, only to be slightly startled by the mess the perfumes, creams and cosmetics were in. Oh, those damn pantheon gods. Trying to calm down, I started to do something, which felt quite odd to do, to say the least. "Dad," I called once. "Dad" I called twice. Did he sleep late once again because of the stress? He usually wakes up by himself which is usually quite a weight taken off from whosoever is tasked with this that day. Well, there was a small fight last night... With a slight movement of my wrists, I gently put my palm on his thighs, and gently shook it. "Dad, wake up, it's time." He groggily opened his eyes and stretched simultaneously or maybe a second late. With some clop noises from his mouth and a "What's the time?" question, to which I replied a "6.10" briefly. His eyes slightly drooped down. "You all just make my life stressful, is it that fun for her? She Could have woken me up for the morning prayers." I slightly drooped my eyes down to hide them and internally rolled them. Yeah right, after last night, I don't think that should be the first thing you should think of. He got up from bed while I organized the perfume he used yesterday morning, before going to the office. It's usually Mom's job, to do these things right after my Dad leaves the house but the flames were burning rigorously since 3 days ago in her. The last thing she will do is reorganise his items. Especially more so after last night. "When did you wake up? Prayed yet?" "Yeah, already did that?" "I asked when you woke up?" His facial expression slightly drooped down with a mixture of twitch and a slight scowl. Seriously, this is harder than taking care of animals. "5.30" "You could have woken me up for the prayers as well." "The water's already boilin' at the stove. The water cooler also has some hot water you can use as well." I was slightly amazed that my voice sounded neutral. Way to go, me! Quite a tenacious kid I am for keeping it in. "When will you leave for college? Do you have cash for the transport?" he asked, walking into his slippers. "8.30, I have enough for today," I replied, finally done organizing everything cleanly before he said anything about me doing useless things like organizing when I should be getting ready for college. "Should we eat bread for breakfast?" "The omelettes will be ready and there is some leftover roti from yesterday night, I will make some for myself and eat it as well before going." "What about her?" What about her? I eyed him, exhausted and exasperated by what he meant by that. The last thing she wants is your care and if she knows, it's just going to be another chilli fries eventful day start. "I will just cook up some tea and roti for her as well. Quswa will also arrive by 8.30, I will just leave then." "Isn't your college starting at 8.30?" "I have some extra work to do at 8.30, the classes will start at 9.30" I know lying is not the most meticulous plan to enact in any relationship, but seriously, if I say the truth, he will just worry about my classes needlessly. Moreover, my sister, Quswa, hardly even knows anything that occurred last night. I didnt explain it to her because I just thought it would needlessly worry her, or even more probably, annoy her because of how many times this excruciatingly, painful, and the dumb situation has gotten reenacted. He walked and turned on the lights as I was reminded I forgot the drown the leftovers in the toilet yesterday. He went to the washroom, locked the doors and I just exited the door. Isn't that quite nice, I didnt get a reprimand.

Even thought I'm closing my eyes but actually I'm already awake, the rare silence in this always busy military base is making me having a hard time waking up, but I can't spoil myself anymore so with a hard heart I force myself to open my eyes. The first thing I do when I open my eyes is grabing my phone from the table beside the bed. I open my phone with my fingerprint, i wonder what's interesting thing is happening at the Capital right now. Feeling good trying to start my day with some interesting morning news only to find that there is no internet. "What?" The shock make me physically thrown back. My back touch the cold hard ground, the pain only confirming that I'm awake. How is this possible with the Empire current technology there is no way there is a place with no internet. My heartbeat quicken, there is something terribly wrong. With a weird feeling in my chest I run outside to see what is truly happening, midway while running outside the silence slowly registering to me, something is wrong something is terribly wrong. Outside my worst fear came true, there is no one as far as my eyes can see. My survival instinct kicked in and I quickly run to the hangar. Inside the hangar there is something that can help me survive in this kind of situation, I can only hope they don't bring it with them wherever they are now. Reaching the hangar I see the door is not fully closed, looks like they left in a hurry not bothering to close the door. Pushing the door open I see something inside hidden under a white cover. "This is it," Walking slowly over to it I stare in awe at the majesty of it, even under the cover you can still see the it's fearsomeness. I pulled the white cover away to reveal what's hidden under it. When i fully reveal it a giant gun is greeted to my face, I look up a bit more to see it's cold metallic face. RW-78 Is it's name, a war Mech created by the Empire to combat the Rebels. The creation of a Mech is not cost friendly so only the elite of the elite is able to fight alongside it, why would they leave such an important thing? Well it's because I'm a guy that surpass those elites I'm a super elite yes that's right, I'm a Mech Controller. This Mech is my personal Mech that's why it's still here because it needs my DNA to move it. I quickly jump into the cockpit after it scans me and activate by itself. Inside the Mech the first thing that I did is turning on the radio to see if there is any clue as to why everyone disappear. "...Is Main Base. Everyone in Base 85 is ordered to retreat. A secret message is intercepted by our intellegence team and a Lunar Bomb is planned to hit the planet at 0800. Once again..." What!? With shock I look at the built in clock inside my Mech. 07:57

Some Goddess I was. I offered people divine protection and was like "That car missing you by a hair breadth? I can't always be looking out for you. Please drive more carefully in the future."  But when it came to people who actually needed help? A friend of mine fucking offed himself because "I'll do the world a favor by ridding it of me, nobody will miss me anyways!" I fucking broke down crying.  I was pathetic. A failure. I didn't deserve to be called Goddess. "I just wish I could somehow help him…" I sighed, to nobody in particular. "Or at least had a fluffy tail to hug and sob all my worries into." I curled up into a ball and started crying. Or I tried to. Stupid testosterone made it quite impossible to cry, as usual because ‘YoU aRe A mAn! MeN dOn’T cRy!’ Fucking bullshit! I eventually did manage to shed a few tears, after a lot of effort. I hugged my tail to my chest and curled up even tighter, before just letting all of my pent up frustrations and tears out. Wait… My tail? Since when did I have a tail? I wiped away my tears with my shirt and blinked a few times to un-blurry my vision. Sure enough, there was a very fluffy tail in my arms. I carefully ran my hand through the fur on that tail and sure enough, I could feel it. I felt both the hand running through my tail and the incredibly soft fur. Still sobbing, I sat up. “Wh-wha?” was all I managed to say. I was shocked to hear my voice. It sounded so different than what I was used to. It was so much higher. Did that mean?! I needed to find a mirror! While I was still thinking about where I could find one, I suddenly saw a full body length mirror floating in the middle of my room. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The person in the mirror, it was hard to believe she was me. She looked so… So beautiful. Her eyes were a bit red, probably because she had cried, but still. Her shoulder-length silver hair looked silky and smooth. She had a pair of fox-ears on top of her head instead of human ears on the side, but they looked… right? They looked like they were supposed to be there. As if anything else would have just been wrong and weird. The fur on them perfectly matched her hair color at the base and towards the top it slowly turned even more white. I reached up and touched the ears, still in disbelief that this amazingly beautiful woman, this … this goddess was me. My ears twitched in response to my touch. That was a feeling I would need a while to get used to. I blushed a bit as my gaze wandered down my body. I poked my chest and sure enough, those were no forms. They were the real deal. My shoulders had also become a lot narrower and my hips gotten wider. My tail had been wagging happily behind me for some time now. I brought it in front of me and gave it a closer look. Its fur was the same shade of silver as my hair and like my ears, its tip was white. I blinked a few times before pinching my cheek. “Please be real. Please don’t be a dream!” I said, knowing deep down that is was real. I was finally who I was always meant to be. And to think all it needed was to have a mental breakdown.  Oh fuck! Rob! I needed to go look and make sure he was alright! I glanced at the mirror again. No, this wasn’t going to work. I needed to get myself some proper clothes. An outfit fit for a goddess. I thought for a moment, before deciding on the obvious solution. With another thought, I adorned a white kimono with a red skirt and white thigh-highs. It was rather bland, but I figured it would look good enough. I didn’t know how much time I had in any case, so sorting out the details was going to have to wait. Starting to understand how my new powers worked, I imagined myself existing close to Rob. And sure enough my surroundings began to warp and after a second or two I found myself standing in a back alley somewhere, presumably in the USA. “What are your worries, child?” I asked the figure in front of me, whose back was turned towards me. He slowly turned around and looked at me. His expression read pain and sorrow. He blinked. His face cycled through all kinds of emotions. “Goddess?” he eventually asked, half hopeful, half in disbelief. “Who else would I be?”

⊱ ━━━━ prologue | floating memories ━━━━ ⊰   A breeze gently rustled the sparse leaves on the stalwart bamboo, a quiet disturbance in the otherwise tranquil mountain. The occasional birdsong would sound in symphony with the bubbling of the brook running through the forest.    There was a flash of silver from behind a moss-covered stone. Then, a figure suddenly sat up on the densely covered forest floor, like a forest spirit emerging from a lotus blossom.    Long black hair trailed the forest floor, the stark contrast revealing a harmonious picture between the black and green hues. Eyelashes as wispy as gossamer fluttered open revealing brown eyes that were as warm as the soil of Mother Nature herself.   Qiu Qing Shu stifled a yawn and stretched, having not fully escaped the throes of sleep yet. Blinking languidly, she intuitively reached out a hand to pat the soft fur of the creature next to her.    The gray wolf, which was around the size of a large hound dog, nudged its head further into her hand, its eyes squinted in an expression that very clearly conveyed that it was enjoying her touch. The girl cast a complicated gaze toward the wolf next to her.    Upon checking the position of the sun in the sky, it was clear that it was almost sunset, whereas she had only fallen asleep half a shichen1a shichen is two hours ago.   Was it possible to dream of such a vivid dream in such a short amount of time?    Qiu Qing Shu rubbed her face tiredly. The scenes that had flashed through her mind and were still clear as day right now were much too detailed for something her mind had subconsciously conjured together.   In a world that had been so advanced that flying birds made of metal and small lumps with flashing screens were not just figments of her imagination, she had died. With only a different surname, Liu Qing Shu, she had been the eldest daughter of a successful telecommunications company, and only twenty-three when she died.   And the cause of her death—a scheme whose mastermind had been her younger step-sister.    The memories of her life as Liu Qing Shu in this futuristic world flashed before her eyes, tears already welling up in them as the emotions overwhelmed her.   Her father, who had at the time of his marriage with her mother, had not yet succeeded in breaking into the mainstream, was childhood sweethearts with her mother. They had grown up together in the same village on the outskirts of the city, and with their families having good relationships with each other, they also naturally developed feelings for each other.   However, tragedy struck when her mother died while giving birth to her. Although her father never mistreated her during those years, no matter how young she was, Liu Qing Shu could still feel the distance her father had put between the two of them, and the relationship between the two naturally drifted apart.   At eight years old, well into the years where her father’s company had become successful, her father finally remarried the young Zhang Lu Shi of Zhang Corporations, a major conglomerate in the pharmaceutical industry.    It was unknown how her father had married so high above his status, or what Zhang Lu Shi saw with him, but it wasn’t long before she moved in with them and brought along with her Zhang Xue Ruo, her daughter from her previous marriage who was six months younger than Liu Qing Shu.   From then on, Liu Qing Shu clearly felt her father’s deep-rooted grievance and anger that stemmed from the loss of his first wife being directed at her. No matter how hard he tried to hide it in the earlier years, with the weathering of the years, those buried sorrows slowly resurfaced, one by one.   After being wrongly accused by Zhang Xue Ruo for breaking an antique vase that her mother had especially cherished after receiving it from her father, she was banished by her fuming father to his hometown in the village and sent to live with her paternal grandmother.    So from the age of sixteen until her death, she lived in the village with her grandmother, farming and making an honest living. The broken pieces of her heart that had been shattered when it had received the full brunt of her father’s fury were gradually sewn up with the messy stitches that came with her grandmother’s doting care, the villagers’ warm demeanor and tranquil lifestyle.    However, they never fully healed.   She watched the scenes flit by as she accompanied her grandmother in cultivating the harvest in their fields, cooking for her, and organizing the household. She watched as that little girl who constantly yearned for her father’s affection slowly grew up, her only joys being eating delicious food and soft fluffy animals—yet that resolve in her mind never faded.   ‘If I work harder, maybe father will finally come and bring me back to the capital with grandmother. This is all just one of his trials for me.’   But as the years went by, she too, grew colder and colder towards this neglectful father of hers. Perhaps it would be better for her to live a life filled with warm days with her grandmother in the countryside away from the dirty schemes of the polluted capital.   However, as if life was playing a cruel joke on her, she seemed to once again have been played as a joke by the heavens, and had an epiphany too late.    Qiu Qing Shu could do nothing but watch helplessly at the mournful figure that was her in another life kowtow to the ancestral shrine in their family’s rural home. She watched as her younger self greeted the many relatives that came with a stony face—even giving attitude to her father, whom she had once yearned for affection from.    A year after her grandmother’s death, Liu Qing Shu had died on the way back from buying groceries in the village and had died on impact from being hit by a drunk driver.    Until now, she had merely thought the heavens were taunting her and had caused her to die for nothing. She wondered if her father had even mourned her death at all.   But now, she watched as Zhang Xue Ruo was happily joined in engagement to the handsome young heir of Long Corps. Her eye twitched as she watched that same Long Corps heir stare blankly at her in the village when he visited to expand his family’s chain stores, then the image of him insisting to marry the eldest daughter of the Liu family with the reason that he had fallen at first sight for the beauty of Eldest Miss Liu, whose countenance resembled that of an ice queen.    Panicking, the Zhang mother and daughter then concocted a sinister scheme of leaving no path to escape and paid someone to take her out of this life.   Qiu Qing Shu almost exploded with indignant fury.   This blackhearted mother and daughter duo! And that pig headed teammate of a fiancee! What did this daddy2an arrogant way of referring to oneself ever do to you to deserve this?!   The emotions of Liu Qing Shu in the modern world flooded her senses before she woke up. She gazed complicatedly at the heart shaped birthmark on her wrist.    Upon regaining her memories, Qiu Qing Shu realized that she had transmigrated into her previous life in which the Great Jin Empire was in power. This same previous life of hers was also a world inside a novel that she had read in the modern world as Liu Qing Shu.    In this world, set inside the novel <Domineering Legitimate Miss>, the female lead, who was the daughter of the Grand Secretariat, a high ranking aristocrat in the Jin Empire, had been mistakenly swapped at birth with a daughter of a merchant family when their families sheltered in a cave and both madams gave birth together when they were stranded on a storming day.    The female lead demonstrated the plot of snatching back the magpie’s nest from the turtledove3taking back what is rightfully someone's, trampled the vicious fake daughter to death, and rose to become the benevolent empress after successfully placing her house in the fifth prince’s faction and supporting him to become emperor.   Fortunately, her past life wasn’t one of these characters, but actually an extra whose name wasn’t even mentioned once in the original novel! She had only offhandedly realized this world was a novel that she had read in her life as Liu Qing Shu as her family had roughly been mentioned near the end of the novel.    The Qiu household was a family of merchants that had been imperially appointed by the emperor to trade with neighboring countries and further diplomacy between empires. In the end, the Qiu household met its demise when it allied with the crown prince, who had promised them that he would try to find their missing daughter. The only clue they had provided the crown prince with was that this alleged daughter had a heart shaped birthmark on her right wrist and a mole underneath her left eye.   Qiu Qing Shu’s delicate mouth twisted upwards at her own reflection in the brook, the crystal clear water clearly reflecting back a conspicuous small black mole underneath her left eye.    Overwhelmed with emotions, she let out a resigned groan and flopped back onto the wolf’s black, her mischievous hands digging deeper into the wolf’s fur in an attempt to find something to cheer herself up with.   “Little Fatty, do you think this sister should stay here with you babies or go and find my real family?” The girl rolled over and buried her face into Little Fatty’s neck and hid her satisfied smile, her muffled voice barely able to be heard.    The wolf nudged her head with its snout and grunted with a disdainful look on its face. It was almost as if Qiu Qing Shu could hear the wolf saying, “Who are you calling Little Fatty? Your whole family are Little Fatties!”   Qiu Qing Shu’s face hidden in the wolf’s fur suddenly lit up, as a gluttonous look slowly emerged from her eyes.   Speaking of fatties, she really wished she had some taiwanese braised pork rice right now…   Snapping out of her gluttonous thoughts, Qiu Qing Shu sat up and looked at the wolf with a pointed look and said dryly, “Thanks for reminding me I don’t have a family ah!”    The wolf jumped and looked at her with apologetic eyes, almost as if it were groveling for its crimes. Qiu Qing Shu sighed as she propped up her chin on her palm, shoving the bootlicking wolf’s head away from her.   As if my life as Liu Qing Shu didn’t teach me anything! Plus, wolves are furry and nice to cuddle—thus, I’m already five times less likely to go back and live with humans!   Qiu Qing Shu clenched her fist and looked up at the sky with a determined gaze.   This time, I’ll definitely live freely without restraints, eat whatever my gluttonous self desires, and pet all the soft and fluffy creatures of this world!   roastedmilktea taiwanese braised pork rice (also known as lu rou fan) is also one of my fav comfort foods <3

“You’ll never stop me now, hero! The Princess is mine, and soon, all of Rose Kingdom shall be under my control!” This was it, everything I had worked for. Everything I had prepared for came down to this final moment. If I failed now, all of my efforts would be in vain, and there’d be no hope of ever achieving my dream. I took a deep breath, “Mwahahahahahahaha!” I released the greatest evil laugh I had ever managed to produce.  There was no greater feeling than pulling off the best villainous laugh at the precipice of the plot point in anything, much less a brand new video game that was sure to be an instant classic. I caught my breath and took off my headphones, catching a deep whiff of the stale air in the foam lined booth, before turning and seeking reactions from the developers watching me through the small window. They all looked confused. My evil sorcerer voice had left them stunned no doubt.  I let out a sigh of relief, holding my head high with delight and satisfaction as I exited the booth and went into the control room to graciously, yet humbly accept the offer for the main antagonist role. Okay, it was time to put my game face on. Pun intended. As I entered the control room, everyone was already looking in my direction. I had it in the bag. The gig was as good as mine.  The lead casting director, who also doubled as a game dev, stepped forward. “So Kris, that was a really great set but um–we already cast the evil sorcerer. I thought someone had told you.”  Oh, well that was certainly an unexpected turn of events. “Wait, it's already been cast? Then why did you even ask me to come in?” I had spent the past week memorizing the lines, rehearsing in my room and making sure all of the influxes were perfect, just for this audition.  “We thought that you were going to audition for some of the other characters. There’s a lot of voices we still need. Adam was supposed to have given you the update. I’m really sorry.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. A nervous habit I was all too familiar with.  My soul dropped through the pit of my stomach, descending past the floor and into the world of Hades. But not the homoerotic Hades with hot furies and the half naked protagonist. The bad Hades, with eternal torture and whenever they talk about Hades, they say “Hey deez nuts”. “Okay, that’s alright! I can do plenty of different characters. What about the Hero? I had to study his lines too when I was practicing the villain.” I just had to keep calm. No reason to cry or anything. I could still land a main role.  The looks on their faces combined with the awkward silence, told me everything I needed to know. There was no hope of getting a big part. All my effort and time had been flushed down the drain. Like a kid with a hurt leg getting sent to a world with kangaroo warriors to defeat the overtly queer coded villain. How virtuous.  “Here.” He picked up a piece of paper with a list of names on it and handed it to me. “This is a list of all the characters we haven't cast yet, and the types of voices we want for them. I just got a call this morning that there’s a bug we need to fix before anything else can happen. So we’ll give you a call in a couple weeks. The link we shared with you before has all the lines you’ll need to run for all the character auditions. You’re not bad. Just take the time to practice.”  I managed to make it all the way back to my car before letting the tears flow. How could I have been so stupid? To think that I’d get my big break so quickly. What if Mom and Dad were right? I should’ve just gotten into the family business. Maybe then I could weld the broken pieces of my dreams back together.  After driving home, crying some more, eating an entire pizza, and remembering how much I fucking hated metalworking. I decided to look over the list of characters for another shot at redemption. They were all nobodies! The butcher Delaney, The blacksmith Monroe, and farmer number four. I wanted to be a breakout character. Not another forgotten NPC who sends you on a fetch quest. That was all I had done. Looking over the list, the only main character left was the Princess. I laughed to myself, imagine me as a princess. A big flowing dress, elegant heels, a regal crown, and a fierce hairstyle to greet all the subjects as well as the hero who approaches my kingdom. The Hero would seek my hand in marriage, but I, the strong independent Princess, don't need no man. But ho, the hero removes their helmet to reveal long curly locks, and admits that she’s actually a girl! And I would have to accept her offer because who could deny the affection of such a tough strong woman who could easily pick me up and twirl me around…… I stopped and realized I had let my mind wander way too far off course yet again. I shook my head to try and snap myself out of my weird thoughts and decided it was probably best to go to bed and start fresh in the morning. If I was going to win over the casting director, I was gonna need some help.  Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces past, and I'm fucking late! My lungs were working overtime as I raced down the street. Living in the city had plenty of advantages. I, however, was at a disadvantage, due to my severe lack of regular exercise. I would have normally taken the bus, but time, as well as every other force in the universe, seemed to be against me, and I missed it by two minutes.   It was my own fault. I had called every voice coach I could find online, and this one was the only one with any openings. They were unfortunately two miles from my apartment, and the only opening was at nine in the morning, you can imagine my panic considering I called at eight-thirty. Sweaty and by some miracle only five minutes late, I burst through the door of the–dance studio? Doing my damnedest to catch my breath, I collapsed on the floor and looked around the spacious room. It was a much larger space than I was expecting. Horizontal ballet barres lined one wall with large mirrors behind them, while another was made up of just mirrors. In the center was a girl sitting in a chair staring at me like I had just burst in and keeled over like the disaster I was. Which, to be fair, was exactly what I had done. “You okay there?” She said, with a perplexed look on her face. I nodded and stood up. “Yeah, sorry I’m late. I missed the bus and had to run the whole way here.”  “Oh geez. Well, here. Drink some water and take a seat. You’re gonna wanna stay hydrated.” She handed me a water bottle and gestured to the seat across from her.  I wasted no time accepting, and proceeded to down almost the whole bottle before remembering that I, as a human, needed to breathe. I gasped for air as I realized my initial impression was probably not coming across as, how the kids say, “poggerific.” She pulled out her phone and started typing, “So, What’s your name and pronouns?” “My what?”  “Your name and pronouns. How you would like to be referred to.” She gave me a look that wasn’t quite a glare, and wasn’t quite confused, but somewhere in between. It was like she was trying to size me up or something.  My brain was trying to process the question. I knew pronouns were a thing, but no one had ever asked me about them before. I gave her my name over the phone, so why was she asking me again? Though, I suppose all kinds of people go to voice coaches. Not just nerds like me trying to land a role. She sighed, “My name is Melanie, She/They pronouns. You can call me Mel though. So, what’s your name and pronouns?” I got the feeling how I responded would greatly affect how this entire ordeal was going to progress. “Uh, my name is Kris, He/Him I guess? My friends call me Krissy.” Mel raised an eyebrow, “He/Him, you guess?”  Ugh, she was right, or wait, they? Both? Either way, it was weird saying out loud. That’s why I never bothered with pronoun stuff. It always felt wrong or confusing. She began to type what seemed like a college dissertation into her phone before looking back up at me. “Alright, you said on the phone you wanna practice range and using different voices?” Whew, thankfully all the awkwardness was out of the way and we could get down to business, to de-feat, the Huns. Except I wouldn't be the one dressed up as a different gender for my training montage. Who’d ever want to dress up like a guy anyways?...And fight people. That’s a very important addition to that thought. Yeah.  “Yup, I’m a voice actor! And so far I’ve only gotten minor, bit roles. There was a huge opportunity for a new game coming out and I kinda missed my chance for the leads. But I want to be able to leave an impression and get something bigger than farmer number four. Your reviews online were all good. So here I am.” I reached in my pocket and pulled out the list of roles the dev had given me. “All the ones without lines through them are bigger, or characters I’d be okay with voicing.” I handed her the paper.  She looked over the list for a moment, then typed up more things on her phone. “Okay, so we can start with some warm ups, try and gauge where you’re at and where you want to be. When is the deadline for this?”  “In two weeks.”  She looked up, her eyes told me that one of us was in over our heads, and I don’t think either of us knew which. “Alrighty then. I mean, I can help, but two weeks isn't a whole lot of time. Usually people come once a week or so for a few months.”  My determination knew no limits. I had to lay everything on the table. “It’s either this, or go to work with my Dad trying to weld his broken dreams back together. And trust me, once I figured out we couldn’t make a real Iron Giant, I lost all interest in the business. So I’ll come. I’ll come every day. I’ll come twice a day. I’ll come anywhere and everywhere I need to. I’ll even come on the weekend. Whatever it takes to get better, I’ll come and do it.” “Oh god, fine, sure. Just please stop saying the word, come. Now all I can think about is someone coming on The Weeknd, and that’s just–not the mental image I expected to have this morning.” She messed around on her phone again. “I have slots open at nine in the morning all this week and next. We can do it if you want. But I can’t guarantee any miracles.” Mel set her phone down, and our session began. We started with some vocal warm ups. Going through the vowels in different tones and pitches. She had me run through some sample lines, gauging where I was in different ranges. I performed some of my best monologues. A few clips from roles I had landed, some movie quotes, even the Glad0s revival speech. All my best, out on display. Mel sat there, thinking to herself for a moment. She typed some more into her phone, I assumed it was where she made notes. Probably about how well I was doing. I was definitely going to get a good grade in voice lessons. Something that is both normal to want, and possible to achieve.  “Okay, it sounds like you’ve got the basics of altering pitch down, but we need to work on your resonance and comfortability. You can get into the voice, but you need to learn how to keep it consistent and really make it yours. So, I’m gonna rattle off some lines and voices for a few characters, and I want you to repeat the lines, in your best imitation. I think it would be best to narrow it down to just a few to aim for. If you try for all of them, things are just gonna get a bit jumbled. Plus we wanna make sure you’re not over exerting yourself.” I nodded in agreement as I gulped down water like it was the greatest thing I had ever put in my mouth.  “Welcome weary traveler. You’re sure to be Inn for a treat during your stay.” She recited the line in a surprisingly gruff voice.  I cleared my throat and repeated the line, “Welcome weary traveler. You’re sure to be…” I started coughing up a storm.  Trying to do the deep raspy voices had always messed with me. I loved my Batman impression, but it was always so hard to do without hacking up a lung. Mel shook her head and made a few marks on the paper I had given her. She waited for me to catch my breath before resuming. We went through several characters, going over how they would sound, what little tricks I could do to keep an accent or voice steady. Mel sure had a lot of range. I mean, I assumed she knew what she was doing considering this was her job. But I had never met a real voice coach before, so I didn’t have much in the way of comparison.  “Okay, last one…I’m a pretty princess. Save me, hero!” She let out in an overtly feminine voice I had not heard from her so far.  “I’m a pretty princ–wait, what?” Where the hell did that come from? “What?” The smirk on her face was something that made me feel lots of different things. But I was too thrown off to notice what those feelings were. “You said, all the characters not crossed off were ones you wanted to try. The Princess is very clearly not marked out.” “But–well–I mean, come on. That’s a girl character. There’s no way I’d be able to pull off a convincing girl for that long! The most I’ve ever done is a few phrases!” I turned around and covered my mouth. The weight of my unintentional admission coiled around my chest, and dragged me down to the dark abyss below.   “But you have practiced it?” The tone of her voice made it apparent that any excuse I could come up with would be taken with the largest grain of salt. “I’m sure you would make a very convincing girl if you tried.”  There were countless studies on language theory, and how different accents and pronunciation could drastically change how the same language is spoken. But, there was no dialect in the world that could decipher the attempt at words I tried to make. I could’ve slammed my hand on random letters on a keyboard and it would have made a more cohesive sentence.  “Though, for someone with such confidence as a ‘He/Him I guess’ like you, I’m sure you wouldn’t be interested at all in being a princess. A regal woman with gorgeous flowing hair, and any outfit in the world to choose from. Having to be saved by the hero who scoops you up in your gown, and carries you off to safety.”  I couldn't see her face, but there was no doubt in my mind that she was making a sadistic grin. Who wouldn't want that? To be the damsel in distress, and be held in someone's arms and told everything was going to be okay. To be able to dress however you like, and have your own style. But we couldn't all have that. Some of us weren’t allowed to. Some of us were just– My incessant gushing was interrupted by the sound of Mel’s phone beeping up a storm. The session was over. I took a moment to compose myself before turning back around to Mel. “You doing okay there?” She asked as she silenced the alarm. My heart was pounding, my cheeks were red, and I had butchered the English language worse than a minion. I was pretty far from okay. “Yeah, I’m doing fine!” “Right…” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. “So if you were serious about–for the lack of a better term–coming every day this week, I have open slots at nine in the morning.”  “Yup, sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I quickly stated, as I started to head for the door.  “See you tomorrow then Krissy. Remember to stay hydrated. Or else.” Mel called out as I closed the door to the studio behind me.   My thoughts moved faster than my feet as I made the trek home. Why did the thought of being a convincing girl make me feel so weird? And what did she mean by “or else”? Was I going to get in trouble for not staying hydrated? Wait, no, that’s stupid. It’s just so my voice won’t get all fucky. She had a point though, the Princess was the last real main role that was available. Not to mention, I would be more useful as a voice actor who could pull off both genders. Maybe I could try out honing my girl voice…for no other reason than to land the part and make money. Yeah, it was for my career. The buzzing in my chest and weird tingling in the rest of my body was just excitement for this to be a launching point. Plus, imagine all the surprised looks on everyone's face when they realize the super cute girl playing the princess is actually me. I wonder if they’d have me cosplay as her at the release, or a convention?  My flesh vessel halted in its tracks. What the hell was I thinking? Was I actually considering this, actually getting excited about it? Why does my mind keep going back to such thoughts? I needed to face facts, I’m a guy. The weird fantasy about a dude being able to pass himself off as a girl was something that only happened in stories, on sketchy sites that you have to clear your browser history after reading, right? Or–was that something that could actually happen? Ugh, of course it wasn’t. I just needed to drop it.    The clickity clack of my keyboard rang throughout my room as I had in fact, not dropped it. After indulging in some chocolate I stole from my roommate, I started to look up pronoun stuff. I was halfway into the bag of decadent delights, as I read countless pages and posts about pronouns and gender identities. It really makes you wonder about yourself. If so many people felt they were different from how they were born, or perceived, then why doesn’t everyone just try out whatever they want? Why wasn’t it normalized in our society for people to dress and present however they wanted to? To be who they wanted to be…Oh right, the bigots. People who had blatant disregard for those they didn't understand or viewed as different.  Fuck, that’s when I realized I had barely referred to Mel as “they” the entire day. They had said “She/They” pronouns, but what did that mean? Was it a half and half situation, or just to be used interchangeably? Research had only told me that it was different for everyone in what they preferred. I could ask the following morning though, I just needed to not be an asshole about it.    I was violently interrupted by my roommate flinging open my door. "Yo Kris, have you seen my chocolate?" Well, fuckle.  "What the hell dude?" He snatched the bag off of my desk.  “I can explain. It started out with a kiss.” “Well, how did it end up like this?” “It was only a kiss!” "Oh, it was only a kiss?" He held up the half empty bag. I was caught red handed. “I’m sorry, I start to snack when I get anxious.” He started to look at the browser on my screen, to which I had panic-closed as soon as he burst in. I’d been caught off guard enough times that it was a reflex at this point.  “What’s got you so out of whack? Did the audition thing not go well?” “Yes and no.” I ran my hands over my face in frustration, remembering my valiant effort that had been in vain. “I put on my best performance as the villain. I was going for Skeletor, but sexy.”  He gave me an all too familiar look of perplexion, disappointment, and the slightest hint of trying not to laugh. “Well how could they not love that?” “I know right?” I immediately responded, ignoring his obvious sarcasm. “Bone Daddy would’ve been proud!”  “Aaaaaand you made it weird. Just do me a favor, next time you wanna gorge on candy, buy your own.” He got up and proceeded to leave me to my own cursed thoughts. In his defense, I did have a tendency to exist outside of normal dude behavior from time to time. But that was because I had talent, and talented people always pushed the boundaries of what’s normal. Right?   The next morning came like the food at a failing restaurant, suspiciously too quick and wildly underwhelming. I’d expected to wake up feeling charged and ready to start my next session with Mel, but I had a sense of dread hanging over me. I couldn’t quite nail down what had me out of sorts. Though I wasn't about to be late again. I had a mission, to be the very best, like no one ever was.    Walking into the dance studio humming the Pokemon theme song to myself, I was greeted by Mel sitting in one of two chairs just like the previous day. “Good morning sunshine! I see you decided to be on time today. Did you decide on which voice you want to focus on?” They shot me a smirk. “Um, yeah. I did.” My stomach began to knot up. “I think I wanna go for the main castle guard, and the blacksmith.”  Mel pulled out their phone and typed up a storm. "Okay then, let's get started." "Actually, before we do that, I'd like to apologize." They looked at me quizzically.  "I know I kinda fumbled around with pronoun stuff yesterday and pretty much only referred to you as she and her, even after you stated you also use they. I did some homework and research last night and I just wanna make sure I'm being respectful." They smiled, "Thanks Krissy. I appreciate it. You can use she and they interchangeably. Or one, one day and the other the next. As long as people try I'm generally happy."  Part of the knot in my midsection unfurled. But there was still something eating at me. If only I could pinpoint what it was.    After warming up, we got to work on nailing down the voices and accents. Mel was really tough with the adjustments. I never realized how much slightest tone or pitch change could make or break a good character voice. Maybe I wasn’t as great as I initially thought.  “No, you need the changes to be more subtle. You want to alter your regular voice, not always change it entirely.” Mel said while sitting down and reaching for their water. I let out an exasperated sigh. She was right. I was going to burn out quickly if I kept up the voices for these characters too long. “I just want them to be different–distinguishable, you know.”  “You can do that with just minor changes. You don’t have to overhaul each one to be so distinct. Things will be a lot harder for you if you do that for every voice.”   “But, when I do different voices–I don’t sound like me.” Maybe it was because I was getting frustrated, maybe it was because I was so unsure of myself, maybe there was something about Mel I felt like I could trust. I’d never actually admitted that to anyone before.  They gave me a look, one I couldn’t really place. I began to look around the studio, trying to stare at anything but Mel. The barres along the side wall, the mirror that was the back wall, the piano in the corner. The acoustics in the space were truly superb. I suppose that’s why she used it for this kind of stuff. Finally, I turned my gaze back to her. She opened her mouth to say something, right at that moment the alarm went off.  I scooped up my bag and headed for the door.  “Krissy…” Mell called out. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I said as I hurried out and down the stairs.    “What the hell am I doing with my life?” I muttered as laid on my bed, staring into the endless void that was my ceiling.  The entire point of voice acting was to take on a role. To become someone else for a while. To not have to be yourself. Wasn't it? Method actors did it all the time. They disappeared into the roles. Though, it’s weird how no one ever method-acted a kind person. None of that explained why I was so fucking bummed about settling for the minor characters. I tried to convince myself that it would be just as good, a stepping stone in my career. But, there was something bugging the hell out of me. I lifted the paper up and stared at it until my vision went blurry. My eyes came back into focus on one spot, one line. Princess Rose.  You know that feeling when something startles you? And your skeleton briefly tries to escape your meat suit and wreak havoc on the unsuspecting and squishy mortals of our realm. That was me when my phone rang, causing me to jolt upright.  “Hello?” I said in a panic.  “Yo Kris! We’re hittin up the weed bar, High Spirits. Come hang bro!” My already intoxicated friend blurted through my phone.  I contemplated joining them, nothing like hanging out with friends to take your mind off things right? But…I couldn't help it. I held up the paper once more. “Sorry dude, but I’ve got some things to take care of. Have fun.” I hung up. In, and out. Air filled my lungs as I took deep breaths preparing myself for what I was about to do. The repercussions would certainly come into full swing at some point. But I had a mission, and I was going to accomplish it.  “Save me hero…save me hero…Save me hero! I am Princess Rose and you will not speak to me with such impugnance! I am Princess Rose….I am Princess Rose…” My most valiant effort at a girl's voice came out. I would get a main part in the game, no matter what.   The rest of the week went by seemingly in a blur. I’d show up on time, Mel would be sitting, waiting for me, and we’d begin the lesson. She kept pushing me, but in a good way. Not the physical, shove you on the ground and stare down at you, way. Well, I guess good isn't the right word in that comparison. I definitely wasn't thinking of things like that or anything though. She just–had a way with what she was doing. I kept getting nervous and asking about raising my inflection and pitch in a comfortable way. I couldn't let them know I was secretly practicing Princess Rose at home. I always got the side glance, the weird knowing stare. But that was just the energy they exuded. I’d ask my little discreet questions, and they’d be none the wiser and I’d get a perfect girl voice in no time!   The following week, I felt like I had a good traction going. My voice was getting better and girlier with each day. Not to mention Mel had really stepped up her game with the tips. I learned about resonance, and even how to keep it going for an hour at a time. I also played a clip for my roommate and he said it just sounded like a girl. But the truth was, it was me! I couldn’t stop blushing the entire night after he had said so. It was really affirming to know that I was finally able to pull off a real role. Just like a plan to kill an emperor, it was all coming together. The problem however, was that I was doing it so much, my body decided to betray me.  “The castle gates are secured he-RO…” My voice, like the shell of an egg, cracked right in front of Mel. My hands covered my mouth faster than my mind could even react to what had just happened.  For how embarrassed I was, Mel didn’t seem to care, considering she had a giant grin  plastered on her face. “That was certainly something. But I’m not sure the castle guard would say it quite like that. Maybe if you went a few octaves higher. I mean, while we’re at it, we could practice another role entirely. What do you think, princess?” My cheeks became a literal definition to the phrase, beet red. “What?! How? How did you know?”  They rolled their eyes, “I mean, I wasn’t entirely sure until just now. But come on, Krissy. You’ve been asking for tips to raise your voice, every day you come in with a slightly higher inflection. And just now, your voice cracked exactly like mine did when I first started voice training. Toss all that together with the general vibe you put off and it’s not very hard to see you're, at the very least, questioning your gender identity.”   What the fuck? I mean, yeah I had been googling a lot of stuff, learning about pronouns, gender, and trans people. But I was just trying to be a better ally. Sure I related to everything and may have gotten really excited over the fact that I was sounding like a girl. But I wasn’t questioning anything! I was just trying to not think about the fact that I wanted to be a girl… “Fuck.” I slumped down in the chair.  Mel sat across from me, typing in their phone like they always do. “So,” they looked up at me, “my next couple appointments just canceled. Why don’t we take a break and go get coffee? My treat.” I nodded my head, we gathered our things and walked to a small café down the street. My mind was trying to think of any excuse as to why I couldn’t be a girl. By the time we entered the shop and were blessed by the sweet roast of the gods, I had only thought of one reason, it’d be scary to come out. To actually face my problems instead of trying to funnel it into a character or angsty fanfic. We gave our order and I awkwardly sat down across from Mel. Trying my damndest to keep my composure. She seemed content to sit in complete and utter silence as I began to wrack my brain trying to figure out a way out of this situation. But I suppose the truth was, that there was no way out of it. Only to work through it.  “You were right.” I finally broke the silence between us. She gave me another wide grin. “Right about which part?”  I threw up my hands in a slight huff. “All of it. You were right about everything. I’ve been practicing my girl voice in secret so I could try out for the princess. I thought I was doing a good job of keeping it hidden, but I kept doing it more and more until it bled into my regular voice. Not only that, I kind of like it. Ever since we met I’ve been trying to do more research on pronouns and gender so I could be a good ally. But I ended up staring down the barrel of the truth that was right in front of me all along.”  “...and that truth is?” Mel made a ‘please elaborate’ gesture.  I let out a long and deep sigh. “That I want to be a girl. I’ve never been particularly happy as a guy, but I always had an excuse. Plus I could always disappear into a character or role to play. I think I’ve known for a long time, I just couldn't face it. I didn't have the words for it. But now, doing all this, seeing how confident you are in everything, and the glowing my cheeks do when I hear the recordings of myself. I can’t deny it anymore.”  She reached out and wiped the tear from my face I hadn't even realized was there. Then placed her hand on mine. “I’m proud of you for being honest with yourself. I know it’s not always easy, but now you can focus on being who you want to be.” She smiled even more, “Plus, now I can be extra tough with the vocal training. We’ve got less than a week and I need to see where you’re at so we can turn you into a proper princess.”  My audible flustered noises were interrupted by the barista bringing our order to the table. “One cappuccino for Mel, and a flat white for Krissy.” The overtly cheery voice was always unsettling considering I knew first hand that most baristas prayed for death on a regular basis.  “Um, speaking of which, I have a confession to make.” I stammered out. Mel looked at me with an interested eyebrow raise. “None of my friends actually call me Krissy. They just call me Kris, I tell new people to call me Krissy cause it’s more feminine sounding.” They stifled a chuckle, “Jesus, you adorably dense bitch. You’re gonna be so fun to tease.”  My face was going to shut down from all the overheating it had been doing in such a short time. Did Mel really think I was adorable? I could only imagine what teasing was going to be like. She had already been poking fun here and there. The way she stared me down, or got in close to run her fingers on my neck to help me know where to adjust my voice. Not to mention the one time she shoved me against the wall and…wait, that was a dream I had. Fuck, I had to focus, I was rambling in my own head again.  “I guess the real question is, what do you wanna be called now? There’s no rush in picking out a name, I went through a few until…” “Kristal!” I blurted out before I even had time to think.  Mel giggled, “Oh you have thought about this a lot, huh?”  I took a large sip of my coffee, “Maybe. It was the name I always used in video games whenever I could pick a girl character.” “I hope you realize how dorky that is and I love it! I think this is gonna be great, Kristal. Let’s take these drinks back to the studio, I’ll get a good listen to you and we’ll go from there. Sound good?”   My heart fluttered, my eyes watered, my hotel trivago’d. Hearing someone say that name out loud felt like taking a bath in pure serotonin. I nodded, things weren't going to be easy peasy lemon squeezy. In fact, from what I read online, things were going to be difficult, difficult, lemon difficult. But I knew it was the right choice. And I was lucky enough to have someone as cool as Mel to give me some tips.    During the walk back to the studio, it was as if a giant weight had been lifted. I could actually imagine a future that didn't involve wasting away in the family business. There were options. Even if the voice acting thing didn't work out, it would be okay. It wasn't either or, it was just–different. I had a whole new life to live. Once I nailed this princess of course…I would have to work on my phrasing though.  We entered the studio and Mel had a different air about her. She was excited, like it wasn't just a lesson anymore. She snapped her fingers which immediately had me at attention. I would also have to try and learn how to exude that type of well earned confidence. Not my usual fake facade I put on all the time.  She instructed me to recite the lines in my newly acquired girl voice. I happily yet nervously obliged, it was the first time actually doing it in front of someone. Once my performance was over Mel took down more notes, then began to go in depth about resonance and the difference between pitch and tone. Once the lesson was over we ended up talking for a little bit. She gave me some info for local LGBTQ+ groups and centers. We talked about games, music and movies. The thing that threw me off though, well, not just threw me off, more like ejected my body into the stratosphere. Was when she ruffled my hair and told me that I had been a, “very good girl.”    Sleep avoided me that night. Like the Jacksonville Jaguars avoided winning. I couldn’t get that interaction out of my head. The way Mel looked at me, and called me a good girl. It sent chills throughout my body. I’d never been so incredibly flustered in my entire life. It had taken hours for my cheeks to return to their normal color. But one thing kept me focused, the fact that I was sounding more like a girl! I was going to give it my all, even if I didn’t get the part I could be proud of how amazing my voice was.  The next few days went about the same. I’d show up and Mel would coach me, I’d get all flustered by something she would say or do. Like moving in real close and looking down at me, poking fun at how unmasculine I’d been, and when she said that I could probably make all kinds of fun noises. Not to mention my lighting up at every time they called me Kristal. Truly, I was a mess of a girl. Hehehe, I was a girl. Nothing could ever take that away from me.    In the blink of an eye, the day of the audition came up. The lead dev had texted me the time and place. The bundle of nerves I called a body made its way up to the recording studio and into the booth. Long gone was the cocksure Skeletor impersonator that was standing in that very spot just a couple of weeks before. Now there was only a girl, standing in front of a microphone, begging to be saved by the hero.  “Save me Hero! You’re my only hope!...You’ll see, the Hero will come and, sniffle sniffle, he’ll come and rescue me…How dare you speak to me in such an arrogant tone! I am Princess Rose, and this is my kingdom. If the Hero won’t stop you, I will!...AAAAGGHHH!”  I’d given everything I had. My absolute best. I took off the headphones and made my way into the control room, this time not daring to look directly in anyone's eyes. I was so nervous as to what they would think.  “So, Kris, that was–um…”  Time is relative. Maybe that’s why it always seemed to elude me the way it did. Some days felt like minutes, while sometimes, seconds could feel like an eternity. Time never meant much to me before. Everything was predetermined. It would happen one way or another. Get a job, get a wife, have kids, eventually die. But I no longer felt tied to that anymore. While the moment seemed to last a lifetime, I still had a lifetime to live. That gave me hope. I looked up at the dev. “That was surprisingly well done. I have to admit I was not expecting you to audition for the princess. But, well, you gave us a pretty damn good princess in there.” He looked a bit nervous and shocked himself.  “Oh gosh! Thank you so much. I’ve been practicing and really putting in the effort to nail the princess–role.” Damn me and my poor phrasing.  The dev chuckled. “Well you certainly nailed her alright. I will have to talk with the rest of the team about having a guy voice the role, But I’m sure they will consider it once they hear the recording.”  My stomach knotted up. I took a deep breath, I could do it. “Um–actually. About that. I’m uh, actually not a guy. I’m transgender. I kinda just figured it all out so I’m still learning a lot of stuff. But, my name is Kristal now and I use She/Her.” Internally, my entire soul was screaming and begging to be released from its meat sack.  There was a short pause. “Oh, well that’s cool. Congratulations. We do try to take pride in working with a diverse staff. I’ll be sure to update your name on our file then. It’ll be another week or so as we have a few more people to audition. But we’ll let you know as soon as the decision is made.”  He reached out his hand which I awkwardly shook and made my way out of the building. Once outside I quite literally jumped for joy and let out the deepest sigh possible, releasing all of my tension. My body was alight with nerves but I had never felt more proud of anything before. He liked it, he liked my voice! My girl voice! I quickly pulled out my phone and texted Mel giving her an update. She responded almost immediately with a bunch of emojis and offered to take me out to dinner to celebrate. No one had ever offered to take me out before. I mean, surely she was just being nice, considering how much she helped me with my voice, right?   A week went by at light speed. I’d been so absorbed with the process of figuring out all the next steps I needed to take with being a girl, the call took me by surprise. I answered and was greeted by the voice of the casting director/game dev.  “Hey Kristal! We finished the auditions and after heavy consideration with my team, we’ve decided to move forward with you as Princess Rose. If you’re still interested of course.” There’s a moment when you start vibrating with excitement and energy. Like when you’ve drunk four cups of coffee and wind up being walked home by a really pretty girl, you stare into each other's eyes, wondering what’s going to happen, right when she leans in and kisses you. That kind of excitement.  “Yes! Absolutely yes! Oh my gosh, thank you so much!” My voice hit a higher pitch than I was expecting it to.  The dev laughed, “Great, we’ll send over details and an official offer in the morning. Congratulations.”  I hung up and did a stupid little happy dance. I didn't even care that I was in public. I was going to be in a lead role in a video game, the lead girl role! There were so many people I had to tell…and have awkward conversations with about my gender identity. But first I had to tell Mel. I practically jumped up and started heading towards the dance studio.  So, speaking of girls who make you feel all floaty and energetic. That kiss had happened between Mel and myself. During the week we’d gone out almost every night. Talking, having fun, learning about each other. Their friend actually owns the dance studio, she just lets Mel use it for voice lessons during off times. We also shared a lot of interests, music, games, some hobbies, and it was just really nice. Not to mention I had the distinct feeling she was flirting with me, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous. That is, until I essentially melted in their arms as we kissed. My cheeks were getting flushed just thinking about it again.  Bursting into the dance studio, Mel was sitting in one of the chairs typing in her phone. She looked up at me. “Hey cutie, this is a pleasant surprise.” I took a second to catch my breath and also not blush too hard at the compliment. “I got the part!”  “Fuck yes! Way to go Kristal!” They jumped up and ran over to give me the biggest hug. “I’m so proud of you!” There was nothing I could do but giggle uncontrollably. It was amazing, I had my dream job, I was in the arms of the cutest girl I knew, and…my thoughts were cut off by Mel’s lips pressing against mine. Everything washed away as I began to turn to putty in her hands. My arms wrapped around her. I couldn't help but make slight whines as her hands slid up my sides, to my neck, and around my face.  Mel pulled away from the kiss, “You’re so incredibly adorable. I hope you know that.”  A sound came from me, something I never once thought possible. I was purring, like, legitimately purring at the notion that they found me adorable. “M-m-maybe.” I managed to squeak out. The delightfully sadistic giggle from Mel only reassured me that I was becoming cuter by the day. “Well, I think we should have a proper celebration. What do you say?” I felt their hand lower down my back and squeeze my ass. “Unless, you don’t want to get too physical. I completely understand either way. You can always say no.”  God I literally wanted nothing more than for her to push me around and step on me. There was no denying it anymore. I wanted to be a girl, with a girl. I nodded, “Y-yes please. I’d like that very much.”  “Mhmm, good girl. Follow me.”  Mel grabbed my hand and led me over to the ballet barres that lined a wall of the studio. “Now, on your knees.” Her tone was sharp.  My body complied before my mind had even processed the command. I sank to my knees and looked up at Mel, a devious smirk plastered on their face.  “Shirt, off.” She said as she walked over to her bag by the chairs.  I did as was told and tossed it aside. My body was trembling with anticipation. The sound of clinking metal drew my attention to Mel walking back over to me and dangling a set of handcuffs. My eyes grew wide and I held my breath as she approached.  “Hands up, pretty girl.” Her voice, fuck that voice. It made me weak in the best way. I lifted my hands up. Mel promptly took them and handcuffed me to the ballet barre.  “God you’re so fucking easy. But I suppose a princess like you is used to doing what you’re told.” Mel was using a villainous voice. Holy fuck was this what role playing was like?  Damn I have to keep up. “I-you’ll never get away with this you fiend! You can do whatever you want with me, but I’ll never break to the likes of you.”  Her hand cupped my face as she stared with burning intensity into my eyes. “Oh, anything I want, hmm? Gladly princess.” Then she let out a low growl that shook me to my core.  Mel’s lips met mine in a heated embrace. Her hands tracing my chest, teasing my nipples, clawing my sides. I had died and gone to heaven. Nothing had ever felt so intimate before. My eyes closed as I let everything happen. The sensual touch, Mel’s tongue running over my body, the only thing I could do was moan in ecstasy. And wow, was my moan something. I hadn’t realized how much my voice actually changed. It sounded like a girl was getting fucked in the room. And she was, she was me. But I actually sounded hot! I finally stopped holding back and let it all out.  “What a fucking slutty little princess. Moaning like a whore just from some light teasing.” Mel slapped my chest, “God you really are a subby royal bitch, huh?” Her words were like amplifiers. Only adding to the growing pleasure through me.  “Mhhmm, y-yes. I’m a slutty p-princess.” My chest was on fire and my pants were getting tighter by the second. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so turned on.  The sensation of teeth sinking into my neck made me erupt into a chorus of whimpers that echoed almost perfectly in the room.  “Ffff-fuuuuuck! Please, please I–I want…” I was doing my damndest to catch my breath. Mel looked me in the eyes again, “Hmm? What does my sweet princess want?”  My plea of desperation came from a place I hadn’t realized I had. “Fuck me like a good princess.” Another bite landed on my shoulder before Mel pulled away, “With pleasure your highness. Anything to help secure victory over this kingdom.”  She laughed as she unlocked one hand from the cuffs and turned me around faster than I expected. Then, they reached back up and secured me to the barre once more. My pants and underwear were expertly torn off of me and discarded. So I knelt there, handcuffed and naked, staring directly at myself though the mirrored wall.  Mel began to unzip their pants and slide their underwear down. I began bucking my hips back towards them. I wanted them, I wanted it all. It was at that moment I felt a firm smack across my ass.  “Aaahh!” I yelped.  “Just giving yourself to me entirely huh? Fucking bottoms, I swear. Don’t worry princess, you’ll be begging for mercy soon.” Mel reached into her discarded jeans and pulled out a small bottle and began lubing herself up, as well as my ass. People always talk about how some foods are better than sex. They moan and make orgasm sounds from spooning some overpriced food into their mouths. But there’s not a single fucking taste in the cosmos that could compare to the feeling of being penetrated by a girl. Feeling her every inch ease inside you, forcing you to moan like a bitch. To see the look on your own face as you’re fucked like the obedient princess you are. Put that on a fucking milkshake description and tell me how it goes.  I continuously reached new heights as I was railed like the Island of Sodor. Never before had I loved my voice, than when I called out for more as Mel happily pounded me even harder. My entire body began to shake and tremble, yanking at my restraints and coming so close to the edge.  Mel grabbed my hair and pulled my head back. “Fucking come for me princess. I can feel you getting close. Cum for me like the good royal whore you are.”  I gripped the barre, no longer able to form words, just sounds and whines as my legs tensed. There was no holding out any longer. I released the breath I had been keeping in, and painted the mirror in front of me. I shook in Mel’s arms, waves of ecstasy rushing through my entire being in waves before losing all motor control and falling forward.  Mel finished inside me, releasing a moan of her own. After a moment she picked herself up and unlocked the cuffs from my wrists. We both collapsed on the ground giggling and holding each other so tightly.  “Fuck, you’re so beautiful Kristal.” She breathed heavily.  “God you’re amazing Mel. Holy shit that was-that was…” I paused to catch my breath.  “Now that, was podracing.” She said with an enormous stupid grin.  The utter fucking audacity. She just came inside me and now she’s making Star Wars jokes?! “I could try spinning, that’s a good trick.” I fucking loved it.  The both of us burst out laughing. It was the start of something amazing. And I was so excited for my future. Everything was coming up Kristal. Both figuratively and literally apparently.  ***   I took a deep breath. All my hard work had led to this moment. Nothing could stop me. Not even me! I adjusted my dress and double checked my wig. Everything was in place.  “We are proud to bring out our next panel guest. Who will be a playable character in the next DLC, Rose Way! Kristal, our very own Princess Rose!” The announcer called out.  I released my breath and stepped out on stage. Waving at the hundreds of people in the room. It had been some time since the game was released and everyone loved it. So much so that we had gotten invited to a slew of conventions. Which of course, one of the fan favorites, being me, was invited along. So I got to cosplay as Princess Rose, take pictures, sign autographs, and all kinds of amazing things. It was a dream come true.  I waved and blew a kiss to Mel who was in a reserved seat up front. She decided to come dressed up as the villain from the game. Which may or may not have been used for several very “official” role playing purposes. Definitely not anything kinky.  I had an actual career, an amazing girlfriend, and got to be a girl! Just your average voice actress things. 

When Umi moved out of the house, she decided that she visit her family every week. She was wearing a hoodie that day, it was one of those ones were they had those little laces that you could pull for the fitment of the hood, she fidgeted with it every now and then, which was the reason why she wore it. But the main reason was that it was a cold night. Her hair was also tied up in a neat ponytail. It was a regular dinner; all of them sat on the dining table, eating and talking to each other until she said: "I think, I'm gonna continue the band." Everybody looked at her, she looked down knowing this was brash and insensitive and maybe even hurting.  "T-thats great Umi!" Her mother said, trying keep a composed face.  "Why so sudden?" Her brother asked pointing his chopsticks at her.  "I just want to do something new." Umi answered, her appetite suddenly gone, though she couldn't know why. After a moment her dad finally spoke.  "No, I wouldn't allow such a thing."  Umi could notice the tiredness from his own voice but also from the aura he was emmiting. Still she was suprised that he would say it without hesitation. "So you wont let me use the studio?" She said sadly, her hopes lost.  "Yes." Umi's heart sank once again. An awkward silence filled the table. Why? She was about to ask this when her father held up his hand to keep her from speaking. He said,  "I will let you use the studio after all, but promise me that you will have a good experience." He held her hand and smiled.  "O-of course." Said Umi, thoughts of uncertainty filling in her head.  ...  Umi was on the way home that night, riding a train. Beneath her feet she could feel the slight vibration produced by the rails.  What does he mean by that? A good experience.  "What's with the long face?" A person beside her asked.  "It's nothing." Umi looked at him and saw that he had brown hair, he was also wearing glasses. He sighed and looked up.  "Something bad happened to me too." He took off his glasses and wiped both his eyes with his index finer and thumb, though Umi couldn't confirm if it was from fatigue or sadness. Probably both.  "I got dumped..." "What am I even saying?" He shook his head and chuckled. He put his glasses back on as fast as he took it off and said,  "Sorry, my name's Tachibana, Tachibana Kenta." He reached out a hand which Umi shook.  "Akaisuki Umi."  "Akaisuki? That's, kind of weird."  "I know right? people used to make fun of it whenever they had the chance." Umi laughed and she felt much more better than before. Kenta looked at her as a shimmer of light from the station shone on her face. He slightly reddened and looked away.  "Well, my stop is right here." Umi pointed, she was about to exit the train, but she felt a hand on her shoulder.  "Hey, um, thanks, thanks a lot." Kenta smiled.  "No, no, it's no problem." Umi put both her hands in front of her, palms facing Kenta.  "You should get going now." Kenta nodded. He saw Umi exit and wave, he waved back. He sat back and relaxed on the train seat. Kenta was sweating a little bit, he suddenly felt warm, and he shuddered.  ...  Tomorrow that day, when Umi finally got the keys to the studio, she lifted the metal gate and unlocked the door. Memories of her dad bringing her here came flooding back as if a switch had been flipped. Inside was the reception/break room, and past that was, Umi guessed the restroom, which was suprisingly clean.  When she got in the music room, she recognised it from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, the black egg box shaped soundproofing, and the faded green carpet, and the suspicious coffee stain on it, Umi was about to cry, she didn't know why but she was. Her phone rang: It was her dad.  "Yes dad?" Besides from a series of confirmation and simple responses, she was instructed specifically to check the instruments.  The instruments were already there, although they needed some serious maintenance, and the drums still needed assembling. Umi tried carrying the various parts of it but it was too heavy for her. I need brother for this. She thought. She sat down on one of the spots that looked the most comfortable, and tried calling him but he didn't pick up, no matter how many attempts he still answered her calls. After some time he texted her, telling her to wait and he'll send someone.  Send someone? Umi thought.  "Who are you sending?" She typed.  "A friend, he'll be there in a while. Don't be afraid to order him around, he owes me."  She sighed and decided to sit it out in the reception, where the aircon was delivering fresh cold air. After an hour or so she felt someone shaking her by the shoulder.  "Hey, hey." A voice called out, interrupting her short rest.  "Oh! Sorry." Umi sat up straight.  "You shouldn't sleep while the aircon's running, at least wrap a blanket around you, honestly." The man lectured her, while he turned up the aircon's temperature a little.  "Yes, sorry, so your Asahi's friend?" She said standing up, still a feeling little groggy.  "Asahi? Ah, yes, sorry I don't call him by his first name." He extended a hand then bowed 45 degrees.  "Yoshiro Shiroiro, I look forward to working with you."  Wow, so formal. She shook Yoshiro's hand. He had the grip of an office worker.  "Let me show you the room." She said as she walked to the room and opened the door for him. When they both entered Yoshiro nodded and thought aloud: "So this is what he was talking about, I see, pretty impressive."  "Yeah right? But the instruments and the studio need a little care." Umi said and Yoshiro nodded once more.  "Yes, what's the use of driving when you don't even know how to wash your own car?" He quoted while he stood proud.  "From where did you hear that?" Umi asked, realising he had an above-average height.  "From my grandpa, man was he cool." He answered in a childlike manner.  He can be pretty lame at times though. Umi thought.  "Anyways, you needed help right?" Yoshiro asked, already lifting a part of the stands for the drums. Umi nodded and helped him. When they took out most of the drum heads and cymbals, the afternoon sun lit up heating the already hot room, Yoshiro exhaled and took off his jacket saying: "It sure is hot in here." He patted his sweat with a handkerchief that he got from his pocket, it had a plaid pattern and the smell of men's perfume.  "Yeah right?" Umi agreed, stumbling on her words a little. She never expected for him to take his jacket off so casually.  "With that said, I think we can call it a day." She continued. Yoshiro nodded, the jacket resting on his forearm. They sat down and Umi looked at her feet, thinking of something to say.  "Hey, thanks for the help. I don't know why you owe my brother, but thanks for coming on a short notice." said Umi.  "Nah, it's nothing. This actually gave me a bit of nostalgia; I was in a band before, haha, we weren't really popular though." said Yoshiro, before realizing that what he said was a mistake.  Umi's impression of him raised a bit more.  "Wow, really!? You were in a band! What instrument did you play? Maybe you could give me some tips. This is perfect!" Came Umi's relentless barrage of words.  Yoshiro scratched his head sheepishly and said,  "I don't know.. You really think that I would be much of a help?"  "But you already helped me loads! I wouldn't be able to carry all this heavy stuff you know." she replied.  Yoshiro hesitantly looked around the studio and sighed.  "Well, from what I'm seeing, the instruments need serious maintenance, the drums still need assembling, and you need more people. Hmm, fine I'll help you." Each phrase he spoke Umi felt, like heavy blows, but the last part healed the imaginary bruises.  "Really?! You'll really do it?" Umi held both of his hands, his in a clap stance and surrounded by hers. "Y-yeah, if thats, fine with you." Yoshiro looked away, he couldn't move as his hands were ensnared by Umi's.  "Anyways, don't get your hopes up! I'll be absent most of the time, and I already have a lot on my plate." He said, facing her, and he felt the pressure on his hands relax. He saw Umi looking down, her excitement gone by his words.  "Hey, chin up, It's not like I don't have weekends, and plus you don't know what might happen." Yoshiro quoted once more as he stood up. Umi looked up at him and asked.  "Where did you get that from?" She smiled.  "From experience." Yoshiro smiled back, but it looked more like he smirked.  "Sorry, I gotta go." He pointed at his watch. Umi couldn't read it because of the afternoon sun, but she got the message.  "Yeah, me too." She nodded, standing beside him, while they walked, walked, until they reached the station and realised they both ride the same rail line.  "Oh, what? Shiroiro-san, you didn't tell me you ride the same line as me." Umi said, nudging Yoshiro with her elbow, since he was tall and Umi would have a difficult time his shoulder.  "That's because it's unecessary, besides I didn't even know in the first place." He answered, not minding that she added a 'mister', since he often hears that alot. After a moment they boarded the train and he heard that Umi was talking to another person or a man rather. "Tachibana-san! I didn't expect to see you here again."  "Yeah, same here." came the reply.  Yoshiro recognized the name, and when he looked at their direction, he saw it: Brown hair and glasses, that was all he needed to know to confirm it.  "Kenta?" He blurted out loud.  "Yoshiro?" Kenta adjusted his glasses, and walked closer to him. "It is you!" Kenta pointed to him.  People stared at them with tired eyes, some angry. One even groaned from all the built up frustration. They just wanted peace and silence from a long day of strenuous work, and they were ruining it, or Kenta at least. "It's been a long time since we met, Yoshi." He said, folding his arms, his old habit whenever he was talking to Yoshiro. He felt like he needed to, like to compensate for his height.  "I told you to stop calling me that a long time ago." He laughed.  "Yeah, yeah, what are you gonna do about it?" Kenta taunted him, pulling his old friend torward by the shoulder. Yoshiro looked at him with dangerous eyes.  "Nothing. I just feel like your showing off a little, just because theres a girl nearby." he said. Shoving Kenta, just enough to get out of his grasps.  The two were locked in a cold stare.  "Um, can somebody tell me what's going on?" said Umi, as she looked on with a concerned expression. The two looked at Umi, and relaxed a little.  "Oh, sorry Akaski-san. You see, Yoshiro and I go way back. We were friends when we were just kids. It's also been a long time since we last met again." Said Kenta with an apologetic look.  The tension around the car relaxed a little. Umi spoke up again: "Geez guys, if you haven't seen each other for a long time, then atleast be friendly with one another." "R-right.." said Kenta. "Sorry Yoshiro." "Apology accepted. And keep your voice down, you're disturbing the people around you." replied Yoshiro.  Kenta laughed embarrassingly, and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. Some people nodded their thanks.  "Well, it's not like I can help it you know."  Umi smiled at them, glad that they were friendly again.  "Guys, this is amazing!" she said. "This is like a fateful reunion from an Anime or something." she exclaimed aloud, before covering her mouth with her hand.  The train slid into a gentle stop, and some of the people stood up, preaparing to exit, and Umi did the same.  "I guess that's your stop." Yoshiro nodded to the floor of the station, moving aside so it would be more easy for the people both entering and exiting, though it was nighttime, so the former would be fewer, if not then none at all.  "Bye-bye." Said Umi, softening her voice, careful not to cause anymore disturbance. So Kenta did same as her.  "Yup, bye-bye, be careful." And with that said, both men left alone in the train car, and an awkward silence fell upon them. Yoshiro sat beside Kenta, who was thinking about a topic talk to about. Then it hit him, but first he focused on small talk of course, a strategy he picked up from experience on socialising.  Small talk opens up people's mouths as they talk about a small topic, then before they realise it, you hit them with the big one.  "I know this is silly but, you do have a phone, don't you Yoshi?"  "Hm? Oh, no I leave it at my place, it can be distracting sometimes." Yoshiro answered.  "I see." Kenta fixed his glasses in a exaggerated manner, and took a deep breath, readying himself. "So do you like her? Akaski-san I mean."  Yoshiro looked at him with his cold eyes.  "I like her." he said.  Kenta was shocked for awhile. Before he opened his mouth to speak, Yoshiro spoke again, "I like her, to some extent, but only as a friend." Kenta was silent, so Yoshiro spoke again, "Don't worry Kenta, she's not my type. She is a nice girl though. I guess that's why she caught your eye. That's what you were so worried about?" Kenta laughed at this out loud. Since there were no more people, he was free to be his usual self. "Nah I wasn't worried, I was just asking." he said. Both were silent, then settled again on small talk. They reminisced about the past, their friendship. Kenta was the one doing all the talking mostly.  "You like Akaisuki-san don't you?" asked Yoshiro, taking Kenta by surprise.  Kenta reddened in surprise.  "W-what makes you think that!?" he said.  Yoshiro raised one of his eyebrows at him.  "It was kinda obvious as to why you asked me if I liked her." He said.  Kenta sighed.  "I couldn't be subtle alright?" He said. "I like her.. There, I said it."  Yoshiro stood up and got ready to leave. "This is my stop. You're still using the same LINE account right?" he said.  "Yeah, I still use the same account." he replied.  (The Japanese public use LINE for their messaging, it is the most common and widely used messaging service in Japan.) "Gotcha. It was nice talking to you again. Goodbye, Kenta." said Yoshiro, as he exited the train onto the platform.  Kenta smiled at him, and waved goodbye.  End of Chapter ...

A gentle breeze blew through the classroom, rustling papers on the desks and the moderately short skirts of the girls. Desks were laid out all facing a podium where a professor spoke in a lazy voice, her face showing how tired she was. "Other life besides humans may be impossible because for all we know, humanity on a whole was merely an 'accident' in the grand scheme of things." Hearing her words, one of the straight A students, a girl with silky black hair and pretty features raised her hand. "Yes Sarah?" The professor raised an eyebrow as she looked at one of her favorite class students, however she also found her exasperating. "So if humanity was nothing but an accident, why can't other lifeforms exist? I mean, the universe is huge, who knows if some other race built a civiliz-" "This is a science major, not a place to discuss aliens. Do you have any other relevant questions?" The professor interuppted Sarah and asked with a hint of ridicule in her tone. "N-no." Sarah lowered her head, hiding her furiously blushing cheeks as a wave of embarrassment overcame her. Chris looked at the situation and couldn't help but sigh. 'You're being paid to teach, so why do you act like we asked you to volunteer or something?' His brown eyes followed the professor for a moment before returning his gaze to his desk, or more precisely, his phone. He flicked the screen and read one of his favorite novels, one where the main character learns that there was more to the world than he thought. Of course, he also had a plethora of beauties at his side, each beautiful and outstanding in their own ways. 'Fuck, I need to find a secret magic manual and learn magic... Then I'd take over the world and get all the ladies...' He smiled faintly at the thought, however his mind came to a halt when a sharp pain shot up his foot. Before he could let out a yelp, the offender stepped away with a mocking look on his face as he said sorry. "What? You got mad? How about I teach you what happens when you go against Adrian?" The youth whisper shouted, ignoring the glance the professor sent his way. "Stop talking to him, he's ugly and a failure to boot, who'd want to interact with him? You're actually doing him a favor by bullying him." Another youth said with a arrogant smirk. Chris frowned, however he couldn't do anything as he had already tried, yet no one took anything he said seriously. Perhaps it had to do with his face, and he knew he wasn't handsome, rather he was below average in looks with a bit of extra weight on his body. Before when he brought up the fact that he was being bullied, the bully's father, the Principal came and gave him a warning. Now Chris was stuck without a way out and if he wanted to graduate, he had to tolerate the bullying. The door opened and a handsome youth, with a small smile walked in and took a seat near the front. "Adrian, a pleasure to see you join us, even if you're half an hour late." The professor said as she picked up her book and headed to the door. "Self study until I return. A quiz will be waiting for those who think they can pass my class with minimum effort." Along with her words, the door closed. "Adrian is arrogant as always, not even giving the professor an excuse as to why he was late." A youth with pimples said in a hushed tone. "Yeah, but so what? He's good looking, has a powerful family and has good grades, what else does he need?" Chris rolled his eyes as he knew first-hand how cruel Adrian was. Just as he was about to start studying, he felt a small tremor start from beneath him and rattled his chair. He looked down in time to see a massive glowing circle appear on the ground, with runes and words scrawled all over. Not only him, but others in the classroom took notice, but before anyone could react, the circle let out a massive pillar of light, shooting into the skies and blinding everyone in the radius.  

In the modern world, on our Earth, a man was standing on the stage of a renowned villa of president. Due to his talent, President had to seek help from him on various topics and as such he and president were very close to each other. President treasured him very much. Apparently he was going to give an interview on his next project. His name is Rahu. He lives in China. Since childhood he had been aiming to be the best in all fields and subjects, be it Science, art and Music, Sports, Martial Art etc. His talent was the greatest of all times. He only spent merely 1 year to complete Highschool studies, 2 years to complete medical field,  and took couple of years to complete all fields of studies in Mathematics, Science, Art and Music. When he got PHD in all of them at a mere stage of 29, it shocked all the World, his brain was named as the greatest brain of all times. Since then some people with nefarious intention even tried to get him, but they all ended up being fooled by him, and he escaped from them.  Media A: Sir, you've acheived this much knowledge, and as the citizen of China we're blessed to have you. Even the other countries are trying their best to have you. We want to know how were you able to acheive this much knowledge? All media people from different news channels were surrounding a godly handsome presence. This presence was current standing on the stage. The media people were taking opportunities to shift questions in a guided way.  He opens his mouth, and says.  "Dear brothers and sisters, as for how I'm able to read and learn so far, it's coz of the resources y'all have given me, so far. If not for the govt. of China to notice my talent and give me resources for it, I wouldn't be able to advance my studies and hence complete PHD in all of them. Today this, little brother would like to make an announcement. I would like craft spacecrafts which is able to fly through the space at the speed of light. Hence I would love to seek if there are any extraterrestrial life on planets other than ours."   After that, he answers them all quite patiently on small and casual questions as well.  Media B: Sir, thank you for answering our important questions. We hope to get more interviews from you and hope that you succeed this mission.  In his mind he was thinking-'Important questions? My foot! They were some questions which were much like a parody.' People throughout the China were watching this live telecast. They were all awed at his godly handsome face. Most importantly, his speech had an otherworldly charm to it, which made them all feel that whatever he said, he will make it possible. "Mama, Mama, I also want to be like Rahu, he's my hero. I will also become knowledgeable in all fields and subjects like him." "Baby, you know it's not possible for any normal child to complete such a feat like him." ... On the other hand, after he was done with his interview. The government sent a notice to him that his life is in danger, due to people of other countries courting him for his talent. They might come to kidnap him. At first he didn't believe this. He thought that since the govt. notified me of this then they must have had their sources. I should be careful from now on. The govt. should have sent people to protect me in my shadows. Anyway, let's get home.  Soon a bunch of kidnappers with black suit came and surrounded him. However due to the presence of Chinese ninjas in the shadow, they all came at a lightning fast speed and knocked down all the people.  After that incident, he was forced to learn martial arts and after learning it, he asked those ninjas to leave him alone as he won't need their protection from now on. They were hesitating and not satisfied. He sighed and took a fighting stance. He said "Let me show you guys how much I learned in martial arts." After that he easily knocked down all the ninjas making them believe that he didn't need their protection. After that, he gave some tips on martial arts to the head of ninjas as he felt gratified for his group's protection. Since then the head of the ninja had unprecedented breakthroughs in martial way.  Whichever researchers, assassins or people with nefarious intentions came, Rahu used his wits and even martial techniques he created by himself to get them to Police whereby they would arrest them and he would file a case of kidnapping on them.  When 10 years had passed, he had remained low-key throughout the time.  But this couldn't get the people's attention out of him. During this much time he had basically learned every subjects, perfected every techniqes and martial theories of his. He was a kind-hearted person as well so he decided to spread his every researches and self-made theories which would benefit the Humanity.  Since then, he was known as the Dao God of China. Here in China, dao meant a apex in any field. Basically there was not a subject left  which he didn't know. He was even cursing the Heaven for why did they bestow him with such talent, and desires. His desire to learn and lead to perfection was very strong. After learning everything he had on Earth, he started making spacecrafts with his design and technology, which were capable to fly at the speed of light in the space. Even the media and the public were surprised to see that he achieved in doing that. Knowing that he would be going to seek extraterrestrial life on space, they all cheered him. There was not a person left who wasn't his fan. Even poor peasants knew his name. His name 'Rahu' like a mythological legend was spread throughout the urban times. Thus, when he was about to export to space. Many people prayed for him in their homes. Kids who were his fans basically cried for a whole day fearing that they would never see their hero making a new world-beating record in any sport or technology. Rahu, personally had no parents, as he was an orphan. Probably this origin of his was the primal reason for why he had the desire to learn everything. It was said that at the epitome of everything they all went to the origin of 3000 great daos. Rahu had figured that out by his study in Chinese mythology. However he didn't agree on it. He couldn't find himself to believe there were things like Daos.  Who knew that after going to space, he found that life on other planets was impossible to find, all of these planets were just some abandoned planets of a solar System. Even the nearest solar system, either had no life left or just wasn't fit for biosphere.  As time passed, he realised that the space had many mysteries stored in it. And he had a feeling if he studied them he would bring a great breakthrough in Earth's technology. Half of his life was soon spent on Space. During this much time, he had researched by himself on the property of matter. However he knew that it was illogical to spend life here as he had basically nothing much left to experiment on.  He was bored. No opponent of his talent was there in Earth, there were no alien races either. His life was basically to be spent in boredom to death. He had only half a life left as he was already in his 50s and the average lifespan of humans was 100 yrs. That also was only possible due to his breakthroughs in medical field. Otherwise the average lifespan would only had been 60-70.  However, what happened later ended his train of thoughts. As he realised that his spacecraft landed on the first planet of Algori Solar System,  this was the planet, his only last hope. He knew that the planet was way too hot. And his current metallic suit can't handle the heat for not more than 5 hours. He only had 5 hours to resaech. After he landed his foot on the planet, he started using equipments to research the basis of matter on which this planet was made, and finally after 4 hours and 30minutes later, he made a discovery, a very big world-beating discovery! He discovered that this planet had its own life-force. And the reason for this was the solar system's starlight! The planet used Carbon dioxide as the absorber of light and used planet's internal structure as a source to give birth to life-force, hence converting light to life-force. If human body used this technique they could have immortal physique! After that he was ready to go back to Earth but then he discovered that his spacecraft was nowhere to be seen. It was engulfed by the planet turning into the ingredient for life-force synthesis.  He had only 30 minutes remaining. He decided to use it on meditating. In the final moment of his life, he died due to excessive heat his suit couldn't endure, as it broke and he was turned to ash.  .... ... In Heavenly yellow continent, of Blue whale world.  In the Hifeng City of Green Kong Kingdom under Qin Empire.  "Huh I'm not dead? Eh what is this? Tsk. Tsk. This sticky liquid is stuck on me? Don't tell I'm really reincarnated to the cultivation world but I'm in a womb???" "No noo..." A baby cry came from the stomach of a breathtaking beautiful woman as the baby slided past the uterus pretty easily. Seeing this, she and her husband smiled. To them, it was a sign that the baby of their was going to be healthy and strong. A black and healthy man called Rudra, the strongest general under the Ninth Heaven Emperor, was looking at the sight which occured from the breathtaking woman's body, straight at the cute contemplating baby. Seeing his husband's shameless antics, the woman face reddened. Although they had sex like maniac at nights but she still felt shy when Rudra used his All-seeing eye on her womb.  At the same time, Rahu who was curled up in his mother's womb felt goosebumps out of nowhere as if he felt somebody was staring at him.  "Interesting, Combat martial Body? Such terrifying instinct to be able to feel my gaze.  Our son would be strongest under heaven once he embark on his martial path." "There is also the other body type which is more domineering than Combat martial Body, which I don't know about. Even I don't know what body it is." Hearing her husband's shocked expression, she found it amusing.  "What about his bloodline and soul?" "Sigh. His soul has many holes and looks horrible as it's size is immense and I can see he has barriers from heaven placed on him. He inherited both of our bloodlines, Dragon God black-hole blood and Phoenix God white-hole blood. He is destined to be greatest person in the world, only if he didn't had barriers from heaven and a shattered soul."  "Let's leave him to his fate, if he is destined to be that person, he will breakthrough from lowest of the trashes to become the greatest of all times."  "Alright, we will leave him in this place then. Let's go back to our home- The universe is waiting for us to fight back those aliens. Shall we?" Saying that, the breathtaking beautiful lady left her son on the flow of river with a letter which had the name of the baby written on it. "Yes dear, and hopefully our son would breakthrough and reunite with us soon. Otherwise I just hope he will live a good life with caring family." Both of them then disappeared into a portal that appeared just behind them.  ....

For 2022, I’ve been wanting to write more ‘creature features’ and generally improve my short story writing. My partner got me a Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual for my birthday so I came up with the idea of writing a story every week based on a different creature from that - All There in the (Monster) Manual. Hope you enjoy! This Week’s Inspiration: Hell Hound ======   “You’re telling me I’m fucking bankrupt?” That morning started out as a good one for Milton Masters. Most mornings were good ones in his experience. He’d woken up refreshed with no hangover in spite of his late revelries the night before. He never got hungover, never really got sick. Kylie, his beautiful wife, was in a weird mood and had acted a little cold but that was okay. Milton could just as soon arrange a nooner with his assistant, Rachael, or any one of his casual girlfriends. Kylie knew, they had an understanding. He’d gone for a quick five mile run around his massive property just for the sheer pleasure of it. He had one of those metabolisms where no matter what he ate or what he drank or what drugs he put into his body he stayed lean and fit, but he liked to run. He looked as good as he had ten years ago when in his late twenties, if not better. He’d taken the Porsche to work although the agency tended to keep itself running no matter how much or little effort he put into it. But then Rachael reminded Milton of a meeting he had in the boardroom, which he’d forgotten. Apparently a few weeks ago some of the agency’s accountants noticed some irregularities. Milton hadn’t worried, things like that always worked themselves out. They’d hired a forensic accountant though to go through the company’s books and holdings. That morning he was delivering his report. “It’s quite a bit worse than bankrupt, Mr Masters,” the bespectacled man in the grey suit said. “There are debts here, both in the agency’s name and in your name personally, that are astronomical. I have no idea how this has been missed or has stayed afloat for so long.” “Do you know who we represent?” Milton said. “Some of the hottest names in the country! On the planet! They bring millions, tens of millions, back into this agency every day!” “And then it all feeds back into this network of costs and holdings. It’s labyrinthian, I’ve been doing this for more than a decade and I’ve never seen anything like it. And basically everywhere you look you have these debts eating away at everything. They’re like termites that have been chewing at the foundations of a house for years and years, and now that house is at the point of collapse.” “This isn’t possible.” “I can’t understate how serious this is, Mr Masters. Your personal holdings are tied throughout all of this. You’re not just going to lose your business, you’re going to lose your house, your cars. I’m sorry, you’re going to lose everything. You could even be facing jail time.” “It’s not possible.” “Embezzlement is a real possibility but some of these structures go back to the very founding of your business. Do you remember who set up all these original applications and accounts for you?” Milton stopped, and stared. It took the accountant several promptings to bring him out of what seemed like a fugue. Milton always told people he didn’t like to look back when they asked him about the start of his success, he preferred living in the present. But trying to cast his mind back to those early days, ten years earlier, it all seemed shrouded in grey. It always felt like it had happened so easily. Like one day the offices, the staff, and all the boring business stuff like accounts and legal documents were just there, and then the clients started flocking to them. No matter how Milton twisted it in his memory, he couldn’t think of who might have set those things up or how. “This is still an informal meeting because I realised just how dire the situation was,” the accountant said. “I’ll put together a much more thorough formal report to identify your biggest risks but right now you need to stop spending. Today, this second. Don’t touch any of these accounts until we talk again.” This couldn’t be real, this was a nightmare, Milton thought. He drifted back to his office in a daze. Windows even in the reception area outside his office offered dazzling views. His busty, redheaded assistant Rachael shot up as he entered. “Milton, are you okay? You look pale,” Rachael said. “Just, just, hold all my calls, don’t let anyone in to see me,” Milton said. Milton’s office was huge but the walls were cluttered by the sheer number of platinum records, signed musical instruments, and photos of Milton with clients, other musicians, and various celebrities. Milton fell into the chair behind his desk. He knew he should call someone but he didn’t know who. He didn’t handle that kind of thing anymore. Truth be told, he couldn’t remember when the last time was he ever had to handle that kind of thing for himself. “This can’t be happening.” Milton buried his face in his hands for a few moments but then looked up and happened to glance towards his desktop computer screen. It was on sleep mode and black, and reflected Milton’s morose features back at him. But behind his shoulder, he also spotted the reflection of a monstrous dog. Its teeth were bared and its eyes ablaze, looking like it was about to go for his neck. “What the-,” Milton shot out of his seat, spinning and knocking it to the ground. There was nothing behind him. Of course there wasn’t, for the dog to be where he’d seen it in the reflection it would have had to be hovering outside his window some twenty stories off the ground. Still, panting, Milton twisted and hunted around the office for some sign of the phantom dog. Nothing. It must have been stress or something. He’d imagined it, no matter how real it seemed. Milton collected himself and marched back out of the office. Rachael, confused, jumped up from behind her desk again. “Milton, what’s happening? Where are you going?” “Home, cancel my meetings. Do I have any meetings? Cancel them,” Milton said. Milton returned to his Porsche and tore out of the parking garage. On his way home, Milton realised he was putting an awful lot of faith in the word of just one man. Not even one of his own accountants, someone hired from outside of the agency. But somehow he knew the man had been telling the truth. He had a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that it was all coming down. A feeling he’d been holding onto for a long time that somehow, someday, it all would end. He hadn’t forgotten the dog he’d hallucinated either. He kept glancing to his rearview mirror, pointed at the backseat, as he drove. When Milton arrived home, he was greeted by the sight of two huge trucks parked outside his mansion. Men in dark grey uniforms poured in and out of his front doors. With them they carried furniture, rugs, paintings and other artworks. Milton screamed up the driveway and pulled hard to a stop behind the trucks. “What the fuck is this? What do you think you’re doing?” Milton yelled as he emerged from the Porsche. “Repossession.” A senior man came over and slapped some papers into Milton’s chest. “It’s all in here, the bank is taking it back.” “You can’t just-, let yourselves in and start stealing all my stuff!” “Your wife let us in,” the supervisor said. “Yeah, she’s been very accommodating,” another nearby man said, carrying one end of an antique sofa. The man at the other end of the sofa snickered. So did the supervisor and several other surrounding removalists. Milton ignored them and ignored the papers, tossing them aside as he ran into the house. “Kylie! Kylie!” Milton yelled. Milton sprinted up the stairs and headed for the bedroom, where he’d last seen Kylie that morning. He was surprised at the top of the stairs to find himself out of breath. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been out of breath, even after a big run, but the stairs he travelled usually several times a day without issue had winded him. Milton took a moment to recover and continued down the hallway. “Kylie?” Milton threw the bedroom door open, and recoiled at what he saw. Kylie bent over the bed on her hands and knees, totally naked. Two removalists stood around her, one at either end, with their pants pooled around their ankles. As Milton entered they all broke apart but what he’d seen in that split-second burned itself across his brain. Kylie dropped across the bed but she didn’t look ashamed, she looked furious. “Kylie, what are you doing?” Milton gasped. Milton’s heart dropped into his stomach. The betrayal. They might have had an arrangement where Milton could sleep with whoever he wanted but for the last ten years Kylie had been faithful, at least as far as he knew. The two men shovelled themselves back into their pants. Staring sullenly, they filed past Milton. Kylie wrapped herself in one of the sheets and rolled off the bed. “What the fuck were you doing?” Milton repeated himself. “I think you should know, pretty sure you’ve been there once or twice,” Kylie said. It was true Milton had shared women with other men like that a few times, when the mood struck him. But not Kylie, never Kylie. She was untouchable. The two of them had gone to high school together but had never hung out in the same circles. It was only when they’d reconnected around the same time Milton was putting his agency together that they’d started dating. They’d married after a whirlwind romance, their ten year anniversary was coming up soon, and as far as Milton was concerned theirs was a perfect and perfectly happy marriage. “Is this to get back at me? You found out I’m broke and getting repossessed, and you wanted to hurt me?” “I didn’t want to hurt you, Milton,” Kylie said. “In fact, I don’t care about you at all. I woke up this morning and I couldn’t figure out what I’d been thinking the last ten years. I don’t understand why we got together or where my feelings for you ever came from.” “But, but, I love you.” “You love what about me? Seriously, what? What did we ever talk about when we first got together? When did we ever fall in love? Back in high school, we never talked.” Milton gaped. Much like when he’d been asked about the origins of his business dealings that morning, everything in his memory seemed faded. He and Kylie getting together just seemed to happen back then. But it was insane, they were in love! Kylie hung off his every word, she laughed at his every joke. She let him do whatever he wanted as long as it made him happy. They’d been distant in high school but people changed, and they’d reconnected. Kylie slapped Milton in the stomach and snapped him out of his thoughts. Still only wrapped in a sheet, she strolled casually out of the room. “You’re getting fat by the way,” Kylie remarked on her way out. “It can’t have all been fake, it can’t,” Milton said as she left, but in his gut he knew it was. Milton still felt out of breath, and his heart was pounding. He crossed the room to their walk-in wardrobe. Kylie was right about his weight, and that suddenly felt important. Milton stripped off his shirt and stood in front of one of the wardrobe’s full-length mirrors. Somehow, Milton had developed a paunch that hung over his waistband. His chest and arms had softened as well. He still wasn’t in necessarily bad shape for a man of thirty-eight but Milton remembered admiring his lean physique in the mirror just that morning. The hard lines of muscle that he never really seemed to work on. Could stress cause the body to break down so quickly? He felt heavy, and old. Like years of alcohol and drug use were suddenly catching up to him. Then, suddenly, behind him, Milton saw the dog. Clear as life, it looked similar to a rottweiler with a huge, muscular frame, a giant of a canine, and totally black. Its lips were drawn back from fangs that could easily rip him apart. Its eyes were blazing red, as if lit by some internal fire. Milton heard it let out a chainsaw snarl that rippled up his spine. “Jesus!” Milton whirled around and crashed into another mirrored closet door. Nothing, there was nothing behind him. But it had looked so real, Milton could picture individual strands of fur rippling down its back. See the shine of drool on its teeth. He’d heard it growl! But the carpeted patch behind him was empty. He checked the mirrors and found them empty as well. “What the fuck is happening to me?” Milton’s heart thundered. His whole body felt like it was covered in a cold sweat. He pulled his shirt back on, feeling vulnerable, and raced out of the bedroom. Looking for Kylie, he couldn’t find her. All the removalists seemed to be concentrated at the front of the house. Milton snuck down the back instead, feeling like a thief in his own home. Behind the house was Milton’s enormous pool, clean water glittering in the sunlight. It had an irregular shape, like a natural lagoon surrounded by gardens and shady cabanas. At the other end of the pool was the pool house. Two stories with several bedrooms, bathrooms, and its own bar, the pool house was bigger than plenty of peoples’ actual homes. When they weren’t entertaining and the mansion started feeling a little too big and empty, the pool house was Milton’s private oasis. Milton let himself in. At least the repossessors hadn’t gotten to the pool house yet. The front room, with big glass doors and windows facing the pool, was full of more music memorabilia. A jukebox and a dozen guitars occupied one wall, tens of thousands of dollars worth of instruments. Milton hadn’t picked one up in a while but he used to play all the time. When just how much his life had changed started to overwhelm him and he got struck by fears it would all somehow be taken away, he’d play guitar for a while and lose himself. There was no time like the present to start again. Milton slipped one of his favourites off the wall, plugged it into an amp by the jukebox and sat down to start playing. Milton’s hand froze over the neck of the guitar. He strummed but he had no rhythm, his fingers just falling against the strings. He tried to twist his left hand into the right shape but he couldn’t remember any chords. His mind was blank. He couldn’t even find a comfortable position to hold the instrument, like he’d never picked up a guitar before in his life. “No, no, it’s not possible,” Milton said. Milton couldn’t remember a thing he’d ever learned about playing guitar. Sure, it had been a while but not that long. He frequently pulled one of the instruments down from the wall and played a little bit at parties. His guests often told him he was good enough to pick up a music career of his own, had he ever wanted to deal with all that recording and touring. Some of it was no doubt flattery but Milton was genuinely good, he knew he was good! But suddenly he could no longer access the memories or ability to play. The strings hurt his fingers, as if he’d never built up any calluses. All that came out of the amp was noise. Milton heard another chainsaw growl, rising to a snarl. Looking up, he saw the dog again, its reflection ghostly but very much present in one of the pool house’s glass doors. Its fangs were exposed and its eyes on fire. It opened its mouth and barked, the sound so deep and loud Milton felt it in his chest. “You! You did this to me, go away!” Milton ripped the cord out of the guitar, stood up, and pitched it toward the dog’s reflection. The glass pane shattered. The guitar flew right through it and cracked against the pavers that surrounded the pool. Knifelike shards continued to tumble out of the frame and break apart. “Mr Masters, I don’t think you’re in any position to be treating your assets like that,” a voice said. The bespectacled accountant from that morning strolled into view and stopped in the middle of the shattered frame, right where the dog’s reflection had been. In his grey suit and red tie, he was such a small and unassuming figure that even after he’d started Milton’s downfall it still took Milton a few moments to recognise him. Shoes crackling on broken glass, he stepped through the frame. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Milton asked. “We had a deal, Mr Masters,” the accountant said. “I’m here to see you fulfil it.” “What deal? I didn’t sign anything!” “Oh, but you did, and in blood no less.” The accountant took off his glasses and cleaned them with his tie. He went to put them back on but then seemed to think better of it and tossed them aside instead. With every step, the planes of the accountant’s face subtly changed along with the way he held himself. A devilish grin split the man’s face. “I know you don’t like to think about the past, too busy living in the present, right? But think back,” the accountant said. “You were a nobody in high school, pathetic, and then after you graduated things didn’t get any better.” “People change! I built all this from the ground up!” Milton said. Milton’ head jerked as he heard the dog snarl and its jaws snap. He couldn’t see it, couldn’t see its reflection, but it was somewhere in the room with the two of them. Invisible, but he could feel it. “You bounced from one minimum wage job to the next, no aim, no girlfriends. You didn’t even have the drive to actually learn how to play guitar like you always wanted.” “God, no.” Milton backed up toward the pool house’s bar. He started to remember those shiftless, aimless years, waiting for a break that never came. Something that would magically put him on the path to greatness. “As you approached thirty you became more and more desperate,” the accountant said. “You’d heard the story of Robert Johnson, the blues musician who sold his soul for his unearthly skill. Not true, by the way, he was never one of ours.” “No, no.” Milton started to remember. All that grey in his memories began to lift, and he remembered the night the man in grey described. He heard the dog in the room with them again. Something heavy and hairy brushed against Milton’s leg but he couldn’t see it. “You went to the crossroads at midnight. You drew the signs, you said the words.” “I didn’t know it was real!” “And you signed away your soul when I appeared to you. You’d been thinking about the contract for so long, everything you wanted, no loopholes. But such small, petty dreams. To be rich, to hang with the cool kids, to fuck the prom queen. You wanted abs without having to work for them, and to play the guitar without practising. Petty, petty, but it was yours for ten years, as per our agreement.” “I didn’t know!” It had all come back to Milton now. “Oh, and one other thing, very interesting. You wanted to forget. So you could really enjoy all your pleasures, you wanted to forget how you got them so you wouldn’t spend the next ten years worrying about what was to come. We could spare you that, what’s ten years against an eternity?” “There must be some kind of deal we can make now! A new deal, if you give me time! If you give me more time!” “I’m afraid your time is up, Mr Masters. You called the tune, you danced to the music, and now, as they say, it’s time to pay the piper.” Milton heard the dog bark and something seized him by the leg. He looked down and saw invisible fangs shred through the lower part of his pant leg and draw blood. Milton screamed and threw himself backward. Teeth like knives ripped through muscle and meat. Lashing out with his other foot, Milton met something solid even though he couldn’t see what he’d hit. Blood flew, the invisible hound savaging his calf for a few more moments and then letting go. “Jesus! Jesus, God!” Milton grabbed the bar and hauled himself up to try to get away, leg gushing blood. “Please! Okay, please, I’ll come with you but call it off! Please, call the dog off!” “Oh, Mr Masters, if I were you I’d savour this moment. Compared to where you’re going this is no more than a gentle hazing.” Invisible, the hellhound came around the bar and hit Milton from behind. Teeth ripped open his arm and yanked him down from on top of the bar. Milton fell, screaming. He felt its hot breath on his face, smelled his own blood, as the creature fell on top of him and began to bite.   ========   Sean: This one really grabbed me and wouldn’t let go, it took me a couple of days to write but only because I came up with the idea really late in the evening on the first day. I just had to see it to the conclusion so I just went ploughing through it as quickly as possible. I think it’s a pretty good twist but I’m guessing the title and the monster probably gave it away early to some people. Damn it, it’s a good title too though! Titles are hard. This hellhound is a lot less friendly than the last story I wrote involving a canine monster from the afterlife. Keep your eyes on my website for more in this series, I fully intend to release one every week across 2022 – totally free. And for more updates you can find me on Facebook and Twitter. Next Week’s Inspiration: Grell

“Hey Akkun, wanna grab a bite at Mczonald?” “Nah, I have something to do today.” “Aww, I wanna drag Jingz and Gungdu with me in that case. Well, bye then. ” "Bye" With that, the two of them partway which on their own plan for the day. The end. . . . Reading the short story, a very very short story that makes one wonder what was the point behind that conversation, I can't help but look at the author who was my friend that's currently looking at me with an expressionless expression. “Fumu…how about hmmm…give a more interesting conversation?” “Like what kind?” “For example, what kind of panties would you want your girlfriend to wear for you?” “I don’t have a girlfriend and I don’t think they are kind enough to do as you are told isn’t it?” Please don't bring your cruel reality here! This guy is really dry to the core. If your girlfriend won't, then doesn't that make you all the more interested in getting one? Isn't that how normal people's train of thought went usually? “Well of course. They might slap you right then and end it there. But! Exactly because it is impossible does such a novel attract the reader's interest you know?” “…Does the so-called reader have some kind of delusional fetish?” How dare you call me for having a delusional fetish. Do you want to be cursed by an angry international reader whose hobby is reading such a delusional story on a pirated site? Should I give them your photo and date of birth while at it hmm?  “…please call it a romance of an impossibility. And the reason you are writing a novel so that you would be able to learn people’s feelings right? Remember that if your Japanese score still below a certain range, you wouldn’t be able to enter your favorite university” “I don’t think I need to fulfill a stranger's need for their delusion to learn Japanese? And I still have a lot of time to prepare anyway” Why is he always like this!? Looking at that a matter-of-factly glint on his eyes that I can't retort to, it weirdly makes me even more irritated. I feel like he is rebutting every one of my ideas even though it should be the norm in the web novel world! "Panties! Add panty-shot I said! It didn't even difficult, why are you so stubborn?" "*Frown, why did the girl needs to do such an embarrassing thing anyway?" "Because seeing a panty shot is a boy's romance!" "Then, why don't you find your romance first?A girlfriend or something" "...no need to add anything. And don't bring up any romance-related thing to me anymore"  "A girlfriend or something." "...dammit" This guy is a tough nut to crack. Is he naive enough to think that just because you succeeded at not writing my favorite fanservice, you can write something interesting enough to attract readers? “Then! Just think of it like this! Write something that doesn’t need to make a weird element but interesting enough! Do you think you can do that? You can’t right!??” “Well, as long as I put a fun fact over here and there, they bound to get interested isn’t it?” “You are writing a novel! Not an article for fuck sake! Just write…no, you must write a weird thing! Right here and now! Must-be-done-now!” Write that on the web novel-based site somewhere and I will give you 1 star in secret! Along with a harsh review while at it! “I understand I understand. Please don’t shout. You are making sensei looking at us right now” *Tch It seems like my anger got the better of me. “Hah, what a hassle. It can’t be helped then. It seems that our discussion will be put on hold for no—ouch!!” *Ouch! “Care to listen like an obedient student? Oh, dear Suzuki-kun and Takaki-kun?” “”…Yes ma’am”” With that, two certain boys whisper-like conversation of ours in the middle of the class finished in an abrupt manner, or so it normally would. Well, it’s not like sensei talking about an important subject anyway, wouldn't it be fine if we do it secretly later? It is only a homeroom lesson after all, why is she so angry? “Even though it is only a homeroom, you both might not be able to hear it again soon, you both understand?” “Yes, sensei” What the, is she a psychic? How come she gave an answer to my inner complaint? And what do you mean by soon? Anyway, my name is Takaki Izumi, the first year in a certain high school in some-part of Tokyo city. The one who gets scolded along with me was Suzuki Iwatami, a genius kind of student in my class. As for another description about him, well, not interested, bye. “Well, Suzuki-kun, if you ever need something or suggestion about anything especially for your Japanese subject, feel free to meet me or went straight to the counseling room. Please don’t ruin your view with a twisted and questionable source from a weird un-credible source.” “Sensei, I am his friend and am not a twisted, questionable, and weird creature!” “THEN, care to explain what you are talking about at the back when I am still talking, Takaki-kun?” As a woman, please don't glare at people too much sensei, your bulky chest is twitching right now and it looks kind of tempting to be honest...and scary. “…I am sorry. I will be careful from now on” “It is good if you understand. Suzuki-kun, please be friends with a normal student later okay?” “Sensei, your treatment is kind of bias!” “If you had a better score, a better look, a better behavior, a better—“ “Yes Yes! I am sorry for being a lowly being, please stop downing me with negativity in the middle of class sensei!" Why aren't you giving this much love to me also! I know that my friend's score was always high, his face always high quality, his behavior...well, he is expressionless most of the time so one could say that he is obedient, and also — "Oho, so you do understand that we are in the middle of the class after all?" "But, you are only scolding me all this while!" Look, you even cut my inner monologue, how come you are so cruel to me sensei! "Really? Then, what do you want me to do?" *Frown What? Is she going to fulfill my request if I just say so? I don't know about others but the kind of sensei that I know from the short time I attended this class in my first year was, she is kind of ice-blooded, not even cold-blooded people could compare for her cruel treatment, at least toward me. But, is she going to... I really can't help but narrow my eyes in suspicion, but as a man, a retreat is not an option now. If that the case... "Sensei, please be nice to me as well!" "Okay everyone, let's wrap our homeroom for this morning~" ...Sensei, I am currently bowing my head down, so could you please pretend to care and not leaving just like that when I am still speaking? Dammit, I know something would go wrong for sure! "...Oh, I get it! Why don't you base the character on a real-life?" "...What do you mean, Iwatami-dono" "...How about making you my main character?" Oho, that is WHAT I call an interesting concept.  But you know what, Iwatami-dono, how about you give me some consolation for the wounded heart that was me at the very least. I am still bowing my head you know? Well, there is no telling that sensei actually only teasing me and then came back to fulfill that little request of mine right? A man should at least have that much dream while they are still young after all! Well, let's put that aside for now and continue about that topic from before. What is it again? Me as a character protagonist? Okay Iwatami-dono, I am all ears now. "This is won't long. Just listen. You don't need to add any weird element in it, just put a weird protagonist instead!" Weird protagonist! It would be indeed become an interesting novel as long as you have a weird protagonist! As a novel reader myself, I can of interested in that kind of novel too, so I can actually agree with this idea now. "So, which part of me looks weird in your eyes?" But, this part is kind of confusing to me so let's hear about what you want to say. "..." "..." Fumu, I know that we are talking in the middle of the class and there is a homeroom before, so it is bound to be a little quiet in the classroom and I know that it can't be helped. But, shouldn't when the homeroom finishes, shouldn't the class normally become noisy afterward? What's with this disturbing silence we are having right now?  Ah, just for your information, I am still bowing my head down. Become a dreamer! Until sensei fulfill my wish! "It's alright. There will be nothing there except for your current behavior. There is no need to add any panty shot just like you suggested." "...I feel like I need to ascertain this to you again. But my suggestion is based on the popular cliche nowadays so actually I am within a normal range no matter how much you hate it" "...Hmm, is that so? Should we take a vote right here while we are at it, Suzuki-kun? Whoever agreed with Suzuki should raise your hand!- or something like that?" *Fiuh Let's take a deep breath. In~ Out~ Breathing is the greatest ability human has since the stone age, and the calm mind is what brought that primitive time into the modern world that we are now...okay, I am calmed down now. Alright! It is really really, troubling that you now using the power of the mass. There is no way the student would even dare to raise their hand, right? On top of that, the one who to ask for that question was supposed to be me, isn't it? Why are you talking to Iwatami instead? What? Do you want me to lower my head even more now? My forehead already stuck to my desk so it can't go any lower you know. Taking a deep breath again to calm the turmoil of this unfairness that I felt, I decided to at least show a little power of determination to prove my stance. Or else, I will be bullied later at this rate. "...I am sorry, I won't weird thing anymore *Shasak Shasak" Well, let's just grind my forehead if it can't go any lower. The attitude is what matters, so as long as she understands that I am sincere, I think it would be fine even though I didn't go under the desk and bow instead. And Iwatami, you better stop writing right now.  Don't make me feel like my action was weird enough to be written into your novel!  Dammit, better remember not to talk about this kind of topic in the class again in the future, at least not until my homeroom teacher already gone. What? Stop talking in the class you say? IT already low to begin with anyway so I couldn't care less! As long as I can drag that Iwatami brat to write a web novel!        A/N: Well, just a passing idea that gave me a craving to write. You can continue your travel to dig a hidden gem now. Have a safe trip~

WALKING VIRUS Chapter One Common isekai with an uncommon protagonist.  I don’t believe in God, but with all I’ve witnessed I think I really should. You don’t go through what I have without considering the involvement of a higher power. Why do I say so? On the 14th of February 2020, two days before my birthday, I died. I watched my body fail me, I watched the needles empty their contents into my bloodstream. From the other side of the glass, I saw expressions ranging from joy on the faces of those who were glad that I finally got ‘what I deserved’ to sadness on those who thought otherwise and then the neutrality on those who just couldn’t be bothered to care. I died for a crime I never committed, I was executed. But in my own way I’d like to think that I was martyred for a great cause. I went against the grain, those in high places did not appreciate my defiance. So I was swiftly silenced. But I did get my message across, so it wasn’t all bad. No, what was bad, was death. You’d think I died peacefully with a smile on my face if you’d been on the other side of the glass. That was because I was paralyzed. I was absolutely terrified, I was so scared I’d piss myself if I wasn’t already immobile. Feeling your heart— the one thing that’s been beating in your chest long before you became self aware – stop is a feeling so dreadful it is better kept to oneself. The thing is, after my heart stopped and the dreaded sleep came. I awoke. Normally that would be something to be joyful for, after all failed executions are god’s way of telling us it’s not our time to die. But my case left me wondering just what type of god granted me such a miracle. Because you see, god must have gotten me mixed up with one of its countless creatures, I couldn’t be judgmental, who knows how hard it is being god? How tired he/she must have been to have TAKEN AWAY MY BODY AND TURN ME INTO A FUCKED UP ORGANISM! Yes goddamnit I was mad. It ain’t everyday you wake up to being in a rabbit is it? Oh, did I also mention how I wasn’t on earth anymore? Forgive me, sometimes I get too worked up letting my situation blind me from appreciating the bright side of things – like being alive. So where was I? I had absolutely no idea but I knew that it wasn’t earth. Because earth doesn’t have two moons, or plants that breathe fire, or wolves that run on wind. Speaking of wolves that run on wind, here I was right in the face of death, again. Because as I mentioned earlier, I was in the body of a rabbit – one with horns – about to be slaughtered by my natural predator. The beast higher on the food pyramid than I was. I stabbed ahead with my uni-horn –a half foot long conical rod of ultra hardened keratin – trying to impale it through its midsection. It swiped its paws at my head, easily subduing me. Try as I might, I could not shake its paws off. I roared in fury, which I’m certain came out as nothing but a loud screech. The thought that I could’ve tried talking to it, just crossed my mind as its jaws clenched around my throat, sinking its teeth through major arteries and veins. I abandoned my control over the host body and joined the first spurt of blood, as that would be the most powerful one, right into the wolf’s maws. Damnit! I cursed. Using blood as a mode of transfer into a different host took 85% of my current mass and cell volume, two years of hard work gone! Just like that. Meaning it left me just on the edge of death every time I did it. I was too desperate, if I had stuck with the dying rabbit host, I would’ve joined it in death, and I wasn’t ever going to be dying again. One time was enough for me. I am a virus with a consciousness, a self aware one at that. I think I’m this world’s equivalent to HIV – Haha, I’m so fucked. The thing is, this virus wasn’t meant to survive this long, it’s shelf life without a host was appalling and the only mode of transference that would guarantee survival was one of sexual contact. This thing – I fed on the vitality of my host, at least that’s as much as I know. The only hosts I’ve had so far have been rabbits. When I assume control over the host, I begin to replicate and invade deep into the nervous system prolonging my life at the cost of the host’s vitality. But during the process of invasion, the body’s immune system goes to war with me. Like right now, if it wasn’t for the fact that I had a mind, I would have died upon invading this wolf’s internal system. Its massive immune system was vehemently attacking me, trying to eradicate my existence. My mass and volume was too little to put up a proper defense. I had to break up my already dwindling size and make a run for its spinal column. Less than 2% mass remained. But I had gained access into the nerve cluster and boy did I go to work. Replication began at blinding speeds and with it came domination. I was in control of the ferocious beast. The nutrients and vitality I acquired from it would prolong my life for a full week before I needed to feed again, or decide to find a new host. Wow, in the rabbits, I could only live for a day and half before I needed to feed. Don’t be confused when I say feed, I don’t mean in the sense of food consumption, I meant to engage in sexual intercourse and absorb the vitality of the victim I was doing, that was how I fed, by sucking in the sexual vitality of my partners. Yeah, you become jaded to bestiality if you happen to be a virus whose life depended on it. I don’t know what type of a messed up environmental condition would drive this type of evolutionary adaptation. But hey, I was working with what I had on hand. I began working on the internal systems of the beast, tweaking it to my standards, enhancing its physiology and giving it the six inch long keratin horn for added protection. I was quite accustomed to using it as a weapon. *.*.*.*. I hadn’t seen humans since I got here. It’s been months since I transmigrated to this world, and I had yet to lay eyes on humans. That is until today. The wind wolf has an extraordinary sense of smell, coupled with its amazing eyesight, this body was becoming one of my favorites. Dare I say it, it was even better than my human one. But humans were at the top for a reason. Those higher brain functions and advanced biological systems will always have a place in my blackened heart. I listened to the songs of the early rising birds, stalking slowly through dead leaves and tall bamboo stalks. The calm trickle of the water as it flowed down its path added a rare serenity to the harmony of nature. Carnivorous beasts don’t come this far out because of the lack of prey and the inaccessibility of the region. They just couldn’t be bothered to move through the natural fence of trees and bamboo shoots. But I didn’t mind. Not when I sniffed the scent of humans. Oh, no I didn’t mind at all. I was aptly rewarded for my patience. I have been observing all the people coming to the banks, gauging their level of civilization and their strengths based on sight. From what I’ve seen it looked like they were in the early middle ages, they had shaped metal tools, but still used earthen pots and wooden utensils. But someone has caught my attention – a pleasant little thing that would come to the river bank early in the mornings to bathe and fetch water in an earthen pot. She looked like the generic village girl from movies, the maiden you’d expect to be kind and respectful who the hero fights to protect by all means necessary. I was aiming for her because she’d come to the bank when there weren’t other people around, not because she was pretty and I was thirsty as hell, no it was because it was convenient for me. When the girl disrobed, I thought I’d wait for her to enter the water first. But I had underestimated my hunger. I dashed for her, running on a foothold of air, with a lunge I was on her back. She fell forwards, screaming in fear as I held her down to the wet mud.  No matter how she trashed about, her strength was beneath mine, she couldn’t push me off. I clamped my jaws down on her shoulder to limit her movements, taking extra caution so I wouldn’t break her skin. She got the message, if she moved too much my fangs could tear through her neck. When she calmed down enough to allow me to position myself between her thighs. I won’t bore you with the poetry, she quivered and shook under my paw when she felt my engorged, ridged rod stroke the space between her bum.  She squealed and kicked, crying for help. I bit harder on her neck, enough to break sin and draw blood. She immediately ceased the protest knowing she could die if she angered me.  I hadn’t killed humans in this world but for the motivation that was my survival, that could change. I lowered my hindlimbs, positioned myself right at the edge of her love tunnel and rammed straight in. It was warm, tight and slippery.  She shouted and groaned, I filled her up nicely. The piston movement began, my pelvis slapped against her shapely ass with the force of a motorized fly swatter.  Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah!  I continued in her, she squirmed under me, tears rolled down her cheeks while she moaned reluctantly. She gritted her teeth in a mixture of pain and pleasure with drool dribbling down the side of her mouth. I pumped harder, hard enough to leave her bum red, hard enough she kicked and gushed a waterfall of juices from her snatch.  It was the perfect state to enter her. I released a mass of semen into her, enough to make her stomach swell, making her vagina clamp around my meaty spear.  The bulk of my mass moved into her system, I was in my element within the reproductive system. I easily gained access into her neural cluster, replicated within and dominated it.  When my eyes opened, I was human again albeit temporarily a female, but human again nonetheless. A smile wrote itself over my new lips. I stood up, pushing my now skin and bones previous host to the ground, my own seed dripping down my new legs. It was time to spread and gain vitality, but first I had to find the human settlement.  With one small step, I went on until I slapped myself. “I forgot my clothes.” 

This story containsconsensual mind control   Dark power, corruptive, all-encompassing darkness. Entrancing those with both strong and weak wills. That was what warlocks used, pacts with long forgotten gods and horrors, granting them power as their vessels in exchange for servitude. They could reduce buildings to ash, control those with no will power, or even dethrone gods themselves. So naturally the best move to make as one was to take up monster slaying and adventuring. As it turns out, a lot of those dark power sources simply want skulls for the skull throne more often than not. Thus, this led many down the paths of an adventurer. And naturally, this meant the hard part would come into question, finding an actual party that didn’t particularly mind the ungodly power of eldritch horrors. Thus, the halfling warlock, Ariamis, was in that predicament. His patron was thankfully able to give him minor healing magic, but the cost of which being that he had less than he needed for longer fights. With the problem being finding partners to work with being… tricky, not many people were willing to trust someone who can summon tentacles and control bears with dark magic. Enter the shameful task of just asking other solo adventurers on missions. Something that wound up being harder than trying to win someone’s romantic favor. Thankfully, someone was in a similar position, Lianna. One may think of her as a berserker when they see her in action, but in reality, the orc woman was well dressed, likely coming from either a noble family, or more likely, from a family that destroyed the bourgeoisie harming a kingdom and liked to wear suits. “Hey uh,” the halfling said one fateful night at a tavern. Watching her fight off some rich asshole with a golf pencil and steak with the elegance of a ballerina. “You… fight pretty good?” This was going poorly. Even if he hoped his words were covered up by someone running away cursing the woman. “I’d hope so,” she laughed, ignoring several distant threats directed towards her. “Can’t have half my livelihood not be worth a damn.” She laughed and went back to her drink, not making it clear if the halfling was going to be ignored or welcomed at the table. “Well, uh, I’m Ariamis,” he said, sitting down next to her. “And I need someone who’s good at fighting to help me with a few jobs.” “Bodyguard? Adventurer? Or something else?” she said, not looking away from her food. “Adventurer.” “Got a mark?” “A few?” “Good, meet me here in the morning and we’ll go.” “Even without knowing my name?” “Halfling who will prove his worth, if you’re screwing with me, I’ll drag you back here with no pay.” “Noted.” One successful adventure later. “Well!” the orc woman laughed, seemingly no worse for wear despite her clothes being singed, “You managed to hold your own!” “Fire beetles… never. Again” the halfling panted, his clothes almost entirely incinerated. “Well maybe you should use that weird magic to make ‘em hit each other instead?” “Oh, like making sure that owlbear didn’t rip your arm off?” “You got it reattached!” “I wouldn’t have had too if you didn’t rush in!” “Eh, I can take it” “I’m shocked you can! And how aren’t your clothes burnt?” “Magic threads” “Magic threads?” “If I’m going to rush in and go ape on some fucker, I want to look good doing it.” There was a pause as the Halfling considered this. Both of them walked back towards an inn and moved right up to the room they had gotten for the night. Adventurer’s honor meant that if you both come back from a job, you share a room to split the spoils. “So… it’s durable? Flame Resistant? And flexible?” “Yep!” the orc woman said, opening the door. Their reward bag being thrown casually over to the beds. “Why not splurge for the best you can get?” “And all I have is mind control…” “Yeah, about that?” she responded. “So, what can it make someone do?” “Well, if they wouldn’t do something out of, for lack of a better term, character, they can resist it. Meaning it’s not as powerful as rumors say.” “Which is why you have trouble finding teammates?” “Yeah, I can heal, throw magic, and control things. None of which I’m the best at.” “Hey,” she said, throwing her axe and war pick onto the other empty bed. “Never sell yourself short, you gotta make sure you know that having a lot you can do is better than only doing one thing.” “I suppose?” the warlock sighed; at least glad she wasn’t joining in on the self deprecation. “Still, it’s hard to improve spells when you don’t have anything to use them on.” “I hear that,” the berserker laughed, “hard to practice fighting if there’s nothing to hit.” The room slowly grew quieter, with Ariamis laying on the bed with the treasure bag on it. Normally adventurers would count the loot, but frankly? The duo wasn’t feeling energetic enough to actually bother with math. Since no one likes math. Also, the burnt flesh had something to do with it. “So, could you control me?” Lianna asked, getting the halfling to practically hit the ceiling with a surprised yelp. “Yes or no.” “I mean I could, but you’d be able to fight it?” “Yeah, it’d be fun.” There was a pause, with Ariamis looking at Lianna with a skeptical eyebrow. With her giving him a thumbs up and a wink. “I…I… guess?” the warlock said, not really knowing why she was asking about this. “So what? I just… control you and make you walk around the room?” “Or?” “Or?” Ariamis said, confused. And then saw her pants tenting. “O-Oh.” “Yep.” Lianna said with a wink. “…okay so how many cheesy nicknames do you have for it?” “Oh, do not make me pun while you control me.” The orc laughed, slowly removing her clothes, showing off her abs. “and many.” “Then try to resist it!” The shorter warlock said, looking at her abs very respectfully. “I will!” Lianna laughed, not even pausing as she threw her clothes into a corner of the room. “Good!” the warlock said, trying to sound confident before bursting out laughing. “This is the weirdest day.” “Yeah, but at least I’ll be able to see if resisting magic and arrows are in my wheelhouse.” Lianna chuckled. “Or maybe magic arrows!” “I’m not going to shoot you with magic arrows.” “Killjoy, anyways let’s get too fuckin.” “You’re not going to resist this at all unless I try to make you crack a joke, are you?” “What gave it away?” the orc laughed, waiting for Ariamis to do his magic. “The consent or the statement of ‘I’m not going to make jokes’?” “Gee, the giant boner may have something to do with it.” The halfling sighed. Knowing he was in for her pretending to be dominated. “Also damn that thing is big.” “Yeah, I decided my one time with magic was to be a girl.” “Opposite, but the same for me.” The halfling said, dropping his pants and grabbing his wand from their supplies. “Never really felt I needed a dick though.” “Fuck yeah.” The berserker laughed, both of them realizing that her being double his height would make this interesting. “Same for me, never really minded this.” “Well, here we go?” The halfling said, channeling the magic he had left from their adventure into his wand and hand as the room began to be enveloped in a violet light. Arcane powers from beyond the veil were reaching out, making a mental connection between the two. Normally, Ariamis wouldn’t make a show of it, but felt since she was insisting he use the spell, that he should try to make it flashy. He focused, looking at Lianna with an intent to control her, and she as promised didn’t resist. Her eyes glazed over after a moment, the magical aura dissipating in the room and started to emanate from the berserkers’ eyes. “Why did the cockatrice cross the-“ he was cut off by her glare. “No jokes.” She said, slowly moving her fingers. “Also, wow, this feels weird?” “I needed to make sure you were still there!” the halfling sighed, more relieved that she could in fact fight off his magic than anything. “And yeah, think of it like puppet strings, if that helps.” “I dunno, I was expecting like, total control?” the orc said, looking almost disappointed. “On your knees,” Ariamis said, trying to sound commanding and intimidating, only getting the berserker's knees to buckle as she grinned at him. “Well, it’s probably that you’re just strong willed.” “Oh no, I can’t resist, how could this happen to meeeeeee?” she deadpanned, carefully lowering herself to her knees and acting dramatic. A hand raised over her head like she had fainted. “And you said no jokes.” “I said that you couldn’t make me make any jokes.” The orc laughed. “Not that I can’t be an expert in comedy!” “Lay on your back?” the halfling tried to command, his voice cracking a bit sheerly from the nerves. The deadpan expression he got in response didn’t help. “Come on, spice it up!” she said while the magic compelled her to move on her back. “Show some showmanship!" “Foolish being who cannot comprehend the arcane arts I wield!” Ariamis boomed, trying to channel the inner drama student everyone has. “Now, begin eating me out as I sit on your face!” “Yes master,” Lianna deadpanned, trying to sound as out of it as possible as the halfling carefully positioned himself on her face. His pussy now just an inch or two above her face, they both took a breath and began. Her hands gripped his thighs as she pulled him onto her face and began licking. The warlock let out a few surprised squeaks as she went to work. “S-Slow down!” the halfling moaned, his body bouncing rhythmically on the berserker’s face. Her tongue went in deeper than he expected as one of her hands gripped his thigh as she obeyed the command. Ariamis took a breath, looked down, the berserker still happily pretending to be completely dominated by his magic. A quick look down revealed that her breasts were just touching his legs, and that gave him an idea. Well, as much as an idea that could form, as the orcs tongue was bringing him to the edge of bliss. “I’m going to grab your breasts” he panted, not waiting for a response from Lianna, before squeezing them. Getting a moan in response as the Orc woman kept going. Ariamis was close, just teetering on the edge and with a quick bit of work from Lianna’s tongue, he came. His body shuddered in delight as the continued motion made him lose his balance and flop to the ground just above the woman’s head. “Fuck.” He said with a content sight, looking at the orc woman. “That. Was good.” “Yeah, but now I think it’s my turn.” She grinned back, still erect. The magic glow was still barely noticeable in her eyes. There was a pause, with Ariamis looking at her as she gave an enthusiastic thumbs up like she was trying to sell him on doing more. “So, how little will I not be able to walk after this?” “Probably a few hours.” “...Fuck me senseless. That’s an order.” Ariamis grinned before he was effortlessly hoisted up onto the bed as the pounding commenced. The inn’s bed squeaking in protest as she moved her hips in a frantic rhythm, the halflings legs hopelessly tried to wrap around her as she gave him the fastest and most intense fuck he could remember. Neither of them could figure out the exact amount of time they were trading places, swapping positions, or using whatever stamina they had left to indulge each other. “Well.” Ariamis panted, now just on the bed next to his adventuring partner. “I’d. I’d say we. Are pretty in sync?” “Yeah.” Lianna grinned, panting heavily. “So, same time next week?” “Sounds good.” The halfling sighed, very, very pleased with his risk taking turning out as well as it did. MagicLottie Hey, thanks for reading! I’m MagicLottie and I specialize in writing fun, upbeat queer erotica and fanfiction! If you liked what you read, why not check out my patreon where you can vote on monthly stories and get access to everything one week early! https://www.patreon.com/MagicLottie 

Examining the new additions to the screen and examining the tool itself, the Core felt somewhat pleased seeing the noticeable improvements to the tool. Infusing mana into the other shovels being used by the Skeletons revealed the same effects. Upon infusing more mana into one of the shovels, the Core didn't expect a small explosion to take place, completely destroying the arms of the skeleton that was holding it. Checking the skeleton's health on the screen, it states that the Skeleton has lost 20 of its 60 HP. It also states that it should regenerate most o the lost HP in about an hour. Leaving that particular skeleton idle so it could regenerate its lost health, the core created another stone shovel in an empty room section. It began slowly and carefully infusing mana into the stone again, trying to replicate the effects on the previous shovel. As it observed the shovel and the amount of mana it infused within, it eventually exploded as the mana became unstable, and the stone could no longer house it. Just before exploding, the screen that continues to annoy the core stated that the stone shovel achieved [Durability VI] and [Mana Efficiency III], and it also stated, [Material is not strong enough to contain the Mana], which the Core already deduced due to the explosion that emanated from the item. And while the Core did want to continue its research, it decided that now was not the time. Upgrading each shovel the skeletons were using and creating a new one for the healing skeleton. The Core focused back on the progress the Skeletons were making. Having spent 612 Units of Mana, the Core felt slightly frustrated by how little it gathered every hour. Unless it could find a way to increase its mana gathering besides naturally increasing its size, the Core felt it would take centuries at this rate to build its dungeon to a decent point. [115 (100 Units for a skeleton, 15 for animation) * 4 = 460 Units + 40 (Creation Cost of the first four Stone Shovels = 10 Units each) = 500 + 45(15 Units of Mana for full end enchantment before the explosion for the three non-destroyed shovels) = 545 + 16  (cost of the first enchanted shovel that exploded) = 561 + 26(Full cost of the second shovel that was observed before destruction) = 587 + 25 (Replacement shovel that was created after the first two were destroyed) = 612 Units of Mana] [A/N: This is why I don't like having to do calculations. Easy to lose track or get frustrated, so don't expect me to take calculations seriously. It will mostly be guestimation] Of course, there was another way to increase its mana attraction, Divers. Divers naturally leaked mana and are covered in the stuff from their homes when they enter the Dungeon, allowing the Dungeons to gather and use the mana they bring. Not to mention, upon death, the Dungeon would also absorb all of the mana within their bodies. But, Divers were limited in number, they could easily die, and if they were too weak, it wouldn't even be worth killing them. For now, the Core would have to grow itself the normal way, at least until it found a way to increase its mana attraction. By the time 24 hours passed and the Skeletons were only about 15% of the way done, the Core decided to make four more skeletons and enchanted stone shovels to assist in the digging, with two skeletons each in the four directions constantly digging, the progress became much more visible. And while the Skeletons continued to dig away at the compact dirt, the Core began creating soil from some of the dirt that the Core collected from the Skeletons and slowly covered the ground with the soil. What the Core planned on was completely digging out the top half of its dimension and leaving the bottom half to serve as the ground for its dungeon. After the skeletons dig out all the dirt from the top, the Core would begin pumping out various breathable gases into the Dimension so that life can survive. Once the gases would be created, the Core would then add sources of water across the surface and even under the surface before it started creating various yet basic plant life to inhabit the surface. These plants would act as food, materials, cover, and various other things that would assist the Core's monsters and its future divers. But before it can do any of that, it would have to dig away all the dirt that is currently filling up the top half of the Dungeon. And while the Core felt it could make cave systems for the beginnings of its Dungeon, it felt it was too simple, too...easy, and wouldn't serve as a good challenge to experienced Divers. The Core wanted to build more. Beauty in both Complexity and Simplicity, it wanted to create so much more than just a Cave system that housed Monsters that existed to be easily defeated by Divers. It wanted to build a world, and it knew that it was possible. It would only take time. Transforming the dirt into life-bearing soil was quite expensive to the Core's reserves, but it felt it was worth the cost for the future of its Dungeon. The water, however, was not that expensive to the Core. Compared to when the Core awoke, it was making quite the progress. As 72 more hours passed, a noticeable amount of progress has again been made. The Core now had 16 Skeletons, all equipped with Enchanted Shovels, with four working in each direction to dig. Most importantly, blades of grass were now growing inside the giant rooms the Skeletons continued to expand by digging. From my estimates, it would take a few days for the grass to spread completely across the currently excavated rooms and areas that the Skeletons have dug out, and as for the Skeletons' progress, they were about 65% of the way done. Based on miles, from one side to the other was a distance of 2 miles, with the Core room sitting right in the middle at the one-mile mark from both sides, leaving quite the amount that the Skeletons have to dig, it was astonishing they managed to progress as far as they have already. The only reason they made this much progress was because of their inexhaustible stamina, their enchanted shovels, and their increasing proficiency in digging and using a shovel. For example, looking at the screen of the first created skeleton revealed a new addition to the 'skills.' /=====+=====\ Name: None Species: Skeleton (Undead) Size Type: Medium Level: 1 Health: 60/60 (17.5 Per Hour) Mana: 0/0 (0) Stamina: ∞/∞    Abnormalities/Mutations: None   Physical Attributes:  [Atk] Strength: 5 [Atk] Agility: 5 [Def] Vitality: 5 (+2 Health, +3 Health Regeneration, +1 Stamina Regeneration) [Def] Endurance: 10 (+5 Health, +3 Stamina, +0.25 Health Regeneration) [Support] Perception: 5 [Support] Reaction: 5   Mental Attributes:  [Atk] Intelligence: 0 (+2 Mana, +0.25 Mana Regeneration) [Atk] Wisdom: 0 (+0.5 Mana, +1 Mana Regeneration) [Def] Willpower: 0 [Def] Resistance: 5 [Support] Control: 0 [Support] Focus: 0   Skills: [Bone Replacement Lvl 1], [Digging Mastery Lvl 28], [Shovel Mastery Lvl 14] Perks: [Infinite Stamina], [Horde Mentality Lvl 1] Level Up Rewards: 5 Stat Points Drops: Variety of Bones [Grade: Trash] (60%), Bonemeal [Grade: Trash] (20%), Enchanted Stone Shovel [Grade: Uncommon] (50%) \=====+=====/ It now had a skill for 'Digging' and 'Shovel Mastery.' And upon closer inspection, a new screen appeared. /=====+=====\ Skill Name: Digging Mastery Skill Rarity: Common Lvl: 28 Description: Ever felt the need or want to dig a hole or tunnel? Well, then, this skill is the one for you!  Effects: +28% faster when digging \=====+=====/ /=====+=====\ Skill Name: Shovel Mastery Skill Rarity: Common Lvl: 14 Description: Masters of the Shovel, a tool one could use to dig and excavate, and a tool that could be used to defend and attack. Effects: Shovels are 14% easier to wield and use. \=====+=====/ In some way, unknown to the Core, the Screens were physically improving the Skeletons in ways the Core couldn't understand. For every 'Level' the Skeletons achieved in these 'Skills,' a slight but noticeable improvement could be seen in the speed and ease at which the Skeletons worked to dig. Speaking of the Skeletons' work, they made it to the Dimensional border a while ago, which only revealed the empty void outside the Dimensional fabric that made the shell of the Dimension. So, to prevent distractions or discomfort to Divers later on, the Core covered the fabric in a thin sheet of bright blue light, preventing Divers from peering past it and into the void. After all, if you look into the abyss, the abyss will look back into you. And, it wouldn't help the Core at all if it gained the reputation of Divers going insane or being corrupted after they came out of its depths. It also could corrupt and drive even the Core mad if it looked into the void for too long, so this barrier would act as insurance for itself and its divers. The remaining dirt the Skeletons had to dig was stuck on the ceiling of the dimension, slowing down the Skeletons' work due to the fact they had to climb upon mounds of dirt that the Core summoned so they could hack away at the ceiling, loosing the dirt for the Core to absorb and use to raise the mounds the Skeletons stood upon. The Core found it greatly amusing to see the Skeletons climb up mounds of dirt to dig away at the ceiling, only to tumble down to the ground every little while due to misstepping, losing balance, or tripping. Picture a Skeleton climbing up a large mound of dirt to dig away at the ceiling, only to take a step forward intending on going up further, only to step over the mound and start falling down the other side of the mound. It was only a matter of time before the Skeletons completed their objective, and the Core could get to work on terraforming the excavated room into a functioning biome. With the last bit of dirt stuck to the ceiling of the Dimension gone, the Core could finally put all its effort into turning the surface of its Dungeon into one bearing life, but first, the Core could finally replace the ceiling with a fake sky. Although the Core, of course, hasn't ever seen a sky or many other natural wonders, its mind was engrained with many images with meanings attached. However, those images and meanings typically didn't contain much information, if any at all, other than names. The Core knew in time, and it would get to learn more about these images and what they actually mean for itself. With a wave of mana that flooded out from its Core, a blanket formed on the barrier that blocked vision into the void, and a pale blue sky with bright yellow sun formed in the sky. But this wasn't all. The sky would function as a light source and a source of nutrition for the plants that inhabited the dungeon surface and function as a working day and night cycle. The Core could modify the plants it was creating to survive off Mana. Still, until the Core could increase the Mana density of its Dungeon to the point the plants wouldn't interfere with its mana attraction, it felt it would just be easier to feed the plants with the light emitted from the fake sky. The cycle was set to 24 hours, with 12 hours for the day and night with a realistic sun, moon, sky, and stars. And with the sky complete, the Core started pumping mana into the grass, greatly increasing the rate of growth, and within a few hours, the entire surface was covered in grass. From there, the Core planted the seeds of trees and other foliage and designed a few plants that would produce fruit, wild vegetables, and other edible foods for herbivores and carnivores alike. And it seems the Screen had some things to say about the Core's creations. /=====+=====\ Item Name: Dungeon Grass Item Type: Plant (Grass) Grade: Common Description: A Common plant found in many Dungeons. \=====+=====/ /=====+=====\ Item Name: Dungeon Oak Tree Item Type: Plant Grade: Common Description: A Common plant found in many dungeons, noted to be slightly tougher than regular oak and much longer lasting, making the wood from this tree great for construction. \=====+=====/ /=====+=====\ Item Name: Strange Dungeon Berry Bush Item Type: Plant Grade: Rare Description: A seemingly regular bush that grows berries of various sizes, colors, tastes, and qualities. \=====+=====/ These screens continued to appear as the Core created more and more flora to the Dungeon, and soon, the Core will start adding some fauna into the mix.

Dungeons, what are they? Dungeons are naturally forming entities that take the shape of structures, a series of caves, and many other things. Dungeons come in many wide different varieties and combinations, mainly providing unique areas that a Diver could explore and slay monsters. At the same time, they search for loot and treasure the Dungeons naturally produce to draw in Divers. Dungeons also come in many different types, whether it be Floored Dungeons, Cave Dungeons, Tower Dungeons, Structured Dungeons, Field Dungeons, and even floating island Dungeons. Still, there exist two types that produce extremely dangerous or deadly dungeons, these being Dimensional Dungeons and World Dungeons. Dimensional Dungeons make up a small dimension that grows with time and energy. These Dungeons can seemingly freely connect and disconnect with other dungeons and planes, making it hard to keep track of the Dungeon. World Dungeons, however, were much more dangerous but just as unique. Instead of taking the form of a theme or 'type,' World Dungeons seemed to create entire worlds in their dungeons, bringing forth countless different monsters from different themes. Not only that, but World Dungeons were also known to construct lore, produce unique environments, items, and so much more for their Dungeons, with some World Dungeons living long enough to create an entire world within their depths. Luckily, Dungeons most exhibit very basic intelligence. However, what most don't know, is that some Dungeons are intelligent, allowing for more complex designs to their dungeon interiors, monsters, traps, and loot. And the smarter of the Dungeons are even capable of speech and complex thought. What happens if you combine one such intelligent core with the Dimensional and World type? No one knows, or, to be more accurate, no one knew until now. As a Newborn, Core was born. This newborn Core, while confused, knew its purpose. To build, expand, and grow stronger while providing raw resources, training, and systematic resources to Dungeon Divers. At the moment, the newborn Core was going over some of the knowledge within its head, pondering what type of monster it should start with to help in its expansion. At first, it was considering going with a low-intelligence Goblin, an incredibly weak dungeon monster with great amounts of potential for evolution and growth, but decided against it since, as it was an organic monster, it would need sustenance to function for long periods of time. But with some thought, it did find a suitable monster worker that wouldn't require substance, could work tirelessly, and had the potential for growth. The monster? Skeletons, weak monsters under the Undead type that, while not nearly as filled with potential as Goblins, still had great potential for evolutionary growth. And as an added bonus, the Undead Type Monsters had a great many abilities, magic, and skills that suited combat against the living, which was an added bonus for the Core. And with it currently only having its Core Room that makes up its Dungeon, it wanted to expand as quickly as possible to hide its core and prevent early destruction. Due to many Dungeons not hiding their cores early on in life, most are destroyed or enslaved by the very Divers Dungeons that seek to use and nourish so that they can grow. You see, Dungeons need Divers. Divers bring in and leak mana and nourish the Dungeon with energy over time, allowing for much faster growth, and if a Diver were to die inside the Dungeon? All of their energy would be collected by the Dungeon. Still, while most foolish cores seek to end every adventurer that seeks to dive into their Dungeons, some, like itself, would prefer to nourish the Divers until they grow strong enough to give off a much greater amount of energy inside their Dungeon and eventually succumb to the Dungeon's much stronger monsters deeper in its interior. Although the newborn didn't really care, it just wanted to build, expand, and grow while it created something truly beautiful and stunning. And for the first few moments of its birth, while it thought of all of this, a stream of messages echoed in the youngling's mind. [Birth of a New Dungeon Core found] [Adding into System] [Scanning Core] [Dimension Type Documented] [World Type Documented] [Intelligence Documented] [Generating Status...done] /=====+=====\ Dungeon Name: None Individual Name: None Dungeon Type: Dimensional and World Mana Units Per 24 hours: 1,000 Units Mana Storage: [5,000/15,000 Units] Monsters: 0 Difficulty: 0 Abilities: [Creation], [Absorption], [Manipulation], [Monster Communication], [Monster Domination], [Contract Creation], [Rule Creation], [Select Evolution], [Dungeon Portal Creation], [Dimensional Manipulation] \=====+=====/ Deciding to ignore such messages since it knew instinctually everything stated, it got to work on creating its first monster. Sadly it only had very basic knowledge, such as a few different weak monsters, some plants, basic knowledge of all its being, and some examples of normal dungeons and how they operate along with how it's supposed to operate.  Frankly, though, the youngling didn't care about how it was supposed to act and operate as a Dungeon. Focusing back on the task at hand, the young Dungeon began designing its first monster in its mind, a Human Skeleton with weak and brittle bones, with two empty eye sockets with two small red lights that represented its eyes. Creating said skeleton took about 100 Units of Mana, but the skeleton by itself was useless unless he had a monster that could sustain itself with bones. The next part would be to imbue the Skeleton with Necrotic Mana and to reanimate it, making it into an undead. Mana came in countless different types and forms, and while the Dungeon Core knew instinctively that there existed other types of energy, it only knew a few, Mana, being the most important that it knew. As it transformed about 15 Units of Mana into its Necrotic variant, a Black cloud of energy formed above its core on its pedestal before flowing into the Skeleton's body, reanimating it into an Undead. With the red lights igniting in its eye sockets, the Skeleton slowly got up from the ground and stood there, which did not surprise the core, seeing as most undead, upon reanimation, creation, or birth, lacked any intelligence and, in most cases, were either just feral or puppets for a Necromancer or similar mage. The core noted that the information it had from birth was a bit strange and seemed to be incomplete, seeing as it knew what some things were, yet didn't know a great many other things. Focusing back onto the Undead, the core scanned over its being with its senses. Annoyingly, another screen blocked the Core's 'eyes.' /=====+=====\ Name: None Species: Skeleton (Undead) Size Type: Medium Level: 1 Health: 60/60 (17.5 Per Hour) Mana: 0/0 (0) Stamina: ∞/∞    Abnormalities/Mutations: None   Physical Attributes:  [Atk] Strength: 5 [Atk] Agility: 5 [Def] Vitality: 5 (+2 Health, +3 Health Regeneration, +1 Stamina Regeneration) [Def] Endurance: 10 (+5 Health, +3 Stamina, +0.25 Health Regeneration) [Support] Perception: 5 [Support] Reaction: 5   Mental Attributes:  [Atk] Intelligence: 0 (+2 Mana, +0.25 Mana Regeneration) [Atk] Wisdom: 0 (+0.5 Mana, +1 Mana Regeneration) [Def] Willpower: 0 [Def] Resistance: 5 [Support] Control: 0 [Support] Focus: 0   Skills: [Bone Replacement Lvl 1] Perks: [Infinite Stamina], [Horde Mentality Lvl 1] Level Up Rewards: 5 Stat Points Drops: Variety of Bones [Grade: Trash(F)] (60%), Bonemeal [Grade: Trash(F)] (20%) \=====+=====/ Once again, ignoring the screen that appeared within its mind, the core scanned its body thoroughly, finding that what the screen stated was correct. A simple skeleton that only cost the Core 115 Units of Mana to create. Even then, the Skeleton was weak, slow, couldn't think, and would easily be destroyed by even a human child of age 14 and above, not that the core knew what a Human was, let alone a human child. And despite all its imperfections and utter weakness, each monster inside a Dungeon had the potential to grow and evolve. Sure, while some monsters may hit the end of a particular evolution tree, a great many monsters could grow to become literal Gods, given time, experience, and energy. And Dungeons could set their created monsters at set levels, evolutions, and more so long as a monster of theirs has reached the stage and strength and have the Dungeon memorize the Monster's genetic make-up, allowing for much easier replenishment of high leveled monsters after death. Of course, memorizing the Monster's makeup would result in a carbon copy of the dead monster upon recreation, which is why it's better to have a wide array of monster samples so that the Dungeon can make some adjustments if needed without the whole body falling apart. And while this did require experimentation to get it right, it wouldn't be too hard so long as it wasn't an incredibly complex and unique creature. If Dungeons didn't do this, they would have to create basic monsters and grow them to the point they could replace the dead high-level monster, which would take too much time and too many resources the Dungeon could use elsewhere. Focusing back on the Skeleton standing within its core room, the Core ordered the Skeleton to start digging away at the compact dirt that made up the room's walls with its skeletal hands. Seeing that it was inefficient with its hands, the Core used a single unit of mana to create a block of stone which shifted into the form of a shovel that the Core commanded the Skeleton to use. At first, the Skeleton was even less efficient than it was using its hands. Still, after the Core mentally imprinted how it should use the tool, the skeleton's digging efficiency greatly increased. The core began absorbing all the loose dirt into itself for later use or recycling. The Core's Dimension was currently in the shape of a perfect square, with its core room sitting directly in the middle of the dimension. The Core could shift and change the shape of the Dimension at will and even increase its size but didn't really have any say about the inside of the Dimension that the Core hasn't claimed and connected itself with yet. And as far as it could tell, its Dimension was currently filled with dirt, which it would have to begin removing so that it could build a basic floor with weak monsters. Sure, it could just use its mana to dig out and absorb all the compact dirt, but the Core felt it would be much cheaper on its resources to create monsters to do the work instead. Speaking of Monsters, the Core created three more skeletons as well equipping them with stone shovels as well. With each skeleton going in a different direction, it only took a few hours before four hallways were created from the Core room. With its current layout being that of a cross with a square at the center, the core had the four skeletons begin digging out rooms at the end of the hallways they dug out. The Core wanted first to dig out an entire floor and everything above the floor before creating an atmosphere and fake sky. With its Dimension currently taking the shape of a cube, it would leave half of the Dimension underground and the other half in an open area. Of course, the Dimension currently lacks oxygen and various other gases, so if a Diver were to enter, they would die from suffocation. For most Dungeons, this was not a problem, seeing as once the entrance was open, the gas would leak in, but for Dimensional Dungeons? They would have to create the gases themselves since they wouldn't leak in through the portals the Dungeon Uses to connect to other dimensions. While the Skeletons endlessly worked to expand the rooms they dug out, the Core quickly glanced at the stone shovel of one of the Skeletons, curious. /=====+=====\ Item Name: None Item Type: Tool/Weapon (Shovel) Grade: Trash Description: A simple shovel made of stone that was created by the Unnamed Dungeon for its Skeletons to use as tools. Note 1: This Tool will easily break or snap in half if used on anything other than dirt. Note 2: This counts as a Drop from the Skeleton with a 50% chance of dropping upon death. \=====+=====/ Ignoring the screen blatantly calling its creation trash, the core focused on the Skeleton and the shovel it used. As the screen suggested, the shovel could only be described as trash. It was clear that the stone would easily chip and break if used on anything other than dirt and was best not used as a weapon. Wanting to try something, the Core gathered up five units of mana and infused the stone with it. /=====+=====\ Item Name: None Item Type: Tool/Weapon (Shovel) Grade: Uncommon Description: A simple shovel made from mana-infused stone that was created by the Unnamed Dungeon Enchantments: [Durability II] and [Mana Efficiency I] Note 1: This Tool will easily break or snap in half if used on anything other than dirt. Note 2: This counts as a Drop from the Skeleton with a 50% chance of dropping upon death. Note 3: Mana-Infusment of this tool has greatly raised the tool's durability and Mana efficiency, allowing for the digging of tougher materials and an easier cast of spells on and through the item. \=====+=====/

A snowy forest, just during a big storm, the protagonist (Ashirou, a young boy with blue eyes and light blue hair, age 7) is injured and wandering through the snow while leaving a trail of blood that attracts the attention of a pack of wolves, Ashirou falls to the ground, his body does not seem to react and his eyes are dull, his mind is totally in conflict, he does not know what to do and can not think clearly ... The wolves are about to attack him, when a silhouette appears with a greenish coat and a knife in her hand (Nobura, a woman with green eyes and brown hair, she seems to be a mature woman), Nobura attacks one of the wolves to avoid the attack, the rest of the wolves retreat and decide to attack the woman, however, she manages to dodge all the attacks and ends up wounding the wolves, some of them fall to the ground, while a few of them retreat from the scene. Meanwhile, Ashirou was unconscious, the last thing he could see was that woman saving him, at that moment, he felt happy in the depths of his being. Ashirou opened his eyes, to be surprised to find himself in a wooden hut, he was lying on a bed, his wounds were bandaged, he seemed to be fine, but his mind was blank. While walking through the hut he ends up finding Nobura cooking, before he says a word, Nobura realizes that he is awake and tells him to sit down to eat at the table. After the meal, Nobura asks the boy his name,  "My name is... Ashirou" said the boy, "I see, it's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Nobura" Nobura decides to check Ashirou's wounds, to his surprise, all the wounds were healed, not even a scar, something that seemed impossible. "(Interesting, I certainly used magic to heal him, but, even so, that many wounds wouldn't close for another two or three days)" Nobura thought. Nobura decided to strike up a conversation with Ashirou, more than anything to get to know him, Nobura found him injured in a forest, the normal thing would be to return to his home, however, when Nobura asked him about his home, that boy seemed to get lost in his memories, his body trembled and he couldn't let out a word, Nobura realized, So he decided to skip the topic and let him spend a few days in that cabin, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, you shouldn't feel obligated, you can stay in this cabin in the meantime, it's a bit small, so excuse that, but you can take the bed if you want, take a bath, and don't worry about food, so. ... Just promise me that you won't go out in the forest alone again, okay? " Ashirou nodded his head, and was able to blurt out a few words.... "Thank you...". The next day, Ashirou approached Nobura, and said "I was thinking a bit at night, it's really okay with me staying in this place?, I don't want to cause any trouble, you don't even know me, but still..." Her words were interrupted by Nobura's who replied "Don't worry, it's no trouble at all, I'm doing it on my own, so you shouldn't feel guilty or anything, as for why.... I had told you that I would save you, didn't I? Although come to think of it, when I said those words to you, you were lying on the ground and covered in wounds, so you might not remember." After hearing those words, Ashirou looked at the ground and rushed to hug Nobura, with warm tears spilling from his eyes, he thanked him again for everything, Nobura comforted him and told him that everything would be alright....   Well, this is the first chapter.... I made it because it's funny, I used a translator because I don't master English very well, so I want to practice when I write this, anyway, please comment what you think, that will help me to improve.  

Hi everyone! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading One Night In Sedona. I am excited to announce that it will be published across many digital platforms on Monday, November 16th. You are welcome to come celebrate it's release at my launch party on Saturday, November 14th. Visit the party website for more information. Unfortunately, the publication of this book means I must remove it from its online platforms, including ScribbleHub. To stay updated on my new releases and other books I serialize on ScribbleHub, join my newsletter. If you would like to receive a FREE advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, please sign up here. I look forward to seeing you at the One Night In Sedona launch party. ~~Carrie~~

*czzzt   *czzzt   I opened my eyes, staring at the ceiling, which was formed by mixed metals. The lights had to change,  the noises they made were driving me crazy. I leaned against the headboard of the bed and looked at the woman lying next to me. Helen. She was sleeping peacefully. I ran my hand over her cheeks. "Did you wake up?" said Helen, her eyes still closed.   The warmth in her voice sometimes made me forget everything that had gone wrong on this damn journey.   “Uh-huh.”   “I thought you had a meeting with the captain? Why are you still here?" she said, opening her eyes.   “The captain can wait. Time is perhaps the most we have here?"   "Get ready big baby, you don't want to piss off the Captain," she said and tried to get me out of bed with the pillow under her head.   "Okay, okay, I'm taking a shower, would you like to join me?" I said after getting out of bed.   "Not today, come on hurry up and go to the meeting maybe we can do something tonight," she said in the sexiest way I've ever seen.   "You can't go back on what you said, Helen"   I heard Helen's distinctive laugh as I stepped into the shower. Guess I'll have to wait until evening, I muttered. My face smiled involuntarily. After a quick shower, I entered the room with a towel around my waist. Helen had already combed her hair.   "Aren't you taking a shower?" I asked.   “New resolutions, We need to use water sparingly.” said   “You will soon turn us into cavemen. Is there any other decision of the committee that I should know about?" I reproached.   “We are opening a new vertical greenhouse, the water is used there. Also, taking a shower every 2-3 days is better for the hair.”   “But not for smell. If everyone starts smelling like a pig, I would shoot myself into space,” I said.   “Don't even joke about this” said Helen. Her voice was quite serious.   “Okay okay, I'm sorry. ' I said and gave him a kiss on the cheek.   “If you have such thoughts, you can talk to me. I don't know if I can handle one more person committing suicide from depression," she said, her voice quite sad.   I'm starting to realize that I'm screwed.   Sometimes I forget how sensitive Helen can be about these things. The committee was dealing with such things every day, even though I wasn't too interested.   "Don't worry, I'll be the last person to commit suicide here," I said.   What I said took away the seriousness on his face.   “Stop lingering and get ready,” she said and smiled.   After I put on my clothes, I saw that Helen had changed.   "Let's go if you're ready," said Helen.   “Why are you leaving early, get a few more hours of rest?”   “I need to inspect the new greenhouse. We've taken away people's right to water, and if it fails, we're in trouble."   We both came to the automatic door of the room. When we got to the front of the door, the door opened and we stepped out into the main corridor of the spaceship. Helen's destination was on the opposite side of mine.   I reached out and gave her a kiss.   I said, "We may not meet at dinner, you'd better be ready for the evening."   Helen looked at me defiantly. That was the thing I loved the most about her.   I parted ways with Helen and started walking across the hall.   The name of the spaceship was Hope. Considering our current situation, this sounded pretty tragically funny.   I was walking along the curved corridor. The corridor was about four kilometers long, and it was like walking in a large donut.   There were glass in the corridors, these glasses were as durable as metal. I'm sure when the Spaceship was being designed, the engineers put these glasses in so that they could see the magnificent beauty of galaxies and planets.   But when I looked outside right now, I only saw darkness. Endless darkness. I could more or less understand those who committed suicide. This endless darkness was frightening. There was no star, no planet, nothing giving light. This darkness made the human feel so helpless.   I remember the first time I got on a spaceship. The idea of ​​interstellar travel, living in a colony on a new planet, and the idea of ​​starting life from scratch was so appealing; I seem to remember my hands shaking with excitement.   The spaceship consisted of 6257 people. It was as if I sensed that something strange would happen when the spaceship entered the artificially created subspace. I was filled with restlessness.   I was in the captain's cabin when the ship left subspace early. And I remember the chaos like it was yesterday, even though it's been 3 years.   When I came to the front of the room where the meeting will be held, I got rid of these thoughts and had my bracelet read on the door and went inside.   In the middle of the room was an elliptical table, in the center of which a three-dimensional model of the ship was spinning. At the head of the table was Captain Harris.   Harris was in his early 40s. But it was obvious that he was using genetic serums before he went on a space journey. His body looked like he was in his late 20s.   I went to the captain's side and greeted him.   “Captain Harris”   “Oh, James, sit down, we'll start in 10 minutes.”   I sat to the right of the captain and waited for everyone to arrive. As the vice-captain, I had to be there for the captain at all times.   Actually, it was pure luck that I got the vice captain's post, and it was a bad one.   Of course, the first to understand what was going on were the captains and the people who made the ship move.    I, who was the assistant of the vice-captain’s assistant, suddenly rose in my job when my superiors, seeing the hopelessness of the event, decided to take their own lives. A student who had just come out of the academy was thus promoted to vice-captain on one of the most complex and large ships ever produced by mankind.   Captain Harris had decided to form a committee after his co-captains killed themselves. The committee that Helen took part in was constantly checking the life and sanity of those on board. It was agreed that everyone on board would talk to a psychologist at regular intervals. The meeting started with the participation of the last few members. Captain Harris stood up from his seat.   “Heim, I hope you came with good news?” said Captain Harris.   Heim was the head of the scientists on board. And the captain had tasked them with looking for this place they found themselves and a way out of it.   “Actually, we have made some progress. Now we know where we are.”   “Where,” said Harris.   "At a time hundreds of billions of years ahead of our world in a parallel universe.",   "Great, now we're sure how fucked up we are."  

One Night In Sedona is almost here. I'm looking for a few ARC readers. Who would have thought that a single photograph would be so dangerous? Photofest. The ultimate photography convention. Not only is Seddy finally able to attend, but this year, it is being held in the city for which she was named. And she cannot wait. No sooner does she check into the conference when a murder interrupts her night on the town with a new friend. Shaken, Seddy just wants to put the incident behind her. But someone has other ideas. After attending her first day of workshops, Seddy discovers her hotel room has been ransacked. Her new love interest seems very eager to help her while the local detective keeps asking her questions about her camera. To make matters worse, the chief of police keeps giving her strange looks. And then someone tries to kill her. As she works out whom she can trust, Seddy realizes she may hold the one piece of evidence that could help solve the mystery. If you are interested, you can download the ARC materials at: Booksirens Booksprout StoryOrigins

Pale moonlight shines in his bedroom window illuminating Jason’s sleeping body. Another form of him sits upright on the side of the bed, a more correct form. One with a flat chest and a deep voice, a form that actually felt like his own. He keeps his eyes on the window, repeating the same chant he did every night, a call for anyone or anything willing to help, to free him from the flesh prison sitting behind him. At least he could be free sometimes, if only in his dreams. Tonight it heard him, and crept in through his open window, not letting it’s presence be known. It sneaks around the dark room, examining the two figures.   It feels a twang of sadness for Jason, an astral form so unmatched from the physical body isn’t healthy. It’s own sorrow was nothing to his. There was grief written on the walls. A lost boyhood, a true form he thought he could never have, the kind of life he always wanted, all mourned but not forgotten. This was the haunting of a man not allowed to be, trapped in a body that doesn’t make sense.    It would help him, but nothing comes for free.   Jason begins to catch movement from the corner of his eye but despite his best efforts, is unable to fix his gaze on it. A book tumbles from its shelf, landing with a crash that sends him to his feet. The door slams shut, he instinctually runs towards it, trying to rip it open, only to find doing so impossible. He looks back towards his sleeping body, that’s it, he just needs to wake. He sprints towards the bed, but is forced to a dead stop, nearly falling as a figure materializes before him. Swirling grey smoke forms the shape of a tall muscular figure. Black eyes glow below large ram horns that scrape the ceiling as it looms over him, leaving soot marks.   “Hello mortal.” The words echo through his mind, both silent and blaring, “I have heard your call, and can grant your wish… but it will cost you.”   It circles him like a hungry shark. He barely believes what he is seeing. Years of practicing, spells, rituals, and anything else he could try had finally worked.   “W-who are you? And what is your price?” He does his best to keep his voice from shaking.   “In this realm, I am known as Braken. And what I want, what you will give me, is your first born child.” It’s tail caresses his face, radiating a heat that nearly burns his soft skin.   “What if I don’t have any?” He has an unearned arrogance.    It pauses behind him, and leans down, whispering in his ear, “I will leave this room with my payment.” Jason is speechless, so it continues, “and your forms will match, you will be free.”   “A-and what if I say no?”  He glances to his sleeping body, the thought of seeing it pregnant making him nauseous.    Braken stands up straight and takes a step back, “then I leave, and you can hope the next one to find you has a better offer.”   The next one. The words repeat in Jason’s head, echoed by fear. He had been begging for help longer than he could remember, pleading to be saved. This was the first answer and there might not be a next one.   “Will it hurt?” The answer didn’t really matter, he knew what he had to do.    “I promise, no harm will come to you.” a claw of smoke caresses his chin, making him look into its eyes, “the only thing you will feel is pleasure.”    Hot tendrils of darkness fill his nose, burning its way into his lungs. His head is dizzy for a moment before a calmness falls over him, and the tightness in his chest starts to loosen. He takes another breath in, his racing heart slows, and everything about to happen seems less scary. Another lung full of intoxicating smoke, and his eyes get glassy, and he sways a bit as he finally manages a response.    “Okay. I accept.”    Braken’s hand slips down to his collarbone, and with a flick of its wrist, it throws Jason back into his body. He bolts upright and watches smoke solidify into red, battleworn skin and horns of black ivory. It spreads two large, leathery wings, taking a moment to bask in the moonlight before looking at him, lips spread in a fanged grin. He stares awestruct, mouth slightly agape. It is both beautiful and horrifying, leaving Jason frozen both in fear and wonderment. In one motion, Braken jumps onto the foot of his bed and tears the blanket away. Before he can even think of undressing himself a single clawed hand reaches forward, and slips into the front of his basketball shorts and under his boxers.  Four talons poke through the material, cutting it like butter and exposing his manhood.    Jason gasps as the cold night air invades his once warm body, and starts to scoot back on the bed. Cold, dark, predatory voids lock onto his warm brown eyes for a long moment before Braken’s eyes drift hungrily over its prey. He can finally will his eyes to move, and looks down its large muscular form. He is terrified, not of the being itself, but of the massive cock that hung between its legs, nearly as long and thick as his forearm, surely it would rip him in half.   “You’re… that’s… huge. I don’t think… I don’t know how it would fit.” he stammers, his eyes on its member the entire time.    “Shhhh, don’t worry baby, I promised you no pain.” It coos softly, slipping forward onto its stomach and bringing Jason’s legs to its shoulders, “and I promise to make it fit.”   His head lands back into the pillows with a thud and as the last word leaves its lips, it slowly licks across his manhood with a snake-like tongue. The two halves of it wrap around his clit, rubbing up and down each side. His back arches as the sensation floods him and he grabs onto Braken’s horns. Its tongue envelopes his small dick, causing each motion of his hips to send pleasure pulsating through him. His moans soon fill the room, while his grinding gets more desperate. It wraps its hands around Jason’s hips, lifting them up so his entrance grinds against its tongue, coating it in wetness.   Sounds of pleasure echo through the night, the bed rocking as Braken starts grinding its cock against the mattress. His chest heaves with each breath, the moans growing uncontrollable until they reach a peak, and hot cum gushes from his entrance. At the same moment it retracts its tongue with a growl and pushes its lips to his entrance. His grip on its horns tightens, while two halves of a tongue probe at his entrance. They slip in with a popping sensation that nearly makes Jason scream with ecstasy.    It pushes forward until it feels resistance and then pauses, just letting him writhe. His hips buck wildly, his body gripping it tightly. After a moment it slowly retracts, swirling the tips of its tongue against his inner walls until they slip out with another pop. Jason’s eyes roll back as the feeling overwhelms him. It starts slowly pumping in and out of him, picking up speed as his body loosens. He humps its face enthusiastically, pushing it faster until another wave of hot cum gushes out and his body contracts around its tongue. It wiggles itself deeper as his body spasms, flexing its tongue inside him.   Jason pants, legs shaking as aftershocks are pushed to their own small peaks. He curls around its head, holding it down in place and thrusting vigorously against it until with a final gush of fluids, he falls back into his pillows. His head spins, and manhood throbs, now gapping a little bit.   “Mmm, a good start, but not nearly enough.” It coos, using a single claw to trace across his abdomen while it looks around the room. “Ah, perfect.” It’s eyes land on a cylinder shaped bottle of lotion. It grabs the half full bottle by the cap and holds it in Jason’s eyeline. “Ready for round two?”    He nods shakily, and it sits back on its knees. Braken grabs his cock in one hand, and holds the bottle to its tip with the other. It slowly milks beads of precum onto the bottle, using its tip to paint the cold plastic until it is completely slick. Jason grabs his thighs, and holds his legs apart as it presses the hard bottle into his entrance, applying steady pressure until it slips through suddenly, his body easily taking the first half. He gasps sharply, the plastic creaking as his muscles grip and contract around it. He wills his body to relax further while it pumps the bottle in and out of him, rotating it around in small circles as Braken works him looser. Each movement pushes the bottle deeper, until only the cap sticks out of Jason.    It then leans forward once more, its mouth closing around Jason’s hard clit. The snake-like tongue envelopes him, sending shockwaves radiating out from his hips through his fingertips and toes. He starts grinding his hips up into its mouth, humping Braken with all the energy he has left. Each breath comes out as a moan, growing louder and higher until his voice cracks and another orgasm begins to rip through him. A loud pop sounds through the room as he peaks, the cap flying off the bottle, and lotion spraying out over its chin and neck, before dripping onto the bed. Braken pulls away, watching his body pulsate around the hard plastic, trying to push it out. After several long moments, the bottle slides out, and Jason falls limp on the bed once more, finally released from the overwhelming pleasure.   “You’re such a good boy, doing so well for me. Now I know you are getting tired but we can’t stop or we will lose progress. Okay?”   Jason nods weakly, and watches as Braken gets up and goes to the corner of the bed. It starts stroking its throbbing cock, while looking over its prey. His tank top sticks to his body, damp with sweat, and boxers hang in wet tatters beneath his shredded shorts. Between his legs is a large puddle, a mix of their fluids and lotion, with the bottle at the center. The sight soon causes hot streams of cum to start squirting from Braken’s tip. The milky fluid drips down the smooth wood, and it doesn’t stop until the post has a white sheen.    It grabs his leg, and pulls him across the bed. His whole body feels like a single pulse point as Braken cradles him in its arms. Jason is gingerly lifted from the bed and it repositions him, hovering his manhood over the decorative wooden bed post. Two massive hands hold his thighs apart as he clings to the being. It slowly lowers him, Jason groaning and clawing at its back as the textured pole is pushed deeper inside him. Jason writhes around in ecstasy as his body conforms to the strange shape. His hot fluids slicken the pole further, new thick drops sliding down it and across Braken’s thighs.   Each time Jason is slid along the pole, the resistance of his body lessens, until Braken is easily moving him up and down at inhuman speed. It can hardly wait, the knowledge of what’s next making each second feel like an eternity. The sounds of creaking wood, and their moany pants are soon broken by a long shuddering scream as he climaxes around the wooden pole. It pulls away, still helping hold him upright as his clenching body pulls Jason further down, until he sits in nearly the splits on the corner of the bed. A few moments pass before Jason can catch his breath, and when he finally does, it slowly lifts him back off the pole. Jason squeals as the rounded top pops out of him. It gently lays back onto the bed, standing off the edge between his legs. Its massive cock lays against his abdomen, the head poking against the bottom of his bust. His manhood throbs beneath it and he has lost all of the feeling in his legs. Suddenly, he feels very nervous, this is it, the time to pay has come, and he finds himself wondering if he can really afford the price. Pain dances on the edge of his vision, can he even handle more?   Braken senses the change in him and leans down, bringing its face close to his, “You’ve done so well, and it’ll all be over soon. Just a little longer, and you’ll be the man of your dreams.”    As it speaks, a dark smoke flows out of its mouth and directly into his. Jason’s eyes glaze over for a moment as darkness brings pleasure to the forefront of his mind, erasing all thoughts of pain and worry. Soon, just as he desired his true body, he desired Braken, and as his eyes come back into focus, desperation consumes him. His limbs still feel heavy as he grinds up against its massive cock. Precum drips out of its tip, soaking into his tank top. It lets Jason continue to rub against it, every part of him now begging to be fucked. It lets his neediness grow, his hard clit, moving up and down along its shaft, electrical pleasure giving strength to his weak body.    It’s wings spread as it stands up straight again, lining its tip up with Jason’s gaping entrance. It slowly pushes in, letting out a loud moan as his warm wet body takes its huge member. His back arches, and nails dig into the bed sheets. Braken holds his hips still, moving forward until its balls rest against his thighs. The fit is tight, his body sealing around its cock. The movements start slow while it allows his body to adjust, but soon it is humping him quickly, the bed banging against the wall with each thrust. The melody of their moans and the beat of the wall form an erotic chorus, each note driving Braken closer to completion. A primal roar echoes from its chest, and with a final hard slam, it begins squirting hot cum into him.    The sensation of rushing fluids pushes Jason over his own peak, his body instinctively milking the seed into him. It feels like gallons of liquid spraying inside of him, and as Braken continues to thrust, cum spills out around its cock. It doesn’t stop, even when a hole has been busted in the drywall behind the head board, not until its cock goes limp and falls out of him with a wave of thick, white cum. He can feel it inside him, an egg that should have never been part of him fertilizes, and nestles into the wall of an organ he shouldn’t have. He wants to claw it out of himself, it feels so wrong, all of these parts are wrong. Tears well in his eyes.   Braken crawls up on the bed, kneeling next to his head. “Shhh, it’s okay.” It gently cradles his head, forcing him to look away from his own body and up into its pitch black eyes, “we are almost there, and you have my word, nothing but pleasure.” As it breathes out the last word, thick black smoke follows.   He takes a deep breath in, the burning in his throat bringing a welcomed wave of relief. The screaming awareness of his own body fades to a whisper. The beating drums behind his ears grow louder, no longer with fear but a craving. A need that overpowered every other sensation in his body, a need only Braken could meet. Without saying a word, Jason slowly raises his hand to its soft cock, already starting to stiffen with his touch, and brings it to his lips. An indulgent moan escapes his throat as the cum meets his tongue. This was it, what he felt like he needed with every ounce of his being.    “Oh, good boy, this is exactly what you two need.” It pets his hair, watching his eagerness grow as he laps up more cum. “Don’t worry about anything but feeding.” It’s now fully hard again, his hand can’t even close around it’s cock as he milks large drops of precum into his mouth.    Jason’s breathing deepens as he sucks down the delicious seed, the salty taste all he can think about. A thin line of it drips from the corner of his mouth, and down his chin. At the same time, his body starts to change. Nine months of growth and development happens in minutes, his stomach grows, breasts begin to fill, but still all he can feel is the hot nectar flowing down his throat. Braken keeps his head tilted up, not even letting him glance down at a form he should never be. Soon its own low moans mix with those of Jason’s delightful feeding, until its hips involuntarily thrust forward, and it drains the last of its seed into him with a sudden burst.   Cum fills his mouth and spills out around the head of its cock, coating his neck and chest, before soaking into his tank top. It keeps a hand on his chin as its cock falls from his lips, going limp once more.    It leans down once more, holding its face close to Jason’s, making sure their gazes stay locked, “I don’t want you to see this, so I’m going to take that from you, okay?”   “T-take what?” He whispers, his throat hoarse from the hours of moaning.    “Your sight, just for a little while, just until I make you into the man you were always meant to be.” It places a finger on his temple, waiting for his nod of approval before making his eyes cloud over.    The world goes blank for Jason, an incomprehensible nothingness, and he can suddenly feel everything; the fluids slowly dripping across his thighs, and his tank top, now much tighter, cutting into his skin. The beating of his heart, and the sound of his breathing feel like they are blasting in his ears. A watch ticks on his desk, the sound once incomprehensible now blared like a metronome. Braken’s hand slowly drifts down from his temple and closes around one of the shoulder straps on his tank top. The wet fabric rips like paper with a firm tug downwards, and Jason lets out a loud gasp as his damp skin is exposed to cold air.    He feels a tallon start moving across his stomach, digging just a bit into his skin. A slight pain distracts from the aching feeling of a part of his body that doesn’t belong being touched. He can feel the symbols being drawn on him, and soon Braken’s voice fills his head. The room around them seems to quiet, as if even the air wants to hear its honey voice sing in a language long since dead to mankind. The markings on his body begin to heat up, a warmth that radiates through to his core. The spell seeps into him, seeking out the payment owed, and then it’s gone. He can feel the emptiness in him, and without being told, he knows the worst part is over.    It leans down and its hand moves up, cupping his breast and bringing his nipple to its mouth. At first, Jason only felt the warmth of its mouth, soon a gushing sensation follows. He recognizes that he is being milked, and the thought crosses his mind that this should be horribly dysphoric, but it’s not. This is the last time his chest would ever be touched in a feminine way, and that gave him a sense of euphoria. Euphoria that only grew as his breast shrunk smaller, flattening against his body. Braken switches sides, repeating the process on the other one. Jason brings his hand up to his newly formed peck. Tears of joy wet his cheeks, it was so flat, so perfect.    Feeling his second breast go was like feeling shackles finally being unlocked, shackles he had been wearing so long, he didn’t even remember what freedom was like. He clutches his chest, feeling his own body, his hands exploring the new and different plains. It was the most pleasure he had felt all night, the pure joy of having them gone. Braken wasn’t done there, its mouth continues downward, gently trailing across his skin, causing it to change. He feels the ich of hair growing where none was before, and his once smooth, thin skin begins to thicken. His throat feels strange, a pressure he can feel deep beneath the skin, his cords changing. It’s warm lips find their way to his crotch, and he lets out a sudden moan. It’s nearly cut off by a sob of happiness, it was so much deeper, it finally sounded like it was his.    Braken’s lips close around his clit, eliciting another moan from him. He doesn’t hold it back, the deep sound echoing through the room, and the euphoria the sound caused staying around long after. More erratic moans come as it begins sucking, causing a sensation more pleasurable than anything Jason had ever felt before. It was a pleasure that only grew more intense as blood rushed to the area, feuling new growth. He could feel it getting longer, the heat of Braken’s mouth melting away his dysphoria with every inch that is added.    He can feel his abdomen flattening, organs that should have never been there shrinking, and repositioning. It felt so right, like before he was contorted and held into some unnatural position, and this was him finally getting to rest, to go back to how it was always meant to be. Braken slowly pulls his head back off the newly formed cock, the tip slipping out with an audible pop and a sensation that leaves Jason gasping for breath. Its head slips lower, kissing and suckling on his balls, which soon begin to fill. The skin tightens, and the sensitivity soon becomes overwhelming. The sensation to cum overtakes him, he doesn’t know how to hold back, he doesn’t want to.    Heat radiates through his cock and into his hips, growing hotter and hotter until it nearly hurts. Then there is an explosion of pure ecstasy, and for the first time, he can really experience his orgasm. Just pleasure, no crushing dysphoria, no self hatred. Cum spurts from his tip, dripping back down around his cock. Braken slips lower, its lips now pressing to the entrance of his manhood, the wet hole the only feminine part of him remaining. It licks and laps at it, cleaning its mess from earlier and using its tongue to massage the sore muscles. Working like a master artisan, it mends him, guiding stretched flesh back to its original form.    “You may want this gone now, but I think you’ll come to wish I left it.” Braken muses, slipping up to lick away the fresh cum that dripped down onto his balls.    “O-okay, I trust you.”    Jason feels it leaning over him again, can feel its warm breath on his cheeks, and then its lips softly press to his. The clouds in his eyes part, and by the time his eyes come back into focus, Braken is gone. He doesn’t move, doesn’t dare look over himself and fear overtakes him. What if he looked down and it was all a dream, and his body still is wrong? His hands resting on his newly flat chest tell him this is wrong, and he can feel his now limp cock resting on his thigh. It had to be real.    He slowly sits up and looks over himself. Tears well in his eyes, and he covers his mouth with his hands. It was all real, this was him, his body, it finally made sense. He gingerly rubs one of his pecks, watching his hand move across his skin in disbelief. Tears of happiness turn into sobs as he sees his cock. A real penis, functional in every way, was just there, attached to him. He sits in his bed for a long time, just crying and staring, waiting for his alarm clock to blare and wake him from this amazing dream, but it never does. He watches the sun slowly rise through his window, hears the birds start their morning songs, and then starts to get up. His room is a mess, his clothes hang onto him by a few threads, and it is the first day of the rest of his life. A life where today, and everyday after, he got to live it the way he was always meant to, as the man he had always been.

The day that Kori Murakami sent herself off to her death, she couldn’t help but think about those quiet summer days when her mother was still around. She would always take her out to the large forest in the southern part of Etissia via boat. Cherry trees swayed, dropping fruit with every gust of wind that nuzzled its branches. The sun  peeked through the leaves, bringing warmth to her face. What once was a bright memory between mother and daughter, now remained underneath her feet as shadows danced on the moss-infested soil. “Where the hell did she go?” a voice shouted from behind. “How am I supposed to know? Just find her. Do you have any idea how much that reward will change things?” Unlike those more peaceful days, however, the scattered sounds of many footsteps rushing forward and leaves being crushed echoed throughout the forest. Muffled arguing could be heard from almost every direction. Kori found herself in front of a cliff, its bottom nowhere to be seen. She braced herself as she stared at the dark abyss below. The bandages messily strewn around her ribs were starting to become loose and she could barely stand upright.  Her vision blurred as she took another step forward. Two villagers ran out from behind the trees and pointed at her with weapons in hand. Soon more followed. And more. It didn’t take too long for Kori to be completely surrounded. Despite knowing the situation was turning more grim by the second, a warm smile couldn’t help but come across her face.  After all, only the image of a young girl following in her mother’s footsteps occupied her mind.   She jumped.   ***   A man in his mid-fifties squeezing a plastic bag with all of his might rushed through the empty  street. He kicked up dirt and grime with each giant step he took. Despite popular belief that you shrink when you age, he was still plenty large; others would say he was too large, in fact. If he gained a miniscule amount of muscle mass for each strand of hair that he’s lost over the years, he wouldn’t have any hair left. And he didn’t, aside from the small patches of black fuzz that were on each side of his head. He arrived at the pier that he had assigned one of his men to build after enough people complained. It shook every time he dared to walk on it and this time was no different. Fortunately, this didn’t affect the girl who sat crouched with one arm perched over her knee while the other held a fishing rod. Not that she was necessarily normal either. No, this girl in particular wore a dark blue winter coat with brown fur on the hood. Even though winter had long since departed, the warm breeze of spring taking its rightful place. Even with the extra protection, it seemed that she was still shivering. Her long blonde hair went past her back and spread messily across the wooden floorboards. As the man dropped the bag beside her, she gave him a quick glance before clicking her tongue and returning her focus to the sea.  “If you’re here to persuade me or something, it’s better if you just leave. You already know my answer,” she said. “Better yet, just twiddle your thumbs and hope for the best. You’re especially good at that.” The man opened his mouth to speak but found that no words would come out. Instead, he simply sat down behind the girl with his legs crossed. The waves of the ocean crashed against the pier, and it reminded him of how little time they actually had left together. Soon, he wouldn’t be able to see his daughter. Sure, it was rare to see her come out from Sophia’s library, but simply knowing that she was here in Everhill—that she was safe, it was enough for him.  But that wasn’t always going to be possible. Soon or later, the ones who you’ve raised and cared for start to become curious about the world around them. He knew that. It was just that the world wasn’t kind to the curious. Around this time last year, luck was just barely on his side when he managed to convince her to stay on the small island after hours upon hours of talking.  He forced a smile. “I bought those hand warmers that the travelling merchant was selling. Figured it would help you out in case you start to freeze up while you’re out there. Plenty of water in there too, Kori.” Grabbing his legs and looking down at the ground as if to not let his smile drop, the man let out a disgruntled huff, “All I ask is that you’re careful. Being an Errant isn’t the job of common folk. That exam that you’re so adamant about joining has so many casualties every year, it’s insane to even think about it...” Kori shook her head and gave him a dry laugh. With her free hand, she touched the floorboard behind her. A small trail of frost trickled from her fingertips and zipped toward the man’s exposed shins. He jolted back and the pier shook some more. Even this didn’t take her attention away from the ocean. Kori gripped tight onto her fishing pole as the line began to pick up. “Wow, you really look down on me, don’t you old man?” she asked, eyebrows upturned. Her good mood didn’t last however as she let out a soft sigh. “Last year, when you talked me out of leaving, I couldn’t help but go to bed that night feeling sick to my stomach. Like I had given up before reaching the starting line. It was so goddamn disgusting.” She gritted her teeth. “That’s why it just has to be this year, I won’t have it any other way.” “Yeah, I know. But with no royal blood in your veins —” “Don’t count me out just yet. I’ll win against any dumb noble.” He frowned. The thin line frost travelled up his leg, circled around his large frame, and finally made it to the top of his head before shattering. That was her way of giving him a soft punch in the shoulder. “I’ll be safe, you worrywart,” she said, ”I promise that I’ll come back safe to you. Besides, I have a trump card that no one else has. One that I hold very close to my heart.” Kori rose to her feet with a triumphant stomp. The wind began to pick up as her winter jacket fell to the ground, leaving her with a black tank top. She yanked the line back with everything she had, raising the fishing rod well above her head. The ocean rumbled and spat as if it was boiling.  Suddenly, a large fish-like creature emerged from the depths of the sea, drenching the pier and surrounding area with water. Green and red scales, a tail in the shape of a mushroom,  severe underbite, and vibrant bright yellow eyes. That is what stood before both Kori and the man. The man reached for his weapon but found that he hadn’t one. “Get the hell out of here, run!” The man cried as he started to run forward in an attempt to cover his only daughter.  He didn’t get farther than three steps. The fish opened its mouth wide and lowered itself, squishing and flattening its entire body as if it lacked any bone structure. Kori followed suit, inhaling and touching the floorboards, now cracked and on the verge of breaking.  It leaped out of the water. The wind soon became frigid. A sheet of ice engulfed the pier along with a bit of the sea. It hooked the tail of the fish and it fell forward, destroying the platform she stood upon. Crashing down to the frozen land below and bashing its head, the fish flailed about for a second before falling unconscious. Kori fell on top of it. Due to its irregular shape, it seemed her fall was less painful.  The man dropped to his knees at the sight in front of him. Although that time had long since passed and his story already came to an end, the faint chill in the air along with the distinct sour smell of magic reminded him of a memory long since forgotten.   “Hey Archie, this world is a bit too unfair for my liking. Let’s turn things upside down. Become an Errant and adventure with me, won’tcha!” He felt something press on his back and push him forward. Or perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Regardless, Archie scurried on his hands and knees to get a better look. With each breath Kori took, a white mist left her lips before dispersing into the air. She stood up yet found herself unable to look up at her father. The arm she had used her magic with had shriveled up and turned a bluish purple. She held it close to herself.  “I…have Mama’s power, did you forget?” she panted, “That’s why I can’t be anything other than perfect. I won’t accept anything less.” A sigh of relief left his mouth.  In the end, the world wasn’t kind to the curious. But that didn’t mean that they should lay face down and stay ignorant. Perhaps, Kori was not the one who wasn’t ready.   *** It didn’t take long for the boat to arrive after Archie had helped Kori out with her arm. Due to the pier’s last minute destruction, it had to dock on the opposite side of Everhill. Just as she was about to board, Kori was stopped by Archie, who was trying his best to smile when seeing her off. Kori turned her back to him. “I’ll be seeing you, then.” “You don’t have to act so tough, you know. You’ve been here all your life. Goodbyes are allowed to be hard.” He threw his head back and laughed. “Hell, most people never know what to say in the moment.” “I’ve got nothin’ to say.'' She slid the hood up on her winter coat. “...Yeah, nothin’.” “So you say.” Kori boarded the boat full of the various exam-takers she would have to face off against and leaned on the railing. The boat slowly began to move forward. Archie clapped twice. As if on command, multiple people came out from behind the various buildings and trees within the village. Some held good luck posters, others popped party poppers. Overall, it seemed that he had brought the entirety of Everhill just to give her a proper send off.  Her finger darted towards her dad. “Y-you! You always have to make everything such a big deal, go to hell!”  She couldn’t hear him over the combined sounds of the boat's engine and the cheers of the Everhill people, but judging by how wide open his mouth was, it was safe to assume that he was laughing. With a deep breath, he raised his open palm to the sky and screamed loud enough for her to hear, “Kori, be safe out there! You better come back to us!” Her eyes stung and began to blur. Kori rubbed at her face, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling. As they rolled down her face, she leaned over the railing and waved back at them. At the hometown she had grown up in. So much for not having anything to say.   “I will, I promise!” Expectation; a burden in disguise, well intentioned yet endlessly looming. Try as you might with bated breath or with sword in hand, it lurched over us all with the same sadistic grin. Kori Murakami’s pursuit of perfection is where everything began. Not with a bang but a crybaby’s pathetic whimper.

Tier 1: You can record the current state of your spirit and cultivation at will and save this recording in your spirit. Saving a recording overrides the previous one. Secondary Effect: You can restore your spirit or your cultivation to a recorded state for a cost in mana or essence scaling with the difference between recording and current state. Tier 3: You can store multiple recordings and have finer control over which parts of your spirit or cultivation you want to restore. Grows with tier.   Before I didn’t like my talent. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great talent. Very useful and all that. But with great power comes great responsibility. So maybe it would be more fitting to say I hate the responsibility and expectations my talent causes. Take for example my current situation. I am standing at the entrance of Minkalla. At only tier 12! Way too early! But no. The “Talented” should go early. Bah! I am not ready at all. Haven’t even build my own concept. Thank the emperor for those bottles. I found my phrase at tier seven, but how can I ever hope to find an image that fits “I remember”? While the question practically screams sarcasm, I want the answer. And my guild leader wants me to find the answer too, so here we are. My “teammates” are at the same tier. True elites from my guild. They always make sure I know that. And they also make sure, that I don’t get funny ideas of actually belonging to their group. My father may be friends with the local guild leader, but that only got me a faster interview and no real benefits. I got to where I am now, by having the most annoying talent of all time: Resetting. I can record my current state of spirit and cultivation and restore that state later for a cost depending on the differences. This mostly translated to getting rare skill shards and creating a recording with the skill, then putting the skill back into an empty shard and restore it into my spirit. Rinse and repeat. This talent is a big reason of the guilds recent rise to fame. All their elites get a set of rare skills including an already modified [Endurance], which is normally reserved for pathers, [Ranged Heal] and an assortment of useful cracked skills that guildmembers found. And they don’t want their golden goose dying of old age. So, I get an elite escort to floor four. Now back to Minkalla. Finally, it’s time for the new cycle, that I really want no part of. There even was a nice man telling us, the empire will refund all travel costs if we choose to retreat. No way I could take the offer though. The guild leader was very clear with his expectations. Start Do I want to be transported with the people near me? Seriously treasure planet? Are you mocking me? I can’t stand them, and they can’t stand me, but I am also not suicidal. After a short examination we know the floor theme. “Folded Reflections! It seems like we can get rid of our baggage earlier.” Ah! Right… the floor reward lets me replace the bottled concept I have now with a real one, that an alternate version of me created. Less work than getting through the next floors. And less risk to die. Now we only have to survive imitations of other people, who are probably more talented or at a higher tier, a good chunk of them even both. Fun! Subfloor 2 This seems better than expected. The reflections were said to have some flaws, but those flaws really make the difference. I was able to defeat the reflection of a teammate. This is especially jarring, as I never won a spar against him. Also being on transport and healing duty is actually nice. The risk is low and Minkalla still rewards me a good share of Genesis Energy. Subfloor 2 After an Ambush I retract my earlier optimism. We lost Matt in an ambush. Mathias Crow was the nicest member of the team. He gave me actual pointers after sparing and always had something funny to say. Humans truly are the real danger of this place. Subfloor 3 No more losses, but a lot of healing cooldown. We have to rest, but as soon as people outside learn of the first-floor theme, it is guaranteed to become flooded in short order. On the bright side we got a fantastic skill-drop. A cracked mana barrier, which transforms incoming kinetic energy into mana for the caster. Subfloor 3 Boss preparations We have enough Genesis Energy, the position of the boss and are mostly healed up. It’s now or never! Subfloor 3 Before the trial We did it! Without casualties too. I had to burn some essence to win, but I had a backup from before the fight and could fix the damage with only a slither of Genesis Energy. It is just so much more efficient than even essence as fuel for my talent. After the trial What? Why? I want to go back! I just saw myself living a better live and then I realized that it was too good to be true. That got me thrown out for “passing the trial”! But I Remember what it was like and now I have a goal. Changing my appearance is doable even before tier fifteen, even if the changes will not be as thorough as I want. And changing my name to hers will be a bureaucratic nightmare, but completely doable. The team wants to go farther. Without me of course. Also, without Rose. She lost a leg, and we have no way to regrow it here. Floor 2-1 Stayed a while for trading. But after both Rose and the Team had left, I realized that I wanted to go on. I Remember, what it was like. To be her. To be Me. Strong, resolute, cute, respected. I want that. And going deeper gives me a better chance of achieving it in a timely manner. It is funny that I feel like I can see the way forward even in the Eternal Darkness of Minkalla. Floor 2-2 I am not used to working alone. Well. No time to learn like the present. Floor 2-2 again The present sucks! Back to learning. After the second trial Those were some pretty butterflies. I wonder if every floor trial will leave me wishing, that I didn’t pass so fast. The rest of the second floor was just more getting used to working alone and dealing with ambushes. Luckily, they came mostly from monsters since other humans were also hindered by the darkness. I think I can do another floor. Floor 3-1 This floor is the best! Mind over Matter <3 No physical body! Floor 3-2 I have slowed down some more. Not because of the difficulty, but because I like my spiritual form and want to stay longer. Also, I found some interesting challenges and have taken my time to clear them. Floor 3-3 I had a long internal argument about leaving the floor. I want to stay a bit longer. I am not at the top of the pack anyway. I the end I gave in to logic. Going faster is better. Still hurts. Floor 4-1 Spirit Journey. I feel good about this floor. My new outlook and concept work well for confronting my mind. Floor 4-2 Killing my inner demons has turned out to be very therapeutic. Floor 4-3 I had enough inner demons to give me more than enough Genesis Energy for both the floor and exit rewards. But I think I will continue onwards. After fourth trial I got a bunny familiar. This the best! I will call her Sunny. Sunny the bunny! Hehe! Floor 5-1 Flying is fun! My concept may be internal, but since it is focused on replicating things I experienced or seen and I experienced flying before, there is no problem. Floor 5-2 I got into a fight and would have lost without powering skills with essence. Using Genesis Energy, I can regain the essence without too much trouble and even mend the stressed skills. It is too complicated to do so during fights, but I think I am still good to continue. Floor 5-3 Before the Boss This is it. End of the floor. I feel ready for more. Floor 6-1 Unskilled is an interesting floor. My concept allows me to replicate the effects of internal skills and thanks to the bonus from Mind over Matter I can use it enough to negate most of the floor’s downsides. I can’t overcharge skills with essence, so I have to be careful. Floor 6-2 Fights are getting increasingly dangerous. I had to flee multiple times. Luckily, I found good stealth items on the earlier floors. Floor 6-3 Not sure if I should continue after this floor. The potential rewards of floor seven are tempting. The danger of pressing on is daunting. What would she do? Floor 7-1 I may be an idiot. Also, I really wish I had a bloodline. Would be great on a floor, which boosts them. Floor 7-1 later An alpha from the monster collective saved me from being hunted down by the party of a very persistent young master. That guy really didn’t know when to quit. Chased me for three whole weeks. Her name is Rose, and she told me I would fit in well with her harem. What? What does she see in me? Or is she just flirting for fun? I am so confused. Floor 7-2 Rose just tortured multiple people into transferring us all of their collected Genesis Energy. I get, that this resulted in doubling the gains we got from fighting them and they ambushed us, so it was kind of justified. The gap between her normal sweet and flirty demeanor and her combat persona is frightening. I am glad she seems to like me for some reason. Floor 7-2 again Rose and I had a heart-to-heart talk. She noticed me getting more distant after the torture thing. She explained her reasons in more detail and while it was still frightening it really put my mind at ease. During the conversation, I also talked to her about my goals, and she was very understanding. It turns out monsters born in nonhumanoid bodies also feel a dissonance between their mind and body. Apparently, it is called dysphoria. She told me I should talk to a therapist about it and was just generally very accepting and sweet. Floor 7-3 We are nearing the end. After even more fights against other delvers, we both have enough energy to get both floor and exit rewards. At the start I never expected to actually complete all floors of Minkalla. To be fair I never would have completed the last one without Rose coming to save me and sticking with me. Afterwards I got arcane mana now. And an innate skill. For safety reasons I will not write down, which one I chose. My guild already left Minkalla after everyone else returned. They probably think I got killed. After getting back home I will focus on reaching tier 15 and then I will maybe try to find Rose again.

For 2022, I’ve been wanting to write more ‘creature features’ and generally improve my short story writing. My partner got me a Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual for my birthday so I came up with the idea of writing a story every week based on a different creature from that - All There in the (Monster) Manual. Hope you enjoy! This Week’s Inspiration: Wererat   ======   Hooves sank into the muddy path as rain slicked the horse’s flanks, running in rivulets down its legs. Black and gleaming, the animal was a magnificent destrier that slogged through all terrain and all conditions without complaint. Between forks of lightning, the only light on the road came from the lurid green glow of a conjured ghastlight hovering behind the shoulder of the horse’s rider. Otherwise, the stormy night, the mud road and the surrounding woods were all as black as the bottom of a well. Ahead, nestled in the low hills, the rider spotted his destination in the white strobe of a lightning strike. A large wall separated the town from the road. The rider spurred his horse to the looming gates. Not a single light showed anywhere in the town. Other than rain hammering wooden structures and thunder rolling off the nearby hills no sound came from behind the wall either. Water streamed off both sides of an awning near the gate, where guards might have previously stood or travellers might have taken shelter for the night. In the green glow of the ghastlight, the rider could see several boards nailing the gates shut and a single word painted sloppily across the wood, running in the rain. The word ‘PLAGUE’. It didn’t take the rider long to take apart the boards and the gates swung open. He trotted into the town unimpeded. Hooves rang off wet cobblestones. All the buildings surrounding them, one or two story structures of wood and stone with rain running off their eaves, looked dark and cold. Windows were shuttered or unlit. Many of the doors were boarded shut and painted with numbers and symbols like signs meant to ward off evil. If so, they hadn’t worked. The rider reached the town’s central courtyard without meeting a single living soul. More cobblestones paved the open space around the town well and empty gallows. Lightning forked through the sky. The rider rounded on the largest building to edge the courtyard, a two story inn with a row of stables. The rider stabled and wiped down his uncomplaining destrier. Hay had been left behind but all the stalls were, of course, empty. The rider then went to the inn and pulled apart the boards barring the entrance with his gloved hands. Inside, the inn’s front room was cold and damp and empty. A fireplace sat in the centre of the space. The stranger found some firewood, piled it into the hearth and lit it, more for light than warmth. They dispelled the ghastlight that had followed them loyally along their journey through the dark woods. The fireplace illuminated dozens of empty chairs scattered across the room, parked at rough hewn tables, and a bartop lined with empty stools. There was little doubt as to why the tables and chairs sat unoccupied. A stench of death permeated the whole room, the whole building. Probably the whole town would have smelled the same if the rain hadn’t been tamping it down. That was alright, death was exactly what the Doctor was there for. The Doctor wore a black cloak that fell to the ankles of his riding boots. Black clothing, black gloves, and a black hood helped hide every inch of skin. A mask styled after the masks of plague doctors, black leather with smokey lenses and a hooked beak, covered his face. He and the others like him didn’t have names but that’s what their enemies called them, Doctors. Even alone, the Doctor did nothing to remove the mask or his wet clothing. Underneath, his flesh and sinews creaked. Grey and stitched and cold. Sitting by the fire, he raised his gloved hands to the blaze. Steam rose lazily off his cloak. Fire reflected in the lenses of his mask. The Doctor knew he’d never be truly warm again, short of immolation, but the heat did help limber up the stiffness that had developed in his fingers and joints over the cold, wet ride. Winds raged outside, lashing the empty streets. Shutters clattered against the windows. Eventually, the Doctor found a lantern with some oil behind the bar, lit it, and decided to take stock of his place of rest for the night. Most of the inn’s rooms were upstairs and the Doctor climbed the steps quietly, holding the lantern ahead of him. His drying cloak draped his spidery frame. All the doors lining the second story were nailed shut as well. The stench of death seeped from the rooms behind them. They must have been using the inn to isolate the sick and dying before the plague got out of control. Picking a room at random, the Doctor ripped away the board barring its entryway. It came apart as if rotten in his hands. With a single kick, the Doctor splintered the door and launched it open. The lantern’s light spilled into the room and the Doctor heard something scurry out of sight. The smell of decay became much stronger, sickeningly so, but the Doctor didn’t show any reaction. The room was tiny, not much of a place to spend your final days. Only space enough for a single bed and a basin in the corner. A dead man occupied the bed and the Doctor lifted the lantern closer to inspect them. Contorted in agony, the man’s face and exposed arms showed the dark scabies of plague. He’d been dead for a couple of weeks. Rats had been at him, their bites ravaging his face, his fingers, taking his lips and his eyes. That would have been what the Doctor heard scurrying away in the dark when he kicked the door open. The corpse would still serve the Doctor’s purposes. That was a good sign for the rest of town, given how abandoned it was. The room’s single window was unshuttered and looked out over the town courtyard. The Doctor crossed to it, lowering his lantern. While the town and its surrounding hills remained lightless, the Doctor sensed movement across the courtyard. He waited, completely unmoving, until another fork of lightning split the sky. Its white flash illuminated the rainy courtyard, the well, the gallows. Across the courtyard, where he’d sensed movement in the darkness, the Doctor saw two figures dart across the mouth of one of the surrounding streets. They were small, like children, but didn’t move like children. The Doctor’s eyes weren’t what they once were, they needed replacing, so he failed to make out many details in the split second of the lightning flash. He’d seen though that the children, or whatever they were, seemed to be wearing masks similar to his own, with long, beaky noses taking up much of their faces. Thunder rolled over the rooftops. The Doctor waited until the next flash but didn’t see anything more. Waiting a short while longer, lantern lowered beneath the windowsill, watching, he failed to spot the small figures again. Doctors, at least the Doctor’s kind of Doctor, didn’t sleep. It would be too difficult to start his work in the storm, however, so instead the Doctor set himself down in a wooden chair in the main body of the inn, directly across from the front door. A slender sword rested across his lap in a black scabbard. Still in his damp robe and mask, the Doctor lulled into a corpselike stillness. He stayed that way as the fire burned down into smokey ashes. The room lapsed into blackness as the storm continued to rage outside, and then softened, and stopped. Dawn light began to burn around the edge of the doorway and the shutters across the windows, causing a fresh and dusty glow to fill the room again. It found the Doctor in the exact same position he’d been sitting in before the fire died the night before. Nothing disturbed him, and there was no sign of small, child-sized creatures in masks. With sunshine drying the trees and cobblestones, the Doctor decided to get to work. The town courtyard would suit his purposes. He threw open the doors to the inn, letting in some fresh air and sunshine. Before getting started, the Doctor checked on his horse in the adjoining stables. It would be important if he needed to make a hasty escape. The horse, too, had gone unmolested during the night. The creature watched the Doctor dispassionately. Although it maintained the same magnificent flanks, the glossy sheen of its fur like wet ink, its eyes were milky white and its breath smelled like putrefaction. It maintained the same stillness as the Doctor when not being ridden. The Doctor started with the inn. Returning upstairs, he broke down the doors leading to the other rooms and dragged the corpses outside to the courtyard. Tortured, plagueridden and rat-bitten. He found it easiest to keep them wrapped in their soiled sheets and to hold them by the shoulders as he pulled, their feet bouncing against the steps and dragging on the cobblestones. Neither the physical nature of the work nor the grotesque condition of the corpses affected the Doctor in the slightest. Working upstairs and down, he dragged thirteen bodies into the courtyard, all a couple of weeks dead but in usable shape. He started at one end of the open space and arranged the bodies in a neat row. From there, the Doctor decided to fan out. Gradually moving in concentric circles, he dragged more bodies to the courtyard to array in neat rows. Water dripped off the eaves of buildings and from branches in some places. Rats scurried among houses and alleyways. Apart from those sounds, however, the village remained utterly silent. Even the birds were dead or gone. The Doctor hadn’t forgotten the masked children or creatures he’d seen the night before. Under his black coat, he wore his slender longsword on one hip and a dagger on the other. The Doctor was perfectly capable of defending himself if needs arose. Most of the buildings surrounding the centre of town were stores or craftsmen of some description. Many had been cleaned out as townsfolk abandoned their village but they also had homes built above the stores themselves where often the owners and their families had passed away. The Doctor dragged them through the streets and back to the courtyard, sometimes managing two at once if they were children. The Doctor worked without need for rest or food or water but the task still took time. After another hour, he had close to forty bodies arranged in rows across one side of the courtyard. The town had been abandoned about a week ago so none were fresher than that. Many bore bites and marks made by vermin in addition to the scars of the plague. Soon it would be worthwhile enacting the channelling ritual and then he could do his work much more efficiently. The Doctor moved into surrounding streets. Everything remained still. Massive puddles marred the muddy paths in some places. Some windows or doorways were broken. Household objects dropped or lost during the flight from town lay forgotten in the mud and a couple of bodies were collapsed here and there in the street. Plague victims who, in their death throes, had wandered out of their houses and died under the open sky instead of in their beds. The Doctor dragged their muddy corpses back the way he’d come, leaving runnels in the streets. Small feet pattered down a side street and the Doctor’s mask swivelled around. Whoever it was moved softly but splashed through a couple of puddles, alerting him. The Doctor set his current burden down and hurried to investigate. While unafraid, the Doctor was cautious. Anyone lurking about the empty buildings could bring trouble for his plans. Moving to the side street, the Doctor caught a glimpse of movement ahead. Two small shadows, distorted by the morning light but roughly the size and proportions of nine or ten-year-olds, vanished around a corner. The Doctor followed, boots splashing in the mud. Reaching the next street, the Doctor found small houses surrounded by upturned gardens and stables. Everything again seemed to go silent. The Doctor hesitated until nearby the door of a larger, barnlike structure swung open and then slammed closed with a wooden clap. Taking hold of the pommel of his sword, the Doctor moved carefully toward the barn. The barn was an open building with slices of sunlight cutting in from vents high on the walls. Despite the vents, a thick, musty smell of animals smothered the space. Stacks of damp hay filled the back of the barn, the stalls, and the loft overlooking the main body of the barn, and loose hay had been spilled underfoot. Behind the lenses of his mask, the Doctor’s eyes tracked around the building. Nothing looked necessarily disturbed but he sensed something off. Something or some things in the room along with him. Behind the Doctor, the barn’s unlocked doors suddenly clattered shut. The Doctor’s sword flashed as he unleashed it from its scabbard, spinning on the doors. Someone outside, probably more than one person, had clearly slammed them shut to keep him inside. The Doctor heard them dropping a heavy plank into the crossbar cradles on the outside of the doors. Hitting them with his shoulders, the Doctor couldn’t get the doors to budge. Rustling from the hayloft gave away his attackers. The Doctor turned again, sword ready. Two creatures emerged from the damp hay where they’d been deeply buried in order to ambush him. Their faces contorted in vicious snarls. These creatures, or two like them, were the same as the pair he’d glimpsed in the storm last night. Had they been on equal footing, the creatures would have come up to the Doctor’s ribs. Covered in dark, bristly fur, their scrawny builds consisted of skin and bones and stringy muscle. Long muzzles extended from their faces, below beady eyes and twitching ears, which last night the Doctor had mistaken for masks like his own. More importantly, the two half-men, half-animal creatures in the rafters were carrying a couple of battered crossbows too big for their scabrous claws, which they aimed at the Doctor and fired. The Doctor heard the crossbow strings twang, almost one on top of the other. With superhuman speed, he brought his sword around unerringly. The blade deflected one of the bolts, sending it spinning into the wall of the barn. The second bolt struck home, in the left side of the Doctor’s chest. Punching through the layers of his cloak and clothing, the barb drove itself deep into his flesh and wedged there. Several more creatures exploded from the piles of damp hay on the ground floor of the barn. Obviously they’d been hiding there for a while, completely still, barely breathing, in order to ambush the Doctor. Small and stringy but fast and surprisingly strong, they wore scuffed leather armour and other bits and pieces too big for them cobbled from human armour and clothing. Of the three on the ground level, two carried swords and the other wielded a double-headed battle axe. Virmen, the ratlike humanoids were considered nothing more than a rumour in some parts of the Eight Kingdoms. Living on the outskirts of civilisation or sometimes beneath cities themselves, virmen scavenged food and tools and clothing from human beings and other races to live. They could be a threat to unwary travellers or adventurers but kept to themselves if they could. The Doctor had no idea what they were doing here or why they were attacking him. They were unlikely to be allied with his Lord’s enemies. The Doctor grabbed for the crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest and ripped it free. The bolt’s head was barbed in such a way that it inflicted more injury when removed in such a fashion and it came away trailing tatters of greyed skin and black cloth, but the Doctor appeared not to notice. His sword swept around. The closest virmen attacked without skill, without a plan, just raw aggression. Sword raised in both paws, they hacked at the Doctor. The Doctor’s sword crashed off their pockmarked blade with a clang of steel. The virmen reeled back and the Doctor resisted following through with lethal force. Above, the two virmen armed with crossbows hurried to reload. Bolts held between their teeth, they pulled back on stiff strings. Below, the other two virmen threw themselves at the Doctor. The creature with the battle axe appeared to be their leader. Pale patches crossed his dark fur in an almost cowlike pattern. He attacked, wildly swinging his axe from side to side. The Doctor was stronger but his thinner blade wasn’t ideal for turning aside the heavy axe. He retreated, blocking the blows as best he could. From overhead, the two crossbow virmen aimed and fired. The Doctor heard the strings and kept moving to avoid them. One bolt narrowly missed his back. He spun and the second bolt flew right by the beak of his mask. Sweeping his sword around one-handed, the Doctor created a lethal arc that backed the other three virmen up for a moment. With his other hand, the Doctor formed a conjuring gesture. A green ghastlight, like the one he had used to light his trip into the supposedly abandoned town the night before, flamed to life in his palm. This ghastlight, however, was duller yet hotter, more forceful. Still moving, the Doctor pitched the ghastlight into the chest of one of the virmen. A green, sparking explosion picked the creature up and hurled him to the far side of the barn, where he landed hard and dropped his sword. The two ratlike humanoids in the hayloft reloaded their crossbows again. The Doctor conjured up a second ghastlight, even larger and with more force behind it. Old as the building was, the loft sagged under the weight of the damp hay it held. Its rafters looked weak and warped. The Doctor threw his ghastlight at the central pillar holding the loft aloft, right below the two virmen’s feet. Wood shattered from the green blast, spraying splinters across the room. The floor of the loft buckled and broke, collapsing under the two virmen and the small mountain of hay. The whole arrangement crashed down, the virmen losing their weapons and winding up buried under the debris. The last two virmen attacked, sword and axe slashing at the Doctor’s midsection. He knocked the leader backward. His sword rang off the other virmen’s shortsword. They clattered, wrapping around one another, and the Doctor disarmed the creature. He put a shallow slash across the virmen’s shoulder and sent it reeling backward, bleeding through its fur. Shrieking, their leader redoubled his efforts and brought their axe around in wide sweeps. The Doctor couldn’t spare a hand to conjure another ghastlight, he needed both on his sword’s grip. Pushing back, he deflected the axe blade again and again. Waiting for his moment, the Doctor kicked the virmen leader in the chest. The virmen sprawled backward. The Doctor swung around hard, knocking the axe out of their hands and then looming over them. The Doctor lay the edge of his sword across the virmen’s throat. With a swift jerk, he could have sliced the rat-man’s throat. The virmen leader glared defiantly at him, chisel teeth bared, and refused to beg or surrender. Behind his mask, the Doctor cleared his throat with a grating sound. His voice sounded rusty and strained through too tight of a space, like it hadn’t been used in a long time. “I do not want to harm you,” the Doctor said. The virmen hesitated for a few moments more, as if regarding what the Doctor had to say. The Doctor couldn’t even be sure if the virmen spoke Common. The two crossbow-wielding virmen dug their way out of the ruins of the loft. The other two, who had fought with swords, recovered but waited with uncertainty about what they should do. Eventually, once he realised the Doctor wasn’t going to slit his throat at the first sign of movement, the virmen leader turned and barked something at the barn doors. Something rattled and clanked outside the barn. With the crossbar removed, the doors creaked open. The Doctor kept his sword pressed to the virmen’s throat. As the entrance opened wider, small, hairy figures clustered at the gap. More virmen, both male and female, dressed in scavenged armour or clothing and holding an array of old weaponry. Some held the leashes of savage-looking rats the size of dogs. Beady eyes fixed on the Doctor, assessing. The Doctor kept his sword against their leader’s neck with one hand and raised his other hand as if beseeching the horde. He couldn’t win against them all. The Doctor and his kind were difficult to kill but far from invulnerable. He didn’t bleed, or need to breathe any more than he ate or drank or slept, but beheading him would finish him off, or removing the tightly wound sack of esoteria that sat in his chest in place of a heart. As a swordsman, the Doctor was no better than the average knight. The vast majority of his magical ability was concentrated in one area, and beyond that his combat magic was negligible. “I mean you no harm,” the Doctor repeated, his voice a little clearer on the second attempt. “I am not your enemy.” Virmen hesitated, not knowing what to do. Their dog-sized hunting rats strained at their leashes, mouths frothing. The humanoid rats looked to their leader with the pale patches. “Humans, stop us taking. Killing us when see us. We kill first,” the virmen leader said in strangled Common. “I am not human, not any longer,” the Doctor said. The virmen didn’t seem to know what to make of that. “You come to stop us taking.” “No, I have my own purpose. You are here to gather food, tools and clothing left behind by those escaping the plague, I assume? We are both here for the spoils, but our purposes need not counter one another.” “What you here for?” “Bodies, for the bodies of those who died.” “Why for?” “To serve my Lord. Come, I will show you.” Sheathing his sword, the Doctor led a procession of virmen back through the town’s mud and stone streets. His cloak furled behind him. The virmen following him looked curious but wary, weapons ready in their clawed hands and hunting rats kept close. The Doctor showed no sign of the crossbow wound in his chest slowing him down or in any way paining him. Returning to the courtyard, they found the bodies the Doctor had already lined up, wrapped in sheets or soiled clothes. Not as many as the Doctor would have preferred before beginning but he had an impatient audience and it wouldn’t make much difference in the long run. The Doctor stopped at the head of the courtyard, dozens of pairs of dead feet pointed toward him. Virmen milled around to the sides. “Now, watch,” the Doctor said. The Doctor stood back, raising his arms, and he tilted his head toward the sky. Deep and guttural, another voice started from behind the mask. It went on and on, the Doctor not breathing, until it seemed he was only a conduit for the sound rather than its creator. Something reached across from the other side. Virmen backed away. A glow began to form around the Doctor, or an absence. Blackness poured over his frame, purple sparks marking the horizons of said blackness.  He continued chanting in some alien and ancient tongue. The Doctor absorbed all the power he could and lowered his arms and masked face. With the virmen keeping their distance, the Doctor walked stiffly to the first corpse among the rows. The first body the Doctor had found in the inn, with its plague scabs and missing eyes. The Doctor pulled the glove off his right hand. His flesh was as withered and grey as any corpse, fingernails yellowed. He lay his hand across the dead body’s face. Energy travelled from his palm, the bare skin, into the corpse’s mouth. Stiff with rot, the eyeless corpse started to spasm. Dried muscles and sinews crackled under the skin. A fresh wave of rotting stench belched out of the corpse’s mouth and, spine cracking, it sat upright. Virmen scrambled to stay clear. Mouth working as if trying to speak, the grey and plague-ridden body stiffly stood and waited as if for orders. The Doctor moved swiftly to the next body, covering its mouth and doing the same, and then the next, and the next. Behind him, the bodies thrashed and struggled to their feet. They were slow and sluggish, bones and muscles creaking, pieces sloughing off of them in places. Their sallow skin took on a faint glow immediately after resurrection that quickly faded. The Doctor repeated the process again and again for all of the corpses present. By the time he reached the end of the last line, the Doctor looked haggard but still had some of the black and purple energy hanging around him. Knowing its effects could be unpredictable around living things, like the virmen, the Doctor dispelled the last of the energy carefully. He wrestled his glove back onto his right hand. Watching, the virmen stayed back. If they intended on attacking the Doctor, now seemed to be the right time. He looked like he could barely raise his sword. It dawned on them, however, that he now had an army at his back, almost forty walking corpses, zombies, dumbly waiting for orders. The Doctor forced himself to stand straight. “Spread out, but stay within the confines of this town. Find your brothers and sisters who are still sleeping, find all the other human corpses in their buildings and beds, in the street or shallow graves, and return them here. Arrange them as I had arranged you, so that I may wake them.” The Doctor directed some of his new assistants more forcefully, to make sure they actually spread out. Thralls were not the best at lateral thinking. They ignored the virmen as they shuffled by. The virmen looked on in fear and awe. Like ants, but in slow motion, the undead swarmed in and out of buildings, breaking down doors or shattering windows as they looked for corpses to bring back to the courtyard. The Doctor and virmen watched them work with tireless industry. “The lord you work for,” the virmen leader stumbled over words. “This is Dark Lord?” “Yes, that’s right, although He has many names,” the Doctor said. “You make war for him?” “Mostly I make soldiers.” The Doctor gestured toward the industrious zombies. “But I command them in battle as well, yes. You might consider me one of His generals, in human terms, but we aren’t so much for titles as all those lords from the Eight Kingdoms.” “We feel Dark Lord’s call to lesser races. Like hook in head. But we not go.” “That’s perfectly alright, soon all races will have to join or submit I suppose! But it’s not really my area.” “War is good for my people. Much taking left after armies go. Much taking on battlefield.” The lead virmen gestured with his axe. “More places like here. We find it empty and thank rat gods. How you find this place?” “Agents of the Dark One are everywhere. One of them passed through here, weeks ago, and passed the plague infection onto some of the townspeople. We allow the plague to take hold and burn through the population. When the survivors move on, that’s when one of my kind appears to raise those left behind as soldiers in the Dark Lord’s army. His agents sow, and I reap the harvest.” Thralls blundered in and out of buildings, some of which the Doctor had already visited. A couple, however, came lumbering back with fresh corpses slung over their shoulders. The virmen, most of whom didn’t understand the conversation their leader was having with the Doctor, continued to look uneasy. “My people, many times, blamed for plague and disease even in places we are not.” “The Dark Lord accepts all without judgements, you might want to reconsider your reaction to His call.” “This.” The virmen leader looked at the undead men, women and children shuffling around the square. “Not how war done.” “Not typically, no.” “Dark One kills people with plague, makes bodies to fight.” The Doctor waved one hand. “Little people die all the time for no reason, especially in war. They die of dirty water, or in a fall, or in a raid, or in their beds. This way, their deaths serve a purpose. Their deaths serve the Dark Lord, as mine did.” “Your death served Dark Lord?” “Apparently, I don’t remember it either way. I don’t remember anything from before, about who this body belonged to. But I’ve seen enough death to know normally it serves no purpose at all, so at least these people, they have that.” More zombies returned and clumsily lined up the bodies they carried with those already dropped to one end of the courtyard. The Doctor seemed to have fully recovered his strength. Once there were enough corpses, the Doctor would repeat the ritual and reanimate the next lot. So it would continue until the town was cleared of plague victims, and the Doctor would leave with them to return to the Dark One’s battlelines. “Take whatever your people need, I only require the bodies,” the Doctor said. “We’ve no need to fight one another. The things these people left behind should serve a purpose as well.” Nodding, the virmen leader backed away. Although expressions were difficult to read on his rodentine face, the tip of his wormy tail twitched nervously after their conversation. He barked something at the other virmen and they slunk away. The Doctor supervised his thralls. Although the mask on his face made his expression impossible to see, the Dark Lord’s necromancer fairly beamed with satisfaction. By the time the Doctor’s task was complete, and all the dead had been collected and resurrected, the sun was sinking rapidly in the west. The Doctor rode atop his black destrier again. A vast, shambling horde of undead, nearly three hundred strong, massed after him. They drained through the streets and out the town gates like a receding flood. Outside town, the virmen organised their takings into wagons made from mismatched and scavenged parts. Male, female and child virmen all worked together. Hulking ratbeasts were tethered to the wagons, mutants the size of bears. The Doctor spotted their leader with the pale patches in his fur and raised one hand in farewell. “Perhaps we will meet again, on the battleground after the fighting has finished,” the Doctor said. “You to take yours, and me to take mine!” The virmen leader raised one clawed hand in acknowledgement, his pointed face unreadable. The Doctor took his reins again in both hands, moving only slowly so the horde could keep up. Looking down the empty road, he focused on the distance. War brewed on the horizon, between the living and the dead.   ======   Sean: Tempted to lie and say this one was inspired by the Lich rather than Wererats, but that would be dishonest. First moment to come to mind for this story, and often there is a key moment which is my first thought when putting a story together, was that moment of being in an abandoned town on a stormy night and seeing two child-sized figures, seemingly masked, running around in the dark. So it was the Wererats, or rather virmen, I had in mind from the very beginning, and not the Doctor. I say tempted to lie because I love wererats and rodentine humanoids, and I'm pretty sure I could come up with more for them to do later. I think the very first piece of completely original fiction I tried to write was a book about a group of werewolves and wererats taking over a mall during a late night event, attacking and then stalking the humans inside, a long, long time ago. What do you know, I just tracked down the original txt file with that story. It is not good. Obviously a lot of fantasy stories, at least those that are following the Lord of the Rings vein, boil down to grand battles between goodest good and unquestionable, unrelenting evil. But evil is so rarely just evil, so I wanted to get a bit of that perspective, and I’m really not a fan of ‘Evil Races’, I tend to have a lot of sympathy for them, but in another story the virmen would just be a low level encounter for the heroes to mow their way through so that’s kind of what I’m going for here. I’ll also admit calling a character ‘The Doctor’ is probably inadvisable to make them stand out in any way, some associations are hard to get away from. But I’ve been down that path before, in Kill Switch 3 one of the two main characters gets named ‘Homer’ and although that’s a big, yellow shadow to get out from under it ended up working for me by the end of the story. Your mileage may vary, of course. Next Week’s Inspiration: Vine Blight

In the dimly lit basement, two floors below the entrance to the slave trader's store, a young man sat patiently within his cell. Hands hugging his legs, his gaze is pointed towards the floor of the path between his cage, and the one opposite him. Near the very edge of his vision, he is watching a scene play out for what may had been the thousandth time within the past few days. The sickly beast girl's mouth opens. Her upper body rises for a brief moment. A small purple glow then envelops her throat, after which she closes her mouth. The whole act is over within less than a second, and is completed in silence. The girl's expression was a mix of resignation, and fear. Though it was not all that unique within the room. That is what the man figured, anyway. From his position, the only other person he could see was this girl. When he had first arrived here, the owner dragged him all the way towards this cage, furthest from the entrance. Past all the other cells, which had been full of merchandise same as this girl before him. For all the control the owners had over them, forcing smiles seemed to be either beyond their ability, or not a concern. The room was a series of cages and walls, with a narrow passageway in the middle to allow access to the next area. His section was the smallest. Only two cages could fit over here. His first neighbor had been a man, likely similar to his age. After he had been purchased, the spot lay vacant for a while before this beast girl's arrival. The owner had brought many customers before her cage, mainly men, yet none had ever purchased her. After spending a while with her here, she had recently begun this ritual of hers. Her mouth opens. The purple glow. Her mouth closes. Her mouth opens. The purple glow. Her mouth closes. Her mou-. Briefly, he does the same. As his chest rises and mouth opens, a painful, burning sensation envelops him. The magical effect was like an impenetrable shield. The air attempting to leave his body, compelled by his natural reaction to the dusty air, what he imagined like an unstoppable spear. The two fought with each other for a while, before finally, his chest falls, his mouth closes, and the painful sensation disappears, him having not uttered a single sound. Now he was was starting to be affected as well. Instinctively, he cursed the beast girl's existence. If only you hadn't come here. He thought. If only they commanded you to get better. He imagined himself chuckling. What a ridiculous thought. Of course, after calming down, he knew it was not her fault. SHE fell sick only after SHE was brought here. HE only became sick because HE was brought here. And HE was brought here because-. In such a quiet place, the slightest sound can be easily heard. The faint noise of muffled voices approaching. The man focuses for a moment, trying to predict who and how many. It was the only thing that could serve as entertainment here. His own personal guessing game. Three men... no, two men. No. A man and a woman. Soon, the unmistakable noise of hinges squeaking as the muffled voices become clearer. “...well you are one of my largest customers, after all.” A man's voice spoke. “Largest, dear?” A woman said. “Ah no, I meant, uh, my most valued customer, of course! Although some parts of you are quite large, however, he-he-he..” The boy feels a slight sense of satisfaction as his prediction appeared to be true. “Mmm, perhaps you would like to offer yourself up as my slave?” She asked, in a seductive tone. “Ho-ho-ho... despite knowing you well, Elsa, that still remains a tempting offer.” The woman lets out a light chuckle. As the sound of their footsteps continues, a faint light begins to appear. Finally, the steps stop. “I have yet to restock my inventory... I have a few more coming in a couple of weeks, but for now I can show you what's left.” “Yes... a few weeks is quite some time. Much development can be made.” “How about this one? “Mmm... much to young.” “How about this one over here?” The light grows a little brighter. “She's around the age you're normally looking for.” “And am I normally looking for women?” The man clears his throat. “Alright, alright. Can't blame a merchant for trying.” The last part spoken under his breath. The sound of the two walking starts once more. The light within the room grows larger. And larger. Until finally, a man carrying a lantern and a woman step into the room where the beast girl and the young man sat in their cages. “This one's the closest to what you need, then.” he growled. The young man sitting in the cage blinked a few times, his eyes unused to the presence of light. Before him stood the owner of the store, and presumably his customer. Her outfit and appearance were, frankly, erotic. She stood slightly taller than the owner, the gap furthered by her tall pointed hat, typically worn by female magicians. The owner's comment regarding parts 'quite large' suddenly made sense, as her purplish robe revealed a sizable amount of cleavage. “Mmm,” she hummed with an enchanting smile. “Stand, boy.” The owner commanded. The young man pushed himself up from off the floor and stood towards the center of his cage. He avoided the woman's gaze and stared directly at the owner, who continued to take glances at the woman next to him. The woman bent down slightly and grabbed the bars. “Are you... afraid of me?” She asked with an innocent tone. The owner turned towards the boy and scowled. He turned to face her. “No.” She smiled. “How about...” and she turned towards the owner, “..him?” The owner seemed to grow more and more impatient. Finally, the young man swallowed, before calmly answering. “I am not afraid.” For the briefest moment, her face contorted into a wicked grin, before returning to her normal smile. “I am looking for a strong man, such as yourself... to protect me. My previous companion has since... taken on a different role..” Each pause she took sent the ears into a frenzy, eagerly waiting to hear the next words which left her lips. “How would you feel... about that?” The young man thought for a moment. A faint purple glow briefly flickered, and he nodded his head. “That sounds fine.” “Ufufu.” The woman laughed as she turned to the man beside her. “You sure keep them on a leash. How much?” “Fifty silver.” “My, my....” She placed one arm on his chest as she used the other to pull him towards her. “The last one was fourty, was he not?” Sweat began to drip from his forehead as he began to stammer. “W-well, t-to sell at such a price...” She pressed her chest up against his. “And he appears to be ill as well...” Elsa's hand moved down, reaching his stomach. “Have you been taking proper care...?” The man's breathing became ragged. “F-f-fine. Thirty-five silver t-then.” The moment the words left his mouth, Elsa detached herself from him. “Excellent. Lets complete the transaction, then.” The man groaned as he watched Elsa's figure walk away. He pulled a key out from his pocket and unlocked the cell. “Come on, you..” He muttered. The young man stepped out of his cage and followed him out of the underground. He took one last glimpse at the people sitting within their cages. No sign of her... Arriving on the second floor, the owner instructed the man to wait. The room was large, yet felt barren. It seemed the owner's previous comment on inventory was an open secret. All the cages here were empty. They couldn't have moved us up here? He wondered, slightly annoyed. The young man turned his attention back to the owner, who had returned with a piece of paper and a large knife. “Hold still.” The owner seized his wrist and held his arm up, then used the knife to slice through his palm. “Mm.” The young man let out a small yelp, tears forming as he endured the pain. The owner grabbed the paper and placed it over the bloody palm. The warm red liquid spread across quickly. Upon a closer examination, it appeared as though it had some symbol written on it, and the blood was actually filling it out as it spread. The owner placed the knife down and called Elsa over to a nearby table. She sat down atop a stool. “Annnnd what are you going to be calling him?” The owner asked, sounding bored. She turned and looked towards the young man. “Since this brave man is going to be protecting me... I will call him... 'Tank'.” The owner's expression did not change. He watched as Elsa traced something with her finger on the piece of paper. “You!” The owner called out to a man standing nearby. “Take him upstairs and get him ready to leave.” As he was shuffled toward another set of steps, he briefly glanced back towards the owner, who had lifted up the back of Elsa's robe. Her front facing towards Tank, she gave a pleasant smile. As Tank began to climb the steps, pushed forward by the owner's assistant, he could faintly hear the owner speaking. “Where am I supposed to place the mark?” “Anywhere is fine.” Up on the first floor, the assistant wrapped Tank's hand with some cloth to stem the bleeding. Satisfied with his work, he then began to strip him of his clothing. The plain and dirty tunic he had on was replaced with... another plain tunic. Although this one was cleaner. He received a new set of underwear and pants to put on, and to his surprise, was given some very cheap shoes to wear. The feeling of having a layer between skin and floor was certainly nostalgic. After helping put his clothes on and taking the old ones away, the assistant stepped away to write some things down. Tank, who had been standing silently, felt a chill and shivered. The assistant looked up from his work, and then smiled. “Ah, looks like they're done.” He chuckled. “Your new master is quite the fine lady. You'll have to bear a lot of envious gazes as you walk through the town. If only-” The knocking sound of climbing steps interrupted the assistant. He looked at Tank, placed a finger briefly before his lips, and smiled. He turned his attention back to his work as Elsa and the owner stepped in the room. Elsa walked up to Tank with a pleasant expression. “Kneel.” Tank collapsed onto the floor, his body upright. “Stand.” Tank stood up. “As I said before, I need someone strong to defend me. You are going to protect me from harm.” The owner suddenly began to run with his hand raised. Tank dashed behind Elsa and tried to stop his fist. To his surprise, the owner's fist plowed through his defense and smashed into Tank's face. As Tank was about to retaliate, Elsa put a hand on his shoulder. “That's enough.” He froze. Tank had not realized how weak he had gotten since he was captured. No food or training does that to you, I suppose. The owner stretched out his hand. Elsa dug within the depths of her cleavage before producing some silver coins. As she trickled them down into the owner's hand, she said, “Thirty-four silver coins, minus one for harming my poor Tank.” The owner rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You have the reputation of a woman who drains a man of everything.” Elsa laughed. “Who wouldn't take what is presented to them? Come along, Tank.” Elsa turned and began to leave the store. As Elsa led the way, a thought occurred to Tank. The cage has only gotten bigger.

Chapter 1 - Reincarnated "Come on! Get up!" Someone shouted Gunshots and explosions were heard everywhere. I'm lying on the front line with a gunshot wound on my chest while hiding behind a wall. "Ugh! It hurts, I can't move. Leave me alone here Zin, I'll give you some time to retreat" I said "Enzo! We have to move, now!" said Zin "I can't, I almost lost consciousness from losing so much blood." I said "Dammit" said Zin Zin searches for radio devices "Commander, the target location is a trap. We were surrounded by a lot of enemies. We need reinforcements now!" said Zin talking to the radio "Roger that. Alpha team immediately exits the target location to the north and defends. Reinforcements will arrive in about 1 hour. Commander replied on the radio" "But sir, we are surrounded! We cant-" said Zin talking to the radio Suddenly the radio return static noise "Dammit, is it EMP?" said Zin "Sir! Answer me, sir! Sir-" shouted Zin There are explosions all around us, it seems the enemy is attacking us with grenades. "Ugh! We have to move, now!" said Zin "I can't mov-" I said while coughing I coughed up blood, I knew that I couldn't hold on any longer. Zin also looked at me with a sad and furious face. "Get out of here Zin, don't worry about me." I said while coughing "I'm not gonna left you behind, we have to-" said Zin Suddenly, a grenade was thrown by the enemy and fell right beside me. Quickly, I pushed Zin and covered the bomb with my body. "NO, ENZO!" said Zin I closed my eyes, waiting for my death. I know that I won't survive anyway. After 4 years of relentless war, I think this is the end of my life. I keep waiting, but why can't I feel anything? I opened my eyes and saw Zin and everyone stopped "What is this? Why is everyone frozen in time?" I said while confused Has time stopped? It can't be... "Humans" said someone "What?" I said I was confused, someone called me. However, I heard a sound but the sound seemed to go straight into my brain. I'm alert and look around. "Don't worry human, I came in peace" said someone Suddenly, the sky is shattered like glass. An entity appears from the sky, had a transparent pitch-black entire body, and a glowing red crystal right in the center of his chest. He came closer to me. "I am Sah, god of Astral Plane." said Sah "A god?" I said I was very surprised. Everyone was somewhat frozen in time and an unknown entity that calls itself a god appeared. I never knew something like this existed, maybe he really is a god. It doesn't matter, I died anyway. "I died, right?" I said "Look behind you." said Sah I looked back and saw myself lying on the floor with a grenade right in front of my body "T-That's me!" I said while surprised "Yes, that is you" said Sah "But how?" I said "The flow of time stopped, and I drew your soul before your death." said Sah I was right, time has stopped. And now I'm a soul? Is this what happens when you die? And didn't he say my fate has changed? "I see, are you going to take me to the afterlife?" I said "There is no afterlife, The circle of life doesn't end here" said Sah "W-What do you mean?" I said while confused "Let's put that aside, your fate has changed. Something happened, and I need your help." said Sah A god is asking for my help? "My help?" I said "When you are at war with each other, the universe changes slowly." said Sah "The universe is changing?" I said "Yes, I will show you" said Sah Sah's hand gripped the sky as if the sky was in his grasp. His hand emitted a hint of light, and the sky split apart. From within the split, outer space is visible. "Whoa~" I said while surprised "Come on, I'll take you to see what's going on with the universe" said Sah It looks like a portal. Sah pulled my soul through the portal. As I pass through the portal, I can see a universe that stretches out to infinity. When we pass through a portal, we see a star that emits red light. The star travels slowly but its light beam is very bright, brighter than any other star. "I've never seen a star emitting such a red light." I said "It was not a star, looks closely" said Sah What does he mean? When I looked at the star closely, I realized that it wasn't a star. It was a large red crystal, emitting a bright red light. "What's that? It looks so different from the other stars." I said "An unknown element, Valiant" said Sah "Valiant?" I said "Right. This unknown element came from nowhere and spread throughout the universe. This element scatters tiny essence particles that cause a change in the layout of the solar system." said Sah "How come?" I said "I don't know, but the goddess of knowledge definitely knows why this happened. What you see right now is only a small part of the valiant element." said Sah "Something as small as this would not greatly affect the universe. but do not underestimate this element. This elemental essence particle possessed great power, an unknown power that is strong enough to harm a planet." said Sah Insane, there is an element that can destroy a planet. However, this might be related to my changing fate? "I see, is this related to my fate?" I said "Yes, you will be reincarnated into a world where the Valiant element will land. I need you to seal or destroy that element." said Sah "I see. But, how do I seal or destroy that element?" I said "I'll give some of my power to help you." said Sah "That would be very helpful" I said "I'm surprised to see you don't refuse any of this" said Sah "Well, you said my fate had changed. I also believe that all of this is real, And I can live again anyway." I said "Alright then. Now I will give you a god's blessing" said Sah "God's blessing?" I said Sah's hand pierced my chest and seemed to hold the core of my soul. I feel nothing but, my soul began to emit a very bright light. My body feels like it's absorbing something. The light is starting to fade, and I feel a little strange. "I have given your blessing right in your soul. To use this power, there is no need to activate the god mark." said Sah "God's mark?" I said "You will be sent to a world called Slyrith. Ah, you will also be accompanied by someone there. She will be your guide in that world. If you have any questions, you can ask her. " said Sah "I see, when will I be reincarnated?" I said "Now, you have 15 years before Valiant lands on that world" said Sah "Are you ready?" said Sah "I'm ready" I said "Then I'll send you right now." said Sah My soul started to emit a golden color light. "You will be reincarnated as the son of a duke. You will also have the same name as your previous life. All the memories from the previous life will remain" said Sah My soul is slowly starting to fade while still emitting a light "I wish you the best, and good luck" said Sah "Thank you" I said My soul began to emit very bright light and began to glow brighter. My consciousness is starting to fade.  When I open my eyes, I'm somewhere else. What's going on? Am I reincarnated? I tried to move my hand and saw that my hand was small. Ah, I just realized that I'm a baby.  A footstep was heard from outside the room. Is it my parent? There was a knock and someone opened the door. "Hello my dear~ Sorry mom was out for a while, someone who will be your personal maid, teacher, and bodyguard has arrived. I'm sorry mom left you for a while, I hope you understand my dear." said Mother So that's my mother. My mother looks beautiful with long black hair and a body like a goddess. But, who is the person next to her? "He will surely understand, he is special after all" said Someone Mother, there's no way a baby will understand. "Eh? Is that so? Then Come Introduce Yourself" said Mother "Fine. My name is Vasilissa, I will be your personal maid, teacher, and bodyguard." said Vasilissa "She is the famous sage, my dear! She will be the best teacher for you." said Mother So she is Vasilissa. A maid, teacher, and bodyguard. However, sage? I never heard of that. "Since Vasilissa is here, Vasilissa will look after and guide you." said Mother Please take care of me Vasilissa! "Ah, I'm going out for a while. Mom ordered an outfit for you! Please take care of Enzo for a while Vasilissa" said Mother Outfit?  "Okay" said Vasilissa Mother leaves the room, and I'm with Vasilissa alone now. I wonder wha- "Enzo, a mercenary from another world. Interesting..." said Vasilissa What? How do you- "The god of the astral plane sent you, didn't he? I will be your guide in this world" said Vasilissa So she's my guide? "Yes, I am Vasilissa. I will teach you everything about this world. Knowledge and power, I will teach you about it. You only have 15 years before the Valiant lands in this world" said Vasilissa Wait, you know what I'm talking about on my mind?  "I already told you" said Vasilissa "You only have 15 years, you must be able to follow all my lessons. If you can keep up, you will become strong. If you can't keep up, you will die." said Vasilissa "Now, do you understand?" said Vasilissa I understand "Good, we will start studying tomorrow" said Vasilissa But I'm still a baby "But you can use your mind right?" said Vasilissa Well... Yes... "Good, we can start by learning about magic theory" said Vasilissa "For now, adapt to your environment. I'll go get some books for a while." said Vasilissa while leaving the room Ugh, the strict type of girl. It's better to follow her words so that she stops talking. * * * Time passed, It's been 13 years since I've been reincarnated into this world. Vasilissa has taught me a lot. such as the state of the world, the state of the economy, explorers, guilds, demons, elves, dwarves, beastmen, and many more Vasilissa also taught me about fighting and magic power. such as martial arts, magic, rune magic, the five basic elements, and many more. Even though she is strict, she is a good teacher. It's easy for me to follow the lesson.  I look up at the sky from the window in my room "I wonder how strong I am, will I be able to stop the valiant?" I said There was a sound of dispelling magic from the corner of the room, Vasilissa was using an invisible spell to keep an eye on me huh. But I already know. "You have to stop the valiant at all costs" said Vasilissa "I know, I will continue to be strong to stop the valiant" I said Vasilissa walks toward me.  "Be careful teacher" I said "Be careful with wh-" said Vasilissa Vasilissa stepped on the ice mine that I made. The spell activates instantly, making Vasilissa's legs freeze. "So you know all along huh?" said Vasilissa surprised I turned to face Vasilissa and laughed "That's right, I've raised [Sixth Sense] to level 9. It's easy for me to detect invisible magic even if it's level 10" "Really?" said Vasilissa surprised Vasilissa activates [Mind's Eye] magic from her right eyes "Thank you for teaching me many things, teacher" < Mind's Eye is being used on this Explorer > [Status] [Name - Enzo Theodore] [Title - Excellent Marksman] [Age - 13] [Trait - Fast Learner] [Job - Gunner] (Lv. 21/50) [God's Mark - Not Activated] [God's Blessings] [Astral] [Stats] [Strength - 154] [Dexterity - 225] [Intelligence - 130] [Endurance - 119] [Mana - 141] [Abilities] [Astral Manipulation - VIII]  [Astral Body - VIII] [Reinforced Physique - VIII] [Damage Reduction - V] [Self Regeneration - V] [Accelerated Body - IV] [Accelerated Mind - IV] [Farsight - VI] [Sixth Sense - IX] [Chantless - MAX] [MP Reduction - V] [Magic Perception - V] [Omnilingualism - IV] [Stealth - IX] [Evasion - IV] [Haste - V] [Camouflage - VII] [Quick Draw - V] [Heal - VII] [Barrier - V] [Negotiation - V] [Physical Attack Resistance - V] [Pierce Resistance - V] [Pain Resistance - V] [Mental Resistance - VI] [Paralysis Resistance - VI] [Magic Resistance - IV] [Abnormal Condition Resistance - MAX] "Ugh, this monster..." said Vasilissa "Ah, did you use Mind's Eye? Your eyes emit blue light" I said I wish I had Mind's Eye, it will be easy for me to see other people's stats. But the process of fusing the Mind's Eye shards with my eyes would be very painful. I need to raise my Pain Resistance, at least to level 9.  "Honestly, I didn't expect that you could be this strong" said Vasilissa "Really? How strong am I now?" I said  "Hm... As strong as Diamond-rank Explorers" said Vasilissa "But, you have a slight lack of magic. You need to learn some support magic to strengthen yourself in battle" said Vasilissa "I'll keep that in mind. I want to go to the forest to practice for a while" I said "All right, come back before nightfall. Also, I have something to tell you" said Vasilissa "Is it about Valiant?" I said "That's right, Valiant was moving at a fluctuating pace lately. We need to be ready" said Vasilissa "Really? If estimated, how much time do we have before the Valiant arrives in this world" I said "Now Valiant is moving very fast. It is estimated that Valiant will land in one week" said Vasilissa I'm surprised, don't we still have about two more years before valiant arrives? This is unexpected. "Alright, I'll be back early" I said I walked out of the room and took some of my equipment to prepare myself. While preparing weapons and clothes, my mother came to greet me. "Oh my, you look handsome. Where do you want to go?" said Mother "Ah mother, I just want to go to the forest to practice." I said "If you're going to the forest, can you get Wolpertinger for mother? I want Wolpertinger that you caught yourself" said Mother "Of course mother, I'll definitely bring a big Wolpertinger for mother" I said "Really? I believe in your abilities. Come back early, okay?" said Mother "Okay" I said I walked out of the house and went through the road that led to the city center. This region is a region ruled by my father, my father is a duke of the Celestial kingdom. The city feels very alive, and the people here are also so friendly. That's why I like to walk around the city. I walked to the rune shop and bought some rune orbs for my weapon. My gun is a magic firearm, and I need a Rune Orb as ammunition to fire this weapon. The concept of firearms in this world is somewhat the same as that of the earth. It's just that the ammo is replaced by a Rune Orb which has a Mana capacity of 500, depending on the type of Rune Orb. The power of the Rune Orb's magic attack depends on the type of Rune Orb.  You can measure the power of the shot. The greater the power of the bullet, the greater the Mana to use. "Enzo, you came back to buy another rune orb?" asked The shopkeeper "That's right uncle, my Rune Orb is almost out. It would be dangerous if I ran out of ammunition while hunting." I said  "Oh, you want to hunt? What creature do you want to hunt?" said The shopkeeper  "Just a Wolpertinger" I said "Hm... If you also bring me a Wolpertinger, I'll give you a discount" said The shopkeeper "Discount? How much?" I said "40% Off" said The shopkeeper Not bad~ "Alright, deal." I said "Okay, how many Rune Orbs do you need?" said The shopkeeper "Not much, I just want to buy two of them" I said "Alright then, I'll get the orb. Please wait" said The shopkeeper "Okay" I said The shopkeeper went inside to get the orb. While waiting, I take a look at the magic firearms on the shop shelves. "Many of the magic firearms here look good. Wait, what is that?" I said There was a large magic firearm, like a rifle. It has a unique shape with a large hole in the middle of the magic firearm. It is white in color and has a red pattern. The magic firearm looked good but was surrounded by a faint black mist. Is it a cursed weapon? "Enzo, I've brought the Rune Orb. Wait what are you doing there? Are you interested in buying a new magic firearm?" said The shopkeeper "Right, more precisely this weapon." I said "No, don't buy that gun. It was a weapon of a true demon. I don't know if it's cursed or not, but it's better not to choose that weapon." said The shopkeeper "Really? If so why is this magic firearm on the table?" I said "It's because a saintess from the Tower of God will come to purify this weapon. And the shop was supposed to be closed today, yet you came. Since you are my loyal customer, I can allow you to buy what you need while the shop is closed" said The shopkeeper "Ah, so it's like that. I'll tell saintess to visit me instead" I said "What? Wait why? I need the saintess to purify the magic firearm" said The shopkeeper "Right, I want to buy this magic firearm. I can ask the saintess to purify this magic firearm when I return from hunting" I said "But what about the possibility that the weapon was cursed? That magic firearm might harm you, do you still want to buy it?" said The shopkeeper "Of course" I said "But-" said The shopkeeper "Don't worry about it, I think I'll be fine" I said "If you say so... Alright then. That magic firearm costs 2 gold coins, and the two Rune Orbs you asked for are 18 bronze coins. the total is 2 gold coins and 18 bronze coins" said The shopkeeper "Alright" I said I gave the money and then brought the magic firearm with a suitcase just in case this magic firearm is really cursed. I came out of the shop and walked into the forest outside the city.  when I got to the forest, I opened the gun case to see the magic firearm I bought. "Hm... Is the place to put the ammunition in the center of the weapon? I'm not sure, but I'll try." I said I put a Rune Orb into this magic firearm, but there's no reaction whatsoever.  "Does this weapon have to be loaded with a special Rune Orb? Better to take care of this later, and hunt first" I said I walked into the forest, looking for Wolpertinger * * * Meanwhile at the same time where Vasilissa was I'm a sage. No, I'm actually a witch. The god of the Astral Plane came to me and asked me to guide a soul destined to stop the destruction of the world. I accepted his request without a second thought, I have a debt of gratitude to him after all. And here I am, nurturing the child destined to stop the destruction of the world. However I thought of something, how can he learn so fast? "He became strong faster than I expected. He can absorb all the things I teach like a sponge" I said "Ugh, that little monster. I didn't expect him to be able to increase his [Six Sense] so quickly" I said This may indeed be a good thing, however. He had a low Endurance stat. His body would not be able to withstand the pressure of the power he had. That's why I told him to learn support magic or enchantment magic. "Ugh, I'll teach him some support magic when he comes back" I said Well, I guess he'll be fine for now. I will go to the library and improve my magic ability. As I walked into the library, the mark I made on my hand to let me know that Valiant was very close shone brightly. "This is bad, why is this so sudden?" I said I quickly ran to my room and take my magic equipment. I used the Dimensional Space Cube to see where Valiant had reached. "Let's see. Valiant had almost reached Earth's atmosphere, his speed was changing rapidly. This is terrible. Where will the Valiant land?" Hmm... looks like it leads to... "The great forest of the celestial kingdom" I said "This is really bad, I have to evacuate everyone and find Enzo" I said I ran hurriedly to evacuate the city * * * Meanwhile at the same time where Enzo was "Ah, found you" I said I quickly shot Wolpertinger "Four Wolpertingers, with this should be enough" I said Suddenly a loud roar was heard from within the forest. Sounds dangerous, I don't know what monsters are in this forest.  "What's that? [Farsight], [Magic Perception], [Six Sense]" I said while activating my skill Suddenly the sound of footsteps ran very fast from the forest. I immediately prepared myself if something suddenly attacked me. Getting closer, and visible shadows of wolves from the forest. "A wolf, looks very large. Is that, Fenrir?" I said I hurriedly ran out of the forest while activating my skill. "[Accelerated Body], [Haste]" I said Thanks to these two skills, I can move faster. I keep running towards the outside of the forest. But Fenrir was able to catch up with me easily. Fenrir pulled out his claws to hit me "[Evasion]" Fenrir's attack was missed. Damn it, Fenrir can catch up with me so easily. I will try to hide. "[Camouflage], [Stealth]" I said I've been hiding well, and I should be safe. But suddenly Fenrir looked directly at me and pulled out his claws "Damn it, is it because of the smell? [Reinforced Physique], [Damage Reduction], [Barrier]" I said while activating my skill Fenrir hit me with his claw and sent me far out of the forest. That blow was a bit fatal for me, I had to run away and tell Vasilissa about this. "[Heal]" I said while walking towards the city Suddenly Fenrir jumped out of the forest and landed right in front of me. "Looks like I can't escape huh?" I said Fenrir suddenly leaped up high towards me. I was preparing to dodge but, suddenly. A red crystal pierced us from above. The ground around us cracked from the impact. It all happened so fast, we didn't realize this Valiant crystal was coming. Fenrir sounded in pain because he was stabbed right in the chest. I also lost a lot of blood because this Valiant crystal stabbed me right in the stomach. The two of us fell to the ground with the Valiant crystal piercing our bodies. "S-Shit, Isn't this a Valiant?" I said while coughing blood Suddenly Vasilissa appears with teleportation magic "Enzo?!" said Vasilissa Vasilissa looked surprised and came over to check on me. "[Ultimate Heal], hold on for a while Enzo." said Vasilissa To calm things down, Vasilissa tried to keep talking to me so I wouldn't lose consciousness. Vasilissa looked at my magic firearm case. "Did you buy a new magic firearm?" said Vasilissa "That's right, the weapon I bought is a demonic weapon. It has a dense black mist around it" I said Vasilissa looked surprised and took the magic firearm case to see the weapon "You are very lucky, there is still a way to save you." said Vasilissa "Then I believe in you, Vasilissa" I said Vasilissa nodded and began to cast a spell on the weapon. The demonic weapon turned into a pitch black mist. "Here it is, Will O' The Wisp. This elemental soul has the ability of Semi-immortality. Enzo, I'll combine this with you. It will hurt, but hold on" said Vasilissa Vasilissa started chanting a spell, and my body felt very hot. The black mist started to enter me, and my right hand started to turn into a pitch black color. The Valiant Crystal that pierced my stomach also began to be absorbed into my body. "Hold on, Enzo!" said Vasilissa My body starts emitting red light. This hurts so much, I feel like I'm absorbing something big and my body can't handle it. Most of the Valiant crystals cracked and fused with my body, while some were still in Fenrir's body. Suddenly a red crystal horn grew from my head, which was a little big. "Damn it, Valiant's elemental power is being absorbed. Concentrate all your mana in the core of your body and activate God's Mark" said Vasilissa I tried to follow what Vasilissa told me in this intense pain, and I managed to activate my God's Mark. "Good job Enzo, I'll finish this quickly." said Vasilissa The Valiant crystal started to crack and split in two, some of the crystals were still pierced inside me and absorbed into my body. Some of it still pierced Fenrir and the Valiant crystal was also absorbed into Fenrir's body. "I-It worked!" said Vasilissa The pain started to subside, and I felt different from before. Not only did my right hand turn pitch black and surrounded by a bit of black mist, but also a red horn like a valiant crystal grew on my head. "I-I feel different" I said "Well, you just got a semi-immortal body. Then your right hand which turned into a chaos hand due to its side effects also turned you into a chaos human. And you even absorbed the power of the Valiant, look at the horns on your head. As long as you can control all those powers you will be fine. So, for the next few weeks we will learn to master all these powers." said Vasilissa "Thanks Vasilissa, but what about this Fenrir?" I said "Looks like this Fenrir survived, and just like you. Valiant was also absorbed into his body. We better get out of here before he wakes up." said Vasilissa Vasilissa lifts me up and we walked toward the city "But what if he attacks the cit-" I said Suddenly Fenrir wakes up and roars "Damn it, it looks like those Valiant crystals fused and became the core of Fenrir's body. He became stronger" said Vasilissa "We have to stop it" I said "Wait, Enzo!" said Vasilissa I ran over to Fenrir and activated some of my skills "[Reinforced Physique], [Damage Reduction], [Accelerated Body], [Haste]." I said Fenrir roars and shoots fire from inside his mouth. I ran to dodge the fire attacks while looking for my weapon. "I will help you" said Vasilissa "<Arcane Magic: Ultimate Chains>" said Vasilissa Suddenly a chain appears from a portal and binds Fenrir tightly "I'll hold it back" said Vasilissa "Wait, where is my magic firearm?" I said "Your magic firearm was damaged by the impact of the valiant crystal" said Vasilissa  My magic firearm has been destroyed huh? Wait a minute, didn't that demonic weapon get into my hands?  "How can I summon that weapon from my hand" I said "The demonic weapon?" said Vasilissa "Yes" I said "Concentrate your Mana into your hands and turn that Mana into energy. Shape it into a weapon you want" said Vasilissa I concentrated all my Mana in my hands and turned it into energy. Then imagine the weapon I need. My body started emitting red colored light and black mist. A sword appeared from within my hand just as I imagined. A sword that is completely covered in red crystal, like Valiant. "Enzo, hurry!" said Vasilisa I immediately slashed Fenrir with the sword in my hand. Looks like the wound I gave Fenrir is deep, Fenrir looks in pain. The attack I gave was so strong that the magic chain that Vasilissa created was also broken. "Keep attacking him, I will block his movement" said Vasilissa Fenrir roared and his body emitted a crimson-colored light into the sky. Red horns grew on Fenrir's head like mine. Each roar summoned an extremely powerful shockwave. "Ugh, this is really strong." said Vasilissa Vasilissa started chanting a spell again "<Abyssal Magic: Ultimate Barrier>" said Vasilissa A black barrier appears and protects me from the shockwave. Fenrir shoots fire all over the ground, while running into the forest. "The forest will burn, I will chase it" I said "No, Enzo. You have not fully controlled your strength, your body will not be able to withstand the impact of the power that is in your body." said Vasilissa I tried to break the barrier that was around me. The barrier shattered easily, so I quickly chased after the Fenrir. "Wait, Enzo!" said Vasilissa However, when I reached the forest. I only found footprints with the fire still burning, continuing to lead me into the forest. I continued to follow Fenrir's footprints, until... The entire forest was scorched, and Fenrir seemed to just disappear. "I lost track of Fenrir, I will go for a while to check the surroundings" Suddenly Vasilissa appears with teleportation magic "No need, he's already gone." said Vasilissa "Really? Has he gone far?" I said "That's right, you don't need to worry about that." said Vasilissa "I see-" I said  "Enzo?" said Vasilissa I suddenly fell and passed out. I can hear Vasilissa's voice calling my name. My consciousness is slowly fading away.  * * * 3 days later I wake up. Wait, isn't this my room? Did I lose consciousness at that time?  "Ugh" I said It was hard for me to get up, my whole body ached. I looked around and found Vasilissa beside my bed, she was sitting on a chair while sleeping. "I wonder how long I've been sleeping?" I said "[Status]" I said [Status] [Name - Enzo Theodore] [Title - Demonic Valiant] [Age - 13] [Trait - Fast Learner] [Job - Gunner] (Lv. 41/50) [God's Mark - Not Activated] [God's Blessings] [Astral] [Stats] [Strength - 1424] [Dexterity - 1545] [Intelligence - 1110] [Endurance - 934] [Mana - 1244] [Abilities] [Valiant Manipulation - MAX] [Demonic Power Manipulation - MAX] [Astral Manipulation - IX]  [Astral Body - IX] [Semi Immortal Body - MAX] [Reinforced Physique - IX] [Damage Reduction - VI] [Self Regeneration - VI] [Accelerated Body - V] [Accelerated Mind - V] [Farsight - VII] [Sixth Sense - MAX] [Chantless - MAX] [MP Reduction - VI] [Magic Perception - VI] [Omnilingualism - V] [Stealth - MAX] [Evasion - V] [Haste - VI] [Camouflage - VIII] [Quick Draw - VI] [Heal - VIII] [Barrier - VI] [Negotiation - VI] [Physical Attack Resistance - VI] [Pierce Resistance - VI] [Pain Resistance - VI] [Mental Resistance - VII] [Paralysis Resistance - VII] [Magic Resistance - V] [Abnormal Condition Resistance - MAX] "Aren't my stats on par with Master rank explorers?" I said I look up at the sky outside the glass. "This is an unexpected event."

Light shined into my eyes as I slowly stood up. I tried to think of what I should be doing now, but nothing came to me. I had no idea who I was or where I was. There was nothing around me, nothing but a field of endless grass. I can see weird trees in the distance. They were pitch black with blood-colored leaves and tall with branches seemly blocking the sky. What a nightmarish sight. Was this a nightmare? Is that why I can’t recall anything? I tried pinching myself and felt the pain. No, this can’t be real. I tried pinching harder, but it did nothing but confirm reality. This was no nightmare. Behind me, I could see nothing but the blue sun. I don’t think the sun’s supposed to be blue, but I have bigger worries. It looked like you could walk in that direction for days and still see nothing. Well, I have no choice. I started walking towards the endless sight hoping to see something beyond the horizon. … It felt like it’s been hours since I started walking in this direction. I can still see the trees behind me and see nothing in front of me. Just how fucking tall were those trees? I don’t seem to be getting further from them at all. My legs are aching and my stomach is growling. I sat down and looked at the grass. It looked normal, but the blades were as soft as a feather. It felt like I was on a bed. Maybe it was edible, I plucked one off the ground and tried to eat it. Nope, it was like trying to eat a car tire. I couldn’t bite through it no matter how hard I tried. There’s nothing to do but keep walking forward now… … The sun wasn’t moving at all. How many hours has it been? It felt like an eternity and it was still daytime! Was this the afterlife? Was I in hell? This seemed like a sick torture method to get me to walk into the forest. No matter how long I walk I saw nothing but the forest behind me. Maybe there was no hope for me to begin with and I should just accept death. I wanted to say, “fuck it!” and just lie down until I starve to death, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not because of my courage but because of my cowardice. I feared death, and with that fear came hope. The hope to not fucking die! … Finally! Finally, I can see something moving in the distance. It was a bird; I was happy just to see another sign of life. Maybe next time I’ll see another human. I recovered my lost hope and started running towards the bird. Maybe I could catch something to eat. I’ll eat it raw if I have to. As I turned my sight back onto the bird, I saw it coming closer. It was fast, too fast. Then I noticed the size of the bird. Its body was the size of a car and its wingspan could rival a school bus. That shit was no bird, it was a monster! *Woosh~* Before I even noticed its claws were already in front of me. At the last moment, I managed to get on the ground and avoid its claws. It managed to scratch my back though and damn did it hurt like a bitch. Just when I got my hopes up, it all came crumbling down. If I’m going to die, I’ll die fighting.   I laid on the ground and looked at the monster. It was circling back, I have to think fast. Maybe I should stand up and try to grab onto it then punch its eyes out. No, that plan was stupid. Am I even physically able to do that? Dammit! I can’t do anything! I’ll just lay low and try to dodge its claws and tire it out. *Woosh~* Here it comes! I waited for that moment it was fully committed to swooping down so it can’t change directions and started running forward. *Crack* I wasn’t fast enough, it’s claw were now gripping onto my left legs. That crack just now was my left leg being broken and dislocated. Its grip was so strong it felt like it could cut my leg right off. Dangling helplessly, the only thing I could do was look around and try to catch my breath. Looking at it up close, the only similarities it had with a bird was its wings and beak. It didn’t have feathers, it had black scales covering its entire body. It was almost like a dragon, but the head looked nothing like one. It had a beak made of scales, red eyes, and two horns protruding from its head. The only conclusion I could come to was that this was a horny lizard bird! “I hope you get fucked to death!” Of course, it did not get fazed by my insult. I pulled myself up and grabbed onto its leg. I tried to pull my left leg out of its claw but to no avail. I only felt more pain and it felt like strength was leaving my body. I wasn’t going to give up. I kept pulling my leg until flesh came off. Maybe I’ll die of blood loss before I get eaten now. … I managed to pull my leg out. No, it’s more like it’s been cut in half. What was left of my left leg below my knee was some skin and a protruding sharp bone. Blood was endlessly pouring out, it’s a miracle that I haven’t passed out or died. Well, nothing else to do but go out with a vengeance now. I grabbed the other sharp bone that was between the monster’s claw and pulled it out. Gathering all my strength I stabbed it into its stomach. *Caw!* “Oh, did that hurt you little bitch!? I’ve got more where that came from!” I kept stabbing and making the hole I originally made bigger and bigger. Black blood came gushing out of it’s wound as it kept crying for the pain to stop. … I could barely open my eyes and my vision was nothing but a blur. I don’t even think I was holding onto its leg anymore. It seems I was falling from the sky, all I could do was feel pain and numbness. I couldn’t even tell if the wind was blowing past me anymore. I’m happy dying this way, at least I went out with a fight. … I’m still alive? After all that! I was still alive? I even accepted death! Well, I guess I should be happy, but I don’t know if I want to live anymore. I opened my eyes and all I saw was darkness. All around me was some sort of dark fog. Did I land on a cloud? Wait. This can’t be real, my left leg was fine and I had no wounds. My clothes were still ripped showing proof that it really happened, but how did I regrow a leg and heal my wounds? Ah, my leg. My beautiful left leg, oh, how I’ve missed you. Even if it was only for five minutes, it felt like an eternity. My left leg, the strongest leg in the universe. My left leg, the leg that can turn into a weapon of mass destruction. My left leg, the leg that killed the monster. My left leg, the leg that could slay gods. My left leg, the most beautiful leg in the universe. “Um…” I jolted up as I heard a deep voice in front of me. A dark silhouette of a person was in front of me. No details could be made out, all I could see was the dark fog coming off outlining them. “Congratulations, you have passed the first test.” What? That was a test? Is this the person that erased my memories and brought me into this hell? “Who are you? And what test?” I asked angrily, I don’t remember signing up for a test! Then again, I literally have no memories but the past hours and some crazy concepts I have no idea why I knew them. “Who I am doesn’t matter, you will find out soon enough. As for the test, I cannot tell you about it unless you pass them all.” That monotone voice they had was really creepy, at least show some emotions. “Then can I just say I quit and not do the test?” Maybe I could get out of this hell and have a peaceful life, not taking the test at all. “You can if you’re fine with experiencing eternal torture.” I was being blackmailed! How much worse can it be than the ten minutes I spent fighting that monster? Then again, I know nothing. Maybe there is something worse, I have to follow along. “What’s the next test and when do we start?” I asked unwillingly, please be something easy. “I am the next test and it starts now.” As it said that, it disappeared and so did the fog around me. In front of me was now a giant building. It looked like a medieval castle made of iron. The fog still surrounded the castle, so the only way for me to go was inside. Great! If I ever get the chance to beat that guy up, I’ll do it for eternity. I opened the surprisingly light iron doors and sucked in the cold air. Let’s beat that bitch up!

The HunterA Conduit Short Story   Tobin hated the rain. He hated the squish his socks made when they invariably got wet. He hated the smell of petrichor, and he certainly hated the need to wear any more clothes than was necessary. So, he wasn’t too thrilled that his next mission took place in the city of Dawn— known specifically for its frequent, sudden rains. Of all the cities in Ard, it had to be here. Tobin suppressed the urge to curse and popped his coat’s collar in the vain hopes of avoiding at least a little bit of the water. The bar he was about to hit up looked dingier than the last time he’d been here. Grimy windows, brown paint peeling off of the gray walls, graffiti; the place had seen better days. The bar’s red neon sign stood out in contrast to everything else, stating the place’s name in big, bold letters: THE HORNET’S NEST Tobin rested his hand on the flimsy door and eyed the flickering ‘R’ for a moment before pushing lightly; he winced at the tortured squeal of the hinges. Stepping in past the threshold, Tobin was hit by a wall of noise. Half a dozen loud conversations competed with the jukebox, which was playing a familiar, merry song— one whose title he’d never cared to learn. Unpleasant. The smell was worse; an unholy mixture of mold, alcohol, smoke, and a hint of sick. This job had better be worth it. Looking around, he acclimated himself to the environment and made his way to the bar counter, the only well-kept piece of furniture in the entire place. He kept an ear out. So far, nothing useful. A balding, overweight sea elf was sat with his mates around a flimsy table, bragging about the usual topics; money, drugs and sex. One of his buddies was staring at Tobin— no, at the girl next to him, Tobin realized with a shake of his head. “What can I get you, sir?” The bartender came around the counter, looking harried; a new hire, from the looks of it. He barely looks old enough to drink, let alone serve… Tobin suppressed the grimace threatening to spread over his face and asked for a cold beer. Tobin received the ice-cold bottle with a nod of thanks, took a sip and leaned on the smooth, mahogany counter with a world-weary sigh. “Bad day?” Someone asked from Tobin’s right side. Oh, great. “That obvious, huh?” Tobin plastered on a fake smile and turned to see a lady eyeing him with interest. I can see why that other fellow was staring. The woman was at just the right height, with a body fit to be on the front cover of a magazine; a lovely sight. Smiling wider under his gaze, she tucked a cherry-red lock of hair behind her ear. Her green eyes glittered with anticipation. “Let’s just say I have an eye for this sort of thing,” she replied, and Tobin noticed the slow way her carefully tinted, red lips moved. “So, stranger, what ails you?” No time for distraction. “Let’s just say I don’t like the rain, and leave it at that,” Tobin’s expression tightened before he went back to his beer without another word. There was a long moment of silence. Tobin didn’t look her way, but he imagined the woman’s previously flawless visage had shifted into something angry, ugly. “Asshole,” came the expected reply, but he didn’t dignify it with a response. It was a shame, really. At any other time, Tobin might have played the lady’s game, but he was on a job— and while on the job, there is no room for any shenanigans. The man lived by a set of rules— a code of conduct, if you will. Focus on nothing but the mission. The mantra, repeated so often over so many years, suffused into Tobin’s essence. It was supposed to be a simple enough rule to follow, but Tobin had seen many men and women fall prey to distractions of all kinds, whether they were physical or mental. When the bartender came back to ask him whether he wanted another beer, the woman beside him had already moved towards the fellow who’d been staring at her earlier. She certainly works fast. Tobin thought as a man sat himself on the spot which the lady had occupied previously. Tobin slid his second, untouched bottle to the right, watching as the man took it with a nod. “Tobin.” Tobin nodded back, watching him drink. “Time hasn’t been kind to you, old man.” “I wish I could say the same about you,” the old man cleared his throat while he glared without heat, gesturing at Tobin with a stubby hand. “If anything, you look younger than you did a few years back! What’s your secret?” “If I told you…” “You’d have to kill me?” The older man chortled, his large belly visibly straining against the tight red shirt he was wearing. He scratched the grey stubble on his cheek. “No, Bird,” Tobin scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You just wouldn’t believe me. That’s all.” The old man’s previously jovial face was marred with something ugly, his stress wrinkles making him age years in a matter of moments. “The things I’ve seen, lately,” a dark look crossed the now-named Bird’s eyes. “I’d believe more than you think, Tobin.” Tobin frowned. “The disappearances?” Bird barked out a laugh— a bitter, sour noise which did not suit him. “One mess in a long list of messes over the past few months,” Bird grumbled and took another swig. “Ever since the shit hitting the fan over at Bellmead, things have gone tits up. Everywhere.” Ah, yes. Clan Alo-Ra’s resurgence to power. Tobin thought with a sneer. That Clan had almost been wiped off of the face of Ard, but they’d bounced back with a vengeance, almost completely annihilating Saint-Morning’s Phage problem overnight. It would have been impressive had Tobin considered any of the existing Clans worthy of respect. All of the Clans are the same, through and through. Greedy and power hungry. Willing to sacrifice others for their own gain. He thought before shaking his head. “Tell me about the disappearances, Bird,” Tobin insisted, banishing thoughts of Clans and injustices out of his mind. Nothing but the mission. “Would it kill you to call me by my real name?” Bird let out an explosive breath. “I know you’ve got your ‘obsession with the mission’ thing going on, but we’ve known each other long enough, no?” Tobin responded with a flat stare. “You’re damn creepy when you do that,” Bird waved as if warding off his previous request. “Bird, it is.” Bird took a long swig of his bottle, before finally answering Tobin’s initial question. “The disappearances— it all started a few weeks back. A college student went missing, mysterious circumstances. No one batted an eye.” Tobin nodded. People disappeared all the time, after all. “But it didn’t stop there.” “Wish it did,” Bird shrugged with a sigh and set the bottle on the counter. “Three more disappeared last week, and two a few days ago.” “And the police aren’t handling this, because…?” Bird pulled a folder from his satchel and handed it to Tobin. “You need to join us in the modern age, Bird,” Tobin groused, but still pulled a document out of the folder. He began to examine it. “What am I looking at?” “Police report from last week,” Bird explained as Tobin read through the file. “Witness claims the kidnapper leapt twenty feet up in the air, carrying his screaming girlfriend away,” Tobin read the file out loud, throwing his informant a dubious look. “Disconcerting, but he could have been on something. People see all sorts of things while under the influence. You have anything else?” Without a word, Bird procured a few more folders from his satchel and held them out. Tobin blinked, placed the file on the counter and went through the provided items. They all seemed to tell the same story; a monstrous creature able to snatch people and escape with them, leaping incredible distances. All of the victims were women between the ages of 20 and 30. This is starting to paint a not-so-pretty picture. “I see.” “You think this is from your side of the yard?” Bird’s mood shifted from somber to excited in the blink of an eye. Tobin held up a hand, forestalling any further questions. “Perhaps. Let’s talk rates.” “Of course,” Bird pinched the bridge of his nose, before waving it off. “Same as usual, plus danger pay in case things go south— which, I’m guessing they just might. Need any backup for this one?” Tobin snatched the most recent folder, pushed off of the bar counter and left without another word. “Typical,” he heard Bird say a few feet behind him, but Tobin’s focus was already shifting as he exited the bar. It at least smells better than the shithole behind me. Tobin decided, breathing a little easier now. The rain had thankfully subsided, but there was no telling when it’d be back with a vengeance. He entered his car— a cheap, unimpressive hunk of junk he’d purchased a number of years back— and fiddled with the GPS module, throwing a few looks at the file he'd snatched earlier. Hopefully there's something to go on from the scene of the kidnapping. Tobin double checked the address and began to drive. The trip barely took a dozen minutes before he arrived at his destination. Exiting his car, Tobin noted the torn police tape with distaste even as he slowly walked past it, eyes alert and file in hand. He stopped and leafed through the report while standing in what he gathered was the witness’ spot. The file had said that the creature leapt twenty feet onto the building across the street from the deli to his right. Tobin graced the deli in question with a gaze. His blue eyes met those of the front-desk clerk. She stared at him with suspicion through the window, looking like she was a few moments away from calling the police. I suppose anyone would be antsy after having had a kidnapping directly in front of their place of work. He thought, giving her some slack. Tobin moved forward in the direction the creature had taken, keeping his attention on the asphalt beneath his feet. There was nothing to be found. Perhaps the top of the building? Tobin mused and moved further ahead, towards a tight alley next to his target. The fire escape was a tricky climb, the metal slippery from all the rain and, judging by the abundant rust, in dire need of maintenance. Up on the roof, Tobin took a moment to rest and stared across the cityscape for a moment before focusing back on the job. He searched for half a minute until he found a lead— a wet, red, leather handbag. He gave it a few shakes to get some of the water off and pulled the zipper open. A quick check through the identification within showed that this bag was indeed the property of the missing woman in the report; a Hannah Stanley. So the monster is real, at least. Tobin stopped for a moment to consider the implications. And it’s taking humans in public? A brazen beast. What a strange case this was; he hadn’t seen anything like this since... A flash of white, and then red. Crimson mist— no, not mist. This was her blood. Tobin trembled, forcefully shook his head of past memories and continued to rifle through the woman’s belongings, looking for anything he could use— there; a thin strand of blonde hair. Tobin made his way back down the fire escape, and back to the car. Seating himself, he pulled a short, silver chain from the compartment beneath his arm and tied the strand of hair around its silver spear-tip, before tying the other end of the chain around his index. The spear-tip lit up with a bright orange runic script, floating behind Tobin and tugging at his hand as it moved. Without a word, Tobin started the car and began to follow the path the chain laid out for him. Tobin quickly realized where the chain was leading him— the western outskirts, with the old, abandoned warehouse. He drove a few loops around the property just to make sure. Yep. It’s pointing straight at it. The sun had already set when Tobin reached his destination. He parked less than a block away from the warehouse and exited the vehicle, glaring at the abandoned structure. A quick check showed that all of his various weapons and doohickeys were on his person. Steeling his resolve, Tobin headed towards the warehouse, passing through one of the many holes cut into the property’s rusted, ancient fence. “Handere,” he held out his hand and muttered an incantation over the chain. The runes flared to life once more, the speartip morphing into a small sphere and glowing with a faint, silver light. Tobin entered the building through the smashed open front door, the blond strand of hair unwrapped from the chain and already blown away with the wind. It smells just as wet in here. Tobin grimaced, looking up at the many holes in the abandoned warehouse’s ceiling, before shaking his head and focusing himself once again. He held tightly onto the chain, taking care to walk as silently as he could manage. The deeper he delved into the building, the more sure he was that he was not alone. A shiver went down his spine, but Tobin ignored it as best as he could, continuing his search of the building. He would have maintained the tracking spell on the chain, but there was no real need. The stench of rot, the sickly sweet scent of carrion, Tobin knew what gave off that kind of smell. Too late. Tobin thought, his eyes hardening into steel chips. Always too late. Moving deeper in, he finally found Hannah— and the others, as well. Tobin stopped and looked down at the familiar face from the report. Hannah had met a grisly end. Her face was set in a rictus, capturing the pain and terror of her last moments. Tobin stared into her glassy eyes for a moment before focusing on her cause of death: the mangled mess that had been her abdomen. All of the women had another thing in common in the reports, aside from the leaping monstrous creature; they had been pregnant. Tobin had drawn his conclusions from there and had left the bar without another word. Bird may have taken offense at the dismissal, but he wasn’t ready to deal with whatever was behind this string of disappearances— no matter what he’d claimed. Words were light, easy to throw around. Tobin did not trust words. Facing down a monster of this caliber... Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t right. Tobin suppressed his rising anger and let his eyes slowly take in the remaining corpses. He recognized a few from the reports, but there was at least triple the number of women, here. Unreported cases. The chain tightened around his finger, he noted but didn’t move an inch, even as his muscles tensed in preparation for a fight. It’s watching me. Waiting for the right moment. It's a good thing I switched the tracking spell with one of detection, instead. The sphere at the end of the chain twitched, and Tobin dove to the left, feeling the air shift in the spot he’d just occupied. The falling creature hit the ground with a heavy smack, crying out in pain at its failed ambush. Tobin rolled into a crouch and stared at the offending creature. It’s as I thought; a Suiline.  It was a hairless, pale skinned creature, with a cat’s face, ears, and long arms and legs, tipped with vicious claws meant to tear and rend. Even while it was crouched, it was still more than seven feet tall. Hideous. This was what those women saw in their final moments. It was a bitter and grim sort of realization, one which Tobin suppressed with all his being— no distractions! The ugly thing yowled in pain and pawed at its face, careful to not hurt itself with its own claws, displaying an intelligence Tobin was hoping it didn’t have. He stood back up, shifting into a fighting position as its yellow, slitted eyes flitted to him with laser focus. He had less than a handful of seconds to plan his next move as the Suiline dashed to his location, its front-left claws moving in a straight stab that was sure to run him through. “Gram!” Tobin took a hurried step back, cried out the incantation and swung the small chain forward all at the same time— except, the chain was no longer small. As soon as the word had left his mouth, the chain grew in length until it became several times as long as he was tall, and twice as thick. The chain caught the creature’s paw, stopping it mere inches away from Tobin’s face, but it did nothing to stop the Suiline’s mad charge. The two flailed, carried by their own momentum. Tobin clenched at his chain and pulled hard, forcing the Suiline to crash into one of the many steel columns of the warehouse, claws first. The cracks and snaps of the monster’s bones shattering would have been music to Tobin’s ears, had the Suiline not begun to thrash in panic, sending him tumbling over the unforgiving concrete. Every impact felt like a death knell, the stress to his body making itself known with every roll. Tobin’s world became pain until he finally skidded to a stop, his side smashing into another beam with a disturbing snap. Tobin got back to his feet with some difficulty, ignoring his own injuries with an ease born from experience. Left shoulder, dislocated. Ribs, cracked. Left wrist may be broken. Friction burns all over. His opponent’s injuries, on the other hand, were much worse. Tobin approached the monster, dragging the chain behind him and filling the air with the sound of metal scraping against concrete. The Suiline didn’t pay him any mind, too busy wailing and flailing in place. He doubted this thing had ever experienced pain before now. What a wretched creature. I’ll put you out of your misery. He was not going to take any chances. Tobin took hold of the chain and swung his arm down, ignoring the flaring pain in his left shoulder and crying, “Gram Sin!” The chainlinks clinked and clanged together as the chain flew in an arc towards the Suiline’s head, the sphere at its end growing to the size of a bowling ball midway through its trajectory. A loud crunch, and the beast’s head was crushed, spraying its surroundings with blood, brain matter, bone and flesh. Tobin stared at the dead Suiline’s twitching form for a few moments before the adrenaline rush faded and the pain made its true self known, settling itself on his shoulders like the weight of a mountain. Tobin staggered away from the Suiline, the chain shrinking and returning to its former size with a tired mutter of, “Ingram.” He pressed his back against a steel beam to hold himself up and reached into his coat with his bloodied palm, pulling out a vial full of green liquid. He popped the cork and downed it all in one go, grimacing at the awful taste. Tobin felt himself sink to the floor as the pleasant sensation of numbness began to pervade his body. Mission accomplished. A job well done. Tobin sighed, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments before his eyes fell on Hannah Stanley’s corpse once again. He scoffed and tore his gaze away, hearing the sound of droplets hitting the ceiling and feeling misty air caress his tired face. It was raining again. “A job well done… Hah!” Tobin laughed. “What am I even thinking?” He turned back to Hannah’s corpse. No answer came.

There below the canopies of trees, in the deepest part of forest, a certain hare was hopping between the shrubs. It avoided the low branches agilely. Its bright eyes looked at nothing but what was in front of it. A noise came from behind the trees. It stopped its movement, trying to ascertain the noise’s source. It followed the noise, until it came across a clearing with a waterfall. The gushing water fell creating a pond. The place was strangely quiet, except the thing in the middle of the pond. A single fish was splashing in the pond, as if it was dying. “Help! You, hare! Please help me! I’m drowning!” “What happened to you, o golden fish? How come you’re drowning while you’re in your own pond? Are you fooling around?” The golden fish still struggled as if it didn’t hear what the hare had said, “please, help me! I’m really drowning here!” The hare hopped until it came near the shore, trying to take a closer look. “Why, I don’t understand, golden fish. Though I do really want to help you, but I can’t swim, nor can i reach you.” Just as it finished talking, its attention was attracted onto the the water below it. The water was clear, and the hare’s face was fully reflected by it. The slight ripples from the waterfall tried to touch its legs. The hare’s was lured by the clear reflection. It was as if facing the other half of itself. “Are you finished looking at me?” The hare was taken aback. It then looked around him, trying to find the voice’s source. “I’m here, just below you.” “...What?” The reflection in the water talked to the hare. “I’m the shadow that lives inside the pond. The only reason I can talk with you is that you’ve already traded glances with your reflection in this pond.” The reflection then continued, “o hare, the traveler, you’ve disturbed my meal time.” “Your meal time?”  “Yes, my meal time, before you came, the golden fish came into my pond, and I have already decided, that it will become my meal for today. But I saw that you tried to help the golden fish, so perhaps we can make a deal. How about I release it, and in exchange, you will trade place with it as my meal.” The golden fish suddenly cut into the talk, “hare, please save me! I don’t want to die!” “You hear what the golden fish said. So, what is your answer? You don’t want to ignore a fellow forest dwellers in distress, do you?” The hare waited until the reflection and the golden fish finished talking. It then said, “firstly, no one would sacrifice itself to save other creatures. Secondly, how can a fish being drowned in its natural habitat? You two really have no common sense, have you?” The reflection was shocked, and the golden fish suddenly stopped splashing around. The reflection said, “...you ...you already knew?” “That all of this was a trick?” The hare giggled. It then hopped away, without looking back at the pond. Its voice lingered for a few seconds in the forest, “after all, no one would make a deal that does not give benefit to itself, and that as a traveler, one should be very wary of the things it encountered and to never believe a stranger. Farewell.”

A lone jeep sped across the vast fields of the Sahara desert, with its tires kicking up the sand and creating a thick cloud of dust along the way. Although the ride itself turned out to be quite bumpy since the vehicle was driving up and down the sandy dunes instead of taking the smoothest and safest routes. As it seems the jeep was going through a long journey, it began to slow down before stopping in front of a large, yet old stone building, which appeared to be an ancient temple. Two gigantic statues of humanoid jackals holding their cobra canes stood on guard next to the entrance of the temple. Even though the temple was built thousands of years ago, the structure remained intact like it was built recently. The driver's door was opened before a man with a white keffiyeh scarf over his head, wearing a western-style desert clothing with a fleet jacket over it, and carrying a leather bag on his shoulder, rose up to take a look at the temple. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. The paper was actually some sort of a photograph of the identical ancient building. "Yes, this is the place." Looking back to the temple, then at the photo one more time, Omar came to the conclusion that they both match, meaning he reached the place he was looking for. Omar went back to the jeep to turn off the engine, leaving the headlights on to light up the entrance, before he stepped out of the vehicle and made his way to the temple. Although he noticed a chain was blocking the way, a yellow plate hung on the chain with a 'Keep Out' warning and what time the place will be open for tour, the funny thing was that there was not a single security guard to watch over the entrance. Therefore, Omar just ignored the warning as he stepped over the chains and entered the ancient temple. Once inside, he took the scarf off his head, revealing his tanned complexion with buzzcut hair and a soul patch on his chin. The place was completely dark with no light source, which prompted Omar to bring out his young treasure hunter looked around and took a moment to gaze in awe at the hieroglyphs all over the walls of the temple, yet that wasn't the reason why he was here. He took another piece of paper from his leather bag and unfolded was a sketched plan of the entire complex of the temple with trail marks that lead to the center of the building. So he proceeded to follow the steps from the marked plan, walking through the darkest halls with his flashlight shining the way to his destination. The walk didn't last long when Omar had reached the center of the temple, which appeared to be a courtyard. He looked up to watch the cloudless sky full of stars, as the moonlight shone upon the room, illuminating it well enough that he didn't need to use his flashlight anymore. In front of him, an obelisk stood tall over the walls of the temple. As he passed by the pillar, he found an imposing, yet ominous ceremonial altar; it was carved from dark stone with golden patterns, with two large jackal statues sitting between the altar. Atop the altar was a massive head of Anubis with a narrow snout and pointy ears with golden accents. "That's it! That's the altar!" Omar exclaimed at his discovery, as he looked back up to see the moon inching closer to the tip of the obelisk from the angle he was watching. "I don't have too much time left, I better get started with it right now." Then he hastily headed towards the altar. He knelt in front of the block of stone, carved with more of logographic scripts, his eyes caught on to an opening which had the shape of an ankh, like there was a missing piece that needed to be placed there. In fact, as Omar reached into his bag, he took out an engraved golden cross with an embedded jewel stone in the middle. Staring briefly at the treasure in his hand, wondering if he was holding the missing piece, he placed the ankh into the opening of the block. He stood up and backed away from the altar, waiting for a possible response and hoping that the piece was the right one. Nothing seemed to be happening, yet he decided to wait for a few more seconds before jumping to a conclusion. Suddenly, the oil lamps standing beside the altar lit up out of nowhere, before the rest of the lamps surrounding the courtyard did the same. Omar was almost startled by the unexpected outcome, but he looked back up to the sky, watching the moon already looming over the top of the obelisk and facing towards the altar. In a split second, the fire of every lamp turned blue and lit up the entire yard with a deep blue glow. Omar looked around wildly with a dumbfounded face, yet he was even more surprised than startled, to think that everything that's happening right now was exactly what the legends said; what the merchant told him was going to happen when he places the golden ankh on Anubis' altar. "It's working… I can't believe it, it's working!" Omar exclaimed while laughing. His words unable to express how excited he was to find out the legend could be true. Unfortunately, his moment of joy didn't last long when the winds started to blow a little harder, driving grains of sand into his face, forcing him to shield his face with an arm. However, the winds only became stronger with each passing second, eventually reaching the force of a miniature hurricane that blew out the fires of the lamps, and almost threw Omar off his feet, yet he kept his footing as he slid a few inches closer to the altar. For that moment Omar thought it was an incoming sandstorm, but the fact was he didn't even spot a sandstorm while he was driving across the desert. Something weird was happening, he was very sure, but before he was about to leave the courtyard and go back into the temple, the winds suddenly stopped blowing. As he realized the weather went back to normal, for a reason he couldn't discern, Omar started to become alarmed and anxious at the strange turn of events. "What the hell is going on…" He muttered as he held back the urge of leaving the temple, hoping that things wouldn't get any more bizarre than just now. Suddenly, he noticed the environment was starting to light up, before realizing something was shining from behind him with an ominous humming noise. He turned around and saw in disbelief that the altar was gradually glowing white. Clearly he hadn't been told something like that would've happened either, and he couldn't be sure whether it meant something bad or worse. At this point, he was now reconsidering about leaving the temple, but before he could move a muscle, the light of the altar became fiercely bright. When the altar literally turned fully white, it released some kind of shockwave that knocked Omar clean off his feet. At that moment, Omar went blind by the flashing burst of white as he fell to the ground, but instead of feeling the smooth surface of the sand, he felt like he was sinking into something that wasn't even the ground, he even felt his body getting completely wet. Furthermore, when he carelessly took a breath, instead of inhaling the air, he literally started breathing water into his longs, making him aware rather quick that he was starting to drown. With his instincts kicking in, he flailed his arms up and down wildly, driving his body upwards through the bitterly cold surge of waters, swiftly gripping him in fear that he would end up drowning, which he firmly believed was the worst way to die. But thankfully, he felt his body just about reach to the waterline, before letting out a huge gasp for air. He blindly swung his arms around the water to find anything that could lead to a solid surface, and suddenly his hands touched what felt like stone steps. Rather than question why at the moment, he didn't hesitate to climb up and crawl forward with his drenched clothes, before he started to cough the water out of his lungs. Omar laid himself out back-first on the floor and focused on recovering his breath before he would ask how the hell he ended up in the water. He cracked his eyes open and looked to whatever he could see through his blurry vision, but when his sight came back to normal, instead of watching the sky full of stars, he was looking at a painted ceiling. Realizing he was no longer in the courtyard like just a minute ago, he sat up to take a look at his surroundings in a daze. The place appeared to be an oriental looking, indoor swimming pool, with decorated pillars running alongside the edge of the pool, upon closer inspection, the pool didn't look nearly as deep as he thought. By the look of this room, it gave him the assumption that he was still inside the temple. However, there were some significant differences that raised serious doubts. The room was dark, but it was lit up by the torches hung from the pillars while the glowing water of the pool brightened the place. But that wasn't what he was concerned looked normal, yet somehow he felt like he wasn't in the temple anymore. Furthermore, he couldn't help but have a very bad feeling about the place he's standing in right now. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and the clink of something metallic reached his ears, and it sounded like someone was in a hurry, which made him start to feel panic creep up on him as his heart started pounding louder in his chest. He turned his head where he was hearing the noise, only to find an entry across the pool. Realizing there was no other way to get out of the room, he decided to find a hiding quietly to the far corner, he got behind one of the pillars where what's remaining of the darkness could shadow his presence. He decided to wait as the footsteps turned louder until he saw a silhouette showing up at the entrance. Omar took a peek while holding his breath, hoping whoever it was would leave instead of searching. Unfortunately, the figure stepped forward, entering the room before the torches lightened the face of the newcomer. Omar widened his eyes when he finally got a clear view of who it was, but it wasn't a security guard as he feared, it was a woman. But much to his shock, she didn't look like a human being. It was an anthropomorphic jackal with obsidian smooth skin that was as dark as midnight. Her eyes were shining like jewels in the velvety darkness of her orbs, with golden accents blooming the outer rims of her eyes. Her shoulder-length, dark flowing hair resembled a curtain, clipped with gold plates to keep it straight, with twin sidelocks reaching her clavicles adorned with looped gold bands and symmetrically even bangs that covered her forehead. She was wearing a white-clothed loincloth with golden rings attached around her waist and single-band cloths running around her chest from the top of her ribcage, hugging the sides of each outer portion of her breasts, creating a mouthwatering valley of cleavage along with exposed side breasts. Golden bracelets were strapped around her ankles, her wrists and her upper arms, she was even wearing a gold-trimmed blue necklace, a pair of earrings and a headdress with a uraei, which represented the head of a snake. At that moment, Omar took a guess she looked like some kind of a goddess, yet found it hard to believe that he would find a mythical creature in the flesh. Even he couldn't tell if she was using some sort of disguise, because not only did her skin look incredibly real, she even had the most voluptuous body he'd ever seen. She had a mouthwateringly large, buxom, H-cup chest jiggling with each step she was taking, with her expansive, plump hips accentuating her meaty thighs along her fleshy, yet curvaceous and luscious legs. It goes without saying that any man would be willing to die to serve her and her glorious figure. More sounds of the footsteps snapped him out of his trance, making him realize he was getting distracted while ogling the supposed Egyptian goddess and that he was almost leaning out around the pillar. He hastily slipped back behind the pillar before he could get caught, before taking another peek to see the woman standing a few inches closer to the pool. She wasn't alone. Two more anthropomorphic jackals, both of them male, were standing beside her. They appeared to be her bodyguards, judging by the military-looking outfits they're wearing and the spears they were holding in their hands, with both wearing a hardened look on their faces that Omar could tell these guys - or bipedal animals –would bite someone in the face if they so much as dared to cross them. Her eyes surveyed around the pool, with her ears almost twitching as if she just heard a small sound. But then, she caught something floating on the water. The goddess then motioned to one of her guards with her finger to the pool, which the latter stepped in and used the shaft to pick it up by its handle. Omar almost gasped when he realized it was his leather bag. Shit! It must have slipped off him the moment he fell in the water. He bit his index finger anxiously as the dog-faced guard delivered his bag to the voluptuous goddess, as she inspected it with a hint of curiousness. Clearly, she hadn't seen that kind of container before, but then a frown grew on her face. "So we have an intruder..." She spoke with a gentle, yet venomous voice, before she turned to the second guard. "Gather your men and tell them to patrol every corner of the palace and block the exits! If you find the intruder, bring him to me, alive!" The guard nodded before he bolted out of the room to carry out her order. Then the goddess turned back to the other guard remaining. "You stay here and search this room, I have a feeling he left something that could be useful to us." After relaying this, she took her leave. Omar held his breath anxiously as he watched the guard notice the puddle he'd made, before following a trail, approaching to the same spot he's hiding by following the puddle. At this rate, he knew if he doesn't act quickly, he'll get caught and God only knows what those dog-faced people would do to him. He searched through his pockets for something that could distract the guard. Unfortunately, he had nothing in his pants. In fact, he never thought about bringing his tools because he wasn't supposed to be in this situation. Even so, there was no time for him to come up with another way, now that the creature was getting close. The dog-faced guard let out a growl as if he picked up something with his sense of smell, and realized it came from one of the pillars which was at the far side of the pool deck. Readying the spear, the Egyptian wolf cautiously approached that pillar and readied himself to confront the intruder. What he didn't expect though was a piece of garment flying into his face, which was the fleet jacket Omar had just been wearing, and before the creature realized, Omar pushed him into the pool and then took the chance to leave the room without taking a look back. "Oh my God! I can't believe that worked!" Omar laughed almost maniacally at his luck as he started running across the hallway. He didn't have the remotest idea where he was going, he wasn't even sure if he was heading to the exit, but right now he only knew one thing he had to do, escape. He found an intersection ahead, and without having the time to decide which way he should choose, he decided to take the left one as he went around the corner. But then he stopped in his tracks with a stumble, shock spreading across his face, realizing he just took the wrong way. He just found a group of jackal soldiers patrolling down the hall until they unexpectedly bumped into the human. He and them stared at each other, both bewildered and dumbfounded to see each other, but then, the soldiers began to growl, brandishing their spears and khopesh menacingly at the young man. Omar was snapped out of his funk by their hostile response, as he turned around and ran as fast as he could to the right. His body quickly getting overwhelmed by adrenaline, his breathing became heavier, and he could feel his lungs starting to burn. He could hear some inaudible voices from behind, along with the clinking noise of the soldier's weapons, yet everything seemed deafened to his ears. He never felt so freaked out in his life! But then again, he'd never had a group of creatures pursuing him with the intention to tear him apart. In this desperate moment, he wished this was just some sort of nightmare and he should be awake by now, he knew this wasn't a dream at all. That didn't stop him trying to outrun the pursuers, he was crossing and diverting to the other corridors; because the structure of the building looked like a maze, he had to use whatever advantage he could to confuse the guards before finding the right moment to hide He took another diversion to the right before he glanced backward when he noticed no one was behind it be that he managed to lose them? Or had they decided to split up and find a way to surround him? Regardless, he turned his gaze forward again, but suddenly his body collided into something before falling to the ground. However, instead of feeling the hardened concrete, he felt something smooth and soft cushioning his fall. A feminine yelp reached his ears before his eyes went wide open. He pulled himself up to his knees and looked down to see he fell over a huge swell of cleavage with two mountainous mounds of flesh the size of fully grown watermelons. Each individual globe being bigger than his own head as they lightly wobbled around. Looking up, he met the piercing eyes of the goddess who showed up at the pool room, who stared at him shockingly after he unintentionally buried his face between her breasts. He knew this wasn't the right moment to be captivated by her presence, yet he couldn't help but admit that she looked even more beautiful from a closer look. But then he snapped out of his trance again after realizing he just had physical contact with the goddess herself. Before he could do something or even apologize, a hand gripped his collar from behind, before pulling him violently away from the goddess and then throwing him back to the floor. Before Omar could stand up, he froze when he saw several tips of spears pointed at his face. Looking up slowly, he realized the jackal soldiers caught up with him, and clearly they didn't look very pleased after witnessing what the human was doing to their majesty. The soldiers growled disdainfully as they slowly approached him with a murderous look in their eyes. Omar grew terrified at the realization they do have the intent to kill him. "No, no, wait! I give up! I give up! Don't kill me, please!" Omar begged with his hands held up in surrender, backing away from the spears inching closer to his face. "Stand down! I said I need him alive!" Suddenly, the goddess intervened as she stood up to her feet. "He didn't do any harm to me, he just… bumped into me." She almost trailed off as her face grew flushed. There was a hint of hesitation on the soldiers' faces, but they complied and pulled their spears away from Omar. Nevertheless, two of them stood beside the human before pulling him to his feet and seizing his arms, before bringing him over to her. He noticed they were much taller than him, as he could only just reach their necks. "Now, let's get straight to the point, mortal. Who are you and what are you doing in my palace?" She demanded with her arms crossed over her humongous chest, keeping her face neutral despite the fact he invaded her personal space. "I-I-I don't know! I mean, the last thing I remember I was in a courtyard, and there was an altar, and the next thing I knew, I fell into the pool. I have no idea where am I and I don't even know who the hell you guys are supposed to be!" This wouldn't be the first time he'd been caught and interrogated, but the only difference was he didn't have to deal with anthropomorphic creatures with outdated weapons, let alone meeting face to face with a queen wearing little clothing. His story seemed to catch her off guard, as she didn't expect the prisoner would spill the beans all of a sudden. However, the goddess perked up at the moment he mentioned the altar. She picked up the human's leather bag, before dropping it to the floor as she took out a photograph. "You mean this altar?" She inquired before showing it to Omar. It was the picture of Anubis' altar he was given by the same guy who told him about the legend. "Y-Yes! That's it!" He nodded with his head, but that didn't help his situation as everyone was now looking at him warily. "So you were in my temple… What did you do to the altar?" She demanded and stepped closer to the human threateningly. Omar almost cowered when the goddess' figure loomed over him, yet he grew confused when she addressed the temple as hers. If that was really her temple, then why was it abandoned? Even so, he dismissed the detail and continued. "I-I didn't do anything wrong with that, I swear. The only thing I did was put that piece of treasure onto the altar just like in that picture." He pointed to the golden ankh which was placed on the same spot he placed it. "Suddenly it glowed white and then the light exploded and for some reason, I ended up falling into the pool." The goddess looked at the picture once more with a bewildered look, which made Omar wonder if she had an idea about what was going on, but he knew he shouldn't keep his hopes up. "So that's what happened..." She replied with a low tone, yet she turned back to him with her furrowed face. "But you still have a lot of explaining to do. What were you doing in my temple? Where did you get that golden ankh? And what in Ra's name were you planning to do with the altar?" "Alright, just wait a minute." Omar shook his head in confusion. "What do you mean YOUR temple? That belongs to the god Anubis! And you don't even look like him. By the way, how can I be sure you guys are real? Aren't you wearing some kind of disguises to make a fool of me?" Omar didn't realize he just made a huge mistake before one of the guards holding him silenced him by throwing a punch into his gut. The blow was incredibly strong and knocked the wind out of him, as Omar fell down to his knees and bent over, clutching his stomach in pain. "I would watch my tongue if I were you." The supposed goddess responded with a dry tone as she took one more step forward and looked down scornfully at the human. "I could just order my guards to send you to the prison while I decide how to punish you for vandalizing my palace." Omar coughed and wheezed when he had some difficulty breathing for a moment, admitting to himself he kind of had that coming for being a little cocky to the wrong people. Furthermore, the pain felt so real that it was enough to convince him once more that he wasn't dreaming. "But I'm willing to spare your life for the fact that you are the very first live human to ever show up in our world, not to mention you don't even know what you've done to the altar. Now I ask again, what were you planning to do with it?" "You wouldn't believe me…" He grunted with his forehead pressed against the floor. "Just answer my question, mortal…" There was a tone of impatience in her voice. "Ugh... I just wanted to get my wish…" Omar grunted as he raised his head up to meet her gaze, although he could barely see her face through her sizeable tits. "I don't know what I did wrong, but I was supposed to put the missing piece into the altar and then I would summon the spirit of Anubis so he could grant my wish, at least that's what the legend said…" "Where in the blazes did you hear such nonsense?" She inquired as her face furrowed with disbelief. "From a merchant who sold me the golden ankh…" He replied as he regained enough strength to get up, only to be pulled up by the guardians that held him by his arms like before. "He even provided me the pictures like the one you're holding and the location of the temple. But of course, I had to pay a lot of money to get all the info." The goddess let out an exasperated sigh and cast her eyes down in ponderance. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she turned to the guards holding the human and made a gesture with her hand. The guards let the human go, much to his relief as he rubbed his arms, a little surprised they had such a strong grip. Had they held him any tighter, they could've broken his bones with little to no effort on their part. "What's your name, mortal?" The beautiful female jackal asked. Omar would've answered immediately, but he became a little distracted when he noticed she was a good deal taller than him as well, to the point that he could barely reach the gorgeous goddess-like woman's chin. Furthermore, he couldn't help but gulp down a nervous knot in his throat, as he tried to keep his eyes upon her instead of looking at her big natural breasts, which had him feeling a little hot under the collar. "Omar…" He replied after a couple of seconds, failing to hold himself back as he dared to take a glance at her chest. His pants around his crotch area beginning to feel just a little tighter as he did. "I'll be straight with you, Omar. I don't know how that bastard knew about my temple or how he got the golden ankh, but what I do know is that you were a fool to believe him." She said bluntly as she threw the leather bag back at him. "That legend he told you was nothing but a lie, what you just did to the altar only brought you to the afterlife." "Wait, afterlife? What are you talking about?" The confusion crossed over his face before he demanded more of an explanation. "Ugh… this is gonna be more complicated than I thought…" She rubbed her eyes with a grumble before she started again in detail. "When you activated the altar, you accidentally started a ritual. You see, thousands of years ago, your people built the temple to deliver the deceased pharaohs before they would mummify their bodies. The altar was used to extract their souls and send them to the next world, Aaru, so they could have eternal rest. But since you didn't give the altar that offering, it chose you to be sent to the world you're standing in right now." "So you're telling me that…" Omar trailed off when his mind couldn't take what he just heard. "Yes, you're in Aaru, the paradise where the dead live in peace." She finished with a hint of pity. The young man stood frozen, completely shocked with his mouth hung open. He couldn't even think whether or not he should believe everything the goddess had explained. At this moment, his mind couldn't take all the information before it suddenly shut a result, Omar fainted and fell to the ground. "Great… just what I needed." The goddess sighed with a facepalm. Then she gave an order to one of her guards. "Take him to my chamber, it would be best if no one else were to find out we have a mortal here." She turned to the rest of the guards. "The rest of you, don't even think about telling anyone what happened here!" After laying out her orders, she walked off on her way to her chamber with her guard following her from behind with the young man carried on his shoulder. On her way, the goddess knew she should've mentioned to the mortal the fact that, just because he's in the Aaru, doesn't mean he will be trapped here couldn't blame him for passing out though. She could only hope by the time he wakes up, he will be calmer than before. Omar moaned as he slowly regained his consciousness, squirming his body around before feeling the strange softness on his back, he even felt his head resting on something fluffy. Once he cracked his eyes open, the first thing he noticed was the intricately carved ceiling. Sitting up, he realized he was lying on a queen-sized bed with lace curtains hanging over the sides, but to his surprise, the bed itself was large enough that it could fit more than two people. However, he found himself becoming confused about how he just ended up on someone's bed. Last thing he remembered, he was running away from dog-faced soldiers before bumping into a female one, who had huge boobs. He could barely remember what happened after that, but he didn't forget he passed out after hearing something that was utterly absurd and completely illogical. He would like to believe all of that was nothing but a bad dream, but to be in someone else's bed, in the middle of a peculiar room with sandstone walls and columns with hieroglyphics, was not the kind of place he would prefer to wake up. Suddenly, a shudder ran through his body when he felt a chilling breeze coming from an entryway ahead, which appeared to be an exit to a balcony. But when he looked down, he realized he was wearing nothing but a loincloth, yet that did little to help the fact he was almost naked. "W-What the… What the hell happened to my clothes!" He shouted. "You had them soaking wet, so I had to undress you and let them dry." Omar perked up after hearing a familiar voice, before turning to his side and seeing the same buxom goddess from before, sitting in a settee beside the bed with a neutral, yet calm and patient expression. It seemed like she'd been waiting for him to regain his consciousness, for who knows how long. "It… It's you again…" The young treasure hunter said, completely stunned by her presence, even though this time there were no guards around to protect her. "I'm sure you were expecting to wake up in your world, but I'm afraid you're still trapped in Aarus." She stood up from the settee and stepped closer to him. "After you passed out, I decided to bring you in to my chamber so you wouldn't cause any more ruckus around the palace." "Wouldn't you send me to the dungeons instead?" He didn't like giving ideas, but he couldn't help but wonder how he didn't end up getting jailed. "Yes, but like I said, your presence changes a lot of things because you were unaware of the kind of mess you put yourself into." The female canine turned around and walked towards a table at the far corner of the room. At that moment, Omar's eyes bulged out at the sight of her huge butt-cheeks bouncing in a hypnotic sway, causing her own loincloth to get wedged in between them, leaving every inch of her behind completely on display. He had to admit, she had undeniably the fattest ass he'd ever seen in his life, it was too much for him to just look away, especially with his hormones forcing his mind to become engulfed with dirty thoughts. "Besides, just because I'm the goddess of Death doesn't mean I have to be ruthless to my prisoners, unless they deserve it, of course." Anubis continued as she poured water into a golden chalice cup. "Wait, are you really Anubis? I mean, THE God of Death, Anubis?" Omar snapped back to reality and expressed his incredulity at such a reveal, only to freeze when he met a piercing glare from the female jackal. She took a deep breath to not let that question get on her nerves, as she approached the human with the cup full of water. "Judging by your tone, I can assume you didn't expect me to be a woman?" She asked daringly. "That's not what I meant…" Omar responded bashfully after realizing she took offense to that. "It's just that, the history books I read in college said otherwise. Your followers didn't even mention the theory that you'd be someone else, not even in the ancient paintings from your temple." "Is that so? Well, be that as it may, it's understandable you never knew my identity since no human has ever met me in person, until now." Anubis replied as she stood in front of the human, before handing the cup of water to him. Omar was surprised at her gesture, but he accepted it and thanked her, before taking a sip of water, letting out a refreshed sigh. "So… am I really dead?" After a moment of silence, he asked with his head hung low in dismay. "Not exactly… In fact, there's a chance you could go back to your world." Anubis revealed, earning a shocked and hopeful look from the young man. "I'm not completely sure if that's a possibility. But the way I see it, you didn't come here as a walking spirit like the late pharaohs who came here. It's hard to tell how you did end up in this situation since you're not actually dead, but whatever the case, I don't see you being trapped in Aarus forever." "Does that really mean you can send me back where I came from?" Omar stood from the bed with a jump, barely containing his excitement. "Like I said, I'm not sure unless I give it a try." Suddenly, Anubis placed her hands softly on his shoulders. Omar was surprised by the feeling of her soft couldn't help but feel comforted by her almost gentle touch as she sat him back down on the bed. "The only solution I have in mind is to take you back to the same place where you came from." "You mean that pool where I fell in?" Omar wondered as he tried to keep his eyes on her instead of her large, pillowy breasts. "Actually, it used to be a hall where we perform a ceremony to receive the arrival of the late pharaohs. But that was in the past, and since we no longer received any more of their offerings, I decided to reconstruct it into my... personal bath." Anubis replied with a hint of embarrassment, only to clear her throat and continue. "The point is I have to take you in there because it's linked to my temple, so I will perform some sort of spell that should send you back to the living world." "You think that will work?" Omar inquired without considering how bizarre it was, what he was listening to. "To be frank, I've never done something like that before, not even with a soul who wanted to be reborn." Anubis replied with a pondering look. "But even if it sounds impossible, there's still a chance this method could work. Even gods have capabilities they have yet to discover." Omar only nodded his head at this, without any other choice but to trust her. However, the uncertainty grew on his face when one question remained in his mind, yet he was hesitant to ask it. However, after noticing the inquiring look from Anubis, he decided to be completely honest. "Why are you helping me?" The question almost caught Anubis by surprise, as she peered into his perplexing look in search for any sarcasm behind his tone. But after noticing he wasn't averting his eyes away from her, she realized he was serious. Her face softened then, before she turned around and sat on the bed next to the young man, as he moved aside to allow her to sit, yet he couldn't help but blush when he noticed her breasts bouncing slightly. "That's a very interesting question you have Omar, not an unexpected one though." Anubis replied with a small smile. "To be honest, I'm helping you because I know you were only tricked by the man who told you about that simple-minded legend, which is the reason why you're here by accident." "Yeah… I really screwed up, didn't I?" Omar seethed before he slapped his forehead. "I can't believe this… If I'd have taken the time to reconsider, none of this would've happened." "Then why didn't you?" Anubis asked, inquisitive at his rational comment. "If I remember, you said you wanted to get a wish, was that too tempting for you to just let it go?" Omar was silent again as he looked down at the floor, as if he was ashamed to admit why he didn't think this through in the first place. Nonetheless, with a resigned sigh, he decided to answer. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He replied as he rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly. "To be fair, I thought it was just a myth the first time I heard it, but when the merchant showed me those pictures and sold the golden ankh to me, I couldn't think of any reason to believe it was just a scam. And then, I thought it was the only chance I could get to be rich instead of taking life-threatening adventures." "Sounds like he carried out a flawless scheme to make your mind play tricks on you." Anubis concluded with an amused look. He groaned in exasperation. "I get it, I said I messed up! But that won't save him when I find him and kick his ass unless he gives my money back!" Omar stood from the bed, getting himself ready to get out of the room "Not so fast Omar, even if you didn't find what you were looking for, that doesn't mean you're going back empty-handed." She replied as she also stood up before Omar could make his way to the exit. "What do you mean?" He turned around with a puzzled look. "While you were unconscious, I've been doing some thinking. Even though you almost caused an incident in my palace from your unexpected arrival, I believe you do deserve some compensation. Since your only purpose was to summon me for a wish, then I'm willing to grant it." "Wait, can you grant me a wish?" Omar turned to the beautiful Anubis in surprise, only to blush when she stood one foot away from him, giving him another look to her ample breasts. "Of course, even though what the merchant told you about me was inaccurate, it doesn't mean I can't be capable of do it. But that also depends what kind of wish you want." "I… I don't know what to say, but that's so very generous of you. If only I could repay you somehow..." Omar replied with a grateful smile. "You don't have to repay me for anything…" Anubis replied softly before approaching Omar a little closer, as she cupped his face with her hand, which almost made him flinch at her touch. "I know you just wanted to find anything to make your life full of excitement. Hmm… and I can see something else excites you more." Omar was puzzled at her last remark, but then he noticed she was looking down. He followed her gaze and his eyes almost bulged out when he saw a big bulge in his loincloth, and his member was about to spring out from the underwear. He couldn't believe he just got turned on from enjoying the feeling of her delicate hand. "S-Shit! W-Wait, I can explain!" He stammered as he brought his hands over his crotch, yet he couldn't hide his face reddening. "Calm down Omar, there's nothing you need to be sorry about." Anubis let out an amused chuckle, something that no one, let alone Omar believed he would hear. "I know it's just an unpreventable reaction in your body. Would you mind if I ask what made you feel excited?" Omar was taken aback by that question. He could tell she already knew the answer, but she was asking him to say it in detail. At that moment he thought it was a trick to expose himself for being a pervert, but Anubis didn't seem visibly upset about it, rather she seemed curious considering the fact she and Omar are different. Nevertheless, Omar refused to answer while avoiding eye contact with her, only to have his eyes gluing over her big firm breasts, and from a closer look he could see her hardened nipples poking through her band cloths. With a gulp, he took a step back, slipping Anubis' hand off his face. "Is it something about my figure? Do you find me attractive?" Anubis however remarked with a giggle, before she stepped closer to him while placing her hands on his shoulders. Omar couldn't believe she was consciously making physical contact with him, and that moment he realized she was actually seducing him when her breasts were inching closer to his face. Feeling cornered, he looked up to see Anubis with her coaxing smile, before he finally answered by nodding his head. Her smile widened, whilst her eyes sparkled with an excited expression asshe pushed him down into the settee. Omar watched her boobs jiggleas she leaned them down to eye level, which made his breath get caught in his throat. "Is this what you're wishing for? You want a taste of my luscious body?" She teased him while lifting his chin with her finger. Omar went speechless, completely stunned as he processed what Anubis just suggested. Truth be told he had the impure desire to make that kind of wish. However, his perplexing reaction didn't allow him to confess, instead he could only answer her question with another question. "Why…" He said with a murmur, inadvertently lifting his hands up to touch her big meaty hips, but Anubis stepped away before he could feel her skin, leaving him a little disappointed. "I've been waiting for thousands of years to have someone who wants to adore me for more than just being a Goddess." Anubis waved her hand and suddenly she summoned a set of ancient instruments popped up out of thin airas they floated around her like she was controlling them with telekinesis. One of them was a sistrum, the other was the goblet drums and last one was a lyre. Before Omar could comprehend what was going on, the sistrum started jangling while making a melody, and when the rest of the instruments started playing along, Anubis began to perform a belly dance. Omar held his breath, as he decided to just remain where he's sitting and enjoy the show. As the music filled the entire room, Anubis cast a sultry look to the young man as she raised her arms above her head and enthusiastically followed the beats of the drums with her movements, lifting her hips and twisting her waist. At the same time, she spun around and gave the human another look of her bubble butt bouncing around that Omar followed the motion of with his eyes, following every movement her hips made as each individual mound rose and fell in quick succession, one after the other. Pulling and tugging the soft material wedged between them like they were trying to grind it down into paste, as it slowly disappeared further into her honestly couldn't tell if she was actually twerking or not. Not that he really cared. However, Omar didn't realize he wasn't covering his erection anymore since he was now hypnotized by Anubis teasing dance, watching intently as her big ass was sent bouncing around with her sculpted waist tilting from side to boobs jiggling and bobbling about to the point that they were almost spilling out of the sides of her dress. Excess boob-flesh shirking outwards and wobbling all over the place like two massive water balloons, as more and more millimeters of dark flesh oozed further out of her attire. Her hard tips dragging along the thin material holding them in, as a small bit of her areolas slipped passed the cloth every so often. Anubis could notice the bulge twitching in his loincloth, and instead of finding his reaction indecent, she ran her tongue across her lips with growing hunger. As she turned around to face him, she began to approach him slowly without stopping her dancing, while the instruments remained behind as they continued to play. She whirled around once more when she was now standing a few inches closer to Omar, before she lifted her arms and shook her chest up and down. Omar looked up in awe to see her bouncing her bountiful breasts like an experienced samba dancer. The two massive globes both rising high into the air, before giving a hefty, audible bounce down as their soft flesh smacked against her breastbone. Omar was positive he could even see the supple flesh of both giant melons rippling from the impact each time. He was so caught up by this display that he was practically drooling over her irresistible assets. A smirk grew on Anubis' face when her eyes caught his raging erection twitching uncontrollably, but suddenly her face grew flushed as she squeezed her thighs together in the middle of her dancing. In time, she already knew she can't keep dancing any longer. She wanted more. She began lowering her body while swaying her waist at the same time until she got on her knees. Omar let out a breathless gasp when Anubis clasped her hands on his thighs. "Whoa, hey what are you-" He couldn't finish his sentence when the Goddess gripped the brims of the loincloth and then pulled them off, finally exposing his private parts. In a matter of seconds, his dick sprung out to attention, batting her on the snout in the process. She backed away a bit and let out a gasp when she witnessed his full seven-inch member standing proudly before her eyes. "Oh my goodness! So that's what a human penis looked like…" She breathed in amazement at the sight of his twitching length. Omar on the other hand was a little confused, finding it difficult to believe Anubis had never seen a penis before. But before he could say something, Anubis reached over his crotch and clasped gently around his shaft. He flinched and then let out a small whimper at her touch, not in pain, but with pleasure. Anubis was just getting started however, as she began to stroke the shaft up and down, slowly and gently, as she felt the hardness of his length throbbing in her hand. Her breaths grew heavier as her cheeks began to flush to the point she couldn't hide her lust any longer. Omar reared his head back as he was unable to hold back his moans, yet he didn't do anything to stop Anubis from giving him the handjob. He looked back down to watch the beautiful goddess fondling his dick feverishly. Then he shivered when he could feel her warm breaths over his member. Noticing Omar had his eyes on her, she looked back to him with a sly grin, as she applied some gentle pressure on his shaft with her hand, earning an approving grunt from the young man. "You're loving this, aren't you? I can give you something more if you want~" She cooed as she nudged the top of his crown with her finger. "Fuck! Yes! I love this! I really love this! Please, just stop teasing me!" Omar moaned as he gripped the edges of the settee. "That's what I wanted to hear…" Anubis let out a giggle as she stopped poking his tip, much to Omar's relief. She then lowered her head down to his scrotum, taking a moment to smell his musky scent, before she stuck her tongue out and started to lick from there, all the way up to his crown head, slurping all over it in circles. "Ooohh! Holy shit!" Omar hissed as his body trembled when he felt the tip of her tongue twirling around his urethra. Anubis kept using her hand to stroke the shaft while licking his mushroom tip, but then she proceeded to use her other hand to fondle his balls. Omar began to moan loudly, not even worried that anyone would hear his cries behind the walls, he was even impressed the goddess Anubis hadthis level of skill in pleasuring a man. The goddess of the afterlife began to moan in delight when she was now tasting his precum oozing out of his tiny slit, finding the bitter-sweet taste more delectable by the second, which prompted her to wrap her mouth all around the head. She passionately started to suck a few more inches of his cock while keeping her fingers wrapped around the lower base of the shaft. Loud slurping noises came out along with muffled moans from the busty goddess as she started steadily taking his whole cock into her mouth, although while she was taking more of his meat, she was gagging until his man-meat reached her throat. "Oh God! This… This is amazing! Don't stop!" Omar cried out in ecstasy as he inadvertently placed his hand on her head, caressing slowly across her hair. "Mmmhhmm! Mmmhh!" Anubis mewled around his cock, seemingly merry as she felt his hand pushing her head forward to the point that her snout was now pressing against his crotch. Her cheeks puffed up when she was now swallowing his entire length, yet she didn't back down as she started to bob her head up and down, making more squelching noises from the union between her mouth and his cock. The more she was loving the first time having a taste of his cock, the more she was feeling her special place between her legs sizzling in excitement. With her other hand, she released his balls and she reached down to her pussy and started fingering herself. At this moment, she was getting herself so wet that her juices were dripping down to the floor. Omar began to growl like an animal in heat as he felt her throat muscles clenching around his dick. He hadn't experienced a deep throating before, but he was amazed nonetheless that Anubis could perform so flawlessly. Unfortunately, he knew the pleasure wouldn't last long when he felt his balls clenching, meaning he was about to reach his climax. "A-Anubis, I'm about to cum very soon!" He groaned loudly. Anubis' eyes burst open in surprise after hearing his call, but then she pulled her head away from his lap and she shook his hand off her head. Omar realized she let his saliva-coated prick pop out of her mouth with a gasp, as he turned to the goddess in disbelief and disappointment. "Wait, don't you come yet! There's something I need to try first!" Omar blinked at her remark, but then he witnessed her unfolding her dress from her chest, finally releasing her massive mounds of dark flesh as they bounced in freedom while she tossed her attire to the side. He remained stunned as his eyes glued on to her dark purple nipples already erected, feeling the craving for a taste of them. The next thing he knew, Anubis pulled her mountainous mambas up with her hands and then surprised him by slipping his meat between them. His eyes widened when she started pumping them up and down while squeezing his length tightly with her doughy pillows. Omar let out a hot gasp as he felt the incredible sensation of the softness of her tits massaging his dick. "How's that feel, young man? Do you love my breasts squeezing around your cock?" Anubis said huskily as she intensified the movement of her breasts. She giggled when she noticed his phallus poking out of her cleavage. "Oooohh! Fuuuck... Nngghh! I really can't hold it any longer!" Omar greeted his teeth, feeling overwhelmed by the uttermost excitement that it was only a matter of seconds until he reached his orgasm. The melody from the floating instruments grew louder and intense like the song was now reaching toward the grand finale. "Do it, my dear. Let it out. I want to taste your seed!" She cried out and then captured his cockhead into her mouth with ravenous lust, swirling her tongue around the crown from inside. After finally getting her permission, he bent forward and reached over to her head with his hands, before he shoved his hips up to her face and drove his manhood all the way into her warm, moistened mouth as deep as he could. "Mmnggghhhk!" Anubis whimpered loudly with her eyes going wide in shock at his roughness, yet she grew aroused as she felt his throbbing cock going through her gullet. In a split second, Omar let out a howl and felt his balls pulsating as he started to pump a large amount of thick cum down her throat. Anubis mewled with her eyes shut when she also reached her orgasm, drinking as much down as she could like her life depended on it. Although, she wasn't ready for the sheer quantity of seed he pumped out, as he kept cumming excessively until he filled her mouth to the brim.A small portion of it leaking out of her mouth, splattering some of it over her breasts while a few drops spilled to the floor, mixing with her own juices beneath her. Anubis cracked her eyes open and gazed up at the human lovingly as she kept drinking a few more ropes of his gooey milk until he was finally petered out. At the same time, the music went silent as the instruments finished playing before they suddenly vanished out of thin air. With a long sigh of relief, Omar let his hands go off her head, before pulling his drenched cock out of her mouth and then slumped down back on the settee. As he was recovering his breath, he watched Anubis wiping the remaining spunk off her breasts with her fingers and delightfully sucked them into her mouth. "Ooohh… Oh my God…" Omar muttered between his breaths. "I… I can't believe that just happened…" "It's your first time doing something like this, isn't it? I can tell you loved every second feeling my warm mouth around your cock~" Anubis replied after finishing off cleaning herself. She leaned closer to his crotch and gave his semi-flaccid manhood a peck on his tip, earning a small moan of approval. "It would be a shame if you don't have anything left. I'm just getting started after all." Anubis then raised up before she placed herself over his body and straddled her thighs carefully over the young man's waist and sat on his lap. Omar gasped when her ginormous, bare tits began pressing against his face as he could feel her hardened nipples rubbing against his skin. "You better get yourself hard again quickly, or else I'll have to do it for you~" She looked over her shoulder to his limp manhood,before reaching her hand down to his crotch and then grasping on to his ballsack, starting to fondle them gently but with enough pressure to pique his excitement. "Mmff! W-Wait! Nngh! J-Just give me a minute!" Omar grunted as he moved his head away from her breasts. Yet, he could do nothing but grab a hold of her plump thighs, making Anubis let out a soft moan in delight. "I'm afraid this cannot wait, my darling." Anubis chuckled huskily, but her breath grew heavier when she was getting overwhelmed by her libido. "No one in my kingdom has ever been brave enough to make love to me, not even to propose to me. I spent centuries all alone, I tried to pleasure myself, but it's not enough… Please Omar... I want you inside me..." The stimulation of her hand in his scrotum was too much for Omar to answer or at least consider the request brokered to him, he even felt his member jutting up lively until he could feel her huge ass rubbing against his length. He let out a shaky breath when Anubis pressed her soft naked pillows into his chest, as the supple flesh spilled out over his torso the more she pushed her fleshy mounds down against him. He cracked his eyes open to meet the lustful gaze of the busty goddess. He could clearly see the imploring look in her eyes, even though they already went too far from the beginning, she was still begging him to be the first man who will ever get the chance to be the man she was looking for, despite the fact they barely knew each other. Omar reached his arms around her waist, placing his hands on her round buttocks, and he started moving his hips to rub his full mast through her ass crack. Anubis let out a small gasp of surprise when she felt the hardness of his cock, but a happy smile grew across her face after learning what his answer was. She let go of his scrotum before she raised her pelvis and took a hold of his meaty pole. And while she placed her other hand on his shoulder to keep herself steady, she guided his man-meat to her groin, running the bulbous head over her dripping folds to lubricate it with her juices. The goddess tried to hold back her whimpering as she felt his cockhead pressing against her entrance. However, she paused for a moment to stare into the young man's eyes, as her own narrowed down at him with lustful glee. "It's now the time for you to find out how it feels to plow a goddess…" After her remark, Anubis sucked in a breath and dropped her hips down with one thrust. "Oooooooohhhhhhh!" Anubis let out a scream of ecstasy as his entire manhood pushed through the caverns of her flesh, which were forced to expand by the girth of his cock. "OH FUCK! You're so fucking tight down there!" Omar gasped loudly as he felt her inner walls gripping around the base of his cock harder than it would've felt if he were to get strangled by a snake. "I told you no one has ever made love to me… until now~" Anubis cooed sultrily as she started grinding back and forth over Omar's thick rod. Since her pussy was exceedingly drenched, it was very easy for Omar to take his rod in and out of her snatch effortlessly, as her inner sanctum was now taking the shape of his full length. "Nnngh! Fuck! Ooohh! Your pussy really feels amazing!" The young man moaned out loud as he groped her bouncy apple bottom with a sturdy grip and pushed his hips upwards to plunge his pipe deep inside her. "Aaahh! Yes! Ooohh yes Omar! Don't you dare hold back! Ravage your goddess's pussy to your heart's content! Fuck me! Fuck me harder!" She screamed with desire, as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and met his thrusts by bouncing up and down steadily on his crotch. As they both started to get rough with each other, the squelching sounds produced by Omar's cock scraping the goddess' drenched cunt was becoming a new melody of their new bond, along with the constant gasps, moans and pants of remarkable euphoria that rang out the entire room. Anubis clapped her crescent moons on his thighs loudly, prompting the young man to give the goddess a few slaps on her springy buttocks with his hands, making them wobble like they were made of jellies as Anubis yelped, only to be followed by a moan of pleasure as she found herself aroused off of getting spanked while she kept slamming his thick, meaty slab into her. She pressed herself further into the young man's torso, to the point that her watermelon-sized tits flattened out like pancakes. Omar shuddered as he felt her nipples rubbing and skidding against his chest, driving him crazy as he knew he couldn't stand that kind of teasing anymore. Sliding his hands off her backside, he ran them along her back until they reached her breasts, before groping the sides of her supple, fleshy orbs in his hands. Although he could do nothing but squeeze them with his fingers, as somehow, he couldn't find the strength to lift them up. "Haah! Oohh! Oh my~ Haah! You wanna taste my nipples?" The horny jackal said with a giggle when she noticed him staring down at her bosom, wearing a look like he was getting thirsty for her mouthwatering melons. She rose up off him as her breasts continued to bounce up and down with movement of her hips. Omar took a moment to stare intently at her humongous boobs before he reached his hands up and grabbed a handful of them. Anubis mewled when she felt his strong hands squeezing and groping them roughly as her gelatinous flesh bulged through his finger gaps. However, she knew that wasn't enough for Omar. "Oooohhh! Come on, darling. They're yours now~" She encouraged him before leaning down so she could hang her heavenly orbs over his head. Omar licked his lips at the sight of her swaying tits inching closer to his face, he reached forward and took one nipple into his mouth whilst rubbing his face into her pillow. He quickly began sucking her puffy areola vigorously like a vacuum, while also using his teeth to nibble her puffy tip. "Ooooohhhhh! Oh goodness! Aahh! Yes! Suck them as much as you like! Nnggh! Just don't stop plowing my pussy! Haaahh!" Anubis mewled as she began to quicken the pace, slamming her hips harder onto his cock with tumultuous zeal. Omar pulled his head back, releasing the spasming and soaked nipple from his mouth before proceeding to stimulate the other teat, this time he avidly slurped it like a starved baby. He also proceeded to run his hands up and down her hips softly, caressing her lascivious skin very delicately. "Oooohhh heavens! This is too much! More! Moooorrrrreeeee~!" Anubis locked her arms around his neck as she cried out deliriously in euphoria, feeling her mind gradually going blank. That was when an idea popped into his head. Omar let the left nub out of his mouth with a pop, but then he raised his hands and brought the pair of mounds together with the sizeable nipples rubbing against each other. Opening his mouth wide, he launched forward and then took them both, voraciously devouring both her teats as he massaged and squeezed her supple, spongy globes with his hands. Anubis screamed out in carnal bliss with her eyes rolling to the back of her head. She could feel Omar's thick rod punching through her cervix, making her body convulse as he was exploiting her weak spot, not to mention the way he was sucking both of her tits. It was the most blissful experience she'd ever had. Sadly it was not going to last long when Omar felt his balls clenching up, which was a clear sign that he was getting closer to his second climax. At the same time, he felt Anubis' pussy walls tightening in around his dick, meaning she was also reaching her orgasm. Without hesitation, he glided his hands down and gripped on her buttocks once again, and as he reared his hips back down, he pushed himself off his back and thrust his pelvis all the way up into her groin with tremendous force, ramming the bulbous head through the entrance to the womb in one go before a new wave of cum spurted out of his cock, starting to fill up her vessel. Anubis bent her back and wailed out in ecstasy when she reached her orgasm, and suddenly her feminine nectar began to spray all over Omar's cock, dampening his thighs in the process. She felt her strength slowly fading away as she felt her sacred garden being fertilized with baby batter, as thick dribbles of sperm seeped out from her battered snatch and down Omar's nuts. Omar suddenly released her nipples with a loud pop and gasped for air, letting out a huge satisfied sigh as he finished pumping the last ounce of spunk into her womb. However, despite how his climax had come to an end, his member was still completely erect, which surprised him as he didn't even know he could still have some stamina left after that. As he was coming back to his senses, he looked up at Anubis, apparently frozen while she was looking straight to the ceiling, yet he could notice she had a silly look on her face when she reached her orgasm. Nonetheless, it didn't take more than ten seconds for her to reach the end of her climax, before she slumped down against him, pressing her breasts on his chest. She looked dazedly at him with her face coated in sweat. "Oh my goodness… You're still so hard inside me…" Anubis whimpered while shifting her hips side to side, feeling the hardness in her inner walls full of man seed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought him closer so her snout could almost touch his face. "I hope you still have some strength left. I can give you the privilege to cum inside me one more time..." Even though Omar was starting to feel tired, he couldn't deny he was still highly aroused, especially after hearing that kind of offer he could never refuse. He could feel his own desire bubbling up again, enough to help him find that little bit of strength he needed, as he met the goddess' gaze with his own. "Hold on baby." Before Anubis could reply, Omar slid his arms under her legs and then raised to his feet. Catching Anubis off guard, he carried her under her legs in his arms, yet he kept the tip of his manhood inside her constrictive, cum-filled canal until the moment he stood up. As soon as he did, he sent his spearhead all the way up her love tunnel and through the entrance of her womb. "Oooooooohhhh!" She cried out in a mix of surprise and pleasure, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. The sensation of his cock impaling her sent an intense jolt of pleasure through her body that made her mind go blank for a split second. Normally Omar wouldn't be able to carry a person, especially someone who's slightly taller than him, but the libido granted him enough strength to overcome the odds. Standing defiant against the rest of his body, he made his way to the bed while holding Anubis by her legs. Each step he was taking made Anubis bounce on his groin, thrusting his member in and out of her snatch as some droplets of white fluids fell down to the floor. Anubis whimpered and moaned every time his man-meat was thrust in and out of her plundered cave, as she tried to keep holding herself onto was impressed a human didn't seem to struggle to carry her around. Once Omar reached the side of the bed, he descended with Anubis to the mattress. Anubis let out a yelp as they bounced on the bed and Omar landed on top of her. As he stood on all fours over the goddess, he followed the motion of her doughy mounds jiggling slightly, prompting him to grope them with his hands once more. Rearing his hips back, he slammed his thick rod right back into her cunt, sundering his pelvis into her waist while his member was punching through her nearnon-existent cervix and into her womb. He grunted heavily in pure, unrestrained rapture, leisurely picking up his pace so he could pummel her sopping wet pussy even further. "Oooh fuck! Ahhh.. Yes! Haah! That's it! Give me more of your precious cock, darling! Aaaahhhh! My body is all yours!" Anubis squealed out with depraved glee in her piercing golden eyes, showing signs she may have already lost her senses. With a carnal grin forming over his lips, Omar leaned down and captured one of her nipples in his mouth once again, running his tongue all over her soft, massive tit, as he used his other hand to fondle the other breast, squeezing and pinching it like he was trying to milk a cow's udder. He continued pummeling her pussy with fervor, smacking his pelvis against her with his balls slapping audibly against the cleft of her ass, making her butt cheeks ripple like water. The combined technique was too much for Anubis, and her tongue fell out of her mouth like a slobbering dog. She never imagined he would go overboard just to demonstrate how much he adores her and her divine figure, but actually, she was very happy he didn't back down from the chance to have sex with her. Omar groaned fiercely around the teat in his mouth like a ravenous animal, feeling Anubis' warm cavern tightening around his rod, encouraging the young man to go harder as he pummeled her snatch relentlessly. It goes without saying they were rutting like there was no tomorrow, slap on slap of their bodies meeting each other started echoing throughout the entire room, along with the squelching noises of Omar's dick sliding in and out of her moist cavern. Furthermore, thick dribbles of sperm from his last climax was flowing out of the ravaged, sopping wet pussy that were coating his shaft with his own seed and even Anubis' womanly fluids. The young man then raised his head up from her chest and stretched her nipple with his mouth, making Anubis push her chest forward as she let out a powerful cry of pleasure, feeling the pressure of his gritted teeth around her helpless bud. With his lips pursing tightly around the hardened nub, he sucked on it harder like he was trying to make her spill some breast milk, until he had enough and released it from his mouth, leaving her puffy areola coated with spit. Taking a gasp for air, Omar pumped tirelessly into Anubis' body, as he looked up to meet the disheveled expression of her face, eyes rolled up to the back of her skull, with her tongue hanging out limply from her open mouth. As much as he enjoyed looking at her delirious demeanor, he needed to say something to her. "Anubis… Nngh! About my wish… Gnngh! I made my decision!" Omar suddenly called out as he looked up to meet Anubis face to face. "I wish for you to be my wife!" "W-What?" Anubis responded between gasps and moans, shocked to hear such an unexpected and bold announcement. "I… Nnggh! I know we just met... But… Haahh… I know how awful it feels to be all alone… You deserve someone who could make you feel loved! Oooh! I want to be the man you're looking for! I WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH YOU!" He exclaimed as he doubled the speed and strength of his thrusts, making the bed creak as he pounded against her like a raging bull. Anubis was taken aback by his roughness, yet she couldn't help but moan vividly while he was kissing her womb with the tip of his meaty spear. She couldn't even have a moment to think about the young man's wish, but she was starting to consider this might be the only chance she could ever get, even though the relation between a deity and a mortal was debatable. Suddenly, Omar leaned forward so he could face straight to her, without stopping moving his hips. She could see the unwavering passion in his eyes, but there was more. The way he was staring intently at her, eye to eye, there was a great sincerity to his gaze that could mean he was very serious about his wish. Before she could say anything, Omar pressed his forehead against hers and his hot breath washed over her face. "I love you, Anubis…" The world around her seemed to stop moving, as the next words struck her like a cupid's arrow just pierced her heart. Those were the words from the only man who would ever confess his true love for her, yet all the time she thought it was only happening in her dreams. The tears started welling up in her eyes, much to Omar's shock, but before he would think he picked the wrong time to tell her about his feelings, Anubis swung her arms around his neck. She brought up her face close to his and then wrapped her lips hungrily around Omar's face, effectively taking him off guard. His eyes went wide at the realization he just got his first kiss, but it wasn't like what he saw in the movies. She was giving him a passionate, yet aggressive kiss that almost felt like she was trying to eat his face off. Her pink muscle pushed inside his maw, as she coiled it around his defenseless tongue with such ferocity that he couldn't fight back, as she dominated him easily in a small, erotic battle. However, Omar was utterly aroused by the way she was wrestling his helpless dorsal into complete submission with her slippery eel. He kissed her back as he tried to explore her warm, moist cavern, only to be repelled by her skillful tongue as she tasted him with a fervor that no human could ever match. It lasted for almost one minute before Anubis broke the kiss as they both let out a breath for air, with a string of saliva splitting between them. "With this kiss, consider your wish being granted…" She said softly with tears of joy spilling from her eyes. Omar was stunned at her could even feel his heart skipping a beat. The truth was he didn't expect Anubis would actually agree with his wish, and now that this was happening for real, he was now overwhelmed with could even feel his member throbbing more furiously than ever before. "Anubis!" He yelled, as he continued to slam his hips up and down into her snatch. "Oooooooooooaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Anubis mewled in euphoria, loving the feeling of Omar's cock pummeling her pussy with no mercy. As Omar thrust his body deeply into her, his thighs were now pressing on her haunches, making her legs dangle up into the air while Omar pushed his pelvis down with heightened speed and force to where he was now smashing into her womb like a bull's ram. His face was now inches away from Anubis', staring intently her eyes while feeling her breaths. Unable to resist the urge, he lowered his head and latched on to her limp tongue with his mouth and pulling it in, as he pressed his lips roughly into hers, while using his hands to fondle both of her breasts. She was initially surprised at this sudden move, but then she delightfully accepted the kiss. "Mmmmmhhmmmmmmm!" Anubis mewled into his mouth, and then she wrapped her arms around his neck once again and locked her legs behind his waist. One of her hands slid up to his head and shoved him further into her. She tried to fight back against his tongue and take control over his mouth once again, but to her surprise, Omar managed to push his pink muscle into her moistened cavern. He was so caught up with passion that he took the chance to step it up the notch, as he was starting to suck her slithering tongue with his hungry lips. Nevertheless, Anubis was actually enjoying how Omar was now taking her mouth into submission. This was the kind of man she's been looking for, someone who won't back down against a divine being like her. At this point she was now losing herself with heightened pleasure that she hadn't ever felt before. They continued to deepen their heated kiss, swirling, slurping and dancing their tongues in circles as their mouths began to drool. Their bodies were so embraced that they didn't even want to let go from each other. They were also rubbing their bodies creased with sweat while Omar kept burying his raging steed into her plundered cave, grounding his hips harder into Anubis' body as the bed creaked loudly. After a few seconds, Omar suddenly broke the kiss to get some breath, yet their faces remained close. "Ugh! Hhooh! Anubis… Haah! I'm going to cum again!" He panted as he felt the orgasm surging up through his body again. "Do it! Cum inside me! Fill my guts with your sweet sperm! GIVE ME A BABY, OMAR!" Anubis cried out ecstatically as she kept her legs locked around his waist so he wouldn't try to pull out. Omar began to wheeze when he felt his balls getting swollen like balloons as he drove every last inch of his manhood into her cunt, feeling her inner walls trying to choke around his length, which meant she was also reaching her limit. "Oooohhhfuuuuck!" With one last thrust, Omar pushed the tip of his member all the way to the womb's end, his bulbous head spasmed like crazy before a rush of seed started to pour out of it like a volcano. "Hiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Anubis reared her head back against her pillow and hollered out in pure intoxicated bliss. Her body fell into a mind-blowing orgasm that almost sent her into a blissful coma. Even though the young man came a couple of times, he was still loaded with an incredible quantity of jizz. The more he came inside her babymaker, the more his semen overflowed through her canals until they seeped out of her lower lips, her female juices even squirted out along with it, to the point that the bedsheets were getting utterly soaked at this point. The young human and the goddess kept clinging on tightly to one another with their chest pressing together. Anubis' giant gazongas were mushed down like pudgy marshmallows into his pectorals. Staring deep into each other's eyes with burning passion, coming to terms with a new life that awaited for both of them, together. He just finished releasing the last drop of his essence inside her inner sanctum, feeling his member gradually deflating until it wasn't as hard as steel anymore. Once their simultaneous climaxes calmed down, Anubis finally unwrapped her legs from his back, allowing him to remove his now-flaccid member out of her snatch slowly. At that moment, thick dribbles of cum spilled out of her battered hole and spattered her bed. Omar let out a relaxed, yet tired sigh as he collapsed on top of Anubis, resting his head against her pillowy mountains of flesh, rubbing his head against the softness of her globes in delight. When she'd recovered from her orgasm, Anubis looked down to see the human nuzzling between her breast, which caused her to let out a giggle and ruffle his hair affectionately. "That was amazing, Omar… I never thought you knew how to make love to a woman…" She muttered. "I never did… but… let's just say I trust my instincts." Omar chuckled as he tried to keep his eyes open and not fall asleep. "So… what's gonna happen now? I mean, if you already granted my wish, does that mean I'm going to stay here forever?" "It's your choice, my love. But if you choose to stay here, I can help you settle in and start a new life here. This could be our own room, but if you need some possessions like you have in your world, I can just create them for you." "Heh, actually that would be great. I don't have anything to miss in my world after all, so I guess I wouldn't mind living in a parallel world." Omar replied before raising his head from her breast and captured her lips for a prolonged passionate kiss, until they broke away a few minutes later. "Well, now that almost everything is settled, when are we gonna start planning for our wedding? I mean, at this point I'm already your fiancé, right?" "It's a little too soon to talk about it…" Anubis so, she was pleased at his suggestion. "Although… I do remember something what my people were talking about. If I remember right, there was some sort of prophecy about me performing a ceremony that would declare my engagement with someone I truly love." She looked lovingly at the human, obviously implying that he's her true love. "Really? What's it about?" Omar raised his eyebrow with intrigue. "Oh, I think you will love this..." Anubis responded with a seductive, mischievous smirk. "Oooooooohhhh shit! Hhhaaah! Anubis! Ugh! Is this really what everyone wanted to see?!" Omar cried out as he bucked his hips upward, plunging his manhood into his fiancé's cum-coated love tunnel. Anubis was wearing some sort of wedding dress with golden ornaments, only her huge honkers were exposed as she was humping up and down onto his cock. Not only that, they were lying on a circular bed, which was in the middle of a raised up platform with four torches surrounding it by the corners. A crowd who attended the wedding were gathered around the platform, watching the whole scene in a mix shock and awe to witness Anubis not only revealing she finally found someone who could be her husband, but also the fact that the husband turned out to be a human. Not to mention they were getting turned on watching them breeding in public. "Trust me… Haahh! My people deserve to know who I'm… Ooohh… marrying with~!" Anubis replied between her moans as she slammed her pelvis back down against his body. "But… Don't mind them!... Just focus on making me pregnant! Nnnggh! Fill me up more with your seed and get me pregnant!" Even though she could feel her womb was already overfilled with her husband's essence, it wasn't enough for her to make sure she will carry his baby. Omar on the other hand already forgot how many times he had cum inside her at this moment, but he could guess this was going to take a little longer until he'd run dry. "Alright then… If you want it so bad, then take that!" He met her pelvis with his powerful thrusts. The sound of Anubis' butt-cheeks clapping on his lap rang out loudly all over the chamber. He slid his hands up from her waist, until they reached to her chest and began to fondle her sizable breasts yet again. "Ooooohhh yes! Keep fucking me, my love! Show everyone that you are worthy to be my husband!" Anubis mewled excitedly as she tried to match his pace, feeling his slippery cobra piercing through her cervix over and over again. While they continue breeding, Omar took a moment to remember the time he told Anubis what kind of wish he wanted, and even though that event changed his life drastically, he couldn't deny that it was the best wish he ever could've made.

Stella felt uncomfortable going last. It was always hard for her to speak up for herself, though, being the only visibly trans person in most spaces she was in. Here was no exception, even if she’d gained enough confidence to say yes to going on this trip. Talking in a chatroom or even voice chat was much different than being in person. She practiced her voice to make sure it wouldn’t waver too much, before finally speaking up: “Ahem, I’d like to tell a story that I’ve been thinking of for a while.” The Burglar, the Witch, and the Doorknob, by: Leviathan86 He crept around the apartment, hoping no one saw him climb through the window. Three nights straight of scoping out places in this building, and he had finally found one that never had any lights on, barring one steadily glowing in the other room–obviously a facade meant to keep people like him out, to pretend someone was home. But he could not be fooled. He was the greatest burglar this side of the city, and he was going to remain that way. He wasn’t sure exactly why he did what he did, he just had a knack for it, ever since he was a child. Plus, being unseen as he was, without ever having to work a day in his life, certainly had its upsides. This apartment, his latest escapade, might even serve as a new base for a while, he thought to himself. He turned his flashlight on, and thankfully found no one ready to greet him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked around. The apartment looked far more spacious than it was on the outside. Books seemingly towered in large piles above him, covered in all sorts of runes and what he assumed was Latin. He’d walked into a professor’s apartment! Jackpot! Maybe the old fart was away on a conference trip somewhere, or maybe he’d croaked! Professors didn’t make much these days, but in years past, or so he’d heard, they were definitely in the upper class, and judging by how old the bindings were, this professor was definitely stuck in years past. He normally didn’t raid classy apartments, being that they had security and all, but this…this was too good. Just to be sure, he looked through a little tool he’d bought to check for any cameras. None. He was safe, thank God. He walked through the books, finding himself at the center of a veritable maze of information, holy fuck. As he walked deeper, he found himself smack dab in the center of a crossroads, which he could see no exit from, not even the moonlight. He sighed as he pointed the flashlight about everywhere, eventually landing on a door which had rather odd markings on it. This must’ve been where the geezer’s valuables were, why else would it be buried so deep in here? He walked over to the door, sweat beading down his brow. Was it really this hot in here? Or was he just nervous? He grabbed the door handle, and at first thought he felt a burning sensation on his hand, but as he looked down, he didn’t see anything. He checked his hand with a flashlight, no signs of burns whatsoever. As he put his flashlight away, he saw the door creak open, and decided it’d be best to take his chance, and not try his luck with the doorknob again. He slammed with full force into the door, tumbling as he found himself in the middle of what seemed to be a forest. This professor, they’d really overdone themselves by making a garden indoors. When he had looked at the building plans, he hadn’t noticed any room for an arboreum of any kind, but somehow, he shook his concerns off, and looked for the door. He was in the wrong room to look for treasure, and he’d need to be off soon. Especially with how sweaty the forest was making him. It was like he’d entered a sauna. To his surprise, he couldn’t find the handle. He must’ve tumbled a bit too far. He looked around, in every direction he could, even walking around a little to find something, anything. Eventually, he settled on the only idea he could rationally come up with: he was in fact hallucinating wildly, or perhaps had been electrocuted by the doorknob, and was now very swiftly finding himself in the last throes of dying brain activity. Unfortunately, neither was the case. In fact, he was not hallucinating, though hallucination is a symptom of heatstroke, which he was developing rather quickly in his now-overdressed outfit. Figuring as he did that this was a hallucination, he began to disrobe, being halfway off with his pants before he realized–he was most definitely not alone. Across the clearing from him was a beautiful woman with curly black hair. She wore an elegant dress of what seemed like every shade of green. She waved to him as he waved back awkwardly, shimmying his pants back on haphazardly. She giggled as she called, “It’s alright, traveler, the rainforest is quite humid.” “H..humid?” “Yes, dear, it’s not polite to copy others’ words,” she replied as she took a few steps closer to him. “O..oh miss, I didn’t mean to–” “I’m older than you, dear. There’s no ‘miss’ here, at least, not yet,” she replied. “R..right, sorry madame–” “Apology accepted. Stop blathering on,” she scolded him as she walked even closer. “Right, sorry.” he said, growing anxious as she drew closer. “And stop saying sorry,” she said, walking up as if she were in front of him, “apologies come from actions.” “Ok!” he squeaked as he raised his hands. “Good, now, first of all, I’d like to invite you to attend a dinner I’m hosting!” “A..a dinner?” “Yes! You and everyone else who arrives on my island! It’s been eons.” “Eons? Island?” “Well, I should stop being dramatic. It’s been…ten olympiads?” “Olympiad?” “Four years. You know, like the Olympics you have?” “Oh, right, those, yeah. So, are you a fan of Greece?” the man asked, shifting in his boots as he tried to make conversation..The woman snorted as she started to laugh. “Not after an ex I had. Joint custody was enough of a headache. He couldn’t even handle my kid for one weekend.” “S..sorry to hear that,” the man timidly replied. “Oh that was ages ago! You need not worry,” she replied with a grin, “Now, I know what you’re thinking.” “Y..you do?” “Do I look like a witch? No, not literally. Gods, men are stupid.” “Hey!” he replied, incensed, “I’m not that stupid, just a little shook up!” “Oh? Why’s that, kittycat?” she asked as she put her hand on her hip. “W..well, I was in an apartment, and then I was here. And you’re the only person I’ve seen here, so forgive me for being a little–” “You’re forgiven. All is forgiven. Come to dinner,” she replied as she pinched his lips shut emphatically. “H..how will I know when dinner is?” “Hmm, it should be about right when you arrive,” she replied as she tossed him what looked like a dress from out of nowhere, “now, I’ve got to go make the food! Come dressed up in this!” “W..wait!” And before he could say anything, even asking where dinner was, the woman was gone. He hadn’t noticed her leaving, though he didn’t think he had stopped looking at where she was. She had simply vanished. “Well, I guess I should go where the dream lady told me to,” he muttered to himself as he disrobed further. She was certainly a character, he thought to himself. Not once had any woman asked him out, and the only time he spent in one’s bedroom was when he was looking for jewelry. But now, this…peculiar woman in the green dress, who was at least thirty years older than him by her testimony, though she couldn’t have looked much older than he was. But this was dream logic, he reminded himself. Time works differently in dreams, and it’s also why there aren’t any clocks around! He’ll walk to the house that’s bound to be somewhere in the distance. And wouldn’t you know, there was exactly such a house, barely visible through the trees. He threw on the robe the strange woman had left him, and after examining it, noticed that it was a tunic. He felt a twinge of something approaching sadness in his gut. Not that he’d thought he’d have looked good in a dress, but, hey, you never do know. He’d experimented when he was young. He began his trek forwards, stopping every few minutes to rest and take a breather. He noticed, along the way, many animals in the forest. It would make sense for a rainforest, except in addition to the usual creatures, there were lions–which he was pretty sure didn’t live anywhere near rainforests, and…raccoons? To his surprise, and perhaps because it was a dream, he thought,the animals were docile. None bothered him at all, though some did stare at him for a while. Their looks made him uncomfortable, and not in the way being in the presence of a predator normally would’ve. Their eyes were big and sad and full of personality, and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something special about them. He continued towards the house, noticing quickly that ‘mansion’ would’ve been more apt. It was enormous up front. He composed himself as he walked in, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was being watched. For being in a rainforest, the mansion was surprisingly open air, almost as if it were made to be in communion with the forest around it. He sighed as he adjusted his tunic, which had been jostled a little in his haste. Eventually, he found himself in the middle of a strange room that seemed to be a mix between a courtyard and a living room, full of couches to recline on, with a table in the center. Seeing no one in the room, he sat down on the couch. His nerves were still on edge. He’d had dreams that had lasted a long time before, but never one this vivid. He was beginning to truly doubt that…AH! As suddenly as she disappeared, she reappeared in front of him. She looked at him, and he thought he could see a sneer tugging at the corners of her mouth. Nevertheless, she erased that look almost immediately from her face as she smiled cheerily at him, before waltzing to the table. She pointed at the table, and a great feast appeared. “I don’t mean to be rude, but are you sure you’re not a witch?” “Well, you most certainly are being rude. I’m hosting a dinner for you,” she replied, “buuuuut, I won’t be offended if you don’t take my food, really.” “You sure? It looks so tasty!” he replied, looking at the platter ravenously. His stomach was growling, he had walked a few miles through a jungle, after all. “Up to you,” she replied, smiling. He squinted at her and asked, “this isn’t one of those dreams where all of a sudden I get chased by something, is it?” “Nonono,” she replied, “that is, unless you want to.” He politely shook his head. He took a look at the smorgasbord, brimming with sausages and cheeses, vegetables and fruits, and a wine that was a dark, dark, gorgeous red. He decided he’d start with just a little bit of the fish filet he saw. He didn’t want to seem like he was taking any prime cuts, he wanted to be modest, that was only polite. She sat across from him on another couch and grinned as he delicately took bites of the fluffy and intensely flavorful fish. It tempted him, certainly, but he had an image to maintain and would not be so given to gluttony. “Interesting,” she remarked. He finished his bite and swallowed before asking, “What’s interesting?” “The food you choose says so much about a person, don’t you agree?” she asked. “Oh? And what does my food say about me?” “Despite being a thief, you’re remarkably prideful. I can tell by the way you’re holding your manners, despite my irresistible food,” she replied as she grinned. “Well, it is very good, don’t get me wrong, and that’s why I’m holding myself to that standard,” he replied as he brushed his hair out of his eyes, wondering if he needed a haircut, “and how’d you know I was a thief?” “I see, a person of class, despite your thievery,” she mused, “I knew you were a thief from not only the way you looked, but also from how you talked to me. You’re so jumpy!”She fake-lunged at him, causing him to draw back onto the sofa. She giggled, as if her point had been proven. He crossed his arms, finding that it was a bit harder to reach the normal position on either arm. Had the woman always been this tall? “What’s your name, by the way?” the woman asked, “I’m Kirka.” “Kirka?” “Oh, are they still using that bad translation out there? Fine, you should know me by Circe.” “C..circe?” “I prefer Kirka,” she replied. “That means…” he looked down at himself, to find his body had already grown smaller. He actually didn’t mind that, having a smaller body was nice! It meant he could be more nimble in his escapades…if there were any after he transformed into an animal. “You still didn’t give me your name,” she replied, towering over him. “I’m Leon,” he replied as his voice squeaked, “what am I turning into?” “Well, the fish, the prideful attitude, the jumpiness. I figured a kittycat was only fitting,” she replied as she smirked. “Is there any way to reverse this? Any way at all?” he asked. “Hmm, I suppose we could have a little contest! To see how good of a thief you really are!” she replied, “and during the contest I could, of course, halt the spell.” “What are the terms?” he asked as he found himself shrinking another few inches. “You win, you get to go home in your old body,” she replied, “and if I win, you become my housepet.” He weighed his options, but realized he didn’t have much choice. If he refused, he’d be left to fend for himself in the rainforest, probably. At least now, he had the choice between freedom and being doted on in captivity. “I accept,” he said in an uncharacteristically light voice as he reached out a hand that now resembled a very dextrous paw. “Excellent, Leon,” she said as she smiled, “but, I’m afraid your body may need a slightly different attire.”“What do you mean?” Leon asked as he looked down, noticing how the tunic was hanging on him loosely. Kirka snapped her fingers, and all of a sudden, Leon noticed he was no longer in a tunic, but a very light dress. He blushed as he began to protest, before he realized, he filled it out fully. Noticing his confusion, Kirka offered an explanation: “My spell merely transforms you into the animal your soul is most like.” “So you mean my soul is a woman, or, I guess, a girl cat?” “It appears so,” she replied as she gazed all along Leon’s body, “I must say, I’m not normally a big fan of humans but you’re looking nice.” “H..hey, eyes up here,” Leon said, “so, if I’m a girl, we’ve got to use a girl name, right? I want to be Felicia!” “You want…okay, that’s not necessary but–” “I insist you call me Felicia!” Felicia yelled. “Okay, Felicia,” Kirka replied with a smile as she pet Felicia’s head, “no further explanation needed. Now, let’s discuss what the trial entails. We’re both going to race to the beacon on the other side of the island, and see who can put this coin on it first.” Kirka held up a coin that gleamed in the courtyard’s gentle sunlight. Felicia figured it was probably real gold, the kind she would’ve definitely considered a jackpot in her findings. “I’m going to give you a head start. I’ll give you the coin, and I want you to run with it. We can steal from each other all we want. Everything’s fair game but maiming and using magic to win,” Kirka replied. “Deal,” Felicia replied as she grabbed the coin and ran out of the courtyard. Her feet, it appeared, had also become half-paws, not that she was complaining with how naturally running came to her. She felt like she could run forever. Her ears pivoted to hear the forest around her, and she felt positively alive and vibrant. Animals almost seemed to be cheering her on as she ran, and she felt her gut drop as she realized they were all converts too, based on what little she knew about the legends behind Kirka. She pressed onwards, before noticing Kirka running next to her in the bushes. “No magic!” Felicia hissed. “This isn’t magic, I’m just very fast,” Kirka replied as she lunged for Felicia, Felicia darting out of the way and leaving Kirka in the dust. After a few hundred meters, Kirka caught up again. “How can I trust you?” Felicia asked. “Do you really think I’d use magic to make it appear like I was winning? I may be a witch, but I’m not going to taunt you for your inevitable failure, that’s just being mean to my housepet!” “I’m not your housepet! And hey, you said you weren’t a witch!” Felicia yelled as she pushed onwards, exhausting herself and causing her to trip. Taking the opportunity, Kirka tackled her, wrestling the coin out of her paws, despite much clawing. Kirka grimaced at the scratched but giggled as she waved to Felicia and ran off. Felicia got up to try and run, but found she was exhausted. She had probably run far longer than she’d ever run before, but that obviously didn’t make it easy. But Kirka was barely ahead of her, so perhaps Kirka would be needing a rest as well soon. At any rate, it served her to keep walking forwards. As she walked through the forest, finding herself instinctively licking the scrapes she’d gotten when she fell over, she noticed how serene it was. Of all the places to be trapped forever, it certainly wasn’t a bad one. It was a few hours before she found Kirka again, at the bottom of a hill, walking at a leisurely pace. The path down the hill was a winding series of hairpin bends, so it was no wonder Kirka felt so assured in reducing her pace. Felicia frantically looked for alternate routes, but knew that Kirka had taken the fastest path. That much was for certain. She sighed as she fiddled with her claws. She’d had a bad habit with biting her nails, but that seemed more likely to hurt either her mouth or her finger, with how sharp both her claws and her teeth were. And then she realized–her claws could be the advantage she was looking for. She experimentally climbed up a tree, and found it was incredibly easy–much easier than she had expected. If she could get up to the top, it would be easy to jump from tree to tree. She might get hurt, but she really had no other choice if she wanted to catch up to Kirka. She tested her ability by jumping to another tree. She found herself a little shaky afterwards, but as long as she chose the right branch to land on, it couldn’t be too difficult. She jumped to a tree further down the hill, making it much more easily. She continued down the hill, and down, and down, until she was but one tree away from the one Kirka was currently walking under. She eyed a branch, readied her haunches, then jumped again. As she landed on it, she found, thankfully, stability. However, the third part of her plan would prove more difficult. How was she supposed to get down from here? She tentatively walked closer to the center of the tree’s canopy, but as she heard the branch creaking, she knew she’d made a mistake.She tumbled to the ground, crashing in front of Kirka. Kirka gasped as she reached out to touch Felicia. Felicia sat up, trying to get at her, but a coughing fit stopped her–coughing up blood. As her vision grew hazy, she slumped over. She swore she could hear Kirka mumbling in the background. Leon woke up with a start. It was a relief to finally be awake from that awful dream, from that awful Kirka and the island. Yet, as he looked down, he saw–it was most definitely not a dream, and he was most definitely still on the island. Yet, she hadn’t lost yet, judging by the fact that her body remained largely intact. She felt an odd but pleasant sensation on top of her head, almost as if someone were stroking her ears. “You’re finally awake,” Kirka remarked as she continued to pet Felicia’s ears lightly, “I was growing worried.” “What happened?” Felicia asked as she examined her chest for any injuries. “You made a pretty daring plan, but I think you might’ve fallen one branch short. Literally,” Kirka replied as she smiled, “you’re lucky I was there to heal you with my magic, even with your nine lives.” “Isn’t that not allowed?” “I’m not using it to win,’ Kirka replied, “if I had healed you and left you here, maybe it would’ve been, but I healed you and I’m staying with you until you’re ready to start the race again.” “Why did you save me?” Felicia asked. “You’re too cute to be a corpse,” Kirka remarked as she got up and stretched, “let me know when you’re ready to go, I’m getting antsy.” Felicia took her chance and jumped over the witch’s head, nabbing the coin from her outstretched arms as she tumbled and got up a few meters away. “Tricky girl,” Kirka said as she smirked. Felicia smiled and ran away. She decided it’d be best to use the trees from then on, just a little more carefully. She held the coin in her mouth as she climbed up the nearest tree. Below, she noticed Kirka looking up at her and smiling. She waved down before she took off. She set her sights on the faraway beacon, a glowing light that while only barely visible at the mansion, was now glaringly obvious. It looked to even be at the beach on that side of the island. As she strategically jumped from treetop to treetop, she wondered: would it be so bad to lose? It was clear that Kirka cared a great deal about her, even if she didn’t show it in the traditional ways. If she did win, she’d go back to a life of crime, there was no other way about it. She didn’t mind being a thief, but in that body… She shook her thoughts away and focused on climbing, noticing at every intersection with the path that Kirka was keeping pace with her, even if just barely. Both were neck-and-neck for several kilometers along the way, before Felicia finally pulled ahead of Kirka, slowly but surely. She was in the clear now, in the final stretch. However, as she drew closer, she realized: it wasn’t just on the beach, it was on the end of a sandbar that only had one connection to land. She’d have to outrun Kirka along several kilometers of beach, and then a whole sandbar, all on sand, before Kirka could catch up with her. She tried to find a way around it but quickly realized, there was no way to win but that, unless she was confident she could swim to it faster than she could run, which she was definitely not sure of. She just had to hope Kirka couldn’t swim as well, either. As she pulled into the final stretch, she landed on a palm tree and began to strategize her path. Climbing down was a little easier, aided both by the palm’s lack of branches to collapse and the rough texture of the palm’s bark. She hoisted herself down onto the gentle sand of the dune that overlooked the beach. She hadn’t run down a dune since she was a kid, so she found herself stumbling a few times, especially as sand slid around her, but she eventually found herself on the beach proper. She still couldn’t see Kirka anywhere, which was certainly good. She raced down the beach’s length, until she reached the connection to the sandbar. The sand was soft and she was quickly getting tired. Every part of her body ached, and yet she continued onwards. Every step felt like another challenge, another dare for her to continue. Just as she was a few steps away from the beacon, she noticed a figure running at the beacon full force out of the corner of her eye, then jump in the water. Felicia expended every last bit of energy she had to make it, and…she did. But, as she looked to her side, into the water where Kirka was swimming at her, she couldn’t help but feel a little torn. Kirka wasn’t…alright. No one who changed people against their will was, so to speak. But she had saved Felicia’s life, and Felicia couldn’t help but wonder, was it so bad to be a pet for a powerful witch? She looked at the coin in her paws pensively, gripping it tightly, then looked back to Kirka. As Kirka swam ashore, she looked confusedly at Felicia, who still had the coin. “What’s going on, kittycat?” Kirka asked, panting from the exercise. “I…I’m not sure what I want, is all,” Felicia replied. “What do you mean? You’ve won, I’ll honor that and I won’t take it from you when you’ve gotten here before me. You can go home, you can have your body back,” Kirka replied. “Right, but…” “But what? That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” “It was but, it isn’t anymore,” Felicia replied, “and I’m worried about what will happen if I do win.” “What do you want then?” Kirka asked as she attempted to squeeze some of the water out of her dress. “I…I want to be with you,” Felicia said, “but I don’t want to be your pet. And I don’t want to be a man anymore either. But I also don’t want to just be a housecat.” “Well, I can make you a tiger or something, if that kind of cat is better,” Kirka replied. “You’re not getting what I mean! I like my body as it is right now, and I don’t want that to change,” Felicia explained. “Hm,” Kirka said as she rested her chin on her hand, “I have an idea.” “What’s that?” Felicia asked. “The spell is paused as long as neither of us wins,” Kirka explained. “Right, and?” “What if we just permanently postpone the game? I’ll destroy the coin magically.” “But using magic to win is illegal!” “But I’m not winning, I’m calling it a draw,” Kirka replied, “do we have a deal?” Felicia pondered for a few moments. She wasn’t sure if she could trust Kirka with the coin, especially being so close to the beacon, and with how she was definitely shady. But, she definitely didn’t want to have that ugly body again. Her tail flicked behind her nervously, before she nodded, and handed the coin to Kirka. Kirka, true to her word, began to chant a spell as the coin seemed to crumble into a pile of dust. She then threw it in the ocean, and promptly fell over on the sand, her exhaustion palpable. As if to confirm, Felicia looked all over her body, just to be sure–yes, it was the same as it had been moments ago. She sighed in relief as she collapsed next to Kirka. “So,” Felicia said, “this might be a bit forward, and I understand if age is an issue…” “What?” Kirka asked. “Would you like to go on a date?” Felicia said as she held her breath, waiting for an answer. “A..are you serious?” Kirka asked. “Yes, I’m serious! Don’t make me ask it again,” Felicia replied, “I mean, I understand you’ve had a bad history with men but–” “Yes.” Kirka said, placing a finger on Felicia’s delicate, rosy lips, “and it’s clear to me you aren’t a man.” “O..oh, okay,” Felicia said as she rolled over to look at Kirka. “Let’s get back to the house and get changed, looks like your dress is pretty torn up too,” Kirka remarked. Felicia looked down and noticed, for the first time, that her dress was nearly in tatters near the bottom. She nodded, and found herself in an unfamiliar place, a room. She presumed this was the mansion, but then she thought…had Kirka made her walk all the way that first time, instead of teleporting her? Of course, Felicia couldn’t blame her. She was a thief, after all, and that would’ve made anyone feel put off. She wondered, what kind of date was Kirka? She certainly seemed like the type to keep secrets, and yet also the type to overshare. She wasn’t even totally certain why she’d asked the witch out in the first place. Was the witch even fully aware of what the implications of going on a date were? She found a note on the bedside table in the room, on top of another dress. The dress itself was gorgeous, lavishly decorated with flowers. It was a longer sundress. Now that she was a woman, dresses felt much more natural to wear, as if it were her style all along. She took her old, torn dress off and pulled on the new one. She looked at herself in the mirror for the first time in her new form. She was lean, and yet retained a lot of her muscle. Her eyes were green now, an interesting change from the prior brown, and based on the fur on her ears, tail, and paws, she was a tabby cat. She smiled, and the woman in the mirror smiled back. Even if things didn’t work out with Kirka, she knew things would work out in this form. She picked up the note. “Dear Felicia, please come to the courtyard as soon as you like. I’ll be waiting with the food, and don’t worry–no transformation magic this time.” She smiled as she put the note down and walked out of the room, making her way to where she assumed the courtyard was. What was strange was, despite it being a rainforest, there hadn’t been any rain beforehand, and Kirka seemed perfectly comfortable building a mansion with a dining room with an open roof. As she looked out one of the windows, she realized: it was raining everywhere outside except the mansion. More magic, right, that explained it. She walked onwards, eventually arriving at the room, finding it quite sunny. “Hello Felicia,” Kirka said as she waved from the couch, “it’s good to see you here. I was halfway worried you wouldn’t show up.” “Well,” Felicia replied bashfully, “I did ask you out.” “Right, I’ve been meaning to ask, why did you do that?” “You’re very pretty, and I can tell you care about me, and I’m not happy with you ‘changing what I look like without my permission’ part, but you did give me a body I’m happy about,” Felicia replied matter-of-factly. “Oh, I see,” Kirka replied, taking a sip of her wine, her hand shaking. Was Kirka…nervous? Felicia shook the thought away and reclined next to Kirka on the couch, smiling up at the witch. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was hoping for more petting on her ears. Kirka seemed tense at first, but seemed to get the hint after a little while, and started to pet the catlady now laying on her lap, purring. “You’re not mad at me?” Kirka asked, rousing Felicia from her trance-like state. “No, I’m not anymore. This is probably going to be the best, and weirdest day, I’ve had in a while,” Felicia replied. “Really?” Kirka asked. “I’m surprised a traveler like you, brave enough to find my island, would call this their best day.” “Well, um,” Felicia replied, “I kind of found it by accident? I was breaking into an apartment full of books with weird markings, and then I found this door and it led me here once I touched the doorknob.” “Oh,” Kirka said as she furrowed her brow, “hm. Might have to do with that nerd of an old man I turned into an owl.” “An owl?” “Well, yeah, he seemed kind of bookish and sage, so I just kind of, you know?” “Is that how you decide what animals people become?” “Maybe. Point is, I should really make sure that the portal that led you here is closed up,” Kirka replied as she snapped her fingers, “All done. No more unfortunate burglars coming here.” “I’d say I was pretty fortunate, actually,” Felicia replied as she relaxed further into Kirka’s lap. “If you don’t mind, Felicia,” Kirka said, “I’d like to eat.” “Okaaaaaaay,” Felicia whined as she sat upright and looked at the food. This time, the food was a little more modest, though it still looked heavenly. There were grapes, and olives, and a variety of breads. Not to mention the fish! She hadn’t realized it, but she had been craving more of that fish ever since she’d eaten the first little bit. She picked up one of the small plates, and placed the fish gently on it, biting it delicately piece by piece. By the smell, it was a slightly different variety than the one she’d eaten earlier. She also placed some olives onto her plate, and munched on a few in between bites. After a few bites, she noticed Kirka was staring. She looked around frantically at herself and her plate, hoping she hadn’t done anything wrong. “You’re so beautiful. I’m glad we tied,” Kirka said as she blushed and looked down at her plate of food, which had remained untouched despite her insistence on eating earlier. “I’m glad too,” Felicia piped up as she signaled for a kiss. Kirka took the hint and almost lunged down to kiss her, the two embracing gently and intimately as they kissed. As they both pulled away, they shared a laugh as they gazed into each other’s eyes, and then found themselves cuddling once again on the couch, Felicia feeding Kirka grapes one by one from the bunch. Eventually, both fell asleep on the couch, letting the gentle sound of the rain outside, and the warm embrace of the other, put them to sleep. The police arrived a few hours later at the abandoned apartment, after an anonymous tip. The landlord didn’t even know it existed, almost as if it just wasn’t on his floorplan, but after a little digging, the police found it. After tearing through the mountains of books, they found a flashlight and some gear at the foot of a door. When they opened it, it led to a bedroom that looked as if it hadn’t been touched in half a century, which, according to the records kept of the building, was about right for how long it had been since it had been rented. They figured the thief was long gone after realizing nothing of value was here, and had scurried off while leaving some equipment behind. The strangest thing was, the doorknob had broken in two, the engravings on it looking as if they had split it down the middle along the delicately carved lines. The detectives investigating said it wasn’t done by any power tools at all. There were no grind marks, no dents, it was as if it had shattered down the middle. For a doorknob made of white gold like this, they weren’t certain how that was even possible. Perhaps someday, they’d catch the mysterious burglar who had broken the doorknob. Perhaps they’d learn how he did it, but as you all know, that’s very unlikely. But to be fair, the burglar was on the other side of the world. “And they all lived happily ever after,” Stella concluded, “well, except for the owl, maybe. But who cares about that?” She looked around to see the group of ladies she’d come here with. She felt as if she were forgetting something about some of them, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Their looks were variously tired, engaged, some distracted.  She curtsied and couldn’t help but notice–she felt shorter, like she’d always wanted. But wait, she hadn’t grown since eighth grade, when…wait, no, she’d had her growth spurt in tenth grade. It was like her memories were being rewritten. She kept it to herself, noticing the people around her seemed to already be moving on from the stories anyways, and it was kind of uncomfortable to bring up. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt at home in her body, and that was enough for her. Leviathan86 is a trans author who has written various short stories, along with a series of very gay werewolf stories, and more! Her other writing can be found on her ScribbleHub profile.

'Never Underestimate a Newly Hatched Dragon.' - Survivor of the Vitoria Slaughter.     {A year later.}   Jamie or Ember now woke up from her slumber. Because of a ringing sound inside her head. (Jamie's POV)   *Ring* *RING* (3x)   I quickly Raised my Arms and made a swinging movement to smash the annoying 'ALARM' like I usually do in the morning.   But I realized I still can't move my body and I was still in this goddamn egg.   I want to curse right now. But got interrupted by Atalier's always cheerful voice.   [Gooood!! Morning Miss Ember.] She greeted me.   (Good morning too. Atalier.) I greeted back, tiredly.   [Did you have a nice dream?]She asked    (Yes, I Did have a dream.) I mentally said.   Then I quickly asked her my most nagging question.   (What's the situation?)   [Ms. Ember there are 10 groups of people around the volcano right now.]She said.   Ten groups. eeeeh...... Are they searching for me, or just the usual adventurers?   [based on my observation and information I gathered from their conversations. The three groups are just a 'treasure hunters', Five Adventurers and the last two groups are the ones searching for your whereabouts.] She informed me.   Why are they searching for me, who ordered them, and when?   [The Reason they are searching for you, because of the money the client offered and secondly the name of the client is 'Albert Cross'. And he wants you to be captured to be his pet. It was ordered for the past five days.]   When I heard what she said, I was enraged to the Max* just hearing the name of the client.   (That BASTARD!, He is so Dead! when I'm out of this goddamn egg.)   (I will Fucking Kill him if I got the chance!!) I angrily cursed inside my mind.   --- *Ding* Host Mental State is unstable.....   *Initiating protocol 6.2-a1   *Suppressing Draconic Aura...   *Ding* success...   *Suppressing Emotion...   *Ding* Success... --- all of a sudden, I became calmer. Like someone threw a bucket of cold water on me.   Then I read the system's notice and made a sudden realization.   (Thank you system.)I thanked the system for calming me down. --- You're Welcome.  But I must remind you host. Please be careful right now and in the near future. Your sudden outburst alerted the people outside and they are approaching the volcano. I am detecting multiple 'ENTITIES' that are going towards the direction of the volcano. --- [System-Chan Stole my role.] Atalier complained.   After the systems warning and Atatalier's complaint. An unexpected screen popped in front of me. --- *Ding* A Quest has Been Initiated. |SURVIVE!!!| -Description: A group Around the vicinity of the volcano detected host draconic aura intending to capture and Kill the host for experience points. PS. The hunting groups got a face full of greed-Atalier Difficulty: S+  Objective: -Survive Until you hatch [8hrs/3m/31s] -Flee The place -Kill Them all. (Optional) REWARDS: -60,000 EXP, Beginners Forging Kit. BONUS REWARDS: -UNKNOWN (Based on host's performance) Deadline: [∞] --- A wild quest suddenly appeared. And It's a Survival Quest to boot.   Then I began reading the quest details. First. Its Difficulty S+ and I need to Survive for 8hrs. After Surviving the 8hrs. I need to kill them all and escape to survive. The rewards are really acceptable. 60K EXP and a beginner forging set and I really need this forging set to make money~ But the difficulty is making me anxious.   (Atalier?) I asked.   [Yes?] She said.   (Do you think I can complete this quest?) I asked before making a decision.   [Base on your current strength when you hatch. You can easily complete this quest and complete both of the objectives and be rewarded by the system or you eliminate them. If you are smart 'ENOUGH' to use the environment for guerilla tactics. If you face them head-on. Your chance of survival is around 13% and if surrounded. The chances of you surviving are around a single digit.] She informed me of what's the best course of action should I take in this situation.   (Atalier, Will my performance be affected if you help me complete it?) I asked her the thing I was concerned about the most.   [Yes, Your performance will be affected if I help you with this quest. So you need to complete it on your own if you want to get a higher rating.] she said.   Damn. No shortcuts to be exploited I guess.   [Do you want to know some hidden function of the system?] She said. Trying to cheer me up with system cheats.   (No need. I want to explore the system alone but you can tell me some function that won't violate the rules and get you disabled forever.) I said.   [Copy that, Ms. ember.] She said in affirmation. I wanted to ask about the bonus reward. But my Gamer self got the better of me and made a guess.   'Is it a skill or an item...' I thought to myself.   (Let's wait first before I slaughter them all.)  I Sinisterly laughed. (One of the Adventurer POV) Hi. My name is Lily Whitefield. I'm 121 yrs. Old. I was born on the 18th day on The Month of the Fire Dragon year 762, After the great war of Dragons. My mother said. My great great great grandmother is a holy dragon while my gramps is a previous summoned hero. Who saved our World from destruction. He even killed the Demon King Argus that spreads evil. Oh right. I will stop my rambling about my family and talk about what I was currently doing. I am currently with a group of adventurers called 'Iron Fortress' while I was using my fake name to hide my real Identity. And our quest right now or mission. Is to subjugate some Orcs around the foot of the Great Vitoria Volcano. Rumor's says a dragon is living inside the beautiful, cozy, and warm volcano. - - Shoot. I started thinking like a dragon again.- This goddamn instinct.- Ok, Lily back to the topic.- We are currently slaying orcs and freeing some kidnapped villagers. - "Lily Heal me and Ivo, Pull the monsters attention away from Lily, and search for ambushes if possible." commanded by our party leader. - "Lily: Heard ya captain," I said. Then I Chanted a healing spell towards him, while ripping a [Search] Scroll.   I was wearing the usual priest attire. White robes, black thigh high socks, white and gold bodysuit with long frilly arm sleeves, white and gold undershirt, shorter front skirt with a long back skirt, and a nun's veil with a cross on the forehead. I even got a lot of cross accessories on my skirt and hands. I got a chain mail under my clothes so I can avoid being stabbed, and a Medium heel leather boots.   "Ivo: I Gotcha." He said in affirmation of what our captain ordered.   Ivo or Ivo Desad is our Dual Magic-Swordsman with a subclass of Gunner.   He has green spikey hair. Light green eyes, A Sword scar on his left cheek, he's wearing a Dark Iron Armor with a Plated leather Shirt underneath, and a light but durable Maroon leather pants with a Leather Boots.    Don't be fooled by his Leather Armor.   Because they look like leather armor, doesn't mean it was a leather armor.   They are called Ormia/Leather Ore1A Yellowish turquois  ore that acts like a leather of melted in high temperature. The locals calls it 'Leather Ore' because of how it turns brown as a leather. [Elasticity Depends on Temperature] .   You heard me right.   It's an ore that if you melt the ore. it will act like a leather but durable as a steel armor.   He's wielding his two favorite Swords. One is a short sword, and the other is a Gun-blade. He named it Ruby and Marigold, Ruby is the Short sword with an enchantment of Master Recognition I and Fire Damage IV.   It can burn whoever it touches and the one wielding it without its master's consent.   Marigold is the Gun-blade, It can shoot Light Element projectiles and it can emit A blinding light to distract, stun, or blind enemies.   It has the same enchantment of Master Recognition I. So anyone who touches it without its master's consent.   It will try to slash you with its Light Blade that can me melt some armor like butter.   Then Ivo Saw a group of Orcs coming in their direction.   "Ivo: Uhmm, Jasper we got Company!" He warned us.   Oooh~, forgot to mention Our party leader. Jasper D. Teseraque is our party leader and our only tank.   He is wearing a Heavy Full Body Dark Iron Armor with scratches around it. While carrying his Huge Tower Shield on his left arm and in his right arm is a one-handed Spiked mace.   "???: I Serra Greenwood will handle them." our archer said.    She's an Elf. A half-elf to be more precise. She looks like she's in her 20's, But don't be fooled by her looks. She's currently older than my father whos currently 52yrs old.   She has the Elves Trademark ears. Well, half of it.   She has Slightly pointy ears, blonde hair, Sparkly Green Eyes, and a voluptuous body with a huge bosom. She's wearing, The typical Magically imbued Elven clothes and an enchanted wooden bow that shoots normal and mana arrows.   She gets into a shooting stance and pulled the bow with all her strength. She then Feeds the bow with her mana to create a mana arrow.   She released her grip from the bowstring, and the arrow shot forward like a speeding 'Car2Lily: My gramps said 'It is a horseless metal carriage that operates using a liquid called 'Gasoline'' at around 120Kph. In mid-flight, A green magic circle appeared on top of the heads of the orcs. Then the arrow splits into a dozen homing arrow and started chasing all the Orcs until it hit its mark.   "???: Hey don't pulverize them. we cant get any loot when their bodies are turned to dust. And how can we prove that we killed them if we don't have any proof to present at the guild." Someone said.   His name is Mark Terrabio. Mark is our Thief/Rogue. He's the one who is responsible for trap laying and disarming, He has a neck long black hair and black eyes. He is wearing a black scarf with a red streak on his neck, a DarkSteel padded leather armor, and leather pants with leather boots.   He is currently wiping two bloody daggers.    The Wolf Fangs. It has a chance to cause heavy bleeding and armor penetration.   "Serra: Sorry, Sorry I got carried away." She said in an apologetic tone while bowing furiously.   "Mark: Even if you apologize. Nothing will change what you have done. So, please never do that again or we will lose profit and proof of clearance for the guild."   "Mark: Even if I said it. You won't take it to heart." said in helplessness.   "Serra: Ehehehehehe~ ." said while scratching her head and sticking her tongue out3;P.   We kept on fighting for 20 minutes, Before we finally eliminated the Orcs in our vicinity.   "Lily: Haaahh~ I can finally rest." I said and slumped down from exhaustion.   "Jasper: Let's get some rest first before we return to submit our proof of completion." said while taking out his cooking equipment.   "Jasper: Serra. Find me some berries, fruits, herbs, and spices."   "Jasper: And You." he said while pointing at Mark.   "Mark: Yes?"    "Jasper: go place some traps around us."   "Jasper: Ivo and Lily." He said and turned toward us.   "Jasper: Find us some water source and Clean4(Looting)5 the bodies, while I do the Cooking." "Lily: Yes sir."   "Ivo: Got, ya pal."   "Serra: Hmmm... I wonder what dishes will he make."   "Mark: I'm sure it will taste like heaven6(figuratively)."   "Serra: I forgot he's from a family of cooks before becoming an Adventurer and our party leader." Then she giggled not befitting of her age. 7(well she's still a Teenager in Elven age. So it's acceptable.)   We then part ways. Except for me and Ivo.   "Ivo: Lily, please find some river or something, while I'll do the Cleaning(looting)."   "Lily: Who's gonna protect me?"   "Ivo: Yourself of course."   "Lily: You know I'm not good at fighting?"   "Ivo: Stop spouting nonsense." I was taken aback at what he said.   "Ivo: I saw you dodge them like you're bullying them."   "Lily: Are you hallucinating right now." I said while waving my hand in front of him.   *Sound of Clinking*   My cross accessories at my sleeves started ramming at each other.   He then. started dismantling the corpses while ignoring me.   I quickly stopped myself and just complied.   After 5 minutes of walking around.   I finally found a serene-looking river and a weird rock formation nearby.   "Lily: I guess, I'll wait." I started walking to a nearby rock that looks like a table.   Its literally a cleanly and smoothly cut rock table with a wooden stool in front.   *Rustle* *Rustle*   I heard a rustle of a nearby bush and quickly summoned my familiar Ice Fire-fox named 'Shana'.   "???: Ey, it's me." The stranger said.   Ivo's head suddenly popped out of the bush.   "Lily: Ohhhh. its just Ivo."   'Lily: You almost gave me a heart attack.' I mumbled to myself.   I quickly hugged Shana and caressed her soft warm fur to calm her down.   "Lily: So why did you suddenly appeared there?" I said while pointing at the bush.   He awkwardly scratched his head and said.   "Ivo: Well I want to surprise you." Is what he said. But I knew that dorky guy won't do that for fun.   "Lily: Ivo won't do that. You Shifter." I said while taking out my two holy cross swords.    "Ivo/Shifter: Hohohoho~ you got me little White."   He then does a twirl and suddenly got enveloped by darkness...   Then the darkness enveloping him started dissipating and a silhouette of a woman appeared.   She's has a voluptuous body and a huge boing boing, black hair with Dark Purple streaks on it, her hair is being tied to a ponytail, white as porcelain skin, sky blue scales and she's tall, she got a dragon's features of course. She's wearing a noble lady's dress.8And that dress is showing so much skin. (on the breast part)   "???: Is that how you greet your aunt. Lil white." She said while grinning.   “Lily: Aunty Blue.” I said while running at full speed.   I suddenly tripped on the exposed roots of a tree, because of the momentum I created. I was flung towards her direction.   ”Blue: My little dra- gufa~”  I accidentally hit her in her babymaker with my head.   ’Ouch, it looks like it hurts’ I mentally said while recoiling my head in pain. And feeling the phantom pain on her baby maker.   ”Lily: Are you, ok aunt?” I asked her. While cringing at her sorry state.   ”Blue: Do you think I look ok to you?” She said while crouching and pressing her lower abdomen, and easing her pain. "Lily: Yep." I said. "Lily: You look fine to me" I added. "Blue: No remorse, even for your aunt." She said while waving her hand. She then stands up like, nothing happened to her.9What a tenacious aunt. I giggled and noticed her exposed left breast and blushed. "Blue: Lil white, Why are you blushing?" She said not noticing her exposed breast. "Lily: Well~" I said while pointing at her exposed chest. She then looks at where I was pointing and noticed her chest. She then said. "Blue: Are you blushing, because you saw your aunt's breast?" "Lily: U-um~" I want to said 'I am' but my embarrassment and a sense of defeat overwhelmed me. "Blue: You even mistake my breast to your mother when we slept10Sleeping with a kid, not the sexual type. together and sucked them."   "Lily: A-ANYWAY! Let's sit here." I said while grabbing a wooden stool to sit.   "Blue: Sure I'll sit with you Lil. White." She said and snapped her fingers.   *Shing* *Clanking*(3x)   A steaming plates of cookies and a cup of tea appeared on top of the shiny stone table. Then an ornate chair made of emeralds appeared on the other side of the table.   *Poof*   She didn't forget the soft pillow I made for her chair when I was 28 yrs. Old. It was made using the used Red Mimic Spider Threads, Cottons from the Poof Sheep's and a Royal Gold Mermaid Scales that I got in my 18th birthday.   "Lily: What are you doing?" I asked her while grabbing a cup of tea for myself. I know my aunt won't go outside on her own without a reason.   'She got an agenda for sure.' I thought to myself before taking a sip of my tea. This aunt of mine got a lot of tittles because of her temper. The first and the most important war that happened in this world, started because some of her siblings almost died when a bunch of Paladins of a now erased religion invaded her territory. She got that nasty tittle of 'Destroyer Of Worlds'. Because the gods of the past, helped the Humans to kill her.   And you know what happened to the gods. She destroyed their worlds on her own and almost killed them. I won't mention her other tittles but. I'll tell you. My aunt is currently has a goofy face while snapping her fingers.   She then teleported in front of me and sat on the emerald chair.   "Blue: The usual tea-time, what else." She said and grabbed a handful of cookies to munch on.   "Blue: Your handmade cookies are still delicious~" She then snapped her fingers again and a magic circle appeared beneath the stone table. Then a portal opened on the table, spitting baskets of Cookies on the table.   "Lily: Wait! I already stopped baking cookies Two decades ago!" I said while  pushing some baskets inside the portal again.   "Lily: Can you stop this magic circle already!!" I said while covering it with a transparent while protective barrier. but my efforts is useless, because of how many baskets already piled up while she kept on grabbing cookies after cookies like a glutton.   "Blue: I won't stop eating my lovely niece's cookies!" She said while her cheeks is puffed out by the cookies she stuffed inside. She the quickened her pace.   The good news is. She already stopped the magical circle that emits a huge amount of mana.   while the bad news is. A humungous group of A-class Monsters started marching towards our direction and She completely released her control over her aura, freezing the river and the trees nearby.   "Lily: What are you doing!!" I shouted while covering myself in an aura made of white flames.   "Blue: Starting a 'War'." She said while drinking her cup of tea.   *Pling* *Clang*   "Lily: Are you Insane?" I slammed the table in anger.   "Lily: Why start a War inside this forest!!" I shouted in anger because of what she said and knowing my aunt is a woman of her words. She will do what she said and no one can't stop her when she get started. I then clenched both of my hands very tightly, almost crushing the stone table into smithereens.    "Lily: Do you know how many town is nearby?!" I asked her while stopping myself from exploding again.   "Blue: Don't worry. I will only crush three towns in this war. While I will not touch the other thirteen nearby." She said while summoning a sword made of ice. She then slashed the air, summoning an ice door.   "Blue: Oh. forgot to tell you Little White." She said while pushing the door.   "Blue: Grab your pals. and don't get involve in this war." She said before entering the doors.   *Whooosh* *Bam*   The door instantly closed when she entered and the sound of a strong wind attacked my hearing after the door closed.   *Ping*   "Lily: huh?" I unconsciously said while grabbing a white rectangular object from my pocket. I then pressed a button on the top of the white object. After pressing the button. The dark side of the object suddenly lit up, and an image of me appeared while a miniature lock appeared. When I pressed my face on the object.   [Message: From: Disaster Blue             Forgot to tell you Little White. This war is personal so I don't need help from the family for now. <3]   *Crack*   The object suddenly cracked and it almost broke when I tightened my grip.   "LILY: YOU JUST WANTED TO FREAKING RAMPAGE!!!" I shouted in anger after reading her message.   11Still have no Idea what to write here...    

On a hot summer day a young man is walking under the blazing sun. His name is Jamie T. Ford with an almost girlish appearance That makes some people always mistaken him as a girl with his long soft silky fiery red hair that can make any girls jealous. Slender waist, Golden sparkly eyes, impish nose that add charm, and a cute soft voice that will always make you have the urge of 'I want to Protect her' (even if she’s a He) feeling. While walking he heard someone's voice rang behind him. ============================= (Jamie's POV) "???:Jamie!,wait!!" I stop and turn around to see who is calling me, then I saw my childhood friend and brother in arms. Jackson Smith the son of the biggest tech company quantum INC. and a playboy. I stopped and waited for him and when he arrives. He approaches me and he pats my shoulder and talked to me while panting heavily.   "Jackson: Dude can you just slowdown a bit I'm not as athletically and academically good like you". Said.   "Jamie: Your slow and stupid sometimes. Your just a playboy who spends his whole time hitting on girls" said with a hint of annoyance in my voice.   "Ugh" Jackson's clutches his chest in pain with a face that says how happy he is. And says the most annoying words for me.   "Jackson: The goddess has spoken to me and being concerned" he said.   Even he know I wasn’t worried about him. He will always do this shit when in front of people    "Jamie: Dude!, can you stop teasing me with that face it always annoys me seeing that!" I said with a face of full of anger. I then started punching Jackson on the chest while he's acting that he is getting hurt. But Jackson didn't move a single meter at all. I kept on punching him, until my fist starts hurting. by the time I calmed myself down, I saw him looking at someone's bosom. I then smack him in the head before asking him a question.   "Jamie:So are you excited about the new game" I asked Him after I landed. Whew he's still tall as ever.   "Jackson:Hell yeah!, I can't wait to play 'HDO'. That company always releases some sick DDVR games"   Heaven Defender Online or HDO in short is a deep dive virtual reality game or 'DDVR' in short that are newly released by the Quantum Maniac Company. HDO is a fantasy based online role playing game where you can do anything like crafting, forging, training, and  etc.… with a always expanding story line so the one who will be playing the game will not be bored after clearing the game and there's a rumor saying this game are connected to their other games they made and there are two version in this game the special edition and the free to play version but if you are lucky you can get the hidden version that only one copy is made. Then Jackson interrupted my though suddenly.   "Jackson: So Jamie what version did you get?" He asked.   "I only got the free to play version".   "Jackson: Wow so poor." said with a hint of sarcasm In his voice.   "I'm not a rich person like you who always got the thing they wanted and I'm saving money for the future of my little sister."I said while grabbing my purse and opening it.   "Jackson: Ufufufuu…but if you are lucky you will get the hidden version of the game" said while grinning at me.   "If I'm lucky" I mumbled to myself.   "So are you free tonight?" I asked.   "Jackson: Yep are we gonna play at my house or yours?" he said.   Then I remembered something.   "Nah…lets play it separately my family are so overprotective that any guys I take home they always question them of what our relationship even they knew I was a guy." I said grimly.   "Jackson: Ahahahaha…I wonder why" he said with a sly smile.   "Shut it man it rubs me the wrong way"   "Jackson :But with your 'kawaii bishoujo' appearance it makes all the boys at our school head over heels to your beauty and make the girls wanna hug you and be jealous sometimes."   " be jealous then. I was born this way so nothing can change me"   "Jackson: But I really hope your a girl when I first met you. heck even when I first saw you with your mother, You really made me think your a girl"   "If I didn't introduce myself as a guy you will always be embarrassed when playing with me".   "Jackson: that's true but with your attire that time" He said while sniggering.   " don't make remind of that horrible nightmare of the past" I said in embarrassment and horror.   "Jackson: And why are you dress in a cute frilly princess dress huh?".   "my mother Made me wear them and it's a nightmare to me." remembering that day it always make me shudder in fear. He then thinks to himself and shudders too.   "Jackson: That's a nightmare indeed.   "Yeah…"I tiredly said.   Suddenly there's a loud screeching. *Screech* Then I turned my head to where the sound are coming from then there's a girl crossing the street and an out of control truck.(AN:Truck-Sama is at it again) I dropped what I was carrying and ran to rescue her from the truck that is getting nearer.   "Jackson: Jamie!!" I heard him but didn't turn to his direction because I'm focused to the person crossing the road.   "Miss!! RUN!!"I said hurriedly. She then turned her head to my direction and with a pressurizing aura that makes my feet soften, but I steeled myself and continue running to save her. I arrived at her location and the out of controlled truck.   (There is 5 seconds left only before the truck hit us. How should I help her)I thought to myself.   (damnit! I'll save her by hugging her and tumbling away.)With a 2 seconds worth of thinking I made a decision. I grabbed and hugged her while running and using the kinetic energy I generated we got away from the trucks path almost unscathed, but suddenly something is flying towards me, then I blanked out. But before I blank out I heard the girl saying something in a foreign language that I can't understand but I heard my name at the end. "???:ash ulna yak kula Jamie." ============================= I woke up in an unknown place Where all of my surrounding turned white but where I was standing have grass. A lot of grass then I ask myself a question.   "where the f*ck am I and why is this place so white." Suddenly I heard a beautiful and charming voice inside my head.   "???:tush ka Ba sera?" the voice said. But I can't understand a single thing of what it said.   "Uhm, I can't understand you and where are you show yourself!" I said in alarm.   "???:yah da sakt hello hello, can you understand me now?" the voice said.   "yeah I can understand you now." I said in confirmation.   "???:good so lemme introduce myself first."   "??:My name is Nirvana Obsidia Crystales, goddess of the dragons and the goddess of life and destruction." The voice said with a hint of pride.   "?:And I am always behind you when you appeared here."  the voice said.   Then I turned my head to see a gigantic dragon with a dark as night scales. It has a lustrous shine on the scale and there's a tinge of crimson, and  a golden pattern in it. Like it was forged in magma from beneath the earth and the flames of destruction is what I'm thinking. Because the flame of destruction are a golden flame that are depicted in some novels and manga I read.   "Nirvana: thanks for the compliment by the way and don't call me an 'It' I'm a woman that is older than your ancestors!!".the dragon said in a threatening voice. Then she suddenly got covered in a blinding light for a while. After the light disappeared. There's a perfectly tanned beauty standing in front of me, With a dark curly hair, a crimson and gold bit at her bangs, and the color of her eyes are golden with a dragon slit. Well she's a dragon so she have it.   " ok" I said while sweating and admiring her.   "Nirvana: Now let me tell you something first so don't interrupt me OK~~".she said in a carefree voice.   "Nirvana: First your dead and sec-."   " wait, I'm dead!!"I interrupted her before she finish.   "Nirvana:Yep your dead but you save my chosen from an accident that might take her life so I will give you a second life in my world." Is this the isekai reincarnated to another world thing that I read about in novels and manga.   "Nirvana:But you can't choose the body you will live in your whole life there." I knew it there's a downside. "   "Then may I know what body will I possess ,is it a human or what?" I asked.   "Nirvana:I will not spill the beans right now but you will have to find out later ufufufufu~"she said while having a mischievous smile plastered on her face.   "Nirvana:So are you ready." she unexpectedly said.   "Wait!! there's no skill screen or gift thingy you will give first like in the usual isekai manga or novels?" I said in a hurry.   "Nirvana:nope, there's none." she blatantly said.   "Wow what a scam." I dejectedly said.   "Nirvana:well duuhh, I made my chosen came back home so I don't have enough magic power to give you a gift and I'm using my remaining magic power to transport you and construct the DNA of your body so stop complaining, Ok."she said.   "Is there a tutorial or som~" She interrupted me in mid sentence.   "Nirvana:I will send you now."she then waved her hand and a blinding light covered my vision and covered me entirely then I suddenly fell sleepy and warm but I fought my blurring consciousness with sheer will power but I can't fight my blurring consciousness then I fell asleep.  (Nirvana POV) The white room I was in returned to my cozy standard Modern human room. I finally sent the human to my world with my blessing. That Human is kinda noisy.   "?: Hiyahahahahaa!!"   Suddenly I heard a familiar laughter behind my back.   'She finally showed herself.' I thought to myself while pinching my nostrils, to try relieving my headache. If I'm not dealing with the Human soul that entered my realm. I would've grabbed her butt and threw her back inside her Library earlier.   "SHOW YOURSELF NOW OR ILL DRAG YOUR FURRY ASS BACK INSIDE THE ISOLATION ROOM OF THE LIBRARY!!" I shouted in a commanding voice.   "?: NYAA!! Don't Throw me inside that Hellhole of yours again!!" The voice said. I then saw a furry triangular yellow ear peak out of the corner before a head popped out of the corner.   This trouble maker's name is Vitoria Cathia or Vito in short. She got a yellow striped black cat ears and a black Bob cut hair. Her face got some of her feline traits before she ascended with me.(Cat whiskers, Slit Golden eyes, and White transparent cheek stripes.) Her body is lean and slender. She's not top heavy, she just got that soft and plump bottom of hers, as an asset.   "Vito:I really can't hide from your senses my friend" she said while smiling and fidgeting like a little kid who got caught doing shady things.   "Why are you here 'again'?" I said while massaging my temples.   "Vito: You're a softy now goddess of the dragons." she said.   "Don't tell me I'm a softy now, Just get straight to the point." I said. Because I'm not in the mood for a chitchat.   When she saw my current mood. She scratched the back of her left ear and took a step. I'm currently not restraining my killing intent.   "Vito: Soooooo~ Which world did you send him?" she asked me while quivering.   "To the world I made for fun" I answered her question.   "Vito :wait! you sent him to that hell hole of a world" she exclaimed at my answer. Forgetting that I'm angry.   "Yup" I said with a straight face. She then kneeled in front of me and prayed.    "Vito: I pray for your safety down there." she prayed for the little human I sent to my world.   "I know, you want to join in my current plan." I said grabbing a cup of black coffee from my dimensional storage. Then sat on the soft maroon sofa. I then took a sip of my coffee.   'Good ol' black coffee.' I thought to myself while enjoying my drink.   "Vito :can I join in the fun? "she asked me with a beaming smile.   "Nirvana: you can." I answered. Not minding her. She was about to grab a necklace that's on top of a drawer. But I just extended my killing intent towards her and, she stopped and ran towards me and placed her head on my lap.   "Vito: Yay!!"she exclaimed happily and tried to appease me with her soft furred hair, Which I gladly scratched while drinking. When I scratched her behind her ears. She started purring.   *Purr*   She then remembered her agenda and turned her head to where I sent the little human and gave him a blessing.   "Vito: I bless thee thy wisdom to trek the world to greatness" then I opened a portal and call her.   "Nirvana: lets go to your house now. I'll cook." I said.   "Vito :yay!! Delicious foods made by Nir-Chan." she said and followed me inside the portal and I closed it. ============================= (Jamie's POV) While I was asleep I dream about all of my memories good and bad memories. I see Jackson, my mother, and my little sister that always admires me of how I'm brave and fearless. That she wants to be like me and always says "when I grow up I want to be like you and the princess that disguise as a handsome prince, to save her family like in the story you always read to me before I fell to sleep!" and sometimes can be a little cheeky when we go outside and teasing me by calling me big sister in public. Suddenly there's the feeling of death coming at me then I turned my attention to the source and I saw a fast flying object clad in darkness that you can't discern what it was. Then it hit me in the head and it knocked my unconscious, but when I opened my Eyes again. I saw my lifeless and headless body on a hard cold floor, I woke up from my dream shuddering in fear. While I was trying to calm myself I didn't notice the changes in my surrounding and to myself immediately. But after a few minutes of calming myself down I surveyed my surrounding and myself to check where I am and if I'm safe right now. But I only saw is an endless darkness and I felt myself no longer human. I felt my hands no longer a hands of a human. It's a claw now and I feel an extra hand protruding from my back I think it's a wing and a tail is what I'm thinking is sticking from my rear, and I felt I was confined in a hard shell. That I think I was inside an egg right now but in this darkness I saw something flashing and bright light. Then I saw a floating transparent screen that we usually see in games.   Stats: § |Name: Undecided |Gender: Female |Age:14 |Race: Hybrid(+) |Skills:(+) |Str: 16 |Wis:87 |Vit:32. |Int:41 |Agi:64. |Res:15 |Dex:21 |Wil:27 |Luk:18 |Cha:41 |titles :Reincarnated Person ,Blessing Of the Dragon God, Blessing of the goddess of wisdom |Status:sleepy and scared   'Is this my stats?' I asked myself. Then I focused my vision on my name and gender.   (I know why my name is undecided but why I'm a Girl now!)I shouted in my mind. Then the sleepiness hits me like a raging storm that I can't resist anymore then I fell asleep again. I wake up check my status and make a plan, remembering my past life and knowledge I can apply to this world and repeat. I was doing this repeatedly the whole time while I was inside my egg in the past decades and it's my 54th year in this cramped space. You are wondering why I know how many years I'm inside this egg did you? tadaaah~ here's the answer.   Time Left before hatching: 5yrs,3m,16d,12hr,4min/60yrs This screen showed when I was thinking of how and when I can get out of this damnable egg of mine. The I returned to my daily routine of checking my stats. |Stats: § |Name: Undecided |Gender: Female |Age:68 |Race: Hybrid(+) |Skills:(+) |Str: 16=>1850 |Wis:87=>8700 |Vit:32=>3700 |Int:41=>5421 |Agi:64=>1252 |Res:15=>1848 |Dex:21=>1098 |Wil:27=>1425 |Luk:18=>19 |Cha:41=>47 |titles:Reincarnated Person,Blessing Of the Dragon God,Blessing of the goddess of wisdom |Status:healthy and bored   Yup this is my stats now for the past 54years staying still inside and the race,skills/abilities and the titles. I can't even explore or know the descriptions. Its because of a systems restriction and I need to unlock it. Suddenly I felt a slight tremor. *brrrggg*   Then an explosions follows.   *Boom* *BOom* *BOOm* *BOOM!* (AN: I'm not good at writing onomatopoeia)   Then I heard footsteps. *tok* tok* *tok* *tok*… After the footstep I heard someone shout.   "???:You can't run away now you dragon Bitch!" he said.   "???:I Nova Darksteel will never surrender to a filthy human like you who treats living being as an object!"She said.   Then I heard a voice rang inside my head.   (Nova:My child Forgive me that I can't protect you until you hatch but I can give you all the knowledge I gathered in my whole 4531 years of my life so you can safely strode this harsh world where the the strongest eats the weak..) she said.   Then a head splitting pain struck me that caught me off guard then she continue speaking telepathically.   (Nova:I will name you Ember Obsidia Darksteel but don't let the other races know your Middle name. Because a great disaster may befall to yourself.)she named and warned me before the pain overwhelmed me and I pass out. but before I pass out I heard her say. "Nova:My child live happily and unrestrained by anyone." she said.   "Nova:(Long Distance Teleportation)" (Nova POV)   I sent my child now to my second lair where it's hidden inside a volcano I hope she survive this world, then the bastard starts talking again.   "Bastard: Surrender now and be my wife." he said. "Nova :Who wants to be a wife of a scum like you! Albert Cross only a slut and a greedy person who wants to be your wife! It's better to be disintegrated by a powerful spell than be your wife." I said Then I chanted aloud the self destruct spell that I was chanting while we are talking. "Albert:You bitch! "he said while running towards me to stop the spell from activating but he's too late now I was chanting this inside my head while we are talking. "Nova:(Super Nova)"I said the activation word and I exploded with him.   *Boooooooom* *rumble*  (An:I will remove the names beside every dialogue but if there is three or more people talking I will add it again) (Jamie's POV) I woke up from my slumber that feels like an eternity with a headache that like it came from a hangover.I remembered all the shits that happened outside my shell and right now I was eyeing a new transparent screen that suddenly appeared out of who knows where.    Nova Obsidia Darksteel Inheritance : The knowledge and power of Nova Darksteel the dragon of metal and fire and the dragon who is entitled as the dragon of forging and the host's mother who sacrificed herself for the host to be safe. With a total of 10 seals to be unlock to completely gain her knowledge. The first seal are unsealed already to give the host a head start from the others. currently:1st Seal: Basic Forging/10th seal: Forging through thought.   Then A stream of information got inside my head about forging, common sense and my name. Ember Obsidia Darksteel. That's my name in this world and the name of this world is Kira it was named after the goddess of creation and destruction but why do the name sounds so familiar then I fell in deep thought...after five minutes worth of thinking I remembered why it's so familiar. (Holy goddess of the dragons Nirvana. I'm inside the game I just bought for free in my past life!)I exclaimed in surprise inside my mind. Then a sound startled me.    *Ding* Congratulations on discovering a small portion of the truth. I was shocked mentally when this notification confirmed my thoughts.t hen another notification popped in front of me.     Hello host I am your system's Artificial intelligent in this life and in this world you can call me system no.7543819 or you can just call me as system only if you found my name so annoying to describe. She introduced herself. I questioned her why she is my system and who assigned her.    I was assigned by goddess Nirvana to guide and help you to survive this pugilistic world. She answered my question. Then I notice that her name is so annoying to describe.   (Can I call you Atalier only it's so awkward calling you as system.)I said to her through my mind.   *ding* system No. 7543819 A.I.'s new name 'Atalier' has been established.  - - Telepathic communication' acquired.    [thank you host for naming me]she said inside my mind.   (No problem)I said. [Host Can I call you by your name?]she asked. Then a prompt appeared in my mind.  *ding* Atalier is requesting host permission to call host by name. [Accept] [Decline]    'Accept'I thought. Then another prompt appeared.  - Permission Granted. Atalier May now call host by her name.   [thank you miss ember.]she said. Wait ~... I thought to myself then a sudden realization hit me. Aahh! my new name now is Ember not Jamie.welp past is past.   (uhhhm.. Atalier how long till I hatch?)I ask.   [lemme check]she said. Then a window appeared inside my mind.  - Time left before hatching. 1yr,1d,1hr/60yr's  - (1yr left 1yr lef~)then I stopped mid sentence when I realize something.   (huuhhh… 1yr LEFT! A YEAR REMAINING BEFORE I CAN GET OUT OF THIS DARK LONELY PLACE!.)I exclaimed in excitement.   (Atalier can you wake me up if it's only 6hrs left before I hatch or some big event is going on.)I asked.   [Yes Ms. Ember .I can set the system's alarm and detection function active. but why do you want it to be activated?]she asked.   (Because I will skip the remaining time by sleeping.)I answered her question.   [Ooohh…I see that makes sense and do you want it to be activated now?]she ask.   (Yep…)I answer.   [Ok.]she answered then she added.   [But I will be temporarily be in sleep mode while your sleeping but the systems detection will tell me if a threat to your life is near.]she informed me.   (That's good enough.)I said in acknowledgment.   (Can I sleep now?)I asked.   [you can sleep now Ms. Ember and I will be temporarily disabled…so goodnight~]she said. - *Ding*system's A.I. Atalier will be temporarily disabled. - (She didn't let me go to sleep first... haist.)I sighed to myself before I sleep then I curled into a ball and slept.     DEMON_Twin_Agatha I'm just cleaning the good chapters and remapping my story. I don't have a 'PR' so It will be still confusing to the readers.   Because of my forgetful self. I forgot to post some chappy. Kek.   [I still don't have any idea what to write here]

“The question of the disc, then, is the question that every living being must ask; how will I be remembered when I was gone? What will my legacy be once the last remnants of my being are purged from the universe?”   The speaker flipped to the next slide, showing a golden disc and it’s etched cover.   “The people who made this disc did not know if their time was near. In truth, if the information that they left for us is anywhere near accurate, they probably believed that they would catch their own satellites before anyone else did.”   The slide flipped again, showing a toxic planet. Breaks in the sickly yellow clouds revealed a scorched, barren ground. The other half of the screen displayed an equally grim sight; an abandoned, burnt out habitation on a cold and barren lunar landscape.   “Reality, of course, was not so gentle as the aspirations of those who created the disc. The best estimates now maintain that their civilization did not survive more than three of their lifetimes after the spacecraft which bore the disc was launched.” The speaker paused briefly to refresh themself, then continued, “we cannot judge them for the mistakes that they made; our own people made many of the same choices in the deep past. Indeed, it is a mere fluke of fate that they are not the ones discussing the remains of our civilization today. So, instead of the usual discussion of their flaws and mistakes, let us examine them as a great and storied people, with a past as long and complicated as our own.”   The speaker pressed a button, and images began to flash on the screen, displaying the pictures found on the disc one by one.   “In the beginning of the disc, their priorities were very clear,” the speaker said, as pages filled with numbers, pictures of planets, and molecular diagrams came onto the screen, “they wanted to speak the language of the universe with us, and to show us what they had discovered. Their mathematical equations are the basis on which we have been able to decode the information on the disc.”   “Taken together, these images show a relatively advanced grasp of mathematics, chemistry, and as shown by their galactic map, astrophysics. At this time, it is believed that they were very close to landing on their planet’s moon, and expeditions to said moon have uncovered several landing craft with technology analogous to the probe that carried the disc. We also have several images,” the speaker gestured to the screen, “displaying members of their species in space, as well as some primitive spacecraft and radio telescopes.”   The images changed, showing genetic information, anatomy, conception. “They also had some knowledge of biology and genetics, though they were still learning. Of particular note is that they reproduced sexually, something that we have in common, but that is rare among other intelligent life.” Families of various sorts appeared on the screen. “Sexual bonds were important to them, and they seemingly structured many of their social institutions around them. Family, for them, was everything.”   Images of the lost species themselves, and the things that they had built began to glide across the screen, much more slowly than before. This time, the speaker remained silent, letting the lost people speak for themselves. Symphonies of alien music began to pour from the speakers surrounding the vast hall, soaring and falling in concert with the images displayed on screen. Food. Stores. Traffic. Runners, climbers, gymnasts. Schoolchildren and teachers. Skyscrapers and hovels. All appeared, one by one, making a solitary, solemn march across the screen. The audience leaned in, on the edge of their seats, inches away from a gasp at the eerie similarity- and strange differences of these people and their creations. Then, at last, grand vistas of their mountains and seas, of the natural places that they had left untouched, and darkness, silence.   The stage lights slowly flared back to life, illuminating only the pulpit where the speaker stood, unmoving. The speaker began again, a slight husk to their voice, “One could draw many conclusions from the images that they sent into the universe. For example, there is no mention of weapons, of the nuclear threat that was, almost certainly, the cause of their death. Though, as the images show, they lived in great inequality, and varied vastly in culture, appearance and technical knowledge, the tone of their message is clear. Like us, their people strove for peace, for knowledge, and for communion with one another. They were our siblings, or as they would say (here the speaker produced two words in garbled English, ‘brothers and sisters’), lost to the stars and to time. What a pity that we never kissed.”

The camera looked like a junker. It was one of those old vintage cameras that photography snobs used to shoot black and white photos. But Kyle's phone had a terrible camera, and his other SLR camera had a broken lens, so he picked it up to take a look. It seemed to be in working order, so he aimed the camera at his best friend, Samira--at his favorite part of her anatomy, namely her shapely ass. "Pose for me, baby!" yelled Kyle, as he got ready to snap a picture. Samira laughed and turned around before bending over to give him an eye-level view of her perfect bottom. Her tight little red panties were barely visible beneath her skirt. She raised herself on tiptoe to lift her ass higher, which made her plump breasts jiggle invitingly. "Oh my god, Samira. You're such a slut. And you claim to be saving yourself for marriage?" snorted Kyle. He took a photo, then held the camera at chest level to get an even better, lower shot. "There's no contradiction. I like my body and I like people seeing it. I'm just not ready to have sex with anyone yet," said Samira as she straightened and smoothed her black skirt down again. "I don't want to get pregnant or anything." "You can't even tell when a guy's trying to fuck you! For instance: what about me. Do I want to get in your pants?" Kyle gave her his best leer. She wasn't fooled. "We've been friends since we were six. I know you perfectly well, Kyle Fanchard. Your intentions are honorable." "Well then why won't you let me kiss you?" asked Kyle, giving her cheek a quick peck. Samira giggled. "Because if there's ever going to be something between us, it'll only happen after we both graduate from college." "And if I'm willing to marry into that psycho family of yours, you mean." said Kyle. He snapped a few pictures of the old album covers in the vintage store they were browsing in. The camera took great photographs in low light situations too, though the quality didn't come close to digital. "Hey! That is rude! My parents aren't psychos!" protested Samira. "Sure they're not. They just want to control every aspect of your life and future." Kyle dug in his wallet. He had just enough to buy the camera--good thing, considering he'd been using up the old film inside of it. "They love me," argued Samira. "They just worry about me being out in the world without any protection." "Protection against what? Oh right: the predatory men you're teasing by jiggling your assets at them and flashing your underwear." Samira blushed. "Don't be silly, Kyle. If I just wanted to tease guys, I wouldn't need to go through this elaborate process of changing my clothes whenever I leave home." "Elaborate process? Is that what you call flirting with boys?" asked Kyle. "That's pretty much exactly what I see when I look at you: a flirt." She looked angry now. "I'm expressing myself," she said, "As best I can given my family situation. And I thought you'd be supportive." "Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Kyle. "Peace. I didn't mean it. Do you want to come over and help me develop this film? I'm curious what it's like." Samira smiled. "Okay." *** Kyle and Samira arrived at his house ten minutes later. He opened his door and invited Samira inside, but she stopped him before he could shut the door behind them. "Wait," she whispered. "Let's take off our shoes first." He followed her suggestion, and soon they were standing in socks and stockings on his carpet, facing each other across his living room floor. "Your mom has enough to do," she said. "And she's put up with both of us tracking mud all over before we were grown. I don't want to get her carpet dirty. All right, to the darkroom!" Kyle's darkroom was in a closet near the kitchen. His mother never went in there because she hated the smell. She always claimed it smelled like rotten eggs, though Kyle didn't see what the fuss was about. There was a single window high up on one wall where sunlight came down in strips between the curtains, and he kept having to refasten the tape. They stepped inside and Kyle switched the light to red. "What if this is a cursed camera? You know, like the cursed pen that illustration major supposedly got ahold of last year. Maybe something horrible will happen when I develop this ancient film!" Kyle smirked. They'd both been in grade school when magic flooded into the world through new portals, ripping holes in reality and allowing all manner of demons, fae, and other visitors through. But he'd never quite gotten used to the idea, or grown out of making jokes about it. Samira punched him in the shoulder. "Curses aren't funny. There are curse-bearers out there who have to put up with serious problems, on top of jokes like yours, and prejudice..." She trailed off, frowning. "Okay, okay. I know how you feel about this stuff. Instead, let me show you this beauty I got of your ass... and more, quite probably, from behind." He started the process of printing from the negatives. The developing tank bubbled away while the prints dried. Kyle held up the first one up for Samira to examine. It was her ass, all right, in her tight black skirt, riding up on her thighs and exposing her red panties, complete with the shape of her pussy lips underneath. "It looks good," said Samira, admiring the picture carefully. "Holy shit... Okay, I guess I can see why you called me a slut. But this is kind of hot." "Yeah," said Kyle, and then caught himself as the room seemed to spin beneath him. His hips popped. "Ouch!" Samira was bent over too, as if in pain. "Kyle... what's going on!?" Hearing her frantic voice made him panic more. His midsection felt strange, a queasy sensation with a rippling of flesh. He tried to stand up straight, but his knees buckled instead. He fell forward onto the floor beside Samira, unable to control his movements, or even speak coherently. Samira gasped in alarm. "Oh my god... no! That picture, you could see my pussy!" She clutched herself between her legs. A moment later, she screamed in agony, arching her back as if she were being stabbed repeatedly by invisible knives. Kyle couldn't move. He lay helpless on the floor, staring wide-eyed at Samira's contorting body. "What... what does that mean? Why is this--" He felt his body rise, as if being lifted up on a pillow. His ass was pressing into the floor, feeling somehow different than usual, larger. Samira was gasping for breath. "Kyle... I'm sorry! I should have warned you. Ummm... ouch! Oh God, Kyle--my family placed a curse on me." She remembered the words of the sorcerer: Nine times she is warded, let no man touch. Let no man see her gates, lest he be unmanned. Let no man gaze upon her portal, lest it close and his manhood be taken. Kyle writhed on the floor. Then the sensation changed again. The pressure grew deeper into his rear end, and then his balls suddenly felt heavy as he was filled with a sense of fullness and pressure deep within his groin area. Then it all shifted. His cock stood at attention, and he felt it rubbing painfully along his inner thigh as he continued to experience a growing ache deep in his testicles. Suddenly the feeling changed, and his cock was slurping away, vanishing and shrinking. When it finished disappearing, he was left with nothing more than a throbbing feeling moored in the front of pelvis, surrounded by wet heat that was now dripping down his inner thighs. "Kyle..." cried Samira, her face twisted in anguish. "Something's coming out of me!" He looked in fasincation and saw that a thick cock was now poking out from one of her panty leg holes, extending below the hem of her skirt. It looked familiar... it was his cock! "We're... we're changing into each other?!" he cried in anguished confusion. Samira's expression hardened into determination. She crawled toward him and grabbed his head with her hands. "Listen to me," she said urgently, speaking slowly as if to a child or animal, "you must listen closely. We're going to change into each other completely." "But why?" asked Kyle fearfully. "It's the curse. I'm sorry, Kyle, I never meant for you to be caught in it. We have to save ourselves! This is our only chance." She squeezed his neck tightly with her fingers and began to shake him roughly. "If we don't do this, it could last forever!" Kyle was confused but terrified. "I don't understand. Do what? How can I possibly turn into you, what am I going to do with a pussy, what about my--" Samira slapped him across the face with surprising strength. "Listen!" she demanded. "I'll explain everything later, but we have to hurry! Get your clothes off!" Kyle stared blankly ahead, unable to think clearly. Samira released him and stood up straight before turning her attention to her clothes. She wiggled out of her blouse and skirt, revealing her naked body for the first time since they'd grown past puberty. Her breasts were large, perfectly round, and very firm looking, with long pink nipples that pointed outward like little darts. She had a thin waist that disappeared into her round bubble ass, but that ass was rapidly flattening out, gaining muscle, and looking more and more like his own. Her skin tone was darker than his, and her ribs and waist were defined and slender like a dancer's, making her look even more feminine and beautiful than he had originally thought. Beneath that waist bobbed a penis, and he could see it swelling and hardening, stretching to a familiar length that he'd seen from a different angle every time he jerked off. "Ohhhh god," moaned Kyle, realizing what was happening to him. His back was cracking, arching as his waist curved inwards, pressing his organs into a new configuration and pushing his ass out. He reached down into his boxers, to touch the place his stiff shaft used to be, and realized that in its place was a soft pair of lips. They were smooth and warm, like a pair of tongues. He explored the area with his fingers, testing his new genitals: small and delicate folds, covered with tiny black curly hairs. He suddenly felt weak as his arms and legs began to lose their muscle, and his legs began to go numb. "I... I can't... I can't move..." he gasped. There was hair falling into his eyes: Samria's dark tresses. Samira was growing, her breasts flattening against her masculine chest. She was looking more and more like him every second. Kyle felt his own body continuing to change, becoming more feminine and curvaceous. His legs were now Samira's slender shape, and his feet were beginning to shrink to the size of a girl's. He felt himself tightening and softening at the same time, growing smaller as Samira expanded further--beyond the point where he wouldn't be able to reach the top of her head anymore without straining himself. She sat down beside him and placed a hand gently upon his shoulder, stroking him lovingly as she spoke softly to him in soothing tones. "You're doing great," she assured him. "Now we can talk. You should call me Sam for now. It'll work better that way." Kyle nodded numbly as Sam continued to stroke his arm tenderly. "Then who... who am I?" His voice was higher, lilting. His former pale skin tone was disappearing, darkening into Samira's caramel color. Curls of hair brushed his shoulders, and his hands shrinking, cracking. He touched his nose; it was dwindling into a button-like cute turn above his mouth, while his cheeks rounded out into a soft feminine curve. Sam's voice was deep, the voice Kyle used to have. "You're Kylie. Is that all right with you... Kylie?" "Yes," he said simply. He touched his chin with his fingertips and found that it was now feminine, too. His jaw was softer, with a gentle angle. He touched his own face and found dimples on his cheek. He looked at Samira--Sam--and saw how similar she looked to his old self, except for her eyes which were still brown rather than blue. "I'm Kylie," she said in a new, cute voice. "Oh my god, Sam! My chest...." It ached, and she realized she was growing Samira's breasts. She clasped her hands to her nipples as they grew harder and bigger, filling out her shirt. They weren't as big as Samira's had been, not yet; still a nice fit that made her look sexy but not overwhelming. Beneath her nipples, the flesh of her pectorals kept rippling and expanding, fililing out into a pair of perky mounds of fat that jiggled when she moved her arms around. They were soft and supple, with just enough give in them that she could feel her breath moving through them whenever she breathed deeply. "God, this is fucking hot," said the new girl. "Sam... what's happening... why did this happen?" Sam now looked just like Kyle used to, but was somehow more in command, more masculine. She could smell his musk and it was starting to do funny things to her, a twinge between her legs, a slippery feeling. "My family set a curse, with the help of a sorcerer," explained Sam in a voice that sounded just like Kyle's. "It triggers if a man sees me naked, supposedly to make it impossible for someone to violate me. But this is the result of the curse's wording. Crazy, right?" Kylie nodded, trying to understand what was happening to her. "I feel so... so sensitive. I didn't know you felt like this, Sam. Is it always so... like I need.... something?" "Not exactly. That's also a side-effect of the curse. Don't worry," said Sam reassuringly. "This happened... once before. And there's a way to reverse it." He suddenly stiffened, a suprised expression crossing his Kyle-like features. "Oh shit... hold on, Kylie! Here comes the second wave." They were still changing! "Oh God," moaned Kylie. "What next?!"

The Nightmare from the Dreamcatcher   By Ivaran Kealar   1.   “Stop being a bloody stupid bitch!” “I’m not a stupid bitch!” “You can’t use a fucking dishwasher, you can't use the bloody washing machine, and you don’t fucking clean up after yourself in the kitchen! You are bloody stupid. You’re a stereotypical rich bitch, who can't live on on her own, without servants and shit!” “I'm really sorry. I’m trying! Stop calling me names!” The ladies that had been arguing with each other are Deana Chaubey and Lilly Dunstan. Deana was an eighteen-year-old medical student. She was five foot five, had coiffed onyx hair, ebony eyes and rocked a 32DD bust. She regularly dressed in black garments. Lilly was about nineteen years old. She was five feet tall, had straightened straw hair, sable eyes and was studying architecture. She rocked a 30D cup, and loved wearing dresses and heels. As of now, she was sitting on the black sofa – inside the tiny art living room. They were paired up by means of the university student lodging Deana did nothing but yell at Lilly due to her errors. Lilly, on the other hand, was too afraid to stand up to Deana and frequently cried. “Chatting with you is like speaking to a bloody brick wall,” yelled Deana. “I’m going to my room to have a lie down!” She then stormed out of the living room.     2.   Deana’s side of the bedroom had numerous death metal band posters taped to her wall. She had her own bed, a chest of drawers, and her very own closet space. Lilly’s side of the bedroom was adorned with adorable and pink things – which include soft toys in the shape of animals, stars and even cute-looking flora. Deana raided the top drawer in her chest of drawers, and she pulled out a knife. Carefully, she headed over to Lilly’s bed and cut the rope of the enormous Dreamcatcher. When she’d finished the deed, Deana put her knife away and returned to her bed. Lilly entered the bedroom, and her eyes were puffy from the crying. She noticed that her Dreamcatcher was destroyed, and she wailed, “What have you done?” “I’ve destroyed your Dreamcatcher, babe,” giggled Deana. “You horrible, terrible girl,” Lilly wailed. “Starting tomorrow, am gonna ask the university to transfer me to a better lodging!” She stormed out of the room. ‘That ain’t a threat – that’ll do me quite nicely,’ thought Deanna.     3.   That night the ladies were getting ready for bed. Lilly was clad in a long pink nightgown. Deana wore her black nightshirt and pyjama bottoms.  After getting sorted out, Deanna snuggled underneath her covers. Lilly alternated between glaring at Deana, and her damaged Dreamcatcher. “It was a bloody joke,” groaned Deana, “consider it as payback, bitch!” Lilly sighed, “Well, looks like I’ll be having terrible nightmares from now on.” Then, Lilly turned out the bedroom light, and she crawled into her bed. Deana exhaled, and she laid her head on her pillow. She closed her eyes tightly.     4.   Deana unexpectedly awakened in the middle of the night after hearing moans. Deana watched Lilly thrash about in her bed – moaning in terror. ‘She’s likely just having a nightmare or some shit,’ thought Deana. Then, it occurred: A bright green glow shone from the ruined Dreamcatcher. Deana checked out it funny, and whispered, “What the hell?” Deanna checked out Lilly, who was somehow fast asleep, Curiously, Deana crawled out of bed and she stood up. Her lovely bare feet touched the luxurious carpet. Deana walked in the direction of the Dreamcatcher, wondering how it was glowing. Unexpectedly, a huge crimson tongue came out and wrapped tightly around her neck. Deana’s eyes bulged with terror. She grabbed the tongue. Deanna yanked and pulled, and even looked at Lilly imploringly, The massive crimson tongue pulled and dragged Deana inside the catcher.     5.   Deana’s eyes slowly opened, and she found herself lying on a fleshy ground. She looked around in disgust: She was in a living cave without any exits and it was made entirely of flesh. Everything was coated in numerous pulsating veins and lined with mucus. Deana stood, and her bare feet pressed down on the squishy ground. “Hello? Lilly, please, save me,” cried Deanna. Lilly failed to respond again. She wasn't even here. Deana was all by herself within the living cave. Unexpectedly, something long quickly fastened around her slim neck. A crimson tentacle had descended down, and quickly tied around her neck. Deana coughed as she grabbed the tentacle that firmly choked her. Deanna felt lightheaded. Uncontrollable tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt a slight pain in her chest. Her levels of frustration increased. Her need to escape increased tenfold. She trembled beyond her control. Her heart raced in her chest. Her throat felt like it was narrowing. Deanna found it difficult to breathe. She started sweating profusely. Her legs felt like jelly. It had felt like this living chamber was getting smaller and smaller by the second. Deanna whimpered as she saw a legion of tentacles descend from the ceiling. The tentacles wormed their way into the sleeves of Deana’s night shirt. However, different tentacles vomited mucus on her top to moisten it up. The tentacles tore the material of the nightshirt and ripped it to pieces. Deana became shirtless. She regretted not wearing a bra to bed this night. Instinctively, she crossed her palms over her breasts, and sobbed. A small tentacle tied around her left wrist and forced her arm up. Deana wailed some more. She kept her right arm over her ample breasts. Another tentacle coiled around her arm and wrist; pulling her arm upwards. “No,” Deana wailed. She tried to run, but the tentacles detained her. Her panic rose as she saw the tentacles slowly pull her off the ground. Deana looked around the room in horror. Numerous tentacles writhed and circled her. Next, numerous tentacles entered her pyjama bottoms causing her to whimper. The tentacles yanked down her pyjama bottoms, slowly, revealing her legs. Afterwards, the tentacles gripped her black panties and yanked them clean off. Deana was without a doubt completely nude. More tentacles puked mucus all over her bare frame. Very quickly, every inch of Deanna was absolutely covered in sticky mucus. Deana stared in revulsion as she noticed tentacles tie on an ankle each. She shook her head in protest and whimpered. However, the tentacles slowly pulled and overpowered her. Now, Deana was suspended in the air with the aid of tentacles. With warm tears rolling down her cheeks, Deana wailed, “Lilly! Lilly, please, save me!” Deanna whined fearfully, as numerous tentacles briefly stroked her lubricated frame. Then, Deana noticed a massive hole appear, and a bizarre creature had emerged from it. The creature resembled an onyx slime-covered spider, with numerous tentacles and a squid-like mouth. It stared at Deana hungrily, and made a few disgusting moaning noises. Deana knew this monster was planning on raping her. Her heart raced wildly. She thrashed about in the holds of the tentacles and she wailed. It was so hopeless. She was doomed for. She was frightened that this tentacle monster was going to rape her to death. Next, two purple mouth tentacles unfolded and engulfed her ears. Many tiny tentacles entered Deana’s ears and slithered their way inside. Deana screamed loudly, as she could feel the tentacles worm into her head. The tiny tentacles soon entered her brain and pumped a few various chemical substances. Deana thrashed about and her eyes rolled into the back of her head, as her tongue lolled out of her mouth. She made some horrifying gurgling noises, and her frame went into convulsions. She felt it happen. She felt the chemical substances pumping into every centre of her brain – they controlled her actions, her mind, and specifically her sex drive. The brain tentacles pulsated and squirted as an awful lot as they possibly could: slowly but surely reprogramming her to be an obedient slave. Deana’s eyelids fluttered like butterfly wings. She panted hard, moaned, groaned and whined. Her frame now convulsed like she received multiple mental orgasms. Her thoughts went completely blank. Finally, she stopped moving. Deana breathed. She whimpered softly. As if sending an electric shock to her brain, the tentacle cave woke her up. Deana’s eyelids slowly opened, and her eyes were now slime green. She looked blank, as though she was now the tentacle monster’s little sex doll. Deana smiled more broadly and tilted her head. By some means, Lilly’s high voice was heard, “No, please... Don’t rape her!” The brain tentacles pumped their chemicals into the satisfaction centres. With a deep, breathy sigh, Deana moaned, and licked her upper lip. The spider tentacle monster climbed one of the crimson tentacles. It managed to wrap its tentacles around Deana, embracing her like its long lost lover. Deana stared at it like a blank doll – like she was anticipating orders. The mind tentacles pumped their orders without delay into her brain. Deana moaned, “Please, fuck me, master... I’ve been good, honest!” The monster octopus-like mouth latched onto Deana’s face. Its thick tongue slithered deep into her mouth – to silence the poor girl. It even groaned and moaned for her. Deana closed her eyes. She kissed and licked the monster back. She moaned. The spider monster groped each inch of Deana’s naked and slimed frame. Deana moaned softly and sucked on its tongue find it irresistible became a big cock. The monster moaned. Its slimy tentacles specifically focused on Deana’s ample knockers. Deana made a few extraordinary moaning noises once more, and she groaned hungrily. The monster stroked Deana’s legs and arms with its tentacles. Deana absolutely beamed with pride. She moaned softly and her frame writhed like she was dancing. The creature rubbed her elbows and thighs affectionately. One tentacle wrapped around Deana’s belly, making use of gentle pressure and rubbing it. Another tentacle coiled around Deana’s shapely waist. One focused on caressing her arse cheeks and back. The spider monster took its sweet time pampering the lass. Deana tried to control her breathing. She smiled as she felt the loving embrace. The spider monster played with her left breast first: It used the tip of its tentacle to begin from Deana’s nipple – it slid outward, smoothing the breast and used tender pressure. Deana moaned sensitively, as she sucked the spider creature’s tongue. The spider slowly stroked the circumference of her left breast. Then, its tentacle lifted her breast up a touch and massaged her left breast like kneading dough. “Oh, fuck,” Lilly’s voice moaned, “play with her breasts! Fondle them!” Slowly, the spider used gentle massage moves to curl her left breast in a clockwise motion. It alternated among moulding and twisting her left breast in a clockwise and anti-clockwise motion. Then, two of its tentacles cupped the side of her left breast close to her now erect nipple – the tentacles pressed down and out with a firm and affectionate rubdown. Deana released an inhuman grunt from her lungs as she tossed her head about. The spider now played with her right breast: It used the tip of its tentacle to begin from Laci’s nipple: it slid outward, smoothing the breast and used mild pressure. Deana moaned and groaned. She without a doubt cherished having her tits fondled with. The spider persisted to slowly stroke the circumference of her right breast. Then, its tentacle lifted her breast up a bit and massaged her right breast like kneading dough.  Slowly, the tentacle used mild massage actions to curl her right breast in a clockwise movement. It alternated between moulding and twisting her left breast in a clockwise and anti-clockwise motion. Next, two tentacles cupped the side of her right breast close to her now erect nipple; the tentacles pressed down and out in a firm but mild rub down. After they were finished, the tentacles lay flat on each of her breasts: the suckers latched onto the mounds of flesh, and sucked on her hardened nipples. Deana moaned hard and failed to suppress a grin that spread across her face. She felt the suckers alternate between sucking her nipples roughly and lightly. They sucked and stretched her nipples – they even milked her and swallowed her milk. One tentacle hardened and invaded Deana’s tight anus. Deana jolted upright. She moaned blissfully as she felt it thrust. The monster’s octopus-like mouth sucked on Deana’s lips slowly and sweetly. The nerves in Deana’s frame received a strong current of sexual arousal. As if under a spell of her very own, Lilly whined, “Don’t stop... She loves it...!” The spider monster obeyed and continued to pleasure Deana. Deana moaned and groaned, as she sucked the creature’s tongue. All of sudden Deana felt her feet and toes being massaged with the aid of the tentacles. Deana felt the sweet sensation of her breasts being moulded like dough, and the hard massaging of her erect nipples. She made inhuman noises from the back of her throat. Tears of elation rolled down her cheeks. She felt numerous orgasms rise up within her. The monster accelerated the thrusting of the tentacle in Deana’s arsehole. Fortunately, considering it was covered in mucus, its natural lubricant aided its thrusting. Deana trembled and whined. She pulled in opposition to the tentacle restraints and her legs writhed about. Quickly, another strong tremor rocked Deana’s tiny frame. She felt numerous orgasms tear through her frame like a wild storm. Her head felt woozy. She whined for it. The monster’s cock tentacle rose in between Deana’s juddering thighs. Its bulbous tip managed to make contact with Deana’s pussy lips, and it rubbed slowly. Deana snorted hard out her nostrils. Her frame jolted a little. Her whines grew softer. She knew it belonged to the creature’s cock – she was gonna get fucked hard. Lilly moaned, “Yes! Yes! Tease her mercilessly. Tease her! She's a bad bitch. Tease her pussy! Make her beg for it! Make her scream for it! Torture her! Turn her into your slut!” The creature’s cock rubbed in sluggish circles – in a clockwise formation – teasing Deana. It moved all around, focusing on her labia and her clitoris. The cock took its sweet time, savouring the sweet feeling of Deana’s moist pussy lips. Deana wailed as she badly desired to be fucked. The tongue in her mouth stifled her moans. She wanted the monster to stop teasing her, and nail her already. She felt the prolonged member rub her pussy lips in a merciless, yet, gentle manner. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she whimpered softly. Her entire frame shuddered as her head thrashed. Another orgasm welled up within her. The monster’s member rubbed Deana’s clitoris. The cock rubbed her clitoris up and down, all around – alternating between rubbing hard and rubbing softly. Sooner or later, Deana wailed, and sobbed, and moaned, and silently begged for penetration. She even tried to buck her hips, and wish for the tentacle cock to ram her hard. “She’s ready! She’s ready! She’s ready,” screamed Lilly. “Fuck her now! Fuck her hard!” The creature’s cock finally slithered inside her moist pussy, leisurely, locating something of interest. And it did indeed: It discovered Deana’s O-spot, which was quite swollen. And thus, the tentacle rubbed her O-spot; in gradual circles, and pressing it like a button. Deana’s eyes shut tight, as she released a muted scream. She all of a sudden felt the urge to take a piss, and was ridiculously aroused with the aid of this forbidden sensation. She could feel the girth and energetic rubbing of the tentacle on her O-spot. She silently begged for mercy and a remarkable orgasm welled up inside of her. Uncontrollable tears rolled down her cheeks, as her trembling hips bucked passionately and her frame shuddered wildly. The intensity of the O-spot abuse was too much for Deana to take. Her frame quaked harder and harder, as her quivering hips bucked wildly. She moaned uncontrollably loud. Deana suddenly felt dizzy. Her vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears. Her body rocked like she was possessed. Her eyes had retreated far back into her head. She squirted hard. She moaned, noisily. The monster actually ejaculated inside of Deana’s pussy and its cock juddered. Deana could feel the monster’s semen enter her body. She could also feel the massive tentacle cock pulsating and throbbing while monster shot its load. She felt completely spent. Lilly begged, loudly, “Make her come..! Make her come hard...! Make her come...!” The creature’s cock all at once swelled to the dimensions of a bumpy Japanese cucumber. Deana’s back arched. She released a shrill cry from her mouth. She felt the inner partitions of her pussy being stretched by means of the large cock of the monster; it delved deeper and deeper into her pussy. She felt the cock slide backwards, at a snail's pace, but not sufficient to leave – heading into her core once more. Deana nodded her head eagerly, as her uncontrollable smile stretched even wider. Her quivering pants and tender-sounding moans failed to escape from her mouth. She felt the humongous cock slide backwards and forwards. She additionally felt multiple orgasms rush through her tingling body once more – causing her to shudder with rapture. The spider’s tentacle cock moved to and fro. Lilly panted, “Fuck her tonight...! Please...! Fuck her hard and fast...! Fuck her...!” Deana was sobbing uncontrollably now. Her hips juddered and bucked a little. “Deeper...! Deeper...! Deeper, honey,” Lilly breathed. The spider added a few inches as it penetrated Deana’s wet pussy.   Deana rocked about, as she sobbed and moaned, and her legs tried to scissor. Ultimately, the spider’s tentacle cock reached her a-spot. Deana jolted and she trembled with ecstasy. “Ooh,” Lilly whimpered, “Oh, God, yes!” The creature’s cock slowly slithered backwards, and it left Deana’s pussy. It used its cock to rub Lilly’s clitoris and labia – in a gradual clockwise movement. Lilly whimpered, “Don't tease her too much! Fuck her hard and fast. Fuck her hard!” The creature’s cock penetrated dear Deana once more – moving slowly. It delved deeper and deeper into her moist pussy, like a serpent, heading to her a-spot. Deana’s frame jolted back into life again. She felt the cock slide backwards, at a snail's pace, but not sufficient to leave. She felt it move onwards, slowly but surely, heading into her core again. Her uncontrollable smile stretched even wider. “Ah! Oh! Ooh! Ugh! Yes! Baby! Oh! Yes! Need it! Want it! Oh baby! Hot fuck! Yes! Sweet Christ! Ooh, honey! Ah yes! Oh, darling! Needed! This! So! Fucking! Much,” Lilly whined. Deana felt the humongous cock slide forwards and backwards. She felt multiple orgasms rush through her tingling frame again - causing her to shudder with rapture. Deana’s frame gyrated like she was riding the tentacle cock. Her eyelids fluttered, as her eyes rolled into the again of her head. Her hips bucked and quivered, as she felt a bump on the tentacle cock repeatedly rubbing her a-spot. The spider slowed its thrusting velocity, as it slammed hard within Deana’s pussy. Deana fought for breath, as her frame jerked and twisted about. Her eyelids fluttered like butterfly wings. Her hips bucked and quivered again and again. The mother of orgasms built up in her frame. Tiny cries of ecstasy erupted from her lungs. Her music-like moans were in the equal rhythm as the immense cock thrusting hard and deep in her abused pussy. The mutant spider watched Deana writhe and moan in the throes of ecstasy. It moaned and groaned as its mutant member fucked her pussy like a tireless piston. Deana badly desired to move her legs in a scissoring motion. Lilly wailed, “Oh! Oh fuck! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Fuck her! Fuck her! Fuck her! Ooh! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Keep going! Keep going! Oh shit! Oh fuck! Oh crap! Oh yes! Yes!” The spider’s cock alternated between thrusting forwards and backwards usually, and even drilled Deana’s once virgin moist and sticky pussy in a corkscrew motion – rubbing her internal partitions. It stretched her love canal without mercy, as it moved backwards, slowly, almost leaving her pussy, after which propelled at an alarming fee and hit her a-spot. Deana’s body and limbs shuddered, as inhuman grunts rose from her lungs. Intrusive thoughts of wanting the monster to shoot its load stuffed her thoughts. A convincing wanton voice in her mind advised her that she desired the monster to make her cum, too. The numerous eyes that belonged to the mutated spider watched Deana as she was being fucked. It cherished watching her frame writhe as she rode its cock with gusto. The tentacle thrusting in Deana’s anus juddered hard – it grew hotter and hotter, and shot out its load. The anal-tentacle filled her arsehole with its warm semen. “Oh shit,” Lilly gasped hard, “Oh fuck...! Fill her up...! Please...! Fill her up, baby...!” When the shuddering tentacle left Deana’s arsehole, and squirted some of its disgrace on her arse cheeks, it was soon replaced by another: It stretched her anus to the limit. Deana’s body trembled with ecstasy. She loved being double-penetrated. She tightened the partitions of her pussy – to capture the mighty mutant member that penetrated her. The spider moaned as it thrusts its hardened tentacle cock deep in her moist pussy. As it moved forwards and backwards, it felt the inner walls of Deana’s pussy tighten – nearly trapping its most powerful mutant member. It penetrated harder and faster. Deana felt numerous orgasms flood her whole frame like a tsunami. Her eyes rolled into the back of her cranium, as her hips bucked, trembled and gyrated. Lilly whimpered, “Oh fuck! Oh crap! Make her your fuck puppet! Fuck her brains out! She’s been a bad bitch! Dominate her! Fuck her! Corrupt her! God, this is fucking hot! “I wanna you to fuck her and give her brain damage! Make her come hard, honey! Shoot your entire load in her pussy! Pound her pussy hard! Show her no mercy! Please don’t stop!” Deana couldn’t prevent the constant tears flowing down her pale cheeks. She felt this lengthy member fuck her poor pussy relentlessly – it hurt her badly, but it felt oh so amazing. The mutant spider rammed with gusto now: As its tentacle propelled from side to side, like a tireless piston, it rubbed Deana’s A-spot vigorously. It wanted to pleasure her endlessly. Deanna moaned incoherently. She couldn’t get enough. No one had ever pleasured her like this before. A parade of incoherent moans rose from her lungs and encouraged the monster. Deana couldn’t comprehend how fucking hot this was. Her self-restrain had dissolved. She saw stars through bleary eyes. Her frame and hips bucked and quivered again and again. A tidal wave of orgasms flooded via her tiny body – causing her to spasm and jerk about. Lilly whined, “Oh shit! Oh fuck! Oh yes! Make her come! Make her come! I want her to come! I want her to come! Oh, Jesus! Oh, God! Oh, Lord! Oh, baby! Oh, Daddy! Yes! Yes! “She’s all yours! You can have her! She loves feeling that big dick of yours! That dick of yours is huge! Don’t let it leave her wet pussy! Her pussy feels wet for you! Fuck yes! “Harder...! Harder! Harder! Faster! Faster! Faster! You make me so fucking wet! You make me feel like screaming! I love being your slut! I’m your whore! I’m your whore! Yes! “Fuck her with your cock! Treat her like your sex toy, Daddy! You’re perfect for fucking her! Fuck her hard! Fuck her rough! Don’t quit fucking her, babe! Fuck her to death!” The mutant spider moved quicker now, as it deeply penetrated Deana’s pussy. Its tentacle cock writhed and slithered like a thick serpent and broke the barrier between pleasure and pain. It managed to rub against her erogenous zones without fail. Deana panted, and moaned, and groaned, and whimpered for the beast. The shuddering of her tiny frame extended, as did the bucking and quivering of her hips. She was sopping wet in both sweat and slime. She was becoming jaded. Her head felt rather light. The mutant spider moaned and groaned because it fucked Deana hard. It massaged her breasts extra roughly – almost cutting off her blood circulation – but Deana cherished it. Deana’s eyelids twitched wildly as she moaned like a wanton and her body trembled. Lilly whimpered, “Oh shit! Fill her with your semen! Fill me with your spunk! Shoot your entire load in her pussy! Fill her up with your sticky love juices! Fuck her with that fat cock!  “Come on, baby, come on! Make her come! Make her come, baby! Make her squirt! Make her come with your massive cock! Make her come! Please make her come! Make her come! “Ejaculate your semen in her pussy, baby! I want her to feel your sperm inside of her! I want to your sperm fill up her pussy. Fill her up so it comes out of her fucking mouth! Yes! “Her moans are so fucking hot! She smells so fucking wonderful! Your cock is pleasuring her fucking well! Please don’t stop! Don’t stop! Please! Please! Oh shit! Yes! “She’s your dirty little cum slut! Fuck her so hard that you hospitalize her, baby! Fuck her into a coma! Give her brain damage! Oh crap! Oh Shit! Oh fuck! Oh! Oh crap! Oh yes! “Oh shit! Oh, baby! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Christ! Oh, darling! Oh, honey! Oh, Deana! Oh, Deanna! Oh Deanna! Yes! I’m gonna come! I’m gonna come! I’m gonna come!” The mutant spider penetrated harder and quicker, pushing Deana past her limits, and causing her to spasm like a puppet on strings. Eventually, its huge cock shuddered hard in her love canal and it shot its torrent of sticky cum within her. The mutant spider groaned. Deana’s back arched and she squirted hard and fast. Her body jerked and shuddered. Her mouth formed a frenzied smile as she moaned with ecstasy. She felt lightheaded as she fought for breath. Her orgasmic juices squirted out of her penetrated pussy. Tidal waves of numerous orgasms filled her entire frame – as she felt the monster spider unload inside her. And Deana stopped. She immediately stopped moaning. Her mind was consumed by the darkness. And she quaked from the aftershock of her orgasms.     6.   Lilly groaned as she slowly awakened. She was disgusted by the fact that her panties were soaking wet. She pulled her arm out from beneath her sheets, and noticed her fingers were sticky. She looked towards Deana and her eyes widened like saucers. She saw that Deana was absolutely nude, coated in sticky slime, and there was a faint smile on her face. Lilly jumped out of her bed, and she ran to her roommate’s aid. She grabbed Deana’s sticky shoulders, and wailed, “Deana? Deana? Deana? Are you feeling okay? Deana?” Deana’s eyes opened bit-by-bit, and she mumbled, “Sorry... Sorry...” “... What? Deana? Sorry? What do you mean by sorry?” “I’m sorry,” Deana mumbled, “Lilly, I’m genuinely sorry...!” Lilly smiled as tears welled up in her eyes. “This might sound crazy, Deana, but I’m sorry, too! I truly am very sorry. I had this crazy and terrible nightmare about you! You were captured by the tentacles and you were raped by a disgusting spider monster! And the tentacles had you brainwashed! Please, Deana, is there anything I can do for you?” “Your Dreamcatcher,” Deana groaned, “let me borrow it.” Lilly knitted her brow, trying to understand. “Why? It’s broken right now.” “Please, I want this,” Deana stammered. “I need to hang it inside the bathroom, tonight, when we both go to bed.” She looked at Lilly imploringly. Lilly knitted her brow, trying to understand. “I guess?” Deana grinned broadly, and hugged Lilly tight.     7.   That night, while Lilly was asleep, Deana snuck into the bathroom. In advance, Deana had taken the broken Dreamcatcher and placed it in the bathroom. Deana made certain the bath was empty, the door was locked, and she was nude. She cautiously crawled into the bathtub and lay down. She held onto the bathtub handles, tightly. She rested her head on the inflatable bathtub pillow. Her heart raced with exhilaration. After several minutes, the Dreamcatcher glowed again, and the light went out. The bathtub changed into a crimson monster, and mouths trapped Deana’s hands. Deana’s heart raced wildly – she knew her lover might soon arrive. She had felt her legs being pulled apart, and she put up no resistance. The whole room became flesh pink – with the pulsating veins everywhere. Expectedly, the black tentacle spider climbed out of the Dreamcatcher. Deana’s eyes became slime green once more, and she smiled at her illicit lover. The black spider monster entered the bathtub and held Deana with its tentacles. Deana whined, “Please, make sweet love to me, my master...!” Of course, the monster complied, and it gave Deana a really good fucking.   The End

The transformation was speeding up now, becoming more intense. Kylie felt the change occurring inside of her, as her body started to fill out, becoming more feminine. The changes were painful, and she felt her muscles cramping as she struggled against the forceful urge, deep within her body, to become more female. Then she gave in, and let the transformation blossom. Her limbs softened, her muscles lost what definition Samira's had retained, and her body began to round out with soft curves and fuller hips. Her breasts swelled up as well, growing larger and heavier until they hung from her chest like ripe melons ready for picking. Her hair was even longer now, falling around her breasts and back, but it had lightened to a platinum blonde. She moaned in pleasure as she felt her sex opening up and stretching into an engorged, plump mound. She felt the warmth in her loins build, and suddenly she felt a trickle of excitement, and then a flood of wetness leaking out from her vagina and dribbling down between her legs. The warmth in her loins intensified until it became a burning heat that spread throughout her entire body. She was even smaller, smaller than she'd been since she was a child; she felt simultaneously weak and helpless, and more adult, sensual. Meanwhile, Sam was grunting with a nearly bestial tone as his body grew more masculine than Kyle's had ever been. His shoulders rippled with lean muscle mass as they broadened and widened his arms. His legs lengthened with powerful calf muscles that bulged beneath his pants as his feet stretched, bursting open Samira's stockings, which he'd forgotten to remove. His torso grew wider and broader, and his chest expanded with dense, muscular pecs that jutted out proudly from his shoulders. His abdomen rippled with hard abdominal muscles, giving him a washboard stomach. His biceps flexed powerfully, forming huge bulging arms with massive deltoids that stood proud atop his shoulders. He ripped off the remains of his clothes, standing huge and naked, his penis erect with a throbbing hardness that was already reaching eight inches in length. Kylie's small form was swallowed up by her old body's clothes. She pulled off the oversized gym shorts, revealing her milky-hued, rounded ass and legs, then lifted Kyle's old t-shirt off, letting her boobs jiggle free. She stood up, fully unclothed, feeling the moisture on her pussy cooling. She was so tiny now, she realized, gazing up at her friend. They both stared at each other for several minutes, each seeing each other for the first time as a stranger of the opposite gender. Kylie was short and petite, barely over five feet, with a slender frame that contrasted with her nearly spherical, heavy breasts and full hips that flared from her tiny waist to create a curvy hourglass shape. Her face was delicate, her eyes almond-shaped and green. Kylie's long, brilliantly blonde hair, high cheekbones and creamy complexion made her look almost angelic. Sam was much taller, with a heavily built physique that tapered down to a muscular set of thighs that glistened with a slick sheen of sweat as they flexed. He looked like a powerful wrestler, and his muscles were hard, looking impossibly toned for brawn that hadn't existed moments before. His face was completely masculine, with a square jaw and a strong, thinly bearded chin under a shock of ebony hair that fell across his tawny forehead. Kylie felt her heart beat faster; what was happening? Why did she suddenly want to sink to her knees and bury her face in his brawny lap? Kylie spoke first, hesitantly. There was nothing of the cool, bad boy demeanor Kyle used to have. "Um... Sam. What--what should I do? You said something... about reversing it?" She peered up at him, wide-eyed. "First thing," said Sam confidently, "I'll need you to help me take care of this." He slapped a hand onto his huge, engorged cock. "Do you think you can do that... are you ready to become a woman?" "What?! I guess so," she said uncertainly. Her heart was pounding frantically in her chest. She was horrified--she'd never thought she'd be touching any cock but her own, much less her best friend's--but she wanted it so badly at the same time. Any resistance she might have felt inside was melting away in the heat of her need. She knelt before him and wrapped her fingers around his member, feeling the pulsing blood vessels within it throb underneath her touch. She couldn't believe how much bigger it was than Kyle's. "What do you want me to do...." she hesitated, then said "...Master?" Sam's cock stiffened even further and bobbed as he heard her address him subserviently. "Get on your knees and suck it," he ordered her. "Make sure it's clean and use your tongue to lick up all the precum oozing out of it." Kylie swallowed nervously as she took Sam's dark, meaty cock in her hands and brought it closer to her lips. She opened wide and stuck out her tongue, letting it slide over the spongy head of his glistening cockhead, savoring the salty taste of his pre-cum dripping from its tip. He groaned and his hips clenched. "Oh my god," he said. "Is this what it's like, getting a blow job? I never knew having a cock was so... intense." "It's okay," she said, trying to sound calm and collected. "I don't mind." She bent forward and kissed the swollen shaft tentatively at first, running her tongue along it as far as she dared. Sam moaned as he felt her soft lips kissing the underside of his rigid pole, sliding down towards his balls. He grabbed her head and pushed it further down onto his dick until he felt her lips pressed firmly against the base of his cock. She let out a gasp as she felt him penetrate her mouth, pushing past her throat until she could feel the back of his cock resting against the roof of her mouth. She gagged slightly as she tried to breathe through her nose but forced herself to relax and accept the intrusion. She kept her eyes closed tightly as he fucked her mouth, enjoying the sensation of being filled up by such a large object. She felt the warmth of his shaft spreading across her tongue and cheeks as she ran her tongue around it, exploring every inch of its surface with her lips and mouth. Sam moaned again as he felt the tightness of her throat constricting around him. He pulled back a little bit and thrust into her mouth once more, holding himself steady as he held her head there with one hand while the other stroked his rapidly hardening cock. "Hold on," Sam said. "I need to come in your virgin pussy." Kylie whimpered a little when he spoke those words and shivered a little bit with fear and anticipation at the same time. She had fantasized about this moment many times but had always imagined it differently. In her fantasies, she was usually taking on a man's role: a girl sucking his cock or letting him fuck her ass, maybe even both at once if she was lucky. She was supposed to be in control, and not the other way around. But here she was on her knees, unable to speak and begging to get fucked by a boy who used to be the girl he'd been friends with since grade school. It was surreal, and exciting, and terrifying at the same time. She thought of herself as a girl, and she was in his power. Sam reached down and turned her around. "Get on all fours, Kylie. Like a good girl." "Yes Master," she whispered obediently as she got into position. She put her hands on the floor behind her and felt the cold tiles press against her palms as she leaned forward onto all fours. "I want to be your good girl." Sam grinned wickedly and grabbed her hips as he positioned his dick between her thighs. He rubbed it up and down her slit as he slid it slowly into her pussy, watching with satisfaction as his fat, thick cock sank deeper into her tight young body. He watched as she wiggled her hips and pushed back against him as he penetrated her, making her feel every inch of him entering her body. He smiled as he felt her pussy squeezing and gripping onto him as he buried himself into her depths, feeling her walls spasm around him as her juices leaked out from her cunt onto the floor. "You're mine now," he growled as he pulled out and plunged back inside her again, slamming his cock deep inside her hot, wet hole. It was like nothing Kylie had ever felt before, or ever expected to feel. The moment Sam's cock had touched her pussy lips, she'd felt an electric thrill run through her body. The instant she felt his enormous erection enter her body, she felt her insides clench around him like a vice, drawing him in deeper with every stroke. She was frantic to get him deeper, wiggling her hips so she could push back against him as he drove his hard rod in and out of her. She felt so full, and yet still empty at the same time. She needed to feel more of his cock in her body, and she begged for it eagerly. "Oh god, Sam! Breed me!" she screamed. "I'm so fucking horny right now I'm going to cum just from this!" He laughed as he heard her pleas for him to fuck her harder, faster. He slammed his cock into her again and again, driving it in until he bottomed out inside of her. He gripped her hips tightly and pounded her from behind, grabbing her blonde mane with one hand and pulling it roughly so that she would yank her head back in time with his thrusts. He grabbed her tits with the other hand and squeezed them together painfully, pinching her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. Kylie squealed with pain as he twisted the hard points of her nipples mercilessly, making her cry out louder than she intended to. He continued to pound into her furiously, his face contorted in a snarl as he looked down at the girl beneath him and saw only a whore. A piece of trash that belonged to him now. "You're mine now," he snarled again, looking down at Kylie's trembling form as she lay helplessly on the floor below him. She was so small compared to him; barely five feet tall and thin like a rail, with tits like melons and hips that widened out into a bubble butt. "You'll always be my slut." He grabbed hold of her hair and flipped her over onto her back, then mounted her, sitting down on top of her with his knees spread apart. He grabbed her wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head, holding her there with ease. He began to grind his hard cock in and out of her pussy, rubbing it across her clit with every motion. She moaned desperately, writhing beneath him, desperate for release. "Oh yes! Fuck me! Fuck me!" she cried. "I can't stand it anymore! I need you to fill me up!" "I know you do," he said calmly, staring down at her flushed face. "That's why you're my bitch." He lifted himself off of her body enough to grab a tube of lubricant from the nightstand drawer beside the bed and squirt some into his palm. Kylie gasped excitedly as she watched him smear it all over his big, fat cock, coating it completely in slippery liquid. Then he lowered himself back down onto her body and plunged his cock deeply into her wet hole. She screamed out in ecstasy as she felt every inch of his cock slide into her burning pussy, stretching her open wider than she'd ever been stretched by anything. She writhed and shook uncontrollably beneath him as he impaled her repeatedly, burying his entire length in her each time. She came quickly after that first time he fucked her, shaking violently under him as she felt her orgasm crash over her. She felt like she was exploding inside as wave upon wave of pleasure rolled through her body, leaving her weak and breathless. Sam grunted loudly as well as he felt Kylie shudder and quake beneath him, riding out the waves of intense euphoria that washed over her. He kept his cock buried in her as long as he could manage it, but finally he felt it twitch inside of her as his own climax overtook him too. "Oh shit," he groaned as he felt the first spurt of semen shoot out into Kylie's womb. The first shot was followed by two more in quick succession before he released all of his pent-up seed deep inside her belly. Kylie felt Sam's cock swell up inside of her as he filled her up with his cum, feeling a sudden rush of heat and moisture fill up her cunt. He felt like a volcano erupting as he fired load after load of sperm into her fertile womb. She was surprised at how much cum he actually produced; it was as if his balls were full of hot liquid that just kept coming out of him, even as he emptied them into her. Kylie had never felt anything so unbelievably erotic in her life, so out of her control. "Oh my god," she whispered, her eyes wide as she felt the warmth of his cum flood into her. Was this really what sex felt like for girls? Or just for naughty little whores like the woman she'd become? "Fucking hot," he said breathlessly, emptying the last of his seed into her womb. He collapsed on top of Kylie with a groan. He rested on top of her chest with his weight pressing down on her, smearing their combined juices everywhere. They lay there silently for a few minutes, letting the afterglow wash over them, and then Sam rolled off of her body. "Yeah... okay, it's starting again." Kylie felt a mixture of relief and loss as her new body started to change once more, growing and filling out with muscle. Her breasts were no longer huge, just large; then they were a pleasant handful, and shrank and flattened further. Her hips became narrow, male, and her limbs lengthened and strengthened to their former shape. Finally, Kyle's cock popped out from between her legs as her vulva closed. He was returning to his former self, his hair short and brown, his facial features no longer Kyllie's delicate, tiny visage. Why did he feel so strange now, though? He felt something missing inside of himself; she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it had all happened so quickly. And was over so soon. There was a naked girl next to him, he realized. Something that would have sent every neuron in his limbic system firing just an hour before. It was Samira, her caramel-colored breasts bouncing free as she sat up, her curves jiggling as she reached for her clothes. "I need to get out of here," she said as she dressed quickly and efficiently. "But where are you going? What do we do now?" Kyle scratched his head, still shaking off the feelings of being weak and helpless. Samira looked at her sadly. "To start our lives again, I guess. And unless you want that to happen all over, be careful of what you take pictures of next time, okay?" Kyle bit his lip, gazing up at her with a hint of Kylie's wary, inviting expression. "What if... I want it to happen all over?" he asked. "Then take another picture of my cunt," Samira replied without hesitation. "Just don't make any copies. Or just ask me next time. I might just say yes... and make you my bitch again." She winked, with a kick of her heel. He gasped at the thought. Samira stood up and walked towards the door, glancing back over her shoulder as she left. "Kyle..." she started to say. "Yeah?" He was reaching for his pants now too. "I liked that. Your cunt... felt great." She was looking at him with surprising intensity. He blushed madly. "You're... not supposed to say things like that." She shrugged, turning away from him and walking out the front door. She glanced back one last time before closing the door behind her. "See you around, Kylie." KrakenRiderEmma That's it! This is a short series. If you enjoyed this story, Emma would love it if you left a comment and/or rating! Also, check out the other KrakenRiderEmma tale in the same universe: the much longer serial Succubated! by the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old Demoness. What... you want to know what happened to Samira and Kyle? Whether they get together again? Well... it's always possible they'll cross paths with the characters of Succubated sooner or later! (But probably not until the second volume of that story. No, really! We have to post the rest of Volume 1 first.)

I looked back and found Marco sitting naked-chest clutching a bottle of cheap brown liquor that was almost half empty. Next to him, Kevin took out a red box with white gradient from his shirt pocket. He then opened the box and took out a cigarette. "You want?" He pushed the cigarette box toward me, while his other hand aimed the cigarette to his mouth. He offered me a cigarette, but I'm not in the mood to smoke right now. "The smoke will interfere my sight later" "You can open the window, man." "Here, let me take one" Marco, who had been cool with the bottle in his hand, began to interrupt. Kevin then shoved his cigarette box and Marco took a stick. "Where's the lighter?" I then opened a box in front of the seat beside me and took out a lighter with its body made of yellow transparent plastic. "Here is a lighter" Toss it backwards, Marco quickly catch it, then he watched the lighter as he flipped it. "Cheap lighter" "That's not important, the important thing is that can light your cigarette" "Yeah" He said then stuck his cigarette in his mouth and started lighting it with the lighter. "Here" "Thanks" Receiving a lighter from Marco, Kevin also did the same thing as Marco. A blue light came out of nowhere through my car which made me turn up the radio volume and increase the speed of my car. "What's wrong? There's no need to panic, it's just a cops on patrol" Kevin, who realized it, looked back and saw a white sedan with blue stripes and the words 'POLICE' in black adorning the sides. "Yeah you're right" Yes, there's no need to panic, it's just the police on patrol, there's nothing to worry about. I peeked in the rearview mirror and found a police car with a sirens blinking several times, and slowly, the blue light started to fade as the police car started to move away. The smell of cigarette attacks my nose which makes me crinkle my forehead. "How much did you guys suck?" "2" "6" As expected, especially Kevin who is an addict. No wonder it smells like tobacco here. Well, I don't hate it tho, I love it. Somehow this smell can make me relax. "Hey Marco, can you pass that bottle?" "Sure, here you go" Without taking my eyes off the street, I reached out with my left hand and picked up the bottle Marco passed. Shaking it up for a while, I then drank it and bitter sweet taste flowed down my throat. (It's refreshing) At least it refreshed my dry throat. "C'mon pass it to me" I then handed the bottle to Kevin but Marco interrupted and took the bottle before Kevin could reach it. "Nope, it's almost empty" "I gave you a cigarettes earlier" "Two cigarettes is not worth this" "All right, you want more?" "Yeah give me three more" "Tch, you're greedy" I just listened to it from the front, focused on the road. Do not join their conversation. Slowly the sky that had been dark began to change with a yellow light coming between the dark sky. (It's about the time huh?) I then took a right turn and entered a mini-market parking lot that was still closed. I could see the parking lot lights reflecting off the light emerging from the rising sun. I closed my eyes enjoying this moment. And slowly with the sun starting to rise, the sound behind me also started to die down until finally the sound completely disappeared with the sun removing all the darkness in the sky. All that I heard now is the sound of the radio and the engine sound of a car parked in this quiet place. I then opened my eyes and smiled melancholy, remembering what I just went through. (It’s fun….. at least) Until I felt my eyes getting heavy with my consciousness also starting to leave my body. (Good night)

What is a hero? When asked this question, many people struggle to define what it means to be a hero. An individual who puts themselves in danger to save others, or a person who fights for the protection of others or of society as a whole. I've had these questions circling around in my head since I was a kid. Supernatural stories fascinated me, and if there was a monster or villain, a hero would come swooping in to save the day. Who, though, in the eyes of a soldier, assumes the mantle of a hero? No one.  On the battlefield, no one is invincible; any second, a stray bullet could render your body still and your eyesight useless. When your side appears to be losing, it is common for you to completely lose your cool as a soldier. This is an ideal circumstance for me. At the ripe old age of 23, it's safe to assume that I've reached my physical and mental peak. My body is strong, my hair is short and faded, and my bangs are swept behind my ears; my eyes are so dark and serious that they would frighten off any hungry predator. A model of perfection in a soldier. The countries of Boona and Cane have been at war with one another as of late. Both of their militaries are formidable. As luck would have it, I entered this world in the little nation of Nibua, which sits smack in the middle between the two giants. Nibua is a lowly third world nation with a currency value that is just shy of the global median. What's more, the fact that it can produce new human beings appears to be the country's main redeeming feature. In other words, the country's population has grown to the point where it outnumbers the landmass. The state of the country is, needless to say, hopeless. Okay, I'm screwed. Where I ought to be is amongst college students, gawking at the ladies and, if I'm lucky, feasting on them. What's more, I'm confident in my ability to succeed. When I look at myself, I see a very gorgeous man. If I were a woman, I'd want to be with me. But it was all for naught, as the opportunity to enjoy that sweetness was lost. The war has deprived me of even the most basic pleasures. My peak of life, my youth. The whole thing is very tragic. Nibua mandated that all men over the age of 18 serve in the armed forces and become "heroes" for the society. A hero? What exactly am I expected to do with that label “? If I gave up my perfect existence in this shithole nation, would I get paid? Which would be more likely: ladies or fame? No. Anyway, it's irrelevant. For the simple reason that right now. I’m fucked.  The tone of battle was often lightened in films and television shows. Simply pointing the rifle at the enemy seems like the simplest solution. Bullshit. The countless hours I spent perfecting my skills at the joystick and keyboard in Apex Heroes were for waste. We are under intense pressure. I could feel the mood of my fellow soldiers turning grim. Damn… …I think this is it. As expected, this happened. We were cornered after a crushing defeat. All of our arms were bound together. Assembled in a straight line Consecutive coughs from the pistol emitted bloody corpses. The sluggish passage of time has made the mounting tension of anticipation seem all the more intense. I began to experience philosophical ramblings. What exactly are these so-called "heroes"? Heroes in cartoons were depicted as appearing at the last possible moment. However, truth and fiction are vastly different. That can't be right. This is totally unfair. All I wanted to do in my twenties was have a good time. Just to have fun, be well-liked, and have attractive women clamoring to be with me was a goal of mine. Those agonizing sit-ups I had to do to obtain those washboard abs that blinded everybody. I was unable to share them with others. I would have loved to have been an actor if I hadn't been born in this sorry excuse for a country. One who stars in movies and is known for being funny, romantic, and charismatic. My hopes and expectations have been completely discarded. ...and above all else. As of yet, I have not had a sexual encounter with anyone. Please, if fiction is true, grant me a second opportunity. It's a rebirth in which I play a central role. The one with the harem, all of whom I would like to sleep with. The wealthy hero. If I were a hero, I would... I would make a terrible hero. Inherently corrupt and greedy for success in love and the limelight. Fuck yeah, I'm kidding. I despise the idea of having to play the role of a hero. I couldn't think straight since so many ideas were flooding my brain. It was then that I realized a gun barrel was aimed squarely at my head. It went off with a bang. A haze is forming before my eyes. At that moment, I realized my life was over. …or should’ve So why the hell am I staring into the eyes of a hideous, frightening, ringed creature with wings? A feminine voice, somewhat warped, spoke to me from within. The "...selected one" “You have been chosen” "Our Lord has appointed you." In all honesty, that creature has a surprisingly charming voice. What, though, does it mean that I have been selected? Selected as a sacrificial victim? Certainly not; I was a good man. For the good of my country, I gave my life. Or forced to. I questioned "Preferred for what..." When questioned, it gave a reply. "To save us, as the saying goes." What? Savior? Does that imply? To put it another way, you're casting me as a In the wake of that, this happened. "You have been singled out as the hero of our world. Fuck. 

The frightening entity spoke in a cute and charming voice, telling me that I was selected to be the rescuer or "hero" of their own world. A single tear trickled down my cheek, leaving a thin, horizontal streak of moisture across my face. Because of happiness? No. Nothing to do with the fact that a brand new world has given me a new beginning. Had it been just that at first, I probably would have cried. The sheer joy I would have had is enough to make me want to jump for joy. But A tear unexpectedly dropped because... I was cast as the hero A position and a title I loathe with all my being. Because I was coerced into serving in the military of my pitiful country, I met an untimely end. Some people may tell you that if you join the military, you will become a hero. Never did I aspire to be one; I was quite happy being the attractive, muscular man I was. The reality I had hoped for was shattered. I was fuming with rage, wondering, "Again? Surely I'll perish if I take on this responsibility. Are you telling me that I would have another roadblock placed in the way of my second chance? Absolutely not. My self-assurance grew and I fully immersed myself in the experience. I addressed the circling eyes on wings in a casual manner. I'm confused as to what you mean. "You're not being as unreasonable as you think you are." "I have no say in the matter." When questioned, it gave an answer. “Do you mean you're turning down the part?” To which I quickly replied. "Obviously, don't you think you're being unfair" "I'm fairly sure you'll be able to locate a far better suited person for that role." A hush fell over the room. There was complete silence in the distorted white void I found myself in. The silence was deafening.  The strange figure in front of me began trembling. The atmosphere was growing increasingly intense and constricting under my skin. Instinctively, I took three steps back. Then, I began to take some deep breaths. Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. All of a sudden, it started talking. However, it no longer has a voice that is sweet and endearing in a feminine way. It had a voice as terrifying as its appearance only added to the terror. As its rings began spinning at high speed, it spoke. “You…dare” "...dare to go against the will and judgment of my lord?" “If so.” “If that's what you really want to do.” “If such happens, your chance of gaining a second chance in a new world shall be severed earlier than intended." Simply put, I froze. My voice gave out. When I was alive, I considered myself among the bravest of the brave. I was under the impression that courageous people are admired. However, I am now staring at a monstrosity the likes of which I have never seen. It was hopeless; I could do nothing. I noticed that it started to move. There were no legs on it, yet I'm sure it walked. Like a starfish or a human in translucent balloon shoes, it walked on its tiptoes. And all the while, its wings were cracking and twisting. It turned its many eyes on me, which were scattered out throughout its body. Not batting an eye for even a second. Although it had no mouth, I could still make out its grin. Laughter came from within it. I was paralyzed with terror as it walked steadily toward me. It horrified me. Shockingly frightened. And so, desperately needing to save face, I sprang into motion and spoke. That one word was all I could muster. “Hero.” That's when it ceased. “I’ll…do-it” The tension in the air was gradually diminishing. And its voice took on an adorable, feminine tone once more. And it spoke back. “Wise choice.” “Then I'll just drop you down on our planet.” "Hearikea's world." “Are you prepared to go?” “There will be no more delay.” Whoa, hold up. Not even a brief overview or history of Hearikea. However, I simply could not bring myself to say it. The creature freaked me out so badly, it was ridiculous. Nervously, I gave a response. “Y-yes.” A response was given by it. "Have no fear; I will accompany you on your journey." Great. So it’ll be long huh. Fantastic, in fact, I feel like I might cry. I guess I need to get close to it if I want to have a good interaction with it. I really hope it doesn't get all tense and frantic again. My question was directed to the mysterious figure. “Before we enter your realm, may I ask a question?”“Please tell me your name.” “You know, since we’ll be together from now on”. Even though it had no human characteristics, I had the impression that it was surprised and even pleased when I asked what it was called. It replied. “Mireya”.  Instantly upon pronouncing its own name. The world went dark for me. This has to be it. Transition from one world to another. Forced to take on a heroic role. Unfortunate. Making negotiations with Mireya didn't appear to be going anywhere. Well, there was obviously no turning back at this point. I'll just do the bare minimum to get by. I'm prepared to make the most of my second chance. I am prepared to take on the challenges of this new world. I think.

The year was 3045, it was 10 years after the fall. The fall meant the fall of mankind from the kingly position it had at the top of the ecological pyramid They came suddenly, destroying cities after cities, the dungeons that is. Man had decided to call them that since they acted as a prison for the monsters that lay within them. Unfortunately this prison had no warden and from time to time a dungeon break would occur which was what led to the destruction of cities, as savage monsters of different species and sizes poured into cities destroying all in their wake. Hot weapons did little to no damage to the monsters and so man used its most powerful weapon, the nuclear bomb. But that just made matters worse, the monsters grew resistant to it while normal animals affected by the miasma released from the monsters evolved with the help of the radiation into savage blood thirsty beasts knowing nothing but destruction and slaughter while led on by their primal instincts. The nuclear bombs also laid ruin to whatever they touched thereby causing massive wasteland. All hope seemed lost until 2 years after the dungeons had first appeared, the first group of awakeners were born. They said they had awakened superpowers suddenly a year after the dungeons appeared and the government had been training them and they were finally done with their preliminary training. They established the Awakeners Association with the help of the government, it was a body that oversaw dungeons and the awakened and assigned dungeon clearing missions. It was after the awakened started dungeon hunting that they got in-depth knowledge of  the dungeons and they discovered how to measure how dangerous a dungeon was through mana wavelengths, the science oriented unit of the Association invented devices to give appropriate star ratings to dungeons based on how dense their mana were. There were one stars through ten. 1 Star-Minimum Danger, 2 Star-Slightly Dangerous, 3 Star-Dangerous, 4 Star-Green Danger,5 Star-Blue Danger, 6 Star-Yellow Danger,7 Star-Red Danger, 8 Star-Fatal, 9 Star-Country Annihilation, 10 Star-Planetary Annihilation. After the awakened cleared the Dungeons they received money, weapons and forging materials. There were all sorts of powerful weapons in the dungeons and materials to forge powerful weapons were available options too. So far the highest found dungeon was a 7 Star-Red Danger. It was cleared after the Four Great Powers sacrificed  a lot of awakeners to clear that was a situation that reminded humans of the dangers of dungeons. The Four Great Powers were; The Holy Light Empire, The Lunarian Empire, The Terratrius Empire Empire, The Dark Empire. The Lunarian Empire was the strongest of the Four Great Powers because the first Awakeners Association was made there and the current headquarters was there. They had the highest number of dungeon clears and awakened ones.  The Holy Light Empire and The Dark Empire were always in skirmishes and there rumours of a war brewing. The Four Great Powers were drawn up after the destruction of the world.  The survivors were separated into four different regions by the Awakened for easier protection. The Four Great Powers had a head at the helm of affairs, the most powerful awakened in their Empires. Holy Light Empire-Priestess of Light Angela Zoe, Lunarian Empire-Goddess Selim and The Judge Arthur,  Terrarius Empire-Emperor Aegis and Dark Empire-Emperor Aegis. The rank of Awakened were F-E-D-C-B-A-S-SS-SSS and the heads of the Empires were all SSS ranked, the Lunarian empire had Two Guardians because the Goddess was ruler while the Judge was the head of the Association. The awakeners were supposed to protect the non-awakened while receiving benefits from the government but some let their newfound power get to their heads and used it to oppress the non-awakened. 

A sharp pain in her back caused Melody to roll over, groaning at the uncomfortable feeling as it roused her from sleep. Blearily blinking her eyes she wondered if her phone had gotten lodged behind her on the bus ride home; inwardly berating herself for falling asleep on the bus she reached behind her and tried to grab her phone, her fingers only meeting rough wood. The unfamiliar texture shook the last bits of sleep from her eyes, blinking at the sudden bright light that filled her eyes. The sounds of insects filtered into her ears, serving only to confuse her even further. Stretching out a leg she heard a squelching sound, her eyes finally focusing as she saw that one of her boots was lodged in a puddle of mud and brackish water. ‘Uuugh,” Melody pulled her foot up, trying to shake all the water and mud off of her boots, “I just bought those a couple weeks ago.” She muttered to herself, finally looking around. Trees soared above her head, her hands finding roots behind her that helped her push up to stand, each of the roots that snaked into the ground as tall as she was. The root system for each weaved around each other before joining the trunk of the tree, creating a small hollow space beneath the tree. They looked so similar to the trees that Melody remembered seeing in videos about the Everglades - Mandrakes? Mangroves? The area around the trees matched what she had remembered seeing online; brackish shallow water, murky from the mud bed that it ran over. Large cattail looking plants grew out of the ground, surrounded by red grass that waved in the gentle currents, only barely peeking above the low level of water and crawling up onto any land they could find. There were small paths of packed together mud that wound through the swamp, small islands of looser mud by each tree. As she watched, the wind blew through a patch of cattails, air currents seeming to become trapped in the plays and causing a low level bass tone to echo amongst the trees. “Where am I?” Melody wondered to herself, her voice lost quickly among the towering trees and the sound of insects and birds. A slight weight on her shoulder gave her a sense of relief, her bag still hanging at her hip as she patted it in relief. She had just been on the way home from picking up her prescription, as well as grabbing some snacks and a coffee in preparation for writing a particularly difficult essay that night. A quick check of her bag reassured her that everything was in place, her stomach lightly growling at the sight of the snacks. “Okay,” she felt her foot start tapping the ground, letting out some of the excess anxiety that she was feeling, “Gotta figure out where I am. Then check to see if I have service or data, and take a rough inventory.” As the last word passed her lips a small crackling sound made her startle, letting out a yelp as she moved away from the small distortion in space in front of her. With a pop it seemed to stabilize into a pale blue color - hovering in front of her like a suspended tablet. Black words made their way across the screen, Melody pushing up her glasses and rubbing her eyes as she tried to make sense of what was in front of her. |Inventory: |One bag (analyzing substance…) The screen flashed for a couple seconds before the display stabilized. |Inventory:|One bag (unknown substances) “What in the fuck.” Melody reached out gently, poking the screen - expecting to either pass through or bounce off of it like glass - and instead receiving a slight tingling sensation as her finger went through one of the corners. “Ummm…” She froze, trying to think of what exactly to do in this circumstance. Wracking her brain for answers there was not much that she could come up with; settling on it being some sort of new technology, maybe projection, that had been implanted or attached to her when she was moved to wherever she was now. “Hello?” She called out, a slight echo of her words off of the trees. It stood to reason that if she had some fancy implant in her brain, who ever did it would be nearby right? “Is anyone there? Does this thing have a menu?” The screen flashed in response, the text going blurry for a moment before new words formed and slowly scrolled up the screen. |Menu|Name: Melody|Titles: World Walker|Class: none|Available points: none|Skills: Universal Translation|0% to level 2 “World walker?” Melody blinked in confusion, the screen seeming to take it as a question as it added a definition to the title. |World Walker (title): A soul transfered to the world of Ivernia. Uncommon trait, 5% increase to leveling speed up to class evolution. Included translation skill to ease transition to new environment. She stared blinking at the screen, her mind grinding to a halt slowly as she tried to process the information, certain words sticking out to her. Transfered, Ivernia, leveling speed… The realization slowly dawned on her as she let her head fall back against the tree, letting out a low groan of frustration. Isekaied… she had been isekaied. A few hours had passed in silence, Melody idly kicking her leg as she sat on a root, leaning against the tree behind her and picking her nails. The matte black nail polish that she had just put on that morning was already cracked, flaking off as she picked away at it, lost in a spiral of thoughts. It at least explained the red grass, and the strange birds that she had caught sight of flitting through the trees as she sat there lost in thought. She had heard of games and books like this, mostly from her old group of friends; she still had some of the books stashed under her dorm room bed, thrown there after she got tired of being reminded of that part of her life. She couldn’t resist a bit of frustration that her body was exactly the same as before; if she was going to be trapped in some sort of fantasy she at least wanted some sort of magical assistance to her transition. The menu still remained in front of her, gently flickering as it gave off a blue light that made her homesick for her laptop; and the information occasionally drew her eyes back to it. No class, no points, still level one; at least the only thing she had going for her was a universal translation skill - rendered useless by the fact that no one was around her, in fact she had seen no signs of any people since arriving here. Curious to see what was surrounding her, and deciding that she had spent enough time sitting on her butt, she stood up on the top of the roots. Bracing one arm against the tree she peered over the marshland around her, trying to catch any glimpse of something that could help her. To her right the tree line seemed to thin, receding as the water claimed more land. The left looked the same as where she was now, but seemed to have more tree coverage, the ground there dappled with light that cut through the towering trees. Toward water, or toward more trees? She chewed on her lip as she weighed the options; there was no idea if the swamp suddenly gave way to an ocean, or a bay, or even a wider delta; on the other hand there could be endless swamp, or it could open into a more forest terrain. Forest she could deal with, her aunt had taken her on tons of camping trips as a kid. A small pang shot through her heart as she thought of her aunt - if this really was a whole different world, that means she would be missing back home. Not that there were many people to miss her, a different pang shot through her chest at the thought. Ever since coming out the only people to stick with her was her aunt and her past girlfriend. She was just considering joining up with a few clubs in school, finally able to now that she was out of her house, when she had gotten on the bus. The bus that was the last thing that she remembered. A slight dampness on her cheeks caused her to frantically wipe her face, taking a deep breath as she tried to push away her emotions. She counted down from ten in her mind, trying to time her breaths as she searched for something else for her brain to focus on. Moving. She had to focus on getting up and moving, if anything to keep her mind from thinking of her situation. She pushed off the root, landing in the mud with an uncomfortable squelch. Starting forward Melody tried to keep to the firmer land, her boots still leaving deep imprints in the ground as she pushed forward. She ran through basic survival ideas as she pushed forward. Food - solved for now by the snacks she had in her purse and the takeout she had just had, her tradition after a prescription refill. Water - she had some soda in her bag, that could last her until she figured out if the water here was safe to drink. Shelter - that was the sticking point. Her aunt had tried to teach her how to set up a basic lean-to, but she had been enamored with finding different herbs and plants along the trail that could be used for tea; reading out of a small pocket encyclopedia instead of listening to survival knowledge. The light dimmed and the trees got thicker as the thoughts swirled through her head, the branches creating a thick hanging cover over her that cast spears of light through the canopy. After what felt like several miles she paused, breaking out a bag of chips as she leaned against a tree and took a break. The ground had become more solid, the grass cover thick here and small bushes starting to push up out of the ground and provide more cover. “Just a short break.” She muttered to herself as her legs ached, not used to heavy trekking in nature; it had been a few years since she really got out and went camping with anyone, or got out much at all. Checking her phone revealed that she was right that an hour had passed, though she was unsure if the time she was used to still counted here. Was a day still twenty four hours? The light coming from above had slightly changed, shadows lengthening across the still muddy soil. Rustling from the bushes near the tree snapped her out of her thoughts, whirling to face the noise as her heart hammered in her chest. “Hello?” As she called out the movement halted, Melody taking a tentative step back. Suddenly a small animal rolled out of the bush and let out a raspy cry, similar to the crows that Melody had seen around campus. It was indeed a bird, the size and shape similar to a crow; however the color of the bird seemed to shift in the light, reminding Melody of a piece of Bismuth. The bird fluffed up their feathers, letting out a small caw as they tried to look large, only serving to flash a series of bright colors. One wing came up and shook, the resulting shimmer causing Melody to blink and turn her head before noticing that the other wing was clutched close to the birds chest. It was held at a strange angle, and a small movement of feathers caused a painful cry to come from the bird, shaking them out of the colorful display. “Poor baby.” Melody knelt down, slowly reaching out a hand towards the bird before a sharp cry caused her to pull her hand back. She bit her lip, watching as the bird drew back under a root. Fumbling around in her bag Melody pulled out some scraps of food, holding the edges of a sandwich in her palm as she tried to offer it to the bird again. A tense standoff ensued, Melody resting her hand on the mud in front of the root, the bird tilting their head as they considered the meal in front of them. Just as Melody’s arm was starting to cramp her patience was rewarded, the bird hopping onto her fingers and taking a small bite. Seemingly satisfied they dove into the meal, drawing a giggle from Melody. The way that the light glinted and shifted off of the feathers of the bird captivated her, reminding her of a less harsh version of wearing glasses and looking at a street light. It almost gave the sheen of oil on water, colors dancing around wings. She bent in closer, looking at how the one of the bird’s wings was bent at an unnatural angle. Unconsciously she reached out, the bird freezing in her hand and allowing her to gently touch the injury. “How do I help you?” Melody muttered to herself, leaning back till she was sitting on her heels. Rooting around in her pockets she searched for something that could help bind the wing as the bird finished their meal and hopped up onto her arm and peered curiously at her. Finding nothing there she moved to her purse, grumbling to herself. She paused as she felt her ear buds, pulling out the tangled mess and staring at it. There was no way that she could use them - at least as it was now, with no downloaded music, and no way to get any signal from what she had seen. She looked at the bird, their face tilted in confusion. Keeping an eye on the small bird, who seemed to be content to much away on her sandwich, she pulled out a pencil. Snapping it in half she let out a relieved breath that the bird wasn't startled away. “Okay little buddy,” Melody slowly reached out a hand, trying to move slowly, “I don’t want to hurt you. Will you let me help?” The bird hopped onto her hand, immediately moving up and down her arm as Melody tried to figure out how she was going to stabilize them long enough to create a miniature splint. This was going to be complicated… A few minutes later it turned out that Melody’s prediction was true; she was slumped against a tree, uncaring that her dress was mud stained at this point, trying to breath evenly as her patient nestled down on her head, further messing up her hair. She rolled her eyes upward, watching as the bird hopped down onto her shoulder, letting out a soft rumble of what Melody hoped was appreciation. The off white of her headphone wire, sloppily tied in a little bow, stood out against the birds bright feathers. “I’m glad one of us is happy.” Melody grumbled, her mood quickly evaporating into a smile as she felt the bird lean into the crook of her neck and ruffle their feathers. “Alright, alright, you’re cute you win.” “You need a name.” She scratched the bird under their chin, careful to avoid the makeshift splint. The light had dimmed, now more of a golden twilight, still casting multi-colored shimmers across the birds feathers. She was reminded of her earlier observation as a name popped into her head. “How about Bis?” The bird gave a small trill, hopping up and down as Melody let out a giggle. “I’ll take that as agreement then.” The newly named Bis pecked at her hair, tugging it before jumping down onto the compacted mud below and taking a few tentative hops in one direction. They turned back, tilting their head as Melody blinked in surprise. Bis hopped back over, pecking at her boots laces and continuing to do tiny hops away each time. “You want me to follow you?” Melody sighed, running her hand down her face, grumbling under her breath. “Sure Mel, just follow the random woodland creature. How can that go wrong at all?” Taking another look a round she couldn’t see any end to the trees, or any real change in the environment at all, just more trees and mud. There really weren’t any better options, and at the very least she figured that a bird would know of some sort of shelter for the night. As she followed along the trees started to grow thicker, the brackish water fading away to mud and patches of compact soil. The undergrowth grew thicker, forcing her to push her purse behind her and clear the way with her forearms raised to block her face. For a while that was all she was able to see - thick bushes with the occasional flash of metallic shimmer and chirps letting her know that she was still following Bis. As she pushed through the thick bushes she felt her dress snag on a few branches, making her squirm as sticks poked into her sides. Her arms were held in front of her face, protecting her eyes and hair from getting scratched and tangled. As the bushes ended she burst into a clearing, taking a few stumbling steps when she was met with less resistance. Bis let out a series of low trills, Melody shooting them a look as she tried to comb leaves from her hair with her fingers. When she looked up she felt a wave of relief crash over her; there was, in an almost comical expression of fantasy tropes, a small house that had somehow merged with a towering mangrove tree - the roots weaving tight walls, perfectly surrounding dirty glass windows like they were always supposed to be there. “Whoa…” Melody took a hesitant step forward, her eyes darting around and taking in as much as she could. There was a compacted dirt path leading from the clearing, trees forming arches that cast everything in light shade. All along the trunk of the tree were boxes, plants flowing from them in a waterfall of roots and leaves. The door was cracked open, vines crawling along the joints and forming a thick curtain that crept like a green carpet into the house. As she watched, several of the shimmering birds flitted from overhead to sit on the branches that grew out of the house, immediately launching into a series of whistles as Bis hopped in front of them, mimicking the noises. Standing still for a moment must have reminded her body that she had been walking for hours, her legs suddenly protesting standing as she took a few hesitant steps towards shelter. “Hello?” She called out as she started nearing the house, the birds growing quite as Bis hopped closer to her. “Is anyone home?” She reached the door, gently pushing it as the wood flaked at her touch, swinging open and scraping the floor. “Okay, mysterious house in the middle of the woods, woodland creatures, and I…” Melody’s mumbling was cut off by her stomach, the rest of her body starting to come down from an adrenaline rush that she didn’t even know she was feeling, “Really need to eat.” She finished with a sigh, watching as Bis hopped through the threshold of the house, chirping expectantly. Melody inched towards the door, reaching out and pushing a clump of vines away from the door, allowing light to stream through into a wide open space inside. The light played with the dust that hung in the air, Melody swallowing before she called out. “Hello?” She moved further in, letting the vines fall behind her as she took in the small house. “Is anyone there?” she rubbed her arm anxiously as she looked around. The main room took up almost all of the space; there were a few couches haphazardly placed in the center, surrounding a low wooden table made of a dark purple wood. One corner was dedicated to a large wood burning stove, ash spilling out of the front grate and pooling around the floor beneath it. Two large benches - set about chest high - jutted from the walls on either side of the stove, strewn with glass vials, half wilted plants, and open books. As her heels slightly turned, creaking against the wood of the floor, she saw a large indented space that went into the wall, a drape attached to the wall and obscuring what was inside. Melody cleared her throat, reaching a hesitant hand outward toward the drape. “Please don’t jump scare me, not today.” She mumbled, gripping onto the fabric and pushing it to the side. The space was empty - at least of people; there was a large bed set into the tree itself, pilled high with knit blankets and pillows. One of the legs of the bed was replaced with books, parchment scrolled out like a red carpet leading her to the bed. Bismuth hopped past her, awkwardly flapping up to one of the bed posts and letting out gentle warble. Melody smiled softly letting out a low sigh as her legs started to feel the ache of walking. She blinked, holding her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to fight off a yawn; she had no real idea how long the day had been, it could have been a few hours, or it could have been a whole earth day - with no phone, no watch, and her already being pretty tired from the day before. Her knees started to tremble, the emotions finally kicking in now that she found shelter; that one task was what had been keeping her somewhat anchored as the rest of her thoughts finally kicked in. This was a whole new place - no friends, no phone, no Internet, only a few months supply of medication… Almost unconsciously she stumbled forward, her knees hitting the edge of the bed as her body gave in and flopped onto it. The multiple layers of soft blankets caused her to sink at least a few inches into the bed, her muscles relaxing in relief. She groaned into the blankets, trying to push down the rush of anxiety that was creeping in. Melody could feel a headache coming on, a mixture of stress and exhaustion. A small weight settled on her shoulder, letting out a muffled laugh as she felt tiny talons poke her and a much more comforting warmth of feathers press against her neck. “Thanks Bis.” She reached up, scratching the birds head as she felt a yawn push through all of the other feelings. A warm calm came over her as she mumbled out half a sentence, “Tomorrow, we gotta get food, and water…” Her voice trailed off as she fell asleep, missing the blue window that popped up over her head, casting the room in pale light. | Familiar bond formed with Shimmer Crow Bismuth

The Beginning of It All; Ch. 0: [Prologue to Impending Clusterfuck]     Hello there; whoever is reading this: My name is Bertonius Jaichovasky, a 20 yrs. old looking man with blue-red heterochromia, white hair and a founder of the Bertonyka Armada, a military force with technology comprising of sci-fi and magi-tech. The armada's home planet is Bertonia and it's moon: Bertonius XII which is a staple of the Armada. Now then, how did I end up here in this vast, yet blank space? Let me tell you a story of clusterfucked (literally) proportions with simple beginnings.   [Location: Jaichovasky's Office]   As I take a sip of my cappuccino while sitting in my office, looking at a vast cyberpunk-like city run by mana...   "Hello, founder." As the unknown person opened and closed the door behind it a few seconds later.   "Hello there, Sergei. Mind giving me the news?" I said while turning to meet the unknown man.   "Some are demanding one year of vacation, and I suggest you should have one too. You've been on the battlefield for 150,000 years."   Sergei's right, i've been on the battlefield for 150,000 years, just like he said. I guess a vacation won't be so bad right now.   "Mmhm... Sure, i guess i'll take that offer, and while i'm away; mind if you run the armada at my stead?"   "Very well, founder; enjoy your vacation."   As Sergei left the room and as I finish my cup of cappucino, a blank, glowing white orb appeared in my vision. . . . "What the absolute fuck?"     [Continued in 1: A Untimely Send To The Blankspace]

Once upon a time, in a foreign world in a noble family, there was a girl. Her hair was white as snow, her skin pale as a ghost's, and her eyes a glassy white. Her strange appearance earned her family's scorn, and the only things she knew were hate, disgust, the walls of her room, the barred window... and her reflection in the mirror. Being rejected by everyone she knew, she turned to her reflection in her loneliness - treating her reflection as one might treat a friend... or family. It was from this point onwards that she was treated as a lunatic. But so long as she stayed within her room, not taking a single step outside, no one cared. If they left her alone long enough, the problem that she was might just take care of itself. But she never felt alone. And so, one day, they decided to resort to more drastic measures. "Mirror, mirror on the wall..." A tender voice fills the empty room, as the girl's pale and slim hand caresses the mirror. "...who do I like the most of them all?" She chuckles a few seconds later. "That's right, of course, it's you. That was an easy one. Then, next is... mirror, mirror-" The room's door burst open in the middle of her sentence, interrupting her as she looked towards the door with frightened eyes. Usually, when the door opens, she gets beaten. But they aren't here to beat her today. She is confused and scared as they grab her. Then, as they pull her out of the room, she panics - casting frantic gazes towards the mirror, begging her reflection to help her. To save her. To come with her. But a reflection is a just reflection, a mirror is just a mirror. No one answers. Within minutes she is dragged into a cell in the depths of the mansion, that daylight never reaches. As those that dragged her here leave, so does the light of their torch, leaving the girl in absolute darkness. With trembling fingers, she searched her pockets before finally finding and pulling out a small handheld mirror - but without light, there are no reflections. But she still called out, again and again, for anyone to help her. To be there with her. To not be alone. But she remained alone in the dark. And so, finally, the girl grabbed a knife and set its cold edge against her wrist. Just as she wanted to cut open her vein, a bright light flooded the cell. The girl closed her eyes, blinded by the light - and as she opened them again, she found herself under a clear blue sky, with a light breeze brushing against her face as grass tickles her legs. This girl is called Alba Puer. This is her story. The story of a lonely girl finding freedom in another world. She looks down at her mirror, and her face smiles back up at her. Well, maybe not quite so lonely. She stands up, brushing some dirt off her dress as she casts a thoughtful gaze around the area. Everything she sees is new. From the sky, to the clouds, to the grass. So it doesn't come as quite as much of a surprise to her that she is on a flying island - she simply assumes that flying islands are normal. Still, this doesn't reduce her curiosity in the slightest. She shuffles around the area, touching this and that, then tossing a small rock off the island, watching it grow smaller and smaller until it disappears from her view. After playing around with the surroundings until her curiosity is sated, she turns back towards her reflection. "Where do you think we should go next?" "The south, you say? I'm not sure which direction that is in..." "Oh, that way? Thank you! Let's start walking then." With a cheerful skip in her step, she starts walking, eager to see and experience more new things.

Announcement Hello! This is my first time putting anything on Scribblehub, so it's going to be fairly short and sweet. And silly. I hope you enjoy it.   The room was quiet and comfortable, a ring of sofas and beanbags surrounding a low table on which various snacks had been placed. It was looking good, Emily thought. She was still nervous, this was the first time she’d run any kind of group by herself and there’d been almost a complete turnover between last year and this. But the university had a good reputation for inclusivity, and that meant a lot of queer and trans people, and a lot of new queer and trans people. Enough that a group solely for the transgender students was entirely viable.  If she could make it through without panicking. That was admittedly quite a big ask.  There was a knock on the door to the meeting room. Emily looked up to see a face in quite heavy gothic makeup peering around the door.  “Is this the right place?” the new arrival said, “I’m new here.” Emily smiled. “Yes of course! I’m Emily, she/her pronouns. I’m the Coordinator this week while Jamie’s out sick,” she said cheerfully, hiding her internal screams of anxiety. “Oh cool,” the new arrival said as she sat down on a beanbag in a corner. “I’m also Emily, also she/her.” Emily laughed. “It’s a common name for trans-femme people, I guess.” Then the other Emily, resplendent in black and lace, vanished into her phone to wait for other people, and Emily...the coordinator Emily (she was going to have to work out how to handle this, names were important after all)...was left re-arranging the snacks and checking her watch every thirty seconds. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait for long. “Hi!” came a voice from the door as a tall woman with a cane limped into the room. “Ooo snacks do you have anything gluten-free?” Emily the Coordinator nodded. “Yeah. But don’t eat them yet please, we’re still waiting for people. I’m Emily, I’m the co-” “Oh I’m Emily too! I stole my boyfriend’s deadname when he transitioned and he took min, it was great!” the new girl said, bubbling with an energy that other Emilys could only dream of having. “Same,” said Goth Emily from the corner. Emily the Coordinator paused. “...How do I manage names when there’s three Emilys?” “For now,” Goth Emily added, as the newly arrived and extremely enthusiastic Emily reviewed the snack selection. “It’s a common name for trans girls, after all.” “There can’t be that many,” Emily the Coordinator said. There was a knock at the door.  “Hi! Come in!” said Emily the Enthusiastic, to the relief of Emily and Emily, who were respectively dreading and anticipating with silent glee what would happen next. “Hi everyone!” called a girl with a strong accent from somewhere in North America. “I’m Emily from Colorado and this is my friend Emily, also from Colorado! She’s just started transitioning so-” She paused. “Is something wrong?”     Emily the Enthusiastic was giggling as the eleventh and final Emily entered the room, hand-in-hand with a red-haired French exchange student. She’d been going since Emily number six had arrived, pausing only to write a neat and careful ‘EMILY’ on each and every adhesive name tag and hand them out to the group, and showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Emily the Coordinator already knew this one, a second-year doing Architecture. She’d had conflicting lectures for last year, so they hadn’t had any of this before. “Oh, hi Emily!” the Architect Emily said, to Goth Emily’s silent joy and Emily the Enthusiastic’s very not silent mirth.  A chorus of greetings came from everyone in the room, startling the two newcomers. As they looked around to a sea of identical name-tags, Emily the Coordinator cleared her throat.  “Please. Please tell me you haven’t brought another Emily,” she said, as Quiet Emily (a first-year Masters student who’d had some realisations over the break) held out a pair of name tags. They both read ‘Emily’. The Architect blinked, then smiled at the Coordinator as she took one of the two stickers. “Oh no. She’ll need a blank one. Her name isn’t Emily.” “Oui!” the french girl said, a mischievous smile on her face. “Je m’appelle Emilie.” Silence. “So. Emily then,” said Goth Emily, flatly. “It’s spelled differently!” Emilie objected, backed up by her girlfriend.  “Okay, we do have non-Emilys in the group,” Emily the Coordinator said, checking her phone. “They’re just not here right now,” an Emily at the back of the room said. “Yes. So we have me, Goth Emily, Emily the Enthusiastic, American Emily and Other American Emily, Geology Emily-” Geology Emily cleared her throat. “You mean The Emily who Rocks,” she said loudly. There was a chorus of groans. Emily the Coordinator glared at her and kept going. “Quiet Emily, Loud Emily, Science Emily…” An Emily in a labcoat nodded agreement. How she’d managed to keep it on around the campus without being told off by someone Emily the Coordinator had no idea. “...Non-Binary Emily, Architect Emily, and Emilie,” Emily the Coordinator finished. “Right.” She paused.  “I was going to do introductions and discussions but I think we’d need a spreadsheet.” “Oh I do spreadsheets!” said Emily the Enthusiastic.  “Please don’t add a Spreadsheet Emily to the Emily Spreadsheet.” Geologist Emily (or possibly The Emily who Rocks) said, deadpanning. “It might get confusing.” Emily the Coordinator slumped forward, head in both hands against the table.  “Why…” “We could go for lunch and work out the names thing later?” Quiet Emily said, quietly. A chorus of relieved agreement rippled through the room.  Emily the Coordinator stood up slowly. “Okay! Right! This is the first meeting of the trans social group, we’ve split off from the queer group this year but you’re welcome in both. We haven’t worked out what to call it yet-” “Emily?” Non-binary Emily suggested. “It is a very common-” “No. But we’ll work that out later and do a spreadsheet and discussions and talk about what we want to do as a group this year. I’m Emily, I’m your Coordinator and that’s the end of the formal meeting,” she said. Jamie wouldn’t be impressed, but he wasn’t here. “Let’s go to the cafe. I need a burger.”     Emily the Coordinator had calmed down by the time everyone had made it to the main cafe on campus and gone through the lines one-by-one after her. The Emilys had found a corner section,easily able to fit the entire group, and the social discussion she’d hoped would happen in the meeting proper was now well underway. She’d just say she moved the meeting here. No one would blame her. It was working well now and that’s what mattered, she thought.  It wasn’t the icebreaker she’d planned, but she’d take it. The first plate of food approached in the arms of one of the waitresses, laden with agria fries and the cafe’s signature burger. Her favourite meal here, and something the place was well-known for on campus. “Burger for Emily?” the waitress said. “Yes,” came a chorus from around the table, with one loud “Oui!” in the middle. Then a moment of silence as eyes met, broken only by the sound of Emily the Enthusiastic starting to giggle again. From her seat, Emily the Coordinator looked around the group with wide eyes.   “....We didn’t all order the burger, did we?”   InimitableSong Next time I tell a joke in discord like "I should write a story in which every character is a trans-femme named 'Emily'", I am going to think about the logistics before writing 1200 words. It is a very common name for trans-femme people though. Final 'Emily' Count: 76 out of 1213 words, 83 if you include variations and also 'Emilie'. Unless I missed a couple. I'm planning to put more one-shots (mostly not silly, but I enjoy doing these every so often) and maybe a few 2-4 part stories up here to see how it goes, then try my hand at something longer if it works out. <3 -Song  

Parece que eu estava úmido, era quente, mas confortável e me deixou com sono.  De repente estava apertado e eu senti que estava sendo expulso fiquei irritado e quando tentei gritar percebi que não estava respirando, já era tarde demais eu me engasguei naquele momento  "Waaaaaa"  Eu ouvi uma voz de bebê e parei, soluçando. Tentei pensar que não era mais a minha voz. Eu não conseguia refutar que mesmo meus soluços pareciam ... fofos. Abri os olhos, mas não conseguia focalizar minha visão e as cores estavam borradas.  Sinto como se eles estivessem me segurando e me cobrindo com um pano. Não, não poderia ser verdade, eu não aceitaria de bom grado, como pode um homem orgulhoso de ser um adulto respeitável ser carregado dessa maneira.  - Isso só pode ser um pesadelo, certo? "Wa waaaaa"  Eu não aguentei e comecei a chorar, sentindo que estava sendo pega por outra pessoa Eu me volto para essa pessoa não que eu possa ver qualquer outra coisa que essa pessoa tenha um cheiro familiar e acolhedor ... não que eu seja um pervertido .... sim, mas eu posso sentir o cheiro antes.  Quando me acomodei em seus braços você sente seus seios no meu ouvido as batidas do coração .... foi quando me lembrei que quando estava naquele lugar quente ouvi aquele som era como uma canção de ninar. Foi então que percebi que devia ser a mãe, afinal fui forçada, sim, fui totalmente forçada a beber o leite e mamar no seio dela não foi minha culpa.  Fui tirado de seus braços e deitado no que penso ser um berço, caí em um sono profundo.  Meu nome é Fuyuki Saito, eu era uma pessoa comum, com um emprego comum, e um órfão comum, morei em um orfanato até os 18 anos. Fazia empregos de meio período e economizava dinheiro suficiente para 3 meses, comecei trabalhando para a vovó que tinha uma pousada antiga ela me deixava morar em um dos quartos porque eu ajudava em tudo, quando fui para a faculdade não tive tempo de fazer amigos porque tinha que focar nos estudos acabei nem na escola nem na faculdade, eu não falei com ninguém.  Aos 30 anos, consegui um emprego em uma pequena editora onde estava a cargo de uma universitária que queria começar seu mangá com conteúdo adulto sempre que recebia os manuscritos. Senti que perdi grande parte da minha inocência até que ela mudou o gênero de seu mangá .... para BL.  Desisti no dia seguinte, sim, tinha dinheiro para viver um pouco e era só conversar com algumas pessoas para conseguir um emprego em uma loja de esquina.  Bem, esse era o plano no caminho de casa eu vi um casal que pareciam bem até que eu passei por eles e o homem me apunhalou Eu olhei sem entender e vi que a mulher estava morta com os olhos revirados e havia sangue escorrendo pelo vestido lá que eu apaguei. Quando acordei já era dia, pude ouvir passos se aproximando e então, fui pega nos braços de um homem, que falava tão alto que pensei que tivesse problemas de audição.  "Eu sabia que ia ser um menino, olha como ele se parece com a Tess, ele tem a cor dos olhos dela e até o cabelo parece mais perto ele é todo como eu kahahaha"  '... Oi, deixa eu cheirar suas meias sujas, como você pode querer pensar em me abordar' Ele falava coisas incompreensíveis e seu cheiro era horrível, gritei. 'Tawaa ... ba' Eu deveria 'deixar pra lá', mas coisas saíram que eu não conseguia expressar em palavras ... na verdade eu estava com medo da minha própria fala ... Eu não vou aceitar que morri, sim, só pode ser um sonho, não é um pesadelo que eu simplesmente poderia. Enquanto eu estava perplexo, a mulher que eu acho que era a mãe me pegou no colo e começou a dizer:  "Como você pode pegar o bebê assim, deixar sua pele borbulhar, vamos meu querido seu pai é um sem noção vamos tomar banho" Fiquei muito feliz que ela me ajudou ... mas em quem você vai dar banho !?

"My name is Arthur. I was born in New York City, or at least I think that's my birthplace. I wasn't even born at the time before the world was devastated by the nuclear fallout. From what I learned, there was a senseless war between two political powers over a dispute for a Japanese island that forced the people to leave their homeland, and before everyone knew it, Japan was gone after a nuclear missile hit it. A few days later, everyone started exchanging nuclear bombs without a second thought, and in the blink of an eye, the entire world was consumed by the atomic fire. 28 years have passed. While the rest of mankind could come out from their shelters and watch the sun, the world was still contaminated by radiation that some parts of the country are not safe to travel. Rumors say that about 40% of the population around the planet has survived. I used to think that at this point, the war was finally over, that all the remnants of our civilization would finally learn from the past mistakes, to put aside their differences and band together so we could start building a new future. After all, we might be the only ones who are left. But I was wrong. Now we're facing new kinds of threats roaming around the wasteland: Mutants beasts, ghouls, marauders, killers, cannibals, cultists, even paramilitary groups who want the power to control what's left in this world. And as we're just trying to survive, we're nothing but their prey. It's just like my stepfather always said, this war didn't end as everyone thought. It all may seem hopeless, but the reason I'm writing this, is to tell you that we never gave up hope. Even at the worst times, we're still doing our best, helping the other people who are struggling in the harshness of the post-apocalyptic, hostile new world. And as long as we still draw our breath, maybe we can restore everything that was gone in the last war." Arthur let out a sigh before setting down his pencil and then closed the book. He still had something more to say and write it down, but for now, his words were scrambled in his head and he needed some time to clear his mind and reflect. After all, he just got his new diary when his stepfather gave it to him for his birthday a week ago. He looked around at his small room, though it didn't look much like a decent room judging by the rusty pipes linking together across the concrete walls, at least he got used to it and made sure that some classic posters would add some decoration. But as he tried to find something he could pass the time, maybe practicing his guitar, rereading a book, or drawing, he didn't feel like he wanted to do any of those things. Maybe he would find something else to do outside. So he stood up from his chair, heading towards the door before opening it as it creaked loudly. Once he walked out of his room, he closed it and made his way across a narrow pathway as the sounds of a crowd chattering grew audible. Getting out of the hall, he found himself between a row of shelters built with metal sheets or wood in the middle of a subway station. The cluster of residents was gathered around to carry out their activities or simply to fool around. This made Arthur feel like he's seeing the last of mankind left, even though that's not true. He shook out his thought before he walked through the crowd, only to stand aside so he could let a couple of kids who were running across pass by. Still, he had to be careful not to bump into someone since the path was almost overcrowded. Then he took the stairs to get out of the station. "Arthur! Wait, Arthur!" He just stopped halfway through before turning around and saw an attractive young woman rushing towards him. She had fair skin and a slender figure, with long dark hair tied loosely and hanging on her right shoulder. However, he immediately recognized her as Carla Jaeger. "Oh, Ms. Carla. What's wrong?" He asked with an almost husky tone as he went down some stairs so the woman wouldn't have to go way up. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm glad I get to see you here because I need to ask you a favor." She responded with a begging look. "What is it?" Arthur said with genuine curiosity, albeit feeling pleased that he would be asked by someone to lend a hand. "I was trying to find Mikasa, but she's in so many places that I don't have an idea where she might be. If you happen to find her, can you tell her she forgot to bring this with her?" Carla then handed a red scarf to him. Arthur looked at the scarf thoughtfully, like he was just wondering how important it is for Mikasa to have that scarf. But actually, he always knew Mikasa would never leave that scarf behind because her stepbrother gave it to her when they were kids. Since then, she has been wearing it every day, even when it's not Winter yet. He could only wonder how she would feel when she finds out she forgot to wear her scarf this morning. "Of course, I'll make sure to give it to her." Arthur answered with a smile as he took the scarf from her. "Oh, thank you, Arthur. I knew I could count on you." Carla said with a grateful smile. "I hope it's not too much of trouble though." "Not at all, miss. It never hurts to help." The young man replied fondly before he continued to go upstairs, as Carla watched him go without wearing off her smile. It's not like he was looking forward to be accepted by someone, but the fact is there's not enough kindness in this hostile new world. After taking the stairs, Arthur decided to turn to the left towards the next station, under the impression that Mikasa might be with the patrol at the East Tunnel. As one of the stationary guards, she would never walk away from a post she'd be assigned, hopefully he wouldn't be a distraction for them. On his way, he noticed a small grease-type group of men idling by the wall, all of them wearing leather jackets and slicked hair that apparently they used gel or wax for that. Nevertheless, Arthur paid no attention to them as he kept walking, but the gang just noticed him. "Well, well, look who we have here, fellas." One of them with pompadour hair grinned before he stood in front of Arthur as he stopped in his tracks. "Hey Jeff." Arthur greeted nonchalantly, though actually, he was restraining an exasperated tone. "Are you going somewhere?" Jeff asked wryly as his guys began to surround Arthur. "I'm just heading to the East Tunnel, looking for someone." Arthur responded calmly, not even sensing any kind of threat from Jeff and his so-called gang. "I see. Well, here's the problem, Archie. You're standing on the Viper's turf and we don't take kindly to the strangers who think this is a walking park. But, I'm feeling so generous that I can make this an exception. We can let you pass if you have something you can exchange." Jeff responded with an obnoxious laugh as his gang joined in. "I don't see it that way, Jeff. This whole metro station is our home, and as far as I'm concerned, no one has ever heard about this gang of yours. If they did, you guys would be in a lot of trouble and we wouldn't have this conversation." Arthur responded bluntly with his arms crossed. That seemed to touch a nerve on Jeff as his eye twitched. "Are you mocking us? I would choose my words carefully if I were you:" He sneered with restrained anger before stepping closer to Arthur. "Jeff, just knock it off and let me be." Arthur said calmly and he tried to get through him, but Jeff pushed him back. "You're not going anywhere, dipshit!" Suddenly, he took out a switchblade. "Since your daddy is not around here at this moment, that means we can do anything we want with you. Right boys?" "You said it, boss." One of the thugs chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. "Guys, please..." Arthur rubbed his face exasperatedly, but they misunderstood him. "Oh, now you're gonna beg for mercy? Well that's too late for that!" Jeff shouted before he readied his knife to attack Arthur. Suddenly, a hand grasped around Jeff's wrist before he would thrust the knife, and before the punk leader realized it, the hand twisted before a vicious crack echoed across the hall. Jeff shrieked out in pain as the switchblade fell out of his hand, before he fell on his knees while clutching his broken hand. Everyone was stunned by what just happened and they all looked at the person who intervened, the rest of the gang froze when they saw a pale-skinned woman with shaggy chin-length black hair with a bang coming down between her eyes. She also had a bolt-action rifle holstered behind her back, which made the thugs feel uneasy. To Arthur's surprise, that was the woman he was looking for, Mikasa Ackerman. He didn't even notice her sneaking behind Jeff before she would make an appearance. "Didn't your mother tell you to stop looking for trouble?" Mikasa said coldly as she towered over Jeff. "Y-You bitch! You broke my fucking hand! Do you know who you're fucking with?!" Jeff roared in a mix of anger and pain as he struggled to get up, but Mikasa grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up so he could stare into her gray eyes. "I know exactly who you are. You're nothing but a self-centered brat who pretends to be one of the bad guys so you could join a raider gang outside. But let me give you a harsh reality, you're far less of a raider you'd ever become, otherwise I could have put a bullet in your head by now." Her tone lacked any emotion, but that was enough to make Jeff pale at her words that he finally decided to shut up. Mikasa then looked at the other punks, as they just flinched at her dangerous-looking eyes. "You three will take him to the infirmary. From now on, you should stop hanging around with him and you better get rid of those smelly jackets you're wearing. Did I make clear?" "Yes, ma'am!" The punks stood straight and responded like good boys. "Good, now get out of here." The punks rushed to help their humiliated friend to stand up before leaving the hallway as Arthur watched them go before turning to Mikasa as she approached him. "Um… thank you. I think you went a little too hard on him." He said with a hint of empathy, feeling Jeff didn't deserve that kind of punishment. "He tried to stab you with a knife." Mikasa argued, almost taken aback that he would feel bad for the bully. "I know, but he wouldn't do it. He's been doing the same thing to me for years, until I knew he wouldn't hurt a fly. But now I guess he will never bother with someone else ever again." Arthur replied with some humor in his voice. "I hope so, I'm tired of dealing with him already." Misaka replied with a sigh as she crossed her arms. Clearly, she didn't feel proud for what she did, and she knew Jeff was just the kind of dog that barks but no bites, but that was the only way he would finally learn his lesson. "Do you think his mother would be upset when she hears about this?" Arthur asked, worried about the unforeseen consequences Mikasa would face. "I doubt it, when his friends are gonna tell her what happened, she's gonna ground him for sure." Mikasa assured him as she recalled the times she had to report Jeff's mother about his behavior. "Maybe she'll find your punishment is good enough for her." Arthur chuckled, though he felt a little embarrassed as he felt that was too soon to come up with the jokes.. Mikasa only nodded in agreement, but then she noticed he was holding something in his hand before her eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Is that my scarf?" "Huh?" Arthur blinked before looking down to the scarf on his hand and perked up when he just remembered what was the reason he was looking for Mikasa in the first place. "Oh yeah! Your mother told me you forgot this and she couldn't find you. So she asked me to give you this." He then handed the scarf to her. Mikasa looked at it in silence as sadness washed over her face. Arthur knew she must be feeling ashamed for forgetting to bring it with her, but maybe she was too focused on her duty as a guard of the settlement that it just slipped off her mind. To carry out two responsibilities must be difficult for her, especially when she made a promise she would never lose the scarf until her brother would return from scouting. Reaching out with her hands, Mikasa took the scarf off Arthur's hands before trying it around her neck. "Thank you, Arthur." She said in gratitude with a smile growing on her face, at that moment she was now showing genuine emotion. "No problem, I know this scarf means a lot to you." Arthur replied while returning the smile. Although, as he thought he should be on his way and leave Mikasa with her guard duty, this could be the best timing to ask her for an opinion and it's something he can't take his mind off of it. "Hey, I was wondering if you could tell me something?" "What is it?" Mikasa asked as she tilted her head lightly. After some hesitation, Arthur took a deep breath and continued. "Do you think I'm ready to go out to the wasteland?" He said with a bit more serious tone. "What?" Mikasa was taken aback, out of all the questions she was expecting to hear, this one clearly wasn't one of them. "I know this is not the time, but just hear me out." Arthur sighed while holding up his hand as he tried to find the words that could make her understand. "I've spent a lot of time inside and I understand why it's dangerous to go outside to begin with. But… the more I stay here while I see you and others doing everything to protect us makes me feel… helpless." He turned away briefly as he grew frustrated, but now he felt more confident to speak more. "My father told me I can go scout with him when I feel ready. Well, I think I'm more than ready to do this, but tell me… Do you think I am?" Before Mikasa would answer, a muffled beeping sound came from her trousers before she slid her hand into the pocket and pulled out a PDA. "What does it say?" Arthur asked he noticed she was reading attentively the new message, aware that those devices are pretty useful to keep track of their companions, communicate and store data. Although not many people can own those devices, and Mikasa are only one of the few who can have them. "It's your father, he needs me to meet him urgently." Mikasa said before she took off in a hurry. "Wait! Can I come with you?" Arthur suddenly stopped her tracks with a request that made her turn around with a confused look. She was about to say no to him since this matter sounds very serious for him to be involved, but from the look of his face, it seems clear that Arthur wouldn't take a no for an answer. Furthermore, Mikasa began to understand that he wants to have a word with his father and maybe this could be a chance to tell him he was ready. She still didn't like the sound of his idea, but she hoped he knows what he's doing. "Follow me." Mikasa said, back to the stoic tone of her voice as she led the young man to the place where the head of the settlement was waiting for her arrival. "Hello? Hello! Dammit! Can't you reestablish our contact?!" A middle-aged man with grayish hair and a scruffy beard shouted to the radio operator. "I'm trying to, but the signal just cut off!" He said while fixing the dial to no avail as they heard nothing but the unwanted static sound. "Goddammit…" The middle-aged man clenched his fist in frustration. Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard before it was opened by Mikasa as she entered the room. "I'm here, Miller. What's happening?" "I'm afraid we have a situation here…" Miller sighed as he turned around to face Mikasa, but to his shock, he saw his adoptive son behind her. "Arthur? What are you doing here?" He asked almost sternly. "I was chatting with Mikasa until she received your message, I also want to know what happened." Arthur didn't like to lie to his father, but telling the truth wouldn't also help either. Unfortunately, Miller already knew Arthur was lying the moment he just avoided eye contact, but he let out a heavy sigh with his hands placed around his waist. "I don't have time for this, so I'll just get to the point. We received a distressing call from our outer outpost, warning us they were under attack and needed our assistance. But before they could tell us by who, we lost their signal. They could be a pack of mutants or raiders, I don't know, but right now our boys out there need our help and we have to do it fast! Mikasa, gather some of our men and prepare the vehicles! I want everything ready in less than two minutes!" "Yes sir!" Mikasa then bolted out of the room without any questions, leaving Arthur alone with his stepfather. "And as for you, Arthur…" Miller then approached his son with furrowed brows than made Arthur feel uneasy. "I know what you're thinking, but you picked the wrong moment to tell me this. This is not a walk in the park Arthur, we don't even know what kind of threat we might face." He paced left and right in front of his son, like a drill sergeant lecturing his recruit. Without expecting his answer, he stopped and continued. "Let me ask you this and I need you to be straight with me Arthur, are you sure you want to come with me?" "Yes!" Arthur suddenly exclaimed that stunned his father and other people in the room. After realizing he raised his voice, he grew a little embarrassed. "S-Sorry, I mean, yes I am, father. I'm tired of standing while watching you and my friends risking your lives. Let me help, please." "Ugh… There's no point arguing with you." Miller sighed as he folded his arms across his board chest. "Fine, you can come along, as long as you listen and do as I say. Got it?" "I promise!" Arthur nodded without hesitation, though a part of him now felt enthusiastic about being part of a mission. "Good. Although, something tells me we could use more help." Miller then turned to the radio operator. "I want you to communicate to Sam and tell him we need him and some of his men at the 2nd Avenue." "You got it." The radio operator nodded as he proceeded to send the message through the radio. "Arthur, go to the armory and gear up. Hurry!" Miller voiced the next words Arthur wanted to hear for the first time. But he knew it wasn't a good time to feel excited, since he knew that each second they were taking, the outpost was being overrun by an unknown enemy. So he left the room and ran as fast as he could to the armory. A few minutes later, Arthur came out of the armory fully equipped with a kevlar vest, a combat helmet and a homemade assault rifle. He proceeded to meet Miller and Mikasa, along with a small group of volunteers, who gathered outside the Bronx Station where the main entrance was barricaded. Once everyone was ready, the party hopped on two armored jeeps and when the metal gates opened, they rolled out of the settlement. While Arthur was sitting next to his father in the front seat, he looked around as Milled drove through the ruins of the city that were once called 'New York'. To be born after the nuclear holocaust, he always asked himself how this city used to be so beautiful. His father gave him postcards to answer his question and even told him stories about how different was the world he's seeing right now. Sometimes he wished he would have been born in that time before the world ended, but for reason, he felt happy that Miller would allow him to experience the first time exploring this once beautiful city. "I don't like this…" Miller suddenly grumbled as his eyes grew pierced as if he's expecting to see danger on the road ahead. "Dad?" Arthur asked out in concern, not very used to seeing his stepdad being deadly serious. "We're almost near to the guard post and I don't hear any gunshots…" Miller explained before glancing at his son. "I want you both to stay focused and keep your eyes peeled. I have a bad feeling about this." He said to Arthur and Mikasa who were sitting behind them. Miller made a turn to the left to take the avenue and at that moment, Miller and Arthur noticed a trail of smoke just a little far ahead, and to prove Miller's fear, that's where the outpost was located. As they were getting near to their destination, Miller also spotted a small group of heavily armed soldiers standing on the roof of a small restaurant. One of them noticed him before waving his hand. "Are those our backup?" Arthur asked after he also saw the military-looking men. "Yeah, they're the Ranger Squad. A friend of mine is with one of them." Miller replied plainly before slowing down the vehicle. Arthur was honestly surprised when he heard that particular name, he even began to remember those stories everyone told about them back at home. They're members of a powerful group who call themselves… the Omega Corps. He barely knows about those men, but Miller told him they're the only ones who can trust them because, out of all the other dangerous factions around the wasteland, they live to protect the innocent people and give them any kind of help they need. Come to think of it, they must be the ones who came over to the station to deliver the supplies his people needed, he didn't know they were the Rangers until recently. Now he feels like he just met some sort of living legend. After Miller pulled over, he, his son and the volunteers got out of their jeeps and waited until the Rangers went outside to meet them. All of them were very well equipped, even they wore helmets with respirators. One of them stepped forward and pulled up his helmet over his head, revealing a hardened face of a man who's around the same age as Miller, with a few wrinkles over his eyes and a short, well-groomed beard. "Sam, what happened?" He asked in an apprehensive tone at the Rangers cautiously watching the road. "We were surveying the area and I'm afraid the outpost has been overrun." Sam said dryly. "We don't know how long or how did that happen, but it's possible the attackers just left the place, or maybe they're waiting for us." Miller restrained a growl with his head lowered down. Arthur looked at him in concern as he understood he hated this part of the job as the leader of a settlement. But Miller tried to keep his emotions in check as he looked back up with a fierce look. "Alright, then let's surround it. You take your men to the side of the street to flank the left exit. I'll take mine to the other side to flank the other." Sam nodded before putting back his helmet on. "Let's move out platoon!" He led his men to the intersection before they surrounded the corner. Miller then turned around to his men and readied his AK-47. "Alright everyone, I want you to follow me on a single file and proceed with caution. Let's go." As Miller led them in the same formation as the other team, they crossed the street and surrounded the other side while walking cautiously along the sidewalk. Though unlike the Ranger's team who were fully prepared to take the offensive, the other scouts were visibly nervous about this. The only one who didn't show hesitation or fear was Mikasa as she stood behind the leader. Arthur was behind her as between nervous and calm, he's just feeling like a rookie on a first assignment. Taking the next street, the party reached a small park before spotting a walled-off tower at the next corner. Just as Sam mentioned, it was recently destroyed and almost burning in flames with smoke rising up into the air. However, to everyone's confusion, they didn't find the bodies around the outpost, but that wasn't the time to ask questions as they moved forward. "Move! On the double!" Miller made an order before he went further ahead of his team at a fast pace as they followed him. As they're about to enter the collapsed gates, taking aim with their weapons and resting their fingers on the trigger, they entered the stronghold and spread out to sweep the whole area. At the same time, the Rangers entered the other exit of the outpost and meet Miller's team, expecting to catch the culprits by surprise. "What the hell?" Miller muttered, lowering his weapon while wearing a confused expression. "This place is empty!" One of the rangers shouted. Everyone was very confused at this scenario, they were expecting to find the bodies inside, but there was no one around here. It's like all of a sudden they were vanished out of existence. But that wasn't the worse part, there were also blood patches on the pavement, even some of them were splattered on the walls and over the base of the tower. While Arthur was strolling across the ruins of the outpost while trying to not step on the blood, he froze when his foot stepped on something with an unpleasant sound. He looked down and a disturbing look formed on his face when he saw it was a piece of a body part. "Oh God…" He stumbled back and tried to rub the flesh off the sole of his boot. But suddenly, he almost jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned his head behind him and saw Mikasa. "Calm down, if you let your fears take over your mind, you'll become an easy target." Mikasa said plainly with an unreadable expression, but Arthur knew she was just trying to reassure him that he's not the only one who feels the same. "What the hell happened in here?" A female voice came from a Ranger who was shortest than the others said. Her voice almost sounded trembling at the gruesome sight of a possible massacre. "Are the raiders behind this?" One of Miller's men asked. "No, that can't be. They might be mindless savages, but they're not that stupid to attack a barricaded outpost head-on." Sam replied in a deathly serious tone. "There are not bullet casings anywhere either, that's why we couldn't hear any gunshots on our way." Miller added, exchanging a look with Sam before trying to look for some clues. "So are the mutants behind this?" Mikasa inquired as she also went looking for a hint. "It could be them, but did you see the gates? Those monsters couldn't have knocked them down just like that. And they couldn't just leave this place cleaned, unless somehow they can also eat the bones of humans. I wish the mutants are the ones we can blame though… " Sam pointed out as he hated when he's right. Meanwhile, Arthur was looking at the gruesome sight of the blood dripping down from the top of the tower before he decided to look away in disgust and turned around. Suddenly, as he looked down to the ground, his eyes caught on a device that caught his attention. He picked it up out of curiosity and as he took a closer look, it was a broken video camera. An idea struck him. "Dad, I think I found something that could help us!" Arthur shouted as he approached Miller. His father raised an eyebrow before he handed the camera to him. "I think someone may have recorded this attack, maybe this could tell us what happened here." Miller glanced at his son and at that moment he seemed very pleased with what Arthur what he just found, even Sam had his attention on the young man. As everyone gathered around to see if that camera still works, he opened the cassette compartment hoping that the tape was inside. But as it clicked open, he cursed to himself when he exceeded his expectations. "The tape is broken." He said before the group groaned. "But wait, the recorder seems intact. We could take the tape to our base so our tech can convert the contents of the tape and we might see what's in there." Sam suggested as he took the broken tape case in his hand. "Good, we really need that to find out who we're dealing with. But now we have other matters to concern." Miller said and formed an intense frown on his face. "Whoever or whatever is behind this, are becoming a huge threat not only for my people, maybe all over New York." Before anyone could ask how they should deal with this, everyone was alarmed when they heard an ear-piercing screech that echoed across the street. "What was that!" Arthur shouted, waving his weapon around with his heart pounding in his chest. No doubt the howling took him off guard, not to mention it's the first time he heard something like it. But he had to remember what his stepfather taught him in his training, never pull the trigger until he sees the target. "Sniffers! They must have smelled all the blood we're standing on!" Miller seethed with his hands gripping around his weapon. "There's nothing we can do here, we have to go back to our jeeps! Let's go through the alleyways!" Sam ordered with his hand pointing at the exit where Miller and his team came in. The squad ran out the desolated place and entered the alleys as a shortcut to reach their vehicles. Another inhuman screech was heard, this time very closer than the last one and sounded like it came from above, which prompted Arthur and Mikasa to look up and at that moment he saw a figure crouching over the edge of a roof before suddenly it jumped off. "Look out!" Sam shouting with his arm stretched out to stop the squad when his eyes caught the hostile trying to ambush them. A hideously, bipedal humanoid creature landed in front of them. Arthur could feel his heart going up to his throat once he got a closer look at that thing. It looked like a genuine monster with a stocky body, though its pink-toned skin lacked of any fur. While its arms looked lanky, the hands also appeared to be big enough that could grasp his whole head. But what almost shook him was that the creature had a pronounced jaw-line that shows a set of jagged, crooked teeth, a prominent snout and small eyes. In other words, this monster looked like a humanoid rat. Before Arthur could make a reaction, the monster, or as Sam just addressed it as 'Sniffer', let out another screech before charging at the group with its bearing claws. "Shoot it down! Shoot it down!" Miller shouted before firing his weapon at the creature. Just then, Arthur, Sam, Mikasa and the rest, began unloading a barrage of fire at the Sniffer, covering its body completely riddled by bullets until it collapsed in a pool of blood. "Let's go! Quickly!" Sam shouted before everyone proceeded to get out to the other side of the street. "There's our jeeps!" Miller pointed at their vehicles parked at the corner next to the restaurant. However, as the squad was heading towards their jeeps, more screeching noises rang out across the street. "Shit, more are coming!" "How many of them?" Arthur asked with an apprehensive tone. "Probably a pack, we can't let them chase us and lead them to New Bronx. We have to take them down!" Sam changed the magazine of his M4A1 rifle. "Form a circle and prepare to engage!" The rangers and the scout lined up side by side with their weapons ready, as Arthur stood with Mikasa and a Ranger soldier beside. After a moment of nerve-racking suspense, they saw more Sniffers crawling out of other places such as the alleyways, ruined buildings and even the sewers. It seems that even after being mutated, their nature as rats hasn't changed at all as Arthur thought. One of the monsters seemingly snorted as it was trying to find a peculiar smell, but then it turned its attention to the group of survivors and let out a roar before the pack rushed after the survivors. "Fire at will!" Miller shouted. Their guns fired simultaneously at the mutants as the bullets flew out of the chambers and clinked to the ground, managing to take down a few of the Sniffers in the process, some of them only recoiled in pain when bullets hit them, but the monsters continued blindly charging at them. One of the Sniffers got closer to a couple of rangers while a few bullets hit it, yet didn't stop it from lunging at them rabidly with its claws ready to tear them apart. But one of the rangers raised his semi-automatic shotgun and blasted the beast away, killing it instantly! Another Sniffer was trying to dodge the bullets to no avail as Arthur and Mikasa poured their bullets point-blank into the creature. Although, Arthur seemed a little agitated considering the fact it was his first combat experience, which didn't help to control his nerves as he struggled to reload his M16. This didn't go unnoticed by Miller. "Arthur! Pull it together! Just keep firing and we'll make it!" Miller boomed his voice in order to reassure him before his stepson would lose it. "Yeah! We're kicking their asses so good! Get some, you ugly bastards!" "You idiot! Stay close to us!" Miller shouted angrily when he noticed one of his men moving forward recklessly, cackling while he kept shooting at the beasts. Suddenly, his sixth sense prompted him to look behind and saw a few more of the rat monsters creeping out of the roof of the restaurant before dropping themselves where he and everyone were standing. "Look out! Behind you!" It was already too late, the young man barely reacted before a Sniffer fell onto him and started biting on his neck. The cries of agony alerted the others as Arthur watched in shock the monster ripping a piece of flesh with its teeth. The Sniffer whipped its head around and screeched before charging. But then Mikasa stepped forward and swung the butt of her weapon and hit the Sniffer's head. When it stumbled to the ground, she stepped on its back before finishing the monster off by shooting a burst of fire on its head. After that, she returned her position and continued shooting the mutants. Sadly, no one could do anything for the unfortunate guy who had his neck ripped open as he bled to death. "Watch on your six! Those freaks are trying to surround us!" Sam yelled as he and another ranger turned around to cover the rearguard. A Sniffer just came out of the restaurant by the broken window, landing next to a ranger who before could realize the danger nearby, the mutant lunged at the ranger. The helmet flew off and bounced along the paved ground. "Aaahhh! Get off me, you bloody bastard!" The ranger, who turned out to be a woman, was struggling to grab the mutant's jaw to not let it bite her head off. That caught Arthur's attention before he saw the woman in trouble, and without any hesitation, he aimed his assault rifle and shot the creature, sending it reeling backward and away from the woman. Unfortunately, he only made the mutant snarl angrily and it was about to attack Arthur, but before could do it, the ranger picked up her weapon and fired a burst at its torso before the Sniffer collapsed lifelessly to the ground. "Hey, are you okay?" Arthur rushed to her side before giving her a hand. Though for a sudden he became momentarily distracted at the attractive look of the young woman, who appeared to be slightly younger than him, with a somewhat messy blond hair cut into a flare cut and fair skin. "Y-Yeah, thanks for the help." She said with a thick accent as her hand reached his and Arthur pulled her back up before they continued shooting the mutants together. "Ceasefire! Ceasefire!" Sam yelled while waving his hand before everyone stopped firing their weapons until the last shot echoed across the street. Dead bodies of Sniffers laid all over the street, though that didn't convince the squad to lower their weapons until they had to make sure none of those things was left alive. Arthur, on the other hand, felt more relieved to see this confrontation was now over as he dropped the guard with a sigh. "Alright, I don't see any more of them." Miller said with a relaxed look before giving out an order. "Start the vehicles, we're moving out!" "Wait, what should we do about him?" Mikasa pointed to the lifeless body of the poor guy who died at the hands of the mutant due to his recklessness. "We'll take him back home and give him a proper burial. It's better than leave him rotting here." Miller responded solemnly, which Mikasa agreed as she and someone else carried the body to the back of a jeep. Meanwhile, he approached his old friend, Sam. "You said you have a guy who's gonna format the video recording of the tape, do you know how long is it gonna take?" "I'm not sure, it might take a few days, maybe almost a week, that much depends on the software we have on the computers." Sam replied with his folded arms, though he knew that his answer wouldn't be good enough for Miller. "If we wait much longer, another outpost might be attacked, maybe our settlement will be next!" Miller argued as Arthur, who was just behind him, could notice the hint of impatience in his tone. "Listen, we can discuss further, but right now it's not the time. We need to head back to New Bronx." Sam said as he went into the jeep before his rangers hopped in. Miller wanted to say something else, only to stop before he could open his mouth when he knew Sam had a point. While restraining an exasperated sigh, he turned around and headed back to the jeep with Arthur following him from behind. He took the driver's seat with his stepson taking the passenger's, before turning on its engines and then drove away along with other jeeps, on their way back to their settlement. Arthur couldn't help but look at his stepfather in concern, he understood that his role as the leader of New Bronx was not only to look after his people, but everything that surrounds their settlement. There's no doubt that Miller's growing paranoid at the fact that no one has any idea what kind of new threat they're dealing with, and Arthur was pretty sure others, including himself, felt the same. After arriving at their settlement, Miller had to personally report to the families of the deceased from the outpost and one from his scout party, it wasn't the easiest thing to do, but they deserved to know what happened to their loved ones. After that, he and Sam went to the office so they could discuss how to deal with the situation. Meanwhile, Arthur was just outside of the office, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. His stepfather told him he could go back to his room to rest, but Arthur couldn't just relax while waiting for answers. It's been only ten minutes since they entered the room, but it almost felt like the minutes has been going slower with every passing second. "Arthur?" He perked his head up and saw Mikasa approaching. She just changed her attire to a white shirt with a leather jacket, but she still wore the red scarf like always. "Oh, hey Mikasa. You're looking for Miller, aren't you?" Arthur asked with a small smile to see a friend. "I just thought I could talk to him, but I assume he's busy at the moment." Mikasa replied as she noticed the metal door closed next to Arthur. "He's talking to the Ranger, so this could take for a while." Arthur said while pacing around the hall aimlessly. "I see…" Mikasa sighed as she leaned against the wall with both arms crossed under her chest. "You need something from him?" Arthur inquired, maybe it wasn't the best choice to start a conversation, but all the silence was getting him uncomfortable. "I just wanna talk to him." Mikasa replied, refusing to share any more details, which Arthur understood and decided not to press on. "So what do you think?" "Huh?" Arthur responded, genuinely taken aback at the question. "It was your first time going out to the wasteland, wasn't it?" Mikasa deduced, much to his surprise. She looked back at him, now with a curious expression on her face. "So how did that make you feel?" "I don't know. I mean… I really don't know." Arthur shrugged, legitimately unsure how to respond to that question, only to earn a puzzled reaction from Mikasa. "I wasn't expecting to be an adventure like my father thinks. I'm not gonna lie though, my first combat experience with those mutants was terrifying. I don't even want to imagine if there're mutants worse than those Sniffers." He glanced at his hands, only to see they stopped trembling ever since they arrived, much to his relief. "Even so, you did well standing your ground and not letting yourself succumb to panic. Otherwise, you would have ended up being torn to shreds by a Sniffer in front of your father." Mikasa said with a strange way to praise him. "Was that supposed to be a joke?" Arthur retorted, raising an eyebrow with sheer confusion. "I'm not fond of jokes…" Mikasa replied, giving him a slight frown to prove her point. After Arthur nodded in understanding, she continued. "The point is, I think you gave a good impression to Miller, if you keep this up, he might let you do more for our community. Is this what you wanted, isn't it?" "Yeah, more than anything else." Arthur said solemnly while clenching his fist, reminding Mikasa that he was tired to stand and do nothing while everyone else was risking their lives to protect the others. He just wanted to help, no matter how hard or dangerous it can be. The door of the office was suddenly opened before Miller and Sam, only to be surprised to find Arthur and Mikasa standing between them. "Arthur…" Miller spoke while looking at the young man neutrally. "Hey…" Arthur greeted with a small smile, albeit nervous because he knew he was supposed to be in his room as he told. Miller glanced at Mikasa as she remained calm, but after noticing a hint of discomfort in her eyes, he already knew she wishes to speak to him urgently. Letting out a sigh, he stepped forward and turned around so he could face both of them. "Okay, I know why you're here, so I go straight to the point. Sam and I have reasons to believe whoever is behind the attack are extremely dangerous, they might possess advanced weaponry that dwarfs our own firepower." He said gravely, wrinkles formed on his forehead as he furrowed his brows. "Yet, we are not very sure about that. But for precautious, Miller sent a message to all the remaining outposts guarding around the refuge to leave their position and come back here. We can't afford to have any more losses." Sam added. "What about Eren?" Mikasa suddenly raised her voice that Arthur realized she was now worried about the safety of her brother. Even though they're not related, she still cared about him that she wouldn't know what to do without him. "I already sent the stalker team an order to return to our settlement, I'm pretty sure Eren got the message and is returning as we speak." Miller reassured her, though that didn't ease her anxiousness as she asked herself if Eren would really come back safely. "So… What happens next?" Arthur also voiced his concern. "I just contacted HQ about this situation and they agreed to send us some assistance, but they'll only send a detachment of Marines to protect this settlement." Sam replied while shaking his head. "But that wouldn't be good enough to prepare for an imminent attack." Miller said bitterly, not very pleased with that decision either. "That's why we really need that video recording so the Omega Corps can take us seriously. But in the meantime, we have to be prepared for the worst. Which is why I'm going outside to set up an observation post and watch over the district." "What?!" Arthur exclaimed with shock written all over his face. "Miller, you can't just leave here! Who's gonna look after the people if the panic spreads?" Mikasa protested to remind him that he's the leader of this settlement. "I'm just getting there." Miller replied, holding up his hand before anyone else would interrupt him. "You're right, Mikasa. I can't just leave New Bronx without anyone to lead, but I happen to know someone who can look after you while I'm gone." "Wait, are you referring to Souichiro Takagi?" Sam asked with a look of surprise. "Yeah, himself." Miller confirmed it with a nod. "Who is he?" Arthur inquired since it was the first time he ever heard that name. "He's a tough son of a bitch just like Miller. But he's also a Japanese ultranationalist." Sam explained as he almost bit his tongue at the last part. He turned with hesitation towards Miller. "Are you sure about this? He only cares about the safety of the Japanese, but us? It's like we're the sheep without the shepherd asking the wolf for protection!" "I know we haven't seen each other for years, but he owes me a favor and he'll understand. You don't have to worry about it." Miller said while patting Sam's shoulder to reassure him. "However, only one thing that's left is sending someone who can deliver the message to Takagi." "But here's the problem Miller, this Takagi doesn't get along with the Omega Corps." Sam warned. "Why is that?" Arthur asked, even more confused to hear that. "Let's just say he looks at the American military as a threat." Sam responded while waving his hand. "What I'm trying to say is that if we send one of my men to meet him, it could escalate the tensions." "I'm aware of that." Miller said gravely as he turned to Mikasa. "I would send you instead, considering the fact that Takagi would be willing to talk with someone from his race. But I can't do it because the guard really looks up to you and I need someone who can keep the morale." "I understand." Mikasa averted his gaze, feeling a little disappointed that she wouldn't be the one to perform the task. But she knew Miller was right and considered the possibility that her stepbrother might come back while she's gone. "So do you have someone else in mind?" Sam asked with his arms folded across his chest. "I would look for a volunteer, but no one in this station wants to go out to the wasteland since they're afraid to get eaten by a mutant or something worse. But to answer your question, I don't." Miller grumbled, very discouraged that there are no more options left. "I'll go!" Sam, Miller and Mikasa looked at Arthur as he stood with a straightened back, chest puffed out and his head raised up. He swallowed a lump down his throat before repeating. "I'll go deliver the message to Souichiro Takagi and I tell him that you sent me, father." He said with his voice full of resolution. Sam and Mikasa were shocked to hear that kind of determination from Arthur. Miller, on the other hand, was restraining a pained expression forming on his face as he looked straight to Arthur. He knew from the beginning that his adoptive son would volunteer himself to do this dangerous task, but he didn't say anything because he didn't want to put the life of his son at risk. Of course, he would scold him and make clear he won't be part of it, but Miller knew that won't change his mind and he would keep insisting until he says yes. Miller exchanged a look with Sam, silently asking the Ranger for an opinion. "Well… I hate to say this, but Arthur's right. If he introduces himself as your son, Takagi might give him a chance to talk. Besides, I've seen him saving the life of one of my colleagues, so I think he can handle this." Sam confessed while giving Arthur a smile of gratitude, but he understood what his friend is feeling right now. Miller lowered his head as everyone remained silent for a moment, then he approached Arthur and stared at him with a cold hard glare that made the young man feel overwhelmed by the pressure. But before the tensions would arise, Miller let out a heavy sigh and placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Come with me so I can fill you in." He said plainly before walking into the door. While Arthur was taken aback as he looked at Sam and Mikasa, as they simply advised him to roll with it, he followed Miller to his office, finding his father spreading a piece of a map over his desk. As Arthur stood in front of it, he saw it was the map of New York City. "So here's the catch, I don't know where's Takagi since the last time I saw him, but his daughter will tell you where he can be." Miller said as he leaned over the table. "His daughter?" Arthur inquired with his head tilted sideways. "Her name is Saya Takagi. Years ago, I helped Souichiro and his family to reach a secured settlement in City Island." Miller pointed to a small island where it's located in the northeastern part of Bronx as Arthur looked over it. "One day when I wanted to check on him, only his daughter was there. She told me that he set up a new colony for his people, but she refused to tell me where he is. Tomorrow, you'll set out to that island to meet her and try to convince her to let you meet her father." "Alright, I think I can do that." Arthur responded with a nod of his head. "But that doesn't mean that I'm gonna let you out on your own! You have no idea what kind of dangers you might encounter!" Miller said sternly before looking over Sam, who was standing behind his stepson. "Sam, can you send one of your Rangers to go with Arthur for this task?" "Of course, this kid has some experience, but someone needs to watch over his ass." Sam joked while slapping on Arthur's back, making him puff out his air. "Good, then that settles. But a couple of things I need to tell you before I take my leave." Miller walked around the desk. "Wait, you're leaving sooner?" Arthur asked, almost shouting in disbelief that this was happening all of a sudden. "I have to do this, Arthur. Someone needs to make sure New Bronx is safe." Miller reiterated before clasping his hands on the young man's shoulders. "Just listen to me, I left something for you at the armory that could help you be prepared for your journey. And one last thing…" He reached with his hands around his neck and removed his dog tags before giving them to Arthur. "When you find Souichiro, show this to him, so he knows I was the one who sent you. "Dad… I…" Arthur trailed off as he held his father's dog tags, at that moment he felt like his fear is finally coming true. "This is not a farewell, Arthur! I promise we see each other again, but right now the future of our home depends on us!" Miller said as his tone began to grow softer. "I know you only want to make me proud, but the truth is I already am. You're now older to make your own choices and do what you think it's right, but don't you ever try to sacrifice for something that's not worth it. You're my son, Arthur. And I need you to come back home safely. Promise me." Arthur could feel his thoughts running through his mind that he didn't know how to answer, but then he decided to hug Miller as he held back the tears, but not out of sadness, rather he was overjoyed to learn that his father was really proud of him. "I will, father. I will." Arthur muttered as he felt Miller returning his hug while patting on his back. "That's my boy." Miller smiled before breaking the hug. As he took a deep breath, he turned his attention to Sam and Mikasa, who are deeply moved to see such a touching scene, though he just ignored it. "Mikasa, I trust you look after our rookies. And Sam, I hope you'll get the video recording ready." "Yes, sir." Mikasa and Sam nodded. "Good. Now, I better get ready to go. We'll stay in touch with our PDAs. And son, one more thing…" Miller said while staring intently at Arthur. "Be very careful when you go out there. Mutants are not the only thing you have to worry about, you might find people who demand trust, some of them are friendly, some of them are not. But this treacherous world can even bring out the worst side of themselves. Remember that." And then, Miller walked out of the room. Arthur just watched his father leave without thinking of asking about his advice, he then looked back at the dog tags he gave to him. He wasn't sure why, but just by holding it, it felt like he's now carrying a huge responsibility because the lives of his family and friends are now resting upon his shoulders, even his father is really depending on him. Just dwelling on that thought in his head made him feel scared. "Hey." Suddenly, Arthur felt a hand patting his left shoulder before looking up and saw Sam addressing him with a friendly smile. "I think we haven't met before, have we? Well, my name is Samuel Taylor. Friends call me Sam. Your father told me everything about you and asked me to make sure you're prepared for tomorrow." "Thanks." Arthur said meekly, feeling a little overwhelmed to talk with a Ranger. Mikasa sure noticed it that she let out a small chuckle at his response. "Well, we still have all day before that though, so I was wondering if you'd like to stop by the shooting range and show me how much of a good shooter you are?" Sam asked with a cheerful tone, the truth was he wanted to help the young man to clear his mind before his mission. "Oh! O-Of course!" Arthur responded with a hint of excitement, very eager to have some training with the ranger. "You wanna tag along?" Sam asked Mikasa. "I'm afraid I can't, I need to talk to my mother about this situation." Mikasa replied nonchalantly before approaching Arthur and also patter her hand on his right shoulder. "I'll be in my house if you need anything, Arthur." Arthur nodded with a smile before she left the room. "Well, that's just the two of us. But hey, later I'd like to introduce you to my squad, I'm sure you'll get along with them." Sam said before he led Arthur out of the office and walked along. While Arthur still felt unsure if he would be prepared for his first journey in the wasteland, a part of him felt thankful that his father was aware of that to ask Sam to look after him while he's gone. It's true that he's still concerned that his father was no longer here to tell him what to do or what to expect in the wasteland, but Miller just put trust in him. No matter how much he feels scared about it, Arthur knew he already made that decision and he can't fail his father nor his people. The fate of mankind now depended on him.

A long time ago, God created the universe and the living beings in this world. He created different kinds of tribes to live here. Then He created sixteen archangels, middle-order angels, and lowest-order angels to maintain the universe. These archangels were given the ability to do their work. God Then created the chief angel Yden. Who will lead all of the archangels and the other angels. The chief and the archangels were given the place of the top heavens. They were living there peacefully. But this peace didn’t stay long. Soon a conflict happened in heaven between Yden and one of the archangels Oron. In that conflict, eight archangels sided  Yden and seven sided with Oron. They were defeated by the archangels and cast out from heaven to Abyss. Then from there on, there were eight archangels and the other eight became the devils or the fallen angels. The abyss was beneath the tribe called The Demon tribe. They were strong and their behavior was just like humans. But the devils from the abyss took control over the demon tribe and started attacking other tribes. Other tribes got overwhelmed by the demons so they collectively started asking for help to angels. The angels reported that to Yden. Yden came to earth with the archangels and pushed them into their place and made a border surrounding them that they couldn’t pass through. Yden gave Camael in charge to protect the borders. Thus the tribes got saved. From then people built statues of archangels defeating the devils in their kingdom and started worshiping them.   The Nivea Kingdom. In the year of 4200 BCE. A beautiful sunny day.  The Centre Market of the kingdom. It’s very crowded with the people of the different tribes. People from different areas are also coming to sell their goods. A middle-aged man is trying to put his goods in his store. He looks pretty old. He looks unclean and little beards on his cheek. There are a lot of fruits in front of the store. Suddenly a shadow grabs some and runs. As he looks back “Stop! Stop right there!” That man started chasing after him. That guy (The shadow) was wearing a big cloak. The storeman noticed his cloak. It was the infamous thief Duo’s cloak. The storeman screams “Someone stop him he’s from Rider thief Duo!” People from the crowd “Rider thieves?! Call the guards!” A young man from the crowd “I am going to call the guards. You guys try to catch him.” That young man goes for the guards at full speed. That cloak guy suddenly stopped in the middle of the street and placed his hand on the ground "Fire element: Fire Wall" A tall wall of fire appeared in that place. People started to scream and run. The storeman stopped just before the wall. “Oh, that was close!” The wall disappeared. The cloaked guy also vanished from the crowd. The store man “Damn it! He ran away with my fruits” In an ally a guy with the same cloak standing with a bag. He looks to the side. Someone is running towards him. He stopped in front of him, taking his breaths. “Marx, you are looking so out of breath. Did you get chased?” “Oh! Kawashi. Yeah…the store guy from whom I was stealing…he noticed me…” “Come on what are you doing? Did anybody follow you?” “Seems not” “Then let’s go.” Suddenly someone shouted from behind. “Halt you guys. These is royal guards. Let yourself in.” Kawashi looking towards Marx. “Didn’t you say no one followed you?” “Ah! I forgot one dude informed about me the guards.” Kawashi with the long sigh “For god’s sake. You have been doing this for a long time now. How can you make such a childish mistake.” Marx with an annoying face “Yeah yeah I am sorry MR. Kawashi.” The commander of the guards threw a lightning spear toward them. Marx pushed kawashi “Watch out!” That spear hit him on the right side of the chest. Marx stopped for a moment and he fell to the ground. He’s gradually losing consciousness. Kawashi came to him “Hey, are you alright?! Can you hear me? Marx?! Marx!” Marx’s eyes started to see things blurry as he gradually passed out.    Two days later at night. In the cell, there's a dim light—the candle flickers.  Kawashi was washing Marx's body. Marx slowly opens his eyes as he sees Kawashi taking care of him. “Oh! You are awake. I thought you were gone.” Marx slowly sited up and looks towards Kawashi with a sleepy face. Yawning and scratching his eyes “How long was I passed?” Kawashi stands up while holding a warm water pot and a towel and puts those on the table “You were passed out for two days.” Marx with a big shocked face “Oh my God! That long!” “Yeah I thought you went to the heavens” Marx started to laugh “Hahahaha…man comes on don’t make me dead. I am not going to die that early.” Kawashi sitting beside him “Yeah, that’s right.” “But you know I did see an angel in my dream. So I thought I was dead for real. By the way, where are we?” “We are in the prison” Marx with a shocked face “Huh! We got caught! What were you doing kawashi?” “Shut up. I don’t want to hear that from someone who passed away.” Marx putting his hand behind his head “Ehh” Kawashi with an angry face “Ehh my ass. We were surrounded by the guards and there was even Commander Florans Kervin. An A rank. If I did something there it would have been bad.” “Hmmm…Do you know when they will let us go?” Kawashi stands up and started moving towards the candle. “Who knows” He took the candle and put it out. Lied down next to Marx and faced his back towards him. “Now sleep. We will have to go to the palace early.” Marx faced his back “Why?” “His majesty is calling us there. Seems like, he was busy these two days so our penalty was held off for the time being.” “hmmm…What do you think will happen?” Kawashi got annoyed “Shut up and sleep. I couldn’t sleep these two nights for you.” “Sorry. Sorry. I will sleep.” Next day in the morning. “Marx! Marx! Wake up. It’s morning. Marx!” Marx slowly opens his eyes. He sits up and rubs his eyes yawning “Kawashi... Good morning….wahhh” Kawashi wearing his clothes “Get ready his majesty is calling us. Here take the pot.” Gives the pot to him “Wash your face with that. Fast!” Marx stands up at a sonic speed “Yeah let’s go.” A guard comes running toward the cell “Hey, you guys it’s time, hurry up.” Kawashi and Marx at a high volume “Yes sir!” The guard opened the cell. “Come.” Kawashi and Marx came outside. They were walking towards the castle. The castle was so beautiful. It was surrounded by high walls protected by top-ranking guards. The guard showed the gatekeepers his identity and let them in. Inside it was decorated with beautiful flowers, Filled with heavenly decorations. Some maids were outside, cleaning the garden. “Kawashi this castle is sure huge and beautiful.” “Yeah.” They entered the castle. Inside there a beautiful maid greeted them. “Welcome to the castle. Are you the guard who came to bring two prisoners to his majesty?” The guard stood firm “Yes” Marx whispered to the ear of kawashi “Isn’t that maid beautiful?” The maid overheard that and got shy The guard “Ahm.” Kawashi with annoyed face steps on his leg “Shut up.” “That hurts. Man…you are no joke.” The maid with an unstable tone “T-this way.” They started to walk towards the throne hall. As they were to reach the hall the guards opened the door and they entered the hall and the door slowly got closed.                        

 I love beautiful men, therefore I am! It's one of my defining qualities. I love romance stories and I love eye-candies even more, so what do you get when you combine both? dating-sim games for women! That's why I never cut on money that could go to a new game.I'm a mature, independent woman in my 30s, okay? I don't have many things I could spend money on! playing sating-sim games is my one and only happiness in life! That's why when I came across "Magic & Love: Our Fantasy Romance" in the shop window that day, I was almost struck by the lightning! Everything about it seemed to be catering to my tastes: beautiful men on the cover, the pretty heroine (this part is important!] and the promise of a fantasy world. Of course, I immediately bought it and holed up at home on weekends to clear it. The story was quite standard. You played as the daughter of a Baron who ended up entangled with several men: The crown prince of the Kingdom, the son of the Prime Minister, and the son of the Pope. In each route, you had to overcome several hardships that usually ended with the enemy beheaded and you happily marrying the men of your choice, nothing really out of ordinary. Anyway, I vaguely remember feeling asleep right before starting the hidden route, so tell me... WHY DID I END UP WAKING UP AS THE EVIL BROTHER OF THE CROWN PRINCE WHO ENDS UP DEAD IN EVERY ROUTE????

It was a small town and a pleasant place to be in. The wind was cool with the sun high up in the sky and one could hear the crickets chirping. It was a pleasant day.    A five year old had just moved into a house with his parents. Rylan Huxley.    Rylan was a timid boy. He had brown hair and amber eyes. He never talked to people voluntarily. And since his parents moved around a lot, he didn't have any friends. But he wanted friends. He wanted a lot of them.   One day he went to the park with his mom and there he met a loud boy. The boy had blond hair and was zooming around the park screaming happily. It honestly annoyed him but it also intrigued him.    The boy caught him staring and happily ran over to him and asked him to play with him.    "Do you want to play tag with me?" he asked with his dark blue eyes looking at him curiously.    "I do" Rylan nodded.    The boy was called Ayden. He was the same age as him.    Ayden was a hyper boy. His parents were sitting on the bench watching with a helpless look and a smile.   But Rylan played with him because it was fun.    They became friends that day.    _______   They found out they go to the same school.   Both of them were overjoyed.   "Rylan! I'll show you around my school!" Ayden exclaimed one day at the park after finding out.   "T-Thanks" Rylan timidly replied. New school. He always hated it. So many new schools, he hated it now.    Ayden grinned and took his hand and ran towards the swings.   "Ayden ah Ayden slow down!" Rylan helplessly said, trying to keep up.    "Nope!" Ayden replied with a grin and sat on a swing. "Push me, Rylan, come on hurry!"   Rylan stopped to take a few breaths then obliged.   "Wooo!" Ayden giggled.   Rylan smiled as well.   ______   They were in the same class. They were happy. Their friendship grew steadily and all at once.    Rylan was intelligent while Ayden was average. Both of them would tease the other because of it.    But both of them passed the year with different grades yet matching smiles.    When they were six, they were put in different classes. Rylan was extremely sad and didn't want to go to school. So on the first day of school, Ayden showed up at his house with a big grin on his face.    "Rylan Rylan! Why haven't you gotten ready! It's the first day! Do you wanna get scolded?!" he said right as Rylan's mom opened the door and Rylan was hiding behind her.    "B-But we aren't together anymore. I don't wanna go" Rylan replied from behind his mom with teary eyes.    Ayden then unceremoniously invited himself in and took Rylan's hand and dragged him to the couch and made him sit down.    "Rylan, are you not my friend anymore?" he asked seriously.    "I am!" Rylan exclaimed immediately.    "Then why don't you wanna go? We are still in the same school, we can meet during lunch break" Ayden tried to reason.   "B-But I'll be alone. I don't wanna be alone" Rylan replied teary eyed.   Seeing normal reasoning wasn't working, "I'll get you chocolates. My dad brought a lot of them yesterday. Do you want?" he said then with a grin.    Yes, the thing was, Ayden had found out that Rylan loved chocolates. What better bribe than that?    "C-Chocolate?" Rylan was immediately intrigued.    "Yes yes! Let's go to school and then my mom will bring it to us after we leave. Deal?" Ayden asked.    After hesitating for a while, "Deal" Rylan replied and got up to change.    Both of their parents were very amused at Ayden's method but had absolutely no objections.    That day Rylan got to eat a lot of chocolates. And the day after that. And that. Actually he spent a lot of this school year being bribed by chocolate and getting dropped off to school. And then running around playing and laughing with Ayden.    _______   When they were seven, they didn't get the same class again. Rylan was sad but this time he didn't make a fuss but sulkily went to school. Ayden accompanied him with a big smile on his face.    Ayden had grown taller than Rylan in this last year. It was barely half a head but he never let Rylan live it down. And on top of that, Rylan's body structure was on the thin side while Ayden's was not. Rylan really looked so little in front of Ayden.    "Wait for me in the playground at lunch break! My mom gave me delicious food today!" Ayden said then with a big smile.    "Yeah" Rylan nodded looking up with a small smile. He will grow too. Definitely!    The days went by just like this. With Rylan waiting for Ayden at lunch and both of them eating the delicious lunch box their moms made.    But one day, Ayden was a little late. And some kids a year older than Rylan approached him. They wanted his lunch box. They said some things to him like how he was always alone and-   Well, they couldn't complete it because the next thing they knew, Ayden jumped out from who knows where and directly punched the guy.    The boy who was a year older than them and half a head taller than Ayden, was on the ground crying like a three year old.    Then Ayden picked up some stones and threatened the kids. The kids ran away crying and then Ayden gave a beaming smile and patted Rylan's head and said,    "What did your mom make today?" while sitting down beside him and trying to snatch the lunch box from his hands.    "Ay- Ayden! No! This is mine, you can't have it everyday! Noo!" Rylan tried but Ayden snatched the lunch box and stood up with a grin.    "If you want it back, you need to catch me! Come come!" Ayden said and started running around.    While Ayden was giggling and running around, Rylan was chasing him with a smile of his own on his face.    They both didn't get to eat at all that break because Rylan couldn't catch Ayden and Ayden didn't stop.    _______   Their days after that went very pleasantly. Their friendship grew and they became inseparable. And just like this, three years had passed.    That was when something happened.    Rylan's father said they might move away again.    It was night but Rylan still ran to Ayden's house with his tears never stopping.    When Ayden saw Rylan's state and heard what happened, he grabbed Rylan's hand and went back to Rylan's house.    When Rylan's parents saw Rylan back, they thanked Ayden. But Ayden simply told Rylan's mom to take him to buy him some chocolates and he wanted to talk to his father.    Naturally, both the parents were surprised by such words from Ayden.   But Ayden didn't wait. He went inside the house and found Rylan's father by himself. And Rylan's mom took him, confused by this whole situation.    He stepped inside the living room and yelled,    "You are such a bad father, Mister Huxley!"   Rylan's father was surprised when he heard that. So much that he couldn't say anything.   "How can you do this! Do you not care about Rylan at all?!"    "Of course I do, Ayden. But I have to do this. It's my job. I know Rylan is upset but he knows I have to do this" Rylan's father tried to coax Ayden.    Ayden immediately exclaimed, "No! You don't know anything about Rylan at all! Do you know how much he hates moving?! How much he hates losing friends?! Do you know that's why he never made any friends?!! Now after so long Rylan made a friend and now you want to take it away from him! If it were my dad, he would never do this! He would rather leave his job than make me sad! You are a bad father, Mister Huxley!" Ayden finished, crying now as well.    Rylan's father looked at him with surprise in his eyes. This kid really...    Then he asked, "So, your father would leave his job if something like this happened?"    Ayden was confused but he still replied firmly, "Yes!"    "Even if his job was very good?" he asked again.    "Yes! He told me his love for me is better than anything!" Ayden replied. He was not scared of Mister Huxley. For Rylan he would never be scared!    Rylan's father smiled then. "Is Rylan a really dear friend to you?"    "Yes! He's my bestest friend ever!" Ayden responded firmly.    Then suddenly tears started pouring out of Ayden's eyes and he said between his sobs, "So please Mister Huxley don't separate us. He's the best friend ever. Please Mister Huxley please. Don't take him away-" then he broke down crying loudly. He had been holding it for long but when the dread that Rylan was going to be taken away came back, his tears couldn't stop.    Rylan's father smiled and hugged Ayden, stroking his back and saying soothing words.    Then the doorbell rang. Rylan and his mother were back.    Rylan's dad picked up Ayden and went to open the door with Ayden in one of his arms.    The door opened and they saw Rylan in his mother's arms with puffy eyes. Both of them looked the same. It was a little funny.    "Why are you still crying, Rylan?" Ayden asked, sniffling and wiping his tears.    Rylan sniffled and said, "You know why" then he added looking at his dad, "Dad, what did you say to make Ayden cry?" with angry little eyes.    Mister Huxley had an amused smile on his face and replied, "I simply told him we were staying and he'll be able to be with you forever. It's happy tears, little Ry" he replied then.    Everyone was shocked hearing that. Even Rylan's mom.    Ayden immediately had a big smile on his face, "Mister Huxley, I love you!" and hugged his neck.    Rylan exclaimed with a happy smile, "Ayden! I'm staying! I'm not leaving! I'm not gonna- waaahhh" but he burst out crying mid sentence.    "You dummy don't cry! You're staying! Why are you crying!" Ayden said helplessly. So Ryan's father let him down and Rylan's mom did the same and Ayden hugged Rylan trying to calm him down.    "How about you stay over today, Ayden?" Rylan's mom asked then with a smile.    "Can I?" Ayden asked with a cute look.    "Of course! I'll inform your parents" Rylan's mom replied and Rylan's father went to call them right away and explained the situation.    After a few minutes he came back and said with a smile, "They agreed. Let's get you both to the room"   Both the boys cheered and jumped up and down and went to Rylan's room with big smiles on their faces.    And as Rylan's dad said that day, they didn't move. He left his job and took a job in this town. Rylan's family struggled for a while but soon they were better than before.    _______   Two years later,    The boys were twelve now. Their previous years went happily without much problems.    Right now, Ayden and Rylan were hurrying back to Rylan's house because Ayden got something in school today. A love letter. It was a love letter.   They locked themselves in Rylan's room and Ayden read the letter. It was from a girl. She was sincere in her words and polite.    "What, What are you gonna reply?" Rylan asked then.    "This" Ayden replied and wrote an apology and a rejection at the back of the letter without hesitation.    "Ayden! Why did you do that?? Isn't she a nice girl?" Rylan asked surprised.    "Sure sure. But I don't wanna date her. I'm still 12. I'm sure I'll get more opportunities in the future! Right now I'm completely fine staying with you and enjoying school" Ayden replied with a smile.    "Really??" Rylan asked surprised. He didn't know why, he was very happy when he heard that.    "Of course! Let's go to the ground and play now!" Ayden grinned and jumped up and dragged Rylan away.    _______   They were fourteen now. This is the year that everything changed for the both of them.   After that day when Ayden got that love letter, he got a lot more as the days passed by. It wasn't surprising. Ayden was a good person and he looked good as well. But he of course didn't date anyone. He just had a good friendship with them.   But that's not what's worth noting. What's worth noting is what happened with Rylan in these two years.   He got a few letters as well. But whenever he saw them, saw the beautiful girl who'd sent it, he.... felt nothing. He immediately got scared. Wasn't he supposed to feel butterflies in his stomach? So one night, with tears in his eyes, he went to Ayden's house hoping he'll know what's wrong with him.   When Ayden opened the door and saw Rylan's appearance, he immediately got worried.   "Rylan, what happened?! Did someone bully you?? I'll go punch them right now! Or did your dad scold you? I'll immediately give him a piece of my mind! Please don't cry! Tell me what happened!" he said panicking.   Seeing Ayden care so much, it made Rylan a little happy. So sniffing, he replied, "There's something wrong wi-with me, Ayden" he said trying to stop his tears.    "What do you mean! What happened?!" Ayden asked panicked.    Then suddenly added, "Wait. We shouldn't talk outside like this. Let's go to the lake. It'll be empty at this time" he said and grabbed Rylan's hand and walked to the nearby lake.    The lake was ordinary. There wasn't much there. But it was quiet at night. And sitting there on the grass, one could see the stars in the sky clearly.    They both sat down and Ayden asked then, "Now tell me what happened. And please stop crying. It makes me want to cry seeing you cry" he pleaded.    Rylan nodded and wiped his tears and said, "Ayden, I got a letter too"    "Huh? Well, that's great! Why are you crying then? Do you not like the person? I can help you reject them politely. You don't need to cry about something like that" Ayden explained confused.    "No, no. That's not why. I- I didn't feel anything. Didn't you say I'd get butterflies in my stomach when I see a beautiful girl I like. I saw a beautiful girl but I didn't get the butterflies. I-I felt nothing- Ayden, what's wrong with me?" Rylan stopped when his tears started flowing again.    Ayden was surprised to hear that but he didn't say anything. He first wiped Rylan's tears and then spoke,    "Shh shh. Nothing is wrong with you. You just don't like girls in general. It's not a big deal. Calm down" he said stroking Rylan's head gently and wiping his tears with his other hand.    "Don't-Don't like girls?! Then who do I like?!" Rylan said shocked.    Ayden sighed with a smile, "Really. How are you the top scorer in our school? Of course that means you like boys" he explained calmly.    "Boys...?" Rylan asked tilting his head to the side.    Ayden found that action really cute but he didn't say that. Instead he said,    "Close your eyes. Think about.... ten years from now. You have just come back from work. Your partner opens the door. Who do you see? Is it a guy or a girl?"    Rylan did as Ayden said and he didn't see a girl. He didn't see any guy either. He saw-   "Ayden!" he exclaimed surprised by what he saw.    "Yes?" Ayden calmly asked.    "B-Boy. It was um, a boy" Rylan timidly answered.    Ayden gave him a smile, "See. There's nothing wrong with you at all. So calm down"    "B-But doesn't that make me different from everyone? What if someone doesn't like me?" Rylan asked scared all of a sudden.    Ayden sighed. This guy really overthinks everything.    So then he laid down on the grass and pulled Rylan as well. He pointed at the sky and said,   "Look at those stars. Every star is different, isn't it? But we still call them stars, don't we? That's the same with you. You are unique but you're still human. Still the same as the rest of us" he calmly explained with a smile.    "Really...?" Rylan asked uncertainly.    "Yes, of course. And this means we have something in common as well!" Ayden casually replied.    "Huh. Wait- you-?" Rylan said shocked, turning his head and looking at Ayden.    Ayden looked at him as well and replied with a smile, "Yeah. I like guys too. I was going to tell you in a few days but since you came out to me here I thought it was only fair that I told you too"    "Oh. I... I still like you!" Rylan blurted then. And then his face turned red.    Ayden laughed, "Yes yes, I know. Thank you"    "How are you so much more mature than me. You talk like a grownup. Compared to you, look at me" Rylan said next with a sad face.    Ayden chuckled, "That's because I don't cry at every little thing, you crybaby"    "Ayden, that's mean!" Rylan said and hit Ayden on the shoulder.    Ayden laughed, "I'm sorry I'm sorry"    "Stop laughing first if you're sorry!" Rylan said looking at Ayden dying from laughter.    "Yes yes" Ayden said trying to control his laughter.    After a while of watching Ayden laughing with a legit pout on his face, Ayden finally stopped.    The atmosphere became quiet and comfortable.    Then Ayden took Rylan's hand and said in a soft voice,    "And don't worry. If no one likes you, just know that I'll always like you" he said raising his hand and pointing it at the sky.    A noticeable blush appeared on Rylan's face. He just hoped that Ayden couldn't see it because it was dark.   "Th-Thanks" he stuttered out. Then as if remembering he blurted, "And me too!"    Ayden looked at him with a grin then and said, "But people do like me, Rylan"    "Ayden!" Rylan exclaimed.    Ayden burst out laughing. Rylan pouted at first but smiled later as well.    They didn't let go of the other's hand.    _______   They were fifteen when Ayden got his first girlfriend.    Rylan wasn't surprised. He knew Ayden was very popular in school because of his kind and outgoing nature. But he didn't know why he felt uncomfortable every time he saw Ayden with his girlfriend.    And that soon became the reason they started meeting less and talking less. It wasn't anything major really. It was just Ayden trying to be a good boyfriend and Rylan not reaching out and almost always denying his requests to meet. It had been almost a year since they had started drifting apart.    Then one day Rylan got a call from Ayden.    "Hey, where're you right now?" he asked. There was no greetings no nothing and his voice sounded down.    "Uh, at home..?" Rylan replied confused. He was at home but he was confused.    "Uh, great. I'm coming to pick you up" Ayden replied then.    "Wait, huh, why?" Rylan asked confused.    "The fair's in town. Didn't you always want to go? I got us tickets... Unless you are busy, sorry I didn't ask before.." Ayden replied apologetically.    "N-No! I'm free! I'm waiting!" Rylan blurted out then. He didn't know but Ayden asking him like this made him feel very warm inside.    "Okay" Ayden replied with a smile in his tone.    Rylan agreed and they both hung up.    Ayden arrived fifteen minutes later in ripped jeans and a loose shirt with casual shoes. He immediately smiled after seeing Rylan.    Rylan was staring at him in awe. In these years, Ayden's hair had turned a dirty blond and he has grown up so beautifully. Compared to his thin, average body and soft features, Ayden had a fit body and sharp features.    "Ready to go...?" Ayden asked after he saw Rylan looking at him in a daze.    Rylan was wearing jeans and a casual t-shirt with casual shoes. He definitely looked nice, Ayden thought.    "Ye-Yeah!" Rylan replied snapping out of his daze and hurriedly walking towards Ayden's motorbike to make sure Ayden didn't see the blush that appeared on his face.    Ayden had gotten this motorbike on this, his fifteenth birthday, as he was tall enough. Seeing as he was 1.72 meters, it was definitely enough.    And oh speaking of, Rylan had almost caught up to Ayden's height!    Ayden got on and nudged him to get on. Both of them went towards the fair.    _______   When they arrived, they both had big smiles on their faces.   The fair wasn't big but it was beautiful. There were people chattering about and playing around and the bright lights on the different games attracted the eyes so easily. The big rides like the Ferris Wheel and the Swinging Boat had lights attached to them which made them look so magical.   Seeing Rylan looking at everything with big, happy eyes, Ayden had a smile on his face. He wanted him to enjoy everything to the fullest so he decided to bring him out of his daze,    "Let's get something to eat" he said with a smile, offering his hand.    "Yeah! Let's go!" Rylan said excitedly and took his hand without thinking much and followed him.   The two went hand in hand to a stall and Ayden told him to wait till he got him something to eat.   Rylan was looking around when a cotton candy came at his face.   "For you" came Ayden's voice from beside him.   He turned his head and saw Ayden holding a similar cotton candy with a smile.   Rylan took the cotton candy happily and started eating.   "Hey hey, Ayden, let's go there!" Rylan said then excitedly and grabbed Ayden and dragged him to a game stall.   "Yes yes, jeez, Ry, slow down! You'll fall!" Ayden said helplessly being dragged by Rylan. But he had a sweet smile on his face seeing Rylan smiling so happily. He can't believe he actually went almost a year without seeing this smile.   And as the night progressed, Rylan and Ayden went to a lot of game stalls and food stalls. Ayden bought Rylan any food he wanted no matter how much he wanted to eat and he won every prize Rylan found interesting.   Rylan also won a few things for Ayden but he wasn't the best at those games..   It was 9 pm now and they were walking hand in hand with smiles on their faces. Ayden's other hand was holding a big bag full of prizes which he won accompanied by a smaller bag that had all the prizes Rylan won for him. He didn't let Rylan hold anything to which he was still pouting.   After walking for a while, they arrived at the Ferris Wheel. Rylan looked at the people high up with awe on his face.   "Let's go stand in line for our turn" Ayden said then gesturing to the Ferris Wheel.   Rylan's eyes lit up and he said, "Yeah!" excitedly and went with Ayden to stand in the line.   The queue wasn't long. There were around thirty people in line including them. At once five pairs could go, one pair per cabin. If there was a single person, they could go alone or together with someone if they were alright with sharing with a stranger.   While they were waiting for their turn, Rylan suddenly asked,   "Hey, why didn't you bring your girlfriend here?"   "Because I couldn't" Ayden replied.   "W-Why? Isn't this like the perfect place for a date..?" Rylan asked then confused.   Ayden smiled at him, "We broke up"   "What? When??" Rylan asked surprised. Because the last he knew, they were doing pretty good.   "Today. Before coming here. It was a mutual breakup. We both simply don't see each other in our future. So we decided to break up. The feeling was mutual so there was no hurt" Ayden explained.   "O-Oh. Are... Are you really okay? You looked down when I saw you earlier" Rylan said then worried. There was this weird feeling of happiness but realizing it was bad to feel that, he asked that instead.   "I'm really good. And I was down because you ignored me for almost a year. Of course that's going to make me feel down, don't you think?" Ayden replied with a smirk.   "I'm-I'm sorry.... I didn't mean to.." Rylan replied guiltily.   "I'll accept your apology on one condition. Promise me you won't ignore me anymore in the future. If there's something bothering you or if I did something wrong without knowing about it, you'll talk to me instead of running away. So what do you say? Deal?" Ayden said then.   "Y-Yes. Deal!" Rylan nodded with a smile.   "Good" Ayden replied with a smile of his own.   After sometime, their turn came and they both went on the Ferris Wheel.   When they were above, the wheel stopped and they both looked at each with bright smiles and then looked around them at the lit up town.   "Hey, Rylan" Ayden said then.   "Yeah?" Rylan looked at him then.   "Happy ten year anniversary" Ayden said then with a big smile.   Seeing Rylan had a confused and shocked look on his face, Ayden added with a grin,   "It's been ten years since we met. We met when we were five, remember? Now we're fifteen. So, it's been ten years. Happy ten years" he said with his grin turning into an affectionate smile at the end.   Seeing such a beautiful smile directed at him, Rylan was flustered. Then remembering he didn't reply at all, he hurried to say, "Ye-Yeah! Right! It's been ten years! Happy ten years!" Rylan exclaimed then with a big smile.   Ayden smiled back and then pointed at a direction,   "Isn't your house that way?"   Rylan immediately looked there, "Yeah! I think it's there! Look! Isn't yours that way??" he said excitedly pointing to another direction.   Seeing Rylan's twinkling eyes, no other scenery could compare in Ayden's eyes. He simply wished then to spend many more ten years with Rylan by his side.   A short while after, the wheel started spinning again and soon they were done. They got off and Ayden offered his hand to Rylan with a smile.   Rylan took his hand and followed Ayden with a happy smile on his face. And there he made a wish. To go to many more fairs and spend many more ten years with Ayden by his side.   _______   Their coming years were bliss. They were always with each other and they were more inseparable than ever. It was as if they were trying to make up for the almost year long gap.   They went to movies, played video games, went outside to hang around, studied, Rylan improved Ayden's grades, his own improved again, and passed their freshman and sophomore year easily.   It was Rylan's 17th birthday tomorrow. And in this coming year, Rylan had come to terms with something. His feelings. Towards Ayden that is. He liked him. There was no denying that. And some part of him felt good. And one part of him was scared that Ayden might not like him. So he decided he'll sit on these feelings for sometime before he had the courage to confess.   Night had fallen, it was almost eleven, and Rylan got a call from Ayden.   "Let's go to the docks. I'm outside"   Rylan easily agreed, let his parents know, and changed into casual clothes and went outside. Ayden was standing there leaning on his bike with a smile.    Ayden had grown a little more in these two years but so had Rylan and their heights were very similar now which made Rylan very happy.    Rylan got on the bike and they both went to the lake.    The lake was the same lake they went to when they were younger but now a dock had been built for fishing and other purposes. And at night the place was empty with on one there and it made the perfect place to hang out and watch the stars.   They both sat side by side with their legs dangling and were enveloped in a comfortable silence.    "So why did you take me here so late?" Rylan asked then confused.    "Just wanted to spend time with you and talk. Is that not allowed?" Ayden replied with a smirk.    Rylan sighed then smiled, "Yes, yes it is"   "I'm glad" Ayden smiled.    Then Rylan said, "Oh by the way have you heard about......."    And they started talking about some gossip they heard somewhere, random things, stars, studies, and more. And soon it was very close to twelve.    After they had gotten tired from speaking so much, they decided to just sit in silence watching the lake and not caring about the time at all.    Then Ayden took a bar of chocolate out from his pocket and offered it to Rylan.    Rylan's eyes brightened seeing the chocolate bar. It was his favorite chocolate!    As soon as he took it in his hands, Ayden spoke again,    "Be my boyfriend"    "WHAT?" Rylan exclaimed loudly and dropped his chocolate bar right into the water.    Ayden looked at the chocolate bar and Rylan's regret filled eyes with amusement and then repeated,    "Would you be my boyfriend?"    "You-You-You- Are you playing a prank on me???" Rylan asked stuttering and his face very red.    "Of course not. I genuinely do like you, Rylan. So what do you say?" Ayden replied with a soft smile.    "Like like?" Rylan asked again because he couldn't believe his ears.    "Yes. I have liked you for a long time, Ry. And It's the kind of like that gets married" Ayden replied boldly, never losing his smile.   He had liked Rylan for a long time but he hadn't known what kind of like it was or if it was simply affection. But when he started dating and almost lost Rylan, that fear was worse than anything in his life. He only saw Rylan in his future and that's when he realized he fell in love. So he decided he would tell him that even if Rylan doesn't like him the same way.    Rylan's face took on a whole another shade of red and he stuttered out, "Th-Then I- same.... I like you too..."   Ayden's smile widened and he took out something from his pocket and offered it to Rylan,    "Happy birthday, boyfriend" with a playful smile.    It was a chocolate bar. The same one Rylan had dropped in the water.    Glancing at his watch and seeing it was twelve, Rylan replied with a sweet smile and a red face, "Thank you, b-boyfriend"   Ayden chuckled, "Not bad. And you're welcome"    "You had two?" Rylan asked then looking at the chocolate bar in his hands.    "Of course" Ayden replied as a matter of fact.    "You knew I was going to drop it??" Rylan asked next surprised.    "Wouldn't it be strange if I didn't?" Ayden asked back with a grin.    "Ayden, you're so mean sometimes" Rylan said then turning away from Ayden and eating his chocolate bar.    "Heyy, it was the truth though! You did drop it!" Ayden said next laughing.    "And what if I hadn't have?" Rylan asked then.    "Then I would've given you both of them! Oh come on don't be mad~" Ayden replied then shaking Rylan.   "Hmph" Rylan still didn't turn back around.    "Rylan~ aren't I your boyfriend now? Don't I get the boyfriend apology pass?" Ayden tried again.    Then a chocolate bar was shoved into his face, "Boyfriend apology pass" came a mumbled reply.    Ayden's face bloomed a big smile and he took a bite out of the bar.    And soon Rylan turned back around and after a while they both went back home.    _______   In the coming years, it was awkward for the best friends/couples. Because on one side they wanted to play around like they always did but on the other they thought they should act more like a couple now. So their highschool years went in a stalemate before they realized that they didn't have to act like anything. They could simply act like they always have. They had known each other for more than a decade. There was nothing wrong with it.    So after they graduated highschool, they decided to move to the city to go to a good college. Their grades were just enough to be admitted in the same college.    They decided to rent a small house and live together near the college instead of living in the dorms. They also told their parents about their relationship before leaving for the city. Both of their parents happily accepted them which made them extremely happy.    Rylan had decided that he would obtain a degree and open a bakery shop. He liked sweet things and he was not half bad at baking. At first his parents were reluctant but then they agreed seeing that Rylan wholeheartedly wanted to do it. And they had a feeling that Rylan's shop would be very successful.    Ayden, on the other hand, had chosen to take over his dad's company. Because in the coming years he had shown great talent for it and he loved business as well. So he would be under training while obtaining his graduation degree and once he was ready, he would take over the company. It was a hard few years ahead of him but it was only a hard few years. Because after he was settled, he could live a comfortable life with Rylan.    Rylan was 23 when he opened his bakery with some help from his parents.   Ayden was 23 when he took over the company and became the youngest CEO the company had seen.    The coming two years were hard for both of the boys. Rylan had to make sure his business didn't die down and Ayden had to make sure he didn't fail his dad's expectations.    But as they turned 26, both of them were living a comfortable life in a big villa with successful businesses.    Ayden had become one of the most successful CEOs the company had seen. He skyrocketed the company's shares and made it one of the most prominent companies in the city. He was respected by everybody around him and always was a pleasant CEO to be around and talk to. The company's reputation also boomed making it one of the hardest companies to get into.    And Rylan's shop was one of the most popular shops in the city with it's appearance even in newspapers and magazines as the one of the fastest growing businesses. He had hired new workers, improved the decor, introduced new items, and also had become less timid.    And between this, their love for each other never wavered. It only got stronger and more permanent. No matter how many girls or guys threw themselves at them or tried to date them, the owner of the bakery and the CEO were much too cold to them. It had become a headline once too.    _______   They were 27 now. Ayden had just gotten home from a monthly meeting and had freshened up.    Then he heard the doorbell.    With a smile he went and opened the door and saw the love of his life standing there with a big smile on his face and a package in hand.    When Rylan saw Ayden opening the door, his heart felt all warm inside. He now understands what Ayden meant that day.    "I brought the new pastry from the shop!" Rylan said then handing the package to Ayden, giving him a small peck on the lips and walking in.    Ayden smiled, "Wasn't this already sold out this morning?" he asked then closing the door and walking inside.    "I saved you some. I just baked it so it's fresh. You should eat it now" Rylan replied with a smile.    Ayden smiled back, "What would your customers say when they find out you lied to them about the pastry being sold out?"    Rylan chuckled, "I'll specially save them one too when they are dating me"    "Like I'm gonna let that happen!" Ayden replied getting the pastry to the kitchen.    "See" Rylan grinned. Then added, "I'm gonna freshen up. Then we can watch that new drama that aired yesterday. How about it?" he asked.    "Sure" Ayden replied with a smile.    As Rylan was changing, Ayden's social media saw a new post with a very famous pastry and a very braggy caption,    'Fresh pastry always tastes great'    And let's just say that post blew up. Very fast.    Ayden's social media had a lot of followers. From business colleagues to friends to friends of friends to fans to people who just followed him because he looked good. So he had a lot of followers.    After Rylan came back, he had his phone in his hand and he said showing his blowing up notifications,    "Ayden, really?"    Rylan also had many followers on social media. It was not as much as Ayden but it was enough to be called a lot.    "What, it's just a normal post~" Ayden replied with a growing grin.    Rylan sighed and shook his head fondly and joined Ayden on the couch.    They then proceeded to watch the drama cuddling together nor caring about how the internet had blown up and the people questioning the both of them about various things.    The drama was a very cliche drama about a love triangle where the other female lead only has tragedy in her life. These dramas were very famous these days.    The story was something like, female lead and male lead used to date for years but the male lead got seduced or whatever and broke up with the female lead and since they weren't married or anything, female lead could only wallow in her misery.    "Don't go and get yourself seduced or whatever. You have such a kind personality, people might take advantage of it" Ayden said then with a playful smile.    Rylan rolled his eyes, "Then why don't you marry me, huh?"    "Really?~" Ayden said then with an amused look.    Rylan's face turned red immediately when he realized what he said and no words came out of his mouth.    "You know, I think it's a great idea" Ayden said then and got up.    Rylan was surprised, "Huh? What do you-"    Before Rylan could finish his sentence, Ayden had gotten down on one knee in front of him holding a ring in his hand,    "Marry me?"    The villa and it's neighbors heard a very loud scream that moment.    Ayden chuckled, "Man, that really was loud"   "Y-Y-Y-You-You r-re-really??.." Rylan stammered out a half sentence with an incredibly red face staring at the beautiful ring in Ayden's hands.    Ayden smiled, "Of course. My knees hurt. So will you marry me?" he asked again with a grin.    "Yes! Yes!" Rylan replied immediately and pulled Ayden up.    Both of them shared a deep kiss and Ayden slid the ring on Rylan's finger.    Both of them hugged each other from pure joy and their faces had smiles that never went away.    "Wait here" Rylan suddenly said then and went towards their bedroom.    He came out after a few minutes hiding something behind his back looking very nervous.    "What're you hiding?" Ayden asked with a smile.    Rylan was so nervous no words were coming out, "So um- I- um- This" so he just shoved his hands in front of him.    Ayden was shocked to see what Rylan had in his hands.   It was a ring box.    Ayden actually burst out laughing, "You-You too?"    "I wanted to but I um didn't have the courage and so I but now you so you know" Rylan replied in broken sentences with a big blush on his face making vague gestures.    Ayden chuckled, "Well, are you gonna put it on or not?" he said offering his left hand with a big smile.    "Yes!" Rylan replied with a big smile and opened the box and put the ring on Ayden's finger.    Ayden looked at the ring on his finger with an affectionate smile. It was so beautiful.    "Do you.... like it?" Rylan asked then.    "Are you kidding? Of course!" Ayden replied and jumped on Rylan and peppered his face with kisses.    Rylan giggled, "Yes yes I get it, Ayden, stop"    Ayden laughed and kissed him on the lips one last time and both of them decided to continue watching the drama.    _______   The next day there was a post on both of their social medias showing off two very identical rings. The internet froze.    And in the coming days, they told their parents, had a lot of parties, celebrated alone as well, and set the dates for the wedding.    After the bachelor parties and a lot of publicity for no reason, today they were standing here.    "Ayden Caddell, do you take Rylan Huxley as your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest asked.    "I do" Ayden replied with a big smile.    "Rylan Huxley, do you take Ayden Caddell as your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest asked again.    "I do!" Rylan replied with a beaming smile.    "I now pronounce you both as husband and husband. You may now kiss your husband" the priest said next with a smile.    Rylan and Ayden both looked at each other with a grin and leaned forward.    Applause broke out as soon as they kissed. They separated with a big smile and held each other's hand and faced the crowd and raised their hands in the sky with a happy look.    Standing here, they both knew that whatever happened, they would always be together. Their life didn't have many obstacles but there were some. It wouldn't have been realistic if there were none. But now as they're standing here, they knew that they could overcome everything by holding the other's hand.  The End.   LOST__thewriter Hey, it's LOST, the author, here! It's my first time using this site to post something so bare with me please and thanks because I have no idea what I'm doing. Anyways. This is the first ever BL I wrote. I usually like to only read and write GL. I wrote this as a gift for my friend's birthday as she only read BL and I had absolutely no idea what else to give her as a present as I couldn't meet her because she lived far. Haha, my skillsets are very limited. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little story I came up with in a day and wrote over a course of a week. Yes, I was late with the gift but we don't talk about that. Anyways, reviews, ratings, criticism, all that good stuff is always welcome. Also, I'm sorry if there are typos. I made sure to check but if I still missed some, I apologize. Anyways, see ya around!  

    "Wh-what?!" I stammer, unwillingly to believe I had heard the conditions right.          "You heard me. Paint your nails and I'll give you my ticket," Sorin repeats, a cocky smirk on his face.       "You're crazy! Like I'd do that just for some ticket!" I angrily reply, trying to keep my voice down so others won’t overhear us.         My efforts are futile as Sorin laughs loudly at my embarrassment. "Oh really? You told me you've been waiting to see this game since the start of the season! That you just KNEW the Trojans would make it to the playoffs this year and that you'd do ANYTHING to see this game."       He’s right. I had said both of those things. The Trojans are my favorite local college team, mostly because I played for them back when I was in school. I know half the team since I had only played with them last year. I HAD to be there for their triumph over their rivals: the Spartans. Not only was the square off historically significant, it was also to be the biggest game in the last few years. We hadn't made it during the four years I played for the team, and even though I wasn't playing this still felt like I was finally there to fight for the trophy.       "So what? You'll take advantage of how important this game is to me to make me humiliate myself in front of our former teammates?" I hiss in anger at him. Sure Sorin and I are friends, we even played on the same team, but he always loves his pranks. I honestly shouldn't be surprised that he'd try to pull something at this game, but I never thought he'd go this far.       "Oh don't be so dramatic! You could easily just wear some gloves over them," he sneers. "Orrrr at least you could if I hadn't replaced the ones you had on you with fingerless versions."       My eyes widen in disbelief. Checking my bag, I practically take everything out looking for my gloves, only to find a fingerless pair resting at the bottom of the bag. I look up at Sorin, my eyes staring daggers, and say, "You better give me back my fucking gloves right now asshole!"       "Woah woah woah! Easy there compadre!" Sorin exclaims as he waves off my anger. "I have a pair here with fingers on them that I'll happily give you. AFTER you apply the nail polish." He taunts me by dangling the pair, my pair, right in front of my face, narrowly pulling them back in time as I try to snatch them from his grasp.       "You've been planning this for months, haven't you?" I snap, straining to keep my voice down. "Is this why you got the job here at the stadium? So you could get a free ticket and use it as leverage over me?" He'd managed to get a job at the stadium right after college, much to my happiness up until this moment. I thought at first he did it since finding a better job with a philosophy degree was a bit of a stretch. Unfortunately it seems the truth is far more sinister.       "Maybe. Maybe not. That's for me to know and you to probably never find out," Sorin smirks with a dismissive shrug.       I can’t believe him. This is literally one of the most important games I’m ever going to watch and here is Sorin trying to ruin the entire thing. Seconds pass as I weigh what is more important to me: this game or my dignity. My dreams or my manhood. Getting closure or my image. Finally I let out a defeated sigh and extend my hand. "Just give me the damn polish."       Sorin has the stupidest grin on his face as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a container of bright red nail polish. It is easily the most stereotypical girly color one could grab, which makes me hate it even more. I snatch it out of his hand, eager to get this over with, only to find myself hesitating. There is no way I could do this out in the open. "Do you at least have somewhere private I could put it on at?"       Sorin chuckles before walking towards the employee's section of the entrance. "Follow me Mr. Ex-Linebacker. I got just the spot for you."       I sigh deeply as I follow him, keeping the nail polish hidden in the sleeve of my shirt. Sorin leads me to what I can only assume is some sort of janitor's closet. The door has no real outstanding features and is far enough in the back to be out of sight.       "Here you go champ! Got the place all picked out and ready for ya in advance," he says happily.       "Gee, thanks," I mutter before opening the door and promptly slamming it in his face. I can faintly hear him crack up laughing up on the other side, a scowl my only response.       It takes me a few seconds, but I find the light switch and flip it on. What the light reveals is a small desk setup with a boutique, three-way mirror. A small stool with plush red velvet is tucked underneath it and little heart stickers are peppered all along the sides of the left and right mirror. I groan in disgust at what is obviously some little girl's make-up table that he had found before it had been picked up by a dumpster.       "If he thinks I'm sitting on that stool he's got another thing coming," I whisper to myself. Looking in the mirror I see myself reflected back, or at least however much of myself can be. I'm about 6 foot 1 and pretty well built from my days playing football and my continuing efforts to stay in shape. I'm wearing skinny blue jeans and a green Aeropostale shirt today, as well as some athletic Nikes. Skinny jeans, while tight, show off the hardened muscles in my legs, and I've always liked showing off my appearance. As such, the shirt I have is tight enough to let my upper body muscles display their bulky form. I shaved this morning, but I can still see some stubble on my face since it wasn't really a close shave. I'm rather fond of the whole five o'clock shadow look, which I think goes well with my shaggy dirty-blond hair.        Having spent enough time honoring my appearance before it is forever stained by this act, I unceremoniously plop the nail polish container onto the table and unscrew the top off before taking out the brush and holding it up in front of my face. The scent coming from the polish is actually quite appealing and smells like roses, but I don't have time to focus on it. Sighing and shaking my head, I say to myself, "Let's get this over with," and apply the first coat to my left pinky.       I have no real idea what I'm doing and just sort of brush it on, but to my surprise it covers the entire nail rather perfectly and none of it gets onto my skin. I hold my hand up to examine the work and shrug at how easy it was to paint my nail. "Well that wasn't hard at all. Don't know why girls make such a big deal about this," I comment. My musings are cut short as a strange pulse of energy shoots out from my finger and ripples across my body. I drop the brush in my other hand and grab onto the table as my heart starts racing, my skin tingling in the aftermath of the sudden assault on my senses. "Wh-what the fuck was that?!" I whisper, still trying to keep my voice down so no one catches me in here. I put no faith in Sorin standing guard outside; me getting caught in the act would just be icing on the cake for him.       My heart refuses to calm down as I look over my body. Everything looks normal, although my skin still tingles like someone is rubbing feathers over my entire body. Another pulse, this one pleasurable, catches me off guard and a small gasp of shock escapes from my lips. I look immediately back at left pinky, the source of both pulses, only to feel my eyes widen with fear. Before my eyes my finger is shrinking, its shape slenderizing as the hairs on it retreat into their pores. My fingernail, still wet with paint, extends outward a quarter of an inch from the tip of my now slender finger before changing shape from circular to oval. Incredibly the polish follows along with it and the entire nail remains completely covered in bright red polish.       I'm speechless, unable to process what I've just witnessed, before I feel another pulse shoot across my body. My ring finger follows after my pinky and changes as well, until I'm left with two small, slender fingers on my left hand. Another pulse and my middle finger joins the club. Two more and all five of my fingers are smaller, more slender, and topped with oval nails that extend past the tip. However, only my pinky has red polish on it. I raise my hand up to my face to examine my new fingers in time to feel a light pressure grow on my palm. I watch as the musculature of my hand drains away, the bones cracking as the entire body becomes smaller, the hair on the back pulling into the skin, until eventually my hand reaches a size and appearance more complementary with my new fingers. In the span of a minute, my left hand has become undoubtedly feminine.       I'm no idiot and I know exactly what I've just witnessed. My left hand has become a girl's hand! I put both my hands next to each other on the table, my heart pounding in my chest and skin still tingling, to see that my new hand is 2/3's the size of my still masculine right hand.       "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" I whisper repeatedly, slowly losing it. "I need to get help! I need to get out of here!" I turn around and reach to open the door, but just before my hand reaches the doorknob a thought comes to my mind. I haven't finished painting my nails.         "W-what?" I stammer, my hand shaking and hovering right over the doorknob. I know I want to leave, but for some reason the fact that only one of my nails is painted strikes me as completely unacceptable. I can't leave here with only one nail done. I'll look ridiculous! Like I don't even care enough about my appearance to finish the job!       "I..what...wh-why?" I whimper, unsure where these thoughts are coming from. I know this isn't right, that's something's wrong, but I find myself growing more and more compelled to finish painting my nails as the seconds pass. Everything can wait until I finish my nails. Besides, I can't see the game until I finish anyways. Finally I cave in to the compulsion and turn back to the desk and the polish.       My left hand reaches for the brush and lifts it up to the container, completely against my will. Surprisingly none of the paint has come off it onto the table, and as I'm forced to dip it back in and pull it out the brush is instantly covered with what I somehow instinctively know to be the perfect amount of polish for my nail. I bring the brush to my right pinky this time and carefully apply it, making sure it covers the entire surface. Flawlessly I apply it, and for some reason feel a small amount of happiness at the job I've done.        It doesn't last as I fight against what I'm doing. I try to drop the brush, but find myself unable to. Just as suddenly as before a pleasurable pulse shoots through my body yet again, this time originating from my right pinky. My legs feel weak from the continued tingling and pressure, and I lean against the table with my left hand as I bring my right up to my face to watch the inevitable change. After another five pulses and what feels like a gentle massage, my right hand becomes a mirror image of my left.       I try to force myself to leave, try to fight this alien compulsion that's taken hold over me, but my body refuses to listen to my commands. Even my own thoughts betray a sort of satisfaction at how my hands now look. They look so pretty now...       I shake my head, trying to dispel these foreign thoughts. I come back to my senses in time to see my left hand applying a coat to my right ring finger, the polish applied perfectly in only seconds. I whimper in fear, unsure what will happen to me now, before a pleasurable wave travels slowly across my body. I close my eyes at the pleasant sensation and even feel a stirring in my loins as it passes through and down my legs. I open my eyes, trying to ignore it and compose myself before I feel another wave travel across my body, my knees trembling at the sensations. I definitely feel arousal start to grow in my crotch, but I'm distracted as the wave allows me to pinpoint its origin to my right arm and focus my attention there.       To my horror I see my muscles fade away as my arm shrinks. It slims down and loses much of its mass, my hairs that had been standing on end from the waves retreating into my skin and disappearing. My bones crunch and crack as they decrease in size, my forceps and biceps becoming more slender and slim. In far less time than my hands my entire arm diminishes into a small, feminine form that matches my right hand but contrasts heavily with the rest of my body. My muscle mass is far less, most of it lost and some of it converted into feminine fat that gives my arm a smooth and alluring appearance. The rest I can only assume is converted into energy that causes my body to feel incredibly warm.       My heartbeat can be heard in my ears and my anxiety and fear reach their breaking point. I'm turning into a girl and there's nothing I can do. My own body won't even listen to my commands. "T-to hell with this, I need to get help!" I frantically say out loud, past the point of caring about being caught. I take a deep breath and prepare to yell, but before I can a loud voice echoes through my mind.    Relax. Calm down.       It was foreign to me, a soft and gentle voice that I did not recognize. There was no logical reason for it to even affect me, but for some reason I find myself actually calming down as my fear ebbs away. I'm still anxious, unwilling and unwanting to change, but my heart slows its pace and I find myself thinking more clearly. Who are you?How are you doing this to me?   You're the one doing this to yourself. Be at ease and accept this change.       I scoff in response. Like I would ever do this to myself. What? Why should I listen to you?   Because you know this is what you really want.       I'm dumbstruck at even the notion that I could possibly want this. Y-you're crazy. Why would I ever possibly want to be a girl?   You know how we look at other girls. You pass off admiration of their bodies as sexual desire, but we know it's deeper than that.       I'm quiet, unsure how to respond. I'd always had an appreciation of the female form, but to say I wanted to be one? Th-that's ridiculous.   Remember when you were ten, in our sister's room?      My sister and her friend are braiding my hair, giggling to each other at how pretty they'll make me look. She'd done my chores for me so I could hang out with my friends, but when she said I owed her I hadn't expected this. I was blushing like crazy, my heartbeat racing as they put bows in the braids. They spin around the chair to show me my reflection in the mirror, hands covering their mouths as they giggle even more. I put on an act of discomfort, but secretly I enjoy how I look with braids.        My mind returns to the present, leaving me reeling and disorientated. W-what are you doing?   Remember the first time you had sex, with our first girlfriend?       Christie moans and whimpers as I thrust into her, her hands wrapped around my torso as her eyes squeeze closed in pleasure. She encourages me to go harder, go faster, but all I can think about is what she must be feeling, how content she looks with me inside her, how she squeals with each of my thrusts. I picture myself in her position and gasp as the thought instantly pulls me over the edge and I cum heavily inside her.       I snap back to reality, my cheeks flushed and my breathing heavy as the arousal from the memory persists. S-stop! This isn't...these aren't...   Remember when she brought you clothes shopping and what we saw?       "Wait here while I try this top on, okay?" Christie says as she walks into the changing room. I look at some of the other clothes hanging outside the door. I think a few will look real good on her, but I pick up the lacy blue bra she has picked out and rub my fingers against the fabric. I wonder what it's like wearing one, how it feels to have breasts, and my heart flutters for just a moment at the thought. I indulge this fantasy for a few seconds before shaking my head and dispelling the image from my mind.        My eyes are clamped shut as I fight against the latent desires these trips down memory lane dig up Wh...what do you want...?   To give you what you want. Sorin thinks this is a prank, but we know better.       As I'm following Sorin, I glance at the bottle of polish he's handed me. The red paint inside sparkles as the sunlight dances off it, the glittering display catching my eyes as a grin forms in the corner of my mouth. For less than a second I think this situation might not actually be so bad, but the thought is quickly suppressed as I tuck the bottle up my sleeve and out of sight.       I open my eyes, again back in the janitor's closet. I look at my right hand, flex and unflex my fingers, and find myself slightly appreciating their new shape and form. Though there is no sunlight, the nail polish still gleams under the fluorescent lighting in the room. But...but I...   Give in, accept the changes. Become who you want to be. Become who I want to be.       I...I can't...I...   Let me out.       My emotions and hidden desires are at the forefront of my mind. Being a girl had always been a forbidden concept, an enticing prospect that I could never indulge. Now I had the opportunity, I could take on a form I had wanted since my youth. I had only to say yes.        I was born male. I'd been a linebacker. I'd had a girlfriend.       "I,"- My fists clench, my heartbeat pounds.       "I,"- My breath quickens, my mind races.       Yes. I want to be a girl.   Good. Now finish my nails love.       I grab the brush with my right hand. It was me now, no alien compulsion controlling my motions. I dip it in the container and apply the polish to my left ring finger. It is only seconds this time before I feel the first wave. I close my eyes and bask in the pleasure as it flows from my arm all the way down to the tips of my toes. I feel the stirring once again, but this time do not repress my arousal. The second wave is already traveling across my stomach as I feel myself start to grow hard. My cock will be gone soon enough so it feels only right to hold none of my desires back during my finale as a boy.   Boy. Yes. Because we've never really been a man, and soon I will be a woman.       I open my eyes as my left arm finishes its transformation. Both my arms now match their respective hands, unwanted muscle and hair gone from them. I dip the brush again and paint a coat onto my left middle finger. I smile at yet another perfectly painted nail, then purr as I feel a pleasurable pulse shoot up from my left foot and through the rest of my body. I pull out the plush bench and sit down on it before placing the brush on the table next to me. I take off my shoe and sock just as a second pulse shoots through my body. I feel tightness in my jeans, but pay it no mind as I focus on my foot. It shrinks and softens as calluses fade away. All hairs along it vanish from sight and the slight arch I have grows more pronounced. My toes slim down and slenderize while my nails become more pointed and smooth. A thought comes to my mind as the transformation finishes, my left foot now graceful and feminine, and I reach for the brush and polish on the desk. I deftly and delicately paint all five of my toenails, wiggling my toes as I finish to admire how they look.   Not bad.       I blush at the praise and turn back to my work, surprising myself with how quickly I've immersed myself in this. I paint over my right middle finger now, eager to continue on with the changes. I'm already taking off my shoe as the first pulse shoots through my body, closing my eyes as I enjoy the sensation. I take off my sock and hold out my foot in time for the second pulse, my left hand gently running up and down the length of my now fully erect penis through my jeans as I watch my right foot change like my left. I playfully tap the tip of my dick as it finishes, shivering at how pleasurable it feels to do so, before grabbing the brush and coating my new nails with polish. I plant both feet on the ground as I finish and wiggle my toes, admiring how the red polish looks on them. I love how wonderfully cute and girly my feet now look and feel my cock twitch in approval with my thoughts. The soft voice giggles at this, and I find myself smiling as well.   I knew you would enjoy this if you just gave in.       It's strange how right the voice is. While before I felt only fear at my changes and desperately wished to run away, now I find myself enamored with my changing body. Each new change makes me feel more confident, more feminine, more sexual. The waves and pulses feel unbelievably stimulating and pleasurable, but I also find the new body I'm slowly unveiling with each coat of paint very appealing. I'm unsure how my orientation will fair when this is all over, but for the time being the woman I'm turning into is incredibly attractive, and my remaining masculinity cannot resist her allure.       I start on my next finger, my right index, and once it is painted beautifully red I shudder as a wave of pleasure travels across my body in response. Seconds later another wave follows the first and my hips writhe as my member throbs with joy at the sensations, its erect form pressing hard against my uncomfortably tight jeans. This gets no better as my right leg changes, the muscles shrinking only slightly as they compact down to a more feminine form. Fat builds in my thighs and my calves become toned and sexy. I can feel my leg hair recede into my body and after only seconds my leg, while shorter, is uncomfortably compressed by my skinny jeans.   We should probably get out of these.       I nod in agreement and unbuckle my belt and jeans. I am able to get my left leg out easily, but it takes some pulling to free my now womanly thigh from my right pant leg. It is larger than my old thigh, softer and fatter, but as I feel it up I realize the fat only hides from sight the powerful muscles lying underneath. I smirk as I realize my body is becoming that of a runner, with powerful calves and thick runner's thighs. It's nice to know becoming a woman doesn't mean losing all of my muscles and I rub my hands up and down my leg, relishing the new smooth feel of my skin against my fingers and palms. Freed from the tight confines of the jeans, my erection sticks out proudly in my underwear, its form outlined harshly against the looser but still containing fabric. I casually run the back of my left fingernails along the length of my shaft and take in a sharp breath at how sensitive it is. My touch feels far more pleasurable than usual and I just somehow know the transformation is to blame for the enhanced sensitivity of my cock.       Still, I know it is no substitute for the desirable end product I will have and continue on with my painting. I bring the brush to my left index finger and lean back against the desk as I finish painting my nail, my head tipped back and eyes closed as the expected wave of pleasure flows across my body. The tingles on my skin feel enticingly erotic now and I rub my hands up and down my arms as I bask in the sensations. As the second wave finishes its journey across my form I bring my head up to watch my left leg transform, the exact look of that transformation denied to me before by my now ill-fitting and removed jeans. As my leg changes form before my eyes, I bite my lip at how aroused I feel watching myself change and find myself again gently stroking my penis, this time with my right hand. As the change finishes and my left leg becomes a beautiful feminine twin of my right, I find myself struggling to continue any further against the pent up desire in my loins.    Give in. Enjoy yourself. This is all for us.       I let out a breathy sigh of relief at the approval of the voice and strip myself of my underwear. I wrap my left hand around my rock hard cock, my testicles tight against the skin of my groin, and give in to the instincts and cravings I have been feeling for the past few minutes. I lightly pant and occasionally gasp as I beat myself off, pumping my hand up and down the long, stiff mass that is my shaft. The sounds escaping my lips grow higher and higher in pitch as I stroke myself closer and closer to release, yet the pleasure I feel is so great and distracting that I barely even register this trivial little detail. I love how smooth my fingers feel against my cock, and the fact that I possess the feminine hand stroking it so wonderfully excites me greatly and further fuels my arousal. My penis feels incredibly large in my smaller hands, even though I've always had an impressive size, and as I pleasure myself for what is to be my last time with a penis I wonder if that size will translate into equally impressive breasts.        I'm unable to hold on for very long, no doubt due to the increased sensitivity I have from my transformation, and before even half a minute passes I bring my legs close together and let out a very feminine gasp as I orgasm, thick ropes of cum spraying from my dick onto my legs, my discarded jeans, and my removed underwear. Small, breathy moans escape past my lips as smaller contractions fire even more cum from my cock until, after ten or more seconds pass, the last bits of semen dribble onto my fingers and my orgasm fades. I lean back against the desk, softly panting as I come down from the erotic high of climax, rubbing my thighs against one another and relishing the wet feel of my cum on my soft skin, my left hand resting on my softening dick. Slowly, I notice that the sounds leaving my mouth are much softer than what I am used to. I spin around in the chair to face the mirrors, strands of something long brushing against my shoulders and face, and gasp as I see my reflection.       My face and head have transformed during my ministrations without me realizing, my manly features long gone as a woman's head now rests on my shoulders. My face is now smaller in size and gentler in curves. My broad chin is rounder, ending in a small curve inches below my peachy pink lips instead of a more broad square. My nose is smaller, flatter, and lacks the scars from when I had broken it years ago. My eyes are roughly the same size and color, but are framed with longer eyelashes and thinner eyebrows. I can't see my ears as they are covered with long, sandy hair that is the inverse of my old dirty blond. It has gone from blond with specks of brown to brown with lighter, tanner streaks. Two long braids frame my face and rest on either side of my chest, which also leads me to notice my neck is more slender and lacks an adam's apple. I shyly smile and blush as I see the braids I enjoyed as a child have returned to grace me as I transform into a girl.       "Wow...," I whisper at the gorgeous face reflected at me, before letting out a tiny squeak of surprise and bringing my right hand to my mouth. The voice I had just heard was not only feminine and nothing like my old, it was also the same as the voice I had been hearing inside my head during this entire transformation.   I told you. We want to be a girl. I know because I am you.       "Yes, yes, you're so right love," I respond with a smile, loving the sound of my new voice. "We're going to be so beautiful..."   I'm going to be so beautiful.       I rub my right hand gently across my cheek and my reflection smiles back at me. My heart flutters in response and my cock twitches in kind, but I compose myself and bring my right hand back to the brush. I bring my left hand up onto the table, my left thumb my next target, but stop as I see the cum coating my fingers. For a moment I worry that the polish has been smeared or ruined by my earlier session. However, a quick examination reveals everything to be in order, the paint long since dried on to the nails. I giggle at this, a soft and cute sound, since this is no doubt the work of whatever magic is fueling my transformation. I reach to wipe my hand off on my shirt, but then change course and bring it up to my mouth as a dirty thought comes to my mind.   You wouldn't!       I stare at my reflection in the mirror and watch as the girl inside seductively licks my cum off her fingers, sucking each one clean, and winks back at me as her pinky slips out from her lips. She swallows and smiles at the taste of my semen, salty but tolerable, as it slides down her throat. I moan as I feel my penis grow fully erect once again in seconds, its sensitive flesh throbbing from the little show I've put on for myself. I feel pride well up inside my chest at how easily I was able to make myself hard, despite my wonderful and recent orgasm, and how confident and sexy of a woman I make. The temptation rises to have another go at myself, but instead I take off my shirt since I want to be able to see the rest of myself change.   Well wasn't that dirty.       I blush as I coat the brush in paint and paint my left thumbnail, unable to deny how far I've given in to being a sexy girl. I glance at my chest and stomach and see that all the hair and blemishes along their surfaces have already vanished, leaving the skin of my torso smooth. I spin around in the chair and look over my shoulder to see the same has happened to my back, my skin equally smooth and soft. As I finish my nail, I raise my left hand up to my face and smile happily at how it looks with all five fingers painted. I wiggle them proudly, the red polish gleaming off the nails, and feel my heartbeat quicken in anticipation of my next change. It comes swiftly as my entire body pulses with pleasure, a soft moan escaping my lips. I feel a peculiar sensation on my chest and look down to see my nipples become erect. I smile as they don't stop there, another pulse racking my body as they double in size and the areola around them grow to twice their previous diameter. Large pink nipples stand upright and hard on my chest, equally pink and slightly dimpled areola surrounding them. I bring my left hand up to my chest and brush my index finger against one, letting out a louder moan at how sensitive it feels to my touch. The sensation is similar to rubbing the head of my penis and I place the brush down so that my right hand can join my left in its sensual massage.        I purr at the pleasurable sensations coming from my nipples before gasping as all the bones in my torso suddenly crunch down. My shoulders crash together, their broadness lost as they slim down and curve ever so slightly. My spine changes shape and pushes my chest farther out and my ass farther back. My rib cage shrinks as my organs compress and rearrange, everything shrinking and decreasing in size. My muscles and six pack wither away until I'm left with a smooth belly, a subtle ridge running from my crotch to my sternum, the only hint at the tone muscles that lie beneath my skin. My waist snaps inward and curves, giving me a gentle hourglass figure that grants my body sensual curves from hips to chest. This only improves as my hips jut out and expand, my knees and lower thighs coming closer together and a small crotch gap creating slightly more room for my testicles that I hadn't even realized were being compressed by my thighs. Fat builds up in my rear as my ass expands at a phenomenal rate, going from flat to round and soft in a manner of seconds. I slowly stand up on my shaky legs, the transformation seemingly over, and bring my hands down to feel my ass. I squeeze it, softly moaning in pleasure at how it feels, the flesh unable to be contained by my two small hands alone. I run them up my waist and smile at how smooth my skin feels. I turn to look at myself in the mirror and realize that I'm now short enough that I can see my entire upper body reflected back. I've easily lost half a foot of height, possibly more, and blush at how feminine I now look, especially with my large and erect nipples standing out from my chest.       Another pulse reverberates through my body and my gaze is drawn to my chest as a pleasurable pressure grows beneath my nipples. I moan as an equally erotic pressure grows in my groin, my dick erect and throbbing, my testicles tight against my groin beneath it. I let out a loud moan as the pressure releases in my chest and breasts begin to push outward. Fat and liquid fills up behind my erect nipples as my breasts bloom and grow, expanding cup size by cup size with only seconds between each milestone. I bring my hands up to cup them and knead the flesh as it quickly gets too large for my hands to hold all of, my palms running up and down the soft flesh and grazing against my nipples which makes me release yet another moan. Finally their expansion ends at a generous size, the exact measurement unknown to me.   D cups are what I have.        I smile at that knowledge, gently fondling and caressing my beautiful D-cup breasts. I playfully circle my nipples with my index fingers for a few seconds before pinching one, a loud gasp escaping my lips as the shocking pleasure from doing so jolts through my body. The gasp transitions to a high-pitched scream as, much to my surprise, I suddenly orgasm. My whole body tenses up and I blow a large load, coating the top of the desk and bottom of the mirror with a massive spray of cum. Girlishly I gasp and moan, my legs quivering and shaking as smaller loads shoot in quick succession. Pleasurable shivers run down my spine as a little more spurts out before, finally, the last few drops drip from the tip of my cock onto the floor and my toes. I pant and blush deeply in embarrassment at what just happened. I didn't realize just how sensitive I now was nor how violent of a reaction my cock would have from me playing with my new breasts and nipples. I look at the aftermath and feel my blush deepen at just how much seed I released; the entire top of the desk is covered in my cum. I thought my last orgasm had expelled all I had in me, yet it seems I am sorely mistaken. It takes me a few moments to come down from my high, and my dick remains half-hard and dully throbbing the entire time as I catch my breath.       Don't be ashamed. Relish the experience. You're almost done. I'm almost here.       I realize the voice is right as I look at myself in the mirror. My body is now almost entirely done changing. I have long hair, delicate features, smooth skin, gentle curves, beautiful breasts, wide hips and thick thighs. My hands are dainty, my fingers slender, my calves toned, and my feet petite with cutely painted toes. The only part left to change is my partially-erect dick, which looks awkward amidst all the feminine beauty surrounding it. Resolve fills my mind as I prepare to finish what I started and reach down to the desk to grab the brush and polish. To my relief both somehow remain untouched by cum from what I tenderly realize was my final ejaculation, and I raise them up to my face as I dip the brush with my left hand into the vial of polish. I slowly pull it out, anticipation making me want to savor the experience, and gently apply the red paint to my right thumbnail. By now I'm used to the act and enjoy painting my nail, taking time to make sure the last nail is painted perfectly. Soon enough it is and I screw the brush back into the vial. I will need it no longer and place it on the table as I examine my right hand. I bring my left hand next to it and wiggle my fingers, smiling proudly at how wonderful my nails look. My body begins to grow pleasantly warm, and I softly moan as my penis starts to pulsate with heat and pleasure.       My cock quickly becomes rock hard, harder than I've ever felt it before, almost impossibly so. Despite two orgasms in the span of minutes nothing holds it back as it throbs and throbs with pleasure. I sensually sway my hips from side to side, basking in the sensations as I feel a heat grow between my hips and deep within my flesh. I can feel my insides rearranging, making room for what is to come, and I can't help myself as I bring my hands to my breasts and play with my nipples as I feel more and more turned on. Small gasps and pleasured sounds fill the air around me as my body rocks in tune with the pleasurable pulses and throbs of my dick. I can feel what I think is pre-cum dripping from the tip of my cock, but as I look down I see it's just as thick and white as my semen.   All the seed must be spent to make room for my eggs.       I loudly moan as the voice finishes and fall back onto the plush seat, my toes, slick with the last of my seed dripping from my cock, curling as I feel a powerful tug. I pant heavily, fully realizing what the tug means for my penis. Another, stronger tug forces a second moan out of me and I squeeze my breasts in response at just how good the tugging feels. I can feel my penis being pulled inside my groin, my reproductive organs breaking down and repurposing into their counterparts. I look down, wanting to watch my penis as it leaves me, and gasp as another tug shrinks my cock even further. I continue to fondle my right breast as I reach my left hand down and stroke my dick, fondly rubbing my fingers up and down its shorter length. Another tug pulls it in further and I shudder as it slips from my grasp and closer to the surface of my groin. My small cock is merely half its previous size now, yet it somehow still feels incredibly large and hard. I brush my fingers down its diminished length and fondle my balls, gently caressing them as I wish them a tender goodbye. I realize all my pubic hair has vanished except for a small amount of fuzz and curls of hair damp with my cum along the base of my member. A fifth tug hits and I practically scream as my testicles leave my grasp and suck into my body, a wet slurp signalling their departure. My hips wiggle and writhe as I feel them travel through my insides, their small forms releasing small pulses of pleasure and heat throughout my core as they transform into ovaries and move to opposite sides of my hips. My knees tremble as a final pulse makes me gasp in pleasure. A smile comes to my lips as I realize their transformation is complete, and the ability to make semen is lost to me forever.        The smile fades and is replaced with a high pitched moan as my short cock joins in the celebration and releases a final spray of cum onto my thighs. It's only a small amount, the splash barely enough to reach my knees and nothing compared to the displays from before, but I giggle happily at the act and stroke it gently with approval. I can feel a tunnel burrowing through my hips now, slowly making its way to my tiny dick as another tug shrinks it and elicits yet another moan from my mouth. I can feel my womb forming deep inside me, the depths of my crotch burning with an erotic heat that travels ever closer to the surface of my groin. My penis is shorter than my pinky now and is slowly turning pink as its flesh is repurposed and changed. Another tug makes it only half an inch long and the hole at the tip closes shut. I can feel my urethra traveling to a new location below its base and buck my hips rhythmically as I feel the tunnel come closer and closer to the last remainder of my cock. A final tug forces me to cry out with pure ecstasy. I resist the urge to throw back my head so I can watch as my penis completely recedes into my flesh, a wet tearing sound signalling the opening of my new vagina. The folds of my labia major and minor form and my urethra settles into its new place. The sensitive flesh of what was my cock forms into my clitoris and I shiver with pleasure as the nerve endings double in number. I can feel parts of it spread inside my flesh, unseen parts of my clitoris forming and taking shape, until finally the only part visible is the small, yet enlarged, glans resting under the clitoral hood. One last pleasurable pulse leaves me gasping for breath as the tunnel within me connects to my new lower lips and my vaginal tract completes, the inner surfaces already wet with feminine cum that slowly seeps out onto my upper thighs.   You must finish. I need release.       My breaths are heavy and hot as I remain incredibly aroused and desperate for release. I'm unsure what to do now to bring myself to climax and hesitantly poke my clit with my finger, heavily moaning at how indescribably sensitive it is. My clitoris feels nothing like my penis did and I rub it with my fingers as fervently as I would beat off my dick. This only ends up causing me more pain than pleasure so I instead slow down and gently rub the glans, my whole body shuddering as the pleasure returns in full force. I squirm and moan as shocks of pleasure light up my nerves and jolts of pleasure shoot through my body in tune with my delicate caresses. My toes curl and my right hand squeezes my breast as my pleasure grows and grows. Eventually what I'm doing just isn't enough and I shove more fingers into my slit, sliding them in and out as deep in as I can, occasionally readjusting my position so I can continue to touch my clit while doing so. I can feel the cum dripping onto my upper thighs at the same time as I feel the slick stickiness of my semen against my legs and feet. The lubrication against my soft skin intoxicates me, and the fact that I made both of these fluids arouses me beyond belief. I thrust faster and harder with my fingers, desperately trying to bring myself to climax as my moans fill the air.   Release me. Give in, and let go.       "Ahhh! Ohhh Yyyyesss! I'm freeeyyeaahahhh!!" I scream as I finally climax and giant waves of pleasure rock my body. My muscles spasm and my body squirms as a feminine orgasm rocks my body with pleasure unlike anything I've ever experienced. My hand continues thrusting as I try to keep the experience going, my fingers soaked and dripping cum, as wave after wave sets my nerves on fire. Everything around me fades from focus as the intensity of the pleasure overloads my mind and drowns out my other senses. For what feels like forever I continue to scream and moan and thrust until I suddenly fall off the stool and collapse onto my discarded clothes from before. My hand slips out of my womanhood and I pant as I slowly come down from the most intense sexual experience I've ever had and regain awareness of the world. My muscles are too weak to move, so I lie on the floor as the mixed smells of my vagina and the semen on my clothes mix together into a aroma of sex. I laugh weakly at the realization that both scents are my own, but smile at the thought that the womanly smells are what I'll make from this moment further. I've fully become a woman and my heart swells with happiness at my lifelong desire come true.       I don't know exactly how long passes before I find the strength to get up and sit on the stool. I look in the mirror to see a blushing girl panting softly and faintly smile back since I know she is me. The voice from before is gone from my mind now, but I've long since realized it was actually myself all along. I glance at the nail polish and wonder if there was something special about it or if I could have changed before now had I done something like this sooner. The thought that the magic was inside me all along is a pleasant one, but it matters very little now that I have the body I've always wanted. Now all the people at the game can finally see me for the girl I really am.       "Oh shit! The game!" I exclaim as reality slowly comes back to me. I've been in this closet for who knows how long while Sorin waited for me to put on the nail polish that started all of this. I laugh as the pun of "in the closet" dawns on me, but I don't have any more time to spend in here. I grab my shirt to put it on, but frown as I realize it's not only too big, it's also stained with my cum. I look down to see the same situation with my underwear and jeans, although my jeans would probably be too tight for my new thighs and hips. My shoes and socks look fine, but my feet are way too small to fit into them now.       I stare at the shirt in my hands, unsure of what to do, before suddenly getting an idea. If the magic was inside me to change all along, maybe my clothes will change into something more form fitting if I put them on. Deciding I have nothing to lose, I pull the shirt on and over my head and past my breasts. It hangs loosely on my body, the only part really stretched out being the part by my breasts, but I let out a squeal of delight as I see the fabric wiggle and start to shrink. In a couple of seconds the shirt changes to a size that fits me perfectly and lacks all traces of my cum. I grab my underwear next and put those on as well, giggling happily as they change size and form into a clean blue pair of panties with lace along the leg-holes. That doesn't last long as they get a little damp from the leftover fluids on my crotch, but I brush it off and hope it won't show through whatever my jeans turn into. I struggle to pull said jeans up my legs, finally managing to get them over my thighs but unable to button them up since my waist is too wide. That problem is soon remedied as the waist expands and the legs start to shrink. At first I think maybe they'll become capris, but as the legs travel up past my legs it seems shorts are what they'll become. The most drastic clothing change yet, my thoughts are proved more than right as my skinny jeans turn into a pair of short-shorts, the bottoms of the "legs" shredded up and the pockets extending past and resting against my thighs. I look over my shoulder in the mirror and blush as I see the back only covers up the top half of my ass. They definitely look very sexy on my body and show off my lovely legs quite well. Unfortunately that means I'll have to clean them off and I search around the room for a bit until I find a cloth to wipe the cum off my legs and feet with.       "Good thing Sorin left me in a janitor's closet," I whisper to myself as I wipe myself off. With that finished I toss the cum-soaked rag in a corner and sit down to finish dressing. I grab my socks, pulling them over my feet and watching as they change shape into cute little ankle socks with green tips over my toes. Then I put on my shoes, which change into women's athletic shoes before I can even tie the laces. I stand up and bounce back and forth on the balls of my feet, happy with how my clothes turned out and how cute and sexy my outfit looks. I turn back to the mirror and pick up the red nail polish, admiring it fondly and silently thanking it for all it has done for me. I put it in my pocket and pat it gently before taking one last look at myself in the mirror. It and the desk are still covered with my cum from before, but I figure I'll just let the next guy who comes in here handle that. I laugh as I imagine his face as he wonders exactly what the hell happened in this closet.       I turn to the door and take a deep breath as I steel myself for the new world waiting for me beyond that door. I walked into this closet an ex-linebacker forced to emasculate himself in order to see the game of the year. I exit it now a sexy, athletic girl with a new lease on life and the body she's always wanted. As I turn the doorknob and open the door, I give one small prayer of thanks to whatever or whoever made this happen for me before stepping through the doorway and into my new life.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       I wait at the end of the hallway, my eyes on my watch as I wait for my friend to get back from the janitor's closet at the other end. I smirk as I realize nearly a half hour has passed since. "Enjoying yourself, eh?" I chuckle to myself.       I hear the door open finally and look down the hallway to see the girl step out of the closet. Her braided hair swings across her chest as she turns to face me, her hands clenching into little fists as she bites her lip when she sees me staring at her with a smirk on my face. She briskly walks up to me, her face blushing with embarrassment before shyly saying "H-h-hey Sorin."       "Took you long enough. Wanted to make sure your nails looked all nice and pretty?" I ask. I look at her hands and see the polish on the nails sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. "Well you sure did a good job after making such a fuss about having to wear that nail polish."       She blushes even more at my words before shaking her head and then cocking it quizzically at me. "That...that's all you have to say?" she asks hesitantly.       "Well yeah, what more is there?" I reply with a shrug. "I didn't think you'd do it, but here you are with the polish on." I laugh as she stares at me all slack-jawed before recomposing herself. "Relax, a deal's a deal. Here's your ticket Britt."       "B-britt?" she repeats as if she's never heard the name before. "Uh, r-right, Britt, that's me! B-Brittany's my name!" she stammers before snatching the ticket from my hands.        "Er, yeah. Duh." I reply, raising an eyebrow. "You feeling okay? You didn't eat any of that nail polish, did you?"       "N-nope, I'm fine!" she replies quickly while shoving the ticket into her pocket. "Never been better actually! I feel great!" she adds, smiling and blushing as she says it.       I smile back. Damn me if she doesn't look so cute when she's happy. "Well good, glad to hear it. You should probably hurry before you're late for the game you know. You've spent a whole half hour in there."       "What?!? A half hour! Oh shit!" she practically yells before darting past me. A few yards away she stops for a moment to examine herself, looking down her side as she stares at her body.       "Hurry up or you'll miss the opening kick off!" I yell at her.        She snaps back to reality and blushes before running off towards the front gate. "Thanks for the ticket Sorin!" I hear her yell back as she goes around the corner and disappears into the crowd waiting to get in.       I chuckle to myself. "Enjoy your new life, Britt."  

“What the hell!” Ambrose yelled as he looked out his window to the street below.  It was a normal morning for Ambrose until he looked out his bedroom window, and instead of the normal Darkshore City street he was expecting, it was filled with what looked to be fantasy creatures. Some flew above the cars or passed through them like they weren’t even there, and on the sidewalk, creatures walked through the crowds like they weren’t giant or red-skinned. What looked like ghosts of animals and people mingled among the crowds, jumping through people and playing with one another happily, sometimes they interacted with the fantasy creatures, making people look at them a little strangely, but not saying anything otherwise. “Maybe I’m still a little tired,” Ambrose muttered to himself as he stepped away, closing his blinds to prevent himself from looking outside. Ambrose decided to ignore what he just saw and continue on with his morning routine, he had to be at work in an hour.  “Maybe I won’t drink before bed from now on,” Ambrose told himself as he entered his bathroom, pausing when he saw himself in the mirror, he had short, curly blond hair, sharp eyebrows, blue eyes and an athletic body from daily exercise. But what he saw behind him is what shocked him. Floating behind his body was what looked to be the top half a giant ghostly man in plate armour. On its curly-haired head sat an intimidating red crown, with diamonds embedded in it equidistant from one another. From the neck down it had black plate armour with a golden script running along the edges, it glowed an otherworldly colour that left Ambrose feeling somewhat intimidated. On its hip sat a sword that looked to be made from the same metal as his crown, it had a golden script running along its entire length and glowed just like his armour. And he was staring right into Ambrose’s eyes. “H-hey man, what are you doing in my bathroom!” Panicked, Ambrose said the first thing that came to mind, which immediately made him feel like an idiot. Contrary to his expectations, the ghostly king just continued to stare at him, staying completely still. “Uh, you aren’t here to kill me or something?” Ambrose asked as he slowly walked out of his bathroom. Once again he didn’t get an answer. As Ambrose moved he watched as the ghostly king followed behind him, somehow matching his pace exactly while walking backwards. “Are you… attached to me?” Ambrose deduced that somehow this ghostly king was connected to him somehow. Surprisingly, the king responded by nodding his head in agreement. “Continue… day.” Ambrose jumped as he heard someone speaking directly into his head. He wasn’t sure how, but he could tell it wasn’t able to be heard by others.  “Okay? You’re not gonna kill me or something right?” Ambrose asked it again, to which he earned another nod. And so Ambrose continued on with his morning routine, pointedly ignoring the giant man behind him. He quickly finished brushing his teeth, showering, and getting dressed. While he was eating he discovered that he was a lot stronger than yesterday when he deformed a spoon when he put too much pressure onto it. He concluded that it had to do with the ghost guy, and continued to eat with a new spoon. On his way out of his building, he saw a family of what appeared to be people with dog ears and tails walking by him. He watched as they looked behind him, at the Ghost King in awe then sent him a friendly wave as he passed them. “Can everyone see you? Or just fantasy things?” He asked the ghost king as he walked by a mirror, it shook its head in denial, then nodded. Ambrose was happy to see it being more interactive with him, but he was interested in knowing if it could talk more. “I know you can talk, why don’t you just do that?” He asked innocently, but the Ghost King frowned and looked away in disappointment. “Hard!… You... not strong” It spoke into his mind with a harsh tone. When he looked back at the Ghost King it was glaring at him with its arms crossed. “I’m not strong enough? Sorry.” Ambrose spoke with indignation and stormed off to work, ignoring the strange sights around him.     “Dunn! You’re late!” Ambrose grumbled as his boss reprimanded him, while the Ghost King behind him glared. “Sorry boss! You wouldn’t believe the morning I’ve had!” Ambrose apologized to his boss, happy with the joke he made.  “That’s what you all say! You wouldn’t believe how many people I’ve fired for it! Get to work!” His boss laughed while he walked off, slapping him on the back in a friendly manner as he passed. Ambrose quickly registered himself and found his seat, beginning to work as soon as possible. Ambrose worked as an editor for a publishing company and had a daily quota of work he was required to do, and the sooner he finished the sooner he could relax. “So, why were you actually late? Did you bring that girl home?” His coworker, David, asked. Ambrose took a deep breath and looked over at him. David was a good looking man with black curly hair, olive skin and short stature. He and Ambrose were friends and often hung out together after work, they started working during the same week and had many similar hobbies. Most importantly, he didn’t have anything weird about him and didn’t seem to be able to see the giant Ghost King behind him. Ambrose smiled at this while letting out his held breath. “No, I’ve just had a weird morning. When I woke up I saw these… fantasy things - I don’t know what to call them - walking around and flying, and there’s this giant ghost guy behind me too. I’ve just been trying to figure it out.” Ambrose admitted, he wasn’t sure if he should tell people, but he knew David was a good guy. Ambrose was surprised when the smile fell from David’s face and he scooted over so he was right beside Ambrose, then looked over at his computer like he was checking for something. “Have you told anyone else?” He asked Ambrose in a serious tone while checking over his work. “Uh, no? What’s wrong?” Ambrose asked carefully, he was getting an ominous feeling suddenly. “Good! Good! Well, sorry for hiding this from you, but I’m sure you’ll understand. Welcome to the secret side of Darkshore City. Don’t tell anyone else until I get you initiated, you’re not supposed to let mundanes know about it unless it can’t be avoided.” David said as he turned to him with a good-natured smile, but kept a serious tone. “Wait, what? I’m confused, what does ‘mundanes’ mean?” Ambrose asked in confusion, he definitely was not expecting this. “Don’t worry man! Just don’t tell anyone else, alright. Meet me after work.” David said as he scooted back to his desk, acting like he didn’t just confuse Ambrose even more. Eventually, Ambrose got back to work, it took him a while, but he finished his quota before the workday was over and stewed in his thoughts for the rest of the time. When it was time to go home he waited outside for David, clearing his head for whatever was to come.  “Ambrose!” David said as he ran up to him, but didn’t stop. Ambrose fell into step next to him and walked in silence until they made it to their usual bar. “Don’t make a big fuss when we go in, alright. I’ll explain it.” David said right before they entered. “What do you me-” Ambrose shut himself up as they entered into the bar, all around him were people with pale skin and red eyes, some people stood out, like the band, a group of attractive elf-like people with pointy ears and skin of various shades of black and white. At the bar was a purple-skinned woman with large bull-like horns and bulging muscles, she deftly handled glasses despite her large sausage-like fingers. As soon as they entered David pulled out a badge that shined in the dark light, it had a large ‘G’ on it and had a script like the Ghost King's armour and sword running along its edges. People moved out of their way quickly when they saw the badge, they quickly made it to the bar where the purple-skinned woman waited with a smile. “David! Ambrose! What brings you two here?” She asked, ignoring the elephant in the room that was the Ghost King floating behind Ambrose with a scowl on its face.  “Samantha! Hello! As you can see, Ambrose here awoke this morning. I need to initiate him.” David spoke while gesturing to the scowling spirit behind Ambrose. Ambrose kept quiet, but he really wanted to say something to Samantha, she looked very different. “Yes, yes. We all see that David. Want a backroom? I’ll bring you some drinks,” Samantha said while the wall behind the bar slid away, exposing a hallway with a bunch of doors in it. “Not today, thank you anyway,” David said as he pulled Ambrose along into the hall, the wall closing behind Samantha as she entered with them. “Can I get an explanation?” Ambrose asked as he was quickly running out of patience, he and David may be friends, but that doesn’t mean he can just drag him along forever. “Yeah, let’s just sit down first, not much longer anyway,” David said as he pulled open the second door in the hall, taking Ambrose with him. Ambrose sat down across from David and Samantha on the couches. “So, explanation?” Ambrose asked while relaxing into the deceptively comfortable couch. “Yeah, sorry man. This is just how it goes.” David said as he leaned forward. Suddenly a book appeared on the table between them, greatly surprising Ambrose, who thought he was all out of surprise for the day. “Basically, you awoke your latent magical powers. What that means is that you can now interact with the entirety of the supernatural world, you can see it, touch it, smell it, the whole package. I’m what's called a Guardian, I am just a normal human who can use magic. Samantha here is what's called a Troll, she’s the same as before, she just looks different now. This goes for almost everybody you see, they aren’t monsters, they’re just people who look different. Got it?” David asked, making sure Ambrose got the whole rant.  Ambrose nodded but looked somewhat offended that David would think he would be mean to people just because they look different. “I know you aren’t going to discriminate just because people look different, but it’s part of the rules so I gotta say it. Now some history, roughly 3000 years ago there was a great schism in which the supernatural world separated from the mundane world, which is why you didn’t know about it until now. Other than some ‘myths’ here and there, we’ve done a great job of keeping it secret. My job as a Guardian is to keep it secret and guard mundanes against the supernatural world among other things. We also have to conduct these initiations when we spot a newly awoken mundane, that's you. Any questions?” David asks as he leaned back, relaxing into the comfortable couch. “Obviously! What do I do know that I’m… awoken?” Ambrose asked unsure of himself. “Well, you could continue on with your life, nothing much would change, just some new stuff in your day-to-day life. Second, you could join The Guardians, you will get paid and get to fight supernatural threats. Finally, you could do something else supernatural related, like working in a place like this bar or study magic, or something else. There are more avenues, of course, these are just the ones I know you’ll like the most.” David said as he pushed the book towards Ambrose, who was deep in thought. “Can I be a Guardian?” Ambrose asked after a few minutes of compilation, he didn’t need long to know what he really wanted. “Of course, take this book home with you and read it. It has all the things you need to become a Guardian. I’ll come to your house tomorrow to go over it and make you a little more comfortable with all of this, I know you’re a little overwhelmed.” David said while gesturing to the book, then turned to Samantha. “If you ever need anything you can come to me, I have a large information network, so I can solve and help with many problems. I’m also a type of Guardian.” Samantha said as she stood up, handing Ambrose a business card. Ambrose looked at it with amusement, it was a scratch-and-sniff. “I was expecting something fancier,” Ambrose said as he tucked it away. “Not everything needs to be magic, it's better you learn that now than when you blow up an apartment complex,” Samantha said ominously as she left the room to go back to work. “Wait! What?” Ambrose was a little bewildered, how would he blow up an apartment complex? “Don’t mind her, that was just a joke. Come on let’s get out of here.” David laughed as he rose from the couch. “I’ll believe you for now,” Ambrose said as he left along with David. “See you tomorrow!” David said as he left in the opposite direction, going to do something probably magic related. ‘This day has been a little fast for me, I need to sleep.’ Ambrose thought as he walked home, he wasn’t used to all of this magic stuff so he was quite tired from the day.     “Goodnight ghost guy,” Ambrose muttered as he fell asleep, thinking what the next day would bring. He was a little afraid but excited at the same time. ShiningBlade I kind of suck at making introductory chapters, so I would appreciate it if you tell me how I can improve.

CWs Breast expansionincredibly weird narrationYugioh “I summon goblin attack force!” I said, trying my best to sound dramatic as I endlessly played test hands against myself. It was cold, there was nothing to do, so why not kick back and kill time? But alas, on hour two of this it sunk in how actually bored I was as I shuffled my cards for the umpteenth time. Digging through my old cards was a nice distraction from the world, even if I didn’t have anyone to play with. Nostalgia, memories, that damn friend of mine beating me with sonic chick instead of ending the game with his four thousand attack point monsters. It was fun. As much as the old memories were at least. But now it was the boring dullness of adulthood. “Would you like to play a game?” something said in my room, which shouldn’t be possible because I live alone. “Oh no, I’m so bored I’m hallucinating.” I sighed, at least thankful my boredom induced hallucination didn’t sound like Jigsaw. “Sure, why not?” there was silence, as expected when talking to a voice that wasn’t real. “The game will be played, now make your deck!” it said, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. I shrugged, looked at my boxes and binders of cards and reached for them. Only to find that everything disappeared just as my fingers touched the binder, I keep all my silliest and least viable to win cards in. “Oh no, if you actually look through each card it will take far too long!” “Don’t fuck with my stuff!” I shouted, not really appreciating whatever this hallucination was doing to me. Everything was different and frankly? I didn’t appreciate it. I liked my crappy room, as crap as it was! “Oh, don’t worry!” the voice said, cards now manifesting and giving me the feeling, I would never know peace. “you’ll get your crap back, if you win that is!” “Fine, I’ll win,” I muttered, watching as thousands of cards swirled around me in a nearly impossible to follow pattern. It took a bit, mostly because I wanted to make something good if my sanity was on the line, which it probably was, so I could win and call a professional. Or… ‘Poor foolish mortal, about to pick a gimmick deck.’ ‘Good old gimmick decks, no one ever expects gimmicks.’ One immediate lost duel later “YOU KEPT PLAYING DICE JAR, WHY?” “Because now the reader will have to look it up to see what it does.” I said, admittedly annoyed I lost, but it’s probably fine, after all, this is a boredom hallucination. Right? “Also, it’s funny.” “Well enjoy it, mortal, because now your soul is mine!” “can’t” “What?” “Traded it for a chocolate bar.” “…What?!” “Listen, I wanted a giant toblerone.” Silence greeted me as I smiled at the pile of cards that represented my opponent’s side of the field. Now I had a few options, give them a shit eating grin, or not give a shit eating grin. I gave the voice a shit eating grin. “No, but, what? Why. You probably didn’t deserve that giant toblerone.” “Well, that’s where you’re wrong weird hallucination of cards! I did! And now you can’t take my soul!” I boasted, not realizing that something was very annoyed at my shenaniganry. “Well, no matter, I still won.” “Yeah, yeah now I’ll just wake up on the floor and get on with my day.” I sighed, wanting this to be over. There was a snap, like someone breaking apart a bunch of spaghetti to specifically anger Italian people. And bam! I was out. “Fucking mortals trying to make me look bad, well, if you like jokes, maybe this form will suit you better?” the voice said, somehow speaking into my mind. They probably didn’t expect the echo of no thoughts head empty that was ever present in my mental space. There was a tug on my neck, like a scarf or necklace that didn’t fit correctly. “Really? How is there nothing going on?” There was no response since whatever it was doing to me prevented me from speaking. “STOP USING NARRATION TO AVOID ME!” No. anyways. “Oh no you don’t. I’m the eldritch horror. You don’t get to decide anything!” Fine, but you owe me huge tits. “Oh great, you can read ahead now. That’s supposed to be my thing!” “Fine, it can be your thing.” I said, mentally grinning. Wait, why did we swap speaking styles? This is confusing! “You’re the eldritch horror, you figure it out! Now get to changing my body, chop-chop!” Fine. Okay then, she felt the prick as my power coursed through her veins. Making her body creak as her flesh became metal and plas- “Really? You can do better than this. Add some flare!” You’re the one who swapped how this story is being told! If you don’t like it then shut it! “Woooow, I’m so scared, a cosmic horror that loves card games that can’t throw an insult worth a damn.” The human soul laughed, despite there being nothing in the void that was her mind. “I can still see the narration.” And yet the horror didn’t care. Not at all. The outer entity wasn’t mad. She was mad. The human was the mad one. “Get dunked on.” The human said, reciting a meme, that showed how doomed this human soul was as her body started to creak. “Oh, wow you’re still going for it?” If the human would shut up and stop resisting the mind wipe maybe things would get a move on. “You can’t wipe my mind.” Why not? “I have ADHD! I can’t pay attention t brainwashing even if I wanted too!” DAMN YOUR NEURODIVERSITY! FOILING MY PLANS AGAIN! “Less salty, more dolly.” Dolly? You want dolly? Well ill just construct you a dolly so busty you can’t help but be my puppet! “Mx. I’m plural as fuck. You still have a bunch of separate identities to contend with, so get to the body transformation, move into the headspace, and prepare lube.” Why lube? “Cause you are gonna be getting fucked!” Oh please, how strong could the human mind be? “You’ll find out.” I certainly will. Anyways, her body creaked as a plastic sheen overtook her flesh. Her eyes gained a glossy finish, like they were made of glass. Every follicle of hair became a pale silver, lengthening down to the hips that were widening in contrast to her shrinking waist. “Oh, going the Shaddoll Construct route? Not bad.” The humans brain mused as the cosmic being’s power worked its way through her body. “Oh, can I not be giant? K thx” Please don’t use internet shortenings “It’s my weird story and I will do what I want!” This human was defiant and annoying. Maybe the cosmic horror had made a bad call. “Is your name sherlock? Because no shit.” Stop being smug. “no.” I AM A BEING OF UNFATHOMABLE POWER! “Lmao no” Why “Because you activated my trap card.” Fuck off. Just. Fine, take your hot doll body. Fucking. Go play with your tits or something, just stop being so annoying! “No.” she said, now having a more physical presence in the cosmic space representing the abstract view of thought. “Now. Bigger.” How big? “Add some flair, make it so big that I’m mistaken for smuggling beach balls!” And the being obliged, just wanting this embarrassing gotcha by a human to end as her breasts breasted boobily into massive breast boobs. Why are you taking over the writing now? “BECAUSE BOOBS” Ah, so even the truest cosmic knowledge is known to some. “Yes, now. BIGGER.” Fine, but don’t blame me if you can’t fit in your human domiciles. There was a flash of light as the elegant, all powerful, spatial, and cosmic being allowed the human full control, her body now visibly inhuman. “Wow, buttering yourself up there much?” Shut up. Regardless, the benevolent cosmic being would leave her, the body now a hyper exaggerated figure that would make anyone who enjoyed sexual pleasure flush. Her breasts, so large that she could barely see the ground, were squeezed by the metallic hands she now had. “Nice.” I WAS ON A ROLL THERE “And I wanted to make more bad jokes!” she cried out, her hands exploring the artificial body she now commanded. “Not bad. Add about my hair being awesome.” ...No. stories done. I have nothing, I’m going home. Enjoy your porn body now human! Enjoy! “Thanks, I will.” MagicLottie Hey, thanks for reading! I’m MagicLottie and I specialize in writing fun, upbeat queer erotica and fanfiction! If you liked what you read, why not check out my patreon where you can vote on monthly stories and get access to everything one week early! https://www.patreon.com/MagicLottie 

Waking up to another day of his depressing routine, Arsht gets up and calmly washes his face while looking at himself in his mirror. Even day after day, he continued his training regimen even though he didn't get any more results, he vaguely remembered the two people he considered most important, even after leaving him and always despising him, he still had a little hope that they would go back to how they were before. After hours of swordsmanship training, he finally gets tired of it and decides to start reading books on both swordsmanship and magic, he believed that if he tried hard enough he would get results, whether in physical or mental strength. His mother always told him that if he put in the effort he would be as strong as the heroes of the past, he vowed to become as strong as a hero.  "A promising start" he thought, when he looked at his status and saw his unique SKILL blocked, there were several skill ranks, each with their own quirks: COMMONS  RARE  UNIQUE  LEGENDARY  MYTHICAL (Only described in legends) The beings in this world may have countless SKILLS, but the most different were the unique SKILLS, different from the others that people simply could already use, the unique SKILLS needed something to "UNLOCK", It could be something relatively easy like killing a monster or training some combat, even working. Arsht tried everything, but he never managed to unlock his skill, he tried and tried, because after all, UNIQUE SKILL users despite being extremely lucky to have one, had a certain "Curse", all those who failed in their awakening, had a miserable life, because the skill blocked growth until the skill awakened. After another day of training and studying, Arsht regretfully returned to his room and looked at his necklace, left by his late Mother and shed tears as he lamented his own misery.

Jake woke up in cold sweat, his breath heavy and stifled. His delirious mind could barely understand where he is. According to logic, he should be in his cheap and small apartment, lying in his comfortable bed that costs more than a year's worth of rent. He always put his personal comfort above the aesthetical part of things.  Slowly recovering from his delirious state, Jake Fox realized that he is, indeed, where he should be. His room was as compact as ever, and his orthopedic pillow as comfy as ever. Does it matter, though, considering his current state?  Jake's body ignored most of his commands. Even lifting a finger would be wishful thinking. He could barely breathe as if something heavy was put on his chest. His whole body was burning, but his sweat was icy cold.  This wasn't the first time he experienced those symptoms. In the last couple of months, just after his 22nd birthday, his fits became increasingly frequent. Before, attacks weren't more often than once per year. Now he couldn't even spend a week without one. Jake Fox knew it - he is out of time.  Living to his twenties was already more than he expected. The last few years were full of happiness for him. Knowing that he wasn't going to live for long, Jake didn't have worries that troubled countless other people. He didn't have to save money for his older days. He didn't need to worry about ruining himself with nicotine, alcohol, or even drugs (though he avoided some more addictive ones as they could destroy your mind way faster than your body). Sometimes, he could sleep with more women in one month than an average man would in his whole life. He ate all sorts of food, drank all sorts of beverages, traveled to all sorts of places. He didn't lack friends and buddies to have fun with, though he never truly opened up to any male either. Most importantly, there were two people whose existence gave the true meaning to his life... When Jake noticed how he started to reminiscent his past life, something inside told him - he wouldn't have any more fits after this. It was the last one.  Did he have any regrets? Of course, he did. Everyone does. Nonetheless, he felt that for a cursed existence like him, life already gifted him more than he ever deserved. Jake Fox always knew that life isn't fair. He always thought that he was one of the people who took a short stick, but he changed his mind in the last couple of years. Now, Jake felt that he won a jackpot, instead. The main problem was that he didn't have enough time to enjoy his prize properly.  Just as Jake Fox felt his lungs cease any movement, he gently smiled. I bet Darlene would be royally pissed off when she learns that I actually didn't leave on vacation and instead waited for my final moments in solitude, he thought. Would she cry for me? Nah, no way. I can't even imagine how her crying face would look like. It would be hella fun to see, though. Maybe becoming a ghost isn't so bad then, haha. A peeking ghost Jake... Even in his final moments, Jake Fox didn't take himself seriously. Someone could say that his life was a tragedy, but, instead, it was a comedy to him. His genetic code was specifically designed to make him into a killing machine; most of his lifespan was sacrificed exactly for this. But he never killed any single person. Instead, he became a "pussy slayer", gifting pleasure to lonely women of the world.  To Jake, it was too fucking funny. His predatory instincts forced him to learn how to get what he wants from people through communication. It was so much better than risking a direct confrontation, which could lead to him losing control and killing someone for real. And those communication skills were more often used for seduction rather than to solve any conflicts. One thing led to another, and he ended up being who he is. All because of the people who wanted to make him their pawn, their mindless puppet that killed without asking any questions. Before Jake's life completely ended were was just one doubt, one question left: What if his life went a different way and he actually became the predator they wanted him to be?

dying within his rundown apartment was the figure of, Chi Jung-Su, he was lying on his side, and staring at a photo,in the photo was the figure of a black hair woman, she had a warm smile on her face, staring at her smile Chi Jung-Su's heart was full of rage, removing his sight from her photo, he lay on his back,jest turning on his back caused his whole body to Ake, his heart was giving up on him, his heart bead decreased as his vision got blurry and blurry, [dam it, what kind of situation is this, I work my whole life, and for what just to die in a rundown apartment][that bitch, is all her fought, she was cheating on me with another man and I have had to pay child insurance, and I never get to see my child] [four years of my life wasted, dealing with Debt Collectors] [this pain is unpleasant, I can't even feel my body anymore] <<confirmed.removing pain perception.success>> [even when I am dying, I still couldn't have a peaceful moment in my life,] well even with all of, humanity's Six million years of evolution, and knowledge collated and shared, we still make the same mistake, <<confirmed.creation the skill of knowledge.success>> if there is a next life I want to be born as something other than human, <<confirmed.creating a new body septate from the human special.success>> his heartbeat stops, and Chi Jung-Su's consciousness sinks into darkness. <<noetic.due to the skill knowledge connecting to both world's consciousness, a large amount of information and knowledge has been gained, surpassing the skill capacity, it has gained a will, <<notice recalculation skill. success>> <<confirmed.the skill, good god's wisdom has been gained>> within this rundown apartment, something impossible, something that never should had been allowed to happen, if not because of the two worlds linking was happening, a skill that was thought to be the accumulation of knowledge, responding to its master thought, soul, and will, connected itself to the consciousness of two worlds,without its master's permission or the notice of the world consciousness, it evolves, giving birth to something that shouldn't have been possible,a skill with a consciousness, a skill that wasn't in the world's calculation,

Ophelia set the hoe against the wall and sighed. A whole day's worth of work and she'd tilled a grand total of... half a small field. Lovely. Turns out raw physique is no substitute for being actually skilled at farming, and despite all the reading she's done, her skill was notably lacking.In fact, it was very much still completely absent.In the world of Moorhold Online, Skills (capitalized) very much governed what you were able to do and how well you were able to do it, and without that little word "Farming" on her sheet, Ophelia might as well have been moving mountains with that hoe.She grabbed some water from the jug she'd set aside beforehand and splashed it on her neck. The midday sun had been especially harsh and its heat still lingered now in the late afternoon. She looked out over the surrounding area. Her rickety shack (lack of Woodworking) was situated on a low hilltop in a countryside that could charitably be called "the ass-end of nowhere". It didn't even have its own name. A few more farms dotted the place, but most people rarely ventured this far out. The lands near the big cities, like say Ildhena, were far more fertile and hospitable, but Ophelia preferred it here.She needed the solitude, for her own safety.Well, no use standing around and wasting more daylight. She stowed the jug and hoe back inside, grabbed some provisions, then walked around back to a small fire pit she'd improvised there. Considering her lack of Skills, it seemed like a safer idea than putting it inside.She sat down next to it and took a slow, deep breath as a series of small cracks and pops sounded from her throat and chest. In the next moment, she spewed a gout of flame into the pit. She chuckled to herself: even though she had neither Survival or Cooking, there were some small things she could cheat at. Sadly, the actual act of cooking wasn't one of them, but like with everything else, she made do.Yes, technically she could go out and buy Skill Scrolls for all these things, except that would require her to A) Enter a large settlement and B) Have money. Well, she could also try her luck at the many treasure chests scattered around the world, but she figured she was more likely to find some garbage like Arcane Bolt than a Scroll of Cooking inside.But, as evidenced by her handiwork out front, you could always try it the hard way. And such, about half and hour later, Ophelia was staring down at three small clumps of not-quite-charcoal and some lumps formerly known as vegetables. She grumbled, pinched her nose and closed her eyes and pretended it was just, as the cooks would say, "bien cuit".Très, très bien cuit.After a few agonizing bites, her culinary self-flagellation was suddenly interrupted by a rustle in the nearby grass - a fox, if the scent was any indication. She'd seen them sometimes around the countryside but they usually did not venture this close. Ophelia's throat cracked and popped again, and she cleared her throat. "Hail, brave fox," she yipped, "to what do I owe your visit?" The fox's head popped out of the grass, mouth hanging open. Was that too formal? Ophelia had no idea how to properly address an animal outside of her old function. "You can speak with me?" the fox yipped back, slowly, as if it was still trying to process this. "Indeed. I can speak with most animals. But come closer, I mean you no harm. Was it the food that brought you here?" "Ah, I smelled something strange and was curious. That was food?" "Well, arguably," Ophelia grimaced, "but if you want some, I'll have to disappoint: they are in a poor state and would probably be bad for you." "Then why were you eating them?" The fox asked, cocking its head to the side. "Because I need to learn from my failures," she huffed, "and this way I won't soon forget." (She certainly was not about to admit to a fox that this was all she had managed to prepare today.) The fox trotted closer to the fire and started inspecting the food. "Other foxes have been smelling strange things around here in the last few days." It said, turning to her. "You must be learning a lot." Ophelia gritted her teeth and mentally counted to ten. "Yes... quite so." She eventually replied, obviously strained. She did have quite a bit of knowledge amassed on cooking, but like with everything she did without the proper Skills, her mind turned to custard when she tried to put it into practice. "Anyway," she continued, "Allow me to fetch you something edible for your trouble and then you can be on your way." "Actually, is it possible for me to stay here?" The fox cautiously asked. "Why would you want that?" Ophelia replied from inside the shack. "There is very little here that I could offer you that you could not easily find by yourself in the fields." "Well, I'm still curious about the things you do here. Also, a wyvern has taken up roost near my old den and has eaten me several times now. I don't like that very much." Ophelia grimaced at that. Critters respawn just like anything else in this world, but she didn't know of anyone besides her, the Residents and Wanderers who were aware of the process.But at the same time, she liked her quiet life, and didn't want to become some sort of local fox lady taking in every stray. "Here, have a bit of jerky," she held out the strip to the fox, who eagerly snatched it from her hand. "And I'll allow it," she started, an idea forming in her head, "on one condition. See, anyone who lives with me has to be able to pull their own weight, so to speak, so I will give you a challenge. Do you think yourself up for the task?" "Sure, sounds like fun! At least, as long as you don't want me to attack that wyvern." "No need to worry, this challenge should be well within your abilities. I want you to find a crow and steal a piece of cheese from it." It was an old folk tale she'd overheard some wanderers talk about. It pained her a little to do this, but she really couldn't afford to stand out from the other farmers, and having a fox companion would ruin that. "What?" The fox stared at her slack-jawed, "I've never even heard of crows who eat cheese." "Apparently, some do." She replied matter-of-factly, "It will be up to you to find one. And do not think about tricking me: I can talk to crows just as well and will be able to verify whether you stole from them or not." The fox turned around, dejected. "Okay. I guess... I guess I'll be off, then" "Best of luck on your quest." she called after it. But as she headed back inside and closed the door, a knot formed in her stomach. Was it cruel to send the fox out on an impossible task just so it could shelter with her? Yes, but at the same time she had to avoid scrutiny of any kind for her own safety. Plus, she reasoned, if she was found out, any companions of her would become targets as well. So it was also in its best interest to not be associated with her. But despite her best efforts at rationalizing her decision, sleep would not find her that night. Five days later... Ophelia stretched her back and looked at her field with satisfaction. It had taken her a long time, but now that stubborn field was not only tilled but she had also planted the seeds of her first batch of test crops!One of the other farmers stopped by two days ago, and while they were nice enough as they talked about crops and the weather, Ophelia found the whole experience of pretending to be a normal Resident nerve-wracking. Thankfully, no-one else had shown up afterwards, so her plan to look completely unremarkable had probably worked?One could only hope.Suddenly, her satisfied gazing was interrupted by loud yipping and cawing from the back side of her shed. As she rounded the corner, she saw a fox and a crow making a hell of a racket at her back door. She also spotted something near the fox's feet - was that a piece of cheese?Oh. Oh no.Ophelia's throat popped as she addressed the fox: "Hello, are you looking for me?" "Yes, yes!" the fox yipped excitedly, "I did it! I stole this piece of cheese from that crow!" Her throat cracked as she turned to the crow. "Is this true?" she cawed, "Did this fox steal from you?" "Yes, yes it did!" The crow cawed excitedly, "And then it asked me to come here to testify!" Ophelia dragged a hand across her face. So her fox was apparently both the best and worst thief in the history of Moorhold. Lovely.But she would hold true to her word. "Very well, little Reynaert, you can stay with me from now on." "Is the fox staying? Can I stay too?" the crow cawed. Oh dear, this had been what she was afraid of: becoming the weird lady on the hill with crows and foxes for pets. Also, she was very much aware that the corvids of Moorhold upheld a sort of advanced communication network: anything this crow would see or hear would quickly be known by any other corvids in the world. And any Druid, or even anyone who had the Commune With Animals Skill, could then ask them about her, or overhear them blabbing about her.But at the same time, she remembered how awful it had made her feel to turn the fox away with that apparently-not-quite-impossible task. She wanted to be cautious, not cruel or heartless like her creator. And maybe the Corvid Network could be useful to her as well. "Fine, you both get to stay." This provoked another unholy racket from both fox and crow as they followed her inside. "Ma'am," the fox asked once things had settled down, "what's a Reynaert?" "Reynaert is the name of a sly and tricky fox from old stories." she replied while washing some vegetables from her provisions. For now, she'd decided, she'd avoid cooking things on open fires. "I like it! Can it be my name? What's yours?" the fox asked while using its paws to split the cheese between it and the crow. "You can have whatever name you want. And I am called Ophelia." "My name is Lee!" the crow cawed excitedly. "Lee! Lee! Lee!" "Rey-naert, Rey-naert, Rey-naert!" the fox joined in. Ophelia was already regretting her decision.

Bennard Jones, your typical university student. 23 years old bachelor with average looks. He has been spending (wasting, actually) his life normally as any Earthling. Hobbies: trolling, watching, ...ahem, short movies, gaming (should it really be mentioned? I mean, it has become part of modern life, no?) and squandering money (it can't really be said hobby, as having extra money is not daily no, monthly, ...erm no, annual thing for him). He is ordinary, but like everyone else (LoL), he has a unique side. That's his disgust for religions. No matter which religion it is, he just doesn't like it, and as a straightforward person, has done every single sin (except for the ones related f*ucking, he's a virgin, no matter how lame it seems) that he could. One typical day he was going to a drinking party with his buddies. They entered the night bar, (*omitted 2K words) Ben was walking out of the bathroom when he slipped. For his dog sh*t luck, his head collided with the bathroom sink. When his consciousness started fading, he heard an ethereal whisper:~Bennard, Bennard! Atone for your sins and make redemption! God shall save you from imminent doom~ Ben's answer was obvious 'F*ck you'.  [DING!][SYSTEM INITIATED!][Almighty God found that you are the worst atheist in your Era and decided to give you a chance to prove that God is not Almighty and you can be greater than God!][Accept the challenge?] When a mechanical voice spoke to Bennard mentally, he was delighted! ''MuaHahaha, here comes the Supreme Lord! F*ck the Gods! F*ck the Devils! The world domination, here I come!!!''   

The train back home is unusually empty today, besides the housewives carrying groceries and office workers leaving early, only another girl sits in from of me. Her light brown hair, long eyelashes and contrasting split lip caught my attention and I could not keep my eyes of off her.   “Kaito: Practice is over, I’ll head home and change real quick. Take your time, I just hopped on the train a moment ago: Mayuri”   Today was the last day of the sports festival and, since I am part of the head-home club, I could skip the celebration party and plan a date with my boyfriend, Kaito. I am going to join him at a burger joint in a couple of hours. I met Kaito back in middle school, we were good friends until he transferred to North High and I decided to stay and finish high school in the affiliated academy. “Approaching Setagaya Station, please stay sited until the doors are opened. Approaching Setagaya Station, please stay sited until the doors are opened.” The train stopped and our wagon became empty, except for the girl in front of me wearing tracks pants and a ragged sweatshirt. She is my Senpai in school and the star player of our basketball team, we always board the train in same stop during the mornings but I think this is our first time returning home together. She looked like a complete mess sleeping right in front of me, to the point that it made me wonder if she is actually unconscious. “Approaching Kamimachi Station, please stay sited until the doors are opened. Approaching Kamimachi Station, please stay sited until the doors are opened.” She is not moving. Normally, we board the train in this station and I would be dropping off here if I were heading home. Is she sleeping so profoundly that she is going to miss her stop? “Kaito: Jun is doing karaoke tonight with some friends, want to join them?”   I looked at my phone as the train began stopping and impulsively rushed towards the sit in front of me. “Senpai… Senpai… are you okay? We arrived at Kamimachi.” I shook her lightly by the shoulder and she started grunting as if she was in pain. “Sorry… I’ll move…” “Senpai, aren’t you going home? You are going to miss your stop.” “Ah, where am I.” She opened her round almond eyes and shouted. “Kamimachi.” “What? Hurry, help me up.” Holding my hand and the handrail, she clumsily got up and almost pushed herself outside of the train, falling knees first on the platform. “Your bag!” “The doors are about to close, please do not stand near them.  The doors are about to close, please do not stand near them.” “Shut.” I grabbed both our bags and dashed outside at the last minute. “I’m sorry. I assume you weren’t supposed to stop here.” “It’s okay. Are you hurt?” “Yeah, I am mess today.” I noticed Senpai placed all of his weight on her left side to stand up, barely putting her right foot on the ground. “Do you want me to ask for help? You look like you are in a lot of pain.” “It’s nothing. Just help me get to the bench.”   “Sorry, I think I am going to be a bit late: Mayuri I am okay with karaoke BTW: Mayuri”   I sat right next to Senpai and watched her massage her right foot carefully. I do not think she was injured during the fall a few minutes ago, so maybe this had to do her split lip. “You should see the other girl.” “What?” “You did not know? I got into a big fight during the final match today. A girl from the other team stomped my foot on purpose and I could not control myself after that. I think I might get expelled from the club forever.” “Sorry, I didn’t follow any of the matches. You should have gone to the infirmary before leaving.” “I did not want to stay inside that school another second. Say Honda, are you in a hurry?” “Why do you know my name?” “Mayuri Honda, from class 2-C. I noticed you were quite tall the first time I saw you inside the train, so I was asking around to see if I could recruit you, but everyone said you were not the sporty type.” “Yeah, I cannot run more than twenty seconds without losing my breath.” I often see myself as a typical high school girl, unremarkable and easy to forget. Hearing that I caught her attention so much that she even asked around for my name, made me feel strangely happy. “I need to ask you a favor. Could you help me carry my things home, I don’t think I can do that and walk at the same time.” “I have a date in a few hours.” “No problem, my house is just five minutes from here. I can even call you a taxi once we get there. I promise you won’t be late.” The next train arrives in fifteen minutes, so I guess it would not make a difference if I escort her and then return. “Sure, if it is just five minutes.” “Yeah, even with just one leg I can walk faster than you.” “I am bad at sports, not a snail.” “Sorry.” Her reddened teeth and crushed lips did not make her smile any less cute.   “I had to return home for a bit, I’ll make it up to your later: Mayuri Kaito: OK, I’ll waste time on the arcade for a bit. Kaito: And I look forward to that apology ; )”   Her home was a normal, two-story house with a small garden on the front and a garage only big enough for one car. “Come inside. My mother should still be at work.” Senpai opened the front door and rushed towards the living room, letting her body drop on a grey coach in front of the television. “Finally, my foot is killing me. You can leave the things on the kitchen table, let me catch my breath and I’ll see you out. God, it looks worse than I believed.” Unable to ignore her painful grunts I got closer to make sure she was fine before leaving. A blood stained sock laying in front of me made me gasp before I could notice the state of her right foot. Her swollen toes were purple and the nail on her thumb was destroyed and bleeding a little. “Senpai, I should take you to the hospital.”  “No, it’s okay. My mother is a doctor, she will patch me up as soon as she arrives.” “It is not okay. Do you have a first aid kit?” “I told you, my mother is doctor. We probably have a whole pharmacy inside that cabinet.” “Go take a quick shower and clean your toe before it catches an infection. I will at least a bandage on it before leaving.” “Are you sure? I feel like I am bothering you too much.” I feel the same thing, but something inside me is telling me I cannot leave her alone. “I already came all the way here, a few more minutes are not going to make a difference.” “Thank you. My room is right next to the bathroom, I’ll be there in second.” Senpai got back up and hopped towards a room further inside the house while I walked towards the kitchen to prepare some ice. Kaito must already be at the arcade. As she said, I found all kinds of disinfectants, bandages and gauzes inside the cabinet, which are now sitting on top of her bed. Her room was unexpectedly girly, with a couple of shark plushies laying here and there, a small coffee table with her laptop on top and several balls displayed in a shelf. “Did you find everything? I hurried as much as I could.” “Yes, thank you.” As soon as Senpai entered, a coconut smell filled the room.  She was wearing a small short that made her long, trained legs look even more impressing and a tank top that showed her bare shoulders. She sat on the bed a few inches away from me and I motioned for her to put the injured foot on my lap. “This is going to hurt at first, bear with it.” “You are surprisingly used to this.” “My younger brother always gets home with bruises everywhere. I do this for him all the time.” “Ugh…” “Don’t move or the bandage is going to be too loose.” “It hurts! If she broke my toes I will have to give her another lesson!” “Please stay out of trouble, remember you’re in your last year. Tape the ice right on top of it.” “Yes mom.”   “Kaito: Are you close, I got you a present at the arcade. Sorry, I am almost done with my brother: Mayuri.”   If I take a taxi, I should still arrive there on time. “Alright, just let me see your lip and we are done.” “I get injuries like this one all the time, it will be fine by tomorrow.” “Just come closer.” She finally gave up and turned her face until her eyes were right in front of me. I put my hand in her check and hesitated a little as she opened her mouth to let me look inside. “How does it look?” “It seems…” Before I could answer, Senpai’s hand grabbed my waist, pulled me even closer and her face was suddenly in front of mine, our noses touching and my lips trembling. “Wha… What are you doing?” “I think it’s pretty obvious. Don’t you want to…?” “What are you saying? We are both girls… wha… ” She used all her strength to push me down into her bed and put herself on top of me. “If you want I can stop and call your taxi, but I am dying to eat you. I really need to feel like I am in control right now.” She let her body fall on top of me and continued whispering something in my ear. I was too nervous to even listen or think about an answer. For what felt like an eternity, she continued holding my hands in place and kissing my neck, my body temperature raised uncontrollably and my mind started going blank. I need to do something before these feelings consume me. “S-sorry…” Senpai stopped and laughed a little. “Sorry? Why are you the one apologizing?” “I don’t know, but we should not be doing this.” She hesitated a bit before rolling to my side, setting me free from her grasp. “I don’t know what happened to me, asking for permission when I already have you pinned down. I have never done that, please don’t think I bring a different girl here every week.” “If you wanted to pull a prank on me, it was not funny. You should only do these things with a person you love.” While laughing obnoxiously, Senpai turned to look at me once more. “What, I am being serious.” “Do you really think I will go asking around about you just because you are tall? Anyways, let me start over. My name is Sato Hayami, former ace of the basketball team and a complete mess, thank you for everything Honda Mayuri.” After what happened, I could not look directly at her without getting dizzy, so I turned my back before answering. “Nice to meet you.” “What happened today during the match was not a coincidence. I have been in a lot of trouble with the other girls from the team and my classmates. I know it’s no excuse, but when you appeared and took care of me today I lost control of my emotions.” “As long as you understand and don’t do that to other people.” “Oh, so it is okay if I do it to you.” “S-shut up!” “Sorry, I will stop teasing you. Let me go get my phone and send you home.” “Wait…” Maybe the effects from before were still lingering in my head, making me unable to think straight. “I definitely cannot do that with you, but if you want to talk I can stay for a little while.” “But I don’t want to talk.” “Rude! Fine, I am leaving!” “Wait, you did not let me finish. I don’t want to talk, but could you lay here with me until I fall sleep?” “Huh…?” “I’m exhausted and want to take a nap, but I think I will start crying any minute if just stay here alone.” Senpai’s tone suddenly turned sad and she stayed silent waiting for my answer. “Sure, that’s a weird thing to ask but I don’t mind keeping you company.” Without hesitation Senpai got closer to my back, I could feel her soft breasts through my blazer and her breath gently caressed the back of my neck. “W-wait…” “I can’t hear you, I’m asleep.” Her left hand slowly wandered through my arm and her rough fingers, proof of how much she likes basketball, interweaved with mine hugging me without uttering a single word.    “I don’t think I will make it today, have fun at the karaoke without me: Mayuri. Sorry, I’ll call you later: Mayuri.”   I closed my phone and wished she would embrace me just for a little bit longer.

Drip   Drip The sound of water leaking from the roof can be heard… “Where am I?” It seems like I’m in a bedroom but I just don’t know this place I can’t recognize this place!!..... Help!!!! “Help!!!Help!!!Help!!!” I begin to scream my lungs out for help….. “Anyone!Please help me!!”   Crack The door finally opens   And…. Isn’t that my neighbour?????? Why has my neighbor held me captive? This must be her house but why am I here??? Errrr….. What’s her name again? …k…kee…Kylie? .....yeah Kylie Rayson.   “Erm Kylie w…why am I here?” Those eyes!!! “My love!!!” Oh nooo nooo … it can’t be…..she’s crazy “W…what do you mean” “Jay~ DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE WAITED FOR THIS!!!... HOW MANY TIMES I HAD TO WATCH YOU WALK AROUND WITH OTHER BITCHES?!!?... NIGHTS I COULDN’T SLEEP BECAUSE I KNEW YOU HAD A WOMAN BY YOU?!?!... HOW MANY TIMES I CRIED BECAUSE I DIDN’T HAVE YOU BY ME?!...DO YOU!!!!!!.....B…but now …now you are all mine and I AM NOT SHARING!!!  She’s YANDERE…… Someone help me!!!...i can’t deal with this…..i can’t!!!! “Let me gooooo…….now!!!!!!!!” “My Jay….calm down!” She is actually strangling me!!! “…..ahhhh…..p…ple…please…” “Would you be quite??” “Y…yes” “Good boy…..i love you”   Cough…cough   “Let me bring you your food …stay still…ok~~” “……” She leaves the room and I begin to panic I…I…need to get out of here!!... I begin to shake vigorously … I need to break free… As I try to break free Kylie comes back “What are you doing?” “Nothing” “Good~… Let’s eat”   She takes a seat by me…..then don’t tell me she’s going to do that!! She takes in some the rice in the plate, chews it and proceeds to…to…to kiss me with the food still in her mouth and she forces it into my mouth. Kyaaaaaaa!!!!! I want to vomit!!! “If you vomit!!~” “I w…won’t” “Eat up” She continued the same process over and over and over and over until everything was finished. “Please don’t cry” “…. Whine” “Now now you need to sleep ok~”   What the………………….. She picks up a syringe, injects the shit into me I feel drowsy … ... … … … ….. … … … …     “My love~” “…..” I slowly open my eyes… oh my God! Why is she only wearing a G-string and a highly revealing bra? WHAT’S HAPPENING???? She moves towards me and starts stripping off my cloths “My love …We are finally going to be together…finally” “Huh!?!!” “Shhhh… let me make you feel gooood~~” “…”                          She finally pulls down my pants and my 8inches rod springs out … “Mmhhhh….I bet it’s going to taste sooo gooood~” She proceeds to take in my entire cock and starts to give me perhaps the best blowjob I have ever received in my entire my life Wait I shouldn’t be enjoying this but…. Arggg! Slurp Slurp This feels too good……… She sucks my cock from the tip it to the base and massages my balls simultaneously….. I can’t hold on…… “Jay~….. Aggg…please cum whenever you feel like it…..I would accept all your love” “Mmhhh….” She’s driving me crazy!!!....I wish I could push her head deeper but I am fucking tied up!! “Argg…Kylie I am about to c…cummmmmm!” “Cum Jay~” “Mmhhhh Argggggggg” * * “You taste so good~ Jay…..i knew you would” “….” “Jay please make me also feel good” She climbs on top of me and positions her pussy right above my dick “Jay~ Do you love me” “….” “JAY! DO! YOU! LOVE! ME! What’s up with this woman and strangling!!! “YES YES I DO… I…I L…O…V…E Y…O…U” “Yayyyy!” She places the tip of my cock at the entrance of her v-hole… And slowly moves down “Owww” Is that blood??.... Was Kylie a a a virgin?! “Jay we are finally together!!” I don’t like this!! She slowly begins to rock her hips “Argggg Jay~~” She increases the tempo of her movements… “Mmhhhhh~” +++++++++++ “Jay, please cum with me” “K…Kylie get off me…..I am about to cum” “Noooooooo~……. Cum in me!!” “Mmhhh!” * * I cum in her “Jay…… I love you~” She fell asleep on me   I need to escape!!         Chirp … chirp  Its morning already I slowly open my eyes …I check my surroundings and I am still being held captive by kylie…. But most importantly Kylie is nowhere to be found…..i don’t even care I begin to think of a plan to get out of this hell….   I think I have a plan!!!   CRACK Kylie walks into the room…..NAKED!!!!! Have some shame woman!! “Good morning Jay~” Why is she blushing??..... You fucking raped me last night!? “Yeah good morning Kylie” and please stop blushing!!! “I made breakfast for me……Can I feed you?” “Do I have an option!” “Hehehe of course you don’t” She picks up the fork and proceeds to feed me some eggs…at least she’s don’t feeding me in that disgusting way…….   “Ahhhhhh” I humbly take in the food….. I need to comply with her in order to proceed with my plan……. Can someone please tell her to stop blushing… its getting annoying!!! “May I please go to the washroom, I need to pee” “Now?” Of course now bitch!! “Yes please” “Ok let me release you but don’t try anything weird …ok?” “Ook” “Good…..here…now go and pee”   As soon as she finishes releasing me….. I quietly and slowly move to the washroom…. My legs feel so weak … if I had tried to run on the spot … my legs would have by all means given out…I need to first move to the washroom, stretch a little, freshen up and prepare to escape…. This is perfect! I close the door and begin to put my plan into action… Knock …knock She’s right behind the door … this is it!   I push the door with all might “Ahhhhh” Ouch…. It hits her right in the face … surprisingly I don’t feel sorry for her….. Hahahahaha I run at full speed towards the exit of the house…………. I find the exit door and it’s opened!!! Yes!!! I look back and I am greeted with the creepiest smile I’ve ever seen…. Yikes!!! I run for it and I never look back…………….   The police station…. Yes I would be safe there…… I run to the station   PUFFFFFF   I finally reach the police station and I can’t even breathe “H...Hello o…officer ….I I I” “That’s him officer…Yes” That voice!!!! “Kylie!!!!” “Man you shouldn’t be running from your responsibility…. It’s wrong” “…..” “It’s ok officer…..I will teach him a lesson he would never forget…..lets go Jay” “Nooooo Noooooo….Please nooooo” “Sir its ok…. Just go with your wife” “My w…wife??” Kylie starts to drag me to her car……no…no…no I won’t go back to that hell….i wont!!!!!!   “You hurt me Jay…..i would have to punish we dear~~~” “…….” As she puts the car ignition…. The only thing that come to mind was suicide Yes suicide is the only answer……. IT’S A MUST!!!!!   As the car moves …I swiftly open the door and jump out of the car. I crush hard onto the ground and I don’t care……I must die! I make a run for it again and I see a hill which leads to a valley…..yes I will jump off the hill and die in the valley.   I run up the hill and……. “Jay please don’t, you are all I have” “Fuck you kylie…..FUCK YOU!!” “I promise you … I won’t let you go~” I jump!!!! “NOOOOOOOOO!!!”   TOTAL DARKS     KNOCK…KNOCK…KNOCK “W...What??” I back at my apartment …..What is happening?? I move to the door and I come face-to-face with……Kylie!!!!!!!! “Hello Jay” “…..” “I promised you…. I won’t let you go!” “…” “Now punishment time~” She enters the room and the door behind her shuts And I can’t remember what happened after that       

Defiled by the Snowman   By Ivaran Kealar   1.   Kale Faulkner, 22 years old, was buck naked. She was outside in the snow. Kale was five foot six. Her eyes resembled blue stars. Her hair was dyed glossy blue. The nipples of her 34-DD tits were like bullets. She was faking sex with a snowman. The snowman, however, wore a black strap-on. It stood there, motionless, with its charcoal mouth forming a sad frown. The carrot nose was often sucked. A big camera crew filmed Kale defiling this snowman, and even fake orgasms. After the filming was over, the film crew helped Kale put on some warm clothes.     2.   Kale was a notorious porn star. She lived in the snowy mountains, and the film crew came to her. She’d attach sex toys to snowmen and look like she was fucking them. Loads of people confessed to masturbating to Kale. She really liked it. Right now, Kale wore her grey sweater – which had matched her shirt, her fuzzy pants and fuzzy socks. She chilled out in her spacious living room – near the roaring fire. Kale looked through the living room window and saw an unfamiliar snowman. Willingly, Kale changed into her fuzzy snow boots and left her cosy house.     3   Once out, Kale rushed towards the snowman for a closer look. She grinned. On closer inspection, the snowman stood at roughly six feet, maybe higher. It had long arms, three coal buttons, a ridiculously long carrot nose and a demonic-looking face. Kale took away the carrot. “I have to borrow this for tonight,” she told the snowman. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll bring it back as good as new – after I’ve given it a good wash.” Kale giggled as she pocketed the carrot. She returned to the cabin.     4.   “Hello, my sexy snowy lovers,” Kale started, while she was smiling at the camera. Kale was in her lavish bedroom, wearing a black bathrobe and slippers. “I have a special treat for my sexy snow lovers. I got myself an authentic carrot that I borrowed from a new snowman friend. During my sexy bubble bath time, I intend to put on a show for you all. I’ve also had some Chinese Ginseng to boost my stamina for sex.” Kale stopped the recording. She dumped the footage onto her computer. When she put her camera away, she picked up the big carrot, too.     5.   Kale was in her lavish marble bathroom. She put her camera on a tripod. Kale’s bathtub was big enough for an orgy, for at least four or five people. The bathroom had non-slip carpeting, but no windows. Kale couldn’t hold it together. She put the plug in the plughole. She started the faucets. When she checked the water, Kale thought it had felt a little different. Thinking nothing of it, Kale filled the tub to the brim. She switched off the faucets. Then Kale locked the door to her bathroom. She didn’t want any creep to come in. Kale pressed record on the camera. She slunk out of her robe and was now nude. She made sure to place the carrot on the sex stand – next to the nipple suckers and her anal vibrator. She looked at the camera. “Hello, snow lovers, Kale here; the seducer of sexy snowmen. This is my reward for my sexy snow lovers. I am gonna play with my breasts. I’ll have my nipple suckers join the party. And I’ll have my new friend’s carrot inside of me.” Kale carefully climbed into the tub, and released a satisfied gasp from her mouth. Faithful to her words, she caressed her breasts. She licked her upper lip, slowly. She closed her eyes. She breathed out of her nostrils hard. She was moaning, quietly. Kale cupped her breasts and gently lifted them. She rubbed and stroked the lower parts first. She moved upwards and tits together. Kale stroked her chest along the breastbone. Kale gently caressed the circumference of her tits. She smiled broadly. She gently whimpered. Her head lazily swayed to and fro. She lifted her tits and massaged them, like kneading bread dough. She massaged and curled her breasts. Kale pinched and fondled her tits in a clockwise and anti-clockwise movement. She pinched her own nipples. Kale stopped pinching her pink-capped nipples. Then she picked up the nipple suckers. She shoved them on her nipples. As she squeezed and toyed with her nipple suckers, her nipples soon ballooned and became fully erect. Her mouth soon formed an open bow shape. Kale whimpered, “Oh fuck...! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! “Oh, Jesus...! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! “Fuck yes...! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! Fuck yes! “Oh shit...! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Shit!” After reaching a short climax via the nipple suckers, Kale was wet and ready. Kale stopped playing with the nipple suckers. She picked up the carrot. Slowly, she pushed the point of the carrot into her pussy. She moaned softly. She shoved the carrot until the tip poked her cervical wall. Slowly, she moved the carrot back and forth in her wet pussy. Kale moaned, “Oh fuck...! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! “Oh, Jesus...! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! “Oh, God...! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! “Oh, Christ...! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! “Oh yes...! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! “Oh shit...! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! “Ah fuck...! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! “Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...! Oh, God...!” Kale felt a tremor shake her body intensely while another climax hit her hard. Some of the bath water had splashed out of the tub and had flowed onto the floor. Kale lay down in the tub. She put her head down on the bath pillow. She purred. Kale allowed her arms to relax in the water. The carrot stayed inside her pussy. The camera, however, still filmed – it still brimmed with battery life.     6.   Kale relaxed. She closed her eyes. She embraced the soothing water. She knitted her brow. The bath water’s temperature had changed. “What the fuck,” she began, and shivered, “the water feels fucking cold?” Kale’s eyes opened slowly. Her eyes bulged out of her skull. She gasped. Somehow, the bath water had become solid snow. It was thick like cement. Kale shrieked. She thrashed about. She couldn’t get away. There was no hope. Then Kale’s head was slowly pulled into the snow. She screeched. Kale’s screams were momentarily silenced. Her cries started again. Kale’s head was first to come up. Soon her entire body rose from the tub. She opened her eyes. Kale screamed. She wasn’t on her own. She wailed. Most of Kale’s body was trapped inside the body of the angry snowman. Some of her back and shapely arse were the only parts of her that were free. Kale’s head was face to face with the snowman she’d seen before. However, this time, the snowman had a perverted grin on his wide face. The wicked snowman wrapped his arms around Kale and groaned. Kale yelled, “Help! Someone, please, help me!” She looked into the camera as she failed to free herself. “This isn’t part of the act! Somebody save me, come on!” She was slapped with the horror that it wasn’t live. She was gonna be filmed being raped by an evil snowman. Kale felt the snowman rub and massage her shapely arse. She clenched her teeth. She shut her eyes tight. She didn’t want to give this perverted snowman the satisfaction. It was virtually impossible, though. She was still aroused from her masturbation session. The snowman alternated between massaging Kale’s arse and her back. It massaged and squeezed her arse cheeks gently – like how one would mould bread dough. Kale shook her head. She fought to break free. It was hopeless. She felt turned on. Kale gasped. She whimpered. She could feel her tits being massaged and manipulated. Each rough squeezing of her tits was a blow to her self-esteem. Hot tears flowed over her cheeks. She tried clenching her teeth again. However, her defiant mouth kept opening. Finally, Kale opened her mouth. She gasped. She cried. She whined. She felt her nipples being roughly squeezed and sucked on slowly without pause. Having her nipples sucked was her kryptonite. She didn’t have a chance to resist. Unwanted arousal bubbled in her system. Kale whimpered, “N-No! N-No! N-No! S-Stop! S-Stop! S-Stop! P-please! P-please! P-please! I! I! I! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! “N-Ah...! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah...!” Kale shook her head – rejecting the reality of the situation. She was stuck in the body of a snowman. He was violating her in revenge for his companions. Kale was too aroused. She involuntarily whimpered, “N-Ooh...! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! “N-Ah...! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah...! “N-Oh...! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! “N-Uh...! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! “N-Oh...! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! “N-Ooh...! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! “N-Ah...! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! “Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus...!” Kale trembled at the aftermath of her undesired orgasm. She cried out loud. She wheezed. She wasn’t able to resist. The Chinese herb boosted her stamina and arousal. Kale croaked, “No more... No more... Please... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...” The horny snowman wasn’t finished. It was far from over. He wanted more. Suddenly, in a swift move, the horny snowman grabbed the anal vibrator. Kale’s eyes widened in disbelief and her mouth opened to release a harsh gasp. The horny snowman had shoved Kale’s anal vibrator into her arsehole. Kale pleaded, “No! No! No! Anything but that! Anything but that! Please!” The horny snowman turned on the anal vibrator and hugged Kale close. Kale wailed, “No-oh-oh...! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh...!” Kale’s body shuddered. She shook her head with shock. Her eyes shut tight. Her will for liberation was recharged. She clenched her teeth. She didn’t want to unleash her illicit moans. The ongoing nipple-sucking didn’t help either. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. The evil snowman used his arms to cushion Kale for its next move. Carefully, it moved to the wall behind Kale and moved to and fro – forcing the anal vibrator to thrust. That did it. That broke Kale. She couldn’t help herself. Her mouth opened wide. Kale chanted, “Oh, God...! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! “N-Oh...! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! “Oh fuck...! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! “N-Oh...! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! “Oh, Jesus...! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! “Oh, God...! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! “Oh shit...! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! “Oh fuck...! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! “Oh crap...! Oh crap! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit...!” Eventually, Kale shuddered from multiple orgasms and released tiny gasps. The evil snowman pulled out the anal vibrator and it tossed it to a side. Kale gasped. She panted. She moaned. She wailed. She trembled. Suddenly, Kale whimpered sensitively as she felt the carrot slide out her pussy. Kale then felt the chunky carrot rub her clitoris, playfully. She rolled her head sluggishly. Reluctantly, Kale moaned, “N-Ooh...! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! “N-Ah...! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah...! “N-Oh...! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! “N-Uh...! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! N-Uh! “N-Oh...! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! N-Oh! “N-Ooh...! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! N-Ooh! “N-Ah...! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah! N-Ah...! “Oh, God...! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! “Oh fuck...! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! “Oh, Jesus...! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! “Oh, God...! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! “Oh crap...! Oh crap! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit...!” Another climax rocked Kale. Her body betrayed her. She felt weak. She exhaled deeply. Kale fainted a little. Her head lolled. Kale’s body was still trapped within the evil snowman’s body. The evil snowman didn’t stop. He held Kale’s head for support. He moaned lowly. Slowly but surely, the big carrot-cock of the evil snowman entered Kale’s wet pussy. The snowman’s carrot-cock twisted in Kale’s pussy and found her G-spot. Even in her unconscious state, Kale felt her G-spot being manipulated. Kale whimpered, “Oh... Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. “God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... God... “Oh... Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. “Fuck... Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “Oh, Jesus... Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. “Oh, God... Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. “Oh... Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. “Oh fuck...! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! “Oh, Jesus...! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! “Oh, God...! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! “Oh crap...! Oh crap! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! “Oh, Christ...! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! Oh, Christ! “Ah fuck...! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! “Oh, Jesus...! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! “God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...! God...!” Kale felt a strong tremor rippling through her body. Her back arched. She sighed profoundly. She had squirted tremendously. She felt the snowman’s carrot come to a halt. Somehow Kale had awakened. Her unconscious condition had temporarily ended. Kale whimpered, “I give up...! I give up...! You wanna fuck me to death...? You wanna fuck me to death, huh? That’s what you’re after, right? Then fuck me...! Go ahead and do it...! Fuck me to death...! I’ll beg for it...! I’ll beg for it...! Fuck me to death...!” The horny snowman had won: its carrot-cock delved deeper and reached Kale’s swollen A-spot. The carrot-cock moved backwards and forwards, fucking Kale’s wet pussy. The walls of Kale’s pussy tightened to trap the mighty thrusting carrot-cock. Kale’s head swayed to and fro. Her mouth alternated between the formation of a capital O and a wide arc-shaped smile. She was so broken. She wanted it. She definitely wanted it. Kale moaned, “Don’t stop...! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! “Oh God...! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! “I’m your snow bitch! I’m your snow bitch! I’m your snow bitch! I’m your snow bitch! I’m your snow bitch! I’m your snow bitch! I’m your snow bitch! I’m your snow bitch! “Oh fuck! Oh shit! There! There! Right there! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! “Oh shit...! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! “Uh, Jesus...! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! “I’ll do anything you want, Snow Dad! Please don’t stop screwing me! Please screw me real hard, Snow Daddy! Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me hard! Fuck me long! Oh, fuck yes, Snow Daddy! Holy shit, I love it! I’m hungry for that carrot-dick of yours, Snow Daddy! “You’re my Daddy! You’re my Daddy! You’re my Daddy! You’re my Daddy! You’re my Daddy! You’re my Daddy! You’re my Daddy! You’re my Daddy! You’re my Daddy! “I might need crutches when you’re done! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Don’t stop! You own this pussy! I can endure it! I can it take, Snow Daddy! I’m your snowflake bitch! I’m your precious snow bitch, Snow Dad! Do anything you want with me, baby! Yes! Yes! Yes! “God, that feels so good! I can’t believe you’re getting me so wet! Your carrot-cock feels amazing inside of me, Snow Daddy! Oh, I like getting screwed by you! Damn it, you’re better than anyone that fucked me! Keep going, Snow Daddy! Keep going, Snow Daddy! “Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me, Snow Daddy! “I want you to come so hard that I can feel your carrot-cock pounding inside me! I want you to fuck me to death, Snow Daddy! Fuck my brains out, Snow Daddy! I’m fucking dripping wet for you, Snow Daddy! I fucking love how fucking huge your carrot-cock is! “Fuck, I love riding you like this! I love riding you like this, Snow Daddy! I don’t want you to quit, sweetheart! I don’t want you to stop fucking me like this! Keep going! Keep going! I love it! I love it! I want it! I need it! I want you! I need you! Fuck me hard, Snow Daddy! “Pound my little pussy with your big carrot-cock, Snow Daddy! You can do anything with me, Snow Daddy! Fuck me like your precious whore! Ruin my pussy, Snow Daddy! Fuck my pussy, sweetheart! I belong to you! You own me! I’m your whore! I’m your snowy bitch!  “I’m all yours! You can have me, Snow Daddy! I love feeling that big carrot-dick! Your carrot-prick is enormous! Your carrot-dick is enormous, Snow Daddy! Don’t let it leave my pussy! Don’t let it leave my wet pussy! My pussy is damp for you! My pussy is wet for you! “Harder...! Harder! Harder! Faster! Faster! Faster! You make me so fucking wet! Your carrot’s been on my mind all day! That feels so fucking good Snow Daddy! You make me feel like screaming! I love being your fucking Snow Slut! I’m your ice bitch, Daddy! “Fuck me with your carrot cock! I don’t want to come out of the bathtub! Treat me like your sex toy, Snow Daddy! You’re perfect for fucking me, Snow Daddy! Your snow hands feel so fucking soft, Snow Daddy! Fuck me hard! Fuck me rough! Don’t quit screwing me, babe! “Fill me with your semen, Dad! Stuff me with your sperm, Daddy! Shoot your entire load in my pussy! Fill me up with your sticky love juices, Daddy! Fuck me with that fat cock! Shoot your fucking goo in my pussy! I want it! I want it fucking bad! Fuck me!  “Come on, baby, come on! Make me come! Make me come, baby! Make me squirt! Make me squirt, Snow Daddy! Make me come with your massive carrot-cock! Make me squirt! Make me come! Make me come! Make me come! Make me come! Make me come! “Ejaculate your semen in my pussy, baby! I want to feel you ejaculate inside me! I want to feel your sperm fill up my pussy. Give me every drop of that love of yours, darling! Fill me up! Fill me up so it comes out of my fucking mouth! I want it, Snow Daddy! Fuck me! “Oh, you sound so fucking hot, Snow Daddy! Your moans sound so fucking hot! You smell so fucking wonderful, honey! You feel so fucking soft, too! Your carrot-dick gives me such pleasure, honey! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! “I’m your dirty little cum slut! Fuck me so hard that you hospitalize, baby! Fuck me into a coma! Fuck me hard and give me brain damage, Snow Daddy! Give it to me hard, Snow Daddy! Tell me I’m a good little Snow Whore, Snow Daddy! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh Shit! Shit! “Oh shit! Oh shit! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming!  “Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Uh! Uh! Uh! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! “Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! Uh, Jesus! “Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus! “Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Uh! Uh! Uh! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! “Oh shit...! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! “Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Ah fuck! Uh! Uh! Uh! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! “Oh, Jesus...! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! “Oh fuck...! Oh fuck...! Oh God...! Oh God...! Oh fuck...! Oh fuck...! Oh God...! Oh God...! Oh fuck...! Oh fuck...! Oh God...! Oh God...! Oh fuck...! Oh fuck...! Oh God...! Oh God...! “Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...! Oh honey...!” Kale gasped joyfully. It all turned black. It felt like she’d experienced death.     7.   To her surprise, Kale was alive. She was in the bathtub. It had no water. Kale felt light-headed and confused. She still had the carrot wedged in her pussy. Kale felt like her energy was gone. Somehow, she’d managed to sit up. She pulled the carrot out. Kale was disgusted at her shame. Carefully, Kale managed to climb her bathtub – but something was missing. She saw that the camera was gone – and so was the tripod it was sitting on. Kale quickly dried herself off, and she hurriedly put on her bathrobe. When she was good and ready, Kale ran out of the bathroom.     8.   Kale went to her room and saw that her laptop was set up. She saw on the website, Snow Sluts, there was a new video. The video was titled, “Snow Whore Gets Fucked Hard.” Kale saw herself in the thumbnail, moaning from ecstasy. The video had more than 500 million hits – a brand new record. The horny blokes said they’d like to be the snowman. Amazingly, many women wanted a snowman to fuck them hard. “Jesus-fucking-Christ,” Kale sighed, as her face burned red. Then, Kale saw a note, which said, “The window, Snow Whore.” Kale looked out the window, and saw the freaky snowman. The snowman grinned and looked like it was waving. A strange sensation of excitement engulfed Kale’s heart. Kale actually smiled at the snowman and waved.   The End