The New Haven Universe is a series of short stories and novels I have been developing over the past decade. It spans multiple genres including horror, drama, romance, etc. All of the stories are apart of the same world featuring some characters that carry over between stories. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

"Brayden, I told you to wait outside!" Nate snarled at me, even though he couldn't see me from his position.

"What, again?" I argued with Nate's backside, stuck in a narrow corridor of paper. Flecks from the pages danced in the dim light as if alive. No wonder, since we were boxed in by mountains of books, stacked up to the room's ceiling. When I had first entered the classy mansion, the view had been a surprise, but no shock. 

After many wards and many houses, I had grown used to this sort of neglect, to the dreamscapes of the city's people. Not even the real, physical books were a surprise. Others might have been fooled by the wealth all that paper represented, but I could tell the truth from the smell. Rather than true paper, they were all synthetic, made from the materializer. Even so, all of it still felt like an enormous waste.

"All year you've had me stand in front of this house," I continued my complaint in response to Nate's grunt. "What can be so bad I can't even meet the ward here? How am I supposed to learn if I can't even go inside?" I looked left and right, into the darkness of the paper corridors. This place was a maze. At least I had been brave enough to rush after Nate right away. Without him to guide me, I would never find my way.

Under grunts and pants, Nate made his way through the corridor and into a crossroads, just wide enough for him to turn and stare at me. For a while, we had a silent duel, but my will stayed firm. I wouldn't give in, not again. This time, I would do my job as a proper caretaker. Nate couldn't coddle me forever.

"Fine," my co-worker sighed. "If we argue here we'll only upset Ms. Lector. So you're off the hook for now. You can come along, just... be careful and don't touch anything."

Even though Nate still stared me down, a giddy jolt rushed through my body. At last I could meet the mysterious Ms. Lector whose presence had eluded me for months. With a silly grin splayed all over my face, I bounded over to Nate, focused on the books around me.

"Slow!" a panicked voice hissed at me, so I looked up at Nate. Only now did I realize that his face was pale as a sheet. "What are you doing? I told you to be careful."

"Sure, Nate." My eyes rolled as I squeezed my way past my colleague. Beyond my mountainous companion I found another two long corridors and a set of stairs to lead us up above. "So where to now?"

"It's up the stairs. Be careful though. Don't touch the books."

"Right," I said. Of course I understood Nate's worry. If I moved the books, there was always a chance the entire stack could collapse. We might end up buried alive and the birds couldn't enter the houses to save us. So I took a step into a corridor before I motioned my partner to move ahead. He knew the way, and knew the ward. It wouldn't be the best if Ms. Lector first saw me, someone she had never met before. With nothing but a grunt, Nate squeezed past me and trundled up.

For a while we walked in silence, until something caught my eye. On top of a short book stack sat a novel titled 'Enlightened'. I knew this one. It was one of my grandma's. Oh neat, I thought and decided to pick it up. Since the book sat on top, there was no danger of collapse, was there?

"Stop, dammit!" Nate's shout made the fake paper around us rumble. My foot slipped from the step and my hand stretched to the precarious pile of books to my side. Only inches before my trembling fingers touched the paper walls, my toes caught the lower step, and with it the rest of my body.

Again we stared at each other, Nate's eyes large in horror. After a few seconds, the swaying books around us settled back into place. Not even the home owner showed any reaction, so my heartbeat calmed again.

"What?" I whispered with a frown. "Why'd you scream like that? I almost fell, and the book isn't gonna hurt anyone. It's just lying there. Nothing's gonna fall."

"I know what you're thinking," the gruff voice whispered back, always the mind reader, "but this place is made of more than just books. There's traps everywhere!"

"What?" I hissed back. "What do you mean traps? Like an adventure game?"

"I told you not to touch anything. The owner, Ms. Lector, has placed traps all over her bookshelves in case anyone tries to take them."

"Who would expect traps from just that? What kind of maniac would-" before I could finish my sentence, I caught myself. My hands covered my mouth as I stared at Nate in shock. Insults against the wards were the worst offense I could commit before the dutiful caretaker. However, rather than scold me like he usually did, Nate just frowned.

"Just stay behind me, keep quiet and don't touch anything." And with that, Nate turned and marched ahead again. His silence hurt more than his usual scolding. This time I followed with weary steps, but my boss still glanced behind every three steps. Though the tension between us increased further and further, soon we reached the bedroom of the homeowner. At once, Nate readjusted his attitude as he put on his usual buddy facade.

Meanwhile, I looked around the room itself, careful to not touch anything. Unlike the other rooms, this one was at least barely considered clean. In the corner, I found the expected materializer, which had spewed out all the books for its owner, in exchange for much of her social credit. At least in here, the books only stacked waist high, and there was more room to move around. No wonder, as the room's inhabitant was bound to a wheelchair.

According to the documents, Ms. Lector was a woman in her forties. However, she barely looked human any more. Like many of our wards, she appeared thin like a twig, burned out from her obsessions. Her legs were immobile, but didn't flop down like I had thought. Instead, they were folded up on her chair and scrunched together, intertwined with her arms in an arthritic nightmare. Only her face still seemed mobile, and she used a small monitor to its side to live her entire life. In horror, I watched as Nate began his standard procedure, indifferent to the misery before him.

"And that's your checkup done, Ms. Lector." For how much he talked about the caretaker's code, there were far too many instances where he had forced me to watch as people just died from his neglect. In that regard, I could never understand Nate's so-called 'respect' for the freedom of our wards. To me, this inaction was nothing more than sloth. For many of these people, a real, human connection would achieve much more than robotic nods and standard procedures. Thus, I did what I had rarely done before. I disobeyed.

"Ms. Lector. I saw that you've read Enlightened."

When I stepped forward, I could see Nate move in my periphery, but I was focused on my ward alone. Although the crippled body didn't move, the dim, gray eyes also focused on me in turn.

"A. R. Rovis was my grandmother, you know? It's great to see that there are still people out there who enjoy her writing." I tried to put on my warmest smile. It ignited a tiny, almost invisible flame within those dull eyes.

"Who are you?" a raspy voice echoed from her dry throat.

"My name is Brayden Rovis, Ma'am. Unfortunately, I have none of my grandmother's talents, but I always loved her books."

"A. R. Rovis was a good writer. Her themes always had a weight most others lack today."

Encouraged by the ward's reception, I took another step forward.

"You know, if you like her books, I can bring you some," I urged. "I actually have the real ones at home."

True shock entered Ms. Lector's apathetic eyes. "Really?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, it's real paper, too. They're in my room, to make sure nothing happens to them. We also have some handwritten manuscripts, but those are in lockup."

"I would love to see them only once, more than anything."

"You can. It's easy," I grinned.

Wasn't this a great first step? A real human connection? Maybe like this, I could convince Ms. Lector to leave her house and get her arthritic body cured. However, our ward responded with a hollow laugh.

"Not with my body. I can hardly see, I can no longer walk. In my state, how could I ever make it through the city and appreciate those rare pieces?"

Sadness filled her voice, but to me it sounded sweeter than any laughter. This was real emotion, real desire beyond the prison Ms. Lector had built for herself. Just one more push and I could save her!

"That's not a problem, is it? Just call on a clinic and request a pick-up. I can stay around until the-"

"No!" While I froze in confusion at the outburst, a dry cough overcame my ward. Things had been going so well. What happened?

"No doctors. I've read. I know. No tests. No probes. They'll only take out my eyes! How will I read without eyes?"

Confused, the woman begged to be spared. Still, I couldn't give up now.

"They won't. Ma'am, if you want to read my grandmother's-"

"Excuse us." With a rude tone and a rough hand, Nate barged into the conversation and shoved me out the door. "Ms. Lector, I am very sorry about Brayden. He is still in training. Please have a pleasant day."

When Nate followed me outside, I wanted to argue, but his stern eyes shut me up. This time, he wouldn't even let me walk ahead, and instead decided to take the front again. Every time he looked back, my mood soured.

How could he know that I couldn't have convinced Ms. Lector in the end? If he wasn't so paranoid all the time, if he was willing to push just a bit harder, how many of these poor souls could have been saved? Although he always said not to disturb the peace of the wards, where was the peace for a miserable existence like Ms. Lector's?

At the foot of the stairs, Nate turned again to look at me like a disappointed parent, as if I would run back at any moment. And then it happened. With large eyes I saw how Nate's foot slipped on the lowest step. Before he realized what had happened, he had already stumbled halfway across the room.

"Careful!" My shout was as pointless as it was late, and Nate's hands found balance on the stack of books by the entrance. Like a child in front of his first school, Nate stared up at the towering books. Whether or not he had activated a trap, the entire stack began to sway back and forth. With a sluggish inevitability, the stack leaned farther and farther, dragged to the side by its own weight, soon to bury Nate beneath mountains of synthetic paper.

A terror ran through my entire body as everything around me slowed to a crawl. While my mind was frozen solid, my body reacted all on its own. My feet shot off the steps and launched me halfway down the stairs, faster than I had ever moved before. A single leap and I was across the room, leaned against the crooked stack, while Nate still stood there paralyzed. As soon as my hands touched the paper, I could feel my weakness. I wasn't strong enough! Several tons of synthetic paper had been stacked together. How could I ever hold them by myself?

Though my muscles quivered, the paper buckled more and more. As my heart escaped into my stomach, I looked to Nate for rescue. My former caretaker just stood there with big eyes, no use to anyone. My view returned to the book shelves right before me. Since I couldn't rely on anyone else, I would rely on myself.

And then, a miracle happened to save us both: Somehow, from somewhere, my body pulled a strength far beyond me. A strange power shot into my veins to fill me with strength. Above, the stack shifted and buckled, before I forced the unwilling paper back into its original position.

Drenched in sweat I turned to Nate, who stumbled out of the house, and back into the sunlight. For a second I took in the claustrophobic maze of knowledge, and the few loose books on the ground who still waited on all their brothers to follow. Soon however, I returned to my senses and followed Nate out into the city.

"That was close," I said as I wiped the cold sweat off my forehead.

"What were you doing in there!?" Nate screamed at me out of nowhere.

"What do you mean what was I doing? I saved your damn life, man!"

"No, not that! When you talked to the Ms. Lector! I would have never tripped if I didn't have to keep an eye out for you all the time!"

Even though his excuse was more than just a bit unfair, I would much rather focus on the actual core of our conflict. It was important to be open about our misgivings, otherwise nothing would ever be resolved. Nate taught me that.

"I've been a caretaker for almost a year now and all I've done is watch you work. How am I ever gonna get any better if you never let me do anything?"

"That's not how this works, Brayden! You can't just invade people's personal space like that! Ms. Lector has a hard time as is! You need to be delicate or you'll make things worse!"

"How much worse can Ms. Lector possibly get!? If we don't push her a bit, she will just rot away!"

At first it looked like Nate would just push back stronger, but instead he held his breath. Once he released it with a sigh, it appeared like he had cooled off and aged a decade in the process. Suddenly, I felt bad about my outburst. I had known Nate for years, and I knew what kind of man he was. He always just wanted the best for me, and I repaid him with nothing but entitlement.

"Brayden," he said at last. "I know I've not been forthright with you, but please try to understand me. I'm worried. Not only about the wards, but also about you. I'm sure you'll be a great caretaker, but you don't want to get involved too deeply. So far, you haven't seen what sort of stuff goes on in the City Council. Believe me, you don't want to do to well and get promoted. Recently, the boss has asked some questions about your performance. I'd rather you just stay an anonymous cog than-"

Before he could finish, Nate's phone interrupted his explanation. As the caretaker read the new message, his eyes widened.

"Ah, shoot. Looks like there's an emergency at Carlos' place."

"Mr. Oraya? What happened?" I was worried, maybe more than I should have been. After all, even though Nate always stressed how the wards came first, he also talked about the importance of distance. Still, over our past visits, the haggard painter with the peculiar temper had grown on me.

"The old idiot's been drinking paint for no goddamn reason," the caretaker frowned, in spite of his own advice.

"What? Why would he do that?"

"How would I know? Anyways, as his official wardens, we have to show up there, give a statement for the clinic. Let's just hope he's fine. I hate this part of the job," he mumbled more to himself.

"But... what about the rest of our route? It's almost evening and we still have one more place to visit. There is no way we can get this done on time."

If there was one thing I had learned in my first year, it was to avoid tardiness. Whenever we failed to finish our schedule, we would be deducted part of our monthly allowance, with no warnings. Nate looked conflicted as well, torn between his responsibility towards his ward and the one towards me. This time, I had to make the choice for him.

"It's fine, Nate. Go look after Mr. Oraya, I got the last one for the day."

For a long while, he stared into my smile, before a curt "you sure?" showed the full extent of his distrust. Still, this was the best solution for us. Maybe like this, Nate would relent and finally let me do a job by myself.

"Yeah, you should really go to Mr. Oraya. It sounds serious, and I want him to be fine too. After all, he was my first ward."

With another deep sigh, Nate thought again, before his phone rang a second time. Without a single look, we both knew what the message was about.

"...alright, guess here's your chance to prove yourself. At least the last ward seems like a mild case. It's only a registration, so you should just have them fill out the basic form and leave right away. I'm serious, stay on protocol and don't try too hard to fix everything. Our work takes time, even more so with new wards."

"I'll just do my job, nothing more." Even though I didn't mean it, at this point I would say anything to get some hands-on experience. "Call me when you know more about Mr. Oraya."

"Will do. You can take the cab over and then sign it off when you're done."

"Wait, the cab? What about you?"

"It's only three streets away from here. I'll walk over and take the bus home."

For the third time, Nate's phone rang. Although the sound was the same, it felt much more urgent than before.

"Anyways, gotta run. Good luck, buddy. Do your best." After Nate had thrown his last well-wishes over his shoulder, he ran down the empty street. Had I known what would happen next, I would have said something. Our past selves are always so carefree.

Unaware of future regrets, I found the silvery gleam of the cab ready and waiting for me.

"Finally!" I called out in relief. Of course, I was grateful for Nate's help. Throughout the year, he had done his best to shield me from danger and answered all of my beginner questions. Still, I wasn't allowed to do anything under his watch. Rather than his trainee, Nate had treated me like one of his wards. This was my chance to prove myself. With swagger, I grabbed my permit and slid it across the cab door.

A few seconds of nothing and I began to get nervous. I had never even opened the cab, so I thought that swiping the permit in its vague direction would be enough.

*Don't panic.*

An examination revealed a found a slight, rectangular indentation towards the door's top. This time, I made sure to abandon the confident flourish from before and stared swiped with a slow motion. The light beep from the door made me recoil in terror. Before anyone could witness my embarrassment, I hid inside the vehicle.

As my heart calmed from the excitement, I looked at my phone, at the documents for my first solo ward.

*Sophie Rayne. 19 Years old. Recommendation as teacher. Scheduled to continue studies. Depression. Address...*

"Please bring me to Sunlight Boulevard. Erm... Acacia Alley. House number is 47."

"Sunlight Boulevard. Acacia Alley 47. Now driving."

"...thank you," I whispered to the machine.

The mundane shatters with a single touch.

On his 18th birthday, Brayden is tested for his magic powers, like all young adults in the utopian city of Astralis. Yet his dreams of a glorious future are crushed once he turns out to be normal... ordinary.

However, his hidden talents manifest only days later. As he explores his newfound powers and the city itself, he pulls away the curtain to uncover the city's true, horrific nature, as well as his own future.

If you like what you've read here and want to see more, this novel is available in full on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082RC6G9W

I will post the remaining chapters here eventually, within a couple months.

Also, if you want to support me, check out my patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/hermitscave

After the talk about the car, the rest of the day passed quite peacefully. And the next few days as well for that matter. Though Mrs. Weasley tried to help accomidate Nova to the best of her ability, Nova turned down the offer of staying in the Burrow. But instead chose to spend the nights and most of the days, sleeping in his dragon form. Though it startled the Weasleys the first morning after waking up to see a dragon sleeping outside their house, no one really had an issue with it, aside from Percy who was still a little jumpy being around Nova. 
Now Nova didn't really have an issue being in the Burrow, but the homey feel that it gave weighed down on his mind and seeing how the Weasley were one happy family really caused him to miss his wife even more. Not only that it amazed Nova how well the family functioned together and the extent they went to helping Harry feel like he belonged
Most mornings, Nova found Mrs. Weasley fussing over the state of Harry's socks and tried to force him to eat fourth helpings at every meal. And how Mr. Weasley liked Harry to sit next to him at the dinner table so that he could bombard him with questions about life with Muggles, asking him to explain how things like plugs and the postal service worked. Now of course they were very receptive to Nova as well. Mrs. Weasley really enjoyed the kitchen upgrade that Nova fixed up for her one of the days. Making the stove more efficient and the cooking materials were enchanted with a self cleaning function, so that Mrs Weasley did not have to wash dishes any more. In the evening, Mr. Weasley would pull Nova aside to speak about the upgrades to the car and other projects that he had inside his garage.
And to make the car even better, Nova had added a spatial transference function to it, which made Mr. Weasley so happy that he could be found driving and flying it everywhere in the yard. That was of course until, Mrs. Weasley found out and directly blasted the car out of mid air with her wand. Seeing her angry like that Nova thought it best to take off the enchantment while the husband-wife duo was otherwise not focused on him.
Though to make it up to Mr. Weasley, Nova did beef up the suspension to insure that the passengers in the car did feel a single bump when the car landed. And improved the energy conversion between the fuel and magic. Essentially turning it into a one gallon per decade or so kind of car.
On one sunny morning about a week after he had arrived at the Burrow. Nova walked in to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny are already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment she saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. Pretending he hadn't noticed this, Harry sat down and took the toast Mrs. Weasley offered him. 
"Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing Harry and Ron identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink.
"Dumbledore already knows you're here, Harry - doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two've got them, too," he added, as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pajamas.
Reading through the letter, Nova didn't find anything of importance in it. Fred, who had finished his own list, peered over at Harry's.
"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan - bet it's a witch."
At this point, Fred caught his mother's eye and quickly busied himself with the marmalade.
"That lot won't come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart's books are really expensive ...
"Well, we'll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny's things secondhand."
"Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked Ginny.
She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish. Fortunately no one saw this except Harry, because just then Ron's elder brother Percy walked in. He was already dressed, his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned to his sweater vest.
"Morning, all," said Percy briskly. "Lovely day."
He sat down in the only remaining chair but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath him a moulting, gray feather duster - at least, that was what Harry thought it was, until he saw that it was breathing.
"Errol!" said Ron, taking the limp owl from Percy and extracting a letter from under its wing. "Finally - he's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys."
He carried Errol to a perch just inside the back door and tried to stand him on it, but Errol flopped straight off again so Ron lay him on the draining board instead, muttering, "Pathetic." Then he ripped open Hermione's letter and read it out loud:
"`Dear Ron, and Harry if you're there. At least I hope you are since I have not heard back from Nova,
"`I hope everything went alright and that Harry is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would get Harry into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if Harry is all right, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better if you used a different owl because I think another delivery might finish your one off, unless Nova is around and is finished by his presence. Though how it still functions around him is a mystery to me." Hearing this Nova could only silently agree. Harry's owl, Hedwig, wouldn't even come close to the Burrow but instead stayed in a tree. Nova could only conclude that Errol was too old to care or just stupid.
"'I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course'- How can she be?" said Ron in horror. "We're on vacation! - 'and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we meet in Diagon Alley? Let me know what's happening as soon as you can. Love from Hermione."'
"Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Mrs. Weasley, starting to clear the table. "What're you all up to today?"
Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were planning to go up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees that blocked it from view of the village below, meaning that they could practice Quidditch there, as long as they didn't fly too high.
They couldn't use real Quidditch balls, which would have been hard to explain if they had escaped and flown away over the village; instead they threw apples for one another to catch. They took turns riding Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand, which was easily the best broom.
"Actually Mrs. Weasley, back to the topic of shopping. I have some galleons I would like to give you for such kind hospitality that you have shown me this past period of time." Nova said.
"You do?" Everyone aside from Mrs. Weasley responded. 
"How much?" The Twins said excitedly.
"Fred, George! That is not for you to know." Mrs Weasley scolded them. "Nova, dear, you don't have to worry about that. We can make do just fine with what we have."
"That might be the case, but it would be wrong of me to not help contribute at least a little." Nova said.
"But Nova won't that hurt your own finances?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"No need to worry. I have saved enough that it will not affect me. Now since i don't have an extra storage ring where would you like me to put the money?" Nova stated.
"Here on the table will be fine. Let me just clear off the table quickly." Mrs. Weasley just sighed in defeat, as with a flick of her wand the the plates and food dishes went back to their resting places in the kitchen.
"I am glad you accepted. And don't worry. The amount I give will not be alot." Nova said. He then closed his eyes and sent his mind into his storage ring to find the smallest pile of galleons that he had in there. Coming up to the pile he gave a mental nod to himself and deposited it on the table.
The table promptly broke.
"Hmmm. . . I thought the table would hold." Nova said, as the room went dead quiet.
He then looked around, "Whats wrong. If it's about the table, it can fix it."
"N,N,N. . . Nova? I thought you said it wouldn't be alot?" Mrs. Weasley stuttered.
"It's not alot though. This was the smallest pile I had in the ring, if it went up to the next section i think it would take up the whole kitchen. It's not my fault the goblins at the bank don't have enough room in my vault to store it all."
"Nova?" Ron croaked.
"Yes Ron?" 
"How many galleons is this?" Ron whispered softly.
"Don't know really? Couple million." Nova said. "But if this is not enough. Here we'll do this." Nova then wave his hand back over the pile of galleons and brought out a large ruby about the size of a pot.
"Here. I think this ought to be enough." Nova said. "You can give this to the goblins in Gringotts and though they can't exchange it directly they can give you a credit of at least a few hundred million galleons. So you will be good for a while."
When Nova finished speaking, he looked at everyone and found they had gone blank. "What is wrong?"
"How much did you say it was Nova?" Mrs. Weasley said.
"A few hundred million." Hearing this all the Weasley's proceeded to pass out.
Seeing this, Nova couldn't help but cock his head sideways, "I will never understand mortals. Was it something I said?"
The first ones to come out of it was Mr. Weasley and Harry. Mr. Weasley then in turned helped his wife to sit down.
"Nova I think the mountain, I mean, the small pile of galleons would be just fine. Could you help the boys go outside, I think they needs some fresh air." Mr. Weasley said.
"Will do." Nova then dragged the frozen Twins, Ron, and Percy by their collars out the door, while Harry, who helped Ginny sit down, followed stifly behind. 
Once outside, the boys all just kind of stood there in the field just kind of sat down and stared off into the distance.
"Harry what is wrong with them?" Nova asked after a few hours went by. 
"It's nothing Nova. They are just grateful for the generosity." Harry said quietly. 
Nova just scratched his head and turned into his dragon form and laid down for a nap, thinking that the boys would come around later. 
After a few days everything went back to normal, though everyone was a little jumpy around Nova and Ron and his brothers could be found staring at Nova's ring when they weren't playing Quidditch with apples. Though it was strange, Nova chose not to say anything and decided to ask Hermione when he saw her.
Mrs. Weasley woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside.
"We're running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We'll have to buy some more today... Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!"
And she offered him the flowerpot.
Harry stared at them all watching him.
"W-what am I supposed to do?" he stammered.
"He's never traveled by Floo powder," said Ron suddenly. "Sorry, Harry, I forgot."
"Never?" said Mr. Weasley. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?"
"I went on the Underground -"
"Really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Were there escapators? How exactly -"
"Not now, Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Floo powder is a lot quicker, dear, but goodness me, if you've never used it before -"
"If it's not that big of an issue. I can get us there." Nova said.
"How?" Mrs. Weasley said cautiously, giving a brief glance at Nova's ring.
"I will just tear a hole in space and we can walk through."
"Is it safe?"
"Oh yes, it works under the same principle as you mortals fireplace travel, but without this Floo Powder stuff or fireplaces." Nova said.
Mrs. Weasley just sighed, she seemed like she was giving up on reality when Nova spoke.
Taking that as a yes, Nova walked outside and sent out his consciousness to a calm spot in Diagon Alley.
"Why are we outside?" Ron asked. "And why is it taking so long?"
"Well if you must know, I am projecting my will to Diagon Alley and finding a safe place to open the portal. If I don't and some mortal gets in the way then the resulting spatial rift will tear them apart atom by atom and be lost in the Void."
"Oh." Ron squeaked.
"Ok here we go." Nova said. He then changed his hands with a partial transformation and thrust them into the space in front of him and made a hole large enough for the group to pass through. "Now everyone through quickly or the surrounding space will collapse and you could find yourself in another part of the world or another realm. . ."
Hearing this the whole Weasley Family and Harry rushed through not letting Nova finish his sentence. Seeing this Nova just shrugged his shoulders and walked though waving his hand behind him to reclose the space rift. When Nova came through, he saw that a few people were staring and the Weasley group gaping at the Gringotts.
"Well now that we are here we best get shopping." Nova said cheerfully.

In the vastness of the Void the Forger works to create the worlds of peoples worlds and wishes. After an uprising and losing his wife, the Forger tries to take back what he lost. When the Forger discovers that his wife might be still alive, he starts making plans to save her. But when the time comes he finds out that the situation is graver than he first thought. So now he travels to the World in order to save what he holds dear.
______
I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.

The first memory that I have? It was my own birth, no I wasn't crying like most babies. I was calm and collected, and I didn't even know what those words mean, but that was just how I am. I knew I had a sister, but I came first, so I AM the oldest! hahahaha! My name is Proteos Kritikah by the way.

My sister's name is Lucine, the Princess of the Kritikah clan. She likes to act like she's more mature than me, but that's just because I'm older and she knows it. Anyway, when she came next, she cried for a bit, until she noticed that I wasn't crying. She immediately stopped, and she knew, oh yeah, she knew that she lost hehehehe!

Sadly that was only one of my few wins. For the next 6 months, we couldn't talk yet, so the both of us communicated via expressions and sounds. After her loss to me, we made a bet to see who can start talking first. I tried my best, but she beat me by 1 month! 1 MONTH!!! Are you kidding me! I had to suffer her gloating for 1 fucking month! Hmph! For a gentleman's revenge, 10 years is not too long. I got the upper hand though, I started reading first just before we turned 1 muahaha! of course, for a gentleman such as I, I only gave her a smirk. Revenge truly is sweet.

The next day, I was going to start my session of reading books out loud around her, but Damnit, she took my book and started reading! Uguu!!! I almost coughed out blood. I don't care what you think, that was still a win in my book, since I was the first one to show my reading skill. After that I knew I couldn't win against her anymore, so I started learning more about the world I live in. 

There are nine realms in the world, each separated by a veil. In the past there was no way to travel between the nine realms, that is until the Kuroma reached the level of supreme in magic. The highest 
state one can reach in one's class. Kuroma then spent years researching to create doorways between realms. I wondered how he knew that there were "realms" other than ours. I looked more into his biographies, which was countless, well okay just 15 books, not a lot. He did do an autobiography though, which was neat! why would he write his own autobiography? Best way to let people know his achievements, I guess. So I read the 15 biographies first, and I found something which I thought was weird, In those 15 books, all of them were missing a big part of his life! They were missing everything from the birth to his 60s, they all started at age 63, when he appeared during the coronation of my grandfather to present a gift. At the time he was only a Master Mage, whatever the gift was, none of the 15 books elaborated. I will have to ask father later. Kuroma accomplished great things for a decade and stayed in the spotlight, which is covered by the biographies, he then disappeared for 2 decades, before coming back with the creation of the "Doorway of Realms". He died few years ago at the age of 207, still quite young for his state as he could have lived for a millennium. Unsurprisingly it shocked all of the nine realms. Numerous experts and royal families from all nine realms came just for his funeral, some I have heard great things off of late. Now were here, about to read his autobiography, but mother is coming with my food. I will be back after I've read it.



Proteos Kritikah
Day 1 of writing practice

The journey of the twin offspring of the realms king.

***** Warning!!! Hobby?!  I will try to write 1 chapter every 2-3 days. Don't quote me on that... or you can idc. I'll accept any advise or criticism on the comments! thank you very much!*****

Little Richard lost his childishness by next spring. The hunting knife at his waist was no longer a decoration, used as he started to join the hunters in the mountains. He wouldn't venture too deep, nor was he at the frontlines fighting the magical beasts, but he still helped around with tasks like setting up traps and collecting prey. Blacksmith Bobby had grown elated at this, making the child a new knife with strong, tempered steel. He grew joyous whenever Richard used it to kill a magical beast.
There was always some danger associated with a hunter's life. Countless magical beasts were hidden along the coast and inside the mountains, and some occasionally got lost and headed for Rooseland. Richard once met an ashen devilwolf, a genuine rank 2 magical beast that even the village head had to treat seriously. There were only two other hunters beside Richard at the time, and it took a bitter fight to kill it. All of them suffered heavy injuries, but they still managed to drag the wolf's corpse back to the village.
Richard's abnormal calmness in dealing with the battle to the death amazed the villagers, even the best hunter of the village wouldn't be able to do better. Moreover, if it wasn't for a clean slice from him at the back claw muscles of the devilwolf, the outcome might have been different.
No matter what, little Richard had calmly faced the many dangers he'd met this year, staying collected as he dealt with the situation. He'd never cowered in the face of danger.
At nine years of age, Richard had learnt courage. It should have been the easiest thing to learn, as mountain youths never lacked guts, but the courage his mother had taught him was extraordinary. With his success Elaine stopped calling him Little Richard.
"My Richard is finally a real man!" she always said, brimming with smiles whenever she looked at him.
One day, Richard puffed his chest out at this statement, "I still need wisdom to be a real man!"
This shocked his mother, who looked seriously at him and asked, "Tell mother who told you that."
"It was written in a book!"
"Which book was it?" Elaine asked patiently. Even acolytes possessed great knowledge, and Elaine had taught her son many languages that were complex and archaic. Reading wasn't a problem for the child, and he'd even completed many books on the basics of magic during the uneventful winter. However, Elaine couldn't recall such a statement in any of them.
"It was that book in the attic. There were a lot of interesting things in it, I didn't know the world was so big!" Richard replied in excitement.
"That book?" Elaine seemed to remember something, continuing with a smile, "It really is interesting. My Richard… A real man truly can't lack in wisdom, but tenacity, perseverance, and courage are harder to master. You're so smart, you definitely won't lack wisdom when you grow up. Mother just wanted to nurture some more traits in you. Do you understand?"
"You forgot happiness!" Richard added hastily.
Elaine smiled as she caressed Richard's head and replied, "That's right, and happiness. Was my Richard happy these past few years?"
Richard shook his head and said gloomily, "I haven't always been happy. Beirut bullied me, and I hate breadfruit… Anyway, Mother, what kind of person is Father?"
Elaine's expression changed instantly, before she replied in a gentle manner, "Your father is a true man…"
Richard immediately followed up, "I know! He's also the worst villain, someone Mother hates the most!"
Elaine chuckled. Her son asked her this question every year, and this was her reply every time. He'd already memorised her answer, but the smart child had frequently heard her light sobbing in the middle of the night. He felt her deep hatred for his father every time the man was mentioned. Children had really simple minds. Their mothers loved and doted on them, and they in turn loved their mothers the most. Richard would hate whoever his mother hated.
Richard asked about his father regularly for two reasons. One was curiosity, as his mother told him more and more every year. On the other hand, he wanted to have a greater understanding of his father so he could avenge his mother once he grew up. As for how, he was naturally clueless, but this matter had already been ingrained into his heart.
However, Elaine stopped telling Richard about his father after this, just saying that she'd only spent a little time with him so she only knew that much.
"You'll really understand your father one day." It was unknown why Elaine's face changed after she tossed out this statement. It was as though something had seized her heart; even she herself didn't know why she had uttered such words.
Richard sensed his mother's mood had turned bad, so he secretly stuck his tongue out and said, "I'll go read something." He then ran to the back of the house, to Elaine's study room cum laboratory where she brewed her potions. There weren't many books here, all about the basics of magic, medicine, the history of the continent, the scenery, and the like that were related to her identity as an acolyte, but Richard loved to read books here at night. There was a dim magic lamp in the study room, able to shine the entire night once Elaine filled it up with magic. With oil as expensive as it was, only Elaine, the village head, Bobby, and some of the best hunters of the village could have light long into the night.
Richard slowly passed his childhood in this rundown but warm little room. He could see a larger more complicated world from these thick books, distant from Rooseland yet fascinating. He'd always dreamt of leaving once he'd become the most outstanding hunter of the village, bringing his mother to the world outside the mountains.
In the living room. Elaine heard the sound of pages rustling from the study. Richard was hard at work reading again. The child already had a stable foundation to practice magic, but he'd never really done so. She'd forbidden him from even meditating, making him miss the optimal age of four or five to become a good mage which would've given him the accumulated mental strength to start practicing at his current age. Despite this Richard didn't think in the slightest that her arrangement was bad, being ignorant and just assuming whatever his mother did was correct.
She sat there quietly, thinking of that one extra sentence she'd spoken. A door opened up in her sealed memories, flooding forth with several events that she couldn't suppress. She felt a mild headache coming on, gently massaging her temples as she sighed discreetly. Her gaze landed on the calendar, noticing a cross on it indicating Richard's tenth birthday would be in a couple more days.
Ten years of age was the threshold for a boy to be considered a youth, only three or four years away from adulthood.
'A decade's already passed?' She stared at the flickering flames in the magic lantern, a bright light from the brass lamp illuminating her face. She couldn't be called pretty, but she still looked decent, making her one of the top beauties in the village. Ten years hadn't placed a single mark on Elaine's face, and if it wasn't for her dressing her age probably none of the villagers would remember. Strangers would think she was still only in her twenties.
Her face in the lamp was an unfamiliar sight even to her. It was too plain, not the same face she'd been born with. Even she wouldn't have imagined a decade ago that she'd be living such a simple, plain, and difficult life a decade ago, but right now she was just satisfied with watching Richard grow up day after day.
When she entered the study, Elaine saw Richard hugging and reading a thick picture book with great interest. She smiled, "My Richard is going to be ten years old soon. Mother will prepare a special ceremony to celebrate your growth."
"Yay!" Richard leapt to his feet, "Will there be presents?" These kinds of moments made it clear that he was still a boy.
"Of course! In fact, it'll follow you for life! But you need to rest well these next few days, understand? It's late already, you should head to bed."

Updates Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

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Every drop of this family bloodline is stained with sin. They are the embodiment of contradiction; calm yet maniacal, with great memories yet often forgetful. They pledge themselves to their dreams yet often compromise, are angels that are also devils… It’s why I hate them. And also love them.

The only hope of his family, a youth with the blood of elves and devils walks on a battleground of annihilation and rebirth. He wills his way through boiling lava and icy depths, killing on this field of despair to strike down the lofty figure in his sight. One day he’ll grasp his blade tightly and survey his surroundings, only to find no more enemies to kill.

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https://www.moteng.net/novel/100/

(Note: I didn't own 罪恶之城, I just translate it from Chinese To English)

I woke up to a bright light at the  window. I pulled up my blanket to cover my eyes and go back to sleep but it was still bright . 
' wait!  my blanket at home is thick'
I bolted awake and felt a searing pain in my chest. it was getting harder and harder to breathe. I stared down on my chest and see me bleeding through the hospital gown. 

' hell! I should have not done that!' I screamed in my head as I realized that I'm in a hospital.
I started  coughing, each wheeze is painful. as I spat out  blood,  I hurriedly pushed the nurse button. the nurse that I didn't notice the nurse coming in  as my coughing fit occurred. 

as the nurse injected me with a sedative, I can't help but stare at my arm.
' Why is my skin so white? why am I so  small?' 
as I fell into deep slumber, memories that aren't mine started to filter in.

it was night when I woke up once again. I tried to be smarter about things and didn't bother sitting up. it went so well last time. 

'I am a child of the ancient and noble black. my name is Corvus Altair Black.' according to the memories I was the grandchild of that hag that killed me. The original Corvus died when the bitch tried to force me to show accidental magic. among other things that she did, the crazy bitch thinks that crucio is suitable to discipline a child. if I had to guess, the child can't perform accidental magic since us busy keeping the poor kid alive.
'Damn, no wonder Neville is messed up and took a long time to get out of his shell.'
I looked at the flower vase and stared at the sunflower on it. 
' time to put it to the test'
with determination, willed the flower to float.
'float..... float... fly.... levitate... Wingardium LeviOsa.... move... something... wiggle' 
but nothing happened
"Well, damn you, garden weed." I cursed the flower to vent out my anger.
all of a sudden the flower spontaneously combusted. I smiled as I closed my eyes 'that's good enough for me '

when I'm better, I'll try to find out what part of the timeline I am. for now I know whereour when I am. Harry Potter had killed Voldemort as Walburga ranted one night. however, in the Canon, the Hag is confirmed to be dead in order of the Phoenix or Sirius wouldn't be there in the Grimmauld. considering the state of that place in the books or films to the one I remember, it has been abandoned for years. it's definitely before Harry starts Hogwarts. but that's at least a decade, and I need to know what kind of horror awaits when I start Hogwarts. 

I hear footsteps in the corridor and see a nurse come in. 

"you're awake! hello!"she softly commented 
"hi" I replied in my raspy voice. it seemed my throat still hurt from my earlier coughing fit.

"do you want water?" the nurse asked.
I nodded and drank the glass she handed me.

"where am I?"

"don't worry dear, you're safe now. we're in Saint Raphael hospital in Greater Whinging, Surrey. Tomorrow, some bobbies will come and ask you to find who hurt you. so go back to sleep"

I nodded and got settled again.
"by the way what's your name?"
"Corvus Black, but you can call Crow"

The nurse tucked me in bed. she patted my head. "good night then, Little Crow."

as I slowly drifted off back to sleep, I can't help but wonder if my life would be interesting this time or will it be mind numbing as my previous one.

Transmigration to Hp universe is amazing and all but I never realized how hard it would actually will be.

"hufflepuff, please hufflepuff"  I chanted in my head.

"hmm... but you fit in that house the least." answered the sorting hat "see... even online quiz in your previous world say your a slytherin, traveller. hufflepuff, eh"

"let's be honest I'll be eaten alive there. I might choose Griffindor but let's be honest I'll fucking cry than be hero."

"but you choose to be the young Harrys friend knowing what future awaits him. what danger he will get up to."

"I lived and was loved once, all he knows is his shitty life that's about to get worse."

"I see.. then  better be.... "

"Whoosh~"
In a blurred world, someone was hurrying around like a headless chicken. He would go this way and that way. Sometimes, he would stop all of a sudden. Every now and then, he would mumble something like a lunatic.
"How can this be? How so?"
A moment later, that person stopped. His eyes spoke of confusion. Just now, he threw many things on the ground to try to verify if he had been going around in circles. However, it had been two hours, he didn't find anything he had put on the ground.
In other words, he did not go back to the starting point. He was not working around in a small circle. However, he was fast. He must have crossed a long distance during this time. Was this illusionary world really boundless?
"Stone Golems!"
A moment later, Lu Li let out over a dozen Stone Golems from his Interspatial Ring. He made them go around while he sat down on the spot and waited.
He wanted to find out if the Stone Golems would come back around. If the formation of illusion could secretly change the direction, then the Stone Golems would come back around.
One hour, two hours, four hours!
Lu Li was more and more puzzled. Stone Golems were fast. If they were going in circles, they would have come back already. But none of them had come. What did it mean?
It meant that the world of illusion was really endless, vast beyond imagination. This was what Lu Li was worried about. If in fact, the illusionary world was without end, then it would be hard for him to run into others in here. Besides… how would he leave such a place? How was he going to solve this problem?
Imagine this. In a boundless world, there were no living creatures, including flowers and other plants. There was nothing to see here other than a complete blur!
In such a world, what a person saw in a year, two years or even a hundred years would always be nothing, always be chaos.
What would become of this man?
Committing suicide or losing his mind!
Even the strong-willed and the most resolute people would find it hard to keep a good conscience. After all, people could think and experience emotions of happiness, pain, sorrow, and loneliness…
Even just a couple of hours here, Lu Li was already freaking out, not to mention staying here for a hundred years. He could not think what it would be like if he were to stay here for a year, for 10 years, for a hundred years or a thousand years. One thing he was sure of was that he would become crazy.
"Buzzing~"
He entered the Wicked Bead at once. At least, in the Wicked Bead, he didn't have to stare at the chaotic view. In here, he could enjoy some peace of mind so that he would not become increasingly agitated.
"Lord, is it bad out there?"
The Deaf Taoist asked with concern seeing how awful Lu Li appeared to be. Lu Li nodded and told him about what it was like outside. The Deaf Taoist was at a loss as well. Creatures from the Region of Doom were specialized in physical strength. They were not good at Profound Meanings or skills, let alone Inhibition Formations.
"Relax. I will find a way."
Lu Li waved his hand. He dashed into the hall with books on Inhibition Formations. Looking at the tens of thousands of books, he found some relief. At least… there was still a trace of hope.
Tian Lingzi was a master craftsman. The tens of thousands of books must include knowledge about all Inhibition Formations. Now, he might not be able to find a way. In that case, he could finish all the books after decades of reading it at least. By the time his knowledge of Inhibition Formations reached a certain level, there was a chance that he could solve the problem here.
Of course, if there were other options. He would not stay here and read for a decade. After all, he was too young to be that patient. Things could experience a sea of change in a decade. Something might even go wrong at the Heaven Reverse Universe and Earth Imperial Universe.
"Blood Fairy, do you have any ideas?" Lu Li asked. The latter replied, "I don't know. How about I go and take a look?"
"Sure. You can go."
Lu Li let out the immortal's body. Blood Fairy's tentacles reached into the ground which was so stiff that not even a Relic weapon could cut it open. But for Blood Fairy, her tentacles were not tangible, so they could reach in.
Lu Li closed his eyes to rest. He calmed himself down. Next, he began to organize the books on Inhibition Formations in this hall. He wanted to find a solution here somewhere.
There were a lot of books here. Using six hours, Lu Li sorted out over a thousand. He went through some patiently. Soon, he stopped. This book was too sophisticated. Given his current understanding of Inhibition Formations, he could not comprehend it…
Reading, checking!
Lu Li would cram knowledge where he was not good at. He had forgotten about the world outside and Blood Fairy. He was completely absorbed in the vast sea that was Inhibition Formations.
Unknowingly, days passed. Lu Li had lost track of time since he began to study books on Inhibition Formations until Blood Fairy startled him.
"Master!"
Blood Fairy said, "The formation of illusion here is too strong. I am not able to completely solve it. But… I can find a way to solve the peripheral one first."
"The peripheral one?" Lu Li could not understand. "Are you saying there are many formations of illusion here?"
"Right"
Blood Fairy was certain. "I can tell there are at least three tiers of formation. The first tier is the most common illusion of objects. The second tier is affecting souls, and the third tier is the one at the exit. To leave, you need to solve all three tiers. Otherwise, there is no way you can go."
"Affecting souls?"
Lu Li was puzzled. "Do you mean… the formation of illusion can influence my soul?"
"Right"
Blood Fairy replied, "Master, I suppose what you see here and touch out there are all illusions. Everything is fake. The formation is affecting your soul directly and has disturbed your ability to tell illusion from reality."
"Impressive!"
Lu Li exclaimed. The formation here was quite unbelievable and so sophisticated. If Blood Fairy was telling the truth, then this level would turn out to be rather hard.
"Master, I will find a way to solve the first tier of common illusion first!"
Blood Fairy continued, "But I need time, half a year or even up to one or two years. As for the other two tiers, I cannot solve them. You will have to do it."
"Sure. Try your best!"
Lu Li nodded. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "Well, Blood Fairy, I once heard that an immortal from the Waters Region tamed a Bloodvine. He brought the Bloodvine to the Divinity and the Bloodvine evolved after consuming some herb! Do you know how to evolve? That hall has a lot of herbs and materials. If you can evolve, consume at will. I am willing to give you any herbs and materials."
"Evolving?"
Blood Fairy was surprised. After a moment of surprise, she said, "Master, I do not know about this. Master, take me in and let me see if anything special can make me evolve."
"Alright!"
Lu Li believed that if Blood Fairy could evolve, then she would turn out to be very useful to him. Maybe, the formations of illusion of this level could be coped with.
…
…


On the Great Land of China, forces clashed for the sake of supremacy and Bloodline Warriors ran amok; the conflict of the strong threatened to shatter heaven and earth. A young man named Lu Li—nothing more than a humble Coffin Carrier from the Northern Desert—came along with Lu Ling, his sister. The two were regarded as puny insects and bullied, but little did people know that Lu Li had the strongest Bloodline in him of them all.

He mounted the most handsome of horses and drank the strongest of wines;
He bedded the most beautiful of ladies and murdered the most hated of people;
He told a huge lie and carried with him an ill-reputation undeserved;
He traveled all by his lonesome and danced with devils;

He had given his word that he would come back, that he would be strong.
And it was because of this that she was still waiting in the city—alone.


"Why should I answer you?" Shi Bao'er retorted, raising her chin up high. 
"Okay, in that case, I'm not going to put you in a spot, my niece."
"Stop calling me your niece. My uncle has already divorced you. Did you forget that?" 
"Okay, I'll wait for you yourself to acknowledge that I'm your aunt, then." 
"Acknowledge you myself? Dream on!" Shi Bao'er barked, after which her hands were put into handcuffs. 
An Xiaoning glared at her condescendingly and said, "I'm looking forward to see if I'm dreaming or not." She opened the door and said to the butler, "She's a very disobedient child. Take her to the place where I had arranged. Call me again once she's learned her lesson." 
"Alright." 
Shi Bao'er was once again dragged away by No. 5 and No. 8, who followed the butler's lead.
An Xiaoning stood by the entrance and stared at the sky above. The air on Mount Heyuan is so fresh. What a brilliant place for watching the sunrise. 
Soon, she heard the subtle sounds of Shi Bao'er shrieking and screaming in horror. Her voice seemed to be trembling, and she sounded extremely agonized. No. 5 returned and said to An Xiaoning, "Everything has been settled. The kid's starting to beg for mercy."
"It's been less than two minutes and she's already succumbed? It's still early. Let's continue testing her patience and tenacity. I shall see how bad of a temper she really has and how brave she really is," An Xiaoning said while taking a look at the time on her mobile phone.
"Sis, won't this backfire? Won't she become even more rebellious and vicious from now on?"
"Children like her must be dealt with the hard way. I know my limits." She handed him her car keys and continued, "Let's stay here for a few days. Go bring the things inside the trunk of the car to the house." 
"Okay." 
No. 5 took out the suitcases before carrying another bag of items, which were wrapped in bedsheets, toward An Xiaoning. 
An Xiaoning grabbed the bag and untied the bedsheets to reveal a stack of books, which were all about ways and solutions to deal with rebellious children using psychology. 
Not only did she require a clear strategy and relentlessness to deal with children like Shi Bao'er, she also needed a great ton of patience. 
An Xiaoning thought that she would feel a great sense of accomplishment after completing the task. 
No. 5 entered with two cartons of bottled mineral water, as well as two cartons of ready-made fast food, which he then placed inside the refrigerator in the room. 
No. 5 sat down on the bed and asked, "Sis, do you plan to finish reading all these books?"
"Of course. There are only a few of them anyway. I can finish reading all of them in a few days."
No. 5 remarked in disbelief, "A few days? Sis, each book is so thick. You won't be able to read all of them, even if you finish one book in two days." 
"I don't need two days for a book. I can finish two books in a day." 
"Sis, that's an incredible reading speed," said No. 5, who was awestruck.
"It once took me a short amount of time to memorize a book that was of a sizable thickness. Reading is a piece of cake. This is my forte," she said confidently.
"Impressive." 
"I'll seek her out again after finishing this book," said An Xiaoning, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed while reading attentively.
——
Fang Erlan was jolted awake by the pain. The effects of the anesthetic had already worn off long ago. However, the pain would still be bearable as long as she remained still. 
She was greeted with the sight of Xiao Chenyang the moment she opened her eyes. 
She subconsciously got the shivers upon recalling the scenario last night. She grabbed his shirt and said worriedly, "You are to bring me along everywhere you go from now on."
"Okay." 
"You can't leave me alone, not even for a minute."
"Okay." 
"You'll have to accompany me, even if I'm going to the washroom."
"Okay." 
Feeling much more secure after hearing his answers, Fang Erlan asked, "What happened to the man who stabbed me?"
"He's dead." 
"Did you ask him why he wanted to kill me, then?"
Xiao Chenyang moved her hand away and stood up to grab a document from the table, on which there was a colored photograph. He explained, "He said that this woman instigated him to kill you. Do you… know her? The information shows that she's from the same village as you." 
Fang Erlan squinted to take a look and said, "She does look very familiar…"
"Her name is Fang Ruzhen."
"Fang Ruzhen?" A sudden memory from her past popped up in her head. She took a closer look at the photo, after which she turned as pale as a sheet and was at a sudden loss for words. 
"Erlan, what's the matter?"
Tears welled up in Fang Erlan's eyes, and her vision began to get blurry. "Ruzhen… Fang Ruzhen…"
Noticing that she was behaving unusually, Xiao Chenyang asked, "Do you really know her?"
Fang Erlan nodded with tears in her eyes and said, "I do, but she's been missing for more than a decade. Why would she… suddenly want to kill me… I don't have a feud with her."
"Are you sure that you didn't have any conflict with her that made her bear a grudge against you?"
After going through her memories carefully, Fang Erlan answered, "No, we're childhood friends and we used to play together when we were children. Later on, her mother killed her father cruelly and Ruzhen went missing afterward. Her grandparents, uncle, and aunt tried to search for her everywhere but did not manage to find her even after a long time. I never saw her again ever since."
After some thought, Xiao Chenyang said, "It'd be impossible for her to try and kill you without any reason. Perhaps you did offend her but you're just unaware of it. But you haven't seen each other for so many years. Children probably wouldn't bear grudges for so long. It doesn't make any sense at all."
"Are you sure that she was the one who had instigated the man to do it?"
"Yes, there's a voice recording. Listen to it." Xiao Chenyang replayed the voice recording and said, "I've already verified that the voice belongs to her. I've also found her address and contact number. Would you like to contact her and ask her about it yourself?"
"Yes. Give it to me, I'll call her now to ask her just why she wanted to kill me," Fang Erlan urged agitatedly.
"Okay, don't get too worked up and impatient." He then dialed Fang Ruzhen's mobile number.
After a melodious dial tone, a woman answered coldly, "Hello, who's speaking?"
"Are you Ms. Fang Ruzhen?" Xiao Chenyang asked.
"Yes. You are?"
"I'm Ms. Fang Erlan's bodyguard. She has something to say to you," Xiao Chenyang answered before handing the phone to Fang Erlan.
Fang Erlan held the mobile phone with trembling hands and asked straightaway, "Ruzhen, it really is you. Why did you do that?"
"Why… did I do what?" Fang Ruzhen had yet to recover from the shock of receiving a sudden call from her. She was completely caught off guard and was at a momentary loss for an answer.


After discovering about her wealthy husband's affair, she humiliates the adulterous pair on the streets and divorces him the very next morning. Just as everyone anticipates her downfall, she goes on to marry the most brilliant bachelor in the nation whom her unfaithful former husband cannot hold a candle to!

"Aren't your mother's legs always hurting? It hasn't gotten any better despite seeking help from various doctors."
"How did you know that?"
"Not only do I know why her legs hurt, I can also treat her condition."
"As long as you can treat my mother, I'll give you anything you want."
"I want money."

After An Xiaoning uses her psychic powers to break the curse of a poltergeist, she earns herself a fortune as well as a perfect man of her dreams.  

Don't be daunted by her psychic powers, for this book isn't terrifying at all!

I've never seen anything like this in all my years.

After what happened today, I'm lucky to have made it out alive.

Having lived in the royal capital of Ishtar for generations, my family had built a sizable farm to provide grain and livestock to feed our citizens. It was hard work, but it was a simple and honest life that provided for us.

Every decade those accursed beetles would emerge, intent on devouring our very livelihood. Thankfully we've always been able to prepare our defenses beforehand. With enough soldiers and farmers at hand, we would beat them back into the dark holes they emerged from.

However, this time, something was off. They came out a full two years early. Not only were we caught off-guard, but they swarmed in numbers greater than we had ever seen. I should have payed more attention to the warning signs that been cropping up.

The children playing in the fields had told us they heard strange high pitched sounds coming from the fields at night. We dismissed it, chalking it up to their over-eager imaginations. Later, the livestock began behaving strangely, they became hostile and uncooperative. We had to force them into the fields to graze.

I remember the last few days before the attack. The insects and birds were going mad! Chirping and screeching without end. Wolves howled at the moon until their throats gave out. It was as if the world itself was going mad.

The morning of the attack will forever be ingrained into my memory. Everyone could hear the noise and it seemed to be growing worse by the minute. People rushed out of their farms, gathering together in the fields to confirm that it wasn't just them.

Just as we'd made a collective decision to send someone into town, it stopped. Everyone was relieved that the ordeal had passed without incident. Then, much to our abject horror, the Iskarii beetles started emerging.

It was a disaster. Normally, the beetles prioritized our fields, only rarely attacking the people or livestock. Unlike the previous invasions, these beetles were crazed and seemed to be driven into a frenzy.

Striking out at anything within reach, they attacked without respite. Ignoring damage to themselves, they attacked without any sense of self-preservation. The only saving grace was that the crazed beetles even turned on their own kind.

I watched in horror, as my neighbors tried to fight the damn things, only to be torn apart on their own fields. I had to convince my fool of a son to take the family inside. Some of the farmers had already run off to inform the town guard. We only needed to survive until the soldiers arrived.

Backed into our home, I was forced to watch my son and grandson battle the beetles with pitchforks. I wished that I could do more, but as an old man, I knew that I'd only be getting into the way. With a heavy heart, I knelt to the floor and prayed for miracle.

'Blessed be thy kingdom and country'

'Blessed be the glorious light of dawn, that chase away the darkness'

'Your humble subject prays for salvation, please save my family'

'We ask this unto you, o brightest one, our lord and savior, Helios'

That day, I witnessed a true miracle! Our prayers were answered! War horns blared out and King Reginald the second himself had rallied the army. Reinforcements had arrived with him bearing an unknown banner.

They dashed in like thunder, trampling the beetles with their mighty wolves. Their majestic white armor glistened the sun like beacons of hope. Moving directly through the chaos, they helped evacuate us from this hellish nightmare, striking down heaven's wrath on any that got in their way.

What else could they be, other than Angels sent from heaven?

As we were snatched to safety, I saw that Angels weren't the only thing unleashed upon the beetles. Our lord Helios had dragged Devils from the bowels of hell itself to smite our foes. Clad in twisted black metal armor, they rode giant bears into combat, whilst striking out with cruel weapons.

Their sheer visceral might reminded me my days in the army, of those wild men who only found solace and comfort on the battlefield. I had to cover my grandchildren's eye, hoping to shelter them from witnessing the brutality.

We were taken into a temporary camp that had been erected for the survivors. Medical treatment and hot meals were provided to us by the strangers there. The people handling the food and supplies all wore the same strange dragon emblem that the troops used.

I asked them what it stood for, partly out of curiosity, and partly out of the need to properly thank for saving my family.

'Dragon's Den trading company'

I would remember that name for the rest of my days. The benefactors who saved us in our darkest hour.

----------------------

"I can't even begin to thank you for the support you've given us Zanir. I've prepared the items that you've requested for your rewards."

King Reginald had kept his end of the bargain, providing health potions that would be invaluable to my spatial world, along with unprocessed gold ore, and unlimited access to all libraries in the Ishtar Kingdom.

"Thank you, your majesty. My associate, Angel, will stay behind to facilitate the duplication of the library books."

The King was slightly shocked that I wouldn't be staying. He spoke out to ask why.

"You're leaving so soon? We'd love to have you stay to help us rebuild, surely we could work something out?"

Xander took the initiative to reply to King Reginald.

"Your majesty, we've discovered unknown magical devices that we believe to be involved in this attack. We're not sure how, but we suspect that it aggravated the beetles, forcing an early and especially aggressive attack."

King Reginald was understandingly outraged upon hearing this.

"Y-You mean someone did this intentionally! This is an act of war! Who was it?"

I stepped in to help pacify the king.

"Your majesty, it was my assault team that recovered the devices. We're looking into it, but it's going to take time to ascertain their origin. Xander has offered to take me to the spatial mages headquarters, so that we can ask them for help. If another kingdom or empire did this, the implications could be huge."

Visibly relieved, King Reginald passed over a scroll with his reply.

"I understand. Thank you again for everything you've done. Take this royal certification with you. It certifies you as an ally to the Kingdom of Ishtar. Godspeed to the both of you!"

Before leaving I needed to acquire one more thing to help set my plans into motion.

"Your majesty, one last request if I may? I'd like you to grant access to my other subordinate, so that he may use the docks to send off a small fleet."

He only needed a few seconds to think it over.

"I will grant your request, though I must caution that there are some known pirate groups in the area. Advise your men to stick to the trade routes and they should be fine."

Thanking the king, Xander and I left the royal palace, as I contacted Devil to begin a top secret operation. I let Xander know that I would need a few hours to prepare before we left for the spatial mage tower.

I needed to visit my spatial world and setup the things that I'd recently acquired. The Golden Sun Tiger and Iskarii Beetles needed to be integrated in with the other animals. I also needed to add the gold ore to the mine and health potions to the magical copse.

Join our protagonist Zanir Coffey as he unlocks the mysterious Dimension System which allows him to absorb the environment around him.

Seemingly able to absorb an endless amount of material, he will have to use this new system to survive in a brutal new world.

Armed with the knowledge of modern day technology and his ability to manipulate the world around him, he will craft an empire the likes of which have never been seen.

To reach his final goal he will have to go far beyond a single planet, in a single dimension. His journey will take him to the stars and beyond.

Excerpt from previous chapter:

Lucius sighed. 

"We need to talk. It's about what happened a decade ago," he said dodging my question. 

"Then will you tell me where you went?" I asked. 

"Yes I will," he said tiredly. 

"You better," I said in a very pissed off tone.

End of excerpt:

Lucius took me to his office so we could talk. Apparently, he was afraid someone would hear. Hear about what?? My past?? But I listened and followed him to his office. 

The office looked like a mini library. It had tons of books on the shelves that were against the wall. There was a window off to the side. It was a pretty big window. It looks like someone could fit in it. There was also a desk with a computer on it. The desk was by the window, which was on the right side of the room. Not going to lie, but it was cluttered with paperwork and books. On the left side, there was a fireplace. A huge black leather couch, with a soft white blanket on it, sat in front of the fireplace. Above the fireplace were pictures. I'm guessing they were from when he was younger. 

Lucius shut the door to the office and led me to the leather couch. I sat on it, feeling how comfortable it was underneath me. I watched Lucius put the fireplace on. He came over and sat next to me on the couch. 

"Are you cold?" he asked me. 

I didn't realize that  I was cold until he had asked. I nodded. 

He put the blanket over my shoulders like a gentleman does with his jacket. I wrapped the blanket around me trying to cover up a blush that was forming. 

"So... What is it that you want to know? I already know that it was this pack who attacked my clan," I said straight up. 

"You do? Who told you?" he asked. 

"I'm not saying until you tell me where you were," I told him stubbornly. 

Yes, I was going to be stubborn with him. It's not the best idea to do, especially with an alpha. But I honestly don't care.

Lucius quickly pinned me to the couch and growled. 

"Tell me who told you now," he demanded me. 

Oh hell no. He didn't just growl at me and demanded me to tell him. He's funny thinking that'll work on me. 

"No. I'm not going to tell you. And don't growl at me or demand me to tell you things. It's not going to work like every wolf in your pack," I said pushing him off. "Now tell me where you were at. And maybe, MAYBE, I'll tell you who told me."

I looked at him sternly. He did something I didn't expect him to do. 

"I was screwing another girl," he said calmly.

Iris Lace is the last of her kind. She's been on the move for a while now. Then she meets him. Her mate. Lucius Lyons. 
     Lucius Lyons is the alpha of the Filtrian Pack. He's one of the most intimidating and scariest alphas in all of history. Piss him off and he won't show you any mercy.
     But what will happen when Iris crosses onto Lucius's path? How would Lucius feel about being mated to a werecat? Iris?

best horror books of the decade

The New Haven Universe

The Last Utopia: A Fantasy Dystopia Story

Harry Potter and the Forger of Worlds

The Realm's Prodigious Offspring

City of Sin

She-who-Shouldnt-Exist

The Invincible Dragon Emperor

The Wealthy Psychic Lady: 99 Stolen Kisses

Dimension System

Mated to a Werecat

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