Writing prompts from me to you. I personally cant write well, might aswell share ideas.

365 days, 365 scenes.
Battles among supreme beings.
Poems about losing love.
Dragons showing mercy.
Kids stumbling upon magic.

This journey involves my answering of 365 creative writing prompts in a desperate bid to overcome my laziness.
The prompts come from https://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/ and I write one a day.

THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW: I've gotten over the majority of my laziness. I'm unlikely to update this much. It's pretty much complete. The novel I'm working on is Dark Seas Leading Demise

Chapter 1

Rains are dropping beautifully in the sky. I watch as the rain drops into the cemented school ground. I am sitting silently on the very back of the class beside the window where I watches the rain freely. Our teacher in Creative Writing is discussing in front about writing styles making the lesson more boring thus made my mind fly and got occupied by the thought of how my normal boring life suddenly changed causing me to be so problematic now. By the way my name is Anna Marie Marcelo, a nerdy college girl who loves to read novels and watch anime. As a kid I always hated my life for being so boring and normal, I always wanted or hoped that just one day of it will be exciting and worth living for. Yet, when I found out my real identity oh gosh! I feel like I am in a major mystery thriller story with a twist. 

"I wonder why my life turns like this. Osh!" I said giving off a deep sighs of distress.

For a few months I have encountered and experienced much trouble I never had when I was still the normal boring Anna Marie.

---FLASH BACK/1 MONTH AGO---
I and my best friend Margie Grace Domingo are walking in the school ground trying to find our way towards the highway to wait for some public transports. Our subjects just ended and the sky is beginning to darken indicating that our teacher had forgotten to constantly check the time... again.

"Wow, just WOW! Sir is so stressing. Look at the time its already pass 6:30 plus I am so tired. Vacation is already 3 days from now, I bet your professors have also given you some projects?" Margie said as she fixes her shoulder bag in her right shoulder.

"Yap, you hit the jackpot! One big book report and a damn stupid movie review. Forget that, I'm starving. Can we stop somewhere... say McDonalds?" I said as I look at my friend's stressed look.

"We really are in sync, I'm hungry to. McDonalds sounds great." Margie said as she rubs her stomach as if telling me that she is really hungry. This made us both laugh as Margie took off her glasses and wipes it with her handkerchief then returns it back into her face. 

"Dude, just go to your ophthalmologist and get your eyes checked up. You said your glasses are issued way long ago. Look at your glasses they are blurry." I said as I look at my friend.

"Yah right, money dude... I ain't got any. Plus, mom's medication is our priority right now so glasses of long ago should have to do for now." Margie said as we walk at the alley where we pass a street light and a small store.

"Well, priority first right I mean-----." I didn't finish when my cellphone rings causing me to dig into my shoulder bad to look for my cellphone.

I was beyond dazed seeing my mother's caller ID, since the day I came to the city to study since High School they rarely call or text me so it is a shock as to why they are calling me in such late night. With furrowed eyebrows I swipe the answer key and place it into my left ear.

"Hello ma?" I said still in daze.

For a few moments I silently listen to what she wanted to say until she ends the call. Margie is waiting on me as she looks at me worriedly. I look at her with a sorry look on my face making her confused.

"What's wrong?" Margie asks still looking at me in pure confusion.

"Sorry Gie I have to head home pronto. Ma said they are here and there is something important they need to tell me. Let's eat out next time; I was really looking forward to dining with you again. How about we eat tomorrow... say Inasal?" I said as I smile to my friend who smiled as she nods.

Oh by the way I haven't yet introduced my best friend. Her name is Margie Grace Domingo, a nerdy like me who is also a lover of anime and novels. That, must be the reason why we are best friend... we have a lot in common. We continue to walk towards the waiting station where Margie will commute since she lives different direction to mine. As we wait for a public transport I was thinking couple of why's as to why my parents are here unannounced. I was back to myself when I saw Margie signed a public jeep that stops in front of us.

"Anna I'm heading first. See you tomorrow and... better prepare your savings because we will enjoy our days before vacation. See yah!" Margie waves as she rides the jeep.

I waves back at her as I watch the jeep going away. I sigh as I walk towards the private road towards the waiting station of public jeeps traveling to the street where I live in this small boarding house right beside my uncle's house.

I wonder why my mother simply give me the instruction to immediately head home and to come to my uncle Oliver's house, not to the boarding house.  When I arrive and enter the gate I see an expensive looking black car parked in front the yard of my uncle's house but I just thought that my uncle must have some visitors. I stand in front of the wide door unsure if I will knock or just ring the doorbell. It confuses me as to why I suddenly feel my heart beats too fast and I feel so uneasy. I took a deep breath and slowly knock since that is what I usually do when I go to my uncle's. The door opens revealing my elementary crush and maybe until now... Michael Adamson.

"H-Hi uhmnnnn Anna this... uhmnn want to... I just want to warn you. Be ready for anything that will about to happen... oh sorry, do come in. Anna, good luck." He said making me uneasy.

Michael step aside for me to enter but I am still confused and worried to what he have said. The relationship I had with Michael ever since elementary is cold, formal and yah pretty awkward. Even when he came to live with my uncle for college which is a total shock to me since I was really thinking that we won't be crossing path after graduation. Even if we are seeing each other every day, we never shared a very normal conversation. It is like we are embarrassed to even look or utter a word to each other. But what is happening today is a bit confusing to me.

"Ahmnn Michael, w-what do you mean by what you say? A-are my parents here?" I ask trying to hide my flushing face and to stop my fast beating heart.

"Ehmnnnn they are in the kitchen." He said smiling as he close the door.

I watch him walk towards the sofa to sit beside my cousin Casper. The three children of my uncle are there watching an anime in their wide flat screen TV. Ian look at me with a welcoming smile and their only sister Nina waved at me with a smile; I answered them with a smile to. Michael on the other hand is related to my Uncle Oliver's family because his father is the step-brother of the wife of my uncle. That is why he came to live with them for college. I also found out that my auntie is the one paying his college. 

"Anna dear? Is that you? Come on in here, we are in the dining room." I heard my uncle's call coming from the other side of the wall right on the dining room.

Clyra my cute 4 years old niece, the first child of my older sister Arsey and her husband Jack came running from the dining room towards me. Clyra is wearing her favorite green dress that I usually see every time they will come to visit me.

"Auntie...te!" Clyra excitedly jump as she grabs my shoulder bag pulling it off me.

"Oh careful there." I said as she run away with my bag in her hand and place it into the sofa beside Michael.

I watch her as she suddenly raise my bag upon opening it and emptied the content into the sofa. My notebooks, bullpens, some lecture materials and others are scattered on the sofa as Clyra look into it as if looking for something. When she found what she is looking for... a piece of candy I thankfully left in there unnoticed, my niece then run towards the dining room leaving my things in a total mess. I look into it and Michael carefully returns the items back inside my bag giving me one last look with a smile. I mounted my thanks before taking a deep breath and walking towards the dining room breezing myself for anything that might happen.

 --- October 22, 2017/ 3 months ago ---
 
I and my best friend Margie Rose Domingo are walking to the school ground trying to head our way home. I swear I feel so tired and stressed after that long remedial exam given by our professor since he said that our records are hanging low so all his class stayed late just to comply. The whole school surroundings are now starting to darken but few students are also heading home. 
 
"Wow! I can't believe sir did it again. It's already late see, it's already 6:10 and I'm so tired." I said as I fixe my shoulder bag into my right shoulder, I simply look at my friend beside me seeing her also worn out face.
 
"Yap talks about much too much reminders for next semester. Did you take that form they had given us?" my best friend and partner in many crazy things Margie Rose Domingo asks as I just nod and looks at the trail going to the main road.
 
"Well, what can I say? They must be worried we might transfer to another schools. I am starting to get pressured by this course's subjects. The teachers are giving us too expensive projects and such. It's too stressing for me." I said with a deep sigh of weariness while I rub my aching neck.
 
"Forget that, I'm starving. Can we stop for food?" said Rose while she rubs her stomach that made me and her to laugh. 
 
"Say, whoever had the lowest grade in Creative writing shall treat for our meal." Rose said while winking at me, our teacher in that subject is a terror so I bet our grades are hanging.
 
"Game! That's our deal. Make sure you have extra money there alright." I said jokingly while smirking as we both take our class cards in our bags.
 
"Okay, as we agreed the one with a lowest grade shall pay. On the count of three we shall show our class card." Rose said and I nod thinking that I can pay since I have some extra money with me if ever I lose.
 
We both count into three then show our class cards making Rose grunt upon seeing my grade. I smile in triumph seeing that I have an 87 on my creative writing while 86 on Rose' making me do the victory dance we both usually do.
 
"Alright! A deal is a deal no back outs." I said as Rose sigh then smiles nodding.
 
"No problem." Rose said making me look at her in surprise.
 
"A-Are you sure. Don't tell me you got paid with your part time job in that CD store?" I said looking at my hard working friend who has a part time job on the CD store where I usually hang out just to accompany her.
 
"Hmnn yap. Don't worry about it." Rose said making me sigh knowing that my friend is working none stop because of her mother's medication. 
 
We are walking on the side walk when my cellphone starts to ring. I immediately open my bag and take my cellphone out just to look at it in surprise upon seeing my father's caller Id that made me furrow my eyebrows. I reluctantly slides the answer button somehow I don't know why but I feel so nervous, I slowly place my cellphone on my right ear.
 
"Hello pa." I said waiting for him to speak.
 
When I hear what he say I place my cellphone back into my pocket then looks at my friend looking so apologetic.  Rose look at me wondering while I shake my head looking so dismayed.
 
"What's wrong?" Rose said as she looks at me.
 
"Sorry Rose I have to head back home as soon as possible. They said there is something important they need to tell me. Let's eat out next time. I feel bad since this is our last day together." I said as I look at Rose really dismayed.
 
"Too bad, it's already semester break and the school will be on emergency break making it 3 months of break. We won't see each other again for that long. Are you going back to your province straightaway?" Rose said as we continue walking towards the jeep's station.
 
"I don't know; it's just a little bit weird why my parents are here this late without telling me earlier that they will be here. Something must have come up. I'll text you if ever we can get a chance to eat out.�� I sadly said before I wave my friend goodbye. 
 
"Okay, call or text me okay." Rose waves back towards me on the window of the jeep after she sits on the jeep.
 
As I quietly sit on the jeep I start think as to why my parents are here this late and are waiting for me at my uncle Oliver's house. I wonder why they ask me to head home as soon as possible, that I should immediately head to my uncle Oliver's house and not to the boarding house I am staying which is just beside my uncle's house. The tone of my father's voice made me really nervous. He seems to be so sad while I speak to him a while ago. When I arrive at the gate of Uncle Oliver's house I see an expensive car parked into uncle's frond yard, I sigh then I enter the gate quietly.
 
"Odd, do they have a guest today? This is my first time seeing a car like this visiting uncle. Not to mention it is already late. For a guest to be here on a time like this they must be someone close but I never seen this car before." I said in wonder as I look closely to that expensive looking black car.
 
I slowly climb the stairs towards my uncle's porch and then I stop in front of the door. I sigh while I stand near the door of my uncle's house, I am still deciding if I will knock or just press that darn door bell. I don't know why but I feels so nervous, like something ominous is about to happen. Somewhat, I feel so uneasy. I take a deep breath and slowly knock. The door opens revealing my elementary crush, Michael Adamson. He has this sun tanned skin, black clean cut hair, 6'4 height, muscular built, gray eyes and reddish lips. He is what I call a sun tan god.
 
"Hi. Uhmnn Anna this uhmnn warn you.... I-I just want to warn you. B-be ready for anything that will about to happen. Come in." Michael said as he steps aside to let me in. 
 
I feel so nervous most especially when he said that. The way he said it sound like trouble is about to come.
 
"O-kay.... what is going on?" I ask still confused to what he just said, this is the first time Michael talk to me first but the sound of his hoarse voice made me very nervous.
 
"J-Just be ready, because everything you know is about to change." He said with an awkward smile.
 
I am confused upon hearing what he said. This made me even nervous and uneasy, my relationship with Michael ever since elementary is so cold and yah! Nothing at all, we never talked to each other normally. Even from the time he came to stay with my uncle for college and that we see each other every day since we are walking on the same places every time, yet we never have shared a very interesting conversation at all. We seem to feel awkward with each other's presence thus the cold ice we feel every time one is near.
 
"Ah, Michael. W-what do you mean by that? A-are my parents in here?" I ask trying to hide my blushing face and that nervousness I am feeling. 
 
He smiles and signs me towards the kitchen so I now got my answer to where my parents are. 
 
"Th-They have been waiting for you in there. Ahmnnn Anna, good luck." He said making my face burn but at the same time my heart beats fast. 
 
I don't know if it's because Michael talks to me casually for the first time or that he smiled handsomely OR for something else?
 
"R-Right, thanks." I just said acting cool about it.
 
Michael closes the door and he walks towards the sofa right at the living room and sits beside Casper and Ian. Casper, Ian, and Nina are watching a movie; those 3 are my Uncle Oliver's children and my really unsocial cousins but they are cool when you get to be open up with them. Michael on the other hand is related to my Uncle Oliver's family because Michael's father is distant relative of my Uncle Oliver's wife, Aunt Cedes. And when Michael's father died my aunt take him into their house to help him study and she pays for Michael's studies in exchange he must stay to Uncle Oliver's house and help in his shop. Aunt Cedes is abroad so we seldom see her during our stay here.
 
"Anna dear, is that you? Come on here at the kitchen we have been waiting for you." I hear my uncle's call from the kitchen and since their kitchen and living room table are separated with a wall divider, I can't see who are there or if my parents are there. 
 
I take a deep breath when I see my niece Clayra running towards me and then keep on pulling my bag so I had no choice but to let my cute 4 years old niece have it. 
 
"Careful Clayra." I said as I watch how she is struggling to carry my bag towards the sofa where the others are sitting.
 
I slowly walk towards the kitchen divider as Clayra sit on the sofa next to Michael and starts to ransack my bag. I instantly turn red at the thought that Michael is looking into the content of my bag. My so messy and full bag, not to mention all my class cards are there so he can see my not so well but doing fine grades. I see that Clayra found what she is looking for when she stops looking into my shoulder bag and left it scattered on the sofa beside Michael. 
 
"Too messy." I utter almost a whisper looking at my niece's mess.
 
I shake my head and sighs upon seeing all my papers, class cards and notebooks scattered there while Clayra sit happily as she opens the candy she found. Michael looks at me and then he smiles, he starts to pick all my stuff and carefully return it into the bag. When he looks at me I mouth him my thanks before I take one last deep breath before I continue heading towards the kitchen just to see my parents and my 3 siblings, my elder sister Arsey the mother of my niece, my brother Ezzar and my sister Daisy sitting on the wide dining table together with my uncle Oliver and 3 new faces. 
 
"Hel-lo." I softly said as I nervously look at them, I somehow feel uneasy about this.
 
There is this lovely lady who turns to look at me and starts to cry. She has this dark hairs and fair skin; she is wearing a blue dress while her hair is in messy bun. Beside the lady is a man who is patting the lady's back as his eyes gazes at me, weird. The man has this black hair and a tan skin; he is also wearing a formal suit, those types we usually see worn by business men. On the other side of the man is another man, a man in his 50's and is also looking at me..... so weird. In front of the man is a black bag or in business term, a brief case.
 
"Oh don't just stand there dear. Come and sit so we can start... explaining things." My mother Mary Marcelo said sadly who is sitting beside my father August Marcelo. 
 
I sigh before I walk towards an empty seat just in front of the 3 visitors. I slowly sit and notice that their eyes are all towards me. My heart starts to pound heavily. What trouble did I cause this time? Who are these 3 weird visitors who look at me as if they are looking into a food? But despite of my thundering heartbeat and nervousness I have to act cool about this.
 
"U-uhmmnn what is going on?" I manage to say as I look around the table to look at my family's faces.
 
Why do I feel so uneasy about all of these? I look at my family and I can feel this dark sad aura surrounding them making me scared and nervous. But when I look at the two new faces in front of me, I feel this uncertain warmth in my heart... so weird. To my observation they must be couple seeing how the handsome 30's looking man hugs the woman who is also so pretty and looking like in her 30's to. The way they are looking at me makes me feel so warm, happy, nervous, and scared also not to mention I feel like vomiting all at ones. Who are they and why is the atmosphere feel so tight? Why does my parents look so sad and distressed?
 

Every one of us must have watch or read any fairy tale books in our entire life. Fairy tale story like: Snow white, sleeping beauty and our famous Cinderella. It must be great to live in a rich life where everything you want is given or provided, a life with servants at our disposal, and a life with a handsome prince charming ready to save us. But.....THIS certain story is not like any fairy tale story we had read and watched. This story is about being brave, being you and being who you want to be.

Anna Marie Marcelo is like any normal college girl who dreamed of a fairy tale like life but ends up accepting the reality that she is a farmers’ daughter and that’s just it. This made her study hard and work harder for the dream she wants to achieve in the near future. Together with her friend Margie Rose Domingo, they both face the reality of their boring, normal yet contented life.

A sudden change happens to Anna that causes a stir into her normal life. She will find herself wearing gowns, expensive dresses, and high class jewelries and dine in the finest food chains. Meets handsome but arrogant princes charming. Almost like a fairy tale story….a Cinderella story, but THIS is not a fairy tale story THIS is HER story.

Staying with Eva certainly wasn't boring. On the first night they were at her house she insisted they were going to burn through as many Disney movies as possible so Hazel would know who all they bothered standing in line to take pictures with. 
She hadn't realized her lack of knowledge had been so apparent. But Eva wasn't unkind about it. It seemed more like she wanted to share something fun that she liked than she thought Hazel was crazy for not knowing before. 
Most of the movies were pretty cute. Exactly the sort of things kids tended to eat up. 
Hazel had enjoyed it too once upon a time. Her parents used to put those types of movies on for her and sometimes even take her to see them in theaters. 
She used to wish they would play movies while she was in the mental hospital. But after meeting Will and hearing all of the amazing things there were to know about the real world, the fictional one hadn't appealed to her as much anymore. 
Besides, once she got out her uncle wasn't the type to allow children's movies in his house. He didn't like the slightest bit of noise indicating she existed most of the time. That was the only reason he supplied her with minimal art supplies. 
Drawing was always an effective way to shut her up. As she went back to school and was able to check out books from its library she tried to draw the things she read about. There were even some guides on how to draw that helped her a lot as she tried to improve. 
Hazel spent the remainder of her elementary school days and most of middle school as well refining her technique. She was so absorbed by all there was to learn that she had no interest in friends so it wasn't like anybody other than her uncle would have taken her to the movies either. 
When they weren't watching movies, Eva wanted to hear more about Hazel's life. There really wasn't much to tell leaving out her juicy past. She was a pretty boring person. 
Talking about her art was a fairly safe topic. She mentioned that she had been interested in it basically her whole life so it was the obvious career choice even though people advised her against it. 
Everything had worked out in the end. She landed this comic job, which looked great on her resume. And after that she ended up married to someone who was willing and able to buy her all the art supplies she could ever want. Will had kept his promise quite well even if it was later than she had hoped. 
Getting here had been a rough road though. Her uncle didn't support her dreams and refused to pay for her to go to art school. He had barely acknowledged her when she got a scholarship by buying her a school sweatshirt. 
All of her high school teachers (except the art teacher) were against it too. They thought she was wasting her brains on a field that wouldn't pay well or offer a consistent job unless she decided to be a graphic designer. 
Hazel didn't want to spend her entire life creating lifeless things for other people. She refused to go down that road, even if it meant picking up a bunch of odd jobs to get by. 
Graphic designers didn't have any sort of creative freedom whatsoever in her mind. She needed to be unrestrained and free in her art or she felt choked. Even working with a finicky author like Eva was far superior to making logos all day. 
The nice thing was that Eva understood how she felt about taking the easy road. She could have gone to grad school to become a social worker like every other psychology major she knew because it was the 'smart choice' with that degree. Social workers, like graphic designers, were in high demand. 
But she was one to take the road less traveled by. If she went back to grad school it would be to specialize in the very specific field she wanted and nothing less. 
She had told Hazel how she ended up where she was now, in what her mother called 'a career dead end.' Yes, she was working two jobs and didn't have the most glamorous lifestyle but she made enough to do fun things every so often like their trip in Florida. 
The point was that she was doing what she wanted and didn't feel a rush to change that. Hazel could respect that. 
What she was less fond of was that Eva's interest in true crime and serial killers was because she was genuinely intrigued by criminology. Her eventual goal was to work for the FBI as a profiler. 
Wanting to catch people like her parents' killer wasn't the part she was upset by. It was how she consumed countless amounts of media about serial killers and other famous criminals and helped perpetuate sales and popularity for those things. 
It was people like her who kept the market for such grotesque things open. Those she truly despised—the people who capitalized on other people's pain by writing books picking apart the sick minds of killers—made money off of people like Eva. It was why they kept doing it. 
She had seen the book on the Bay Area Blade that had largely inspired his inclusion in that docuseries in a stack on the coffee table. It had taken all of her willpower to keep her mouth shut about it.
The series had already started airing and Hazel desperately hoped Eva wouldn't want to watch it while she was stuck here. She wasn't sure she would calmly be able to explain why she couldn't bear to watch that crap. 
Three days passed and there was no sign of the snow letting up back home so she would have to stay here a while longer. That show aired on Sundays and it was Thursday now. More than anything she wanted the airport to be cleared for travel before then.

“I’ll marry anyone who will take me!” Hazel declared loudly. “I don’t need love!”

“Get down!” Will hissed. “You don’t know what kind of people are lurking around in here! Talking like that might get you killed!”

==

Hazel Dixon thought she was putting her troubled past behind her. But when the person she thought she trusted most betrays her, she loses her head and proposes to an entire bar full of strangers. 

Enter Will Sheffield, a charming stranger who decides to take her up on her offer to save her from herself. 

He spoils her rotten without expecting anything in return and Hazel's confusion only grows. She doesn't know why he is acting this way. Or why he reminds her so much of the 'dangerous' childhood friend she thought was gone forever...

When Zhang Lisheng saw his girlfriend's frown, he could not help but chuckle. Stroking Tina's supple golden hair, he said, "Tina, the only pursuit of mine after becoming a wizard is to obtain great omniscient power so that I can enjoy great freedom. All the hardships and obstacles I'm going through, along with the killings and battling that I'm doing, does not give me pain, but it gives me joy instead. You don't have to look at me like I'm other ordinary men…"
"Baby, we have a gap between culture and gender. If you say something that I don't understand, you won't be able to comfort me."
"Is that so? Let me use the simplest words then." The young man shrugged. "I'm not like any ordinary men. I don't care what other men would think if they have a girlfriend like you, but I only know that you're the most qualified lover in the world in my heart."
"Aww baby, that is the sweetest affirmation I have ever heard in my life. I love you..." The girl's disappointment was swept away instantly. She hugged Zhang Lisheng and shouted happily.
The two of them hugged and kissed each other for a while. Without warning, Zhang Lisheng's phone broke the sweetness in the air.
"It's Charlie. I haven't contacted him since I came back. Looks like he must be calling me regularly at this hour," The young man hastily took his phone out of his pocket and gave it a careful inspection. He shrugged at Tina helplessly and picked up the call. Immediately, Charlie's startled voice resonated from the phone, "Oh, boss! I finally got in touch with you."
"Yeah! You really called at the right time…" Zhang Lisheng answered in an odd tone while leaning onto the back of the driver's seat. "Charlie, let me guess. The reason you keep calling me in haste must be because of the Noah Project, right? Actually, I'm also planning on calling you to tell you to hold onto the plan of making the Shrimp B1 Island into the 51st state."
"Yes, boss. Right now, Congress has been arguing a lot because of the immigration arrangements of the Noah World, so they really can't attend to other issues now," Charlie said, visibly relieved. "There's another important thing; our LS Group has appeared in the first-batch list of companies the federal government invited to participate in the Noah Project. They provided a two-billion-dollar interest-free five-year loan. They also invited us to build an urban-level ecological slaughterhouse at a scale similar to that of a city with a million population in the first 24 immigrant oases."
"A scale of a million-population city?" Upon hearing so, Zhang Lisheng calculated sensitively, "24 times one million is equal to 24 million. Just how large is the US population? They want to migrate one-tenth of the population right away on the first batch?"
"Of course, it's impossible, Boss! Even if they can find more than 20 million US citizens willing to migrate to the Noah World, the federal finances will not be able to afford this level of urban construction. What the government wanted was to build some relatively cheap infrastructure in one go."
"Ah, I understand now. Okay, Charlie, since the federal government has invited LS Group, let's do it then! Go get a few experts to calculate how long we could complete this project and call me after that."
"I've calculated it, Boss. The overall project will take about a year, but we can complete the two oases nearest to Earth within four months."
"Great! By that time, I'll go and start up the slaughterhouse in Noah World," Zhang Lisheng casually replied, "Four months? I remember that four months just so happen to be the maturing time for a fast-growing beef cattle. Come to think of it, building a livestock farm in the oases and then slaughtering the said livestock right away on the spot is quite a creative idea. Hopefully, the federal government can get what they wish."
"Oh, we won't have cattle there, Boss. I believe that if the immigrants in Noah World wanted to eat meat, then they'll have to rely on the drought-resistant lambs or camels from the Middle East. Anyway, I won't bother your time anymore. Please convey my apology to your girlfriend as well. Goodbye!" Charlie chuckled and hung up the phone.
"What a clever old fox!" Zhang Lisheng threw his mobile phone aside and wore his clothes as he smiled at Tina, "Let's go to the hot spring bath now and go watch a movie later, shall we?"
When the girl heard so, she replied sweetly, "Of course, I only have one request, though. Let's not have our dinner in a restaurant. We can just go eat some burgers and hot dogs like ordinary couples when we're hungry later."
The young man agreed to such a request right away. Just like this, both of them first went to Manhattan's famous artificial hot spring club, the New York Prism Lake, that was said to be built by imitating the mineral content of the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. After having a hot bath, they watched three box-office sci-fi films about conquering the demons within the Shrimp World No. 1 in succession while eating popcorn.
When the movie ended, they bought a bunch of burgers, hot dogs, and Coke from the theater hall and chowed down on all the food. Finally, Zhang Lisheng sent Tina back to the only serene countryside villa in the Upper West Side. After kissing Tina goodbye in front of the fence, he watched his girlfriend disappearing into the dark courtyard on a golf cart and ended this perfect date night.
At this time, cold raindrops began to pour down from the sky again. It was already close to midnight, and the young man returned to the SUV. After pondering for a while, he went to the nearest hotel closest to his house to stay, and after having his breakfast in the morning, he quickly went back to his home in Brooklyn.
When the youngest twins, Gill and Harry, of the Lavin Family, who shared the same mother with Zhang Lisheng, went to college, Lili would often be at home alone.
Once she heard the sound of the door opening, she who was busy making minced meat stuffing in the open kitchen looked up. That was when she saw her son that she had not seen for a long time striding into the door. Joyfully, she went up to embrace the young man and kissed his cheeks before saying excitedly, "Baby, you're back!"
"I'm back, mom!" Zhang Lisheng eagerly replied, "What's that important thing that you mentioned on the phone?" 
"There's no need to be in such a hurry, baby. Come, sit down first, and I'll tell you slowly." Lili took Zhang Lisheng's hand and walked to the chair in the kitchen table before pressing his shoulder down to ask him to sit. Turning around, she continued what she had left off in the kitchen. "It's like this, baby. Do you still remember the book that I've written about the education of children in new immigrant families?"
"Of course, I remembered that when I advised you to do some charity to kill some of your free time when we last talked about it, you've mentioned before that you wanted to write this kind of book. I was planning to help you publish it once you finished writing it and give it to those immigrant families for free."
"Aww, baby. Thank you for having such a thought! Actually, the book is already published now." When Lili heard that her son could still remember this matter so well, a happy smile appeared on her face before continuing, "It's precisely because of the publication of this book that I've received an invitation."
"What invitation?"
"A principal post in a public elementary school."
"You want to change your job, mom?" Upon hearing this word, Zhang Lisheng's hoisted heart relaxed right away. Even though he did not show an unconcerned expression on his face, his tone was slightly indifferent, "The chief student advisor of a middle school and a principal of an elementary school? Oh, these two posts are the same, so I think, well, you can just choose according to your preference…"
"Baby, that elementary school is built in the oasis in Noah World," Lili interrupted her son's words and said while kneading the dough.
Zhang Lisheng felt taken aback. "Mom, you mean, a government elementary school built in the foreign world is inviting you to become the headmaster? This is too, too strange!"
"What's so strange about it, baby? I'm an educator who has made great achievements in the education of new immigrant children. Since those who are living in the Noah World's oases are immigrant families, isn't it normal for the government to give me such an invitation?"
The young man looked astonished. He carefully pondered upon it and realized that this matter seemed justified. Opening his mouth, he said, "But can you adapt if you move to the Noah World now, mom? That is a desert! You're already… already…"
After saying two 'already's, Zhang Lisheng abruptly came to a realization. Even though he was already 21 years old, his mother was still not even 37 years old yet. Such age could still be called 'young' in this modern society, so he could only change his words and said, "How about Uncle Lavin then? What would happen to him if you go to Noah World?"
"With the qualifications of your Uncle Lavin, he can apply to go to the oasis of Noah World to become a town sheriff. I've talked to him already, and he's willing to do so."
Zhang Lisheng's opposition to his mother working in an alien world was entirely out of a subconscious instinct. After finding no more reason to oppose, he re-examined the issue. He remembered that Noah World was utterly different from those strange worlds that he had experienced before. Even though the situation was tough, it was relatively safe, so there was no reason for him to object his mother from working there. 
Moreover, even if he objected, his mother would not necessarily listen to him too. For this reason, he shrugged and said, "Oh, since this is the case like I've said just now, just choose according to what you like, mom… In fact, I think you've already made your choice."
"I've indeed made my choice, baby. The work in Lowbige Junior High is no longer challenging to me, while the Noah World's oasis is a brand new start. Since I was young, I've dreamt of becoming an educator like Meryl, who can inspire students to live an enthusiastic life, and I think that it's my chance now…"
"If you feel that going to work in Noah World is an opportunity to realize your dream, go and capture it, mom!" At this moment, Zhang Lisheng encouraged his mother.
"But baby, if I leave New York, I'm afraid I won't have as many chances to meet you anymore!" Lili replied with a sad look. "It's not only you but Stephen, Randy, Riley, Michelle, Gill, and Harry too! I may not even see them once in an entire year!"
"Then keep this house! I'll send someone to take care of it. You can come back to New York during school holidays, Christmas, and New Year every year."
"Oh, baby! This is a great idea! Why haven't I thought of it?!" Lili answered in pleasant surprise.
"I didn't too. It's only that yesterday, I was taught that I'd have to look at a problem from different perspectives and learn how to move my brain," Zhang Lisheng joked. 


A young man from the Miaowei Tribe brought up by his strict father, suddenly turned into Rank 1 Wizard on the day he was orphaned. He then obtained the ability to control giant worms. 
Soon after, he found his mother who was in a faraway foreign land by accident. From a small mountain village, he managed to jump into the amazing arena that was a global metropolis.
Thus far, we have a young man who inherited the legacy of mastering ancient demons from an ancient country. 
From Western civilization to other worlds, a fascinating saga is born.

"…sitting behind is care, but no effort left is there to share."
                One of the girls the room definitely recites her poem the least emotion. That last line tells everything why. Almost eight students have been called in front, and so far, their language is flawless. Most of them must have been to a state of America or Australia, but the Asian accent still finds its way to be felt between their words. Everyone is expectant to be called as Mr. Hwang once again stands in the middle of the front aisle.
                "Thank you Karen. And for the last presenter, let's have…"
                I can feel his intention to call on me. The willingness in the faces of my classmates is not strong enough to overpower my intimidation to be called in front. And without a doubt…
                "Marcus, please recite to use your poem that we may have a glance of who you are."
                Everyone is, once again, clapping at this new student who is the most foreign of all. The mere minute left for me to write has not given me enough time to artfully word the obscurity of my gender.
                Amidst the overflowing fear to be hated, I stand before these new faces who have no clue who is about to speak to them. South Korea is known to be one of the most conservative nations of this modern world, and what I am about to tell them will definitely alter their view—and to which direction, I am not sure.
There is a heart that beats
Covered by skin and muscles inside my chest.
For all, it works to provide life.
For some, it pumps to keep themselves alive.
For few, it throbs for someone else's love.
For me, it beats under my chest
Still unsure of which it for exists.
                I anticipate my speech to end in silence, but the burst of applause tells me that they did not grasp the hidden message that lingers with those words. They may have been amazed by the integration of elements in writing a good literature, but their focus to that makes me upset because the essence of my poem has not been savored accordingly.
                Nonetheless, Mr. Hwang's eyes whisper a message of understanding and worry. This gesture explains how much competent he is for this subject because he has the ears and eyes to discern.
                I thank the bell for ringing right on time. With that, I have a plausible reason to escape from the hook of everyone's attention. I rush to grab my things from my seat and pretend to take my time putting them back to my bag. I should feign being slow to buy them time to leave the room.
                "Marcus, your poem is substantial and creative." Mr. Hwang compliments when everyone has left the room except me.
                "Inside you is a poet whose composition is destined to be heard. To be written in just few minutes, your poem is just great."
                "…and brave." A third person's voice cuts my conversation with Mr. Hwang.
                His subtle movements make I and Mr. Hwang believe we were alone in the room. Nonetheless, there sits the tall guy whose desk is opposite of mine. But the growing pace of my heartbeat is not caused by his presence, I assessed. It is his comment which rushes the rhythm of my breathing.
                I know I am required to give the next comment, but there is nothing in my mind now that I can grasp to tell. Good thing the tall guy leaves the room right after he feels the awkward atmosphere.
                
                In all the classes I have for this day, that last class is the most memorable. By that, I mean, a bittersweet-kind of memory. Until now, my thoughts are hovering around the quick comments I received from being myself. I wonder how bare that line was.
       Still unsure of which it for exists.
                It can mean "unsure" of which person it is existing for. It can be that girl who attended the same school as I back in elementary, or that other girl who lives next to us back in the Philippines. However it can mean, I know in myself that it means it is unsure whether a man or woman it exists for… and two of the people in that room understood what I meant. Mr. Hwang's reaction has an embrace of encouragement, while that guy's comment does not clearly reveal anything at all. And that mere thing makes it even worse to think about.
                The depth of my introspection allows me to reach the dormitory unwittingly. There I stand in front of the door to room 408, thanks to that other guy in the elevator for assisting me find the place faster.
                On that door, there is my name and someone named "Kim Seung Min". He clearly is Korean, I thought. My roommate, I hope, is the best person I will ever meet in this country.
I tap the card that guy handed me in class. The door produces some sound which tells me it is unlocking. I clutch the knob. The room is more stunning than I expected! It is bright and very conducive for learning and writing those masterpieces I am about to create.
I remove my shoes before entering the bedroom proper as Korean culture has taught me. I caress most of the furniture in the room, and the mere touch of them shows me "heaven"!
I have never lived in this kind of luxurious room! I sniff the luxurious air that lingers inside my new room for almost a year. The scent is so aromatic that my eyes unconsciously closed themselves to heighten the moment's feeling. But that grand moment is snipped by the opening of the bathroom door.
Surprisingly, it is that tall guy in the classroom.
More surprisingly, he seems to know I am his roommate and my presence does not seem to bother him at all.
And Most surprisingly, he is not wearing anything at all!
                Let me correct myself. He is wearing his nude boxers. Sorry for the wrong info.

In that land he barely knew, he convinced himself to dare to play the most dangerous game. It is either he falls or he fails. Love just cant be won over.

The commotion of the new semester turned into a ruckus after a few days, which had then turned into chaos in the span of the first month. That is to say, nothing had changed at all during this entire month. Being in charge of first graders on her third year as a teacher proved to be a challenge for Hee Yeon Kim, but for reasons she could only describe as &quot;complicated,&quot; she had been forced into this difficult task. To say that her experience was lacking was a gross understatement, and it was near impossible for her to manage the ruckus that the first graders were creating. As such, it became somewhat of a routine for the teachers of adjacent classrooms to intervene and suppress(?)* the children of Class 1-3. Perhaps it was thanks to that, or perhaps the children had simply grown accustomed to school after a month, but they had reached the point where they would calm down just enough for class to start. Hee Yeon had to settle for that. Nonetheless, as soon as breaktime started, the children would resume their chaotic commotion, filling the halls with their voices as Hee Yeon sat next to the window, her head in her hands in an attempt to withstand it all.

'If only they had gym class all morning long…'

But if that were the case, then she would have to be on guard, looking out for potential injuries, which would then cause even more of a psychological strain on her. In her current state of mind, however, she wished for nothing more than to escape from all the noise. When she looked up towards the classroom again, she realized that she had to say something.
&quot;Jihoon, you can't stand on the desk. You'll get hurt!&quot; She warned in her strictest tone. &quot;Heejin, don't get so close to the window! Get down from there! There, in the back! Stop running! What if you fall over?!&quot;
Even in the midst of all the chaos, she couldn't help but notice one of her students sitting quietly, in the middle of the row next to the windows. He had become the talk of the school due to his good looks, and he was the one exception in this classroom of constant cacophony. The boy was always reading. He mainly read textbooks, but sometimes would bring in children's tales from somewhere and read those. During class he would always look at her with bright eyes, listening so intently to what she said that she felt almost awkward under the pressure, but it was thanks to him that she felt proud and satisfied to be a teacher. After all, there wasn't a teacher alive who disliked diligent students.

The boy paid no mind to his teacher's rather open observation of him and just kept on reading. He was quite happy with his current lifestyle. The classes taught him new things every day, satisfying his intellectual curiosity, and every day, the knowledge he gained from his textbooks surprised him. Reading and reaching an understanding of the material in the textbooks, regardless of the curriculum, filled the boy with an almost euphoric kind of joy. This was especially true for afterschool math class, which made him feel jittery. He derived an immense sort of satisfaction with every problem he solved correctly, and as his knowledge increased, he almost felt as if he could organize his thoughts concerning his confusing circumstances.

Just as the boy was about to immerse himself in the joy of studying, someone tapped his shoulders. When he turned around, he saw that it was Jihoon. Though only a month had passed since the start of the new semester, Jihoon already stood out from the rest of the class. To put it nicely, he was a very lively child, but in reality, he was closer to a menace. He could not bring himself to sit quietly during lessons, sprinting out of the classroom to go to the restroom (and if the teacher chased after him, he would always run away with a huge smile on his face, as if he was enjoying a game of tag), and during break time, he would jump from desk to desk, like an action maniac who delighted in the thrill and excitement of dangerous activities. He was also very creative, always coming up with new ways to make the girl who sat next to him cry. All this caused the other kids to practically line up to join Jihoon in his &quot;games,&quot; and he had become infamous within the parents' SNS chatrooms. However, being the only son of a prominent family, no one could really touch him, only increasing the frustration of the victims'(?) parents and homeroom teacher.
This same Jihoon had just approached the boy, apparently nominating(?) him as the next victim, but the boy simply looked at him wide-eyed as if he didn't know what was happening. Jihoon had his back to the group of students who followed him and looked down at him. &quot;They say you look like a plaster cast,&quot; he declared arrogantly. What did that even mean? &quot;My mom saw my sister's drawing and she said it looked like you. That's what a plaster cast is. You're plaster.&quot;

The boy went blank at Jihoon's words, confused at the utter lack of context.

Jihoon was actually referring to a bit of a hot topic among parents for a brief period of time. During the entrance ceremony, the parents had discussed the boy's outstanding looks, and someone had mentioned that he looked &quot;statuesque.&quot; Following this comment, the parents of a student preparing for art school had brought up &quot;Julian,&quot; one of the plaster cast busts used as a drawing model. Of course, parents quickly fell into a typical SNS conversation, adding that their own children were just as pretty, or whose children had better looks, but it appeared that their talks of plaster casts had reached Jihoon's ears. However, being completely unaware of this whole situation, the boy sat there dumbfounded.

&quot;He's plaster face now.&quot; Said Jihoon again, almost triumphantly. At these short, nonsensical words, the students began to clap and laugh uncontrollably. Perhaps the boy's blank expression and reaction had somehow struck them as funny. Following this relatively small incident, the boy had gained the nickname &quot;plaster face,&quot; and when Myeong-su, who was in the classroom next door, found out about this, it became his nickname at the institute as well. When the teacher heard of this, she thought it was rather cute, but she was also concerned that the boy's feelings were hurt by the nickname. It wasn't uncommon for children to feel upset at nicknames they did not like and lose their spirits.

However, the boy paid no mind to it, partly because he wasn't sure whether &quot;plaster face&quot; had enough of a negative connotation to feel upset over it, and partly because he thought it was better than what they had called him back at the peasant town. They had taken to calling him &quot;scrofa**&quot; due to the fact that he scavenged in the forest all day, or just &quot;boar.&quot; Rather than being compared to a pig, covered in mud and oinking all around the place, he preferred being compared to plaster.

****

With the approach of summer, the weather had reached the point where the impatient few had already begun to wear short sleeves outside. Volunteer workers still visited the institute every so often, now that the tough weeds sprouting through the lawn of the yard had grown enough to injure to the children. Though they were promptly eradicated by the volunteers, the teachers still had to warn the children to not go into the grass.

&quot;We'll be off!&quot;

The elementary schoolers shouted out as they got off the institute's van, cheerfully waving to the teacher sitting in the driver's seat. Among the children walking to the gates of the elementary school were the two first graders, Myeong-su and the boy, one third grader, one fifth grader, and two sixth graders. The sixth graders were very composed within and without the boundaries of the institute, and the third and fifth graders followed their every step. True to his status as a carefree, energetic first grader, however, Myeong-su ran into the school grounds, dragging the boy by the hand. The older children did nothing to stop them. Rather, they looked wholly uninterested, their steps seemingly much heavier than those of other students. But Myeong-su was too excited to pay attention to such things, and he just kept on running with the boy, who ran along like a leashed puppy. Though it looked like the boy was forcing himself to go along with Myeong-su, he was actually having just as much fun. He had recently discovered the existence of the school library and was ecstatic at the thought of feasting upon the mighty(?) collections of books within. The fact that all the children from the institute took the van to get to school meant that the boy always arrived before his classmates. Once in the classroom, he left his bag at his seat and headed straight to the library.

&quot;You're first again.&quot; The librarian had just started to open the library, and the boy greeted her, a gleeful smile on his face. &quot;You can go right ahead.&quot;

Having been granted permission, the boy bowed once again to the librarian, who was making her way towards her desk, and ran into the library. The musty scent of the books that had collected overnight filled his nose, and it almost felt sweet to him. He chose three books to read for that day, all relatively thin. His knowledge and comprehension were still not advanced enough for him tackle thicker books, causing him to always reach for the thinner books, meant for the younger students, without caring for their content. Such books mainly came out in series, so he had made it a habit to just go through the books series by series. Though the boy might have been unaware, children's books were not necessarily limited to just biographies and fairy tales, but also included illustrated classical literature and economics, which were enough to satisfy the boy's thirst for knowledge. Thanks to this, he had been able to catch up on his past seven years of no education and quickly learned about the systems of this world, as well as the social environment he was in.

He was also able to fully concentrate on books because they provided an escape from all the sadness and despair that came from being thrown into a completely new society and lifestyle. Or rather, he had no choice but to fully concentrate on books. His memories of the past still haunted him, no matter how much time passed.

****

Once the teachers' morning meeting ended, Hee Yeon went back into her classroom. Her students, who once seemed like water in hot oil, now felt like powder filling up a lidless blender. Though she had no way of knowing when the blender would turn on and scatter the powder everywhere, things were under control as long as she kept a watchful eye on the switch.
Because classes had not started yet, the switch seemed to be half pressed already, though the students attempted, if only a little, to quiet down when the teacher had walked in. Only Jihoon, apparently still in hot oil rather than the blender, spoke loudly to his friend, while the rest of the students remained in their seats and murmured to each other. The children had no way of knowing that their collective murmurs let to a very loud ruckus. Only one student, called 'plaster face' by the other kids even though he looked more like a 'Julian,' paid no mind to the noise and silently read his book. After almost a full semester of knowing him, Hee Yeon thought that he was possibly in the school's top ranks when it came to concentration and attitude towards learning, and though he hadn't stood out that much at the beginning of the semester, he had started to show great improvement in writing composition and math. When the teacher in charge of the afterschool classes spoke to her about the boy, complimenting him greatly in his skills, Hee Yeon's expectations of him had grown even more. Looking at him now, reading his book, it was hard to imagine that he was from an institute.

Just then, the bell rang out, signaling the start of classes.
&quot;Well then!&quot; Announced Hee Yeon. &quot;We'll begin class. Do you know what's for first period?&quot;
&quot;Family learning!&quot;

Hee Yeon smiled despite herself. The students seemed like small birds all singing together. Then she met eyes with 'Julian.' Though she was unsure when it had started, she definitely felt that family learning classes drained her the most, especially when looking at those eyes, filled with such sorrow. The teacher of three years couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt whenever she met those eyes, and she didn't even know why.

&lt;The New Semester (1)&gt; End

*(?) – this is often used when the word used before it conveys the connotation the author wants, but is not fully accurate. For example, teachers likely helped calm the kids down and maybe reprimand them, but they didn't actually physically suppress the students.
**scrofa – from Latin &quot;scrofa,&quot; it literally means &quot;sow.&quot; Typically used to refer to female pigs used for breeding.

A boy who was living an ordinary life in another world suddenly came to the present world.

Social systems, way of life and morals... They have all changed.

How will the boy try to survive?

What kind of life will the boy live?

Daeva after bumping with Juno, she thought that her behavior wasn't so nice. But when the school bell rings, she snapped out of it and went to her designated room for her subject. Daeva is a fourth year college student in Literature and Creative Writing. She thought of becoming a writer to write literary pieces based on her experiences. Also, she thought that becoming a writer would allow her to have a small chance of interacting with people.

When she was about to enter her room, her Professor bumped into her. Mrs. Sanchez smiled at her. Daeva greeted her good morning and Mrs. Sanchez greeted her in return.

They both entered the room and Daeva sat at the second row. Mrs. Sanchez greeted her class and began discussing a lesson about her subject. She kept blabbing in front while Daeva glanced at the window. She caught a glimpse of Juno who's about to leave the school gates. As she follows Juno with her eyes, she began to feel a sharp pain at her left forearm. She didn't bother looking at it, she knows that it's currently bleeding so she just pulled her black sleeves lower. She returned her attention to her discussing professor and listens to her.

A couple of subjects passed then Daeva's lunch break arrived. She quickly ate at the cafeteria before going to the library. The school's library was enormous. It's also where the book club is rooming. Daeva is a member of the Book club and happens to be a good friend of Kevin, the Book club's president. When Daeva came in, she found Kevin fixing books that weren't returned to the proper shelve. She just picked up some books that were left at the tables and did the same. There weren't too much people in the library for now so she started casually chatting with Kevin.

"Hey Kev, you seem frustrated... What's wrong??" asked Daeva.

"Student School Council Vice President...She destroyed my morning." said Kevin casually.

"What did she do to you?" Daeva felt curious.

"Oh nothing...She just shuted me out... refusing to do some student council duties...or simply take the proposal and leave it to miss President's table... That's all..." Kevin replied.

Daeva didn't asked further what happened...But then, she felt like the person who she bumped with earlier at the hall way was the Vice President.

"The Vice President, was she the campus belle I keep hearing about." Daeva asked.

"Hmm? Yeah, that's her...Why, what's up?" asked Kevin as he finished arranging the books.

"I think she's the pretty blonde girl I bumped with this early morning. She wasn't really polite." Daeva said as she scratches the area where she felt pain while staring at Juno.

Kevin saw Daeva scratched her forearm right bellow her palm. He looked at Daeva with malicious intent. His lips curved up at one side. He then grab Daeva's hand and brought her to the school's clinic. Daeva didn't resisted and just followed Kevin.

The nurse was currently out of the clinic so Daeva's forearm can be treated. She pulled her sleeve up and let Kevin treat her wound. Kevin cleaned the blood off and covered it with bandage. When he was done, Daeva thanked Kevin and they came back to the library. 

There, while Daeva was waiting for her next class like Kevin, they decided to read a book. Daeva picked a random fantasy book while Kevin opened his laptop and read about demons.

"Let's go home together later and just order pizza for dinner, what do you say?" Kevin offered to Daeva.

Daeva just nodded, it's not very often that they go home together. Daeva and Kevin are roommates and oftentimes, Daeva gets home first before Kevin because of his club president duties.

Almost an hour have passed and Kevin closed his laptop. It's time for his next class, Daeva still have over half an hour before her next subject so Kevin just left her. When Kevin left the library, the atmosphere in the library became gloomy. Anyone who's in there felt uncomfortable, some left but some ignored it. Daeva is feeling a bit irritated but what can she do? She can't get rid of them...never...

Daeva kept reading until its just 15min left before her next class. She stood up from her sit and returned the book into one of the shelves. She felt a hand caressed her cheek and hear a chuckle. Daeva ignored it and left the library.

When she's out of the library, she can feel that someone ran "its" fingers on her hair. Her mouth was twitching, slowly forming a malicious grin. She covered her mouth with her hands, then, she took out a face mask from her pants's pocket and covered her grin. She went to her next class as if nothing had happened.

She still have 2 subjects left for her to survive. Her 3rd subject for the day passed as if it was a filler chapter of her day. Nothing very interesting occurred nor the class. But on her final subject of the day: Creative Writing, the class was given an activity and that is to write a poem. The poem have no specific theme but should be rhyming.

Writing poems weren't a problem for Daeva at all. She doesn't limit herself when it comes to writing and its subject. She writes what's in her mind and what she feels. They we're given an hour and when they were done, they are then dismissed. Daeva finished after 30min, she's always the first one to finish. As she passed her work and leaves the room, her professor Mr.Wilson gave her work a read.

Trigger

Young ignorant little girl,
Your heart is a black pearl.
His tongue hungers for you...
He will dye your silk a red hue.
Do not dare taunt him further
Beware, his claws are no feather.
You can't produce what he desires,
He shall come and take his prize.
Do as the old men say,
There is a price if you disobey;
Outgrow your childish ways
Or he who you shall face!

This is a collection of different stories but all told by one person, Daeva. A mysterious young woman who's always very reserved and isolated from everyone. You may approach her like anyone else but beware...

This is a horror/suspense story...please read with caution. You might not be able to sleep at night with lights off and open doors and windows.

- Day of Imperial Examinations

It was early in the morning, everything seemed white and the morning mist filled the air. Not far away, a small boat was gradually reaching shore. Pei Zi Yun lit up a lantern, picked up his examination basket and headed towards the examination destination. 

“The seven counties belonging to this city, please line up according to your counties. And no shouting!” Three rounds of firecrackers could be heard being fired from within the school as someone was giving these instructions. 

They were lined up in this order, County School of Literature, Capital Schools and Middle Literature School.

The candidates all came from different schools, each with their own systems. The morning mist was cold and breezy as the stars remained in their usual constellations, echoing the seven Dao Ways. The students were all carrying their examination baskets as they proceeded to line up. 

Pei Zi Yun finally managed to locate his Slow River County line as he saw many candidates jostling and cramming in the queue, hands holding lanterns. He heard someone say from behind, “Brother Pei, you are here!”

Pei Zi Yun spun around and found that the person who was speaking to him was Tang Zhen, and he was with Scholars Wang and Li. They acknowledged his presence coldly and didn’t bother to even utter a word.

Pei Zi Yun was not bothered as he warmly greeted Tang Zheng before he too acknowledged Scholars Wang and Li with a smile, without speaking. A few days ago, the three of them had invited him out to a literary event. But seeing as the examinations were fast approaching, he declined. Tang Zhen did not seem to mind, but it was evident the other two were offended.

“With a heart and mind like that, it’s certain they would not be able to become Elementary Scholars.” Pei Zi Yun recalled how the two of them had expected some examination questions to be leaked at the literary gathering and scolded them for their stupidity inside his head., “At an event like that, the organisers would never discuss examination related affairs and risk compromising their reputation. Doing so would only cause a huge fraud case that would implicate themselves.”

When he met them, he still behaved with civility and exchanged a few words although nobody had any mood for small talk. 

Different venues were meant for different examinations. There were three tiers, to become an Elementary Scholar, to become a High Scholar and finally to become a Grand Scholar. The present arrangements were very different from the original owner’s own imperial examinations. But that was normal, it would have been strange if it was exactly the same. 

Scholars don’t have the authority of skipping the poetry section in the examinations, and so the magistrate had to make frequent trips into the city to teach poetry. There were strict selections held for the positions of patrolling officials and examiners. There were eventually only 33 selected due to the strict criterias. 

Boom boom boom! The drum sounded.

The huge doors slowly opened.

The scholars flooded the halls. 

Pei ZI Yun recalled his first tier examination he had taken to become an Elementary Scholar and thought to himself, “here it comes!”

After reporting for the exam, he was given a handbook and an examination plate number. The examiners first checked their guarantors letters, and then scrutinized their features before double checking against their descriptions to ensure it was them who were taking the examinations.

After the identity of the candidates had been confirmed, the next procedures were the checks. 

The examination baskets were being checked first, followed by the ink and paper materials. They would even open the buns and sandwiches brought to prevent cheating materials being smuggled in. 

Pei Zi Yun had experienced examinations before and knew that food was allowed in the hall. He knew to not bring in greasy food because it would because it could spoil easily, and would cause a mess upon inspection. Greasy food could also cause a stomach upset, which was not desirable. So he brought some pastries and eggs, and was planning to rely on them to provide water.

Next they had to undress and remove their shoes. Even their hair had to be checked. 

The candidates took their turns to be checked and soon it was Pei Zi Yun’s turn. After the checks were conducted, the examiners would affix a stamp to prove that this procedure had been conducted. The examiner then shouted, “Take your respective seats!”

Pei Zi Yun took his confirmation slip and proceeded to the hall. The confirmation slip had his seat number and had a stamp on it as well. Should a fraud be detected in the hall, the examiners would immediately conduct investigations. 

Once he entered the great hall, he had to search for his room number. Within the hall were several smaller rooms joined together. It was the same for the rooms across. The distance between the rooms across from each other was about the space of five meters. And the rooms went on for as far as the eye could see.

Inside the smaller rooms were a small bed, a table and a chair. There were three candles on the table and a bowl of water to clean the quills.

“Aye, the conditions here are better than that of the previous tier examinations with the additional bed.”

This was probably because the first tier examinations only lasted for a day, whereas the examinations to Elementary Scholar would take two days. It had been rumoured that the examinations to attain High Scholar status takes three days. 

Pei Zi Yun carefully placed his inkstone on the table. Across him was a youth who looked to be around 25 or 26. As soon as everyone was seated, an announcement was made, before a final patrol was conducted by officials. A bell rang as the examination papers were being distributed.

As soon as Pei Zi Yun received his examination papers, he noticed that they had provided additional scrap paper for drafts to be written. Pei Zi Yun lit his candle. The sun had just risen, but the room was still dark. He took a quick look at the entire paper and realized there were no questions that looked especially difficult, before relaxing. 

His experience with examinations in his previous life thought him there if there were any issues with the examination papers he should immediately raise it up and the papers could still be changed. If there was an issue and it was not raised beyond a particular point, a change in paper might not be allowed. Nobody knew what would happen then. 

When he finished looking through, he thought to himself, “This is much harder than the first tier examinations.”

In the first tier examinations, many examples were being provided.

The justice segment required blanks to be filled in, which was easy. However, the economics section memory writing. The testing officials will randomly pick a chapter from the texts and provide the first line. According to this first line, the candidates have to continue writing the rest of the text.

In this examinations, there was also the justice and economics section. There were five questions for justice, and twenty questions for economics. The scale had increased tremendously from the previous examinations. The point of this segment was to test memory skills. Since the original owner had a good memory, and he had been through this particular examinations, Pei Zi Yun was confident and had no difficulties. 

Next up was calculus and law.

“Aiya, the subjects in this dynasty are much more practical than in the previous dynasty!”

Calculus involved being able to count properly. Law required understanding of basic laws. Although the scale was not large, it was not limited to just the four books and five classics. 

“All these seem quite easy.” Calculus involved memorising formulas and law relied heavily on formulas as well. Using the original owner’s memory, he breezed past. 

“Let’s do these questions first!”

He noticed that the sky was already bright. Raising his head, he noticed that the candidates across him looked very sluggish. Pei Zi Yun smiled and dipped his quill into the ink and started writing his answers for on the scrap paper before carefully writing it onto the actual answer scripts. 

“For such an examination, those who write their answers directly onto the actual answer scripts are either geniuses or impulsive candidates.” As he finished the questions for this examination paper, he sighed and felt his entire back was wet with perspiration. He took a towel out and began to clean himself dry. He noticed that the youth across him looked pale and tired as if he was almost going to pass out. 

“Ah! It is noon.” In the blink of an eye, noon was here. Pei Zi Yun drank some water and had some pastries. He peeled a couple of eggs and ate them before having some of his lean meat. Although the food was already cold, he could not ask for more. After his meal, he rested for a little while before moving on to the big questions.” 

“The next topic is Confucius philosophies and is the main component of the examination. There are three questions.” 

The Confucius philosophies question discussed the arguments surrounding the philosophies. Pei Zi Yun looked at the first question, ‘How vast was his virtue, that no man could find words to describe it? How glorious was the elegant regulations which he instituted?’

“This question has to do with the norms of society!” Pei Zi Yun thought to himself. This was spoken by Confucius of someone very great.

With the knowledge of the old High Scholar, he had an answer. 

‘In essence, to praise a predecessor of his great works and contributions. Its origins are from the classics and speaks of Emperor Yao who did good things with great advisors to achieve success.’

‘To continue, it was describing what happened in the dynasty before, where the Emperor was loyal and faithful to his subjects, so as to encourage his advisors to do likewise.’

With this discussion, he had a solution to the question, “That was accomplished with a spurt of energy!”

This solution has to be written in a concise and fluid manner in order to score well. Pei Zi Yun thought for a moment before starting to write his thoughts. All was going well!

As he finished writing, he put the scrap paper aside and proceeded to the next question.

‘Keep old friends around, to prevent loneliness in future!’

This question was very obvious. It spoke of someone writing to his son, telling him that it is important to keep old friend’s close so as not to demand perfection of them.

As soon as Pei Zi Yun saw this question, he subconsciously slapped his head a few times. This made a sound and the people around him turned around as an examiner walked over to him.

“Do not be complacent, do not be complacent.” The subject of this question was from an old Elementary Scholar who did not manage to become a High Scholar. These thoughts were his regrets, and thus told his son not to abandon his friends and not to expect them to be perfect. Pei Zi Yun had practiced writing this topic many times and it was clear in his memory. It was almost like copying the answers, guaranteed to score well.

With luck this good, he could cry tears of joy. When Pei Zi Yun looked at the questions, numerous essays floated into his mind waiting for him to choose one to write. The minute he started, he did not stop until it was completed to perfection. 

He blew onto his writing to dry the ink and nodded his head in satisfaction thinking, “I did not have to put in much energy into answering this question. Maybe just a little sore from writing.”

As with just now, he shelved his scrap paper and looked at the final question.

“Water, Fire, Metal, Wood and Earth, discuss!”

“The question towards the end was always the hardest. Pei Zi Yun frowned and knew that this question had some difficulty to it. 

‘Water can be used to irrigate and fire can be used to cook. Metal can be used to cut and wood can be used to make items. Earth is used for growing crops. These are natural elements given to us by the heavens to sustain life.’

“All these had been mentioned in the three important manuals of survival.” 

As soon as Pei Zi Yun thought of the answers to the question, he started writing. Although the speed which he wrote was not as fast this time, it was not slow as well. He rubbed his eyes and realized it was already evening.

Pei Zi Yun felt slightly dizzy as his sweat stained his clothing. He arranged his papers and lit another candle. The entire examination hall was filled with the smell of burning candles. The examiners also started lighting the torches in the hall one by one. 

The head examiner took an entire team of officials to patrol the hall. Pei Zi Yun felt hungry at this point, and without a care in the world, he gobbled his food. The head examiner looked at him with raised eyebrows and laughed. 

Pei Zi Yun looked down as he was deep in thought. When the patrol team had finished walking down his lane, he counted the remaining time. Today was just the first night, if there was any writing he had not completed, it could be done tomorrow. Seeing the scripts had been dried of ink, he arranged them, blew out the candle and lay on the wooden bed. He took out a blanket he had brought and put it over himself.

Just before he went to sleep he looked at the youth across him once more. He noticed that he was still working under the candle light. Pei Zi Yun shut his eyes and fell asleep amidst the rustling sound of paper.

“It is different once I have the Plum Blossom.” He did not know why, maybe it was an effect of receiving the host, but all he had to do to fall asleep was to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths and he would enter sleep. This time in the examination hall was no exception. He lay down, and a few minutes later was snoring softly. 

At this point, a patrolling official walked past and was stumped. The examination atmosphere was tense. Although once night came surely there would be some candidates who have decided to rest, majority would be tossing and turning in their beds unable to sleep. This candidate however was sound asleep. Was he that confident or had he already given up, thus feeling bliss?



Earth Immortals are cultivated from a blessed land,
Heaven Immortals move to and fro from the divine mountains.
I have a stalk of plum blossom, and I shall maraud the Will of the Heavens with it!

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