The journey of a demon through this world of Cultivation and Magic.

This is a non-fiction work. based on an incident I had when attending a family gathering. I found this very amusing and thus, I am sharing it today.

Nagkamali po ako dito. Guys, ibang stories ko na lang po ang basahin niyo. Hindi ko po ito madelete. Ito po ang basahin niyo, non fiction ay Akala Ko Siya Na saka fiction ay Heartthrobs In One Roof. Thank you!

So, I'm really excited to bring this one to my list, I enjoyed the anime quite a bit. I mean huge amounts of gore, awesome and unique abilities derived from real creatures,beautiful women, this series has it all. I even made a separate list just for possible Surgery Bases to use for the MC, made up mostly of bugs, just because I felt so inspired. Plus, I haven't seen anybody else write a fan-fiction of this on Webnovel.

First off, let's start with a little background on the series. In the 21st century, scientists were tasked with terraforming Mars for future space travel and colonization. They come up with a cost-effective solution which involves cockroaches and modified algae. The algae would absorb the sunlight and produce an atmosphere, while the cockroaches would spread it, and after dying, nourish it. 500 years later, an expedition is sent to the planet, where they are killed by giant humanoid cockroaches called Terra Formars. Before their deaths they manage to send a warning back to Earth, where two years later, a new crew is sent, comprised of genetically enhanced super-humans. These men and women have undergone a special surgery to give them the powers of various insects. Unfortunately, all but two die, failing to eliminate the threat generated by these creatures. Over the next twenty years, a new disease called the A.E. (Alien Engine) Virus begins to appear, killing with a 100% mortality rate. The plot begins in 2619, with Hizamaru Akari fighting in an underground arena in Bangkok, Thailand. If you want to know the full story beyond my little synopsis, please check out the anime or manga, it's well-deserving of your time.

Now, for those who have already read the story so far, you probably want to get to the surgery bases I have lined up for the MC. Well, I hope I won't disappoint you, here we go. Starting with the Issus Leafhopper, the insect with the gears in its legs. Now, a juvenile can reach a velocity of 3.9 meters per second in just 2 thousandths of a second, able to disappear in a blink of an eye. Imagine if we scaled this up to human size, it'd be unbelievably fast. Plus, the MC's leg muscles would be able to impart all that force into a kick, creating an incredibly deadly weapon. This would be a perfect addition as one of the many bases to use.

Next up, is the Dragon Millipede, and boy, is it a great choice. Now, the Dragon Millipede may sound like a pretentious name, but it isn't far off base. This millipede comes with the ability to produce and expel hydrogen cyanide, an extremely toxic poison. One of our few purely offensive surgery bases, it is a must have.

Moving on, we have the Pistol Shrimp, a crustacean with strength comparable to the Mantis Shrimp. Most of what I have written down are insects, but there are a few more exotic animals, too. The Pistol Shrimp, opposite to the Mantis Shrimp, uses long-range "bubble bullets" to stun prey, after which, it hastily grabs its meal. Here's a brief description of how it works: "The animal snaps a specialized claw shut to create a cavitation bubble that generates acoustic pressures of up to 80 kPa at a distance of 4 cm from the claw. As it extends out from the claw, the bubble reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and releases a sound reaching 218 decibels. The pressure is strong enough to kill small fish." Scaling up to human size, we can see that such an ability could easily kill almost anything in its path. Another great offensive surgery base. Although, you could replace this with the Mantis Shrimp, if you so desire.

Up next is the Chiton, a mollusk. In addition to having a durable shell, this animal also comes equipped with the ability to generate magnetite over their teeth. Magnetite is a naturally occurring form of iron oxide, which is fairly resistant and easily magnetized. This one is maybe not the most exciting, but I could see it being used for some applications.

The Darwin's Bark Spider is the next choice. This is one of the most versatile bases yet, able to create incredibly strong webs in vast quantities. This spiders web is the strongest of all spiders, over 10 times stronger than Kevlar in fact, and twice as strong as any other spider silk known. This is pretty impressive, and since it can be generated in such large amounts, it's useful for creating various structures, including armor and traps. A must have for the MC.

Following, we have the Tiger Moth, for a very specific use case. This moth is crazy, it has the ability to  fool echolocation with illusions. I'm dead serious, it has an organ that creates ultrasonic vibrations, which it uses for mating and in response to a bat's echolocation. It can even make fake environmental hazards. This is useful if any Terra Formars gain the ability to echo-locate.

Moving on, we have my top choice, the Ironclad Beetle. The insect with the strongest carapace, it is able to withstand a car running it over, easily. The only thing able to pierce the shell is modern drills, a testament to its durability. This is pretty much the ultimate defensive base I found, barring maybe one, but I still think the Beetle is a better fit.

The next choice is a bit strange, but hear me out: The House Fly. I hear what you're saying, but it has the fastest reaction speed out of any animal, an ability which is essential for dodging or countering attacks. So, before you eliminate it from the list, remember that.

Now, for enhanced strength, we have the Hercules Beetle. While not as impressive as a Dung Beetle's 1000 times, a Hercules Beetle can lift 850 times its own body weight. This makes it a great choice for pure muscle power, making our MC a veritable beast. With all the other abilities here, this becomes an incredible multiplier.

Next up, we have the Tarantula Hawk, a spider wasp that has one of the most painful stings. Now, this isn't the most powerful insect on the list, but it does have its uses. For one, the venom has a paralyzing effect, easily stopping large tarantulas. It is also a 4 on the Schmidt Pain Index, just below the Bullet Ant.

Finally, we end off on a non-insect, the Swift. Yeah, this one definitely doesn't hold up to its predecessors, especially since its flight ability isn't nearly as impressive as an impenetrable shell or literally spitting poison. Well, even if you really used this, it'd be overshadowed by the Issus Leafhopper in pure speed. I think your best bet is to use the insects instead of this. I'm sorry the last base was kind of a let-down, it was the first one I wrote on the list.

Well, moving on from that little depressing turn, it's time to talk about the MC and what he is. So, obviously like previous ideas, this one leans more towards the reincarnation rather than insert or transmigration. And, for bonus points, he should have a battle maniac personality, giving a good reason as to why he would ask to be reborn in such a world. His new body should be similar to Hizamaru, who has 4 parents, which gives him his large number of surgery bases. In total this protagonist should have at least 8 parents, which explain how he has so many abilities. I'm thinking maybe a child of experimental BUGS surgeries, ones that didn't end up going to Mars in BUGS-2, because they were illegal test subjects, i.e. children. I think part of the MC goal should be saving some of the lives lost during Annex-1, possibly even exposing the Chinese traitors. He should eventually gain control of his transformations without the use of the drug, though for the first part he should be equipped with some kind of delivery device, maybe like the EVE injector in Bioshock 2. Maybe send him to Mars before the Annex-1 mission, he'd be able to kill as many Terra Formars as he'd like (Although that'd prevent him from stopping the crash during entry). I'd also give him the C.B. Operation, which gives him the ability to absorb the abilities of anybody whose had the M.O. Operation. Think of the MC as an elite commando, with the power of several tactical nukes packed into his body.

I definitely wouldn't suggest a harem, but I would like to see a little bit of romance. My personal choice is, of course, Michelle K. Davis but there are plenty of others, including some who die. Such as Eva Frost, Elena Perepelkina, Isabella R. Leon, Kanako Sanjo, Erika Nakanojo, Yaeko Yanasegawa, and Peggy Fortie. Even if you don't give him a relationship with any of these women, I'd still like them to be saved.

So, I have these ideas float around my head constantly. I figured since I'm not using them, someone else could. If you read them and feel like writing about it, feel free. I'd rather focus on my own novel, so they are fair game for anybody. I'd love to read them if they are ever used.

During the time we spent on investigating each other some portals opened relatively close. We tried to reach every single one of them, hoping that they were willing to accept an immense amount of soul flames. But our struggles were in vain. In most cases, only the bastards who were lucky enough to have a portal spawn in front of their non-existent noses managed to jump in before it closed. In the remaining situations, we were unable to break through a wall of souls who for one reason or another decided to stick together and make the afterlife difficult for others.

Some of those moving obstacles were hell-bent on dragging down the river as many soul flames as they could. What was the cause of their behavior? I had no idea, and this was neither the place nor the time to investigate it.

Nevertheless, if we wanted to maintain the proper state of mind, it was essential to fight against the odds every single time. Especially when the alternative - staying in one place and counting on luck - wasn't a viable option, it would make us too susceptible to losing focus.

'Next one is ours!' I tried to raise the morale after yet another failure, each of them hit my companion harder than me.

'...'

But it didn't work.

For the first time, she had completely lost her mind's focus and slipped back into the depressed state. It nearly caused me to panic as well, but there was still a way to bring her back and avert the worst-case scenario - an idea that was born when that stronger soul had 'grabbed' my shoulder.

Instead of reassuring her with words alone, I decided to give her an illusion of fulfilling one of her many small dreams. A taste of what she could obtain if we managed to escape from this place.

I focused on shaping my soul flame. The power of the mind was overwhelming in this place, it was possible to simulate the feeling of my hand gently caressing her silky hair. Albeit It took a few seconds to make it feel as real as possible, it finally worked.

The unexpected sensation snatched her from the confused state and helped reclaim the sense of self. I was also learning how to retake some of the memories that seemed to be already lost, yet were still around. It was a bit like collecting spilled groceries back into the bag.

'What's that warm feeling? It feels really good… please don't stop.' Underneath the request to keep patting her head was the request to help with clearing her mind from the negative thoughts. She actually wanted to harshly voice the latter and hide the former inside but messed it up.

'For once your words and feelings are harmonized. You should do it more often, it's rather cute.' Smoothing out her hair was fun, and I kept adding various little details like the texture of my hand or-

'Wait… what?! Forget about it!' The proud silver elf immediately shattered the illusion after regaining full clarity of mind, negating all the work I put into it. 'Give it to me!' She demanded as soon as she remembered the content of the message she had sent. Her goal in wanting to wrestle my side of this memory wasn't to feed it to the cleansing process. Although, me forgetting all about it would be a welcomed bonus.

'I refuse. It's also my new treasure, and it's only a fair price for bringing you back.' This message was filled with the conviction that the true importance of shared memories lied in actually sharing them with others and not collecting all of their pieces for yourself. Although, I wasn't sure if a transfer of an entire memory was even possible, but taking into the account the nature of this place it probably was.

In return, she sent me a really graphic presentation of flogging one of her slaves for a much smaller offense. Attached to it was a short label 'your fate will be worse'. In exchange, I sent her a compilation of gore scenes from various movies with a description 'you've got much to learn'.

To our surprise, the memories were more vivid and precise than ever before. Possibly due to the fact that we were both focusing on them, or maybe because we were getting better at using our soul bond. Whatever the reason, it improved their quality so much that even I was amazed. The images in those memories probably looked better than the source material.

While hectoliters of blood and tens of kilograms of spilled guts wouldn't do much against a desensitized modern person, it was more than enough to shock her into silence. Especially when she found it hard to tell the difference between reality and fiction.

True, it didn't take her long to discover that all of those brutal scenes were fake, but she couldn't even begin to imagine how they were created since I as well lacked this particular information. Instead, she tried to substitute the missing elements with the knowledge from her world. Which often resulted in such thoughts as 'just how many slaves were killed during the production of that movie thing?', or '... suffocating someone with his own intestines?! Disgusting… yet innovative', or 'which part of that is fake?! That headless slave for sure ain't a wooden doll!'.

'Hmm… you've made a foolish choice by teaching me all those various techniques. I will make sure to test them out on you. By the way, what's a tv? How is it connected with that zombie girl who came out from the well?'
 
Her death threats weren't effective, not in this situation, and not when I could easily tell that she was sending them only to uphold the spirit of our mental wrestling match, while in reality, she wanted to watch more scenes from the movies. I would love to take her to a cinema and show the real thing. Simply watching her reactions would be worth the trouble of developing a dimensional travel technology. And I would finally have someone to watch the horror movies with, she proved to be strangely resistant against that genre.

'You still want my part of that memory?' I asked, suspecting that she already forgot why we started doing this.

'What memory?'

'The patting illusion.'

'Oh... fine. You may keep it, but- You felt that?!' The elven girl tried to send me something inside her message, but I was unable to comprehend the attachment. It seemed to be a voice, or an emotion, or a warning, or a set of orders… whatever it was, my mind lacked something essential, something that was required to fully decipher that thing. I only knew that it got my companion really excited and full of hope. 'We need to move! It's our only chance!'

It was hard to probe inside her mind for a further explanation, maybe because her entire focus was converted into the movements of her soul flame. For her, it was all or nothing, and since I had no other ideas, I decided to follow her lead.

'Faster! Put every ounce of your reserves into moving!' She urged, unhappy that I still had a part of my focus directed to keeping my core self intact, and to a certain extend hers as well. 'I can't miss this chance! Don't make me regret taking you with me!'

'No. We will break into pieces if this turns out to be a false alarm.' My old habit kicked in and I refused her request, unwilling to trust her to such a degree. I felt that it was petty and stupid, but without knowing what exactly caused this sudden change in her behavior - even if she was convinced that it was our only hope - I was unable to break through this particular mental barrier.

Yet, I had no other alternatives to offer and knew that we were slowly reaching our limits.

'Idiot! Why do you keep such a glaring flaw in your character?! This is one of the 'do or die' situations, can't you see it?! Being careful is fine, required even, but don't take it to the extreme! Take my previous self for example, you want to become like that?!'

She easily sensed my immediate rejection of her words.

'Coward.' Her genuine wave of disappointment was incredibly painful.

The thing she was most unhappy with wasn't my reluctance to trust her but my hypocrisy. Previously, when I was trying to influence her core values, she listened to my advice, took it into consideration, and accepted it. But when it was my turn to change... I failed spectacularly, not even willing to check if there was any merit to her words.

And to think that I had been irritated with her double standards.

This realization hurt, but also finally pushed me toward the decision to correct myself further.

'... sorry about that.'

'You're lucky it's an emergency. Hurry up.' She wasn't satisfied with a single 'sorry' but ultimately accepted my apologies. The fact that I was about to risk tinkering with my core due to her words won me a lot of points.

My goal was to become a person who could accept a 'do or die' situation without trying to run away. The first step was the hardest one, that was why I first threw away a lot of my hesitation.

The following corrections… turned out to be very easy.

However, due to my newly found eagerness, I overdid it. Once I started removing various flawed memories and unnecessary values from my soul's shelter, it was nearly impossible to stop. After all, the memory that I had to correct myself ruled above all others, and I couldn't tell how many times I threw something away only to forget about it a second later and threw something else, convinced that I had yet to improve.

But she could.

'STOP!' Her sharp inner voice together with a painful sensation, as if she slapped my cheek with a metal glove, put a stop to my errant behavior. Then she immediately helped to collect the memories that were yet to be devoured by the river of souls and gave back some that survived under her protection. But I could tell that something vital was forever gone.

The sudden and unexplained feeling of loss pushed me into a confused and depressed state. I was about to start looking through everything that was left, hoping to find any hints that would help to pinpoint the nature of the missing element.

'There's no time for it!' Her angry reaction didn't help to stop me from gradually losing the clarity of mind - her inner voice was becoming more and more distant. She quickly realized that and made a desperate attempt to help me collect myself:

'B-brother… do you really want to leave your c-cute t-twin s-sister alone?' I could only imagine how much pride she had to swallow to send this one sentence. On top of that, attached to this message was a genuine longing for its content to become a reality, and a tiny question if she was the only one who felt this way.

Actually, she truly believed that this wish could come true.

Just having her call me 'brother' was more than enough to bring me back from the verge of oblivion. It convinced my sense of self that a strong connection to the person I used to be was still present, which in turn allowed to calm down.

Although, I would prefer a younger sister instead of a twin.

'Alright! All or nothing!'

'Good… you're going to pay me for this later. Now shut up and follow my lead, we're getting out of here.' Interwoven within her thoughts was a lot of joy. She was delighted that the crisis was averted, that we had some means of escaping, and that I removed my irrational fear of death thanks to her advice…

… I couldn't recall too many details about the last part, and it got me a bit worried, but she was right. Getting out of here as fast as possible should be our priority.

'Your wish is my command, little sister!'

'Shut up!'

A new point was added to my list of things to do - make her repeat that line three times in quick succession. But I couldn't tell why exactly this strange idea seemed so amusing.

***'s reincarnation turned out to be a big letdown. Not only it involved losing half of his memories, it also had another huge price attached. The ‘merciful goddess’ who fished him out from the river of souls, wasn’t merciful enough to provide a supply of new bodies free of charge.

Not to mention that his nameless soul wasn't compatible with the fantasy world, making him the only silver elf who was unable to cast the simplest spell. A very poor combination in the world where nearly the entire elven population was enslaved and silver elves were seen as a valuable commodity.

But not all hope was lost. Working directly for a goddess, even a fake one, came with a unique set of privileges. And he gained the access to something that could possibly help with the hard task of rebuilding the elven kingdom... as soon as he figured out the various rules behind each of those nightmarish doors.



**********





Release schedule - depends. I'm writing for fun and only when I feel like it so there may be long breaks between each chapter.

The cover does not belong to me.

I'm also posting this story on https://www.royalroad.com

The lake that was still dazzling a moment earlier then fell into a silent darkness.
Even though it was reflective like a mirror, it could not glow and produce heat energy on its own.
To normal humans, the world might be enveloped in absolute darkness. However, for the two of them, the darkness did not take away their sense of sight completely. Although it was blurry, Shen Lian saw that Ye Liuyun had a sword in his hand.
The sword was less than seventy centimeters, yet it gave off a dark green gleam, with an intense icy vibe.
Shen Lian closed his eyes, as though he could not stand the pressure from the sword aura.
Right when Shen Lian closed his eyes, he felt the dark green gleam of the sword headed right toward him.
Kuhui and Xiao Zhu were near and they saw the soaring sword.
Kuhui was surprised. He heard about the master celestial of swords. He knew how he could kill within ten steps and could travel for miles and not leave a trace. He just did not expect Ye Liuyun to be able to do this before he was even accepted into Celestialism.
Xiao Zhu was made aware of the difference between Ye Liuyun and herself. She was reminded of all the times that he let her have her way despite being much stronger than her.
Shen Lian took a step back and the sword missed him. However, the sword took a sharp turn and charged at him again from the other end.
Shen Lian was constantly moving, the soaring sword attacked him from every angle imaginable.
The moon that was once clouded by the dark cloud reappeared inch by inch. Shen Lian's body was akin to the shadow in the lake – a rock was thrown at it.
It was vibrating and ever-changing.
Shen Lian could feel the benefits from cultivating Being and Non-Being of Sword Aura. Besides his mastery of the impressive skill, he realized that his concentration got better.
Humans were wonderful that way. Through concentration, one could discover one's endless potential and could tap into pre-existing capabilities.
Shen Lian felt as though his heart had sunk to the bottom of the lake. With his extreme concentration, he could feel the track, speed, and changes of the soaring sword.
His movement was not exaggerated, it was barely enough to dodge away from the sharp tip of the soaring sword.
It was like he was walking through the mountain of blades and sea of fires, as though they were flat terrains.
Xiao Zhu and Kuhui saw Ye Liuyun controlling his soaring sword from a distance away with his essential Qi, through methods similar to 'catching the dragon, controlling the crane'.
Split, chopped, cut, stitch, pick, hooks, pierce, wear, wiping, sweeping, point, collapse, hanging, and cloud.
These fourteen sword techniques could form tens of thousands of combinations; it was a standard method to teach swordcraft.
However, when these techniques were used with a soaring sword, it was hard to defend against.
Shen Lian could dodge away from the soaring sword through his heightened spirit and increased concentration. However, that did not mean that he was not in any danger.
In such an intense battle, it would take just one mistake to kill himself.
His heart was too calm, to the extent that he forgot how deadly this battle was.
He observed the change in Ye Liuyun's essential Qi accurately.
Ye Liuyun still had energy within him, and his breath was not disturbed.
The soaring sword gave off gleams of icy light. There were layers of overlapping shadows, and the space available for Shen Lian's movement was getting smaller and smaller. Simultaneously, his movement got more precise.
"If they were born twenty years ago, I wonder what they would have attained by now. They might just be one of the holy deities," Kuhui sighed and spoke.
Within celestial schools, one might be able to find someone of their level of attainment amongst the disciples. However, their battle sense was not something that could be replaced by mere talent or potential.
The path of longevity was also the path of asura, one could never reach the Bodhisattva fruit without utilizing harsh methods.
The moon that was once clouded by the dark cloud reappeared inch by inch. Due to the reflective quality of the lake, the place gradually brightened up.
Xiao Zhu noticed that there were beads of sweat on Ye Liuyun's forehead. His expression was serious and stern.
Having known Ye Liuyun for all these years, this was the first time that she saw such a serious expression on his face.
She did not interrupt this time. She only watched the battle quietly.
She did not even know why she was not looking at Shen Lian, whom she found curious.
She was unaware of the saying, 'the deeper the hatred, the deeper the love', a saying that was often used in the context of a romantic relationship.
The moon shook off the dark cloud completely, both Ye Liuyun and Shen Lian saw it as the perfect timing for the decisive move.
Shen Lian drew his sandalwood sword. The sword was old, and the surface was bumpy and roughed up. It looked as though it could not even deal a clean cut on a tofu.
His movement when he drew the sword was smooth, it was fast as lightning, yet every move was clear as the day.
As though one was standing underneath a giant waterfall; the stream raced down from the top, crushing to the ground. It was an impactful and awe-inspiring sight.
When Shen Lian drew the sword, it felt as though life was instilled into it.
The wooden sword cut through the air with an abstruse track. At the same time, a wave of silver needles as thin as cow's hair accompanied by a sliver of silver-white moonlight, flew right at Shen Lian mercilessly, just as a torrent of the storm.
With a quick flick, the wooden sword deflected each and every one of the silver needles.
It was as easy as strong wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
Accompanied by a loud noise, a white ray of sword aura that was almost visible appeared with the speed of lightning.
The target - Ye Liuyun - was not far away.
Shen Lian sighed in his heart. After all, he did not manage to hold back. In a moment of life and death, he failed to calculate and keep everything under his control.
The wave of silver needles was one of the top hidden weapon techniques. It had a very cliché name –'Needles Sprinkled under the Stormy Sky'. Each and every one of the silver needles contained powerful essential Qi. Unlike what Shen Lian thought, it was not something that could be overcome easily.
Without the skill of Being and Non-Being of Sword Aura which was founded on some abstruse theory, Shen Lian would have easily been injured by the hidden weapon.
The best part about Being and Non-Being of Sword Aura was the abstruseness in its pierce that transcended mortal martial arts. It was close to being a supernatural power or Daoist technique.
Of course, Shen Lian had to put in his entire strength and pour in waves of essential Qi into the Being and Non-Being of Sword Aura.
That was the first time he used Being and Non-Being of Sword Aura in an actual battle. He could not promise that the Ye Liuyun could still be alive after taking on the sword aura.
Ye Liuyun's soaring sword flew at the sword aura, as though it was trying to stop the sword aura in its track.
He noticed that Shen Lian's spirit dampened after producing his sword aura as he picked up the scent of danger. That was why he decided to stop the strange sword aura before continuing with the battle.
However, reality always differed from one's wish. Before the soaring sword could do anything, the sword aura disappeared. By the time it reappeared, it was cutting close to him.
What was scarier was the absolute killing intent gave off by the sword aura. So scary that he found himself unable to move.
The Ice Jade that he wore sent icy breaths into his spirit, and he was able to react as fast as he could – he raised his hand.
In the end, he had to face the absolute sword aura that could break even refined steel with his body of blood and flesh.


What is a Daoist Master? One that is imageless in ten directions and vanishes in the six paths; unrestrained by the three realms and the five elements.                                                                                                                                           
After a day at the clinic, Dr. Li Feng met with an accident on his way home. When he regained consciousness, Li Feng found himself in the body of a weak teenage boy who was born out of wedlock, Shen Lian. Who was the father? The mother would not tell. A scripture he found among his mother’s remnants was the only thing he knew about his father.                                                                                                    
The mother came from a wealthy and well known family. When Shen Lian was recalled back to the Shen family, he was entitled for part of the grandfather’s inheritance and businesses. Despite the grand value, Shen Lian did not take a cent with him when he decided to leave the family. Why would he leave this comfortable life behind?                                      
His journey with this new identity brought him into this new world as he travelled between realms in search of knowledge to improve his Daoist skills. As he conquered trial after trial, would he become the chosen one? Will he succeed in becoming the Daoist Master? Only time will tell.

"THERE'S SO MANY people out and about town!" Alice gasped, turning her head to follow a little boy that was holding onto a candied apple that had rushed past her.

"Yes," Wyatt beamed, his eyes pressed closed due to his smile, crinkling at the corners. "It's always rather busy in the capital of Gladiolum." 

A day after the ball, Wyatt had suggested bringing Alice around the town square to soak in the sights. He personally had to do a little shopping and thought that it would be a wonderful chance for Alice to grow more familiar with the capital. She had been living with the Ragans for nearly two weeks and yet she had barely even stepped out of the mansion's walls. It was best for young ladies to enjoy their time around town with friends. Being constantly cooped up in the study room with Charlie wasn't exactly an ideal situation in Wyatt's opinion. Of course, not that Alice had ever complained.

Strolling through the cobbled streets, Wyatt pointed out some of his personal favorite shops along the way. They passed by boutiques selling beautiful ball gowns, stores selling sparkling jewels, and even quaint little cafes that wafted out the sugary sweet scent of freshly baked pastries. However, while Alice acted as though she was very interested in those, he could tell that was all it was. An act. She simply smiled and nodded to Wyatt's words, not once asking to step into any of those stores like he had expected. Yet again she had him colored surprised.

Just the thought brought a curving smile onto his lips. The girl that his family had chanced upon was most certainly different from the rest of the girls in the capital. She stood out in such a way that there wasn't any spare place for the others to shine. She was the lone star now, a happy and proud resident of the Ragan household. While still suspicious of her origins, Wyatt couldn't help but admit to himself that he was growing fond of Alice Clemente.

"Are you not interested in any of the shops I pointed out?" He prodded. "Those are all famous names here in the capital."

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed. Wyatt watched with his practiced smile as the girl's eyes widened delightfully, eyelashes fluttering like a pair of butterfly wings under the golden sunlight. Her lips parted just a little in surprise before she quickly gathered back her wits, shaking her head politely. "They are all wonderful shops. I just… I don't have any money to buy all those things. Looking through the store window is more than enough."

For years Wyatt had worn the same smile on his face. It was his perfectly crafted mask made to shield his true emotions from the rest of the nobles. No matter what he felt inside, a smile was always the answer to dealing with those that had to be schemed against. However, every time Alice spoke or made one of her silly little expressions, he found his smiles to turn true as day.

"Let us go into that one, then." Wyatt pointed to a little bookshop down the street, a corner store with a gleaming bronze sign. "There are some things I wish to purchase."

Alice nodded. "Alright," she said.

Although her expression remained as still as possible, Wyatt still caught the slight twitch of her lips. The sparkles in her eyes practically screamed of her excitement. She couldn't fool anyone. Even the blind could tell that she was particularly eager to enter the bookshop. 

The little bell that hung above the door rang when Wyatt entered the shop. Inside, there were no other customers, simply a store clerk that had a book in hand. A pair of round spectacles rested on his crooked nose bridge, his eyes scanning the words at an immense speed before he licked his finger and flipped to the next page. At the call of the bell, the clerk looked up from his book, squinting at the door before rising to his feet. The book was placed pages-down onto the counter, a smile upon his lips.

"Master Wyatt!" The old clerk greeted enthusiastically. "I was wondering when you'll be visiting next. The books you ordered two weeks back are finally here." 

"Greetings," Wyatt replied fairly. "And thank you so much for your help with those. It's nearly impossible to find them anywhere else."

The old man waved, his cheeks reddening just a little. "It's no problem. Let me go get them for you." Shuffling towards the back of the shop, the clerk disappeared behind a dividing curtain.

"Do you come here often?" Alice asked, looking around the small bookstore with great interest. At random, she pulled out one of the books from the shelves, her fingers tracing the title of the book on the cover, feeling the indented words on the hard leather.

'History of Gladiolum. Volume III,' it read. Alice had seen a similar history book in Charlie's study room before. Making a mental note to briefly read through the contents of the book, she slotted the book back to its original position.

"Hmm, I wonder." Tapping a finger to his chin, Wyatt looked deep in thought. "I guess I do visit this store a little more than the average folk. They sell writing supplies as well as books and I run out of the former a little too often. Besides, this store is the only one in the capital that can procure rare and often out-of-print."

Walking a little further into the shop, Alice glanced through the assortment of reading materials offered. They had both fiction and non-fiction books in the store, leaning closer to non-fiction books. Most books were new copies, their covers still brightly colored while others were much older and encased in glass covers. Those books seemed old and tattered but the words were still in dark black ink, most likely having been re-written over so that it wouldn't be lost to time. 

The one that had caught Alice's attention was a purple leather-bound book that was almost as thick as a dictionary. The title of this book was written in bright, glittery gold in thick block letters. A small sign that indicated the price of the old tome was placed beside the book. Alice's eyes widened at the number of zeros, her head reeling back a little in surprise. She still wasn't sure about how the currency worked in Gladiolum but with so many zeros, the book was bound to be expensive no matter the exchange rate.

'The Theory of Magic. Volume I,' the title wrote.

"Are you interested in that one? Ooh, that's a pricey one." Wyatt's voice was right by Alice's ear, causing her to jump a little, her ears tingling from his breath. Stepping away, she held both hands to her chest, staring wide-eyed at Wyatt who looked as amused as ever.

"Just looking," she answered before firing back a question of her own. "How much is that book? I don't really know how the currency works here."

"See that symbol over there?" Wyatt gestured to the symbol behind the number as he spoke. "That's the symbol for our currency, 'fleuron'. That's the larger of the two units that we have in our country's currency. The smaller unit is known as a 'flois'. Ten flois equates to one fleuron. To give you an example of its value, five flois can buy you a piece of stale bread at the end of the day in the capital's cheapest bakery, maybe? Books, on the other hand, are usually five to ten fleurons, if it's a common title that can be easily found."

Alice gulped. Judging by the examples Wyatt provided, the currency here in Gladiolum seemed similar to the system she was used to. A single fleuron held as much value as a dollar back home and a flois would be around ten cents. Her hands were starting to feel clammy as she stared hard at the price tag of The Theory of Magic. 

"And yet this book is…" she trailed off.

"Fifteen thousand fleurons," Wyatt finished the sentence for her chirpily.

Fifteen thousand dollars.

Taking another step back, Alice no longer dared to hover near the expensive article. If anything had happened to it, she wouldn't be able to pay the store back for the damages incurred. She had never seen a book as expensive or even half as pricey. 

"Why is this book so… so…"

"Ridiculously priced?" Wyatt supplied. When Alice nodded numbly, Wyatt chuckled. "This is an ancient tome about magic. There are only five copies of this book that was ever produced. But if you're really interested in this book, there's no need for you to fork out such a hefty amount just to read it. We have a copy of it back in the mansion's library."

Flabbergasted and speechless, Alice blinked dumbly at what Wyatt had so casually revealed. Although she long knew that the Ragan mansion was a sprawling estate with many different needlessly fanciful rooms, she hadn't even thought to think that it might house precious artifacts within its walls. 

In Gladiolum, it seemed as though the gap between its people was wider than the ocean. The rich lived in heaven while the poor couldn't even afford hell.

"Why don't you take a look around the bookshop and see if there's anything that catches your eye?" Wyatt offered. "If we don't already have the book back home, I don't mind making a few extra purchases. It's the least I can do for dragging you out here with me on such a warm afternoon."

Alice's heart skipped a beat. She braved a step closer, momentarily forgetting about the book in the glass display case. Cupping her hands together as if they were in prayer, Alice beamed.

"Really? Any book?"

Wyatt's smile didn't falter. "There's no budget, if that's what you're asking."

Alice wasted no time. Her feet went scurrying across the dark wooden boards of the store, quickly scouring the bookshelves in search of any title that might help her or catch her fancy. Her fingers ran down the spines, quickly pulling out a few covers that had caught her attention, some fiction and some not. She had a feeling that most, if not all, of the non-fiction books were already available in the Ragans' library but there was no harm in bringing the books over for Wyatt to look through. These books will become her survival guide in this foreign world.

As the store clerk returned to the front counter, Wyatt slowly made his way over. However, he was still gazing in Alice's way, watching silently and bemused as the girl darted from shelf to shelf, climbing ladders and bending low in search of more. There were already over seven books in her hands and she only ever added more to the collection.

"My," the old clerk exclaimed. "I've not seen anyone so frantic for a good title since you first came to my humble store years ago. The old ladies at the bakery next block over will go mad once they hear that the young Master Wyatt is no longer single."

The white-haired man chuckled. "She's just a curious little bird my brother picked up a while back."

The old man shrugged, unconvinced, but he didn't say a word more on that topic. With a heavy thump, he placed three thick books onto the counter, the covers in the three primary colors. The titles were all written in gold, large block letters.

"This set was a little trickier to find as compared to your other requests but there you go. Though, Master Wyatt, don't mind this old man prying but are you sure you want to dabble in this subject? There's always a price to pay when you go against the laws of science."

"I can pay whatever price the world throws at me," Wyatt casually remarked. Picking up one of the books carefully with a gloved hand, he examined the old cover, grinning with satisfaction. "Besides, I'm just completing my collection. With these, the set will now be complete. There's no need to worry, sir."

"Oh well," the old clerk sighed, pursing his lips. "If you're sure, youngin. Let me wrap these up for you."

Tottering away, the elderly went to retrieve a few sheets of brown wrapping paper and some strings to bundle up Wyatt's purchases while waiting for Alice. 

Partially leaning on the counter, Wyatt continued to observe Alice. She no longer had the strength to carry the books she had picked out. Instead, she placed most of them on an empty table by one side. The stack of books was almost taller than she was and yet she continued to hunt for more, her eyes practically dripping with avarice.

'How peculiar,' Wyatt thought to himself. 'She is unaffected by fanciful dresses or glittering jewels and yet dusty old books can bring her into a craze. What an odd woman. She is most certainly a woman before her time.'

❝I want you to visit me even if it's only in your dreams.❞ 

Gifted a candle that was said to be able to make wishes come true, Alice Clemente burned it that very night only to find herself in an unknown world the next morning. 

She had wished for a life of adventure away from the city and its routine. With her wish granted, she was whisked away to a world very different from the one she grew up in. 

Thrust into a new life, would Alice learn how to adapt? Or would she fall down the rabbit hole only to never surface again?

Work of Fiction

This is a work of fiction. Names, Dates, Place, Actual Events are either product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious matter.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead and actual events are purely coincidential.

Do not distribute, publish, transmit, modify, display or create derivative works from or exploit the contents of this story . Please obtain permission.

REALization was Written by Sh4k3speare. All Rights Reserved 2018. 

Note:

Some of the parts are unedited. But it'll be edited soon. I am reminding you, this is my story, dude. Mine's concepts, controls, and ending. Be ready, I've got something behind. lol. Enjoy!

prologue


Pagkamulat ng aking mga mata ay sumalubong sa akin ang isang nakakasilaw na liwanag. 

"She's already awake,"

"Mukhang gising na nga siya,"

"I think, she's ready,"

Napabalikwas naman ako mula sa pagkakahiga. Ngunit bigla na lamang sumakit ang aking mga kamay at binti. Oh crap. Nakatali ang mga kamay ko!

Muli 'kong ipinikit ang aking nga mata at saka ito binuksan. Mas luminaw at umayos ang aking paningin kaysa sa kanina. 

Wires, mechanicals, test tubes, and so many men at work are here. Para kaming nasa isang malaking open spaced room dahil sa sobrang lawak nang kuwartong kinapapalooban namin.

Saka ko lang naalala kung bakit nga pala ako na'ndito. 

"Pakawalan niyo ako!" Sabi ko habang pinipilit na kumawala sa mga kadenang nakatali sa aking mga kamay at paa. 

"The specimen is ready, she should be sleep before the extraction," Boses ng isang lalakeng may garalgal ang boses mula sa likod ko. 

"Ready the elixir!"

"Check the controls!"

"Make sure that everything'# ready now."

"Subject extraction for Source 022, push in!"

Pinilit kong tumalikod sa kaniya ngunit mas lalo lang lumala ang sakit ng mga nakataling bahagi ng aking katawan. Argh! I need to leave this room!

I tried to scream out and hope that they will do what I have said. "Get me out of he---"

"Ahh!" I screamed in pain. There's something they put inside me that made my body numb.

"Help me!" fuck!

This day will be the last day that I will grimace in pain. And I, Citizen Qien Zxie Callahan will work with my vengeance. 

Hindi ko na alam ang nangyari nang bigla na lamang akong naka amoy ng isang kakaibang hangin. Matapos non ay unti unting tumuklap ang aking nga talukap, hanggang sa mawalan na ako ng malay.

itutuloy...

-Sh4k3speare

Monday. 

Haru didn't skip school but went honestly to his school since he needed to prepare for his event. He had talked about catering and he only needed to set up a promotion at the school. He had prepared the poster that he would place on the announcement board later.

"Is this the poster?" Runa asked. 

"Yeah," Haru answered. 

Runa nodded and seemed to be satisfied with the poster. She looked at Haru who was in his disguise with his black hair. She knew that this guy was quite famous, especially when his photo appeared on the television during the news of his acquisition of a newspaper. She suddenly remembered something and said, "Do you need investment?" 

"....." Haru was speechless and said, "What investment?" 

"Your website. I'm not sure what you're planning, but I'm sure you're planning to do something," Runa said. 

Haru raised his eyebrow and said, "The website is on the initial stage. I don't need an investment for the time being." He also didn't need that much money to manage this website by himself. 

"What are you going to plan with that website?" Runa asked. 

"Nothing. Let's talk when the website is popular," Haru said. 

"But your website is popular?!" Runa said while twitching her lips. She didn't know what Haru was planning, but she smelled money from him. 

Haru knew that his website was quite popular since he had a lot of fans on twitter and when he posted the link of his website on twitter a lot of people started to open it at the same time to read his novel. 

His website was similar to an internet community for readers and writers to publish new user-generated stories in different genres, including classics, general fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, poetry, fan-fiction, spiritual, humor, and teen fiction.

However, it was only his first step since he also wanted to change it to a video-hosting website. He needed to raise his money first through his investment company later. 

"How is the preparation?" Haru decided to change the topic of conversation. 

Runa snorted and said, "It's done. We have gotten permission from the student council." She smiled and said, "Anyway, who dares to stop us now." 

"We're not a student council. We also need to pay a tax to them for this event," Haru said with a sigh. He really hated it when his cake was divided again. 

"That's true." Runa nodded and said, "There is a week before the show. You need to be patient." 

"I am very patient," Haru said. 

"Haru. Do you have the continuation of both Sword Art Online and 5 Centimeters per Second? I am very hooked on both of them. If possible can you also give me the Dragon Zakura too," Runa said with a bright expression.

Haru nodded and said, "You can read it soon." 

"Eh?!" Runa pouted and kept complaining. 

Haru ignored her and only patted her head to stop. 

They stopped bickering with each other when the class started and they were listening to the teacher even though they didn't need to either. In this school, the academic wasn't that important after all and the most important thing in this was the ability to gamble. 

Haru knew that the position of student council was the most important and the most authoritative position in this school. He didn't care much about this position, and he had never thought to create wealth using a gamble in this school since all of them in this place were students and they hadn't worked in society. When they lost money they used the money of their parents and the amount of money wasn't that much unless they were rich. 

Haru was quite happy since the money that he had won from both of his gambles had entered his bank account. He had decided to use this money for an investment, especially for gold since it was on the rise. 

'2009, huh?' 

Haru knew that there were a lot of butterfly effects that were happening in this world when he was reincarnated since he had seen a lot of things that didn't appear in his last life such as Love Live. He didn't know why such a show where a high school student competed for each other to become the best idol in this country. He knew that this show had a lot of potentials and he thought that it would be good to use this show to promote his Instagram. 

His Instagram was quite good and the number of accounts was steadily increasing. The only problem was he needed to do something to promote this app to North America. 

'The problem is China.' 

Haru knew that social media such as Facebook and Instagram were being blocked by the government of China. He knew that it would be hard to enter China's market. He needed a partner and let them manage Instagram in China by themselves since the market of China was too tempting. He shook his head and decided to not think too much now since his economic power was too low. 

Haru looked at Runa who was taking a picture of herself using a smartphone and he also saw that he was on the frame. He also saw a familiar app on her phone and asked, "What are you doing?" 

"Oh, I am taking a photo." Runa uploaded her photo and said, "Do you have an Instagram?" 

"...." Haru was speechless but also felt happy. "I have it." 

"Really? Let me follow you," Runa said. 

"Sure. I'll follow you back," Haru said. 

Runa didn't expect Haru to have an Instagram account. She was curious and decided to look at it. She was speechless when she saw it. "There are a lot of girls." 

"Yeah. They're my friends," Haru said. 

"...." Runa squinted her eyes while looking at him suspiciously. 

Haru decided to not say anything and changed the topic of conversation. "Now is the break, let's go and meet Kirari." 

Runa kept looking at him but nodded in agreement. 

Haru was wondering whether he had raised Runa's flag in the past.

10 chapters / week

---

He has been reincarnated, he thought that he didn't have a cheat until suddenly he noticed someone invite him on a group chat.

[Do you wish to join Dimensional Chat Group?]

MC: "Accept!"

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Cover not mine, it's from anime Yosuga no Sora

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Grammar sometimes sucks but bear with it.

https://discord.gg/Q3MFzds

If you want to tell me there is a grammar mistake.

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https://www.patreon.com/akikan40

Maybe I'll full of energy to write your favorite fanfic.

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