What happens when two worlds collide. A runner and a hi-caste K-sec Lieutenant officer run into each other after faith has been in prison for 2 years.

Andrea Caputo was a girl who worked as a chef at Serra Restaurant, her parents died and left her and her little sister sick sister alone, one day coincidence brings her and Luca Serra the leader of one of the biggest Italian Mafia together, but also the coincidence has once brought her with the FBI agent Owen Jones when she's put between her little sister and prison what is she going to do?

Luca Serra, one of the most feared Mafia Capos, everyone who dared to say no to him ended up dead, but one day he puts his sight on the best chef at his restaurant, Andrea Caputo when he knew about her sister, he took advantage of her, but what will happen when he finds out that she has been arrested.

Owen Jones, one of the best FBI agents, he was an orphan until one day, a loving family who couldn't have kids, adopted him, but they were killed when he was 18 years old and he knew who was responsible for that so he decided to go after them and became an FBI agent, but what will happen when life gets him and Andrea Caputo together.

this is the story of Andrew’s journey on how he became the world’s largest pp from being the smallest.

All over the sky, thunderclouds were pushing down fast. Wu Qi and Princess Zhang Le stood under the dark clouds with hundreds of generals from Dong Hai Province. The lightning lit up their bodies, and the twinkling light made their faces flicker like evil spirits.
Three days had passed since Emperor Haozun convened a grand council of courtiers in Liangzhu, and the purge of rebels within Great Yu had only just begun. At the moment, Wu Qi was leading hundreds of generals and tens of thousands of soldiers from Dong Hai Province to attack the very root of Jiyi Clan, a famous clan of Great Yu.
Jiyi Clan was an honorable clan with the blood of the Sacred Emperor, Xuanyuan. It was considered a collateral branch of Great Yu's imperial clan. The clan's overall strength was extremely powerful. It controlled virtually all the various artisan workshops under the Directorate of Celestials, and was responsible for the production and storage of all ordnance and armaments. Therefore, Jiyi Clan's wealth was only under Emperor Haozun, and of all the powerful clans in Great Yu, it was the most extravagant clan with the most lavish lifestyle.
The long enjoyment and carefree life had turned Jiyi Clan into an almost pure merchant clan. They did not care about the power struggle in the imperial court, neither did they care about anything outside of Great Yu. They were only concerned about whether their mansions were luxurious, whether their concubines were beautiful, whether their maids were luscious. Their whole energy was devoted to enjoyment, so the Jiyi Clan was almost the first one to betray Great Yu.
Over the years, by relying on the advantage of being in charge of ordnance production for Great Yu, Jiyi Clan had secretly skimmed off large quantities of rare materials each year and sold them to the Heaven and the Buddhist League. These materials, which were considered precious even in Pangu Continent, were the most valuable treasures that were enough to make people risk their lives in outer heavenly realms. And yet, the Jiyi Clan had secretly sold them to the outsiders.
As the price for their betrayal of Great Yu, the people of Jiyi Clan had received a lot of spirit pills that could prolong their lives, and countless luscious and beautiful female immortals whom they could use freely as forbidden mistresses. And each generation of their patriarch and elders were secretly taken away at the end of their lives, then received initiation from those Primordial experts who crippled the cultivation bases of the human race they had cultivated since young. Finally, they had their fleshly bodies remade in the Eight Treasures Lotus Throne of the Buddhist League, which gave them the physique of cultivators.
At present, there was an immortal clan in charge of immortal artifacts production in the Heaven, and their surname was Jiyi!
It was a total betrayal! Because of the betrayal of Jiyi Clan, the immortals of the Heaven were able to obtain the materials enough to produce at least three to five Primordial artifacts every eon, many of which were rare materials that were not produced and could not be found in the outer heavenly realms. But, they were all secretly sold to the Heaven by the Jiyi Clan.
Shocked and awed by Emperor Haozun's boundless killing intent at the court, the patriarchs of the powerful clans who knelt down and confessed their crimes had been imprisoned in the Secret Palace's divine dungeon, then tortured and questioned about what they had done. Before the Jiyi Clan, more than thirty powerful clans had been slaughtered, and because of its tremendous wealth, Emperor Haozun had specifically asked Wu Qi to lead an army and annihilate the Jiyi Clan.
"All of the wealth found after the destruction of Jiyi Clan belongs to King of Dong Hai alone!" It was obviously Emperor Haozun's extra reward for Wu Qi, and naturally, Wu Qi welcomed it with open arms. He hastily assembled hundreds of generals with the cultivation bases of the Second Pangu Heaven, as well as hundreds of thousands of soldiers of varying overall strength from Dong Hai Province, then retrieved large quantities of heavy ordnance from the armory of the Directorate of Celestials to attack the Jiyi Clan.
The present Jiyi Clan did not have Supreme Oracles. They had, after all, evolved into a merchant clan. The strongest members of the clan were the few sons-in-law who possessed the cultivation bases of the Second Pangu Heaven. A clan like this was extremely easy to annihilate to begin with. But, no one expected that the Jiyi Clan had actually constructed a powerful formation in their very base, one that was clearly a product of the immortals.
The ancestral land of Jiyi Clan was situated between three hills, a basin about two hundred miles in circumference. Originally, the small basin was inhabited by only about a thousand core members of the clan and tens of thousands of servants. But, as their patriarch was thrown into the divine dungeon and Emperor Haozun had issued a decree to execute the Jiyi Clan, the total number of people who sought refuge here, including the members from both lineal and collateral branches as well as servants and guards, had increased to over five hundred thousand.
A pale golden light blanketed the entire basin, and on the peak of each of the three hills surrounding the basin hovered a cloud of purple smoke. On every purple cloud were nine round mirrors, about a thousand feet tall each and shining with a cold light. Snakes of lightning could be seen slithering back and forth around the edges of these bronze-colored mirrors. When the mirrors trembled occasionally, countless golden rays would shoot out of them. The rays unleashed by twenty-seven mirrors interwove into a huge net of light, slicing anything along the way into pieces. The broken bodies of nearly a thousand soldiers from Dong Hai Province scattered messily all over the place were to the credit of these golden lights.
Wu Qi had led an army to attack the Jiyi Clan. At Huang Liang's order, who was in charge of the campaign, hundreds of thousands of soldiers fell into a neat formation and charged toward Jiyi Clan's ancestral land. But, the mirrors suddenly emerged on the peak of the three hills, and numerous beams of golden light came falling down toward them. As a result, nearly a thousand soldiers at the head of the formation were silently sliced into chunks of meat the size of fists by the golden light without even having the chance to let out a single cry.
The sudden attack of the golden light caused Huang Liang to hastily order the army to retreat three miles back.
Wu Qi hovered midair as he exercised his Chaotic Divine Eyes and saw a fat middle-aged man over a palace at the heart of the basin, furiously scolding a few young men in Daoist outfits, whose faces were pale. Clearly, when the few young men saw the army charging at them, they hurriedly activated the formation, but the golden light had only killed about a thousand soldiers in the end.
If they could let the army come a little deeper, the formation could at least kill over eighty percent of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Dong Hai Province. This was the reason why the fat middle-aged man was scolding them now. They had wasted an opportunity to inflict heavy losses to Wu Qi's army.
Wu Qi snorted coldly, then muttered under his breath, "You should be thankful that your Jiyi Clan has a stroke of good luck, for you've only killed slightly over a thousand men. If you had really caused serious losses to my army, what awaited you would not just be a pure slaughter. There are many ways to die... Well, since you've killed some of my men, I'll kill you all by cutting and slicing each of you a thousand times. If my men get hurt again, you'll realize that being dead is better than being alive!"
Princess Zhang Le nodded seriously. A little irritated, she glanced at the remains of the soldiers who had been killed, then gritted her teeth and grumbled in a low voice, "Such heavy casualties... How much is the pension we need to pay?"
Even as Wu Qi was stupefied by her remarks, the frustrated princess had pressed both her hands down, causing the thundercloud that blotted the sky to smash down like a massive wall. The cloud blanketed a region in the void that was hundreds of miles in circumference; when it was less than ten thousand feet from the ground, it suddenly shot out countless bolts of lighting, each as thick as a water bucket. At that very moment, it was as if a forest of lightning had grown out over Jiyi Clan's ancestral land. The dazzling lightning pierced the formation of golden light and blinded the eyes of the countless people in the basin.
The twenty-seven mirrors began to tremble violently. Under Princess Zhang Le's terrible attack of the thundercloud, they let out cries of agony. The biggest advantage of this formation was that it could borrow the endless energy beneath You Xiong Plain to fight against enemies equivalent to the level of Gold Immortal. But in the face of Princess Zhang Le, who was already a Primordial expert, the formation's power was just too weak.
Amidst the mirrors' cries, countless beams of golden light towered into the sky, trying to rip the dense thunderclouds apart. But, the avatar of the God of Thunder floating over the princess had only raised both hands and swung them down toward the basin, following which countless thunderclouds immediately came whistling over from all directions. More bolts of lightning shot out of the thundercloud that was thicker and heavier now, converging into a sea of plasma that flooded the entire ancestral mansion of Jiyi Clan.
Huang Liang, standing on the crest of a hill, raised his long knife high up and cried out at the top of his lungs, "Our Lord Mother's divine abilities are formidable, her magic power is boundless, and her lightning magic is earth-shaking! When are you, a bunch of evil clowns, going to surrender if not now?"
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Dong Hai Province raised their weapons at the same time and roared in unison. Amidst their wild roar, the twenty-seven mirrors could no longer withstand the attack of the lightning Princess Zhang Le had summoned. The energy within the mirrors was smashed to pieces, and the surfaces of the thick and the heavy mirrors cracked like a spiderweb. Soon, they all exploded along with a deafening rumble.
Wu Qi gently waved his hand, and hundreds of thousands of fierce soldiers swarmed into the basin immediately like a tidal wave. One after another, the countless members of Jiyi Clan screamed and yelled in despair as they began to flee in all directions like some headless flies. However, since even the formation was destroyed, how could these people, whose cultivation bases were so weak, have the opportunity to escape?
In addition, Wu Qi had opened his mouth and unleashed thirty-six Kunwu Swords which transformed into huge swords of light about a few miles high and stabbed into the ground around the basin, completely locking down the entire region. After that, it was a complete slaughter. Soldiers rushed into the basin with sharp swords and knives, killing everyone in there regardless of their gender, age, or status.
Blood spilled all over the ground, slowly turning into a few crimson rivers and then pouring into a nearby great river. About an hour later, the river, which was tens of miles in width, had turned completely blood-red. Columns of fire rose into the sky from across the basin; the despairing members of Jiyi Clan had put their ancestral mansions to the torches, burning everything and themselves into ashes. However, as buildings in Great Yu were all constructed of boulders, the result of the burning was not great. No one knew how much oil of the merman had the Jiyi Clan wasted to cause such a great fire.
Similar fires could be seen breaking out from countless places, both near and far. The powerful clans who were loyal to Great Yu had raised their butcher knives toward those who had betrayed Great Yu. Just as Wu Qi was slaughtering Jiyi Clan, tens of thousands of other clans were struggling and wailing in raging flame and blood.
All the people of Baihuang Clan, the once most powerful clan in Great Yu, were killed, except Baihuang Mo and a few others from the clan's collateral branches. Hundreds of Supreme Oracles from Baihuang Clan were executed by revered elders from the Secret Palace. In the face of these revered elders' attacks, they were extremely vulnerable without their Supreme Towers, their strongest fortresses.
Wu Qi glanced around; his Chaotic Divine Eyes allowed him to see things that were happening in great distance.
He saw that in the barracks of You Xiong Army, groups of soldiers and captains were dragged to the edges of large pits by those private soldiers and guards serving the clans loyal to Great Yu. They then raised their weapons and killed the ones who harbored ulterior motives against Great Yu, before throwing their corpses into the pits.
Large-scale resistances broke out in some camps, but revered elders from the Secret Palace immediately launched bloody crackdown on these rebellious soldiers and captains. The resistance of the army rebels was so feeble and laughable under the Supreme Oracles' means who could exterminate everything.
Suddenly, a heaven-shaking cheer erupted from the army of Dong Hai Province, who had rushed into the depths of Jiyi Clan's ancestral mansion, and then Huang Liang's loud, excited void could be heard, "My Lord, we've found Jiyi Clan's treasure vault! So many treasures, so many good things!"
Wu Qi roared with laughter as he pulled Princess Zhang Le's hand and quickly flew in the direction of Jiyi Clan's ancestral mansion.


He who steals a hook gets hanged as a crook; he who steals a kingdom becomes a duke. 
Those who steal the world and the hearts of the people become a Divine Immortal.
The Dao of the universe is boundless, and the will of mortals is limitless.
Follow me and watch how I alone use my hands to steal the heavens!
Translator's synopsis: An unexpected discovery in Machu Picchu has transported a young professional thief from Earth to a world filled with mystical powers and evil plots. With his beloved teacher and best friend killed during the calamity, his only goal is to become stronger, so that he can take revenge for them.This is a novel filled with politics, the struggle for power, evil beauties, and of course, Divine Immortals.  
*Warning: Erotic scenes inside...

The Truth Department, the office of the Head of the Think Tank Group.
It was furnished relatively simply, and the only special thing about it was the large number of mirrors.
There was an old bronze one on the table, with an antique look about it.
All of the walls had modern dressing mirrors leaning against them.
There was even an oblong one behind the door. All of the mirrors had old words carved around it, "Use bronze as a mirror, so you can tidy up your appearance; use history as a mirror, so you can know the rise and fall of kingdoms, use people as a mirror, so you can better know yourself." (TN a quote by Chinese Emperor Tang Taizong)
"The Power of Fear?"
The owner of the office, Ren Ruofeng, looked thoughtfully at the report handed in by one of his subordinates.
Zhao Han had been re-educated before, and he was a pretty honest character. That had been the reason he had confessed everything, clearly and easily understood.
After having finished his confession, he asked to be released earlier so he could continue updating his novel…
Ren Ruofeng made a simple remark, 'the other worried too much.'
He was a high-level person, with an intelligence of 99 points. He had immediately understood that it had been a sham, using novels to accumulate the feelings of readers, and the target was their Power of Fear.
Zhao Han himself was clueless, apparently someone else's tool.
The emotions usually produced by humans had different qualities; admiration, fear, joy…
The totem was produced using the collective emotional power of admiration.
Similarly, this Power of Fear can be wielded, powerful in its own right.
As he pondered, the white jade pig sculpture in his mind heated up again.
Ren Ruofeng felt resigned, and summoned it out.
The white jade pig flipped onto its back in a stretch. "Your wife wants to talk to you. Come on, do it quickly. I want to sleep."
Tian Zhu's voice emerged. "Brother Feng, Daqing has returned the sow sculpture. It has seen how Brother Dragon God slayed the demon. Shall I send it over? "
Ren Ruofeng was delighted. One of the best abilities of the sculpture was investigation and communication, which was very much helpful in his military-advisor role.
He said immediately, "Well send it over, Zhu Zhu, quickly."
When he had finished watching the seemingly vague, yet really incredible video, Ren Ruofeng was astounded.
The Venerable One could produce a pair of Heavenly Eyes, seeing through obstacles and aiming straight for the heart of the volcano to destroy the trap laid earlier by the Snake Demon. That had been the turning point.
Lately there has been intelligence inferring that he was cultivating the Path of Heavenly Punishment, but not the Path of Massacre nor the Path of Death.
This inference was probably right, and combining this observation with that concerning the Merciless Path before now, as well as the appearance of the Heavenly Eyes, the vast improvements the other made in terms of strength was absolutely undeniable.
If so, then both sides would not have any clash on ideology, and he was quite relieved.
After all, he did not want to pit his intelligence against such a fighter for justice, especially when he had owed the other so much.
With this, an idea he had had for a long time could be implemented.
China belonged to the Earth, and if something happened to Earth, China could never be left unharmed.
He finally decided that the GASATO, a department constantly looked over, needed a reshuffle.
What should he name it?
Yes, maybe he could call it the Alliance of Justice and Order.
It should be set as a civil alliance, so it would be easier for communication and tweaking. Here in China, the Venerable One could be the head. He was the Eastern Pharos, who else but he could be the head of the Alliance?
Plus, for the fighters of justice in the other countries, it was time for them to shine and work.
Ren Ruofeng felt reassured at this. Unknowingly, the responsibility for the safety and peace of the world now needed to be burdened by China…
For people at his level, they would understand it best. The bigger the responsibility, the higher the power and the advantages coming from it…
...
Vigilante A's farm villa in Qi City was rich in greenery, full of life.
In May, the flowers competed among each other for their beauty; the trees grew tall and shady.
This was where all righteous heroes assembled, where no evil dared enter.
Wherever the Eastern Pharos was, light would spread all around.
Well, according to the true owner of the villa --Fang Ning, it was the best place to hole up in during the dangerous days of the New Era.
This day, he received a message from Zheng Dao.
"The Truth Department had already investigated thoroughly. That man was truly a tool of the Snake Demon to accumulate the Power of Fear. He had acquired this ability after seeing an image.
Zheng Dao then sent in a picture.
The two heads of the Snake Demon had died so easily, so Fang Ning was confident that he would not fear the remaining six.
However, when he saw the strange purple snake head hidden in the mist, he subconsciously shivered and dared not look at it again.
How could this mysterious creature, existing in no physical form, be destroyed?
Fang Ning pointed to the picture. "Sir, do you know how to kill it?"
The System replied curtly, "I don't."
Fang Ning had already anticipated this. Sir had always farmed monsters showing physical forms; and as for strange, unseen things, he had never given those a whit.
Well, the truth was that it was not intelligent enough to find the root of all those things, which made it ineffective.
If it had worked hard for a week and only managed to farm a little Demon messing around, Sir would probably go insane…
Sir's favorite pastime was like when Daqing labored hard and found the source of the Confusing Mist. It had ran from far away to hunt down the monsters, spending more than ten minutes to finish off the two great monsters. Those two monsters had contributed 50 million experience points each.
Sir had used up much of its experience, but he had now regained 440 million.
These strange, unseen things were not rare, especially after the fire meteor last year. Many queer things had happened in many areas. From the sale of all sorts of protective amulets, he could accurately prove this the needs of the people cannot be faked.
The Sir had never cared about that.
However, if the monsters came crashing in of their own accord, then Sir would be absolutely delighted.
Fang Ning especially could not care, since he would barely have time to hide. His attitude towards those horrifying things was always refusal to help.
"Throwing away the responsibility…" Fang Ning said unconsciously.
The System said, "What do you mean, Host?"
Fang Ning rolled his eyes. "I mean, we should learn to use these experts effectively. Different tasks need different people. You wouldn't understand anyway even if I said it…"
The System replied, "I understand. You just want to foist your responsibility on someone else…"
Fang Ning said defiantly, "How can this be called foisting? Can a boss doing his task be called foisting? Doing everything on my own is a sign of foolishness on my part."
The System continued, "Who do you plan on asking to do this task then?"
Fang Ning altered the direction of his thoughts. "That's it, use this as an opportunity. Next time anything strange and unpredictable comes up, hand them all over to Xue Ba. It's smart and powerful, and knows how to hide itself. Hidden, it cannot be found easily.
"It has learned the Atmospheric Morality Technique and also has extra Morality to protect itself; not to mention it has the ability of burrowing. Who else but it has this many advantages? If there's any sudden danger, there's still the Thousand-mile Assistance to help it."
The System "When Boss puts it like that, the yellow dog is really suitable for the job."
Then, the Yellow Dog Xue Ba, currently having a secret rendezvous with a white Labrador, suddenly had a light in his eyes.
The white canine asked, "Eh, Brother Xue, what's happening to you?"
Xue Ba said gleefully, "I suddenly had a sort of motivation. It must have been an important duty from the heavens. I have finally waited till the day when I could put all my powers to use."
The white canine looked at him adoringly, praising him, "Then Dan Dan would give her congratulations to Brother on getting a chance to put your great goals to practice and quick rise to the top."
At that moment, a certain Black Dog lying in a corner nearby named Brett was glancing covertly at them. When he heard it, he irritatedly stood up, shaking his head briefly before leaving.
'Why am I strong and able, yet no beautiful dogs admires me?
'That time while working outside China, I had met a gorgeous intelligent foreign dog. Why had her eyes lit up at the sight of me, yet she had hesitated before running off?'
With this question in mind, he found a patch of grass and started cultivating in order to release his confusion and sadness.
Zheng Dao, reading nearby, smiled with relief at the sight.
At least those Hundred-mile Celestial Hounds have good attitude. They never worried for long, but worked hard and cultivated every single day without needing him to answer any queries.
Truly, no matter human or dog; the more stupid ones could find happiness more easily.
Soon, the Venerable Dragon God called everyone for a meeting.
Fang Ning handed a picture to the yellow dog, together with the promised Space Bangle. That one had been found in Qi Mei's collection.
He then pronounced, " Xue Ba, this is the cause of the whole disaster. Get the details from Butler Zheng. When you have found it, make sure it no longer comes out to wreak havoc in the human realm. And after this, all cases of strange happenings will be handed over to you."
Xue Ba happily took the Space Bangle and wore it on one of its front legs. It gleefully showed it off to Black Dog, yet realized the other was distracted. It could not help but feel slightly disappointed.
It took a look at the strange picture, turned its pupils about then said firmly, "Sir, who else but me can do this sort of thing, a test of IQ and knowledge? I promise to finish this mission. Only, I hope to have some extra supplies in case of anything."
Fang Ning was a generous boss. He was not that sort of boss who wanted his horses to run fast yet never fed them (TN this is a Chinese idiom meaning a stingy leader who wants his workers to work hard yet does not give enough incentive).
He said gently, "Whatever you need, just ask. As long as it's in my power, I'll meet them."
The Yellow Dog observed his mentally-absent counterpart, then said, "Master, I don't need any expensive or luxurious things. I've heard that blood of black dogs is the best in warding off evil forces, so it'll be good if Brett could regularly supply me with some."
Fang Ning admired the dog. He had found so many advantages the dog possessed, yet here it was taking the chance to give itself insurance. The Black Dog shivered. 'What? Did I hear that someone wants me to donate blood?'
It shot a look of resentment at the Yellow Dog, using its gaze to send a telepathic message "Yellow Boss, why are you so cold-hearted? You are a winner in both love and business of canines, yet you can't even let me go?"
The Yellow Dog said with gravitas, "Serving our master is a god-given duty. You had always eaten and cultivated well here, not to mention you're an aristocrat of the Earthly Hound Clan in the Upper Realm. Your blood can definitely ward off evil. Sometimes, you are even stronger than me with my Morality. This is me giving you a free shot at achievement. Your hematopoietic ability is strong, and your donating blood every year can make you strong and healthy.
"Agree of your own volition, and Master will be very happy; it may be helpful in the future. Who knows, he would get you one of those Spirit Fox gals."
The Black Dog thought it sounded pretty logical, and nodded its head bemusedly.
It then stretched out a paw, saying voluntarily, "For the sake of supporting Master's great vision, I won't stop at anything, even having my organs crushed and smeared onto the ground. My blood is nothing? Leave it to me."
He thought for a while. "Oh yes, I have had Chef God Fang to make meals out of the great serpents for Chong Daqing. You can eat with it, and any required extra food can be supplied by me. Go rejuvenate your body."
The Black Dog was exultant. 'Well, Old Yellow did not lie. That broth made out of the great serpents is a very rare dish indeed, and no ordinary person can have it.'
Having arranged everything accordingly, Fang Ning re-entered his System Space contentedly. He believed that with Xue Ba's IQ, it could definitely solve this problem and find the source. And then, all he needed was to send out Sir System. That was what a boss would do.


Procrastinator extraordinaire, Fang Ning, had lost his consciousness after banging his head on a night of celebration. He woke up to a realization that he no longer had control of his body, as a System had taken it over. Will he eventually regain control of his body or will he be trapped in his body forever? How does he maneuver this situation? What's in store for Fang Ning?

When Lin Sanjiu spun around and jumped back to face the intruder, she showed some hint of a feline's agility and precision.
As she tightened her jaw, she glared straight at the intruder with her large amber eyes.
From a glance, Lin Sanjiu could see that the intruder wasn't a resident of Red Nautilus.
The residents from Red Nautilus had a very particular vibe that made them stand out. Since they dwelled in a highly developed city, their horizon was broader. They were very friendly, and their outfits were so bizarre that the word odd was a modest description to represent their daily costume. However, due to several reasons, such as fluctuation and unstable supply of resources, problems faced when applying for visas, and tyranny dictatorship, most—if not all—of the residents of Red Nautilus were relatively sensitive, and they always had the anxious expression on their face. 
The intruder that stood in front of her, however, didn't have any of those characteristics, and instead, he seemed to be pretty lax.
He was wearing a plain colored, not-so-clean trench coat that covered him like an enlarged bamboo hat from his neck to his ankles, leaving only a pair of black canvas shoes exposed to the air. His skin was fair. He had a pair of bright red lips, two distinct brows, and two bright beady eyes. There were a few veins that bulged from the back of his palm, and when he tilted his head, his bob-cut style hair cascaded down, making it even more difficult to distinguish his true gender. 
From a first glance, this young lad had a typical look. The only thing that wasn't normal was his two pointy, elf-like ears. That particular detail stood out and confirmed Lin Sanjiu's conjecture that, like her, he had also been altered after going through the distorting mirror. 
Lin Sanjiu couldn't tell whether or not he came into this pocket dimension via Red Nautilus, or if he came from another apocalyptic world. She had never heard anyone mentioning this person to her before. The thing that worried her the most was that she couldn't gauge his combat capabilities.
He wasn't a gloomy, deep person like Puppeteer, nor he was a rough, brilliant person like Hei Zeji; he was normal. Like a pool of clean water without any impurities, nobody was able to discern any useful information about him.
He didn't falter in the slightest even though a fierce woman was staring at him and managed to hold his sloven demeanor and a warm smile on his face. When he talked, his voice was very soothing to the ear and somehow effeminate, "Oh, I'm sorry did I scare you? Don't worry; I'm just passing by."
As he spoke, he pointed his finger at the mirror behind Lin Sanjiu, seemingly giving Lin Sanjiu a hint that he was going through the mirror and that she was blocking his path.
"Should I ask him for some information?"
Biting her lower lip, Lin Sanjiu didn't make any sound. After having a good time of tousling with herself in her mind, she moved aside.
Perhaps she was just paranoid, but her gut feeling told her that if there was a person she should never pry for more information, that person had to be the young lad in front of her.
Right now, the mirror was very near to Lin Sanjiu. If the intruder was somebody with trust issues, he might have asked her to move away a little bit more, but the young lad wasn't. With a bright, beaming smile, he nodded politely to Lin Sanjiu and walked toward the mirror, confidently.
This was the kind of confidence that flowed naturally from a perennial winner.
"He must be pretty full of himself," thought Lin Sanjiu.
In the mirror, a portly version of that young lad walked in the opposite direction toward him. Very soon, they met each other.
The room inside the mirror chamber wasn't large. When the young lad passed by Lin Sanjiu, he stopped, turning his head to face Lin Sanjiu and said, "Since destiny has brought us together, why don't we do fate a favor and exchange names? I'm Ji Shanqing, and you?"
It was the kind of normal request that nobody would say no to. After pondering for a while in her heart, she then replied, "I'm Lin San—"
Much to her surprise, she couldn't utter the word "Jiu," from her mouth regardless of how hard she tried. The word just stuck in her throat refused to come out as if something bad would happen if the word ever slipped from her lips. The young lad was a bit blown away. Apparently, he couldn't understand why a girl like her would take on a name like "Lin San." Despite that, he maintained his civility and responded, nodding in the process, "Well, nice to meet you. And, good luck!"
Then, Ji Shanqing touched the mirror and vanished.
"Oh, he's gone."
"You're Lin San?" Mrs. Manas popped out as soon as the young lad disappeared into the mirror, "May I ask when Miss Lin San changed her name?"
"Oh please," Lin Sanjiu was caught in between laughter and tears, "Do you still remember the [Scrooge McDuck Power]? Anyway, I haven't the faintest idea how it happened, but the word "exchange" seems to have triggered the effect 1, the one about I'll be getting a discount on any trade. Thanks to the effect, I couldn't even spell out my name completely. What a joke."
Mrs. Manas couldn't hold herself and burst into a peal of laughter. She even choked on her saliva—as if she really had some—and coughed twice.
"Judging from how happy you are," Lin Sanjiu let out a breath, "I can assume that the experiment went pretty well?"
"Well, I won't say it's bad, but the result is favorable to us." Mrs. Manas calmed herself down and moved on, "I didn't expect it to be so successful on our first trial, to be frank. Anyway, the whole process of atomization has been successfully recorded."
"So what should I do next?"
"Nothing; you don't have to do anything at this moment," said Mrs. Manas confidently, "Right now, let me analyze the data. I'll extract the changes and process of the atomization and reconstruction processes. Next, you may use your consciousness to stimulate the process. Of course, you can't stimulate the atomization process, but I think it's enough if you at least could learn how to control the mutation caused by the "Neuhume" genome."
"Okey-dokey," replied Lin Sanjiu halfheartedly since the task wasn't truly tough, and she was quite confident with herself in controlling the "Neuhume" genome.
As if she'd sensed a change of attitude in Lin Sanjiu, Mrs. Manas continued, with a stern tone, "But first, you have to put away your skeletal wings. The mirror chamber is too small for them, and we'll be in trouble if they accidentally crush any mirrors here," She wasn't happy with her, so she tried to talk even more seriously to knock the thing into Lin Sanjiu's head, "I believe that at this point you should see the light why Horse-Face wanted you to break the mirror, no? Try to think about it; each of these mirrors is a particle reconfiguration transmitter, and they can be activated simply by touching them. This means that if you want to break them, you have to touch them, so here comes the question: What would happen to you when the atomization took place as the mirror shattered into pieces? Have you ever consider your chance of surviving? Even if, for God's sake, you have survived the atomization process, what would you be at that time? Would you be still considered a human?" 
Lin Sanjiu folded her wings even tighter after listening to what Mrs. Manas had said.
When Lin Sanjiu finally realized that a mirror controlled her fate of staying a human or turning into meat pulp, all her hair stood on end.
"Better that Horse-Face prays to God that he will not meet me again," Lin Sanjiu cussed under her breath, "Otherwise, I swear the next time I see him, I'll crush him through the mirror."
Back to the story, aside from putting her wings away, she still had to look for the mirror chamber that holds the grand prize.
She was clueless as to where to find the grand prize, and all she knew was that the grand prize resided in one of the mirror chambers. If she continued to roam through the mirror chamber without proper planning, she thought after a year; she might still be here, running like a headless chicken locating the grand prize.
"I can't employ the [Higher-Consciousness Mimicry] now, can I?" Lin Sanjiu asked. Although she knew full well that it was impossible, in her heart, she was hoping for a green light from Mrs. Manas.
"Are you kidding? Of course, you can't! After one time mimicking Nüwa, your consciousness and vitality are dropped to zero. Put aside other things, what would you do if you were in your weakest state and something bad happened? So, no. Never you think about it." Mrs. Manas refuted. 
"Guess I have to depend on my pathetic tiny brain to think of a way, then." Lin Sanjiu sighed as her eyes swept across her surroundings.
Similar to the previous three mirror chambers, she couldn't tell the exact shape of this particular mirror chamber. Aside from the three mirrors overhead and the two under her feet, there were sixteen other mirrors that formed the walls. 
When she first time came across the diamond building, she found that the building wasn't quite a perfectly crafted diamond. Rather, it was more like a zagged, shapeless, and twisted ball. 
"So I can assume that the mirror chambers inside the building were built according to the irregular ball?" Her brows knitted together tightly as she seemed to have caught something useful.
She lifted her eyes and studied the mirror which Ji Shanqing used to leave just now.
The young lad pointed to the mirror behind Lin Sanjiu the second he arrived in this mirror chamber, and he hadn't in the least considered going through any of the other mirrors. Wasn't that just weird? With the knowledge that you would turn into what you had gone through, a healthy man would've thought twice before choosing the one he favored the most, right?
Not to mention that somebody was standing in his way to the mirror he had chosen. However, Ji Shanqing did the unthinkable; he didn't change to another mirror and instead braved through the possibility of getting into a fight by asking Lin Sanjiu to move aside.
Why would he go as far as that? Unless he had a solid reason that he must go through this mirror.
Lin Sanjiu's gaze jumped back and forth in between the "exit" Ji Shanqing had chosen and the mirror that he came from. Suddenly, she realized that the two mirrors weren't quite facing each other directly. Nevertheless, that mirror Ji Shanqing went through was the only mirror that could be counted as the opposite of the mirror where he came in.
"Could it be!"
Suddenly, the scales fell from Lin Sanjiu's eyes, but she didn't have enough time to think about it. A female voice resounded in the silent mirror chamber, startling her.
"10,9,8,7,6..."
"Damn it, the countdown!" 
The time was running out fast, and she didn't have enough time to do her marking with her blood. Hence, she attempted a different tack. She crouched down and punched the mirror under her feet. When she saw the crack on the mirror, she hastily charged toward the mirror that Ji Shanqing had gone through.
It was only a blink of an eye, and she fell out from the mirror on the other side. This time, she had turned into a stumpy and plumpy ball.
Glancing at the mirror chamber from a new eye level, the mirror chamber appeared to be larger, but she knew it was just her eyes playing tricks on her mind, and she could only attribute this misconception to her new height. As she had shrunk to nearly half of her original height, she needed an extra few seconds to get herself used to see from a lower level. 
After she had enough taking in the structure of this mirror chamber, she strode, without any hesitation, toward the mirror opposite of her. As she walked, she didn't forget to put on her shoes.
She already had a good grasp of Ji Shanqing's method. It could even say that she thought in the same way as Ji Shanqing.
Although all the mirror chambers had different shapes, their structures were limited by the area and space of the "container" outside. Hence, they could only line in the shape of a sphere, albeit it might not be perfectly round. 
At the same time, being "sucked" into the inner region from outside insinuated that the first mirror chamber, which was the starting point, must be near the outer wall of the building while the first mirror she came in should be pointing directly at the center of the diamond building. 
At this time, all she needed to do was to figure out which of the mirrors had the largest angle with the "entrance mirror." Then, by following the angle, she would find the first "corner." When she found the first corner, that meant that she had located the mirror that had the highest possibilities of aligning on the same side as the "entrance mirror."
However, there was a deadly flaw in this method, and she couldn't apply the same method after she entered the second mirror chamber. Although tracing the "edge" was the golden rule of this method, if she was no longer walking by the edge, it meant that she had lost her only guideline and the consequence was that she would definitely lose her way in the mirror chamber. 
When Lin Sanjiu finally returned to the mirror room she first entered, she knew that she had walked around the diamond building already. Indeed, this method was a bit tedious its was the best method she knew in existence if she wanted to find out more about the diamond building.
Regardless of the consequences, she should go through the mirror opposite of the "exit mirror" starting from the second mirror chamber.
Back then, she didn't think that much when she first entered, and she basically randomly picked any mirror based on her gut feeling. By right, she shouldn't be able to return to the first mirror chamber anymore, and she shouldn't know about the angle theory; however, the fortune goddess hadn't abandoned her and smiled upon her because she met Ji Shanqing.
Clearly, the androgynous young lad was utilizing this method to proceed further into the diamond building, so all she needed to do was retrace his route, and she would definitely found her way back to the edge.
Then, once she arrived there, she would be on her own.
Since the shape of the mirror chamber was asymmetrical, it was tough to find the mirror that sat perfectly opposite of the "exit mirror." There were times where she had to take out her [Female Bondage Rope] to measure and figure out the correct angle. At this point, Lin Sanjiu felt relieved that the person who had lost his or her dog leash had refused to buy her bondage rope.
After she had bitten her finger a few times, she suddenly had realized something.
"Why don't I use the knife!" Lin Sanjiu suspected that the idea of using the knife to do her marking never came across her mind was that her brain had been occupied by the maze-like mirror chamber, "Jesus, I almost run out of blood…"
After she drew a crooked "13" on a mirror, she marched toward the mirror opposite her.
After familiar darkness had engulfed her, she was stunned when she opened her eyes.
Ji Shanqing's exquisite yet androgynous face swam into her sight. He no longer had the amiable expression and his face was clouded with anxiety and worry.
"Seems like both of us are using the same method, huh," He understood everything the moment he saw Lin Sanjiu. Then, he sighed, "We're both wrong. The path ends here and we can't proceed any further. Look at it yourself."
This was a mirror chamber built in an isosceles shape, and Lin Sanjiu came out from the bottom of this triangular shaped mirror.


Lin Sanjiu is a normal woman in modern-day society. Everyone admires her outstandingly handsome, gentle, and rich boyfriend. However, Lin Sanjiu feels vaguely afraid of this "perfect" boyfriend. She's always felt that her boyfriend looks at her like she's a tasty piece of meat...

The transformation happened one night. Sanjiu got into an argument with her boyfriend, and he finally revealed his true colors. As it turns out, he was a being with special abilities from an apocalyptic world who wanted to eat Sanjiu to help him evolve. To his dismay, he ended up being the one killed by Sanjiu with her hidden abilities instead.

However, Sanjiu's troubles don't end with her dead boyfriend. In fact, the world she resides in is starting to go through unusual changes. This world is becoming a scorching hot hellhole...

   Xenos Waters sits beside Mr. Balanius and Felix on a large couch in front of an older-looking woman in a crisp black suit, golden-rimmed rectangle glasses resting on her nose and her grey-brown hair in a neat bun on the top of her head. Overall, Xenos thinks she looks more like an important business woman than an Illusionist. 
   She takes a sip from a teacup filled with steaming coffee, elegantly placing the cup back onto its small plate with a quiet click. "So, is this the boy I need to transform?" She asks, cold grey eyes staring at Xenos' scaled face and making him fidget with the mask in his hand.
   "Yes, ma'am," Mr. Balanius says respectfully. "I'm willing to pay extra for secrecy."
   She scoffs, taking another sip. "Any respectable service provider will keep their mouths shut about their clients if they want more business."
   Mr. Balanius smiles. "Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your willingness to see us despite the short notice."
   "You were just lucky one of my clients cancelled today, don't think I will do this again," she warns, placing down the now empty teacup and plate on the table. She stands up, straightening out the minimal wrinkles in her suit. "Follow me, boy." She proceeds to walk towards the door behind her armchair, steps quick and heels clacking sharply.
   Xenos scrambles out of his seat, basically jogging to reach her right before she opens the door, revealing a small room covered with mirrors on every single surface except the floor and single hospital bed in the centre. He steps inside and the Illusionist closes the door, locking it with a single click. 
   "Alright," she points at Xenos, "strip down to your boxers."
   "W-What?" Xenos asks, feeling his face flush as he takes a step back.
   She sighs, tapping her foot against the floor. "How am I supposed to create an illusion of you if I don't know what you look like. Now," she snaps her fingers, "hurry up."
   Xenos hesitates for a moment but does so, tossing his armour, mask, and clothes onto the hospital bed. The Illusionist begins to pace around him, looking at him up and down along with his reflection in the mirror. She pokes and prods at certain spots of his back, chest, and legs, making Xenos wince each time.
   After what feels like an eternity, she steps back, glancing at all the mirrors one last time before closing her eyes. She lifts up her hands and begins to gracefully move them around in a seemingly random way, snapping at random times until grey mist begins to come out from the palms of her hands, very similar to Mr. Balanius' golden smoke.
   He watches the mist swirl around him until that's all he can see, shivering and closing his eyes as the mist begins to seep into his skin. When the sensation stops, Xenos opens his eyes and glances at his left hand, disappointed to see that it's still covered in scales. "Did it work?" Xenos asks, looking up at the Illusionist.
   She scoffs at the question. "Of course it worked, do you think I'm an amateur?"
   Xenos quickly shakes his head. "No, ma'am."
   "Good." She nods. "You won't be able to see the illusion, neither will Uzaire or that other boy, but it is there. You will need to see me once a month to strengthen it, otherwise, it will fail. Do you understand me?"
   "Yes, ma'am." 
   "Then get dressed." She turns on her heel and walks over to the door, unlocking it before stepping outside and closing the door behind her. Xenos stares at the door for a moment before putting on his clothes, armour, and mask, considering an illusion will do nothing to dull his scales. Once he's done dressing up, he opens the door and sees Mr. Balanius shaking hands with the Illusionist. 
   Mr. Balanius turns to Xenos. "Come now, we still have to get you two some familiars." Xenos trots over to him and Felix, following them out after thanking the Illusionist. As they step onto the street, Xenos once again sees a lacertus walking with people in black leathers, except this time one of them as a quiver on their back along with a bow.
   "Who are those people?" Xenos asks, looking up at Mr. Balanius and gesturing to the people in leathers.
   Mr. Balanius looks at the people. "They are called Tenebrous Riders, they ride the lacertus and hunt for mana beasts during the night. All of them are skilled in archery, and most of them have a bloodline either relating to wind or darkness."
   "Doesn't tenebrous mean dark or shadowy?" Felix asks, bewildering both Xenos and Mr. Balanius. 
   "Yes, actually. I'm quite surprised you knew that," Mr. Balanius says.
   Felix shrugs. "My English teacher loved to teach us words that most people didn't know about."
   "Well, those words are going to come in handy here. Do either of you know Latin?"
   They both shake their heads. "Well, I'd suggest learning it. People over here love to use Latin words to name things, for example, Magna Salices means Large Willow, while lacertus is a mashup of the Latin words for 'lizard' and 'cat'."
   "Okay, we'll keep that in mind. Also, what exactly is a lacertus?" Xenos asks, watching as that shiny lizard-like tail disappears behind a building.
   "A lacertus is, as you know, a black panther-like beast with a lizard tail and feathered wings. The adults of the species are obsidian-tier, which basically means that they're average when taking into account all of their physical and magic abilities. They're nocturnal and can be found in the Acri Ventus Mountain Range, which is to the east of the Ploratus Lowlands, the region we're in currently. They can use minor wind-based magic and are able to see in the dark."
   "They are also very agile and are highly resistant to wind magic," Felix chimes in.
   Xenos blinks. "That counts as average?"
   Mr. Balanius shrugs. "For this world yes, for yours, it could probably wipe out multiple towns singlehandedly."
   Xenos shivers. "What tier was the dhabeho?"
   "Also obsidian," Mr. Balanius says, even Felix looks interested in this information. Seems he doesn't know every beast. "They have very high offensive and defensive abilities due to their scales, they are also very stealthy, which is common for creatures from the Inanis Nebula Chasm region, and they can see mana trails." Xenos is just now able to truly comprehend the danger he and Felix were in. "However, they have no mana to speak of and aren't that fast."
   "What's the difference between a creature and a beast?" Felix asks, making Xenos realize that Mr. Balanius had used different terms for the lacertus and the dhabeho. He had been more focused on how terrifying the dhabeho truly are.
   Mr. Balanius smiles. "Surprised you noticed that. A beast is a natural creation, just like humans, and they have mana cores. Creatures, however, don't have mana cores and," his smile falls, " they're man-made."
   "Someone made those things? Why?" Xenos blurts out, appalled.
   Mr. Balanius is quiet for a moment. "I'm afraid I'm not allowed to say just yet, if you manage to pass then I will. Just be aware that creatures are only in the Inanis Nebula Chasm, in that region, there are only around ten to twelve species of beasts remaining."
   Silence falls, making Xenos and Felix turn to look at each other with wariness and confusion. They walk like that for a few more minutes, each of them stuck in their own thoughts. Xenos can't begin to imagine what destruction an obsidian-tier beast could bring onto his world, much less a beast of a higher tier. 
   He can only be grateful that the creature that attacked him and Felix was only an obsidian-tier, if it had been higher, well. . . he's sure he would either be kidnapped or dead right now. Xenos snorts suddenly. Well, he's technically kidnapped right now and will more than likely be dead in three months, all he's doing is prolonging the inevitable. 
   "We're here," Mr. Balanius says, making Xenos blink his thoughts away and look up at the barn about a hundred meters in front of him. It's large and painted an earthy brown, the triangle roof light grey in colour. There are barrels and crates stacked neatly right of the door, and lots of weeping trees surrounding it from the sides and back. 
   He can see a group of young-looking lacertus playing around in the front, along with other young beasts doing their things in the front and back yard of the barn. The older beasts are laying under the shade of the weeping trees, sleeping or watching the young beasts play. Some of the beasts have the features of animals he knows, but each of them are different in one way or another.
   There's a sudden, loud eagle-like screech from above them.

Xenos Waters thought he was a normal seventeen-year-old boy, aside from the obvious things.

Namely, his parents being in jail, living in an orphanage, and, of course, the voices in his that occasionally make themselves known. But, other than that, he assumed his life was just as boring as the average person's.

That is, until one day he enters his high school and a horrendous creature is waiting for him and this other guy, Felix Zevitas, fulling intending to kidnap them both for some reason. This is probably when things started to majorly go downhill.

Since right after they escape this creature, a random man ambushes them and tells them that if they want to survive and control the magic they apparently have, they have to fight eighteen other people in a three-part battle to the death.

Seriously, what kind of bullshit is this?



Thundur landed gracefully on the opposite side of the portal, finally reaching the intended destination; the Scorched Ruins. 

Here, the hot and dry air was hellish. Broken-down pillars, walls, and other structures stood inside a large circle of rocks, enclosing the ballroom-size ruins. Beyond the rocks was a seemingly endless sea of churning, sinking sand. With no natural shelter, the sun was practically blinding. It was nearly impossible to breathe without getting a nose full of dust and sand, especially with the wind stirring it up. 

Nothing at first glance, she thought. That could easily change, though. 

She heard Leiytning reply in their mind. 

Be sure to keep your aura senses sharp. Someone could ambush you easily, especially sandworms. 

Good point. 

Staying alert, Thundur began stalking through the ruins. 

She had to step over many shards of broken glass, which were caked in dirt and dust from years of being in the desert. Along with the glass shards, there were also tattered black flags and faded designs etched into tablets. Some concepts were familiar, thanks to an old friend Leiytning kept. 

"The victims of early extinction," Thundur murmured. "I can't say I miss them. But I do suppose, either way, it isn't fair. Nobody deserves that kind of fate. To watch your own kind disappear..." 

Thundur quickly shook her head, clearing her mind. 

Eventually, she stopped, standing at the front of a structure that was still mostly intact. Three walls, two partially sunken in the sand, enclosed a large space. More mirrors were still hanging on the walls, though most were layered with dirt and other desert debris. Less sand was able to get past the walls, though, so a few of the mirrors remained reflective. 

Nothing. Perhaps it was a false alarm. 

Or it ran off. Either way, I think it would be alright to- 

Leiytning's voice suddenly cut out. 

Hey, what's wrong? 

No response. 

Leiytning? Is something wrong? 

When there was still just silence, Thundur became anxious. Nothing was strong enough to break the telepathic bond between blood twins, besides the blood moon, yet she couldn't reach him. No matter how hard she thought, nothing happened to make him reply, and she could even feel an odd strain on her spirit. 

Thundur breathed deeply. "Maybe he had some business to attend to? That better be it. Either that, or the dope is just ignoring me." She grunted. "Yes, that makes more sense." 

'Shing...' 

Thundur's ears pricked, and she took on a defensive position. She looked around suspiciously, slowly drawing her whip. 

From there, she cautiously moved toward the inside of the structure, staying close to the wall so that nothing would sneak up on her. Every little tweak made her flinch, and her hands were clutching the weapon tightly; she was very much on edge. 

Soon, she spotted something strange on the opposite wall. A glowing symbol etched into the rotting stone. Several lines and shapes made it seem very complex. 

She muttered, "That's a very powerful ward. I doubt I can use magic, here, and it managed to break my connection with Leiytning. What would a mage with that kind of power be doing here?" 

'Crack!' 

Thundur flinched again. It was clear; whatever had come here was nothing usual for such a dead place. But then, through a hole in the wall, there was a flash of silver and violet, which put things in perspective. 

She growled, "What are you doing here, twit? This is a sacred place for an extinct race. It is forbidden for scum like you to enter." 

"Is that so?" 

From the shadows of the ruin, Corelia revealed herself. She was holding a large sword that shimmered with a violet aura, and all but her head was covered by silver armor, with violet shoulder pieces and the Aubade Emblem (a rabbit's head) painted on its front. The armor had strange engravings on it. 

"Since when have you gotten into complex magic?" Thundur interrogated. 

Corelia sighed, "Two-hundred years of failure only proved a point. We were getting nowhere with what we had. If changing the weapon didn't work, we would take the extra steps to change the enchantments. Soon, we'll see if it pays off." 

Thundur glowered, whereas Corelia gained a taunting smirk. 

"What your brother saw in my palace was our 'less successful' attempts. My poor daughter just didn't have the patience to wait things out." She raised her ornate sword. "This, what you see before you, is what we've been working on for a longer time." 

"And it will still fail," Thundur spat. "Now get to the point. Why are you in the Scorched Ruins? You're annoying enough when fighting in our usual arenas." 

"To have an advantage, of course," Corelia responded. "Wind elementals are vulnerable to earth attacks, and aura elementals are vulnerable to fire." She pointed outside. "Sand, stone, and much heat. Besides, nothing ever happens out here, so no one would get suspicious of something big." 

Thundur growled under her breath. "Son of a bitch..." 

Corelia laughed, "Finally catching on. Yes, Thundur, you've fallen right into a trap!" 

Thundur's eye narrowed. "Let me guess. You want to destroy me and my kind, so we fight in a battle. Then we both walk away with only a few scars. You know, this charade really is getting old." 

"Not this time," Corelia retorted. "My new armor makes me invincible. My new weapons will tear through your bones. You've already lost, so just give me what I want before I force it out of you!" 

"What do you want?" Thundur interrogated. "To know about our Hysteric Demon?" 

"Forget that," Corelia spat. "I only targeted that to convince Kita she did enough, and I didn't deny learning an extra advantage while we had the chance. As far as I'm concerned, you can keep that evil to yourself. It's too risky to meddle with, anyways. This time, the main idea is simple." She impatiently flipped her sword. "You can either open that portal and take me to your rats' lair, or you can watch your own blood paint these sands." 

"You want to get to our fortress?" Thundur growled. 

Corelia waved dismissively. "I'll make it even simpler than that. I need four easy targets. Traitor, sadist, runt, and whore. More specifically, Kita, Leiytning, that green-eyed fool, and you. The others are obsolete, and can be cleared out in due time." 

"I won't let you near my brothers," Thundur spat. "And Kita is one of us, now. The only way you'll get to them is if you kill me first." 

Corelia raised her sword. "Your wish is my command, demon." 

Without a warning, Corelia charged Thundur with intense speed. Thundur, surprised, barely evaded the blade's edge as it just grazed her side. 

However, Thundur was still faster. 

Just as Corelia spun back, her sword ready to slice, Thundur unfurled her whip and caught the blade just as it came within reaching her chest. She lashed the whip, yanking the sword out of her opponent's hands, and one more fling of the rope shot the blade back. Corelia attempted to avoid, but grimaced when feeling it slice her neck. 

Thundur tossed the sword aside, then lashed the whip out again, catching the sylph by the neck. The studs dug into her flesh, and its grip was constricting enough to make her gasp for air. 

"Nice try," Corelia spat. 

She ripped the whip from her neck, then grabbed and threw both it and Thundur aside. From there, the rally went by in a flash; Thundur moved with grace and majesty, treating this like a deadly dance, while her whip stuck and lashed like a snake. Corelia came close many times, but failed to break through it. 

Eventually, Corelia charged again, the blade's tip aimed straight at Thundur's spine. She hastily moved, but Corelia's improved speed allowed her to leave a long gash across her chest. Although it wasn't serious, the wound burned like fire or molten steel. 

Damn curses, she thought. What the hell is this? 

Corelia reared up, but Thundur swiftly moved away. 

As a safe distance was established, either of them recollecting their weapons, Corelia let out an amused chuckle as she flipped the blade. 

"Isn't it lovely?" She scoffed. "This sword is forged with magic properties I managed to collect. It burns the blood of the demonic, truly a relic of vanquishing evil and darkness. No demon is safe from it." She braced herself with a battle stance. "And in a few moments, that's what will be lodged on this blade!" 

Sure enough, Corelia followed that with an onslaught of violent attacks, and Thundur worked hard to avoid them and strike back, using light-fast movements. Sure enough, just as Corelia planned, she was still slower than usual. It seemed the heat and sand gave her an unexplainable hindrance, but her relentless nature didn't let her stop. And while her efforts weren't in vain, they also didn't make much of a change. 

The second Corelia threw one attack, she blocked the counters and threw another. Just as Corelia braced for a fatal blow, Thundur ducked and countered with a heavy strike to the legs, making Corelia stumble to her knees. Thundur slammed the handle of her weapon into the side of her head. 

Corelia was panting, gripping at the side of her head to ease the throbbing in her temples. Meanwhile, Thundur braced to offer a suffocating fatality. 

"Enough games," Corelia growled. 

Just as the whip cracked down, Corelia grabbed it with her gauntlet-clasped hand, throwing the rope aside. She slashed her blade upward, but Thundur barely avoided. 

Corelia regained her footing. "How are you still standing? You're crazy; you've always been cr-" 

A look of shock crossed Corelia's face. It looked as if someone had stabbed her, though Thundur hadn't done anything yet. 

"That's it, isn't it?!" Corelia snapped. "To think the answer was right there the whole time, huh? The 'psychopath' rumors, the snakes, and the red eyes- I finally understand the names. I know who created your weapons. I know who you call on when things get too rough. I know who it is!" 

Corelia lunged at Thundur, trying to stab her, but she avoided and parried well. When Corelia tried to hit her again, she lashed her whip, having it coil around the blade of her sword, and held it so that it wouldn't hit her. 

"Don't worry, though," Corelia continued. "I can promise you, I won't be using it any time soon." 

Thundur quickly released the sword, then hit Corelia again, forcing her to fall to her knees. When Corelia tried to get up, Thundur already darted behind her, ready to land a hit on the neck. The sylph spun around and grasped the whip before it landed. 

Right after, Corelia shot her blade out, plunging it into Thundur's gut. 

Thundur's eye contracted with shock, burning shockwaves pulsating from the wound that bled profusely. Blood began welling up in her throat and mouth, and she started to lose feeling in her limbs. 

Corelia spat at her. "Let's see how you like being stabbed, you ratty whore." 

Corelia tore the blade out of Thundur's vessel, then grabbed her by the neck, holding her off the ground. Thundur struggled by digging unsheathed claws into Corelia's arm, but to no prevail with armor in the way. 

"I gave you a chance to save yourself," Corelia warily remarked. "I said that you could be spared." 

Thundur made a repulsive choking sound. "S-Stay away...f-from my..." 

"Enough," Corelia retorted. 

Suddenly, Corelia threw Thundur across the arena. Thundur hit the wall, shattering a mirror in the process, then fell facedown to the ground. Before she knew it, her limbs were very numb, her vision was blurred, and her ears rang. Despite the desert conditions, it was slowly becoming colder. 

Corelia's eyes narrowed. "Just wait. I've learned one thing over the years. Where there is one struggling twin, the other will come running to save it, futile or not. This time, I wonder if he'll take a certain apprentice of his with him?" She sneered, "The three of you can rot in whatever hell you worship." 

"Bitch," Thundur spat, blood escaping her mouth. 

Corelia paid her no consent, just slinked into the shadows, lying in wait for the next demons to ambush. Meanwhile, Thundur saw her own blood pooling around her, and her trembling digits, straining to hold onto life. Darkness cornered her vision. 

But instead of using her strength to heal herself, she only focused with all might. 

Leiytning, please...If you can somehow hear this, don't come for me. Y-You have to stay away. Don't let her do this to you, too... 

Just as she exhaled, everything went black.

In a nameless world, the Aubade Sylphs are the largest race with the most powerful kingdom. Their residents live in harmony and happiness. Except for one pariah, Kita Rein. With only two friends, no family, and a very bad reputation, her life has been a struggle. As she starts to experience feigning madness, though, she gets closer to breaking. In her desperation, she begrudgingly accepts the challenge, following a discreet path. It leads to her beloved and kind queen, Corelia Erxina, and her revealing the story of strife, misery, and a war that's been waging with the dangerous tribe behind it. Kita ignores the warnings and sets off to find a cure and explanation, but the world beyond Sybilius is ruthless, cold, and chaotic. Notorious demon masters, Leiytning and Thundur, are more than happy to prove just how worthless and feeble she is out here. The answers she wants are buried in the darkest corners of this land, and finding them will take more effort than she ever imagined. Leaving her to question, can she find them before succumbing to the danger, or her own madness? Or will demons claim another victim?

Feng Bujue continued to move forward. The scary encounter from before did not affect him at all; he powered on like usual, feeling no extra pressure. It did not take him long to reach the end of the tunnel, to a cramped and damp underground cellar.
There was a jail door inside the cellar, which was nothing surprising. In olden times, the cellars of these types of large houses were normally used as a jail, and now it was used as a place to store a coffin before its burial. The floor and walls were carefully covered with a copper layer. The iron jail door was surprisingly heavy. As it swung open, the chain would create a sharp creaking sound. There was a coffin sitting in the middle of the room. Standing a few steps away from it, he shone his flashlight on it. The coffin lid was not nailed shut. In fact, the coffin was not even fully closed.
Feng Bujue walked through the door, but he did not hurry to open the coffin. Instead, he used his flashlight to shine around the room. He did come up with something. On one of the walls, he found another stanza to The Haunted Palace, and this time, it was written in blood.
But evil things, in robes of sorrow,
Assailed the monarch's high estate;
Ah, let us mourn! For never morrow
Shall dawn upon him, desolate!
And round about his home, the glory
That blushed and bloomed
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.
 "Hmm… It's the fifth stanza, it seems," Feng Bujue mumbled after reading it.
The system audio came soon after, "Side quest updated."
And the quest detail became "Find all six The Haunted Palace. Current Progress: 3/6".
Feng Bujue walked over to the coffin. Holding the flashlight in one hand and his other gripping into a fist, like knocking on a door, he tapped on the coffin lid three times. "Hey, Miss Madeline, are you there?"
It was unclear where the man had gotten that name.
…
As time moved on, Invincible Champion's Terror Points grew to fifteen percent and stabilized around that number. The reason for his panic was not because he ran into an actual monster but because, after searching around for a while, he could not find a way to leave the second floor.
Each corridor, each room, the paintings, lamps, and decorations looked so unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time.
The building showed spatial anomalies because it was much bigger inside compared to how it looked from the outside. The length of the corridor seemed to change at any minute as well. When he went down the corridor, counting the number of the doors, he would get a different result every time. So far, Invincible Champion had not reached the end of any corridors. Whenever he thought that he had reached the end, there would be a new corner or a junction.
The exhaustion to Stamina Points when walking was negligible. Only when the player was walking for a long time would the deduction be noticeable. This was different from real life. If you had someone walk barefooted for just twenty minutes, he would feel tired already; forty minutes, and his legs would feel pain; more than one hour, and he would have to pause and rest. Of course, in this case, the person used as an example was a normal man, not a professional athlete.
This kind of tiredness was accumulative, and the longer it gathered, the more obvious it became. Corroded by fear, the reaction became conspicuous in Invincible Champion. When he saw his Stamina Points lowering at an observable speed, he did not stop to think calmly but chose to increase his speed.
He was not exploring but running. There was a feeling that if he did not do something soon, he would not only be trapped there, but also once his Stamina had lowered to a certain point, something in the dark would catch up to him.
"Huh… Huh…" Invincible Champion's breathing became heavy. He looked at the game menu. He still had one thousand Stamina Points, and he was not running but speed walking; his body should not have reacted that way. He stopped moving and placed his hands on his knees to stop the heavy breathing. He swallowed. At that moment, he suddenly realized that there was something off with his stomach, but he had a hard time telling what it was.
"What's going on?" Invincible Champion mumbled softly to himself. Having a monologue could help lower the sense of fear and help one to focus.
Suddenly, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and was shocked to realize that there was a mirror next to him, a rectangular mirror that was two meters tall and embedded into the wall. The mirror had a carved wooden frame, which was simple but exquisite.
"This is weird. Was this thing here earlier?" He could not help but ask, and confusion colored his face.
By then, Invincible Champion had been focusing his eyes on the way forward, his eyes targeting the end of the corridor. He stopped counting the doors on the side and naturally would not pay attention to decorations like paintings, lamps, and statues. But the corridor he was in was not wide, and this was the first time that something like a mirror had shown up, a large one at that. There was no reason for him to miss it.
When Invincible Champion noticed the mirror, he was facing it from his side. Currently, he was bent over with his hands on his knees. However, once he shifted his focus to the mirror, he stood up straight and turned to face it. Once he did, he also collapsed from the shock.
The reflection in the mirror looked like the real Invincible Champion, but the reflection had his stomach exposed to the wind. There was no shirt or skin covering that part of his body, and he saw a mess of intestines instead.
Invincible Champion sucked in a cold breath, and his face was blanched. He staggered backward, and his back knocked into the other wall. His eyes widened, and his breath stopped for almost ten seconds.
"Illu… This has to be an illusion…" After he regained some semblance of calmness, he gritted his teeth and walked back to stand before the window. "Who is it trying to scare? It's just an X-ray so to speak."
Even though he said that, the Terror Points would not lie. He was still afraid, but people reacted differently to fear, and one such reaction was anger.
Invincible Champion's gaze moved involuntarily to his stomach. He could see that his intestines were moving, but once he looked closer, he caught some strange details.
The more he looked at those intestines, the stranger he felt. They looked… like many intersecting corridors!
His neck was frozen solid, and two seconds later, he howled angrily as a kick landed on the mirror, shattering it into pieces. Then, he turned and walked away.
But once he turned around, he was greeted by many identical mirrors down the corridor. All the room doors had disappeared, and in their places were the mirrors.
"Ahhh!" Brother Invincible screamed and blindly charged forward. He had no idea whether he was hallucinating or had triggered an actual change to the house, but the fear and danger that he felt were real. He did not want to stay inside this corridor one second longer.
With a crash, a human shape broke through the glass window and careened down from the second floor of the building.
The moment he tumbled through the wind, Invincible Champion was fully unprepared. One second earlier, he had still been running down the corridor. He remembered that the road ahead was still long, but the next second came the acute pain of glass shards cutting through his skin. He rammed through something, and the next thing he knew, the ground underneath his feet disappeared.
The short second before death claimed him, he caught sight of the house from outside.
Moss grew all over the stone walls, the dead trees that surrounded the house, and the large and rippling black reflection in the water. The air of danger and death seeped out of the water, walls, and deep within the house. Darkness consumed the space between the material and spirit worlds.
In the shapeless silence, the champion fell into the pond by the house. The heavy water swallowed him fully. Air bubbles escaped from his throat, but it nary made a ripple. The large house was like a silent observer, spectating the loss of another young life.
The last thing that was reflected in the eyes of this professional player… was the blood moon that was wearily sinking behind the horizon.
…
"Team Message: Invincible Champion has died. A plot item has been transferred."
When the system audio appeared, both Wang Tanzhi and Long Aomin were stunned.
"What the hell? A level fifteen professional player died just like that‽" Wang Tanzhi gasped. He opened the game menu to double check the information. As the system stated, the player name for Invincible Champion was grayed out, and the original 'Surviving' status had changed to 'Dead'.
By then, the two had looked through many rooms, but they could not find any concrete evidence. Other than the few times when they came across weak points in the floor and traps, they had nothing.
"If we split up, we would have died from the traps that we encountered," Long Aomin said before adding, "I wonder if Brother Feng will run into any danger since he's working alone."
"If it's Brother Jue… you don't need to worry. Since he suggested we split up, he will have considered the risk already," Wang Tanzhi said. "By the way, I glanced through the game manual when I was waiting for Brother Jue to come online, and it said that should a player die in game, then the items that he possessed will randomly appear next to one of his teammates."
Long Aomin had some experience in Team Mode, so he concurred. "Yes, I know that. Let's look around us then."
The two-started searching, but although they did not find the letter, they did find a new stanza of the poem on the floor, covered by a pile of trash.
Wanderers in that happy valley,
Through two luminous windows, saw
Spirits moving musically
To a lute's well-tunèd law,
Round about a throne where, sitting,
Porphyrogene!
In state his glory well befitting,
The ruler of the realm was seen.
 "Side quest updated. Find all six The Haunted Palace. Current Progress: 4/6"
　　
 


This is a game beyond dimension–the pursuit of truth. 
The unknown seal, the gambit between gods and demons… 
The defiance against data, the retribution of human… 
In a virtual world connected with reality, consciousness dictates us, consciousness chooses us, and consciousness dictates our consciousness. 
Now, throw away you fear. 
Throw away your selfish interest, question, and disbelief… Free your thought. 
Welcome to Thriller Paradise. 
Feng Bujue lost his ability to fear because of an unknown psychological disorder. Through a virtual reality game designed for players to experience fright and despair, he began his search for his lost fear. Could he finally regain his ability to fear? Could he outwit the scenarios presented to him? Could he finally uncover the truth hidden inside Thriller Paradise?  




I stood in the bathroom gazing at my reflection. It was not the full cup of my naked breast nor the hollow bellybutton that captured my attention; rather, it was the collateral damage I had done to my hair in the name of disguise. Below, were hair strands splattered on the faded-white sink. While the evil scissors and towel was on the other side. 

"No one will recognize you." I muttered to myself. I trailed my fingers on the short hair and through the fringes, tilting my head either ways for a better view. Somehow, I felt more stupid than I look. 

7.40 A.M, I heard the sound of the halting truck, quickly, I peeped through the window and saw that it was Addison. Although hesitant at first, I advanced to the truck with my hands firmly clasped on my school bag. 

"Hey." I greeted. At the same time struggling to fit the extra large bag under the dashboard. 

"What the hell!" His face twitched at the sight of me. "What happened to you?" He asked, staring bizarrely at me. 

"Please don't say a word about my look." 

I buckled my seat belt, rubbed on the fringe and straighten my denim jacket. I must look like a punk, I thought. 

He set the car in motion after observing his surroundings through the rear and side mirrors. I could see a few workers on their way to the farm, while some others to the market, with loads strapped to their backs. 

All the while, Addison glimpsed at me and the enormous bag. I was sure he had much to say, then be commented, 

"An infant could fit into your bag, that's if you don't have one in it already." 

"Ha ha!" I laughed, "It's just books and stationary. You don't expect me to carry books to school daily like some high school kid." 

"Um... Don't you think it's a little too much for the first day at school?" 

"Maybe," I grimaced, "It's only for today. I'll get a locker and all this will be starched in there." 

We were approaching the bridge, a school bus and few cars drove passed us. For a Wednesday, it was common for cars to troop into Don Carlo farm, and in the late morning, fully loaded trucks would head out with tasty apples. 

"What about work?" 

"I got that covered." He replied, partly glancing at my hair, when a muffled laughter escaped his half opened mouth. 

"Why are staring at me?" 

"Me stare? No. I wasn't." He lied, "I was...eh." He folded the sleeves of his brown checked shirt, "I'm admiring the autumn trees, it's new and strange in a way. Probably, because it's the start of season. What do you think?" 

The irony of his expression was evident. Was I that bad? I worried, taking a harder look at my outfit; from the silk scarf on my head to the extra large jacket and tight canvas which originally belonged to Jochebed, I concluded that it was my worst look ever. 

"I get it." I yelled, "I'm a weirdo, else, why would I dig up this shitty jacket, cut my hair all because I don't want to be seen!" I raised my hand in air, "because I don't want people to know that I'm repeating the school year." 

"Whoa! That was gross." He exclaim. "Take a deep breath, you'll be fine." 

We slowed down at the entrance of the school, letting the cars in front pass after getting a tag. When we had finally parked beside a line of cars, he informed, "Here we are. Douro High." 

By the side of the school building was a huge stone sign which carried the words: "Escola Secundária do Douro. Pela excelência e grandeza." 

In English it meant: Douro High school. For excellence and greatness. True to this, Douro High was known for it's greatness, it's alumni included famous leaders and the present magistrate of the county. 

My eyes traced from the large building to the sporting field. The season had enhanced the school's yellowish view and the shed leaves which splattered on the lawn and walkways only attest to the presence of many trees in the school environment. 

I unbuckled my seat belt and dragged the bag upward. On raising my head I sighted the arriving school bus, I bent down, shielding my head as the student trooped out of the bus. In a panicking voice I asked, 

"Are there looking this way?" 

Addison's brows furrowed making wider his small eyes. He was temporarily irritated and his mouth dropped open. "Get up." 

"Are you crazy? They'll see me." I whispered back. 

He rubbed his hand over his head frustratingly, "The glass is tinted, for God's sake!" 

"Oh! Really... I didn't notice." I faltered. 

"Keren!" He cut in. The loudness and intensity of his voice only proved how annoyed he was, and it got me frightened me. "Stop all this nonsense!" 

 I didn't interrupt him nor did I take my amused eyes off him. It seemed he observed my expression, owing to his low voice. 

"I'm sorry I flared. What I'm trying to say is; not many people get a second chance, but you have one. Make the most of it. These clothes and hair cut can’t change who you are. Love yourself and forget about these people." He pointed. 

"They don't mean shit to you, why do you care what they say or think of you? The sooner you learn to face the world the way you did at the airport, the more powerful you'll become." 

I sat motionless for a time, casting a distrait gaze at nothing in particular. Although his words struck me, it didn't stop there. Rather, it impelled me to action. Suddenly, I busied my restless hands by untying my scarf and took off my jacket. Thus, revealing the bold writing on my dull yellow T-shirt which read, "IBIZA." 

He undid his seat belt, putting on his sunglasses before getting off the vehicle, "We have to go now." 

I pulled the huge bag out of the car, still silent. To my surprise he came over, grabbed the bag from me and said, "I'll take that. Come on." 

Calmly, with a grateful heart, I held his hand and looked at him, "Thank you... For- everything." 

We walked through the hallway, with many eyeballing us as if we were aliens on a tour on planet earth. At that time, the school bell rang and they all dispersed, each to their classrooms. 

The more I advanced, the more memories of the times Babette and I used to walk on this floor. The times, teenage melodramatic attitude unfolded. Everything was the same, except for some people. Speaking of people, was she principal's new secretary? The old secretary must have retired, for she was elderly. 

The pretty but lecherous secretary literally ripped off Addison's pants with her penetrative eyes. When she ushered me into the principals office, I felt a motherly concern for Addison as he would be alone with her for God knows how long. Damn it! You should be worried for your school not Addison, my inner voice queried. 

I sat on one of the chairs facing the bald-headed man in plain long sleeve shirt and a tie which stuck depressingly between his tidy desk and his pot belly. The name plate openly exposed his identity; although, not that I needed any introduction, for Mr. Fausto Rodrigo was well known especially for his funny disposition and his overweight nature. 

I'd been seated for the past 2 minutes waiting and watching him still he was quiet, from the way he jerked when I first greeted him and the way he was hasty to examine my file, I knew something was wrong. I looked at the well arranged books on one side of the office and the globe décor on his table. It was distracting yet it couldn't keep me from gawking at his pale downturned head which mirrored my face and the spacious office. 

Only the sound of his hard breathing resounded in the office and I could only imagine how loud his snore would be. I continued tapping my foot on the tiled floor, too impatient to keep mute. 

"Mr. Rodrigo." I called, lowering my head to get a better view of him. "Sir." I called again, still no response. Why is he silent? I feared. "What if- he passed out? uh!" I gasped, cupping my mouth in fright.

"Being separated was not the plan, neither was falling in love with him."

A sad blow on Nathan's family throws Keren, their teenage daughter off balance. 

While Addison, the mysterious son of the wealthy Don Carlo, appears after 20 years.

Fate caused their paths to cross at a time when Addison battled with his traumatic past. For some special reasons he was spellbound to Keren, the girl whom he found solace in.

 Thus, he offered her the needed support to achieve her dreams and reunite with her family.


That was the plan, but it all changed, when simple lies turn deadly and every heart bore deceptive secrets. The unimaginable, wrecks not just her romance with Addison but her sole objective.

The truth was no kinder neither was the lie. 

Face it? Run? Or leave it?


To Addison, it was impossible.

To Keren, it was a challenge.

In the face of these challenges, will she achieve her dreams? Reunite with her family or the man she loves?

**********


The story is dedicated to the families separated due to immigration policies.


Disclaimer

Hapuch's Diary is an original story and purely a work of fiction.

Cover photo from Pinterest

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