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The person's name was Tatiana Springheart and she is an elf. 

Tatiana was travelling through a human kingdom, on a journey to discover more information about herself and where she came from before she was an elf. Coco had met her almost a century ago but her last known whereabouts placed her in the Elk Forest, the home of the Elves Alliance. 

There were many more details included in the letter but Vy did not have time to read them. She put the letter away in the chest and focused on setting up her store. Knowing that there was someone she could look for to talk to make her feel better and more confident.

As the days passed by quickly, the Harvest Festival was in full swing. More food stalls were set up and there were more travellers coming into the town. Carole needed Vy's assistance more and it was the perfect arrangement as Rodrick had closed his store for the festival. 

"Rodrick was saying that this was one of the few occasions where he could take a break from his shop and enjoy the festive atmosphere," Vy explained to Carole. 

"Oh I see, if you want to go and enjoy the festivities, I won't stop you. You have not seen it before after all."

Vy smiled, she knew Carole meant well but she needed the help. 

"It's alright, I can feel the energy from the festivities from here. Oh, but I do want to have a look at the antique stalls if that's alright."

Carole nodded, "Of course."

She looked around in the store, it was lunchtime and there were not as many customers for the moment. "Why don't you go and have a look now? Just come back within an hour and it should be fine."

Vy looked up, "Are you sure."

"Yes. Don't worry about me, I managed before you came along so I will be fine. Now go on," Carole replied. 

Vy smiled and thanked Carole with a hug before she made her way towards the antique stalls. The stalls were hidden in the corner of the market, next to the jewellers. Vy looked through the items carefully and swiftly, not wanting to waste any precious time. 

-Dotty, do you see anything that has the particles?-

<Scanning environment>

<No particles found.>

-We'll keep looking then.-

Vy moved on to the next store that mainly sold old books. As she looked through the books herself, she picked up one that caught her interest. Flipping through the pages, Dotty's search for the stall was complete. 

<Particles detected.>

-Where? Lead me to it.-

<Turning on visual particle viewer>

Within an instant, Vy noticed her vision was enhanced. As she turned to look around the stall, she noticed glowing particles of light coming from a bookshelf not too far from where she was standing. She walked over and the closer she got to it, the brighter the light. When she stood in front of the shelf, the light was absorbed into her. 

<Particles absorbed.>

-I guess you need more than that to evolve. Let's keep looking. Dotty, keep the visual particle viewer on.-

<Noted on that, Vy>

Vy moved on to the Antique stall next and was looking through its wares. There were a couple of antiques that were surrounded by light particles. As soon as she came into close contact with it, Dotty absorbed the particles. One of the items that were surrounded by the particles, turned out to be a piece of vintage jewellery. It was a brooch with a huge gemstone as a centrepiece. But the colour was dull and dusty. 

The shopkeeper noticed Vy looking at it intently and approached her. 

"How may I help you, Miss?"

"Oh, may I know how much this is," Vy asked politely. 

The shopkeeper had a quick glance at the brooch and thought nothing of it. He had gotten it from a bulk sale from a merchant and was looking to get rid of it quickly. 

"If you're keen on it, I'll sell it to you for 10 coppers."

Vy thought about it and agreed to the deal. She paid the shopkeeper and put the brooch in her pouch and continued on to the next stall. The second stall had a few items with the particles which Dotty promptly absorbed. As Vy approached the final store, she noticed that there was a particular object that was surrounded by a lot more particles. 

She went forward to have a look and it turned out to be a vintage book. It was super dusty and the words were faded. But the cover of the leather-bound book was moulded in the shape of a dragon head. Dotty promptly absorbed the particles but the book seemed to draw her in the more she looked at it. 

She picked up the book and looked for the shopkeeper. Vy saw a man cleaning up a wine cup inside and the stall and approached him. 

"Pardon me, are you the storekeeper?"

"Why yes, I am," the young man said as he turned around. 

He was stunned for a few moments by Vy's beauty but he quickly regained his composure and asked her how he could help her. 

"I would like to purchase this book. May I know how much it would be," Vy held out the book to the shopkeeper. 

The young man took a quick look at the book and replied, "3 coppers will do."

Vy felt that the price was fair and paid him on the spot and went on her way. 

"Wait, are you the girl from the inn? I bumped into you there the other night," the shopkeeper caught up to Vy and asked. 

Vy turned back and raised an eyebrow, "Is that just something you say to pick up a girl or the actual truth?"

The young man grinned, "No, I probably would have said something more charming. But we met on the second floor, didn't we? You were coming out of your room and I bumped into you?"

The man was right, they did meet. It happened on her first day in town after she had left her belongings in her room, she had decided to step out for a quick walk around town. She had bumped into him. 

"Oh, yes, now I remember. Yes, we did," Vy replied. 

The young man nodded and reached out his hand for a handshake, "Name's Nestor, Nestor Pollock."

Vy shook his hand, "I'm Vyrena, Vyrena Blackfire. It's nice to meet you but I've got to go. See you around."

Before he could keep her any further, she disappeared into the crowd. Nestor didn't think much of it. When they first met at the inn; he was drunk and could barely remember anything. He remembered little of how she looked but noted that she smelled like the smoked wood of the forest. Her charcoal black hair was different from most of the girls in town. 

When she approached him in the store, he did not recognize her immediately. Her clothes were different but the hair colour helped him to identify her.

-At least I know her name now.- he thought to himself. 

Vyrena made her way back to her stall to put away the things she had bought before heading over to Carole's stall. To her surprise, there was a large group of people crowding around her stall. Vy could hear heated voices getting louder and louder. She pushed her way through the crowd to see Carole arguing with Walron.

“Did you just reply me?”

“You can talk? You can converse with me?”

Vyrena was amazed. She knew from the memories of the host that this has never happened before. This was new.

-Why are you in my mind?-

-Adapt? Adapt to this new world?-

She pondered what that meant, but she had more pressing questions.

________________________________________________

Join Vyrena on her journey as she tries to figure out her mysterious past after transmigrating into a brand new world! She will make friends, enemies, gain new powers and become the greatest warrior she could ever be!

Will she find out who she was before? What will the new world bring? Join the journey and find out!

I hope you enjoy the story! If you love it or maybe not, give me some feedback in the comments or in a review! All feedback would be greatly appreciated~

Upload Schedule: Aiming for 1 to 2 chapter a day! *cross my fingers*

Word Count per chapter: 700 to 1,200 words

PS: The art work is designed by @lushiette on Instagram! Thank you for bringing my girl to life~

A huge thank you to everyone who supported me in posting my novel XD you know who you are~

The carriage was built of dark iron and adorned with sparkling jewels and gems. Its interior was spacious, and light shimmered from within like it was daytime.
But there was nothing but emptiness and silence inside the luxurious carriage that had endured for thousands of years. Contrary to their earlier beliefs, no immortal had seemed to escape the Immortal Realm via the carriage from the route of the Celestial River.
With no time to wait, Meng Qi noticed the mane of the Celestial Horses rustling and fractions of minute movements as they began to stir.
An idea came to him. He invoked the thunderbolt mark on the back of his hand and mimicked the aura of the ancient Thunder God. Propelling himself through the currents of the pond, he threw himself at the carriage and shouted at his companions via telepathy:
"Into the carriage!"
His instruction to his friends proved unneeded as they had already guessed his plans. The Celestial Horses seemed to hold special abilities that would allow them to travel at high speeds despite not being of the Dharmakaya realm. With a kick of their hooves, the horses would deliver them so far away that not even Snake Dang could keep up!
Meng Qi led the way, summoning a doppelganger which leaped before them to test for traps or barriers in the carriage. Jiang Zhiwei remained as a rearguard, holding the Oceanic Dominion Pearl in her hands tensely.
There would be no need for her to venture any risky maneuvers if their plan could work!
Still, Snake Dang was already a zombie, and the Oceanic Dominion Pearl's actual function was to confound its Vital Spirit, cripple its physical body, and steady the current of flow. They could not finish off the monster even after severely destroying its body.
Meng Qi's doppelganger entered safely into the carriage, indicating the absence of any magical traps or barriers. With his mind at ease, Meng Qi leaped into the carriage with Ruan Yushu, Qi Zhengyan, and Zhao Heng close behind. Jiang Zhiwei stepping within after them.
Suddenly, they felt the cold and deathly presence of their nemesis closing in. The head of the gigantic snake peered through the surface of the pond with its blood-shot eyes. With the silhouettes of the white-haired zombie and Luo Shengyi still within, the eyes scanned warily in fear of Meng Qi's "I, the Unique and Righteous" technique!
The massive presence of a force so close to the Half-step from the Dharmakaya realm sent a chill down their spines, freezing the blood in their veins and their Vital Spirits. More so for the spit of venom that could spew forth anytime and consume everything at the bottom of the pond. Still, the Celestial Horses had yet to buck. They leaped despite stirring from their slumber of millennia!
Jiang Zhiwei stood bravely at the edge of the carriage. She wore a cold, defiant glare without fear and anxiousness in her eyes. In her hands, she readied herself with the Oceanic Dominion Pearl currently blushed with a faint colored glow. She was prepared to use it at a moment's notice.
Having experienced its lesson from Meng Qi's Secret Treasures, the giant snake cowered reluctantly at the sight of the Oceanic Dominion Pearl. Still, it slunk and withdrew slowly with apparent unwillingness as if it could, at any time, hurl itself forward and snatch its prize even at the cost of its body!
Meng Qi calmed himself. The motion of the saber he held became sluggish and slow. His stare grew dark and distant as ethereal and gossamer threads became visible to him.
The stroke of utter destruction—the Fruits of Karma technique!
Meng Qi looked once more at the massive figure of Snake Dang. It was unlike before. There were not many threads of Karma that spread out from it, and most of them were slowly fading due to its death. There was one which caught his eyes from amongst the remaining threads which numbered at below ten. A diaphanous strand which was thick and robust, sparkling amidst the shade of gloom. That single most distinct thread stretched far into an unknown distance.
Snake Dang instead felt a chilling dread as Meng Qi's eerie stare rested on him. Between Meng Qi's icy stare and its fear of the Oceanic Dominion Pearl, it could not help jerking its head back momentarily.
Noticing her chance, Jiang Zhiwei drew the shutters with her foot. The doors of the carriage closed with a slam.
The Celestial Horses came to life, springing into fluid motions that continued from the events that have transpired tens of thousands of years ago. With no hesitation and doubt, the horses kicked and leaped into the Celestial River. The carriage shone with a shroud of bright green as it drew through the currents of the heavenly river, tightly shut by the enchantments that came into effect on its own.
The heavenly steeds threw their heads back and neighed loudly, trampling through the rapids of the Celestial River.
Their bodies turned translucent suddenly as if they were entering a mysterious and magical channel!
Meng Qi finally heaved a massive breath of relief. He could feel the dangers and hidden secrets that lay behind the distinctly thick thread of karma belonging to Snake Dang. It would be nothing short of suicide if he were to use the Fruits of Karma technique on the monster and inherit the burden of Karma. It would have overwhelmed him instantly. Warding off the gigantic serpent was the best possible outcome.
He looked around the interior of the carriage. A question came to him finally: was the carriage prepared by Zhu Bajie for his escape, or was it by someone else who had left already?
If it were the former, Zhu Bajie himself would have been able to escape with higher speeds than using Celestial Horses, considering that his body still stood even after thousands of years of enduring the scorching heat of the Grand Sun. If it was the latter, when had the Immortal left? Was it during the fall of the Celestial Court, after the fall, or did he go sometime during Meng Qi's company's arrival?
The giant snakehead ventured another look from the surface of the pond and saw only the ripples of currents of the Celestial River.
The monster serpent hissed and emitted a deafening roar of anger that shook even the stars in the Heavens. But all was lost for it!
...
Four Celestial Horses drew the golden carriage across the belt of the Milky Way, flickering in and out of view as the heavenly steeds galloped upon the currents of the Celestial River with high speed.
On a planet covered with oceans and continents with rich flora and fauna, there stood more than a dozen men in front of a pile of ancient ruins, clad in strange clothing.
The leader of the group pointed to the ruins and said, "This is the altar of sacrifice built by the tribes of old to pray and offer sacrifices to the gods in return for their blessings and protection. There have been records in the ancient manuscripts about the coming of Immortals and Deities. With the manuscripts, we can restore the ancient civilization, practices, beliefs, and relationships between other tribes."
There were several amongst the group who took down notes vigorously. Some studied the ancient altar curiously and some, in their peculiar headgears with strange decorative patterns, looked up into the blue sky while they visualized the lives of the ancient tribes.
All of a sudden, one of the men looking into the sky uttered incomprehensible gibberish that caught the surprise of the others. But they had barely been able to react when they saw a streak of light tearing across the sky with tails of flames behind it. It moved not with the speed and intensity of a comet, but calm and composed as if it was revolving around the planet.
"The engravings of the ancient bird on the altar is the emblem of this ancient tribe, slowly through time it became..." The lecturer saw his students staring blankly into the sky and felt it strange. He was suddenly bathed in light from behind as if something was descending into their midst.
He turned without thinking and looked at the altar, only to see four handsome horses with flowing manes drawing a majestic carriage of gold, galloping gracefully upon a belt of light and coming to a stop upon the altar.
"T-This..." Nobody uttered a word. It was like a bizarre dream.
The Celestial Horses took a brief respite before they gave a loud triumphant cry. They conjured a magical formation and leaped into the air once more, the divine convoy fading from sight and disappeared into the air.
Night came swiftly and the stars returned into the fold of darkness. The streak of light continued its journey across the stars, flickering continuously.
On another planet filled with nothing but the sands were minarets and turrets that pointed into the sky.
Several men dressed in the costumes of priests stood at the top of a tower, looking into the beautiful but bleak view of the desert.
"Another sacrificial ceremony tomorrow." One of the priests said poignantly.
Another remarked with a laugh. "It is just for show. There is no need for anxiousness."
The words had barely left their lips when their gazes fixated upon a meteor falling from the sky. It drew closer to them, getting larger and larger as it came, and they saw that it was no meteor, but a divine-looking carriage of gold drawn by proud horses of the heavens that rode imperiously across the sky.
The horse-drawn carriage came to a stop briefly on the top of the tower for a brief respite before the priests, who were staring with gaped-mouth astonishment, and ignored their presence.
After their rest, the heavenly steeds leapt in unison and set off with a brilliant glow that engulfed the entire pinnacle of the tower as well as the horses themselves.
The carriage once again took to the sky, galloping away with high speeds, leaving the priests awe-struck and stunned with silence in their wake.
...
The carriage continued its voyage through the dark pool of stars in the sky, making brief stops at intervals. After a time, the Celestial Horses suddenly climbed higher and hit a vortex.
The carriage came to its final stop. Meng Qi and his companions projected their senses outwards to make sure that they were safe before they even thought of stepping outside.
Just then, the voice of Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms reverberated once more.
"Successful withdrawal from battle; the assigned task is complete and a success. You may now return, or you may elect to stay for another hour. During the hour, you may select to return immediately regardless of if you are caught in battle or not."
With the assuring words of the Dominator, Meng Qi survey their surroundings, feeling only the fresh scent in the air and the deep blue sky above them. There was an inexplicable familiarity that hinted that they might have returned to the World of the Journey to the West!
Not far away from where they were standing, they saw an old and decrepit ranch. There were no signs of life, save for the pungent stench waft drifting from the insides of the farm.
Meng Qi returned his gaze to the Celestial Horses and temporarily ignored the smell. Ruan Yushu looked at the steeds too with interest.
"These horses are precious 'assets' that can travel through the skies!"
The thought had barely registered, and suddenly he could hear the long whinny of the horses. A sudden, strong gale of wind blew and whisked them off into the air, keeping him and his companions away. The horses then rode through the wind and out of sight into the skies.
"These horses have sharp perception..." Meng Qi pursed his lips with faint disappointment. When they had first escaped, he was already thinking of ways to transport the horses back to the Realm of Reality!
Jiang Zhiwei smiled. With the effects of her technique diminishing, her aura turned extremely weak like Meng Qi. She turned to look at the ranch nearby, noticing the infestation of vines and creepers that have "drenched" the buildings into a shade of verdant green.
From the gaps between the vines, she made out a few words which she read out loud:
"The Gao... Vintage... Ranch..."
"The Gao Vintage Ranch?" Meng Qi could not believe his ears. "The destination of the carriage is the Gao Vintage Ranch?"
"It is true then, that the carriage is related to Zhu Bajie!"
"Let's go in and have a look," Meng Qi said with a heavy breath, dragging his weary self forward.
This time, Ruan Yushu, Qi Zhengyan, and Zhao Heng took the front and covered the rear, showing no doubt to Meng Qi's suggestion to venture a look into the abandoned ranch. They hoped to gather as many items as possible to exchange for additional Karma Points.
They tore through the luxuriant vegetation of creepers and went through the main gate of the forsaken ranch, which broke into pieces after a mere push.
They searched the rooms and chambers but found nothing of use. Some of the items left, due to the ravages of time, reduced down to mucks of slimy sludge.
They ventured further and reached at the center of the ranch, finding a small chamber that seemed to be a study or a room used by the owner of the farm.
"Let's search the study first. There might be manuscripts or books containing skills or techniques." Meng Qi suggested.
Unbeknownst to his companions, Meng Qi knew that the Gao Vintage Ranch was the residence of Zhu Bajie's in-laws. There could honestly be items of high value hidden here!
"All right." Ruan Yushu was interested in the music of the World of the Journey to the West. She also wanted to examine the study herself even if there were no books on martial disciplines contained within. Tailing close behind Zhao Heng, she stepped carefully into the study with Meng Qi beside her as they began to climb to the second floor.
Moving carefully and with light steps with consideration for the old and frail planks of the floor. Stepping with any force more significant than they currently moved could break the planks into pieces.
A more profound observation would yield that the second floor was full of books. Nothing but the yellow shade of papers and parchments filled their sight.
Meng Qi's eyes swept around and his gaze caught something. On the desk beside a window was a simple and old book with a cover in dark blue.
The companions searched around separately for anything useful. Meng Qi stepped to the table and picked up the book. Upon its cover were three words written in ancient runic seal script,
"The Tao Te Ching (the Scripture of Virtue)!"
"Enlightenment, if explained, would never be universal and eternal as it ought to be..." Meng Qi recited a phrase he saw as he riffled through the page. It was an ancient manuscript of archaic origins, not dissimilar to the "Tao Te Ching" that could be found circulating in the actual world they came from.
Suddenly, Zhao Heng heaved a dejected sigh. "These books are so old that they crumble to dust even at the gentlest touch. We have to use our genuine Qi to secure the books and lift them carefully. I have yet to see anything worth keeping here."
"These books are so old..." Meng Qi murmured as he returned his gaze on the Tao Te Ching in his hand. There was something peculiar about it despite its common and relatively newer appearance.
Confused and bewildered, he beckoned his friends and got them to examine the book. But no one found anything extraordinary with it.
"An ordinary book..." After thinking about it, Meng Qi decided to keep the book for future examination. There was still room in his Space Ring anyway.
After much searching and delving for an hour, they found nothing of value. The footprints and traces left in the deserted ranch suggested scores of monsters have frequented the area. It will be unsurprising if they have already ransacked and plundered all that they could!
The voice of the Dominator of Six Samsara Realms echoed, signifying it was time to return,
"The main task has been completed. Each person shall receive the reward of 3,500 Karma Points."
"Return."
Pillars of light fall from the sky, returning the group to the Samsara Square with their injuries healed. Meng Qi felt all weariness and fatigue leaving him.
Just then, the hollow voice of Dominator of Samsara in the Six Realms rumbled again:
"The Samsara deepens as you cast off your immaturity and inexperience. The next task is a Death Task that will take place in a year. Be prepared."
"For this mission, you will be forbidden from using your Secret Treasures and other artifacts. You will rely only on your skills, weapons, raiments, and other protective gears as well as only one healing elixir."


I care not of my past and neither of my future.
Conquering all heroes and foes while looking with disdain at the horrors of the Samsara, I yearn only for a life of thrilling wonders!
History will repeat itself after many ages as the menace of the Great Calamity rises once more.
Which will rise with triumph in the face of adversity; the Golden Form of the Great Buddha or the invincible Heavenly Taoist Form?
Which will seize all glory amidst all struggles; The Buddha's Palms or the  Seven Strokes of Heaven's Interception?
From the sanctum of the Shaolin Temple, Meng Qi's adventures and struggles through the Samsara begin as we follow his climb to claim the title of "the Unrivaled and the Invincible One"!


CALLEA'S eyebrows were drawn together as she walked down the living room. She had been trying to recover from the days she had to entertain Deive's grandfather and her own family and she wanted to catch up with work. Surprisingly, she got along just fine with Don Jorje. He liked old jazz and her piano pieces. He was also into history so they had a lot to discuss. He asked her to visit him in Manila.

She thought she could have a peaceful time for herself since Deive went to the field to help out Torque with harvesting vegetables. He needed to impress her cousin. And since Lee is a financial analyst, he would ask for his help on business as well.

She didn't expect any visitors coming for her. Then she saw who was sitting on the sofa. It was her publisher, Mattheu Segundo. She noticed a black box on the middle of the mahogany center table. She had a bad feeling about this.

He came towards her as she reached the landing. "Finally! I thought you have no plans to see me. How's my most bankable graphic novelist?" he asked and kissed the back of her hand.

Her boss was a handsome and dashing man. A dreamboat for most women. He was a member of Stallion Island Riding and Leisure Club like her cousins where only the rich and young men in the country could join as members like her Torque and Lee. That was why they entrusted her works to him. She knew that she would be taken care of and her identity would be a secret.

"I am good. Thanks for the visit. So what brought you here, boss?"

Callea never visited the office. They just send the check to her bank account and her accountant handle all her accounts. Contacts were sent to her through a courier. She had just submitted her latest book last month. She beat her deadline. Her next deadline was still months away. The renewal of her contract was still a couple of years away. If her publisher would grace her with his presence himself, it must be freakin' important. She was wishing that he was there to increase her talent fee.

"I just visited you. I brought cake and some books on Japanese horror. Vintage ones." There was the sparkle in her boss' eyes as he opened the box. Her heart leaped when I saw the yellowish cover with Japanese ink and an illustrator of a Japanese girl in kimono with blazings eyes, standing in the middle of a bamboo forest. It was something she had never seen before that made her salivate.  It was a forbidden book, according to some. And her boss acquired it for her. "This is for me? This is too much, boss. You know that I am happy that you publish my stories and people appreciate it."

It was too precious as a gift. There was no malice between her and the boss. After all, he only sees her as a cash cow. She was scared of what he would ask in return. It was always business with her boss. There was no such thing as free lunch.

Then came Marina with a green tea crepe cake. She wet her lips. Darn! Her boss knew her weakness and how to put her guard down. They ate while they discussed the comic conference in Tokyo that he attended and how spring came earlier than expected and they nearly missed the sakura blossom.

It was a dream of Callea to visit Japan. She was planning to go there with her friend until her demise.

"I have a favor to ask, Callea." Mattheu's voice sent her back to the present.

"What is it, boss?"

He greased her with a vintage Japanese horror book and a matcha crepe cake. She was ready to listen. Her boss was a wolf. Pretending to be grandma until he shows his fangs. And she knew that she couldn't say no.

"I want you to attend our book signing."

An arranged marriage to a perfect bride.

To keep him in line, playboy Deive Hontiveros needs to marry Callea Lopez so he could start his own business. He thought he got lucky when he sees how beautiful and caring Callea is.

She lives in a haunted mansion though and he got plagued by a mysterious ghost of a woman and her cat from hell.

He must protect his bride at all cost. 

But what if Callea is one with the darkness?

Aarav flew towards Fort Brandy.

The auto pilot was on and he was trying to make heads or tails of what Wilson gave him.

It was a small little book. However, it was completely impossible to read! However, he felt somewhat attached to this little thing. 

"Come on! He wouldn't give you this for no reason," Aarav thought as he kept turning the pages back and forth.

Next, he let out a sigh as his breathe, still fresh from the fruit last night, seemed to cause a reaction in the little guide book in his hand.

*Eat me*

Words showed up on the page as Aarav scratched his head. He breathed on it one more time, before the words *Eat me* showed up again in between its pages. 

"Ha, I never thought I'd stoop so low as to eat paper," Aarav joked out loud before he opened his big, muscular jaw and stuffed the manual inside his mouth. The sweet taste of the vintage seemed to mix with the pages, and oddly enough the book dissolved in his mouth. 

He swallowed it and waited for something to happen.

"Ugh, I must have been seeing things," Aarav leaned back and closed his eyes.

Those damn numbers were still in his vision. However, this time there was a few new options underneath them.

Training Guide

Store 

Maps 0 / 0

Skills 0 / 0

SP points 0 / 1000

Credits 0 / 0

Kenpo 0 / 0

Talents 2 / 100

Charm (B)

 Tempo (C)

Vintages: (1) Sacred Dragon Wine (SSS Vintage)

*Please speak a name of something to open window*

Aarav sighed as he dropped down on the couch as his helicopter soared through the sky. Luckily, there was enough room in this place for a bar, and a little bed. 

"Store," he confusedly said, "Please open the store!"

Death could make people crazy, however, Aarav at this point was starting to believe there was something to this.

*Store*

Abilities available (3)

[Flight] (200 SP points)

[Black Fist Arts] (500 SP points)

[Cross Hair Evasion Arts] (300 SP points)

Items available (2)

[Mercury gloves] (500 credits)

[Courage Armor] (20,000 credits)

Aarav laughed, and couldn't believe It responded to him! 

"Training Guide," Aarav giggled.

Trainings Available (2) 

Pushups 0 / 200,000

Reward = +1 strength.

Studying 0 / 20 hours 

+ 1 Intelligence.

Punches 0 / 500,000

+ 1 dexterity.

….

Aarav smiled as he began doing pushups. He still had roughly an hour to go, so he should easily be able to do 200,000. 

He slowly pumped himself up and down of the ground, and sure enough the number started rising. 

Finally, when he destination was in site, after literally turning the room into a sauna, a message popped up into his head. 

*Ding* 

Strength 450 - > 451

Pushups 0 / 1,000,000

+ 1 Strength

Aarav wiped away the drops of sweat on his head and looked down at the forest below. 

There was a small fort where someone named General String was waiting for him. He was a part of the West Bill's army, and Aarav knew him because of his father. His dad was good friends with the king, so he often went to their meetings. Luckily, even after his folks died, the man still remembered him and let him go on missions. 

The man, General String, however, also had his own vintage. Most of the top brass in the military found one at some time in their lives. They also were quite skilled at kenpo, fighting arts, and even he right now wouldn't stand a chance against the General.

"Whoosh!" 

A small tower was landed on by Aarav before he watched his chopper pull off towards the east. Luckily, vehicles these days were pretty good at flying themselves. 

Regardless, he had his silver case in hand. Inside of it was something he'd been saving for a long time. However, hopefully the General would give him permission to open it.

Three women in tight military clothes ran up to him and saluted.

"Welcome Sir Finks! We're delighted to have you here with us!"

One of the girls stared into his eyes and felt her body sort of start to boil. "Yes, the general will see you now."

Aarav nodded before he picked up that girl's chin. "You're just as pretty as last time. You're going to have to tell me your name on of these days."

The girl laughed. "You know it's not allowed. However, maybe you can take me to dinner, and we can chat."

Aarav smiled before the women started walking towards the layered stone fort. His two bags were grabbed at by one of the girls, however, he shook her off.

"Listen, I only let one person in the world besides me touch these, sorry."

The girl got the point as they walked up the stairs. However, she sort of wondered what would be so important? 

….

"Welcome Count Finks! I thought you'd be too busy with the women to visit me."

Aarav laughed before he saluted the general. 

The man had on the brown grey camouflage of the Whisk Army, and two stars on his chest. In the Whisk Army, those were used as a sign of strength. It meant he was about strong enough to topple a tank. However, a helicopter might be a little too much for him to handle.

"Well, I actually had quite an interesting night. I died, and now I'm here. I hope you don't mind but I need to open the case. You have the test ready for me?"

General string waved his hand forward. The staircase was right in front of them, and two men greeted them after they climbed it. They walked into one of the training facilities as the machines were being hammered by hundreds of recruits. 

*Huah____ Huah____*

One man's fist started shining with a silver light as he punched towards the power testing machine.

*Boom_______* 

The recruits here were using various strength testing machines, reaction time testing machines, and speed testing machines. If you were able to get past a certain score on any of these machines, you'd earn yourself a block for your uniform. However, eventually those blocks would turn into a star, and it was from that point on you'd be known as a general. 

When men started out they were privates, if they earned ten blocks they were called warriors, fifty blocks was a Chief, and eighty blocks was a Mystic knight. 

Aarav, at this point, walked over towards the machine hoping to become a commander. If he did, he'd finally be able to open this box. 

His parents left him something very important when he was child. 

This machine, if it gave him a score past 80, would finally let him discover what was inside of it. Whatever it was, however, he knew it explained why they died. Luckily, he acquired the vintage, trained every day at the Brook Gym in Cork City, and even avoided women sometimes to read about the world. 

….

The room got quiet as Aarav took off his coat. 

A few brave men, however, talked loud enough to get Aarav's attention.

"Hey guys, It's that guy again! The one who refuses to learn kenpo."

"Ha, he's going to never break 40 without it!"

One girl, standing right in front of them, dropped a weight on the ground. "If you two don't shut up, you'll distract him!"

They turned to look at each other before they laughed. However, they both knew without kenpo, it was practically impossible to break 60. It had never been done before!

Kenpo allowed you to use your inner energy to support your body. However, without it, you were about as vulnerable as a pig in the face of bullets, and other projectiles. Truthfully, Aarav would have not died and probably gotten with that girl if only he wasn't stubborn, and insisted on staying pure! What was the point of being strong if a private could kill you with a gun!

….

*HUAAAAHHH*

Aarav's feet pushed against the floor supporting his massive bodies turn towards the device. 

*BOOM*

A sound spread through the room as the vibrations from hit nearly caused the ground to crack. The machine even wiggled from the tremendous might of his blow. Finally, a number started showing up on the screen.

68 - > 69 - > 72 - > 75 - > 79….

Aarav kept waiting. It was only one more number!

The two men who were just trash talking him couldn't believe what they were seeing! 

What kind of monster was this, and was such a thing even possible?

"Ha, well, you were close kid, but if you learned some kenpo, you'd be a general in no time."

Aarav laughed. "Kenpo was the reason my parents died. I'm going to do it with sheer muscle!"

The three girls around him sighed. That was about the dumbest thing he could do, however, if he got a 79 they knew not many men would stand a chance against him even with kenpo.

However, the general turned around as he heard a sound.

"Score finished calibrating."

With the declining profitability of his only Mark II production model, Ves could not sit back and wait.  His rough projection of the future revealed that his profits diminished at an alarmingly fast rate.

While he considered taking another loan, Ves ruled that out after figuring he did not wish to become more reliant on external actors that might not have his best interests at heart. Banks that extended huge loans to companies often demanded a voice on how to run the company.

Ves absolutely abhorred such a possibility.

As for selling merits, he'd be making a huge loss if he went through with such a transaction. Merits were extremely valuable and hard to come by. Even a single merit represented a chance to obtain priceless knowledge that he couldn't get from the System.

While the System's Skill Tree allowed him to learn many standard skills, Ves learned that they contained no personality. What he meant by this was that the knowledge held no biases or special insights developed over a long period of designing mechs. Sometimes, this should be an advantage, but other times Ves would miss out on crucial perspectives like Master Olson's focus on endurance and longevity.

Ves vaguely sensed the System's requirements for advancing a skill from Journeyman-level to Senior-level demanded a thorough understanding of the field. This meant that he had to broaden his range and become acquainted with many different viewpoint held by different experts in the field.

Mech designers ordinarily hoarded such knowledge. Even the System didn't provide him with different perspectives on the same subject. Thus, merits formed the only way for him to advance in the future.

"I can still decide to exchange it later as a last ditch effort." He decided. He hadn't exhausted all of his other methods.

He decided to follow his mech broker's suggestion and look for events where he could showcase his ability. A quick search on the galactic net returned dozen of conferences, competitions, show events and exhibitions starting in the next couple of months in the Republic alone.

Most of these occasions demanded strict requirements to any participating mech designer. No ordinary Dick, Tom and Harry would be allowed to bring their horrible designs and amateurish mechs.

The classiest events that attracted the richest clientele only opened their doors to Journeyman Mech Designers and higher. Ves had to rule these prestigious events out and lower his sights to those that welcomed Apprentice Mech Designers like himself. These occasions generally drew a poorer crowd that cared more about getting a bargain than ordering a quality mech.

He shook his head. "These sound more like flea markets than proper opportunities to show your talent."

Ves studiously combed through the various events and tried to find one which offered him the best possibility to close a lucrative deal.

He found one in the Vintage Festival.

It celebrated the coming passing of lastgen mechs into obsolescence. With the next generation of mechs about to arrive, a number of people who grew up during the rise of lastgen mechs more than twenty years ago found it difficult to say their goodbyes to these reliable workhorses.

To them, their love of lastgen mechs represented a nostalgic love of their childhood experienced. They used to play with toys of lastgen mechs and played the models in virtual simulations in their adolescence. Even if their performance had fallen off these days, their heartfelt love for this period of mech development remained more important than the specs of the following generation of mechs.

"These are my kind of guys." Ves remarked with gleaming eyes. Many of the attendants to these festivals had money to spend and didn't care too much about the latest innovations. They only wanted go back in the past and relive the glory days of the last generation of mechs. They'd easily overspend on anything that struck their fancy.

The only problem was that many of his fellow mech designers knew this as well. While the Vintage Festival allowed Apprentice Mech Designers to showcase their lastgen designs, they conducted a strict selection of every applicant.

The only upside to the Festival was that Journeyman Mech Designers disdained to compete on sales at such an event. These well-established mech designers focused more on selling their currentgen designs than revisiting soon-to-be-extinct dinosaurs, so not a lot of journeymen bothered to take notice of the event.

The few that did sign up for the Festival mainly wanted to show off their vintage prestige models in the centerpiece exhibition. The majority of the actual sales occurred in the side halls where various hopeful apprentices hoped to make some easy money from their outdated production licenses.


"There's one thing strange about this Vintage Festival. Why would the Vintage Festival which focuses so much on lastgen mechs invite younger designers to sell their mechs?"

Some of them hadn't even been born during the golden years of this period. Ves himself barely remembered anything of that generation.

He came up with a number of guesses. The most probable reason was that every enthusiast of lastgen mechs already owned genuine vintage models, or simply found them to be old and familiar. Perhaps they wanted to see what the younger crop of mech designers could make out of this old period in mech history.

"Lets see how past Festivals have gone."

When Ves read through the articles of past Vintage Festivals, he got the sense that these middle-aged customers sought two things at once. They wanted to see and purchase great models that brought them back to the past, but they also wanted to see something fresh that proved that lastgen mechs hadn't reached the end of the road.

These two desires contradicted each other. Many apprentices either stuck to the base model and tried to reproduce them as faithfully as possible, or designed radical new variants that performed much better than the originals.

The downsides to each approach resulted in poor sales to most apprentices hoping to earn some money. Those that tread familiar ground could never surpass the models fabricated by the original manufacturers. Those that spent a lot of effort designing new variants ended up with models so far removed from lastgen mechs that they lost the essence of that period.

Some apprentices tried to take the middle road by making only minor tweaks to the base model, but many visitors shook their heads at these timid attempts to present something remarkable. The mech designer's lack of courage reflected back in their work, which often looked and felt as if designed by a bot.

"It's not easy to persuade the visitors to pull out their wallets. None of these people are easy to please." Ves surmised after reading through the summaries of the public sales reports.

While it didn't include any private transactions with special conditions, many mech designers struggled to make a sale.

Ves hoped to succeed where many others had failed. Unlike the other designers, Ves had a secret weapon. Mechs with an abundant level of X-Factor evoked strong emotion to anyone who saw them. Such machines should make a powerful impact in the sea of mediocre mechs that others put on display.

The entire festival revolved around the themes of nostalgia and authenticity. These were subjective criteria that could only be judged with feeling and emotion, something which Ves had a lot of practice in bending them to his will.

"If I can get this right, I'll have the crowd eating from the palm of my hand."

He decided to apply for the festival.

When Ves looked at the requirements to participate, he found them to be troublesome but attainable. The Vintage Festival only offered a venue to mech designers who were able to deliver. Since Ves owned his own workshop, he possessed ample qualifications to participate.

He only found a snag when he found out that he had to present at least three different models to the organization. The Festival took place about a month later, but the deadline for participation ended only three weeks from now.

"I'll have to work hard to meet this deadline."

Fortunately, his new machines should arrive in time for him to produce an original Caesar Augustus.

Yes, Ves wanted to fabricate the expensive, untarnished original Caesar Augustus. With the imminent arrival of his alloy compressor and CTM, his workshop finally gained the capability to reproduce the base model's highly advanced armor system.

It should be the centerpiece of his presentation. Even though the white elephant flopped on the market, its iconic look and features made it live to see a bright future in the form of toys, action figures and simulator reproductions. Many of the kids and teenagers at that time aspired to pilot this prestigious model.

The main challenge Ves faced with this model was to determine the right feel for this model. He once toured a couple of mech halls on Bentheim and personally witnessed a couple of great examples of the Caesar Augustus.

Each designer or fabricator left their own unique imprint behind in their work. Even though their influence was slight, it still provided the mechs with their own unique flavor. The better designers left a stronger mark behind.

"There's a lot of depth behind each quality reproduction."

The very best copies fabricated by the very best mech designers conveyed a strong blend of flavors that told a rich story. Even though their strength paled in comparison to what Ves could accomplish on his own, their rich experience and untold depths of knowledge provided them with a distinct advantage.

"It's like comparing a candy to a moldy cheese. Even if the candy offers a very strong flavor, those with more sophisticated tastes will prefer the cheese."

Ves had to tread carefully in this matter. If he failed to impress the crowd with his chosen vision, he could say goodbye to any potential sales.

Besides the Caesar Augustus, Ves planned to offer a gold label Marc Antony Mark II as the second model in his application. The Mark II represented a modern, cheaper take on the Caesar Augustus, which should ordinarily not sell very well in an event like the Vintage Festival.

His recent experience with modifying the DarkSpear gave him an idea on how to tackle this problem. He could modify the Mark II both visually and emotionally in order to appeal to the festival goers. Even if it was a longshot, it was worth a try.

"In any case, the Mark II already satisfies the condition."

Besides tinkering with the X-Factor, the two models required no additional work. Ves understood both designs from top to bottom, so he could immediately begin to fabricate them as soon as he received his shipment of raw materials.

"I still have to figure something out for the third model."

While Ves could take the lazy route and offer the old Mark I, he really didn't wish to embarrass himself. The Mark I was vastly inferior to the Mark II and should be consigned to the recycler. His pride as a mech designer refused to consider showing up at the Vintage Festival with the Mark I as an example of his current ability.

That left the most time-consuming option. "I'll have to design a new variant."

Since Ves already planned to offer an original model and a radical variant, he figured he should offer something that fit in between. Even though the Festival disdained such boring machines, Ves felt confident he could break the mold with the help of the X-Factor.

"The less changes I make, the faster I can get this done."

With a time limit of a couple of weeks, Ves couldn't afford to invest his attention on another radical variant. He blamed himself for not checking out these kinds of events sooner. Some of them really provided a good opportunity for him to make some money.

With a tentative plan in place, Ves decided to consult his mech broker and his publicist. As professional marketers, he should listen to their advice.

Humanity has conquered half the galaxy and the Age of Mechs reigns supreme!

Ves Larkinson lacked the genetic aptitude to become a famed mech pilot. Fighting against his fate, he studied mech design in order to express his love for mechs as a builder instead of a soldier.

When Ves graduated from college, he returned to a new but empty boutique. Left with a small, newly founded mech workshop that his father painstakingly built with a mountain of debt, Ves somehow needs to make ends meet with the bank breathing down his neck.

In the midst of his despair, he found salvation from another legacy his father had left.

"Welcome to the Mech Designer System. Please design your new mech."

--Join The Mech Touch's unofficial Discord server: https://discord.gg/APB5KCU

Pei Ziheng looked at her like he was being lenient with an innocent child. 
Feeling his eyes on her, Xia Ling grabbed the cellphone and started dialing. Pei Ziheng was about to tell her not to waste her time, when he heard her speak into the phone, "Brother…"
Her voice was soft and on the verge of breaking. 
He felt a prick in his heart. 
When had she been willing to talk to him in such a manner? Xiao Ling had always been a child who cried easily. When she was younger, even a prick by a rose thorn could set her wailing for hours on end. But she only ever cried before those she trusted, never in front of those who didn't mean enough to her. 
Subsequently, she gradually stopped crying in front of him, or even speaking to him in such a soft tone. 
Hearing her helpless voice today ached him. 
She said into the cellphone, "The Lis are bullying me…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke. 
The person on the other end of the line said something, and quickly sniffed and said, "No, I'm fine, they didn't do anything to me… I was just kidding… Brother, please don't take revenge on them."
Pei Ziheng glanced at her. 
He had checked the Xia family out before and knew just how powerful they were. 
They possessed a mysterious mystical power that could ruin the Li family and the Pei family easily. It took nothing more than a thought to send them to their defeat. Only recently did Pei Ziheng finally figure out how Li Lei managed to overpower him so greatly the last time… a Xia must have helped him. 
If anyone were to find trouble with this girl from the Xia family, they could take revenge on one's entire magnate with the snap of a finger. 
Yet, all Xia Ling actually said, Brother, it's fine, don't take revenge on them. 
Pei Ziheng's heart ached for her, and he felt that this was a lost opportunity; if only Preceptor Xia could help him eradicate his love rival.
Xia Ling was still on the phone. "Could you… help me find out how I can contact Li Lei? I can't seem to get him." Only after the cellphone network had been lost did Xia Ling realize just how fragile the connection between them was. The loss of a signal sent her searching for him in the vast crowd. 
That feeling was scary and lonely. 
On the other end, Xia Moyan said, "I'll call you back later. Don't worry, Xiao Ling." He hung up and anger took over him. The Li family was too much! 
He left the house in search for that man. 
In the vintage-looking backyard, the leaves swayed in the wind. 
An elderly was playing chess, and crouching opposite him was a grey fox. The fox would mess the chessboard up every once in a while. 
"Moyan," the elderly called out to his son. "Why the long face?"
Xia Moyan stopped in his footsteps in the yard and politely greeted "Father" before getting into the topic of his sister. After giving his father a brief overview, he added, "There are more parasol trees in this world than Li Lei alone, why does Xiao Ling have to put herself through such treatment from his family? How about we ruin the Li family and find a better one for Xiao Ling!" 
The elderly tapped a chess piece before conscientiously placing it on a grid diagonally across. 
"When I was younger, I made a trip to the Li household." He said calmly. 
Xia Moyan was slightly stunned. Why was Father talking about this? 
The elderly went on, "I once had a game of chess with Li Shanhe. He won."
Xia Moyan kept quiet. That was no surprise—even though Father appeared to know his moves, he was merely an amateur. Even the little fox opposite him could beat him. 
The elderly said, "I've taken a look at the fengshui in the Li household, and Li Shanhe's destiny — among his descendants, there would be one who'd turn out to be an important and world-changing person."
Xia Moyan frowned slightly. "So what." However important he was, he couldn't be more important than his sister and her happiness. 
The bored fox fiddled with the chessboard. 
There was a shift in power on the chessboard, and the elderly had no choice but to go along with the fox's move. "Your sister is a phoenix. Do you think her judgment would be any inferior to yours? She's just destined to encounter many obstacles and difficulties in life that she'll have to overcome."
Xia Moyan said, "I still want to destroy the Li family." 
The elderly was speechless. He felt as if all his teachings to his son were in vain. 
Even the fox could sense the ferocity in his quiet voice, and decided to hop away. 
The elderly glared at his son, "You ruined my chess game!"
"I want to destroy the Li family."
The elderly was practically about to hit him. "If you destroy their family, what's going to happen to Shaohui?"
"I'll find him a stepfather." 
The elderly did not know what else to say and waved him away. "Just go, ruin their family and we'll see how your sister fights it out with you." It was evident how much Xiao Ling liked that Li fellow — anyone who laid a finger on him would definitely get it from Xiao Ling herself. The elderly decided to take a look at the ancient book — was the phoenix especially powerful and intimidating when she got angry? 
This time, it was Xia Moyan who was speechless. 
He knew his father was right. That stupid phoenix at home would really turn against her biological brother if he were to hurt that lad! 
He walked away silently. 
"Where are you going?" The elderly asked, afraid that his son would really do something to the Li family, possibly making them vanish overnight. 
Xia Moyan clenched his teeth, "I'm going to help Xiao Ling… find out… how to contact that man." He would give Xiao Ling a chance to talk to him. Once she had overcome this obstacle, he had more than enough time to deal with that man! 
Xia Ling waited in the bedroom apprehensively. 
Xia Moyan returned her call and gave her a number. "The signal in South Africa isn't too good, but this is the number to the receiver at Li Lei's accommodation now."
Xia Ling thanked her brother and hurriedly dialed the number.
It rang for a long time before somebody picked up the phone on the other end. It was a male's voice, speaking in a language she did not understand.
She asked for Li Lei in English.
The other party asked her, in English now, who she was.
She told him her name.
He got her to hold on for a moment before calling out to Li Lei. In the background, there were sounds of people talking.
Xia Ling waited in apprehension, nervous and excited. She finally managed to contact him, and in no time, she would be able to verify whether Su Tang's pregnancy was real. She would know very soon whether he really did betray her… 
It was a familiar voice this time. "Xiao Ling?"
"Li Lei!" She called out, on the verge of tears.
"Xiao Ling, how are you? Are you alright?" Li Lei asked concernedly.
She had not answered his question before she asked hurriedly, "Li Lei, how are you now? Old Master called me and told me that Su Tang is carrying your child. This isn't true, right? You love me so much, how could you get together with another woman?"
On that end, Li Lei kept quiet.


She died in her prime as the Queen of Song.

After being reincarnated, she becomes a simple trainee. 

Losing her former glory? It doesn't matter—no one can compete with her voice as a beautiful singer.

Mocked by her lowly birth? It doesn't matter—her true identity is enough to make the whole world tremble. 

She owes huge debts? It doesn't matter... 

A powerful boss once whispered to her, "Your debt will disappear if you become my woman." 

But the proud her would reply, "I'm sorry. I would sell my art, but not myself." 
———————————————— 
This is the story of the Queen of Song, return to the peak... and an overbearing chairman.

You might have read the comic, but here's the novel that it was adapted from!

Apollo and Gab were in Leslie's room – the basement. Leslie was Gab's older sister with a two-year gap . Their resemblance was uncanny; people who didn't know them always mistook them as twins of different gender. The only difference was of course their stature, but everything else looked the same – 5'9" in height, brown almond eyes, downward-turned lips, arched eyebrows, oval-shaped face, and golden walnut hair. Gab had a blowout haircut with tapered sides while Leslie had medium layered hair. She also wore eyeglasses with oversized frames. They may have the same physical appearance, but their personalities were different. Gab was the grumpy type because his patience was short. Leslie was the most understanding, patient, and helpful person in the whole wide world. Gab was never into academics, so he just pursued music while Leslie loved to drown herself in books. She had the most interesting job which could explain how she was able to afford a Toyota Prius Prime; she was a paranormal investigative special agent and was being paid a hefty amount of money for the weirdest research topics.

"What the heck is that?" Apollo asked, not feeling so please as he looked at the desktop computer's monitor. 

"I just googled how to find a missing person.  Step 1, contact the police as soon as you have reason to worry." Gab responded.

Apollo's eyes rolled. "You're killing me, bro. We need to research how to find a missing banshee, not a human being."

"But Betha's human too."

"I know but don't you think in those four months that she was missing, I didn't look for ways to find her?"

"I know. I know. Fine. But nothing about tracking a missing banshee is stated in this old book." Gab held the book he borrowed from the vintage library which was on top of his sister's needed research materials next to the monitor. "I'll google how to find a missing banshee then."

"You won't find anything. Except for folklore, you won't find anything helpful via internet. I've already googled it before." Apollo said in a sad tone. 

"What are you guys up to?" Leslie's sudden presence in the stairway across them surprised them as they both turned to see her. 

"God, Leslie can you make some noise when you appear like that? You're so sneaky." Gab said, breathing heavily.

"But that's how I got my awesome job." She gave them a smile. "Plus, this is my room."

"I know. I sent you a text message that Gab and I need the basement for research." 

"Which is why I had to come home earlier than usual because I got curious. Since when did you do any research?"

Gab held the books he got from the vintage library. "Well I got these for you." He said, with a funny intonation.

As Leslie approached them, Apollo suddenly had the brightest idea. "I can't believe this. Why have I not ever thought about this before?"

"Thought of what?" Gab asked.

"Dude, your sister is the perfect person to help us." Apollo's eyes sparkled and the color of his face brightened. 

"You're willing to tell my sister about this research?"

"No offense, dude. But if I had a secret and I had to pick between the two of you, I would've picked your sister. She's trustworthy, patient, very helpful, and very nice. You're always using her Toyota, but she never complained."

"How would you know that? Are you here 24/7?" Gab sounded annoyed.

"I like what I'm hearing. Go on." Leslie leaned on the wall by the computer and crossed her arms. Her face showed gratification after hearing compliments from Apollo, but she was more eager to hear their secret.

"You sure love to be a part of this, don't you?" Gab said, less annoyed upon seeing his happy-looking sister. "Let's join forces then."

"Okay, but don't be shocked by what you're going to hear." Apollo said. 

"Dude, she's a paranormal investigator. She believes in anything and everything. Believe me. It won't shock her." Gab responded.

Apollo smiled. "Well…we're trying to find a way to find a missing banshee." 

Apollo and Gab studied Leslie's facial reaction and all she said was, "Count me in." She smiled without her teeth showing but her eyes were full of excitement.

After telling everything that Leslie needed to know about Betha, her banshee form, and her sudden disappearance, Leslie opened her wide closet. To Apollo and Gab's huge surprise, there was a hidden passage to another room that looked like a mini library with hi-tech computer systems and other gadgets that no average person would be familiar with. The right side occupied 80% of the room space with Metal Wire Storage Cubes that served as bookshelves for what seemed to be thousands and thousands of hardbound books. The left side of the room had one medium-sized round wooden tea table upholstered with four stools and the computer systems beside it. 

Apollo turned to Gab; his shocked reaction was still intact. "Judging from how utterly dumbfounded you look; you had no idea you were living with Felicity Smoak." Apollo commented in reference to a character in the television series called Arrow. 

"God, Leslie. I've always known you were a paranormal investigator but since when have you turned into an I.T. expert? Are you a skilled hacker too? I mean, without the books and that comfy looking table over there, this place sure looks like Oliver Queen's headquarters."

Leslie laughed. "You guys are exaggerating. This doesn't look anything at all like the Arrow Cave. And stop gawking, your jaws might be locked if you keep your mouths open that way." She picked up a thick black hardbound book and sat on one of the stools as she placed it on the tea table. "Come on. Welcome to my hideout place." She said with a friendly tone.

"Do you know how appalled I am that you kept all of this to yourself? Didn't you trust me at all?" Gab said as he and Apollo sat in front of her. 

She gave him a blunt expression. "I would've told you if you had shown any interest in what I do but you never did."

"Well then, I forgive you." Gab said without eye contact.

"Is this a banshee book?" Apollo asked, amazed at how big and thick it was. "Can I see it?"

"It's not just a banshee book. It has all the supernatural beings you never knew existed. Hold on. Let me turn the page to what you need." Leslie said as she scanned the book. After two minutes, she showed it to Apollo. "This is what you're looking for but I'm not sure if you're ready to take on this kind of task. It involves risk. You may never go back to your human form."

Apollo looked confused. "Huh? What do you mean? What does it say?" He looked at Gab then took the book for them to see what she meant. "Oh my God, it says here that banshees are a rare breed of demon. I never thought of Betha as a demon. This is insane. The folklores I read via google didn't say anything about a demon."

"I agree. Betha didn't have even a hint of demonic behavior." Gab looked as anxious as Apollo.

"Well what you read in google are myths, not facts. Just keep reading." Leslie said.

"Their screams can burst glass and blood vessels blah blah blah. Oh, here it is. Here it is." Apollo's face showed excitement. "It says here that only a dog can track a banshee because of its strong sense of smell." He turned to the next page. "And there are instructions and a spell to cast it."

Apollo and Gab looked at each other then back to Leslie. "So, I have to turn into a dog? And you mentioned that there may be a chance that I won't go back to my human form?"

"Yes, unless you find Betha, the banshee you're looking for. You will turn back once you have fulfilled your mission." Leslie explained.
 
"Well of course I'll find her. I'll make sure I do. But just out of curiosity, what kind of dog will I be?" Apollo asked.

"Well that depends. The spell is designed to specific needs. You might turn into a Bloodhound, a Beagle, or maybe a German Shepherd. They have the strongest sense of smell but of course, we'd have to see it for ourselves."

"Cool." Apollo nodded, looked at Gab then shifted back to Leslie. "Okay then. Let's do it!" He said without a hint of reluctance in his voice.

Apollo’s ordinary life changes when a new neighbor moves right across his home. He's instantly mesmerized by her looks, unaware that she turns into an old hag with silver hair whenever someone within 5km is about to die. What happens when he finds out her true identity?

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