Haipa hoped that the stranger wasn't here to assassinate them. The new government has been in power long enough for them to expect something like that. “It's clear that he's dangerous, -but to us? Very questionable.” She thought. No one should expect any safety while being in his presence, but King Rike had made it clear that he wasn’t there to harm them. Haipa was still curious who this man really was. Already she had made her way towards the guest-room they had given him. This was for the best. They couldn't have thrown a diplomat of another kingdom into a prison. Some of their future plans already entailed having a friendly relationship with the country of Chauk. They had technologies and resources which would greatly come in handy in the rebuilding of Alaran as a proper land for the people. The first step had already been taken by Crown Rike, and now it was their turn to behave properly. Though Haipa thought, “why was he given to me to take care of?!” She’d already guess
“And why do you want to know, girl?” As he pinned me to the wall, I felt my heart racing in my chest. The mere sight of him had been enough to make me weak in the knees, but now, with his strong arms holding me captive, I was powerless. His golden eyes were piercing into mine, and I could feel myself getting lost in them. I stammered, trying to speak, but all I could manage was a meek reply. "It's just that... I noticed the way the Empress looked at you. It seemed like she knew you. But then, the Protector had a much different opinion of your identity." He let out a small chuckle, and a few droplets of water from his wet hair landed on my face. "That is true. Quite observant, my dear." I felt my cheeks flush as he called me "my dear." It was a term of endearment I had never heard from someone like him before, and it sent shivers down my spine. "But neither Aini nor Baohu seemed very happy to see you," I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. He turned around and held his han
I'm starting to doubt my decision. The road leading up to the house is in shambles and has been that way for centuries. I don't think I can convince anyone to rebuild it, especially considering how close it is to the house. The darkness is making me nervous, and I wish Baohu were here to reassure me. Instead, I'm stuck with this foreign diplomat who I barely know. I'm not even sure what I need for the House of Ghosts, but I know I'm not feeling very confident. When Asher questioned why I chose him over Baohu, I try to convince him that he's just as capable. But deep down, I'm not sure if I made the right choice. I'm afraid that I might not have what it takes to face whatever is waiting for me at the house. As we walk towards the estate, I try to clear my head and think things through. But Asher kept talking, making it hard for me to focus. I started to wonder if he's the same person I met before or if he's changed. I can feel my insecurity growing with every step we take and every
Aini’s heart raced as she stood in the dilapidated house filled with the three ghosts. The musty air filled her nostrils, and she shuddered, trying to shake off the feeling of dread that seemed to grip her. Noticing the ceremonial burial robes the first ghost was wearing, which ancient members of the royal family had been buried in, Aini knew that this must have been Diyi Gengui. She had heard old stories about his legendary power to foretell the future. The idea of him standing before her was both thrilling and terrifying. As she watched the ghost cross his arms and scowl at her, she couldn’t help but feel a creeping sense of unease. But Asher was not one to be easily intimidated. Without thinking, he grabbed one of the scurrying rats that had run out of the house and hurled it at the ghost. The rat passed right through Diyi, landing with a thud on the dusty floor. “Rude little boy, ain’tcha?” Diyi growled. Asher grinned, feeling a rush of excitement. He had always loved a good ch
She looked around the room, shuddering at the eerie atmosphere. The candles flickered, casting an ominous glow on the faces of the ghosts. A chill ran down her spine as she saw their eyes glinting with an otherworldly light. "Curse?" she whispered, her voice almost trembling with fear. The ghosts laughed, a hollow sound that echoed through the room. "A gift, a blessing? A curse? Who cares?" Liangci sneered. "It's a curse, plain and simple. We are trapped here, forced to do the bidding of some unknown entity, forever maybe." Aini could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to leave, to run away from this haunted place, but something held her back. She had to know more, to understand the story behind the ghosts and their curse. "Honorable ghosts," she said, her voice shaking. "I ask of you to tell me of your story." The ghosts looked at each other, then nodded. Yisang spoke first, his voice filled with bitterness. "In my living life, dunno how long that's ago now, I was
“That’s a really nice story there, but you must realize that you aren’t the best people to judge, are you? You’re a pansy looking for someone else to protect you, a zealous warmonger, and a greedy backstabber. Whoever this being was, chose some pretty damn bad people,” Asher said. The ghosts fell silent, and Asher could feel their eyes on him. He knew that he had their attention now, and he had to make his case quickly before they changed their minds. The room was silent for a moment, and then one by one, the ghosts began to nod their heads in agreement. Asher could feel the tension in the room easing, and he knew that he had done what he had set out to do. “We were real people with different experiences of the world and the land we ruled. It may be true that in life we had been poor leaders, but we tried. That’s why only aspects of us should be in the ones who rule next,” Diyi retorted. "Oh, I don’t really care. I’m just here to see that the empress gets out of here in one pie
As we walked out of the house, I couldn't help but feel relieved that the task wasn't as daunting as I had expected. I mean, I had envisioned this elaborate test of strength and cunning, something that would truly test the limits of the Empress' abilities, where I couldn't really help. But instead, it was just a simple conversation with some ghosts. Not that I was complaining, mind you. It was just a bit anticlimactic, that's all. I turned to the ghosts, Diyi, Yisang, and Liangci, I extended my hand to shake theirs. But as I did, my hand passed right through theirs. I guess that's what happens when you're dealing with ghosts. It was a bit sad to leave them like this, but I knew that I had to move on. As I looked around the stuffy house, I realized that I had lost track of time. How long had we been here, anyway? It felt like hours, but who could say for sure? I decided to push the thought out of my mind and focus on the present. I grabbed Aini's hand and pulled her out of the house.
My stomach grumbled, and I was cold. It was turning winter soon. That meant that I had to find a shelter that protected me from the snow and cool air instead of sleeping out in the open.The park, however rough it was to sleep in, had been my sanctuary in the warmer seasons for years now.No matter how bad my life has gotten, the park was always there, waiting, as an old friend would.Oh well, time to say goodbye once again, my old friend.I patted the dew-covered grass as a farewell gesture.Standing up, I stretched and yawned loudly.I checked my gear; one small dagger, check, and that's it.That was the only thing I had besides my worn-out clothing.Even if it's a little dull, there was no rust on it, which meant it's the best I can get with no money to my name.Time to get to work.Food wasn’t just going to materialize itself in front of me.Perhaps if I were a magician, but where would I ever get a spell book?The only skills that I have are in survival and thievery, and the skil
A special thanks to me, the writer, for writing this novel! Just joking. Thanks for coming this far. I guess I covered every trope and cliché I wanted to cover to create one of the worst “actual” web novel that is out there. Yeah, it was a train wreck through and through, but I had a lot of fun writing it. Hope you, whoever is reading this, also had at least some amount of fun reading it.It came from a somewhat shitty premise idea with isekai elements and spun into whatever it is now. Have a nice day. And as a last hurrah: Fuck you for reading this fucking garbage!
“Does it this time? Or are you, as always, unwilling to share what is to happen? You are a powerful god. Fate, future, past, present, all that will be. The gods have grown complacent, and it is time for a change."While Urien still making a somewhat tired speech about gods and whatever, destiny, maybe, I walked up to the hooded god, whoever he was he must have been pretty powerful, as Urien said.Without hesitation, I spoke up. "This would really be the perfect moment to blast him," I said, gesturing towards Urien.To my surprise, the hooded figure nodded in agreement. "In this you are right, mortal Asher," he said, his voice deep and resonant. And with a calm flick of his wrist, a bolt of lightning shot towards Urien.The power of the blast was unimaginable. It was as if the very fabric of reality was tearing apart at the seams. I could see the sky lighting up with bursts of energy, and I felt the ground shaking beneath my feet. The forces of the world were colliding, all in an effor
“Cyrus,” I heard Alexandra call, “get behind me.”“Do not protect him. If you would have cared from the beginning, then an in-numerous amount of them could have been saved. Why, little goddess, even your precious Paragon? Faye, I recall her name. Even if you can create her again, does it not bother you that she was destroyed in the first place?”“She is as we are,” Alexandra said. “She will not be bothered by your little games as she knows her purpose, which you do not seem to.”“Then it doesn’t matter if I kill your little mortal friend, does it?” He said.And as he did, a sickly black smoke approached from behind the death god towards the gods and me.With the fog/mist gone, I saw that the new smoke cloud was as tall and wide as I could see, and I was pretty confident in my sight.“Cyrus, take my hand. I must lend you our power, or you will not be if you are hit by Urien’s madness.” Alexandra said as she held out her hand.I took it but had to ask, “whaddya mean ‘lend you our power’
I awoke in pitch black, lying on something which I couldn’t really describe, but it was neither soft nor very hard. This wasn't my childhood bed. That much was apparent; in which I had slept in the night before, instead I found myself in what I thought was sand. It's wet too, ugh. From the feeling I got, I think I was also wearing my usual equipment, a sort of armor made of leather. It was a pretty low tier, but I thought it looked pretty cool. Why was I wearing it? I went to bed in my pajamas and now that I am here. I’m suddenly wearing it. Of course, this place could have been anywhere I could have thought of. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but no matter how long I seemed to wait, they never did. But even though it was too dark to see anything, it wasn't too dark to hear anything. There were many people present wherever this was. Talking, shouting, screaming their heads off, moving about, and running. From the muffled sound of bare feet to the iron clang of a
“Who are you?” Jacob asked as he pushed his wife behind him for protection. He felt a sense of confusion and fear, not knowing who this elf-man was or what he wanted from them.The elf man's response only added to Jacob's confusion. "I know this is hard to accept, but I'm your son, Asher."Jacob almost burst out laughing at how ridiculous the situation was. "And how do you plan on proving that?" he asked.“I can prove it, don’t you worry about that,” The Elf said.“How?” Curious, Zilpah raised a question. She pushed past Jacob despite his attempts to keep her behind him.Asher responded, "Well, do you remember Faye, my oh-so imaginary childhood friend? She's not quite as fantastical as you might have thought. Faye if you will," he said as he poured steaming tea into a new cup.Suddenly, an ethereal young woman manifested opposite him."I'd like you to meet her," Asher said.She didn't say a word.“We aren't really close, but she has been sharing my adventures and has occasionally been
Deep within the southern farmlands of the grand kingdom of Kathe, close to the bustling city of Wellden, there existed a quaint little farm owned by a couple named Jacob and Zilpah. These two individuals were not your typical townsfolk.They were childhood friends who grew up in the same small village on the outskirts of the town of Charlo. They spent their youth playing together in the fields and learning the ways of the land from their families, who also were farmers. As they grew older, Jacob and Zilpah started to see each other in a different light, and eventually, they fell in love.Years went by, and they stayed together through thick and thin, facing the hardships of farming and battling against droughts and pests, but they always managed to pull through with their unwavering dedication and love for one another. They watched as their crops grew tall and their livestock flourished, and they knew that they had built a life together that was worth more than any riches or fame.A f
At breakfast the next day, after the weirdness Asher had with the dragon last night, he announced that he had big news.As I nonchalantly smeared jelly on a piece of bread, Asher rose from his seat and directed his attention towards the king. “"I have some big news," he announced, causing a sense of anticipation to fill the room. All eyes were now on him as he continued, "I would like for Papia to stay here in my stead, permanently. As a guide for you, but also as an important task which I believe will help her grow into her future responsibilities. She'll be dealing with all matters related to elves.I’d also like Ravana to look over her. A dragon, especially her, is someone I’d trust.What do you say, King Padillia?"There was a silence. I was in shock.As I thought about Asher's proposal, the king spoke up, stammering slightly. "I-I don't know- well, if you, rather, her... think it's best."Turning towards me, Asher asked, "And you, Papia. Are you fine with this development? A life
Papia's eyes widened in fear as she watched Asher approach the dragon. "What on earth would he want to confront a dragon for?!" she thought to herself. "Get the hell out of here before that monster eats you!" But Asher seemed undaunted by the creature's size and ferocity.Papia continued to cower, keeping a safe distance from the dragon."Come on, girl," Asher thought, already noticing the hiding girl, "you live in a fantasy world like this and you still think dragons, of all creatures, are mindless monstrous beasts who’ll just eat you? Jeez, you still got a lot to learn about how these things work."Asher seemed to be quite knowledgeable about dragons, though. He wanted to remind Papia that in many works of fantasy, fiction in general where they appear, dragons are often depicted as the most intelligent creatures around."Proud, sometimes arrogant, and the primary source of scalie smut out there," he remarked to himself in his mind.Despite this knowledge, Asher wasn't taking any cha
The moment I stepped into my room, I felt a wave of overwhelming sensation wash over me.The furniture was adorned with gold, and even the chandelier was covered to the brim with gemstones. It was gaudy, to say the least, and I couldn't help but feel like it was all too much to handle.As I kicked off my shoes and let my dress loose, I made my way over to the bed. It was like a fortress, decked out with pillows and other fancy accessories. However, it was surprisingly hard. Most likely because it had probably not been slept in very much. Still, it was better than sleeping outside on the hard ground.As I lay there with my eyes closed, I started thinking about my life. Sure, the decor was a bit outdated, but I couldn't deny the fact that having servants and gold at my disposal would be kind of nice. I could get used to this lifestyle if I had to.I dozed off. I don't know for how long, but my dreams were interrupted by the sound of something smashing on the ground in the room next door