the umbral pane

My Father always told me to stand tall, this is my opportunity to do just that. [ This novel has been discontinued, a redux version of this series is currently in production. ] A glorious reign over the realm only to be hunted, a glorious return only to be haunted. Avery Hall had a fair share of experience when it came to the many layers of humanity. With the death of our real world in the future, everyone gets digitized and becomes... well, Immortal. To a degree. But how to do you spend immortality? Video Games... of course, with everything being digital... and with Hyper Advanced A.I... it's possible to create games that simulate what reality used to be like. Our story takes place in Starduster MMO, a fantasy based MMO game where the game's story is run mainly by player choice, with any choice being an important factor into anything. Our main point of view is Avery Hall, who specializes in the Sniper Class, a long range damage class that uses a Rifle. He is quite efficient at making use of all he has available, and is kind of a jerk. Avery also has been preventing the Progress of the game by holding on to a Key Artifact, other players find out about this and after a while decide they don't want him around anymore. While normally death lowers levels... his reputation is too low within the game and he gets banned, luckily he has a second account, as most V.I.P. users in the world do... Avery, swears to return the status quo, but maybe he'll be good this time... hopefully, habits take a long time to stop. So we join Avery's journey to get back to the top, just make sure he doesn't forget to properly transfer accounts.

Would you challenge a sacred hell if it meant a second chance? He will shed undeath. He will eat and love and not be hunted. Skell will achieve all these things. Even if it means infiltrating the Templar Order - an organization hellbent on eradicating every murderous undead in the nation - and stealing the secret of resurrection right from under them. Skell has trained. Been gifted a magical disguise. He's made solid allies and even unlocked a scarce few memories from his past life and the magical arts therein. But to be a Templar and learn their secrets, one must overcome the Sacred Ordeals. Prodigies from every corner of the country and beyond pool into the capital to compete. Hundreds are culled into an elite handful. With a shortage of experience and a passable level of cunning, Skell must beat the nigh-impossible odds and become a champion. A Templar. …A masked undead in a Citadel of undead slayers. (This is an evolving blurb, changing as the story continues from one arc to the next.) Expect: ► A Chapter Every Wednesday At 11am CST (Read Eight Chapters Ahead On Patreon + Free Trial) ► Cerebral, Choreographed Battles Akin To Naruto/Demon Slayer ► Seemingly Medieval World That Hides Much More ► One Underdog MC, One Experienced MC ► Focus On First-Person Prose And Character Development ► No AI, Harems, Overpowered Protagonists, Or Game Mechanics ► Long-Running Mysteries, Bestiaries Of Powerful Creatures, Earned Power, Secret Identities, Deceptively Deep Magic, And A Cooking Skeleton Edited by: My Lovely Partner Art by: LeeKent on DeviantArt

In "Whispers of the Veiled Shadows," Sarah Everhart, a renowned storywriter in Berlin, has built a career by crafting psychological and mysterious folklore legacy horror tales inspired by her own childhood trauma. Her stories delve into the darkest depths of human fear, but there's one story she has never shared, a chilling chapter from her own past. Haunted by her family's connection to the enigmatic Veiled Shadows, Sarah returns to the imposing Everhart Manor, the source of her childhood nightmares. With her loyal friend Lisa at her side, they embark on a journey to confront the past, uncovering the chilling secrets hidden within the mansion's walls.

In a world cloaked in eternal darkness, the protagonist, Lyndor, begins a journey from weakness to unimaginable power. Armed with a simple spear, he discovers the enigmatic Umbral Affinity, a dark and elusive magic, and becomes the "Shadebearer." As he delves deeper into this power, Lyndor ventures into the Veil of Shadows, a realm intertwined with shadows and secrets. With the guidance of enigmatic spirits, he unlocks hidden knowledge, enhances his control over Umbral Affinity, and gains the ability to command shadows and spirits. However, as his powers grow, so does the temptation of darkness, threatening to consume him. Lyndor's path to mastery is fraught with danger and intrigue, as he seeks to wield the Umbral Spear while resisting the seductive pull of the shadows.

For as long as humanity can remember, Earth has been linked with another parallel world from a very distant place in the universe. Occasionally, spirits from the link will choose their heroes to be summoned to the Other Side. Once they step through the Gate that connects these two places, there's no going back. Cue Ernie Neswitt: a twelve-year-old boy who has lived a miserable life of being compared to his elder sister. He was always said to be worse, talentless, useless, and many other scornful things compared to his sister. Due to that trauma, he has formed an inferiority complex and usually has mental breakdowns. On a seemingly usual day, he has been granted status of a 'Chosen One' by the spirits of the Gate, allowing him to leave all his problems behind on Earth and start a new, fresh adventure in his new world. Being all too happy to step into this Other Side, he will soon learn about the importance of of the things he left behind on Earth, along with the secrets that are held in this new world and all the hardships he will face along the way. Join Ernie as he battles his way through a fantasy world where he can live out all his wildest dreams, chock full off magic, monsters, and even friends and enemies to go with it.

At the stroke of midnight, the very world itself splits, and people with no special traits get involved in a difficult trial, which is only referred to as the 'Descent'—a realm in which one can live by the right of money, and fear and power are inextricably tied, while every gift has to be paid for. "Kuro Ayanagi", a man who has always been unnoticed, comes to life with a cursed gift: a blackened figure that remembers all the things he has been trying to forget. Every success day by day increases his strength—heaps up the past memories which he wants to keep hidden. In the Descent, might is never free, and he has lost forgetting as a luxury. Kuro, who has already been forced to make doubtful partners out of the other competitors—who each bear a crazy Burden of their own—has to find his way among the beasts, the altering tests, and the ruthless regulations where the power of life and death depends on trust being right or wrong. When things get tougher and the distinction between a man and a beast becomes fuzzy, there is one question that keeps coming up: "How much will he give up of himself before the shadow dictates who he actually is?" This is a gloomy development fantasy packed with emotional tension, lethal tests, and complicated ethical dilemmas. Besides that, the novel delves into themes of endurance, self hood, and the dreadful price that comes with power—all through the metaphor of taking a step forward that extracts something dear from the past.

En un mundo donde los humanos despiertan espíritus de leyendas para obtener poder, los débiles son descartados sin piedad. Kael Rivas fue uno de ellos. Sin talento… sin poder… sin valor. Hasta el día en que estuvo a punto de morir. En ese momento, hizo un pacto prohibido con una entidad olvidada por el mundo: el octavo dios, sellado por los demás dioses por su aterrador poder de dominio. Ahora, Kael camina en las sombras. Con un espíritu considerado basura… un poder que no debería existir… y un conocimiento que supera a los demás… comienza a construir su propio camino. Uno donde los dioses caerán. Y el mundo aprenderá que el verdadero peligro… nunca fue el dios maldito. Fue quien lo heredó.

Humanity pushed to the brink of destruction. A world connected, bringing abominations of all shapes and sizes. Is there any way to return the earth to what it was and stop this invasion or is the clock of extinction to far along to be rewound. While no one person could hope to become the savior of a failing planet, ancient terrors and pacts may help prolong the inevitable.

In the mysterious city of Nocturna, 15-year-old Alexander Stravos seeks solace in the forgotten outskirts, where adventure awaits beyond the veil of shadows. During an exploration of an underground research facility, he stumbles upon an enigmatic symbiotic organism named Umbral. As fate intertwines their paths, a prophecy from ancient scrolls resurfaces, foretelling of a being born of light and darkness destined to wield unimaginable power and bring balance to the city. Under the rugged mentorship of Professor Nathaniel Winter, Alexander embraces his newfound role as the Umbral Knight. Armed with the symbiote's unique abilities, he becomes the guardian of Nocturna's night, using his powers to protect the city from the malevolent Order of Shadows. But as the Umbral Knight battles the criminal syndicate, he faces moral dilemmas, struggling to maintain the balance between his identities as Alexander Stravos and the dark avenger. Through emotional turmoil and introspection, Alexander unlocks the symbiote's secrets, discovering that its abilities are tied to his emotional state and self-understanding. As he confronts past traumas, he learns that true strength lies in embracing both light and darkness within himself. As the Umbral Knight's legend grows, he forms meaningful bonds with allies and former adversaries, showcasing the power of redemption and unity. Amidst the shadows of Nocturna, he becomes a symbol of hope, inspiring citizens to stand united against crime and darkness. Embark on an epic journey of heroism, choice, and redemption as "Shadows of Nocturna: The Umbral Knight Chronicles" illuminate the darkest corners of the city and explore the eternal struggle between light and shadows. Join Alexander Stravos as he navigates the complexities of being a hero and uncovers the true potential of the symbiote's power, forever altering the destiny of Nocturna.

Sophie Wexler transmigrated into a novel about The Galaxy, becoming the vicious, F-rank Healer-class cannon fodder. The original owner constantly caused trouble and made things difficult for the female lead, earning her the hatred of the entire internet. Upon transmigrating and seeing that everything had been ruined by the original owner, Sophie's only thought was: "What kind of nightmare start is this?!" To escape the original owner's fate, Sophie Wexler worked diligently, conducted herself conscientiously, stayed away from the male and female leads, compensated the soldiers harmed by the original owner, and strove to be a model citizen of The Galaxy, absolutely refusing to be the cannon fodder 'offed' by the Imperial Marshal! Broke and powerless, Sophie also had to support a man who'd been innocently dragged into the original owner's mess. She had no choice but to hustle. She started live streaming, became a masked singer, and held concerts. At first, netizens were scornful: 【Tsk, how good can she possibly sound?】 Later, the netizens were forced to eat their words. 【Damn, that's so good I'm on my knees!】 【What the hell, the violent episode of my Disorder Period has actually been soothed?!】 【The toxins in my Spiritual Sea have actually been eliminated!】 Her live streams went viral, the masked singer became a huge sensation, and tickets for her concerts were snapped up across The Galaxy. Sophie was content, thinking, "This time, I must have finally escaped the original owner's fate, right?" But what do you know, the man I've been doting on and supporting is actually the Imperial Marshal?! --- One day, Yancey Forrest came home to find that the boisterous person who was always claiming to be good to him was gone. His eyes darkened. Provoke me and then think you can leave? After catching her, Yancey traced his fingertips along Sophie's neck, smiling gently. "Why run?" Sophie trembled. "You... you're the Imperial Marshal?" His identity exposed, Yancey Forrest took her hand and slowly placed it on his own neck ring. "You know I won't kill you, don't you?"