As Gray takes his final breath he thinks to himself. What was my purpose in life? As he slowly fades in to unconsciousness. Just as he was about to truly die he hears a ding a message appears in his head Loading.... Ultimate Mercenary System 1%....50% ....70%....100% completed. This is a tale of Gray The Undying Mercenary see how fate and the mysteries of life unravels before him.






First novel lol. Doing this cause I’m bored

I love colors. I'll say it over and over again: I love colors! They're beautiful. They're stimulating. Sometimes I even think they're magical. I love everything about them, from the power they have to evoke emotions to the subtle yet distinct differences they make in a work of art. But my favorite thing about colors is their symbolism, the way they can be used to hide secrets and hint at details of a bigger picture without drawing focus away from the story at hand.

It's simple enough to use colors in visual art, but what about in writing? Challenging as it may seem, I believe it is possible to create symbolism with words, such as when describing color schemes of character outfits and settings. Color symbolism has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, and while it would take an entire book (or series of books) to get into it all, I'd like to at least scratch the surface today with some of the basics I've picked up throughout my experience researching and implementing meaningful colors in my stories. You may want to consider these tips the next time you set a scene; they can help add a vivid new layer to your story! Enjoy!
Red – Red is a bold and passionate color, often symbolizing such strong ideas and images as courage, fire, power, and violence. It's a color that demands attention, which is why it's commonly used to signify danger. Use red for passionate or aggressive characters, or for any sort of intense scene, whether it's the heat of love or the violence of war.

￼Orange – Not quite passionate and not quite joyful, orange is a middle ground between red and yellow. It symbolizes energy and creativity, and is used in psychology to stimulate enthusiasm and determination. Use orange for adventurous or creative characters, or when you want to paint some vibrant warmth into a scene.

￼Yellow – Yellow is the two-sided coin of colors. On the one hand, it symbolizes happiness, optimism, sunshine, and friendship. On the other hand, it can also stand for cowardice, illness, hazard, and deceit. Golden shades represent wealth and luxury. Use yellow when you want to add hints of joy or caution to a scene. For the best effect, I recommend using yellow ambiguously, such as for characters who seem jubilant and optimistic on the outside but who are fearful or deceitful on the inside.

￼Green – Think of green and you're sure to picture beautiful scenes of nature, complete with lush vegetation as far as the eye can see. Indeed, green is the color of the environment, and it represents such ideas as youth, fertility, health, and rebirth. Abstractly, it also symbolizes jealousy and good luck. Use green for characters associated with natural themes such as environmentalism or the practice of healing, or to hint at fortune or envy in relationships.

￼Blue – Blue is my favorite color because it represents all my favorite things. It's a color that symbolizes intelligence, tranquility, trust, and loyalty. In nature, it's associated with the sky and the sea, and different shades from turquoise to navy can be used to signify sophistication, knowledge, and integrity. Use blue for characters who are more intellectual than emotional, and for settings fitting an atmosphere of calm and authority.

￼Purple – Purple is the color of royalty, and has long represented such themes as nobility, wisdom, honor, and extravagance. Being a relatively rare color in nature, it is often associated with mystery and magic. Lighter shades such as lavender also convey grace and elegance. Use purple as a motif for regal or arrogant characters, mysterious settings, and storylines brimming with fantasy.

￼Pink – A soft complement to the bold red, pink is the color that most famously signifies love and romance. Strongly associated with femininity, it represents tenderness, caring, and acceptance. I myself tend to associate the color pink with flowers. Use pink to add a soothing or feminine quality to a scene, or to signify elements of a romantic subplot.

￼Brown – Brown is well known as an earth tone, and as such tends to represent stability. Common ideas associated with the color brown include simplicity, comfort, and endurance. Use brown when you want to convey a sense of plainness or tenacity in a scene without having to resort to the blatant dullness of gray.

￼Gray – The dull middle ground between white and black, gray is most commonly associated with boredom and depression. On the positive side, it also stands for security, modesty, practicality, and reliability. Use gray for conservative characters or when you want to create a colorless air for a particular setting.

￼White – White is the international color of peace, and is often regarded as a symbol of light, purity, and faith. Some even go as far as to associate it with perfection. Note that white takes on a different meaning in Eastern cultures, where it's associated with death and mourning. Use white when you want to convey innocence in your characters and cleanliness in your settings, or when you want to create strong religious symbolism in your scenes.

￼Black – The exact opposite of white, black represents everything that its counterpart doesn't. Darkness, evil, and death are themes commonly associated with black, but it can also stand for austerity, formality, style, and sexuality. Arguably the most powerful color of all, black has a long history of symbolizing strongly opposed ideas on the spectrum of good and evil. Use black to convey depth in your characters or to add dark themes to a scene. For best results, combine it with other colors to create interesting contrasts of ideas in your stories.

The next morning...
After sorting his thought the whole night Ma Weishi is of with a new start.
'System, how do I earn experience point?'
'Host, Experience point can be obtained through companion, Cultivation or Exchanging FP to EP with ratio of 1FP equal to 5EP or the other way around'
'Show me my status'

Name: Ma Weishi
Age: Seventeen
Origin: Human?
Cultivation: None
Talent: Baby Talking Lv1 ( Extremely Trash ) Upgradeable[Gray]
Stage: None (0/100) +
Companion: None
Skills: None
Luck: 21
FP: 50

'How does this companion thingy work?'
'Host, stop being a lazy ass and find it out yourself, im not your nanny!'
'What the heck... couldn't you be more nicer?'
Weishi face was black, why is my System so mean?
Since Weishi has nothing to do except for sleeping in bed throughout the day
'Lets try the lottery!'
"Ding... Congratulation you got a (Bowl of Rice)"
"Ding... Unlocking New Function: Shop"
Weishi face was flushed with anger.
'System Come on OUT! What the hell is this, what use is this (Bowl of Rice)? shouldn't you give me something practical? what use do I have 21 Luck if I get this crap?'
After scolding the System for a while without an answer, Weishi decide to reorganize his Inventory.
(Book; How to Court a Maiden) This Book contain the Essence of how to make the heart of a Maiden jumping like a rabbitSystem recommended Host to use it Sell Price: 250FP
(Skill: Heart Indicator[Passive])Any Female being within the radius of several meter will show they impression/feeling of how they view the MC with NumberNote The higher the number the better the impression and there is no maximum number.System Note: recommended Host to use itSell Price: 150FP
(Bowl of Rice)A Bowl full of riceNote it is said that the rice is whiter than the usual oneSystem Note:just eat it and you will find it out!Sell Price: 1FP
'Learn both (Book; How to Court a Maiden) and (Skill: Heart Analyzer[Passive]) and'
Unknown memory filled Weishi mind to the brink causing him severe headache. After several minutes Weishi eased his frown while gaping for breath, his back is filled with sweat as if he just take a bath.
'D*mn, this is really different from novel!'
After Familiarize himself with his new knowledge he obtained Weishi decided to try it on Ma Xinxin later to see how the skill was.
***
Unknownly a week has passed...
Weishi used several trick from (book; How to Court a Maiden) to Ma Xinxin and she blushed a lot.After a week has passed Ma Xinxin Heart Indicator continue to rising from 63 to 249.As the week passed Weishi and Ma Xinxin was getting closer and now Weishi can tease Xinxin without blushing. Not like the first time when he stutterring while replying Xinxin question
Another good think, now Xinxin is Displayed at the Companion column in his status.And Weishi EP continue increasing, apparently when (Heart Indicator) reach 100 it will now give 1EP every ten minutes, if (Heart Indicator) reach 200 it will give 2EP every ten minutes and so on.
After a week of grinding now Wenshi status changed to

Name: Ma Weishi
Age: Seventeen
Origin: Human?
Cultivation: None
Talent: Baby Talking Lv1 ( Extremely Trash ) Upgradeable[Gray]
Stage: None (1486/100) +
Companion: Ma Xinxin(249)
Skills: Heart Indicator[Passive]
Luck: 21
FP: 50

Since Weishi just staying inside his room, there's no need for him to train right now. After a week nothing strange or big happened, the only one who visit him was Xinxin and until now he don't know how his father and mother look like as both of them currently isn't in the Sect.
'Convert my 1000EP to FP'
"Ding... Converting Successfull your FP value has Increased"
'Now that I have 250FP lets see what can I get in Shop'
Weishi couldn't help but became spechless. Inside the Shop anything other than the item that he's got from lottery and novice gift everything is colored in gray. Weishi couldn't help but ask 'I summon you System!, I think your Shop function is rigged with BUG!! Why cant i buy a think here? Explain System!!'
'I HAD ENOUGH, Stop slandering me, you scold me for a whole hour just a week ago but I stay silent, and now you slander me that my function is filled with bug? Dont think that i wont slap you to oblivion just because you are my Host!!' said the System with voice filled with rage.
'Ah? just kidding System... no need to be so angry, I was just joking with you Great System, no need to lower yourself down to my level' said Weishi with a shocked expression. Am i scolding him to hard? why else would he blow up?
After coaxing the System for half and hour Weishi found the answer.Everything in the Shop will be Unlocked if you get the items from the lottery function.

"Students," says Miss Poppy, sitting her tight-jeaned buttocks on the teacher's desk, "You have learned much on our continent's, our empire's, and each of your nations' history, and now; the time to have you all assessed has almost come," she continues, her arms propping around her bosom, substantializing her cleavage, "so I must ask – are you all prepared for the undertaking?"

Hands go up randomly, one by one; some students with hesitance obvious on their faces. When half of the almost thirty students are in, it stops; Kinn excluded, of course. In a seat by the window, he idles, glancing out at serene grasslands, lost in his own world of peculiar thoughts. Miss Poppy and her words were not in his realm of cognizance.

Kinn is brainstorming the images instilled in his mind which by every minute makes him question reality. To him, his behavioral deviances are as clear as day: the unexplainable shifts in his attitude and demeanor are obvious. After all, he did advise Nish regarding her religious, romantic dichotomy. Something he has never done before though he wanted to.

"What about the rest of you?" Miss Poppy says, "What are you all waiting for? The exams sure won't wait for you."

Some students give out embarrassed smiles while few others sneer in ridicule. "Miss, it's only history – events of the to-be-forgotten past – no purpose in learning it at all. I mean when has lingering on the past ever done good?"

"You mean the misled dogmatists and bigots. We don't study the past to conserve our predecessors' old and contemptible beliefs. We do it to learn from them and to do better than them."

Meanwhile, as Kinn gazes outside, a slight gray crack emerges on the sky, drawing his eyes as they squint in confusion. "Huh," he mutters, confounded by the eerie fissure in the sky. But then, with a crack like a hatching egg, the fissure enlarges, rooting across the expanse, overtaking the visible sky.

And before Kinn could consider the scene, the sky is altered to a pale shade of gray and the fields of vivid grass is now an endless desert of grim, gray sand, drifting about with ethereal winds. So clear and definite. Amidst the baffling sight, he sees a few humanoid figures of a translucent white hovering from and to different directions.

Kinn leans back with surprise, in turn, descrying his former classroom where instead of students, books, tables, chairs, and walls, he finds shining amorphous forms of bright light evenly distributed and mantled, humanlike, faceless, black figures floating by each.

"The hell?" Kinn blurts as he jolts back, and with a notion of falling, he hits solid ground. But when he eases and looks beneath him, he sees nothing solid. He had hit mid-air and the desert lies meters below him coupled with more white lights juxtaposed with ghastly black-cloaked figures. "T-This can't be real…"

"Mr. Kinn, this is quite real…" Miss Poppy's voice intervenes.

At her sound, Kinn jerks his head, and the world promptly reverts back to normal, tiled floor, wooden tables, and white-painted walls with gloating students, suppressing their arising laughter. Just to be sure, Kinn scans around to a few times and confirms it. The gray desert is gone, abandoning him in the infamy of acting out in class.

"Now, if you're done with whatever it is that you are doing, Mr. Kinn, would you mind settling down?"

As usual, Kinn feels shame and abashment welling up within, his heartbeat fastening, making him wish if he would disappear there and then; but then something else happens. A new and different quality, blooms as well, slowly but thoroughly expunging the notion of shame while he is left aware of his mind's sudden assuage. He picks up his chair and sits down quietly, gulping at the idea of his mind calming itself down.

"So, Mr. Kinn, how much of the syllabus have you absorbed?" Miss Poppy asks in a patronizing tone, "To which chapter of the textbook?"

Getting questioned in class is one of Kinn's greatest fears, and Miss Poppy has always felt the need to exploit this weakness. This is so as Kinn is the child of his mother whom Miss Poppy shares a one-sided rivalry with.

Anyhow, after a brief moment, Kinn says, "the last chapter."

What comes next is the sound of riling laughter. "Like hell you have," a boy goes, "I bet he's never even gone through the book to know that we share the same textbook for two years; half the book a year. And last half is for the next year…"

"Yea, like what the hell," a girl adds, and soon the rest of the class explodes into hysteria.

"Enough, everyone!" Miss Poppy shouts and calms the students before one of them drops dead. "As for you, Mr. Kinn, you shouldn't lie about such petty things. There is no shame in ignorance. Actually, there is; but at least don't lie when you're not very good at it." Her heartfelt words only livened the hysterical students.

Frankly, such a wishful claim coming from a dumb joke like Kinn, whom everyone thinks is boneheaded, sounded jocular. No one will believe such a truth. His image as a blockhead is a much steeper mountain.

Kinn's first thought is to let them see him as a dumb retard as they do. Not that he is as usual afraid to stand up for himself, but that he doesn't consider their opinions very important. After all, playing dumb has been helpful in waiving trouble. But… his subconscious outsmarts him.

"I wasn't lying," he says, "My mother, back when she was a maiden, she used to be a history professor here in IAL, and you were a colleague of hers. And after she settled down, she habitually taught it all to me from the same textbooks IAL currently uses. You see, a bedtime story narrated by a historian is the real deal… Being a mother yourself you would know this yourself too, right, Miss Poppy?"

"I do, indeed. But need I remind you that you have been failing all examinations so far, not once have you scored past the passing grade in my class, nor in any other class." Miss Poppy smirks, and the students join in. "And I'm certain IAL textbooks are private properties of the academy and are exclusive to the academy. But, as you have said, your mother not only smuggled the books outside, she practiced it illegally. Do you know how big a crime that is?"

"It's not a crime from what I know. The school insisted she took all the materials, they didn't want to impede nor desert someone as capable as her. Moreover, she literally had a hand in writing some of the chapters in the original book. If you still think my mother has committed some crime, please do consult the headmaster." Kinn continues, "And about the flunked exams, you said I never got past the passing grade, right? That's true. But the thought why I always score one mark less than the passing grade never crossed your mind? Miss Poppy, one can only make something so blatant."

By the end of Kinn's words, the classroom quiets with faces of disbelief. His compelling speech was too believable to believe. As the faces turn to Miss Poppy, anticipating a strong rebuttal, she falters embarrassed and at a loss of words. Lucky for everyone, before things could get any more awkward, the bell chimes announcing the end of the class.

Kinn bags his books and strides out of class, leaving it looking at him in awe. "Wew, that felt great." Kinn chuckles out of the satisfaction received from venting his inner self. Withholding his mind isn't as great as letting it out. Though staying off Nulod's way had been Kinn's goal, what he just did is the exact opposite. Yet he felt great and peaceful. Not scared or fearful.

Then his smile falls off his face when he remembers the uncanny world of gray; so vivid and lucid that calling it a hallucination would be deranged. Whatever that was, it is unreal, to the point that reality is hugging unreality. The start point of it all is the memories in his head of Nulod and his goons.

Back in the canteen to eat lunch, Kinn meets Nish sitting at a table all alone, without her lover or any food. Kinn queues in line, looks through the varieties of untested but delicious-looking food, but out of habit only fetches himself his usual: two sandwiches and a plate of rice for the saddened Nish.

"So?" Kinn sits down.

"He's avoiding me," Nish sighs, "So annoying…"

This isn't new for them, and it's best to let them sort it out themselves like they always do, and also to let it repeat like it always does. When passion antagonizes devotion, one or the other must give in.

"Oh, Nish…" speaking of devotion, the weirdest thought pops in Kinn's head. "I have a question that's been bugging me. It's about the Linte. You said you byhearted the whole thing, right?"

"Yep, I did. Every word." According to Nish, in her household, it is compulsory to by heart the whole Book of God by the age of ten-- makes them closer to God or they say. But to Kinn, it sounds like tormenting one's childhood, wasting potential mental capacity on useless, but equally traumatizing contexts. A book that explicitly talks of all human extremities and advocates some of it; pedophilia, incest, necrophilia, slavery, and whatnot. Nish obviously grew up fine and doesn't think there's anything wrong with her family. "Ask anything," she says.

"There's a verse about purgatory, right, the gray plain where something black looks over something white… What was it? Can you recite that one?"

"Hmm… Which one is— Oh yes… I remember: [Do not fear, for you are not alone. I, the almighty and all powerful, have made an aridness of gray and its shades where your pure and luminous souls can wander afloat, and I the all-good and far-seeing, have made grim, selfless keepers to look over your fragilities. Black, nether beings who oversee you in life and convey you upon death; to heaven or hell.] Is that it?"

Kinn's jaw drops, a chunk of a sandwich as well. The striking resemblance, or rather, the irrefutable likeness to his vision in class has him alarmed. The verse which a logical person, a disbeliever like him, considers nothing but baseless rambling and artful creativity sounds less dumb now that it has become more relatable. Either Kinn is going crazy, and his mind is playing games with him, or he was ignorant and is now discovering the truth. He still finds the former more convincing.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nish nudges him out of thoughts. "Why'd you ask for that verse?"

"Nothing really… Just a hunch…"

Kinn continues to eat while the questions gobble down the logical side of his brain. When something so powerfully refutes the foundations of a critical thinker's beliefs it is hard to not critically think about it. Knowledge is his passion and right now, he feels dumber than those that don't even contemplate.

"Hey!" Lucas pops out of nowhere and sits beside him, giving Nish no heed. "Yet again you've struck the headlines of gossip. You are full of surprises, man. But is it true, though? Have you really been flunking the tests on purpose?"

"If you were a friend of his, you'd know that already," Nish interrupts, rolling her eyes.

As if deaf to her words, Lucas continues, "and yea. Your crush's brother a.k.a. the next emperor summons you. He awaits your presence by the tree outside. And It seemed kinda urgent."

"OK." Kinn wonders what Leon, the sister-lover, has to say. Probably, the same as usual, 'Stay away from me and my sister, you lowly princeling!' But, he has been away from Lenna for some time now, so that couldn't be the case.

***

When Kinn exits the canteen, leaving the silently quarreling couple alone, he sees Leon standing under the shade of the only tree on field, staring at him with imperious eyes.

"What took you so long, you helpless broomstick?" Running a hand through his cool blonde-hair, Leon furrows his brows. "You have the gumption to make me, the heir to the throne, wait? What audacity." Getting no reply from Kinn, who has no words for the heir's pretentious might, Leon shuts up, his expression changes from arrogance to nervousness. "Umm… So, I wanna talk about Lenna," his voice stutters.

"What about her?" Kinn panics, his heart accelerating. The worry on Leon's face hints to something ominous. "Did something happen to her? What happened to her?"

"Umm… Father betrothed her over to Nulod," Leon's face hangs. "by his father's request."

"What?" Incensed, Kinn has the urge to grab Leon's collar and demand answers. Nulod, the worst of all men, whom Lenna hates the most, is to be her husband by her father's decision. "Why the hell would he do that? Is he fucking crazy!" Kinn screams, agitated.

"Be careful what you say," Leon frowns, "he still is the emperor and my father."

"When it comes to Lenna, he isn't a very good father, is he?"

"I didn't ask for your speculation. The only thing I want from you is the only thing you're good at– lifting her spirit." Leon continues, his eyes starting to water, "I tried myself, but she hates me; she blames me for this, she blames me for father's unfairness."

The about-to-be emperor is about to cry as his obsessive love for his sister bursts out of his pretension. Kinn, no matter how sad he is, never wept. In empathy for the kind-hearted brother, Kinn steps closer and wraps his arms around Leon, giving him a shoulder to weep on. "She doesn't hate or blame you; she is just a bit jealous and envious, and she only hates herself for feeling that way."

"Really? You think so?" sobbing, Leon mutters.

"I know so," Kinn assures, he knows her more than he knows himself.

"Thanks..."

"Umm… you might wanna tone this down a bit." Kinn notices the hundreds of eyes placed on them. "Everyone's watching."

"What?"

"My younger brother, Cayden, was rude in rushing us off without saying our goodbyes properly. I do apologize about that." Anemone curtsied deeply.
Iris's eyes widened with alarm. "No, there's no need to do that!We're friends! Please stand," she said nervously. Anemone fixed her nightgown and robe as she stood. It was awkward curtsying without a full dress. If she were a boy, all she had go do was bow.
"Thank you." Anemone looked at Iris's thin frame covered with the thick blanket. She looked really frail but her eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness and life. Her blue eyes reminded Anemone of what Iris had said. "Does your brothers live with you?"
"No, they don't but they do come visit. If you would like, I'll invite you when they do."
"Do you live alone?" Anemone asked, concerned. Iris laughed a little.
"I live with my nanny and servants if that's what you mean. I requested to live here to avoid the social circle of the city. But... I am glad to see you as my neighbor, Ane."
With her sparkling eyes and shy smile, Anemone thought how cute she was. With what she said, it seemed she wasn't really protected to Anemone. "Iris, if anything happens, you should tell me. I'll come over right away to help you," Anemone promised.
For some reason, Iris's pale face turned really pink. Worried, Anemone jumped over the railing and onto Iris's balcony. She lifted a hand to touch Iris's forehead. She seemed to be burning. Iris pulled back in surprise and her face turned even more red. "Do you have a fever? Your skin is burning up! We should go inside so you don't get cold." Anemone went around and pushed Iris in.
Iris tried to stop her but Anemone already went in. All Iris can do now is cover her burning face.  "I'm not too sick! I'm only embarrassed you came into my room."
"It's okay, Iris. We're both girls," Anemone shrugged as she wheeled her to the bed. Looking around, Iris's room was really plain. The only colors were all neutral shades. White bedding, beige furnitures, gray carpeting... It didn't seem really warm. She could see why Iris liked the color red. 
Most noble girls had rooms gilded with gold and silver, fancy paintings or tapestries, or filled with hobbies they were into. There was nothing, like a guest bedroom, but there were some bookshelves near the door and fireplace.
While helping Iris back into bed, Anemone couldn't help noticing how thin she was. Her hand could easily encircled Iris's wrist.
"Have you been eating well?" she asked hesitantly.
Iris looked up from getting comfortable in bed. "I try to eat as much as I can but everything is tasteless. I didn't eat this morning."
Anemone heard her stomach grumbled. She smiled sheepishly, covering her stomach. "I haven't eaten anything either..." Iris laughed and reached for a bell near her bed. A crystal clear bell ring was heard three times. 
"This is my bell when I need help," she explained to Anemone. Anemone nodded as she took a chair nearby to sit next to the bed. "Will you stay with me for a while?"
"Yes, I can stay. Do you want me to read something for you?" Her eyes were drawn back to the bookshelves. Iris followed where she looked.
"I haven't gotten around to reading them but I would love it if you do." Anemone stood up again and went to the bookshelf near the door. There were many books on romance and adventure. She saw one about an adventure between two girls. While taking the book, the door opened suddenly.

Anemone was brought up to be the heir of her family, Duke Castiano. When her brother was born, she was forced to be raised as a Lady. She has always thought being a Lady was useless and demeaning. As she grew older, she realized how dangerous it is to be a Lady than a Gentleman. 
Veiled daggers...
Insidious schemes behind decorated fans...
Would she be able to survive long enough to be with her true love?

Aiden started his brisk walking as he made his way towards Star Barracks, the cafe where he was currently employed.

The cafe was located somewhere in the corner of the city where people rarely visit.

That was why customers in Star Barracks were also really sparse.

Maybe this was also the same reason why Aiden was allowed to stay within the cafe for as long as he wanted.

In that way, there will be at least someone to use those abandoned tables and chairs. Since they rarely had a customer to occupy them, to begin with.

The business was almost dying.

In fact, it was a great wonder how Star Barracks was still able to continue and operate the business despite its current financial status.

It was also located somewhere that literally looked like the place where things went to die.

It was a great gloomy concrete cube that stuck out of the beautiful stores in the city like a giant sore thumb.

Aiden once heard from one of his workmates before that Star Barracks was considered a top-notch cafe 50 years ago.

But now, it looked no different from a dilapidated mess.

A business that was on the brink of bankruptcy.

The inside of the cafe was not much better either.

Gray walls, gray carpet, and even gray plastic tables and chairs that only added to the dreariness of the place.

It was not the most stimulating place to go and relax but that was all they had.

The business could no longer afford to have renovation considering that the business was not doing well already.

Walking to the counter, Aiden passed the cashier who he used to saw every morning since he started working there

"Good morning!"

Aiden greeted her with a warm smile.

But instead of giving Aiden a glance or at least a smile, the cashier did not even bat an eye and went on what she always did.

That was to ignore Aiden.

Exactly just like what she always did whenever Aiden walked past her and greeted her every morning in the past couple of months.

Aiden expected that reaction though.

To be honest, it would even come as a surprise to him if the other party greeted him back.

That might be a sign that the end of the world was about to come!

No one wanted to speak and make friends with a nerd and countryside bumpkin like him.

But so what??? Why bother??

Huh! Who cares? I can leave on my own...

That was what he always told himself whenever people tried to outcast him

Walking to his station, Aiden saw someone out of the corner of his eye.

"Aye??? Look who is here! Mr. Nerdy why so early?? What's up?"

While Aiden was busy wearing his apron, a familiar voice sounded out.

Lifting his head, Aiden saw a young man gazing at him with a smiling face.

His face didn't have a hint of warmth and instead, he emits the feeling of a fake smile.

"Oh, hi Clark. Good morning" 

Aiden flashed him a simple smile and tried to inject some enthusiasm into his voice

Aiden, of course, recognized him.

Clark's full name was Clarkson Kent.

He started working in Star Barracks at the same time as Aiden.

He was just like that typical kind of looser who loved to compare himself to others and bully them if he could and make use of it as a tool to inflate his ego.

Aiden always tried to avoid him like the bubonic plague. But like the bubonic plague, he was also hard to avoid.

Aiden kept his eyes glued somewhere else as he busied himself preparing to his station and making sure that he was wearing his apron nicely.

But Clark still noticed him.

"Hey Nerd, come here and join us!"

Clark yelled as if he was the boss.

Apparently he also had this rude habit of calling other people by his self-made pseudonyms.

Before Aiden could even react, Clark had already approached him and suddenly looped his arm around his neck.

"Join us later on our boys' night out. This is going to be so much fun"

Clark chirped with a fake sincerity and started pulling Aiden towards his table like a predator dragging its prey back to its lair.

Left with no choice, Aiden relented and followed him.

Since it was still early to start in the morning, Star Barracks was not yet open to business for that day.

That was why Clark and his other workmates still had time to fool around and discussed among themselves about their 'boys night out' later that night.

On normal occasions, they barely noticed and talked to him. But today, they seemed to be a lot friendlier.

This definitely meant that they were either up to no good or there was something that they need from him.

Or maybe both???




*****
Hi there! WolfsBane here *^__^*

I just want to promote my other book which is Sorceress 101
https://www.webnovel.com/book/14226747605694805

And to my Filipino readers out there,you can also try the tagalog version of this book

By the way,
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A cold-hearted Male Lead with a dead inside disease who finds his cure after meeting his ever so jolly and kind-hearted Female Lead.
I bet you already find it too cliche!
You've read a lot of that before, right???
How about you try this one instead? 
Let us do it the other way around...
Born between the forbidden love of a god and a human, Demigod Nathalia Watson was forced to assume the role of maintaining the peace and order among creatures of the dark after her father, The Lord of Darkness decided to resign and finally elope with the love of his life. Nathalia's mom.
"Is this some kind of family business? While some inherit a conglomerate and become CEO, I inherit the highest position in the underworld."
Used to dealing business with the creatures of the dark, Nathalia had no choice but to be aloof and cold as an ice queen.
Until the day come and Aiden Jones comes to her life.
He was an optimistic and happy go lucky guy. No matter what life throws to him, he will face it with a bright smile.

Will his sunny personality be capable of melting our ice queen?

Would their predestined fate eventually alter their individual nature?

A love that transcends heaven and hell; but how a typical mortal that used to mundane life would deal with it????

Will Aiden soon realize that he unknowingly married the Queen of Darkness and live happily ever after with her?

***pic's, not mine... Credit goes to the rightful owner

Was it a hunch of guilt or a slit of envy, this time, Rokah has chosen to not attend the young girl funeral. He knew for sure by now and from the start that funerals were a mere formality to satisfy a selfish wish.
 
He wondered why in the hell did he start to attend them in the first place. Perhaps because for the sake of appearance... information gathering...
 
The charcoal shattered in his palm… Peering at his left hand, it was tinted by black, his fingers were all covered with a fine layer of sable powder that came from the charcoal.
 
The whiteboard lost its pureness. The floor under covered with black dust and the candle flame blinked endlessly. He fell back a few steps, trying to have a clear view of how he had sullied this pure white surface. At the same time, he was pondering to identify the instant where did the matter start to go wrong?
 
Maybe, He got emotionally too much involved … emotions were like a thick veil that clouds rational thoughts, and they were why he started to make a lot of mistakes, bad judgments… They were the reason why he had deviated from his original goals.
 
All the surface on the whiteboard transformed into a blend of different shades of gray. Disturbed and gloomy like his heart. He sensed a surge of relief as he looked at it. Proud of himself, he took while observing it and diving into that sea of grayness. This was exactly what he wanted to draw. An efficient blend of gray nuance. Like life, where the answers he searched for were always hidden inside a complex maze made of entangled images of black and white.
 
He shivered in sweat, eyes wide and alert when he heard the knocking on the door before he expired in relive on the voice of Madam Linda calling him by his title: "Doctor!… doctor!… are you here?" Her voice was never distant as it was this time.
 
 
He put his tinted hand on the latch of the door… waiting, he could perceive that her anxiety and worries getting higher and higher… her knocking force became stronger and more intense… He gripped the door latch with all his force, hesitating before he decided to open it.
This was a time when he graved to be alone, to ask the necessary questions he needed, and to choose the right answers for himself.
 
 
She was trembling and shivering… and started to talk to him without letting herself to breathe: "Thank goodness you are alright, you didn't show your face in a few days... I thought, something happened to you…" She brought a pouch to Rokah vision field and continued: "when you didn't come to the funeral, I thought you were tired, but it's been days, and when you left that time you were in… I really got worried." She stopped talking when she noticed the stiff expressions on his face: "Rokah!… are you alright?"
 
 
And Rokah wondered, where did his counterfeit blinding smile go? He didn't know why he couldn't fake a smile like every time. He retreated to the bed to sit down after he invited her inside then he said: "I am very tired." This answer was followed by a long period of silence.
 
 
A compassioned look on Linda visage that he couldn't see because his eyes were towards the floor. He did not want to appear unsure or troubled, his attempted to cover the mood with a fake smile was a failure.
 
 
She sat beside him then she opened the pouch in her lap. She took out a stuffed bread wrapped in a piece of fabric, afterward, she gave it to him and said in a motherly tone: "Sometimes we get very tired from life and its heavy demands, and we require a few days to be alone from everything. To take a pause in a distant place away from everyone, but don't ever deprive your body of the food when it's not necessary." She gave him a warm smile and alluded to him with her shin to eat.
 
 
He tried to return her smile back, yet he failed. And again, he proceeded to cover his failure. Therefore, he held the bread with his bandaged hand, fearing to pollute it with the remains of the charcoal on his left hand, and he pretended to eat it.
He gazed at her when she placed a bottle of water and a bottle of milk on the table. Then he watched her looking at the gray painting in doubt before she got out while wishing for him to get better, and that motherly face she made never left her visage.
 
 
When Rokah got certain of her departure, he stood up gazing at the incomplete painting. He put the bread on the table. And at that moment, the image of the cemetery struck his mind like a lightning in a serene blue sky…
 
He craved to draw a cemetery or maybe just one a headstone marble, in an all a black and white image. And also leaves, a falling leaves. Perhaps flowers, white flowers that grow from the grave soil, the flowers are better and have more essence…
He held the remains of charcoal and thought, the flowers must be in full bloom. It will be better if he made them folded all over the headstone….And the twilight sky needed to be gray...
 
 
Rokah proceeded without hesitation altering the whiteboard texture as he pleased adding and removing the contrast whenever he felt was needed. Sometime retreated to view the full picture and study the homogeneity of the shades.
 
He was a little disturbed, but he had made his resolve. This was the only satisfying action he could think of to rectify his mistake and to conform to his path. The path that brought him to this village. The path that he must get to his end before his death.
 
No more pity, No more sympathy, He decided while adding strokes over and over.
 
***
A maid invited him to get in and showed him the familiar pathway to the desk of the weird and stern creature with reddish hair all over his body, the Magus of this manor.
 
In their first meeting, Rokah sensed the vibe of hatred, cruelty emitting from this Magus's gestures and the tone he spoke his words. The smell of contempt, the hiss of superiority he projected and finally the pact of slavery he implemented. Rokah was sure that the man who directed the pact of slavery wasn't one of those whom they have more than one shape, he was just a mere mongrel like them. Of course, the worst of enemies always came from inside.
 
Well, Rokah thought that he won't get surprised anymore by all those strange and powerful folk roaming in this remote village, but he wanted to know if Lady Savannah was aware of those people existence when she sent him here.
He recalled all of that reassuring talk regarding the simplicity of this last mission, those hollow words were just like throwing dust in eyes. And the most important thing he wished to know the purpose of Lady Savannah by sending him to this village. Did she send him to his possible death or it was just a lack of proper information?
 
How much high the price of freedom, Rokah asked himself as he halted near the Magus's desk.
 
For an instant, Rokah eyes fall on the Magus hairy face while he was reviewing some papers. Unable to determine his expression behind that thick layer of hair, Rokah thought maybe it was the same contract that he wasn't planning to sign no matter what.
 
Seaben placing the papers to the side, he gave the doctor a throughout scan before he opened his mouth to provoke him: "Have you changed your mind?"
 
Rokah fought to keep his composure while staring at this hairy face that concealed everything like a shield while he was planning his answer carefully.

Under the desert hot sun to the tangled branches of green forests. 
From the cold peaks of mountains to the dark depths of oceans. 

What an extraordinary our world is, full of mysteries and wonders, Yet brutal and merciless.  

This is the codex of creatures, loaded with spectacles and allures. It contains epic tales of exotic beings, 
cruel and savage, sometimes tender and merciful, but never careless. 
This is the saga of their struggle in this never-ending cycle of life and death.   
      
 Innyana range, commonly known as the cold belt of Innyana.
It includes over sixty mountains. It is a home and a hunting ground for more than a thousand creatures.
However, it is a place for predators and weak can only be prey.
But...
What's going on inside this tiny village near the deadly Crocotta's cliff?
Who is this young healer who enchanted the inhabitants by his arrival?
And why some people can never get out of this place?

Author's notes :
1- English is not my first language neither it is the second.
2- I am a student and full-time worker that's why updates will be slow. 
3- This is a first draft (I try to revise as often as I could) hence there will be a lot of typos and mistakes, forgive me for this. I am working hard to make it better.
4- This is a high and dark fantasy novel read on your own risk. 
5-  Enjoy.

One by one, the monsters were disintegrated as they were reduced into countless of light particles.
Black lines surged toward Lin Sheng like a spider web and into his chest.
Lin Sheng's expression stayed the same, as he deftly moved within the charging horde, and his every move seems very rudimentary. Yet, when chained into a combo, it was a highly accurate and efficient series of attacks, powerful yet not wasteful.
Just as Lin Sheng was slaughtering the surge of monsters, about a thousand meters away, above a river-spanning bridge, a thin, lanky man stood upon it with a gray jacket and a round hat. A cigarette was lit in his mouth as he looked at Lin Sheng in the distance.
"Interesting, a little bug could actually harm the Shades." The man opened his mouth, revealing a row of black, sharp fangs.
"Do we kill him?" Beside him was a muscular lady with dark skin and white hair, not unlike a panther. She had a green tattoo on the side of her face, seemingly a symbol.
"I'm curious, what did that guy use to kill the Shades?"
"Then, let's capture him to investigate. He's not a Four-winged Oppressor. There won't be much trouble if we take him. What are you afraid of? the dark-skinned lady said impatiently.
The man in the jacket smiled without a word.
After demurring for a moment, he spoke again.
"Seems like a student with some rather interesting secrets. Forget it, kill him. Don't let him affect our plans."
"One minute." The lady stomped her feet as she crossed her fingers and stretched, letting out a crisp crack.
"Stamping out the problem."
She took big strides toward Lin Sheng.
...
As strands upon strands of black lines entering his mind, even as weathered as Lin Sheng was at this, he still at times could not withstand the impact of the information torrent.
This impact was just too great.
While every black line was just a shred of memories, but it could slowly stack up onto a veritable tide.
In the short span of ten minutes, he had already killed about a hundred of the monsters and absorbed a considerable number of souls.
"I'll take back what I've said." Lin Sheng stared coldly at the endless horde of monsters.
"These kinds of trash mobs are not that bad if they come in these numbers."
Lin Sheng steadied his foot, as he straightened his hand into a blade. He then dashed out and charged into the oncoming horde.
The gruesome cacophony of blades sinking into flesh rang out as the new wave of monsters were all taken out in less than two minutes.
Each and every one of the monsters turned into light particles as strands of black lines entered his chest.
Without him noticing, the souls that he expended during the purification meditation earlier had already been replenished, with extras to boot.
*Bam!*
The last portly elder monster's neck was snapped by Lin Sheng's fist. It fell to the ground and dissipated into light particles.
Lin Sheng shook his arm and went on his way.
Further ahead was a crossroad, and a right turn later, it was the entrance to the Soul Fortress. A deserted two-story building.
He had just taken a few steps forward before he stopped and looked ahead.
"There…"
Lin Sheng frowned as he quickly retracted the holy power on his body and took the appearance of a commoner as he slowly headed to the Soul Fortress and disappearing into the night.
About a hundred meters ahead of Lin Sheng, a panther-like dark-skinned woman slowly made her way out of the alley and looked at the direction Lin Sheng went.
"Count yourself lucky, kid."
She snorted as she turned in another direction. There was a coldness in her eyes as she retreated back to the direction she had come from.
Barely half a minute after the two left, two powerful men with green dark power aura all over them suddenly appeared at the area where Lin Sheng had just massacred the monsters.
"The energy surge earlier…someone fought here," one of the men said.
"That aside, the weird fluctuations we detected last time… there's a lot of them. They were weak, but once their numbers increased, their traces became obvious as well," the other man said.
"Let's report this upwards."
"Yeah."
...
The life in the Soul Fortress was even more fruitful than Lin Sheng had expected.
Going to class every day, training the control of his dark powers, going into the dream to hunt the black hawks, then going out at times to relax, to go online, to eat some nice good. If he was lucky he would run into those monsters.
Running into them was probably when Lin Sheng felt the best.
As there were not many opportunities to absorb so many souls in the real world. A rare opportunity indeed...
And a week passed by.
Finally, there were new changes to Lin Sheng's dream.
*Crack.*
Lin Sheng stretched his hands out to break the protruding branch and tossed it aside. Ahead of him was a massive gray cliff face, which filled his entire field of vision.
There were all sorts of dark holes on the cliff face, and the giant hawks would fly in and out of the holes.
The sky was gray as if meshing together with the gray cliff face. Just by a glance alone, he could not tell one from another.
"Finally something new. Aside from killing the hawks and absorbing their soul, there was literally nothing else."
Lin Sheng was also relieved. A week's time was long enough, and he was worried that the dream would end automatically, just like the Fay Vault earlier.
So finding the other two secret techniques was now of prime importance.
But even as he tried to increase the speed of his search, it took him a week to even find this unique place.
"Hopefully this won't disappoint me."
Lin Sheng looked at the dozens of hawks flying above as he approached the cliff face.
Oddly enough, the closer he got to the cliff, the black hawks in the air had disappeared without him knowing.
Lin Sheng slowed down his pace as he went into full alert, before taking one step after another in his approach.
The hawk's nest on the cliff face were like dark, sinister eyes that stared at him as he got close.
And got close he did, to the sturdy gray stone wall.
"Hmmm?"
Only after getting close did he noticed a hidden Z shaped path within the cliff hall.
As the path was of the same shade, with stone wall piling up high, plus its tiny entrance made it hard to detect at first glance.
Lin Sheng recomposed himself, as he entered the path.
Upon entering it, it was nothing but tall, sky-scraping walls. There was nary a piece of green on the wall, it was barren of any life.
Lin Sheng slowly made his way along the pathway, and after some distance, he finally reached a turn.
He slowed down and looked up. At the exit of the path, a grayish-black sculpture the size of two-story buildings blocked the path.
It was a black hawk's head, a very large head.
The base of the sculpture seemed to be made out of gemstones similar to dark green diamonds. It was clear and very strong with some nondescript patterns around it.
The head of the black hawks Lin Sheng had killed was no different from that sculpture. They were identical, aside from the size difference. As even if all of the hawks were to be added together, they were nowhere close to the size of the sculpture.


This is a story of an ordinary boy gaining unusual powers from his nightmares... It all started when Lin Sheng experienced something strange on what he thought was just another normal day. He begins to have recurring dreams that lead him on an incredible journey of discovery as he encounters spine-chilling monsters and elusive secrets.

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