What exactly is "Family"? Is it just a word used to label people who are blood-related? Dianne in the beginning believes so. but throughout the exploration of different kinds of experiences Dianne has a very different meaning to the word "Family". Read and Find out. What exactly is the definition of... Family?

To achieve nirvana 
you must pass the 6 realms
and not have regrets
easy right?

Universal Calendar, Year 9992, 31 May

"This is the Future Dear Students!"

"Different kinds of lifeforms exist in this huge world and the only reason that attributed to their existence is the genes."

"What are the so-called Genes?"

"A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes are made up of DNA. Some genes act as instructions to make molecules called proteins."

"Genes are the origin of life for all living beings. they contain all the information and the definition that's necessary for life. "

"Actually, strictly speaking, genes control the forms and the functions of the body and to even every single strand of hair on any life form. it is actually amazing to think that in some eras long ago, ancient civilizations like the Nandu's civilization, thrived richly in power and technology that some even got so close to reaching our current era's technology."

"Among the ancients civilization, there existed humans who possessed far greater power and might than what we could ever imagine, they were capable of splitting heaven and earth and destroying the mountains and drinking rivers dry, each Ancient civilization held different name for those kinds of humans, some called them gods and some called them sovereigns and some called them even as magicians and cultivators, the titles may be different, but one thing was sure and that they were immensely powerful."

"Back to our topic, had anyone wondered that if genes were the basis of humans then what about those powerful humans that existed the river of history? what about their genes? what happened to it? did it mutate? or did it simply always had that astonishing power hidden within it and it is currently waiting for us to uncover that thin mysterious veil that covers the genes and become as powerful as those ancient people of the past!"

"I must say that in this current era and in this day, it was discovered that modern humans have also inherited those special power and it was all hidden just deep inside of every genetic code inside each and everyone's body. If one wanted to become a cultivator or martial artist, then the first thing one must do is to start studying in the High Genetic Institue and obtain transcendent strength by explaining his own genetic code and…"
******************************************************

In a classroom full of strange genetic holograms titling up and down and left and right, a group of uniformed students was currently attending a theory class on the genes.

One of the holographic projections floated in front of each one of the students, and the content of the lesson kept being repeated again and again to the students.

And although theory classes were always boring and repetitive and there was not any kind of active atmosphere like the rest of the classes, this specific subject and class were different as every student was focused as they listened intently to the teacher that was lecturing this lesson.

Even though the information about genes would not affect whether they would be able to become cultivators or not. Still, no one dared to behave lazily or appear to be problematic.

As the lecturer that was lecturing was nonother than the most popular lecturer known as 'Devil Body Chu'

A beautiful woman was standing in the front of the largest hologram projection, The woman was as beautiful as a drawing. Her waist was curvaceous, and with every step she took and every action she did as well as every word the came out of her mouth were simply just seducing every student in front of her, her beauty attracted everyone around her just as if she was the center of the whole classroom whether they were boys or girls.

This teacher was Ye Wan, she had a high nose, and a delicate full red lip in a stunning natural shade just like beautiful red wine that made one drunk with just a sip. The most amazing feature of her was those pair of pale blue beautiful eyes, that was just like an autumn lake, filled with countless shimmering like stars.

The gaze of the Ye Wan kept rooming through the classroom observing the students as she continued her lecture. And while She was gazing at the students she subconsciously nodded her head when she saw how serious her students were listening to her lecture as her beautiful red lips curved a splendid curve which stunned the extremely 'focused' students in the classroom.

She kept lecturing as well as she kept pointing at the various holographic projections which were in front of her while switching between the lot of them, as each time she pointed at a certain area on the holographic projection, this certain area would enlarge in front of her as well as in front of each student, as well as each time she switched the same would happen for all of the students as well.

However she soon noticed a particle student or rather her eyes were attracted to him, his look was extremely normal, he did not have any feature which could be described as handsome except his dark obsidian eyes which looked like a black hole capable of  devouring the whole world, there even seem to be a myriad of blue stars revolving constantly and continuously in his black eyes forming an ancient looking ring.

The whole class went quiet suddenly which was extremely weird as this peaceful atmosphere was simply suffocating.

As Ye Wan stood at the middle of the classroom which she arrived at in a certain part of her lecture, however, her voice died so suddenly that the student which were immersed in the 'lecture' was woken up abruptly as they saw the teacher they adore looking at a certain direction.

They all followed the teacher's gaze, their eyes soon clouded with jealousy and envy which soon turned into anger as they looked at that unremarkable student who was still focusing on the little holographic projection in front of him while seemingly doing something as he kept moving his hands as another holographic projection of a genetic code was situated in front of him, he seemed to be playing a puzzle as he kept making changed to the holographic projection of a strange genetic code.

"Wang! Chen!"

However, the simple-looking student did not notice the change in the atmosphere in the classroom until when a sudden shout was heard, it was as if it came out of an angry lion's clashing teeth.

That shout did not only alarm Wang Chen but the whole classroom and it also woke up the dazing Ye Wan.

As Ye Wan looked at the students surrounding her that were currently looking at her and Wang Chen, her jade-like beautiful face suddenly turned peach red as she reprimanded her self in her heart.

'Damn! every time I tell my self to not look into his eyes but then again I do it and embarrass my self!'

As for Wang Chen, he was thoroughly startled as well as angry as he looked at the crumbling genetic holographic projection which was in front of him, he had been trying to modify that genetic code for countless hours and when it was almost complete, that shout broke his concentration resulting in the crumbling of the genetic code which means the loss of all of his past hours hard work.

Wang Chen raised his head as his eyes turned bloodshot as an ancient blue ring kept revolving in his pupils, he turned and looked at the surrounding classmates and then at the beautiful Ye Wan, he immediately understood what happened, he had actually forgotten again to close his power and it affected his beautiful teacher again.

But then again, this did not mean that he could tolerate some tom or harry to disturb his hard work for some ridiculous thing like jealousy, as such thought came to his mind, he directed his sight to a particular student.

This student looked like he is about the age of fifteen, he had a sharp nose, white skin, and thin lips as well as a red short hair, his looks could be mentioned along with the handsome famous idols, and along with his seemingly perfect propositioned body, he was indeed handsome, and he would look more perfect if not for his blue eyes which burned with jealousy right now.

And indeed this young man was the one who shouted those shrill words earlier, and his name was Lin Yang, he was typically a second-generation rich kid who had powerful and rich parents, he was simply perfect except his one shortcoming and that was his narrowmindedness.

Lin Yang was also angry as every time he attended the class, the beautiful and devilish Ye Wan would always end up staring dazedly at this unremarkable student, he hated this boy so much that he simply wanted to hack him to death.

He felt as that this boy was nothing compared to the handsome him, he was the star of the class and ever since that damnable boy enrolled in this class, the number one switched to Wang Chen and the 'genius' title which belonged to him became that Wang Chen's own.

And he did not even lose in the background to Wang Chen, even though he was not the first line generation in the family, he still belonged to the Lin Clan, so why is it every beautiful lady in the class including the Devilish teacher Ye Wan always pay more attention to Wang Chen other than him.

Hence, he exploded in anger and shouted in the whole class as his eyes became clouded in jealousy and anger, but suddenly he felt as if he was locked on by an ancient savage beast, he then suddenly noted Wang Chen's red eyes and an ancient blue ring which seemed to pulsate with a strange red bloodthirsty luster that seemed to be ready to devour him, and gradually he felt himself to be getting weaker and weaker as if he was going to die.

And this made him frantic, he wanted to avert his eyes but he figured out his eyes were not following his orders as if it was glued, he chanted something like a bunch of red light gathered in his dantian as a barbaric might exploded within his heart and broke that constricting feeling around his body.

Then he quickly averted his eyes, as his heart kept pounding harshly while his body became quickly soaked in sweat, he looked extremely exhausted as he plumped down on the chair he sat on, his heart and eyes were filled with fear which soon turned into anger as he knew that he was so close to death just now.

All of this happened in less than second from the appearance of the blue ancient ring to Lin Yang averting his eyes, so no one took notice of what happened except a couple of people, which were Ye Wan and another three students, as their eyes brightened somewhat before dimming again as quickly as they brightened.

Ye Wan did not dare to look at Wang Chen's eyes again, but still, she felt somewhat guilty as she was the cause of the crumbling gene structure and as she also saw Wang Chen's bloodshot eyes the guilty feelings in her heart multiplied.

"Lin Yang! Out! Right! This! Instant!"

And so her eyes blazed with anger from embarrassment and also that guilty conscience, as she looked at the exhausted Lin Yang, she almost roared at him as she said while gnashing her teeth.

Lin Yang who was still trying to calm his heart from anger and fear, heard her and he almost fainted from anger, he looked at the stunning Ye Wan and could not bring himself to get angry with her, and so he directed his anger at the bloodshot Wang Chen, as he gave him a hateful glare, he muttered something before a white light revolved around him and he disappeared from his chair.

Ye Wan then gave Wang Chen a guilty look, and also her eyes held a guilty look there was also some kind of strange blaming taste in them, and just from her one look almost all of the classroom turned into werewolves and howled into the sky, she looked almost as if she was a young housewife in love which had done something wrong and was waiting for a punishment from her dear husband.

Wang Chen looked at her behaving like this and did not know whether to laugh or cry, he felt vexed as this was almost the case every time, and each time this woman would give him that vexing guilty stare which as a result make him unable to do anything about her, however, he also received her message as he really almost had done it this time.

Wang Chen looked at her with a face that wanted to curse but could not and wanted to laugh but could not and wanted to cry but could not, as a result, his originally normal looking face almost became deranged, he was really upset.

"Sign Out!"

He finally took a breath of air as muttered something under his breath and also disappeared from the classroom while another white halo of light  revolved around him.

sorry.guys i am just starting writing so if there is any kind of problem, please advise.and.correct me, thanks

In a world where technologies reached beyond the highest peaks, discovered countless new races and traded with them, where normal people lives and mecha warriors fights, where spaceships pierce through the dark bleak space to discover and explore, there walks between them some kind of special people and creatures, those that only appears in myths and legends... An ordinary young boy opened that sealed lands and begins to explore the secrets which was sealed in his body along the way, a legend had begun with a few difficult adversaries

Finally, able to get back on his feet, Hu Hai entered the castle to ask permission to their King to return to the Gonglu country. He is usually carefree and bubbly, but ever since Lin Xulian's death he always looks aggrieved. He blamed himself for not arriving on time during the burning incident. If only he prioritized the matter he was about to report to Lin Xulian and dealt with the traitors later, he should be able to save their young miss.

He regretted that he wasn't able to control his emotions the moment he saw the emblem of the Liu clan in the robes of those suspicious men lurking around the palace. The rebellion of their clan more than two decades ago is still fresh on his mind. Although they didn't succeed and was banished from the country, their ideals caused a crack to the citizen's faith on their King.

Although they only made an aggressive move two decades ago, their clan started to question their King's reign when they learned that he cannot have children anymore. Also because his two brothers couldn't be found and there is no one to continue the Lin clan's bloodline. The King insisted that he would find his descendants and majority of the clan heads supported him.

But being one of the earliest occupant of the country, almost the same as the Lin clan and also the biggest clan in number, the Liu clan contested for their clan head to replace the King. They insist that even if the King could find his descendants, they would be weak since the grew up outside the energy abundant Qiangdu country.

Despite this fact, most clan heads still favored their King, Lin Zuizhong. This is because most clan in the country is like the Gu clan, banished because of their supposed dark practices and are hunted because of it but wanted to live peacefully. Some are slaves who were able to escape and started their own family in the country. In other words, they were able to live in the Qiangdu country because of their King's grace and kindness.

Because of the vote and decision of the majority, the Liu clan conceded. But no one knew that they only strengthen their power and number until two decades ago when they assigned their new clan head. Along with their ceremony, they announced a rebellion that caused chaos throughout the country.

But they didn't expect that their number and strength is still not enough to subdue the whole country. This is because some silent and unremarkable clans joined in to defend the king making them victorious in number. The Liu clan lost more than half of their people and in the end admitted defeat. As punishment, the new clan head was beheaded in front of his clan and the rest was banished in the country.

After the rebellion was concluded, the victorious party didn't celebrate. This is because even though they won, they lost more people than that of the Liu clan. That time was the darkest time for the country and everyone mourned for years. And the most affected one is the Hu clan since most deaths came from them. But for them it is an honor to protect their King. After all, their clan made a vow to serve the King and the country as guard and protector. They are also the strongest in terms of their martial arts. Unfortunately, the Liu clan caught them off guard.

*******
Remembering the clan that killed most of his clan members when he was still young, Hu Hai's resolve for revenge intensified. And this time they even touched their precious young miss. "Hu Hai pays respect to my King and clan head Hu." Hu Hai said respectfully.

"Good thing you could finally move Hu Hai. I have a mission for you. The scouts I sent outside returned with the news that the Lins are currently hiding in the An Valley. Since my adoptive great grandson is the current Lord of Jianghu, they managed to hide the fact that they are there. I want you to go to An Valley and fetch Lin Xu and his family, especially Huang.

You can also reveal their identities and their importance to our Qiangdu country if needed. Now that we know that the Liu clan still refuse to back down and is moving, I'm afraid my descendants will meet some more misfortunes just like Xulian. We have to secure their safety by keeping them here. Also so that we could train Huang harder as soon as possible." Lin Zuizhong solemnly commanded.

Hu Hai didn't think twice and accepted the command. "As my King commands. But this one has a request…" With a thump, Hu Hai suddenly kneeled in front of the King and his father. "My King, Father, please let me return to the Qiangdu country! I am sure those traitors are still lurking around the palace. I would also want to find young miss's assassin and personally avenge her." He said with full of determination and conviction. But before the King or his father could respond to his request, a loud voice of a woman grabbed their attention.

"Hu Hai?!!" Although the three men knows that some people entered the hall, they didn't mind it that much since they are not a threat. But nonetheless, the sudden loud voice of the woman didn't fail to startle them.

The three men simultaneously looked at the direction where the voice came from. Hu Hai's eyes widened and his jaw almost dropped. He looks like he just saw a ghost after fully registering and processing the woman's face in his mind. Although her clothes and hair ornament is so simple, her face is still as beautiful as ever. A definition of a fairy.

Envoy Hu's reaction is not different from his son. He subconsciously looked at their King's reaction. Ever since they discovered Lin Xulian and her Lin family's existence, the King required them to provide each of their portraits. And as expected, their King finds her familiar but still uncertain.

******
Seeing that Hu Hai is not responding and just looking at her with wide eyes and open mouth, Lin Xulian thought that he must be feeling guilty for deceiving her and her family. The fact that he is here and is calling the King "his King" and envoy Hu as father, Lin Xulian didn't need to think deeper. Hu Hai is from the Qiangdu country. 'No wonder he is strong and he knows a lot about internal energy. But why did he approach big brother Huang?' She thought and decided to get the answer straight from him. She doesn't care if she is the outsider at this moment.

With her arms crossed, Lin Xulian narrowed her eyes at Hu Hai. "So it turned out, you are actually from the Qiangdu country and Envoy Hu's son. But how and why did you become big brother Huang's subordinate? Can you please enlighten me young master Hu?" Lin Xulian said while eyeing him suspiciously.

Hearing her voice and confirming that the young lady in front of him is really Lin Xulian, alive and as brash as ever, Hu Hai couldn't contain his emotions and his tears fell like a waterfall. "Y-young miss…you are alive!" He said in a stammering and broken voice while still kneeling.

Lin Xulian is caught off guard with Hu Hai's sudden outburst. But hearing him saying about her being alive, she could get the gist why he has this intense reaction. "Why? You didn't know? I told big brother Huang about my plan to fake my death. You were always with him. How come you don't know?" Lin Xulian asked in confusion.

Wiping his tears, Hu Hai stood up and face Lin Xulian. Then he suddenly bowed in apology. "Forgive me young miss. I was caught in a pressing situation and wasn't with the young master for a long time." Then he turned to his father and the King,"My king, father, Hu Hai caused you unnecessary worry and heartache due to my lack of full understanding about the whole situation."

"Does it have anything to do with your injuries?" Lin Xulian suddenly asked.

Hu Hai can't tell her that most of his injuries was due to his punishment because she might blame herself. He could only nod in response.

Lin Xulian is a bubbly and talented girl. Having a martial arts master as a father and a doctor as her mother, she had both talents and excellent at that.

He, the first prince of Gonglu country and heir to the throne, Feng Jun Yi was constantly chased by assassins whenever they had a chance. Saved by Xulian when he was almost at death's door, he promised her the position of the empress. 

Being naïve and pure, she thought he was inlove with her. But after five years, they never consumate their marriage. Her husband is cold, emotionless and workaholic. She lived in luxury but without love. The empress position is just a payment. It broke her. 

But a news spread in the entire empire. The empress is dead! Burned alive in her bedchamber! 

“What is this empty feeling? It hurt so much.” A tear slid down from the eye of the emperor “No! Lian'er!!”

In the mountain in Gonglu country border, a woman mutter to herself “Finally, my freedom”

The sun rose just above the horizon, a new day had come. 
In the cave, Zhang Heng opened his eyes and saw that Ed was up, sitting. "Good morning, Zhang."
"Morning," Zhang Heng yawned
"My goodness. How I wish to have a cup of coffee, fried egg, sausage, and toast right now," The former captain lamented, "But given our current situation, we can't ask for too much, can we? Too bad the coconuts are giving us too little calories. One of those green ones can only provide 200 calories worth of energy. Even if don't exercise, we'll be burning at least 2,000 calories a day. Also, we need to expand our menu in order to obtain a richer source of nutrients. Well, since we're by the sea, I think we can take advantage of that."
"What do I need to do?" Zhang Heng asked.
"Hold your horses. Your life in the city has caused your digestive system to be very fragile. Even if I told you how to catch food from the sea, with no way to cook it, one crab can cause you to the runs so bad it'll lead to dehydration. We need fire. The water that you found earlier will need to heat before drinking. It only needs to be cooked for three minutes to kill most of the bacteria in it. Right now, I'll teach you how to start a fire first." Ed paused for a moment before beginning to explain, "The most important thing you'll need to start a fire is to find the right wood. Fast-growing softwoods are the best kind. The drill [stick] and the base can be taken from the same tree. Tear off a tree bark and dry it under the sun…"
Zhang Heng listened to the instructions intently, but when it came to actually performing the task, it was not as easy as he imagined it to be.
He spent the whole morning trying to start a fire.
Alas, it was one failure after another. The action of twirling the drill-stick alone rubbed away a whole chunk of skin from his hand. It hurt so bad that he grimaced. At the same time, because they did not have time to search for food, he and Ed ate all their reserve-coconuts which barely filled their stomachs.
What was even more frustrating was that even after all the effort they put in, they had nothing to show for it.
 "Zhang, you cannot go from a rookie to an expert in one day," Ed comforted. "The beginning is always the hardest."
Zhang Heng tossed the broken stick on the ground in contempt. "That is true but failure is still agonizing."
"Failure is also a valuable experience. Tens of thousands of years ago, our ancestors have continued to evolve from failures." Ed empathized. "You are a smart student, Zhang. Don't worry. There's still time for you to learn and grow. Now, tell me what have learned from this failure?"
"The wood is still no good. The skin on my hands are flayed and there're still no sparks. I have to try using other woods."
Nevertheless, fortune is as unpredictable as the weather. At sundown, a gust of wind blew, and a mass of dark cloud gathered above their heads. It happened so quickly that Zhang Heng did not have enough time to gather the things. The tree bark that had been drying on the rock was soaked in rainwater.
His entire day of work was wasted.
Disheartened, Zhang Heng lay on the cavern floor with his arms and legs spread out like an 'X' staring at the ceiling of the cave. "Ed, I don't think your chicken soup for the soul is going to work anymore."
"Give up then," Ed said in a quiet voice.
 "Huh?"
"But it's limited to only before the rain stops. It's only after you've vented all your negative emotions can you better devote yourself to work." 
 "Are you always this optimistic, Ed?"
"It could be that I've encountered situations than this in my travels across the Amazon forest. Thinking about how I've managed pulled through inspires me not to give up." 
"Does experiences make us who we are?" Zhang Heng muttered under to himself, remembering what the bartender told him, feeling as if he had on to something.
 "It looks like the rain is not going to stop before dark. You should go to bed. There is still a lot of work to do tomorrow," Ed said and as he lay down to sleep. 
The two went to bed on the second night with an empty stomach.
...
The next morning, Zhang Heng got up before first light—mainly because he was starving. The first thing he did was to run to the coconut tree to quench his thirst and hunger with a few fruits. The coconut tree at lower ground was nearly picked clean. The remaining trees were taller, and knocking the fruits down with rocks was going to be very difficult. Zhang Heng was aware that he had not much time left, he had to get that fire going, or else he would not be able to continue with the rest of the tasks.
On that account, he decided to take a little bit of risk. After bringing breakfast back for Ed, he ventured a little deeper into the native forest behind the beach.
The end result was gratifying. Not only did he find suitable wood for the fire, he also found an animal that he suspected was a fowl. Unfortunately for him, the little thing was very agile; before Zhang Heng could even approach it, the creature flapped its wings and disappeared. There was nothing Zhang Heng could have done about that.
He broke a tree branch and returned to the beach. Using the same method he used the day before, at noon, a tendril of smoke finally rose from the wood shavings. Employing the knowledge that Ed had passed on to him, Zhang Heng sprinkled the sawdust onto the leaves of the candlenut tree, and then carefully blowing until the sawdust glowed and ignited the tinder underneath.
After a short while, the two people on the island finally had a long-awaited fire.
"Well done! Now we can avoid the danger of infection!" Ed exclaimed.
Zhang Heng never thought that he would ever be so excited to see fire. He was about to say something when a third person's voice sounded in his ear.
"Started a fire successfully. A new skill is obtained—Wildlife Survival: Level 0; Game Points: +3; character panel has also been activated; you may view your personal status."
The voice sounded very familiar. Zhang Heng thought about it for a moment before realizing that it was the same voice that had heard earlier when he was unconscious.
Zhang Heng looked at Ed. "Ed, did you hear something?"
His companion looked taken aback and then concerned. "Should I be hearing anything? Zhang, are you experiencing hallucinations due to dehydration?"
"..."
Zhang Heng, too, wondered if he was suffering from heatstroke because something that resembled a character card appeared before his eyes.
Name: Zhang Heng
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Player ID: 07958
Game rounds experienced: 0
Current game points: 3
Skills: Piano: level 1; Language Proficiency: level 1 (both languages at general communication skills level)
Assessment: The player is unremarkable with no quality worth commending, has no special skills and is not expected to be able to last longer than the first three rounds.
Zhang Heng was speechless. The harsh evaluation at the bottom aside, how was it that he only had two skills?
Okay, he could see a line of words in small prints under skills—Level 0 skill cannot be displayed.
His amateur grade nine piano playing level was passed off for a pathetic Level 1?!
This game's definition of skills was too harsh! Not everyone out of a hundred people could start a fire using their bare hands, yet it barely even made Level 0 on his list of skills!
It would seem that this game was more difficult than he imagined it to be.


Growing up with eccentric materialistic parents who left him in the care of his grandfather for a job overseas, Zhang Heng had learned to adapt and be unfettered by the oddities and challenges in life. But he would soon learn the baffling truth about the world he thought he knew when one day at midnight time froze and he found himself in a world so quiet and still it was deafening. That night, he discovered that he had 24 hours more than everybody else and thus, marked the beginning of his adventures. The mysteries surrounding his newfound ability only deepened when a strange old man claimed to have given Zhang Heng that ‘gift of time’ and recruited the young man to participate in a cryptic ‘life-changing’ game on his behalf. Little did Zhang Heng know that accepting those terms meant embroiling himself in many versions of reality and exposing himself to the hidden secrets of the world—a decision he could never undo.

  I awoke, but no light came through to my eyes. I tried to move my hands, but they were bound tightly together. I began to panic but I made no sound. I had no idea where I was, and it certainly wasn't wonderful that I was tied up and blindfolded. I could faintly hear two voices that weren't too distant from me, just quiet.

  "Tabby, what the fuck? Not only is she not much older than 16, she's HUMAN. I don't want another human wife. In fact, I don't want any more wives! You just made my life a whole lot harder by exposing this girl to our realm," a deep growling voice harshly whispered. 
  "Kiev, you need a minimum of 4 wives to take the throne, I was HELPING you," Tabitha groused louder than him.
  "Tab, you a dipshit of a sister, keep your voice down," Kiev snarled. I didn't know what this man looked like, but he already terrified me.
  I heard thumping footsteps that approached my direction, and I couldn't help but whimper.
  "Well, then. It seems she has awoken," I could hear Tabitha's wicked grin. I couldn't see, but I knew it was there.
  I was hoisted upright by strong arms. Whoever it was, they grasped my arms too hard and it was for sure going to leave a bruise. I tried not to moan and show weakness. My blindfold was ripped off, pulling out some hairs. Ironically enough, the bruised arms weren't enough to make me yelp, but a couple hairs being removed from my scalp was.
  I opened my eyes and saw Kiev. He was large, but also toned and slim. He was littered with tattoos all over his upper body, as he wasn't wearing a shirt. He had a specific piece that caught my eye. It wrapped around his bicep and travelled in spirals, ending on the back of his hand. He had cold, empty, dark blue eyes that seemed equally sad and aggressive. He may have been related to Tabitha, but they looked nothing alike. While Tabitha had creamy caramel skin, Kiev had a dark, chocolate brown tone. His hair was short, brown and mainly unremarkable besides the fact that it brought out his jawline more. His jawline was very sharp. 
  He scowled at me and I was honestly surprised. I don't think a boy had ever scowled at me, let alone a whole ass man like him. 
  "She's not even that pretty, Tabby." I gaped at him. Not pretty?? I don't think most people would agree with him.
  "You know, you're not very nice. I probably should've figured considering you're my captor, but damn, way to take a hit to my self-esteem," I protested. Tabitha snorted and was about to say something but Kiev stopped her.
  "I figured you should be taken down a few notches. So many girls think they're beautiful and they're really quite average. You're no different," He took Tabitha and left the room. I sat there, completely out of words. I had no thoughts.
  I was in a cellar-esque room that had no windows and was very dirty. It looked like it was previously a guest room but had been neglected for so long, it simply became gruesome enough to function as a prison.
  There were markings all over the room of snakes not dissimilar to Kiev's tattoo of the snake. There was a singular snake that wrapped around all the walls in a spiral as if it were squeezing the life out of a pole. The ceiling held drapery that framed the four walls like curtains on a window. I found it bizarre, but to each interior decorator their own. 
  I felt like maybe I should've been a bit more panicked than I was, but what did I have to go home to? A drunkard mother? A brand new school? They probably wouldn't even notice I was gone. I did wonder if maybe Jessica, Tony, and Drake were in on this kidnapping. 
  More importantly, I wondered who Kiev was and what he was supposed to become king of. It was then that I remembered what Tabitha and Kiev were talking about.
  Wait... Wife? WIFE? WHAT IN THE FUCK? I may not have been panicking before, but I was now. I was 16 and now ready for marriage; especially not to some creepy ass, 20-something guy who kidnapped me and is keeping me in his guest room. God, this was a wattpad cliché, and I was living it.
  The binding on my hands was taut and unmovable, but that didn't stop me from attempting to remove it. I'd be damned if I was going to go silently in the night. I had no idea their intentions for me (besides marriage perhaps), but I had no plan of allowing them to carry out.
  My arms weren't hooked around anything, so technically I could get up and find something to cut the fabric, but there was nothing in the hollow, dirty guest room besides a bed.
  "Great! I can suffer in comfort! How wonderfully nice of my captors to provide me a soft spot to lie in!" I yelled out. I collapsed on the bed, angrily shifting to try to feel more comfortable, but it just wasn't working.
  "I hope you can hear me, assholes! You suck!!" I screamed out, curled in a ball I found semi-pleasant. 
  Thumping, loud footsteps came from outside the door. Wait. I never saw them lock the door. I could've walked out of this bitch at any point. Dammit.
  Kiev burst through the door alone. He slammed it shut and I sat up, turning towards him. It was in this moment that I knew what true fear was.
  "You, you pathetic being, are the very definition of a weak, damsel in distress. This was a test I was hoping you would pass. I left the room for 10 minutes to see if you would perhaps try to escape, making you an unfit wife. But, NO, you had to sit here and contemplate life making you THE PERFECT WIFE, so NOW, you have to marry me even though I truly despise every bit of you," he yelled as he pushed me up against the wall near the bed. His face was fewer than 4 inches from mine and his breath smelled like moldy bread.
  "I don't really want to marry you either, buddy. This wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't KIDNAPPED me in the FIRST PLACE. Also, back the fuck up, your breath smells like mold and I'm very sensitive to the smell," I sarcastically remarked. He did noticeably back up a couple more inches, but I did seem to piss him off. 
  "I can't control my dumbass sister! Besides, you're the one who chose to walk the damn halls with the edgy teen girl. You seemed to have brought this upon yourself," he snorted.
  "I don't discriminate between types of people! She seemed nice enough so I walked a damn hall with her! You don't expect people to just pin you up against walls and kidnap you at 7 in the morning when nobody is awake enough for that shit!" I would've crossed my arms if I had access, but I was still pushed up against the wall and bound by ropes. God, this was just a terrible situation all around.
  "Fair point I suppose. God, you annoy me," He released me from his grasp and I slid down the wall. 
  "Since I obviously don't plan on running away, will you consider releasing my binding? It's kind of annoying."
  Kiev stood and debated this for a second. 
  "That would be a firm no, darling," Tabitha walked into the room, grinning from ear to ear like Cheshire Cat. She seemed a lot less cute now that she had kidnapped me. Kiev rolled his eyes and looked over to his sister.
  "Fuck, Tabby, a little warning?" Kiev requested in a sardonic tone.
  "Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't realized I had... Interrupted," she said with a voice soft as a kitten's meow. Kiev avoided all eye contact and I simply scoffed.
  "With him? Pft, nah. He just spent this entire time insulting me," I rolled my eyes.
  "Hey, kink-shame, but kink-same," She winked. I coughed and just about died when she said that. Kiev grabbed Tabitha's arm and abandoned the room.
  "Hey, wait--," I could hear her protest as they left. 
  Great. I was alone again, still bound.

I hate love. I hate cliché love stories and seeing my friends with boyfriends make me sick to my stomach. I suppose my friends don't matter though since I've moved. I'm determined to keep path in life good and just get out of my mom's depressive circle. That is.. Until I met Kiev...

***This book is almost entirely satire. Yes, it is a real love story, but it clings to the edge of a joke. Please enjoy this and remember not to take it too seriously

"That's a relief. I, too, am not going to participate in their battle, my role was only to stop you."
As he listened to her, Arthur looked straight into her eyes and asked:
"Why did you accept his offer in the first place?"
"If I hadn't, you would have defended your brother and that would've made things easier for Sol'khin. Forne said that the enemy can travel from one host to another so it's not impossible for him to control you. All I wanted is to keep you away from this big mess."
*****
The thief who was part of Maxine's group was currently shaking from head to toe, obviously from fear. When he appeared on the third floor, the first thing he saw was a beast at least five times his size, its skin was purple and its appearance was the definition of fear. Fortunately, it didn't attack him, however, he soon discovered that it was actually his partner.
For an experienced player such as him, he recognized this monster, which purposely made itself smaller as its real size was burdensome in the Red Tower. As luck would have it, Patio, the thief, had the Void Behemoth as his temporary companion. 
Communication was impossible… heck! The thought of leading the way never crossed his mind. He became a mute as he obediently walked behind the large beast, afraid to anger it in any way. The tattoo on the back of his hand depicted a purple hexagon-like object. It was the first time Patio saw such an object so he didn't know where to search, which frustrated the dread-stricken man even more.
At that time, the thief didn't know that what he'll witness on the 3rd floor will almost make him piss his pants. His adventure with the Void Behemoth was neither brief nor absurdly long as, in just two hours, they arrived at a large area filled with all kinds of ruins.
Guided by the Behemoth, they marched toward the biggest ruin and when they tried entering it, the large, motionless statue at the entrance reacted. It stood up from its kneeling position, its two emotionless eyes locking onto the two invaders.
"H-hey… why don't we-"
Patio couldn't even finish as the Void Behemoth loudly roared and leapt at the statue, pushing it on the ground and spitting Void blasts from its mouth, turning the enemy into nothingness. The blasts were made from Void Magic, which devoured everything in its way, whether it's solid, liquid, or gas.
 Just like that, in a matter of seconds, the strong guardian protecting the main ruin was defeated, allowing the two to roam the place without any hindrance. The thief didn't know much about this place and felt rather insecure so he maintained a safe distance from the Behemoth while still following him, hoping for some sort of protection, after all, if something happens to him, his partner should be disqualified too.
A few minutes later, a golden light sprung from the ground and enveloped both the beast and the man, taking them to an underground city, where they came face to face with two other contestants.
This city, which was luminous and very majestic, was a nest for countless types of machines. Some meant to do labor work and others to protect the safety of this eternal settlement.
In more than a way, this underground hidden city resembled the place Zodiak visited to retrieve Anduril, which was created by the same race that invented everything here.
Hach'ara was busy dealing with the hundreds of buzzing and flying machines trying to capture both him and his partner so when the Void Behemoth appeared along with the thief, he didn't show any reaction. He had heard of the ancient beast living the Underworld but never personally saw him so he didn't recognize it.
Zodiak, however, was totally the opposite. The aura of Void oozing off the behemoth was enough of a sign to know the beast, even if its appearance was slightly different. He paid no heed to the unremarkable thief and, instead, glared at the growling beast.
"What? Do you want to fight here too?"
The hostility emanating from the behemoth could not be faked, nevertheless, apart from its deep growling, it didn't anything reckless. After a few moments of intense glaring, it turned his head, focusing its attention on an open area a few hundred meters north of its location.
It was an enormous circular fountain with a shiny, transparent water and jet black floor. At its top, there was a purple gem that was very similar to the hexagon from earlier, however, the problem was the tight security around the fountain.
There were countless golden pipes pumping water from the eternal fountain to the rest of the city… as if it was a power supply. What made it rather confusing was why would a power-supply be in the open and, a fountain, at that.
"Fucking hell…"
The thief cursed with a low voice as he saw titan-like robots rising from their slumber and circled around the four of them. In addition, the number of minuscule yet fast flying machines reached the thousands and despite Hach'ara destructive retaliation, the numbers weren't dwindling.
*****
"Damn! I really couldn't recognize her… it must be something the rock scientist… or whatever he is, invented."
Fortunately, Saly was asleep when Arthur self-injured himself. Though, Wolfram and Leiu witnessed the whole event, from start to finish. They were spectators but apart from seeing, they can't really do anything else… even the sound was cut off.
"Sister-in-law is really something, don't you think?"
He jokingly said while sneakily glancing at the stone-faced and silent Youth calmly sitting next to him.
"Why do you think she did that?"
In response, Leiu snorted and retorted:
"You already know why, stop with the oblivious act."
"Ehh, come on, at least pretend not to notice."
The two brothers were aware of Forne's plan but neither of them commented. The Joker already stated his non-interference, as for Leiu, he maintained his silence, as usual.
"Arthur and Lucy won't participate, isn't that a good thing?"
The Joker chuckled while saying that but, out of the blue, he felt a hand tightly holding his collar.
"I've already warned you, Wolfram. If something happens, you must act!"
The youth's hand was slightly shaking and his expression was different from the usual, his eyes were wavering and his breathing was unsteady.
In response to this, the Joker's smile vanished and his face became filled with a gaunt of expressionlessness. He pushed his brother's hand away, fixed his clothes and said:
"Act? How will I act? You want me to kill you? Really? The mighty Nameless Knight is giving up like this…"
"You know very well what will happen if Sol'khin gets out."
"Yes, I do know. He'll kill everyone present but I don't care. I will protect Arthur and his family… the rest, I don't care. What is this look you're giving me? You think I haven't killed any innocents before?
I spit on the thing they call 'humanity'. All I care about are those close to me so even if the worst happens, I and Arthur will make sure to free you. The whole world can be your enemy but we cannot!"
After saying his piece, Wolfram clicked his tongue and left the room, not forgetting to violently slam the door.
*****
"I want every inch of their bodies chained! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
The warden of the prison yelled at the low-ranking angels, his temper rising every time he thought about the causalities they suffered to capture the two monsters kneeling before him. Their bodies were heavily injured and riddled with holes that were used for magical chains to pass through and bind their movements and dangerous abilities.
"S-sir Habs, which floor should they be locked into?"
"What do you mean what floor?! The deepest one! Hurry up!"
Habs managed to reach such a high position despite not being angel due to this strength and past military merits. He fought the demons for two hundred years and killed more than fifty thousands by himself, earning him the position of the warden of the Last Moment Prison.
It was quite a cheesy name for an infamous prison but it was named so because everyone who's locked here will live their past moment in their cell. Throughout history, only three people managed to successfully escape, two of them are Forne and Zodiak, who achieved such a feat only because they were imprisoned on the 4th floor.
As per their boss' order, the two newly-captured prisoners were dragged to the deepest floor. Each one was held by four angels and chained from head to toe, they could barely breath properly, much less lift a finger. 
Two had identical appearances except for their hair colors, one was snow-white while the other was scarlet red.
They were Midolf and Radolf, who were hunted down by the angels ever since they escaped the war versus the specters. Someone must have snitched to their angels, causing them to relentlessly chase them to the ends of the world.
Unfortunately, after a long and bitter struggle, they were surrounded by three commander angels and captured, at last. Now, they were imprisoned in the Last Moment Prison, more precisely at the deepest floor, where only the most dangerous and powerful criminals are held.
The place was illuminated by white light sparks which couldn't illuminate the whole floor, which, by the way, was much smaller than the rest but guarded by at least five hundred fighter angels. 
"Hahahaha I'm finally getting new roommates!"
As the two youngsters were thrown into metal cells that were totally empty, a womanly voice echoed inside the cave, startling the nervous angels. 
Radolf remained unresponsive, his eyes staring at the dark ground. However, Midolf was much more talkative despite his current, miserable state.
"Who the fuck are you?!"
He cursed at the chained woman, who didn't seem bothered by the nails stabbed into her bones or the chains stabbing his forehead and chest.
"My dear, handsome boy, I am Zaarae, hahahaahaha"
"Quiet! QUIET!"
The angel leading this floor banged his baton on prison bars while warning Midolf with his eyes, though he didn't even dare to face the restrained Zaarae, much less get close to her cell.
"Mhmm, you've got a nice and familiar smell…"-Zaarae
****
Author note: Zaarae; Parasite Empress, the Lady who reaps.


Arthur, once a successful and rich businessman, was given a second chance in another world. He was tortured for months by men his wife hired and, now... he was offered a new beginning but it wasn't what he wished for. 

He was met with the unexpected when he found himself to be a minuscule entity known as a Parasite.

PS: MC is a hypocrite. 

PS2: This story contains profanity and gore so read at your risk.

A few months later, Sabina was born. This was supposed to be a momentous day for humankind, but to Metatron, it was a bit of a disappointment. When the True Maker had told Metatron that Sabina was the Chosen One, Metatron had converted to Christianity, confident that Sabina was the second coming of Christ. But her birth was unremarkable. Despite being born in a stable to emulate Jesus' birth, Sabina couldn't speak as a baby, no angels came from the sky to praise her, and no mysterious men came from the East with gifts.
While Metatron was disappointed at how unremarkable Sabina's birth was, this was an unfortunate coincidence as the True Maker had contracted the flu while visiting another dimension. So instead of performing miracles when 'The Chosen One' was born, the True Maker was shivering under the blanket and drinking hot tea in her ethereal palace.
On the bright side, the True Maker recovered eventually, and she spent a lot of time watching Sabina grow up and giving her superpowers instead of dealing with the elephant in the room, stopping the evil Space Demon Rangda!


Author:
Martin Lundqvist was born in the southern parts of Sweden. He has lived in Australia since 2012 and has been writing for six years. He writes mainly Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action, Psychological Fantasy, as well as Dark Comedy genre.

When God dies, an idiot takes his place!

Far enough into the future for anything to be conceivable, the wealthy and dementia-ridden villain Abraham Goldstein funds an implausible project to travel to heaven and meet God! Against all logic, the project is successful, and Abraham finds out that the god is dead. Abraham also finds the mind-control technology, that Yahweh used to convince Bronze Age humans that he was a god. 

Having these schematics Abraham sets his mind to a new project: to create an artificial Bronze Age world where he can be "god" over its inhabitants. 
Along the way he faces many highly amusing scenarios such as problem with the henchmen union, unfortunate calendar mistakes, malfunctioning orbital super weapons etc. Abraham keeps fucking up things due to his dementia, villainy, incompetent henchmen, and general stupidity until a mentally ill woman shows up out of nowhere and puts an end to Abraham's follies!

(Random bar patron POV)
Alria town.  
It's an unremarkable place on the map of this world.
There's absolutely nothing that stands out in this place at all, not the people, not the buildings, not the goods, nothing.
Anyone who passes through this town probably would forget about it a few days later, that's just how unremarkable this place was.
But this unremarkable place actually hides a secret that few knows.
The ruler of this town, Baroness Tian, had always been dissatisfied with the current monarchy. She believed that she should be a Duchess at least but she was snubbed because of her relatively normal background.
Any attempts at climbing the ranks had been met with failure, it was as though someone in the court did not want her to succeed.
She then decided that if she could not achieve the authority she wanted within the Nobles' circle, she would find the respect she yearned amongst the underground circle instead.
Thus, this town was secretly a bandit's den where most, if not all, of its inhabitants are bandits hiding in plain sight.
On the surface, we look like the unremarkable town we are known to be. But everyone here from the servants, labourers and shopkeepers were ruthless killers that would not hesitate to drive a knife in between someone's ribs.
If anyone new comes into town, we'll let them stay in the only inn here. If they look to be difficult people, we'll let them pass through town untouched. But if they look like easy pickings…
One such person came to our town today, travelling alone and even bringing two bags full of loot.
Easy pickings, definitely.
Everyone else in the room thought so too, eyeing him as he walked through the room.
Sam stood up and blocked his way, giving him the usual shakedown threat that we would normally do.
Since he was one of our strongest fighters here, we wouldn't even need to raise our hands to help him. He even has an artifact that strengthens his physical abilities to that of at least ten men at all times. Even if all of us jumped on him, we wouldn't have stood a chance.
Yep, just look at that guy now shaking in fear, if he's smart he would just leave his stuff here and--
*Crash*
Before I could understand what was happening, Sam was already sprawled out on the floor with an obviously broken jaw with several of his teeth knocked out on the ground. His neck was also visibly twisted and the whites of his eyes were showing.
I didn't need to be a doctor to know that he was dead.
That man simply stepped over Sam who he just killed nonchalantly, as though killing people was something normal to him.
"One room for the night please."
His voice shook a few of us out of our stupor, turning our gaze from the dead man on the ground to look at him.
Tokeir who was manning the counter was understandably nervous when he handed over the keys. He didn't even dare to try and overcharge him, giving him the discounted rates we would give to our own people.
I was wondering why until that man turned back to look at us.
Those eyes of his.
I don't know why, but it looked like I was staring straight into the eyes of death itself.
Easy mark my ass. What the hell made me think he was an easy target?!
I thought I was going to die right there and then but the man picked up his bags and headed upstairs to his room without a second glance back.
The sounds of everyone releasing the breath they were holding echoed through the room when he disappeared.
All of us had the same thought: Who the hell is this guy?!
*
(MC POV)
"Was it necessary for the physical enhancement, Master? Even with that defensive charm, I think Master's normal strength would have been enough..."
I chuckled, storing my bag away in the wardrobe of the room, "You forget, Xun Guan. This is the Spiritual Plane, everyone here is stronger than me, even non-Practitioners. You may still have an advantage over non-Practitioners but I'm basically a mortal now, you know? That blow should only knock him out for a bit."
"... He's dead though…" Xun Guan mumbled.
"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked, not hearing what she said since I was busy sorting through the items I wanted to sell.
"Ah! Nothing, Master! I was just wondering if it would be alright for us to stand out like that?"
I grinned, "Here's what I learnt, Xun Guan. Make yourself seem stronger than you are and even those stronger than you will hesitate to bother you. It won't work for long but since we're only here for a while, it doesn't really matter. That guy probably will stay out of my way while I'm here and the others would also hesitate to bother me."
Xun Guan shuffled a little, "But… He's dead… Are the people of this Plane undying as well? No… Or else those bandits..."
"Did you say something?"
"Nothing, Master!"
"If you're tired, we can just rest today. Maybe stay an extra day here, how about that?"
"Master, I'm truly fine! I'm sorry to have worried you!"
I smiled wryly at her, "You sure? It really is no trouble. I want to go back but there's no need to rush. Shiori and Akari would have told everyone about my situation and I did tell them I would be able to handle it."
Xun Guan took a deep breath before exhaling, "Master, I truly am fine."
I shrugged, "If you say so."
Previously I had split the things into two bags to carry them easier, but since I'll be selling most of them away, I stuffed them all into one bag that I could bring to the general store to sell.
After making sure that everything was secure, I locked up my room and went back downstairs.
From the top of the staircase, I could hear that the bar was noisy with conversation. But with every step that I took descending the stairs, the room became more and more quiet until it was completely silent when I reached the bar.
Everyone seemed to be hunched over their food and drinks, keeping quiet and not looking at my direction.
Curiously, the man who had tried to stop me from before was still sleeping on the ground.
I hefted my bag and made my way to the entrance, stepping over the unconscious man on my way out.
"Might want to put that guy somewhere. He might get cold you know?" I commented.
I'm probably imagining it but everyone in the room tensed up at my words. I almost thought they were going to jump on me and start another fight but it seems like that wasn't the case.
I safely stepped out of the inn without any issues, thankfully.
"Master… Could I say something?" Xun Guan asked.
"Hmm? Go ahead?"
"Master was… Ermm… Seriously cool just now…"
"What? Where did that come from?"
"Ehehe… I just felt like saying it. Saying his body will get cold, hehehe~"
Weird. I was just worried about that guy getting a cold you know? Not sure what's so cool about that?
Oh well, not that I'm in any position to tell her what to feel anyway.
Now where is that general store...


I was a genius in the Earthen Plane.

I was a cripple in the Spiritual Plane.

I was dead in the Cloud Plane.

After experiencing death in the form of dragon sneeze, I find myself back in my room in Earthen Plane where I was a genius.

I had been too focused on training myself in the past life. Now that I've been given a second chance, I should just enjoy my life to the fullest extent!

Instead of locking myself up in my room to cultivate, take in a few disciples so they can help take care of me!

Easy life is best life!

The other Planes suck anyway, I'll just lay back here and relax! All I need to do is to teach my dear disciples on the things I've learnt while they take care of me!

Huh?

What do you mean one of my disciples destroyed the Sinister Demon Sect last night? Do you not see how she's here massaging my shoulders now?

There's no way my disciple could have obliterated the all-powerful Xi Family, can't you see she's obediently pouring tea for me over there?

You must be delusional to even suggest my disciple could have flattened the impassable Death Mountains, just look at how cute she is taking a nap under the cherry blossom tree.

What do you mean my cute disciples are Yanderes?

***

Notes:

Side Stories in "My Cute (Yandere) Disciples' Side Stories"

One or more of the disciples may or may not have a tragic (depending on personal opinions) backstory that may or may not offend/disturb some readers (depending on your personal opinions/mental fortitude/openmindedness/morality/sexual orientation/real world knowledge/political agendas/reaction if someone gave you lemons/view on whether the Earth is flat or round, which I personally think it's neither and is actually a donut nom nom nom) which may or may not affect the rest of the story significantly. Consider yourself sufficiently warned.

Story inspired from "My female disciples are scary" by feeling_tired

Cover is done by the really awesome Lumi!

Buy me tea (because I prefer tea over coffee): https://ko-fi.com/draekai

You can join our discord through this link: https://discord.gg/CRrb56c

I am at my breaking point, or at the very least approaching it. I cannot break now, if I do, who will take care of my sick parents. My love for my parents is the only reason why I haven't broken down yet. I am having trouble breathing, I am feeling nauseous, and I am also feeling dizzy as of late. Perhaps I am overworked and getting sick, I can't have that happen. I still need to work, I need to get some rest before I get any worse.
I laid on my bed and closed my eyes. I am eventually greeted by a familiar darkness, this time I have the ability to move. I have always heard of lucid dreams, but I never thought that I would experience one for myself.
"What would I even do in a dream?"
I can speak in this dream, but I am not sure where to go from here. I never dream of anything in general so I have no clue what to do in a lucid dream. I do not have a body, but I am conscious enough to think, feel, and act as if I was awake. It is such a surreal feeling to be able to do all of this without a body.
["I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are already dead."]
I somehow hear a male voice say this, from who knows where in this dark void.
"What, I'm sorry did you just say that? I never thought I would hear those words being said to me, but that's beside the point. Who are you? I never heard your voice before, aren't dreams supposed to be filled with people you know?"
["To answer your question I can't exactly tell you who I am, but I can tell you what I am. I am god in charge of many aspects of life. I am a god of fidelity, family, self-sacrifice, selfishness, tribulations, self-improvement, and much more.
I know this may go against your notion of common sense, but believe me, I am telling you the truth. We are in a realm beyond the confines of time, space, life, and death, the void inhabited by the gods. You are dead and I have brought you here."]
So I am to believe that I am in front of a god, and not in some sort of dream. The possibility of this being a devil masking as god is also very high, should I concede to the idea that gods can exist. Why should I trust the words of some self-proclaimed god, do they even have proof to back their claim.
["Understandable, it is always hard to convince those who remain steadfast to their beliefs regardless of the situation. To prove it to you let me show you something interesting, something near and dear to you."]
In an instant, I not only saw the lives of my parents play out from a third-person point of view, and I then experienced their lives right from their eyes. I have heard stories from my parents about their proudest moments, their heroic deeds.
Experiencing the emotions and physical sensations that went along their stories first hand, it is something that is too bizarre to accurately explain. I felt their pure joy as they helped out and saved people, I experienced their deterioration into their bedridden states and then it was over all of a sudden.
The only word I can use to describe this experience is miraculous, I have lived out the entirety of two lives in an instant, and experienced two abrupt ends to those lives. I could have easily accepted the end of my life, but to know that my parents died as well is heartbreaking. I knew they were going to die at some point due to their lung cancer. Still, it doesn't make it any easier to accept, they were good people, they deserved so much better.
["What do you say to that, do you find it easier to believe my claims? Do you need me to do more, remember, I am a god, so I naturally have complete control over the things I said I was a god of."]
A god of fidelity, family, and tribulations, I do not like the sound of those three together. Then again it is not like they are completely unrelated. `I only got through the hardest parts of life depending on the support of my family and friends. Still, I cannot say that I am unconvinced, without effort or delay he performed a miracle right before me.
"I can't say that I am unconvinced, after that painful experience. Even so what a cheap shot, using the people I care for most to demonstrate your power. A low blow for sure, but it was brutally effective and efficient in proving a point."
If he truly is a god of all of those aspects of life, then it was inevitable that he found my weakness, he can most likely sense my devotion towards my parents and friends. I also can't make any rash decisions, he has power over the concept family itself, I cannot fathom how he could possibly use that against me. The way he used my parents' life experiences against me was enough to scare me. Still, I wonder how I died, more specifically how did my parents die?
["You want to know about your death, more specifically the death of your parents right, I know this is your main concern. You three died in a gas leak, breathing in carbon monoxide while all of you were asleep. You did not die because of divine intervention, or because it served a greater purpose.
You died because that was the result of the actions you have taken, your death was preventable. If you would have taken the right precautions, you would have been able to avoid it. I did not intervene because I believe in the idea that you are a product of the decisions you have made. After you died, I brought you here to make a deal."]
So their end was unremarkable and preventable, and while they were still alive their last days were filled with pain and suffering. They were still capable of talking, and their ability to think wasn't hampered at all. They deserved some sort of closure at the very least, not an abrupt end.
Regardless of how I feel at the moment, I can't lose focus and I have to be as careful as possible. I am in front of a god, I can not fathom the full extent of a god's power, I have to assume the worst possible scenario should I offend this god. He mentioned making a deal with me, but what exactly does he want from me?
["Do you want to be a hero? Heroes to mortals are people to be idolized and to inspire them to better themselves. They are the people who have reached the pinnacle of potential, they were examples that in the face of the seemingly impossible you can always overcome it and grow. They inspire people to embody virtuous traits, and they guide those who need hope in their lives. Do you want to be someone like that?"]
I agree with that definition of a hero, that was what my parents were to me before my disillusionment with the concept. When I was a child I tried to emulate my parents' righteous attitude towards others, I wanted to be a hero like them. What child wouldn't want to be a hero?
Whenever I thought of the word hero, I thought of my parents. I did not need to look any further for any other role models in my life. Unfortunately, that wasn't how life turned out, my dreams were crushed by reality and my own experiences seeing people being generally ungrateful for the sacrifices people made to make sure they were safe.
"God please listen to me, we both know that I am not a good guy. I do not like helping others without a reason. If there is a reward involved maybe I'll consider helping. Risking my life to save strangers is something I am not capable of doing. I am a selfish person by nature, and I have tried changing. However, we both know that I haven't changed at all."
After everything I had been through with my parents, I can not be a hero, I have seen what that sacrifice earns you. I am not like my parents. I can not fathom risking my own life for strangers, out of a sense of duty and responsibility to society as a whole, or for something society considers to be the greater good.
I saw them for the humans they were, they were people who needed as much help as the people they wanted to help. I do not know when I stopped seeing them as infallible, but it was the best decision of my life.
If I am gone, who will care for my family and friends? I know for a fact that the support I give them is better than the support a stranger can offer them. I would be willing to cater to every one of their individual needs, and I would be willing to do anything to help them.
It was these thoughts that had led to my current selfish mindset to not care for the greater good and to instead prioritize those closest to me. It is sort of ironic that I inherited my parent's self-sacrificing nature, but I refuse to use it to help others like them.
["I am not asking you to be a hero that saves others, I am asking you to be a person that leads by example. Most heroes, in the beginning, follow a path that is in line with what I stand for. Yet at the very end they choose the greater good over those closest to them, by doing so they go against the rest of what I embody. I do not need that type of hero, I need someone who practices what I want to preach.
I want you to spread a creed, not a religion, one teaches both heroes and people that the greater good is not the only option available to them. I need someone like you, someone who couldn't care less about the greater good and more about the people closest to them. I want you to be the champion of everything I stand for, I do not need someone who will cast me aside for the sake of the world."]
That is a twisted take on what a hero should do, I'm pretty sure that line of reasoning is in line with how a villain acts. Yet at the same time, the idea he preaches is in line with how I currently act and think. I would not describe a person who would sacrifice the greater good for their own reasons a hero.
Yet at the same time what else could you call them if they sacrifice everything including themselves to help out someone, the only caveat being they have to have a relationship with them. The only question I have left is why does he want someone to champion his beliefs? Why me specifically.

Boredom is something universal, and the lengths a person will go alleviate it can be impressive. What happens when God gets bored? What sorts of things will an all-powerful being do to alleviate boredom? Morgan finds out when he catches the attention of a particular disgruntled god, and now he finds himself in an era of heroes. Come and see how his journey on the continent of Elibe unfolds. Will he grow and become a hero on this journey, or will he remain the same pragmatic person he is.

Disclaimer:
For those of you who haven’t played Fire Emblem The Blazing Blade, I will try to make this as much of an enjoyable experience for you guys. Just to get an idea, most fire emblem stories follow the narrative of a classic hero’s journey, so nothing too crazy for those of you who know what that is.
 
For those of you who played Fire Emblem The Blazing Blade, I hope you enjoy the changes I made to the story. I added a few elements from the modern games to spice things up.

This is my first fanfic so it's a learning process, I will improve hopefully.

Copyright Disclaimer:
I do not own the source material, nor the cover art. I am just a guy writing this for fun.
The cover art has been slightly modified, check out the original art on pixiv. Art ID: 61145514 Artist Name: kori

definition of unremarkable novel

Definition of

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