Brandon's POV

It was already five in the evening and I was pumped up to get back to the room and relax, but here I was walking up the stairs to get to the literature clubroom instead.

 The club president had called all the members in for a sudden session and effectively cancelled all my plans for a relaxation retreat. 
 
Oh wait, who was I kidding. Even if I went back, I would have had to work on the BL draft. 

I sighed and opened the door. " Aha, here you are. That just leaves Talia. We can begin as soon as she's here. " Shin, the literary club president said as he ushered me inside. 

I quickly took a seat at the long wooden table that was in the middle of the room. I always loved the feeling it gave off. It just finished the beautiful vintage vibe that the room was filled with.

 Bookshelves covered three walls of the room, which were filled to the extent that you couldn't see any empty spaces anywhere. The books were on loan to us by the university's library and were a part of a rotation system. Every six months, the entire collection would be swapped by another set and so on.
 
 The last free wall was the one with the door and had framed quotes of famous authors. As usual, I dazed off dreamily as I looked around. 

The door suddenly opened with an intense force and Talia, the high-pony-tailed girl stood at the entrance. " Oh my god, I am so sorry for being late. My class ended late as usual!!! " She said as she made her way to the seat next to mine. 

" That's alright. That's alright. " Shin said as he sat at the head of the table. " Alright, so most of the seniors know why we're all here. But since it's the first time for the freshers, I'll make an official announcement. " He continued.

The few of us who were new looked at each other to see if anyone knew anything.

 " So every year, the university holds its very own club fest, where all the clubs set up stalls to showcase their activities. 
 
There is also a contest at the end of the day for the most popular club, the most diligent club and so on. Are you guys able to follow? " He asked as he stopped to look at us. 

Talia, me and the others nodded and he continued.

 " So like every year, we have partnered up with the journaling club. Since our club is more about writing, the journaling club helps us by giving us an entire page of the club-fest special edition newspaper to showcase our writeups and they get an entire page filled.
 
 It's a win-win situation for both of us. 

But this year, due to the increase in the number of clubs and because they're short on members, they've reached out to us for help.

They want us to cover a few of the clubs, get information, get photographs and do an article on each of them. " 

 The seniors muttered amongst themselves as they listened. " We've got two weeks till the fest. And since this is a sudden meeting, we can't really put out all our ideas now. 
 
So what I want all of you to do is to brainstorm what our club's stall should be this year, and also brainstorm how we're going to split our time and members to help out the journaling club without affecting our preparation. 

We'll have our normal session tomorrow where we'll come up with a solid plan after hearing out all of your ideas. And yep, that's pretty much it. You guys can head back now. Any doubts? " He concluded. 

Everyone started talking to each other but did not raise any questions. Seeing that there were no doubts, Shin adjourned the meeting and everyone started leaving. 

I stood up and started walking out when Talia joined me. Talia was also one of my classmates from high school along with Kris. But I didn't know much about her since we were in different classes back then. 

" We're going to get swamped with work, aren't we? " She said with a frown. Talia was an engineering major and often had more evening classes instead of morning sessions. 

" I guess so. But it sounds like it's going to be fun too. " I replied with a shrug. " Oh, it better be. That's the only reason I would take on more work. " She said as she rolled her eyes.

" Alright, I have to go. See ya later. " She said as she ran off. I waved back to her and was left alone in my thoughts again. 

Guess I can head back now. I thought. 

Just then, a hand grabbed my shoulder and I jumped at the sudden movement. 



"Luke..." gasped Brandon as he pulled him into his embrace. "Don't you ever leave," he whispered as he buried his face into Luke's shoulder.

 A normal college life with a little spice is what Brandon thinks he signed up for when he joins college and moves into the dorm with his new roommate, Luke. 

 Trying to hide the fact that he is a romance author from everyone and realizing that his zero experience in romance in real life may pose a bit of an issue, his life takes a turn, when he decides to take inspiration from his roommate and bases the protagonist of his next book on him. 

 Read on to see what he brings upon himself as he mixes up his fiction with real life!!

April 20th 2022. 7:00

"One's failure is another way to succeed."

It was a short message from Ansel's mother, followed by other motivation quotes from famous figures, including from the fictional world.

"Don't believe in quotes written white in a black background with a famous figure that you found on the internet," Ansel replied with another picture.

"I'm trying to motivate you, so you could be more energetic through life."

"Nice try, but I'm getting old and I should have been working for now. Even little sister has graduated last year."

"We're not trying to compare you with her."

"Yeah not you, but some people, and don't forget about society. This moment they may laugh at me, a 24-year-old student almost-NEET. What do you expect from me? I'm tired of moving to another university just because I can't fit into it. And I never forget the day that dad smashed my hard-disk worth of the hobbies that I saved."

Ansel's hand shook, whether to send the risky message or not. He bit his dry lip until it was slightly bleeding. To his conscious, he erased it. Sending those things would result in no more money pocket for a month.

"Thank you," sent.

Ansel threw his phone to the wall.

"Shut up!" his neighbour shouted.

Ansel smirked, "man, you don't understand my pain."

9:55

"The professor gave me one more chance to change my thesis topic; yeah it must be my lucky day," Ansel texted Brian on the way to campus.

"WKWKWKW that damn Hitler. I really want to tear his moustache," Brian replied

"If that Hitler decided to give up, I'll treat you."

"DO IT! Write something that made him seeking isekai!"

Ansel puffed his breath, he held his boisterous laughter. Set his face into straight again. Ansel paced himself up, he was almost late. He calculated that he needs four minutes to reach his department. He shoved people who blocked his way, doesn't matter, they were all his juniors. Some just shouted, but Ansel was too ignorant to care about them.

He went up to the stairs, floor one, two more. Skipped one and two stairs, sometimes jumped up, his heart pumping faster. He was impatient, he wished that time moved slower. Floor two.

9:59

Ansel sped up, it was his maximum speed. His left foot almost slipped from the stairs, he backed up, his right foot reached higher. Sweats running from his forehead to his neck, he rushed away like the wind on full speed.

Floor three.

Finally.

10:00

He arrived on the third floor, where all of his bad dreams resided. The lecturer's hallway, to his right, was a balcony, left was the rooms where

He didn't see a man with a strange costume and weapon blocked the aisle to the lecturer's office. The man was tall, on his right hand a scythe, and left a big watch.

"What the hell a cosplayer does in this place?" Ansel ducked from the weapon, "coming through."

The man swung his scythe to Ansel's feet, Ansel swerved up, and his papers flew across the aisle.

"What the f—"Ansel spat.

Strangely, he and his papers were floating. Ansel couldn't move an inch; the man dragged his scythe along, the man's big watch stood on the place. The scythe and the watch were tied with a golden chain. The man wore a big blue robe, similar to a pastor on the church, as Ansel recalled in mind.

Is it the end? Angel of death? My life was a joke after all.

The man aimed his scythe to Ansel's neck, it was freezing old. Like a kiss of death. Ansel held his breath, his chest felt excruciating pain.

I should've called my family, tell them sorry to disappoint them all these years.

"Tell me, when was the last time you see her?" the man asked, his voice was chill.

"Who, her?"

I thought he would ask "Who's your God?"

The man put his scythe closer to Ansel's neck, he could read Ansel's mind. "Don't you ever joke to god? I'm looking for a woman; she has white hair, very long hair. She has a chilly voice, something that pierces your ears. Tell me, and I'll spare your time."

The woman of his dreams, literary, not figuratively, he recalled the memory again. He tried to speak up with his trembling lips.

"I… I saw her…"

"Very well," the man clicked his finger, Ansel's butt fell first to the floor, and it was a hard landing. Ansel rubbed it, hoping that his bones didn't break. The papers flew to his lap elegantly, it was unfair. "But I won't let you escape until you found it. Take your time," Ansel's feet were tied with a golden shackle.

He peered at the big watch that the man hide behind his robe, the clock was not moving at all. The man flipped the watch; he stared at Ansel with a stern look, pissed off. Quickly, Ansel focused on his papers.

"I found it." Ansel raised the log paper from his thesis project. Behind it was a short diary that he wrote after the bizarre dream.

"Read it to me."

"April 1st 2022. A woman with white long hair, pointed at me at the street near the post office when I walked home. She was tall, wore high heels, and she can run fast. I escaped through the small road."

"19 days ago…She never came back?"

Ansel shook his head. He just lied. Actually, he preferred to hide the truth that he couldn't tell. He also wanted that man to read his mind about his dream.

"Good. Actually, she was an evil being that escaped from my dimension to your dimension. Beware of her; she might use you as a tool to make an apocalypse. Since I am a merciful god from another dimension, I will grant you an escape, to never meet her ever. You may choose: future or past?" he spoke fast like a rapper that about to smash his album on Billboard.

Ansel partly comprehend what he said, then pointed at the man, his hand still shook, "I have a question, who are you?"

"From all nicknames…most people called me Chronos, the ruler of time."

Greek mythology, Ansel was familiar with that name. He wasn't a fan of mythology, but he heard it sometimes on movies. He didn't know that the Greek deities actually existed in another dimension. Ansel overwhelmed with the truth.

"Oh." Nodding his head, Ansel pointed at his feet, "please release me first, your eminence."

"Shake your feet," Ansel did as he said, the shackles turned into dust. "Now, you may choose to go to the future or past? I have time to spend."

"Past, please. To be precise—"

"I could read your wishes and intentions easily like a book," Chronos added, "I'll take you to the time where your fate changed completely."

Ansel awed, "nice, where exactly it could be?"

Chronos didn't answer, he turned his back, and his two small pigtails flowed. He chanted some words and slashed the air with his scythe. Big portal with golden colours swirling in front of them, the swirl has some events that happened in Ansel's life.

"When this portal changed into blue, you must enter."

"Where it would take me?"

"Just trust me; it will be a pleasant time of your life."

The swirl gradually changed its hue, it was green, and then it was dark blue.

Chronos pushed Ansel, "Go! And Godspeed!"

Ansel fell down through the portal. The end of the portal was a speck of white dot, far from his sight. When he got deeper, gravity gradually got stronger. A rush of air, heartbeat fastened, Ansel felt a surge of adrenaline goes to his head. The end of the portal got bigger and bigger. And Ansel crushed hard the white layer of the portal. It was dark.

..

Loud hard bass blasted on a room; Ansel's alarm. He jerked his body out from the bed, reached for his phone. What he saw on the phone made him puzzled.

Monday, 20 April 2020 7:33

But he was sceptical. Brian could sneak into his room and changed the time just to prank him.

Ansel searched for the latest news on the internet.

April 19th 2020, 9.35 P.M, The president's revision made netizen goes mad, here's why.

Click baits popped up on the screen, Ansel swiped them off. Some click baits have no credibility, some of the dates were made up. Ansel searched for local news.

April 20th 2020, 5.30 P.M, A fire struck garment factory, no one was injured.

Ansel swiped up the news, he found the newest.

April 20th 2020, 7:35 P.M, Fire struck house nearby.

"How in the world— Brian probably doing his thesis right now," Ansel rose up. He ran to Brian's room and knocked loudly. "Ey bro? How's the thesis?"

"GOD GAVE MERCY! I HAVEN'T SLEEP FOR THREE EFFING DAYS! SHUT UP!"

"Sorry—"

"DO YOUR OWN THESIS TOO! LAZY ASS!"

"Thesis?" Ansel raised his eyebrows, "but I haven't pass methodology class yet."

Brian opened his door with a slam, "dude, please don't get me with that nonsense joke. Oh, if you ask me 'am I dreaming bro', here," he punched Ansel's arms, "you're awake!"

"Ahaha thanks."

"You better be fast, Mr Ivan will back to Germany next month, if you're late, that bushy professor will check yours instead," Brian locked his door.

Ansel clicked his finger, he opened his laptop. Only to found his first draft of thesis marked 'accepted' at the end of the document. Luckily, the professor was not 'Hitler' this time; his professor was a foreigner, Ivan Sigmund Abene.

He never met Ivan Sigmund before, probably another possibility of his life.

"…fate changed, completely," the words slipped from Ansel's mouth. "How could this happen? Other things must have changed."

Ansel opened the university website portal; he searched for his scores from the past semester. It was unexpected, almost every class that he took, marked perfect. Some of them were professor Hitler's classes. Shook his head, and then pinched his arms.

"It's not a dream."

Still, Ansel didn't have any idea how the event turned up. And why he has to be placed at this moment.

Ansel faded his train of thought; he opened the email, checking the schedule of his thesis. The schedule was so tight, in three days a revision has been done, Ansel widened his eyes, Brian was right. After all, it was a pleasant thing for him.

This time, his dream was not deferred.

Is the story well-received or poorly-received among you guys? I can't tell, honestly. I see people putting it in their collections (Thank you all so much, by the way) but honestly, I don't know if I want to move forward with posting Volume 2 of this book.

I have the skeleton and some of its meat down, that's for sure, all the way up to a little bit over Volume 3, but I'll need some simple editing & tidying up, I'll need some time for brushing up a couple of descriptions and plot-points, I'll need some more time to tidy up the plot directions. But I promise a story that's really different, a story that's really great to all the people out there who've rooted for me and this child of mine.

It's got roughly the same problems as the first volume in this series, it's got only 32 chapters. The bigger problem is, that while the first book has 95k words in 32 chapters (a full, proper novel for paperbacks, look at that!), the second volume has (at the moment) 120k+ words in the chapter.

So, I don't know. If you liked the story a lot, give me some comments on which parts you loved about it, and I know the writing style is quite bone-dry and not very descriptive but I thank you nonetheless for coming so far into 32 chapters. I don't need your power-stones, I just want to know if you liked it / enjoyed it enough to want another 32.

I wanted a unique reading experience, so I've been brewing and crafting. Volume 2 has a really, really grand stage. You could say that 80+% of the volume is showing you this story world's history along with a little bit of drama and action/suspense, and the last part, the climax really kicks into high gear and uses everything you've learnt so far in what is perhaps the greatest high-stakes fight scene in the series yet.

(For those of you who've loved this book since my blog/Wattpad days, thank you for coming back to a refurbished version of this series. Haha. You guys are the best!)

Anyway. Enough rambling. Time we got serious.



Let's talk about WoP Quest's biggest goals. It's true motives, the reason why it takes on such a bizarre style, plot and direction. Why some people feel a lot for Katachi, and others don't.

So, for the idea WoP Quest embodies, Katachi is a very strange character for sure. He doesn't act like a protagonist, he doesn't act like a traditional hero and he doesn't really have their obligations to help someone in trouble. He's content with helping the world in his own way, even if everyone were to shun or ostracize him for it.

Much like how a budding writer steps out into the literary world for the first time, seeing the superstars like Tolkien or Rowling or Erikson, and getting intimidated by their presence. Hey wait a minute, that sounds very familiar, doesn't it! Yes it is. That's our reality right now.

But we all soldier on, we all create our own stories and books and settings and characters, our own versions of the tales that people aren't always happy or willing to accept. The controversies of your actions, where many would either encourage or dissuade you from pursuing that dream, that ideal.

I wanted to convey that sense of "I'm not going to be as good as them at the #1, but I'll try to be the only one in a way that none can ever replicate." with his tale. We all are, aren't we?

In a sense, it's right for me to say that Katachi's tale is directly targeted at authors and anyone who's tried their hand at art or any cultural contribution! Haha. For those who've truly attempted creating something novel, something you think the world's never seen before, Katachi's story will click with you instantly. To strive for what you think is right, even when the world is against you.

I wrote WoP Quest out of resentment. I hated the way the world confines us to a specified writing style because it was popularized by recent authors. Back 500 or so years ago, the script-like writing style I'm using in WoP was VERY POPULAR among those in the Renaissance period, the time of Shakespeare.

Christopher Marlowe, Joseph Milbrand and Thomas Middleton, for example!

"Who are they?" Exactly. They're examples of authors who made their own variants of a tale during their time as Shakespeare's not-really-worthy-to-be-called-rivals.  It's just that Shakespeare happens to be more famous and popular, but in the time they were alive those authors lived harder and stronger than Shakespeare ever did.

Having gripes with critique, being told that they fall flat when paired against the most famous & notable playwright Shakespeare, suffering in their own admittance of their limits and capacity, that is their life story immortalized. Katachi's life story. A life story of today's author, who struggles to peek his head out and hopefully be recognised and loved for his works, only to be cruelly pelted down.

We're authors, not murderers. We want to be known for our use of the pen (or keyboard in today's time), not the sword. We take pride in creating elaborate stories, simple stories, complex tales, simple tales, not to be remembered as savages who garner the hate and ire of others, only to be hexed in return at your success.

In today's corporate-driven world, the essence of success seems so closely tied to what money you make from your book, but the reality of it is that if you did it not for the money but for a true cause, a true goal, you are in Katachi's shoes. You watch for everything carefully, knowing full well the world is against you and will take every chance it gets to devour you.

That's part of his extreme & fundamental character design; He is, essentially, the persona of every person who's ever attempted creating something to truly call their own. He is the persona of a deep, saudede-like yearn for an identity, and in specific the identity of those who seek more. Those who are discontent.

The resentment did not manifest in that way alone. I hated strong, powerful characters like Whitebread Superman and inexplicable alien powers like Green Lantern's ring, Wonderwoman's convenient Amazon prowess with their own bigger-than-you problems. I hated tales where your convenient solution was some kind of greater-than-thou power that could never be explained.

The way WoP Quest's magic works, as you might have guessed, is based off of legends and tales of the past that actually happened. We all lend from the people who've tried creating something unique to themselves in the past. We've all went through that phase of looking up to literary idols and other writers, in hopes of learning what they've done and trying to make something we can call our own. Be it carrying their mantle, or starting a new one entirely on your own.

Some writers do it simply to recreate a golden, proven formula and get the money out of it, a very shallow and hollow experience that plagues so many chick lits, crime fiction and fantasies / science fiction. But there are others like us, who through our writing try to find our bearings in this world.

However we perceive these bearings ultimately influence the kind of person we are, what precepts we adore, what quotes we choose to use and what epitaphs we want during our dying breaths. WoP Quest is a truly, truly gigantic undertaking, and as I struggle with being an author and writer, it can be said that WoP Quest is a direct representation of my successes and failures.

A series of many small victories that might not truly matter in the face of others, but that journey means something true to you even if it didn't to others. That's the feeling I wish to share and convey through WoP Quest.

American stories love to dramatize it and make your change so apparent, that everyone else around you notices. I hated that, and I wanted to bring out the goodness in life. That you don't always have to matter to someone else, if you matter to yourself. It seems like narcissism if you're only thinking about yourself all the time, so please be careful not to over-indulge on it, but it's still a truth that corporates try not to talk about or they'll lose business.

The true love of this tale, however, is in regard to what it wants to tell you, what it wants to show. You don't always find happiness in others, even if many stories you've probably read about thus far always encourage the concept, the idea. I hated having that forced onto me. Why can't I be happy the way I am?

Why do they have to judge with their clammy eyes who or what I am worth, on their own metrics and scales, when they can never know my deepest of thoughts and who I really think I am? Why do they always think I'm veering on the side of the wrong, and they advise me what to do and rectify me towards their form of the ideal? Why can't I be allowed my own form of the ideal?

You don't have to be a hero. You don't always get praise for accepting yourself for who you are, especially considering the 1970s aggressive marketing sought to make people feel empty without furniture or appliances, turning people into hollow consumership. Look at Negan, from the Walking Dead! He followed the Disney's morals, and accepts himself as a big man who leads the Saviours, who believes in naturalism and the laws of the jungle. It seems almost ironic to what Disney films would have you believe, that accepting yourself for who you are makes your life better (but not at the expense of others).

It's the truth. And bitter as that truth is, it's best that you accept it. WoP Quest doesn't force you to understand the characters. You don't need a character spilling out every piece of their traumatic history like they want someone to vent it off of, a victim of that idea. 

Katachi's various plights in his childhood he wishes not to recall, are not made known initially for you to understand him as a concept that you can truly accept him as a fellow pilgrim in search of an identity. It's not a story that wants the characters to be fully understood, and it accepts and embraces the idea that no one can truly be known. It's only later on in the story that you can slowly learn about what he's suffered and endured, and relate to him via some of his best and worst moments.

WoP Quest is a really, really beautiful symbolic tale of a modern writer's gripes with today's literary world.

I should know, in case you're wondering - I'm from Singapore. And in Singapore, you either write a book about the country / a working formula (RunHideSeek trilogy I'm looking at you) and become popular to the cabinet ministers that way, or you write an original book and become obscured to the abyssal regions where you never see light.

I saw this other author, Allan Cheng, a local who wrote a book called A Paris In Time. He wasn't well-received at all. And as I read his musical journey through 1930s and 1960s music, I felt truly saddened that it was not mainstream. I actually cried and almost soiled the only copy of it in the library. Yeah, a grown man crying in a library, what do you want to say to me? That's who I am.

I love, I know of love, and I grieve when I see how much love he put into his own book, but nobody around him bats an eye. Is that the only problem? No. I know the darkness of my country. His book was conveniently placed in a section where it's full of books related to current politics. In other words it's purposely and strategically placed in a section where everyone who visits the place has absolutely no interest in a fictional tale like that. There can be no sadder fate! NO SADDER FATE!!!

I know the pain of budding authors more than you might think, especially when I'm born and raised in an environment that actively stamps out such developments in lieu of its pragmatic goals. Here, art is dead - And none of the true fictional authors dare stay in Singapore with writing as their main source of income.

So I weave this tragic tale, a life story of the many life stories before me. Not just in Singapore, but in every active literature-producing country that faces such a terrible plight of desiring and yearning something more than the little shillings they get from their books.

And I pray, to all the budding and seasoned writers out there, never to forget your journey as a writer, and never to forget who you are.

(This may be a difficult read. Reason: There's no real urgency or plot-driven deadline.)

Kotsuba Katachi sets off on a journey to collect magical sigils known as the Words of Power. The journey won't be easy or straight-forward though.

I made this an auxiloary chapter, but there's no announcements for auxiliary chapters it seems. I don't want the majority to be in the dark, but I also don't want to waste your coins for announcements. Unfortunately, I don't have any proper announcement giving tool for this, so here it is:
This sucks. It really, really sucks. But it seems, for those who know, my refreshed feeling was temporary and a looming premonition to an upcoming calamity...in my body.
Anyways, I've gotten sick. Is it the COVID-19 or not? I'm unsure. I'll keep you guys updated, but without going into too much yucky detail: fever and consistent bathroom visits. It's really screwing with my ability to write, think, sleep, and generally function so I'm going to take a short break from writing and uploading until I'm well, healthy, and safe.
I likely won't be writing for however long this lasts, and I hope its short and just the rare august flu, so there won't be any make-up chapters or anything. Just a regular and thorough break.
No need to feel panic though, I have an unusually strong body and mind so I'll ride this out. <3
Wish me the best! 
(Btw: Word Count requirements can go straight to...)
----
Here's some famous literary book quotes because of Word Count...You can skip this if you want. 
"Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said. You might want to think about that.
You forget some things, dont you?
Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget." – Cormac McCarthy, The Road
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." – Frank Herbert, Dune
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind." – Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
"…I think we are well-advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the mind's door at 4 a.m. of a bad night and demand to know who deserted them, who betrayed them, who is going to make amends. We forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget. We forget the loves and the betrayals alike, forget what we whispered and what we screamed, forget who we were." ― Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart." – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
"We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. We do not think of the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favourable: we do not succeed in changing things in accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change. The situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant to us. We have failed to surmount the obstacle, as we were absolutely determined to do, but life has taken us round it, led us beyond it, and then if we turn round to gaze into the distance of the past, we can barely see it, so imperceptible has it become." – Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time
----
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Needed a few more words, no need for another block of text. Will likely delete later.


The Heavenly Dao exists.

It decides what is right and what is wrong. To act against it is to sin, to act according to it is to be blessed by its graces.

The world of cultivation is difficult, an unchanging principle. Yet there are those who are cherished by the Heavens, cuddled into rising above all and everyone else. How can this be? Why must this be?

What is moral and just? What is evil and immoral?! 

WHY DOES IT GET TO DECIDE?!

So we, the Sinners, we act against the Heavenly Daos, grasp our own fates in hopes of truly overturning them.

This is a Journey of a young boy born Blessed, but turned Sinner.

The greatest sinner of them all.

-----
As some of you may know, I'm also the Author of Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies!
This is my second project, and one I'm incredibly passionate about! 

I hope you all enjoy following the adventures of Wei Wuyin! And I hope that I can bring a fresh experience to you all.
----
Here's Discord if you just want to chat or meet some like-minded individuals!
https://discord.gg/z2FtGvZ
If you want to support my novel, to increase the ratio of releases, or to receive monthly bonus releases! You can support here:
https://www.patreon.com/KevinAscending

Some authors in chat talked about a book's worth. 

Most agreed that its value depends on the readers' willingness to pay for a novel. And the most selling here in WN are romance and h e n t a i.

Honestly, it is true in a sense that most authors who don't write these two genres or have the general audience receive lesser income to none. However, there are also other genres that are popular.

What saddening is that a story which has no s** will be buried deep in the list of books.

One time, a person told me that he won't read books without s**. I think you understand what I mean.

Sad... 

Those good literary authors will just choose Amazon. I totally agree with that.

But, is that what really makes a book valuable? So, the authors will just resort to writing stories with s**  since most will welcome it.

I feel sad if it is.

I've been reading and watching epic and classic stories like Mary Poppins, The Twelve Kingdoms, Fushigi Yuugi, The Vision of Escaflowne, Star Wars, Anne of Green Gables, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, and others. 

These are great books but I'm not sure if the new generation is still reading them.

Hoping they are.

So, what is the worth of a writer? Of a person's storyteller's heart and creativity?

Will it just be buried deep in isolation? Will it just be following the flow of readership and abandon its desire to produce good stories?

I disagree. We still love good stories. There are still more readers who love good reads. In fact, these type of stories are more engaging and imploring. Those epic stories won't be called epic if no one reads them anymore. They are classified as such because their worth is beyond trends.

They simply go against the flow and create a tsunami, leaving people awestruck.

That is the type of book I want to write. I prefer to be remembered as an author who writes good stories without compromising the principles I believe.

Don't get me wrong. There are still good books with a bit of those s** things out there that you can read. But they don't focus on those scenes but on the story itself.

I am a person who never follows trends. And I care less what people call me. I will rather be true to myself than to follow the crowd and lose my self-respect.

In my opinion, the worth of a story is not only on the business side but also on how much heart and effort the author gives to his/her books.

To authors: Let us enjoy writing good stories. Let us be proud of what we write for not everyone can be authors. And not all writers can finish a book. The truth, most books here are unfinished.

To readers: Support good books and give the authors that confidence to continue writing good stories. Without your support, the authors might give up. If no one read good stories, then there's no point on writing one. But I believe most readers still love those type of books.
-----o----
Inspirational Quotes for Authors:

"I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose." — Stephen King

"If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn't matter a damn how you write." — Somerset Maugham

"Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer." — Ray Bradbury

"I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly." — Edgar Rice Burroughs

"The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story." — Ursula K. Le Guin
-----o----
Inspirational Quotes for Readers:

"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light."
–Vera Nazarian

"Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself." —George Bernard Shaw

"Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood." — John Green

"The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you." —W. Somerset Maugham

Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life."
–Helen Exley

Have a good and fruitful day.

😁😁😀😄💖💓💞

I  invite you to read the short diary of my daily struggle as a writer. No clear update but I will try to write every day. Don't expect very long chapters.

Started as an entry for fun and submitted for writing prompt #63: One chapter post but still ongoing.

 Please add tags: #diary #drama #comedy #author #writing

Please read my ongoing story:
The Sorceress' Heir: Blossoming Youth and Power

Popularity itself was a thing that Zhao Youyue could never fathom, not to mention "high popularity". How to judge whether a literary work was popular? And which character in it would be the high-popularity character?
After watching the acts of Zhao Hao, Zhao Youyue sort of understood that popularity could be measured with money. By watching aside if there were more people willing to pay for a literary creation or character, she could then evaluate their popularity. Of course, this must be a good-quality novel in the first place!
Take streamers for example. Some female streamers' popularity will skyrocket through the support of godly tycoons. Having stabilized her popularity with some loyal fans later, she will remain as a famous streamer even if the tycoons are gone someday. Of course, there are also some streamers failing to grasp the popularity no matter how much the godly tycoons supported them. In the end, they lost it all because the godly tycoons were no longer interested in them.
The same logic applies when it comes to literary creation. "The Strongest King" itself was a high-quality work, not to mention that it was having a climax plot recently. Formerly, its popularity had been almost explosive, now with the appearance of Silver Sect Master and Golden Sect Master, the novel had broken through its mischance as if it had acquired a divine elixir[1] in the spiritual-cultivation novel.
"The Strongest King" would become a famous literary work in the future!
It could actually compete for the first place in Monthly Tickets Ranking!
Zhao Youyue was still deciding whether to exit the novel earlier…
Zhao Youyue had come to a conclusion now. The characters she had molded could be classified into three stages. The first stage would be "Popular Character", which had been attained by the "Yu Shengfan" molded by Zhao Youyue few days ago. In this stage, Zhao Youyue could exit the literary world without bearing any negative consequence. Naturally, she could neither obtain the character card nor inherit the character abilities.
The second stage would be like now, as in Yu Shengfan had turned into a "High Popularity Character". In this way, if she bowed out earlier, she could obtain the character card which had a time limit. In that limited time, she could inherit the character abilities. The higher the character popularity, the longer the usage period would be. On the other hand, if the author did anything that adversely affected her popularity, the usage period would decrease as well.
The most terrible outcome would be that the character was totally ruined. Imagine if an elite female scholar went for spiritual cultivation out of the blue, emerging as a fantasy character, was she still who she was? Such an outcome would lead to an immediate shattering of the "High Popularity Character Card", and Zhao Youyue would never be able to the character abilities.
The most ideal situation would be that the author's writings continuously bettered, and eventually made her an iconic character!
Therefore, if Zhao Youyue considered an earlier exit, she would have to bet on the author's personality. She would not take any chances on the amateur authors. They might be affected by their readers once Zhao Youyue exited the literary world, and would start doing ridiculous acts which caused the whole literary creation to crumble. Then all her efforts would be to no avail.
Should the novel be suitable for any doujinshi works, that would be awesome. Most doujinshis would naturally give rise to popularity of the original work!
Obviously, "The Strongest King" perfectly satisfied these conditions. Rosemary was an author with his own pace, moving forward steadily. He had never given up halfway in his previous works or given them some crappy endings. Treating his literary creations seriously, he had also discerned that "The Strongest King" would let him acquire the moniker of "God of Authors". Of course, he would not destroy this novel of his!
Zhao Youyue did have the heart to stir up any more troubles in "The Strongest King", because if she wanted to convert "Yu Shengfan" from a "high popularity character" to an "iconic character", she might have to lead "Yu Shengfan" to death. Rosemary would certainly be troubled by this as his livid readers would haul him over the coals. Therefore, she was unwilling to allow such low profile and steady author to suffer because of her actions.
Plus, nobody could guarantee that "Yu Shengfan" would become an iconic character after her demise. Besides, she could not prevaricate by taking reference from Huang Shaotian or Negi Sanzenin, as both of them were not dead in their respective literary works.
If she encountered such authors without their own pacing, who made their readers suffer, gave up the work halfway or scribbled a meaningless ending, she would not hesitate to "kill" high popularity female character, just to see whether she could become an icon…
The first two stages of the character had been introduced clearly. The third and final stage would be "iconic character", also called "super popularity character". People would always remember them, and so their character cards would constantly be "charging" and become a "permanent tool". But somehow creating an iconic card was extremely difficult because she had to be unique.
A unique character in a unique literary work could always be remembered, and that was the definition of an iconic character. (Characters who die in the novel have better chances of becoming iconic characters, because deaths will cause an impact on the readers, making them unforgettable.)
Hmm, how do we classify whether a literary work was a unique piece? Of course that particular literary creation would need to achieve a national standard and carry its own originality. This also requires a unique difference from any other novels and mangas, something that other creations does not possess. (National-standard work with startling popularity is considered unique too). As such, plagiarism literary works will never surpass the original.
After discovering these three stages, Zhao Youyue assessing the cost performance index [2]. She thought that she would not need to go after the perfect "Iconic Character Card", unless that ability was useful in real life. "Xu Jing's" card was the perfect example of an almighty card, as it could be utilized in every possible way, Hence, Zhao Youyue would make sure "Xu Jing" become an iconic character by hook or by crook.
What abilities could she obtain from "Yu Shengfan's" character card? Two abilities, which were "maximum gaming talents" and "proficient in multiple languages".
These two abilities were not really important to Zhao Youyue, so there was no need for "Yu Shengfan" to develop into an "iconic character". Three years were more than enough for her, and it might even increase as "The Strongest King" was just about to conquer the world!
After going through the pros and cons in a short period, Zhao Youyue made up her mind to exit the novel!
She then perceived the miraculous "Two Dimensional Gate" in her mind, along with a new character card this time! A blonde twintail lolita who sat in front of a PC, wearing headphones with her mouth opened exposing her cute canine teeth, looked like she was talking nonstop.
This character card had a time counter on it, representing its usage period. As the counter was ticking backwards, sometimes it would move forwards suddenly, interesting huh.
At this moment, Zhao Youyue could possess "Yu Shengfan's" abilities whenever she activated "Yu Shengfan's" mode!
Translation Note:
[1] Divine Elixir(仙丹) grants one an eternal life. It appears as pill form in Chinese ancient novels.
[2] Cost performance index(性价比) - A measure of the efficiency of expenses spent on a project. The formula that a business normally uses to assess the cost performance index (CPI) is the ratio of earned value (EV) over actual costs (AC).


An introverted girl has had enough of the isolation inadvertently formed by her solitary nature. Things changed when she discovers that she has the ability to transverse across the fabric of our universe into the dimensions of multiple storylines. Not only do these storylines leave her with invaluable lessons - they also impart a portion of their power - if she is deserving of it. The time has come for Zhao Youyue to change her fate. Never again, will she remain as a Side-Character!

"It's true, I don't remember, but you do." Tang Yue said. "With you around, you can help."
Tomcat kept one eye open while the other remained close.
"You wish to get my help?"
Tang Yue nodded.
"Call me daddy." Tomcat hooked its paw.
Tang Yue frowned. "Call you what?"
"Daddy."
"Good son."
…
"What the two of you wish to do is an unprecedented endeavor that will never be matched even in the future. In ancient times, history offices needed decades just to chronicle the previous dynasty. And both of you wish to chronicle all of human civilization." Tomcat yawned as its ears twitched. "Civilization is an ill-defined concept. It covers history, culture, technology, art, and everything you created as well as everything that created you. If you write down the entirety of human civilization's development process into the book, I believe that book will be thick enough to circle Mars several times."
Tang Yue was somewhat alarmed. He knew that it would be a massive endeavor, but he never expected it to be that scale.
He didn't have much knowledge about history, to begin with. Most came from his history textbooks in high school, and in history textbooks, spanning centuries was covered in just a few pages. Even the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, appeared only a handful of times.
"The researchers at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences spend their entire lives researching a tiny slice of history, and that's without any guarantees of them figuring out anything. What makes you think you can chronicle all of human civilization?" Tomcat scoffed. "Do you know the difference between Roosevelt and Roosevelt Jr.?" 
"Simplify it a little. We can simplify it a little." Tang Yue compromised. He did lack the capabilities needed to chronicle all of human civilization. If he made a mistake with Emperor Wu of Han's date of birth and death, he wondered if this particular Mr. Liu Che would travel hundreds of millions of kilometers to Mars to make a protest.
"We can start with a framework based on time, just like a chronicle. Then, we can slowly fill in the details, and develop as we go," Tang Yue said. "Peking Man, Yuanmou Man… We should start with the Neanderthals?"
"Why don't you just start from the Cambrian Period?" Tomcat scoffed. "Why not start from the hallucigenia?"
"Great idea!" Tang Yue clapped. "Earth is gone. We should biographize Earth's history."
"Biographize my ass… Do you know what it means to do things within your means?" Tomcat opened his eyes, waved his claws, and felt a little exasperated. "Are you going to start from the Cambrian period to the Ordovician period, to the Silurian period, to the Devonian period, to the Carboniferous period, to the Permian period, to the Triassic period, to the Jurassic period, to the Cretaceous period, to the Paleogene period, to the Neogene period, all the way to the Quaternary period? Do you have a lifespan longer than Peng Zu[1]?"
"We can simplify it a little. Simplify it a little," Tang Yue said with resent. "For example, we can describe the Jurassic period as a period when reptiles flourished. On the massive continent lived… lived…"
Tang Yue realized he had nearly zero knowledge about ancient creatures. He couldn't even remember the names of any dinosaurs.
"… lived the Plateosaurus!"
Tang Yue finally recalled a name.
Tomcat silently held its forehead.
"The Plateosaurus is a creature from the Triassic period."
"In the Jurassic period, the supercontinent began to break up. Gymnosperms reached their peak development, and there were plenty of reptiles. Among them, Ornithischia and Saurischia dinosaurs had the greatest development. Ornithischia dinosaurs included the Stegosaurus, while the Saurischia dinosaurs included the Allosaurus, Camarasaurus, and Brontosaurus." Mai Dong's voice sounded over the comms as she gave a lively laugh. "Would that be fine?"
"Bingo!" Tang Yue snapped his fingers. "Perfect, lady! That would do! That's it, we shall begin from the Cambrian period!"
Tomcat silently facepalmed.
It didn't dare make the sarcastic remark, "Why don't you start from the Big Bang?"
It was very likely that this clueless idiot would just smack his head and really begin from the Big Bang.
Clearly, just Tang Yue and Mai Dong were insufficient to complete this endeavor. Therefore, the one who would truly end up with all the troubles was Tomcat. It didn't wish to make things worse for itself.
"Alright, alright. You can start wherever you wish to start from." Tomcat sighed. "But what are you going to use to record? Paper? Hard disks? Or carving it on a rock?"
Kunlun Station had lots of paper which Max had brought to solve Goldbach's conjecture, but after Max got engrossed with The Elder Scrolls, this grand goal was thrown to the back of his mind.
"We can't use paper. The density of information it can contain is too little. It has too low a capacity." Tang Yue shook his head. "We don't have that much paper or pens, much less that much manpower."
Using paper to record Earth's history was unimaginable. The efficiency of handwriting records was just too low. In the era before the printing press was created, books and cultural transmission was done by professional scribes. Those people worked late-nights for months to write. Finally, that pitiful amount produced became the exclusive collections of the aristocracy.
Using the capacity of hard disks was viable as Kunlun Station didn't lack hard disks. There were hard disks with tens or hundreds of terabytes of storage. A Chinese character only took two bytes of space, and each letter in the alphabet took a byte of space. If it was all used to store text, the hard disk's storage would be enough to store all the books in human history.
With just Tang Yue and Mai Dong alone, there was no need to worry about having a lack of hard disk space.
"How long can the information on hard disks be preserved?" Mai Dong asked.
"It's hard to tell. The harsh environment on Mars will greatly degrade the lifespan of a hard disk. The particles in solid-state drives that are used to store data are prone to damage. Mechanical hard drives have slightly longer lifespans, but they won't last past a century." Tomcat shook its head. "Even if you were to record the information on a hard disk, where would you store them?"
"The best environment on Mars is here." Tomcat pointed down. "Kunlun Station's lifespan is longer than both of yours, but once you are dead, it won't survive long due to the lack of maintenance. It will last for at most fifty years, and by then it will be in complete ruins. And a century later, the information left on the hard disks would have been damaged and lost."
Tang Yue and Mai Dong fell into a thoughtful silence.
In a certain way, they were writing an epitaph for human civilization. An epitaph was engraved on tombstones for people from the future to see. It needed to be preserved, so even if the coffin and remains in the grave had rotted and reduced to soil, their names would still be known to others.
It was why Tang Yue wished to record something and store it for as long as possible.
Paper and hard disks weren't viable options.
As for engraving it on stone, that was indeed a romantic idea.
If he had the conditions, Tang Yue wished to use the entire Martian surface like paper, using an excavator and tractor convoy to engrave words on Mars, so that the entire Solar System could see it.
But Tang Yue only had a soup-spoon-like shovel on hand.
At best, he could engrave his name on the rock.
However, Lu Xun[2] once said, "The one who engraves his own name in rock, will see their name rot faster than a corpse."
Lu Xun: … I didn't say[3] that. It's by Zang Kejia[4].
[1] Peng Zu is a legendary long-lived figure in China. He supposedly lived over 800 years in the Shang dynasty.
[2] Lu Xun was a short story writer, editor, translator, literary critic, essayist, and poet, a leading figure of modern Chinese literature in the 1930s.
[3] It has become a meme that many quotes are misattributed to Lu Xun.
[4] Zang Kejia was a Chinese poet famous in the 1940s.


Payload specialist, Tang Yue, who is a mechanical and electrical engineer by training, is left stranded on Mars when he receives news from his AI robot assistant, Tomcat, that Earth has exploded. He believes himself to be the last human in the Universe.
Turns out, he is only the last man in the Universe. Botanist, Mai Dong, had been left on the United Space Station (USS) orbiting Mars, to await Tang Yue's ascent to the USS before they make their journey back to Earth. But now, it's impossible.
Join the trio's quest for survival as they attempt to unravel the mystery of Earth's disappearance.

The second morning at the institute starts identically to the previous day. Before long I find myself in my comfy corner of the classroom debating on what to accomplish after class. There are still two months before the start of the original story, so there's no rush to absorb all the books in the institute's library. 

Making 7,000 demon spirit coins will be a bit more difficult. Selling inscriptions still seems like a solid plan, but I've not come across the inscription section in the library yet.

Now that I reasonably think about it, physical exercise should be the number two priority on my list. I'll naturally need sufficient strength, speed, and endurance when it's time to eliminate any possible enemies. Plus, it's mandatory to possess a strong body to absorb the powers of law. Not exploding is also on my priority list.

Genuinely having no interest in the propaganda sermon about to commence, I grab some on my writing supplies to test a theory. The Library of Heaven's Path can correctly show the flaws to nearly anything I can touch. What about literary works that I create myself? 

With teacher Xia's distinctive voice in the background, I title a page 'My Profound Thoughts' and begin to write down every famous saying, quote, and controversial theories from Earth that I can think of. Inspirational and infamous movie and book lines are added next. Nothing is spared. 

My frenzied scribbles only cease once I've used my last sheet of parchment. I impatiently wait for the ink on the last few handwritten pages to dry before a carefully gather all the sheets into an orderly stack. 

With a pounding heart, I tentatively place my hand on the cover of the recently created word vomit and think 'Flaws!'

Jumping into the Library of Heaven's Path, I find myself standing before an unassuming hardbound book titled 'My Profound Thoughts'. Eagerly grasping the book and thinking about its flaws, my vision is blocked by another sheet of parchment.

['My Profound Thoughts' written by Zhu Di two minutes ago. 218 Flaws. Flaw #1...]

A sigh escapes me due to my welcome relief. Over two hundred flaws may be a lot, but I must have written down over 400 individual quotes and theories! I'll be able to use the advance technology from Earth for creating a potential pathway for several powers of law! This is huge! 

I reluctantly return to the classroom with the intent to use the Library of Heaven's Path to create a workout plan based on Earth's modern technology, only to be halted in my tracks. I only brought a few sheets of paper today, and those are now all used. Crap.

The last few hours of class drag by. Even reading 'Heaven's Path of Human Meridians' doesn't help much due to the time dilation of the Library of Heaven's Path. Although my confidence in the study of meridians is greatly boosted after the ninth reading. Soon I'll be able to recite the entire book.

Once teacher Xia releases us for the day, I hurriedly make my way to the dining hall. The faster I get back to the writing supplies, the faster I can test out modern exercise efficiency.

My enthusiasm to get back to my dorm room nearly causes me to run into a dark-haired girl exiting another classroom. I'm able to stop before I physically run into her, but we're well within the others' personal space.

Quickly jumping back before she can react, I cup my fist and slightly bow towards her. "Forgive me. I was not paying attention. You have my deepest apologies."

Without waiting respectfully for her acknowledgment, I straiten my bent back and begin to move around her. It was then that I was able to see her full face. She was beautiful and young. Her midnight black hair framed her sculpted and young face. The cold indifference in her fierce eyes did little to age your young face.

My movement around her is only slightly paused as I instantly recognize her. Before anything or anyone can disrupt me, I'm swiftly moving down the hallway, forcibly suppressing the urge to throw-up in my mouth!

Without a doubt, I'm convinced that was Xiao Ning'er, and I'm equally convinced that Nie Li is inevitably a pedophile! Yes, I heartily agree that Ning'er is perhaps the most beautiful girl I've ever met, but she's a very young girl! Even if you squint your eyes and tilt your head, she would still look young, and that's coming from someone that was in their early twenties! Nie Li lived for over 100 years! That's not counting at least another 100 odd years spent inside the Temporal Demon Spirit Book! 

Yup. It's decided. I'm punching that pedophile square in the dick.

I change directions and head up to my dorm room. I've lost my appetite.

Once I'm sitting safely at my dorm desk, I take a moment to purge the last ten minutes from my memory. With a final shiver, I'm ready to create an exercise manual.

Two hours later, I admit defeat. While I was able to create a flawless routine to improve flexibility, I can't create a flawless routine for superior strength or speed. I'm throwing in the towel for tonight. 

Stretching my back after uncomfortable hours of sitting feels amazing. Prudently deciding that today will not be a waste, I promptly begin going through my recently created flexibility routine. I intend to merge it once I create a flawless body manual, so I see no point in naming it.

With nothing to distract me, while I'm awkwardly holding each pose, my mind starts to wonder about Xiao Ning'er's situation. There's no possible way I'm going to allow her to willingly give herself to that ancient pedophile. At the same time, I can't replicate what happened in the story for fear of Ning'er directing her feelings towards me. This undoubtedly requires a bit more thought and I'll have to tread lightly when it's time to act. 

Putting that landmine to the side, for now, I try focusing on improving my flexibility. 

The rest of the first week of school finishes with the same daily routine. I rise promptly with the morning bells and dutifully go through my flexibility routine, followed by cleaning myself up before breakfast. Once I'm in my classroom, I typically split my time between listening to teacher Xia and reading 'Heaven's Path of Human Meridians'. After dozens of extensive readings, it's now possible for me to recite most of the mystical book while correctly pointing out the indicated meridian or pathway. After class is dinner, followed by a dull night in the institute's library absorbing books. Once I return to my dorm, I'll typically go through the flexibility routine again before taking a bath and going to sleep.

My first week turned very redundant, but I've already absorbed nearly a third of the books in the library. A side bonus, I can do the splits now. Get to channel my inner Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Today will be a bit different than normal. After six straight days of class, we get a free day. After my morning routine, I make my way off-campus for the first time in a week.

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my exit. A dozen other students also make their way into the central district. Moving within disorderly crowds is a great way to hide in plain view. As Joseph Heller said: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you."

Unfortunately, my little security blanket is slowly dispersed before I arrive at my intended destination. I debated with myself for many hours on intentionally delaying my visit, but I'm really craving a bit of scenery change from the institute's library. 

Not really sure how visiting another library would be much of a change.

Taking in the welcome sight of my destination, I'm a bit disappointed. The grounds are large but the buildings seem to be old and ill cared for. The open courtyard is spacious but appears to be on the verge of being unkempt. 

Determined to see this through, I stoically pass through the entry gates uncontested, making my way to a comely looking woman wearing a grey robe. Before I can introduce myself, she greets me with a professional smile and says cordially, "Welcome to the Alchemy Association. May I be of assistance?"

A 20 year old fan of fanfiction is transmigrated into an orphaned teen in the middle of Glory City. Follow him as he's forced to deal with hidden dangers, evil villains, and the dreaded puberty. 

This is my first novel, so expect some mistakes. I'll try to make corrections when seen. Reworked the first six chapters.

I'm doing this for my own personal pleasure. I have a family and a job that requires me to work most weekends. I hope to produce two chapters a week, provided life allows.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the stories, Tales of Demons and Gods or Library of Heaven's Path. Any resemblance of any original character is purely coincidence.

"Vice-President? Monika repeated.
"Yeah, that was what Fuyu said," Shujinkou confirmed.
Shujinkou and Monika were currently in the middle of their journey to Yuri's place of residence, but one of the two minds was having trouble keeping their head on the task at hand. Shujinkou tried his best to keep his mind focused, but he couldn't help but think back to Fuyu's sudden proposal.
"That's interesting," Monika replied.
She kept her eyes trained on the road ahead as Shujinkou continued.
"To be honest, I'm not sure how she even knows me," Shujinkou said.
"It's probably because I usually talk about the club whenever I have to deliver things to her," Monika answered.
Now another thought invaded his unfocused mind: What did Monika talk about with Fuyu?
"But why me?" Shujinkou asked.
The curiosity he had building up in him was enough to drive a man mad.
"I don't know really know," Monika closed her eyes as if she was contemplating that very question herself. "To be honest, I don't really know what goes through her head. She's a real wild card."
Shujinkou could agree with that observation. Just in the short time he spent in the Student Council office, Fuyu managed to baffle him at least three times.
"But I wouldn't worry about the proposal too much right now. Right now we need to focus our attention on Yuri," Monika said.
"Right," Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. He knew that he shouldn't be focusing on his own insignificant worries. He had to focus on his task on leading Monika to Yuri's house. He continued to lead the way in silence, only opening his mouth to say one thing… "We're here."
"Before we go in, we should probably make a game plan regarding how approach her," Monika suggested.
Shujinkou silently nodded his head in agreement, until he noticed something from the corner of his eye.
"Um, Monika…" Shujinkou said.
"I wonder how we should approach her," Monika wondered aloud.
"Monika…" Shujinkou said once more.
"I hope I can do this right…" Monika mumbled.
"Hey, Yuri," Shujinkou waved.
With only two words, Shujinkou was finally able to get through to Monika. The surprised club president immediately snapped herself out of her own thoughts and finally noticed Yuri standing next of them.
"Um… Hey there, Yuri," the flustered girl weakly smiled, slowly backing away in embarrassment.
"Ah, hello," Yuri nervously waved.
Shujinkou glanced towards Monika, then back to Yuri. Monika was clearly embarrassed over Yuri hearing her openly strategizing and Yuri seemed to be surprised that the two of them were at her house. It was actually kinda funny to him. For once, he was the calmest person in the immediate area.
Moments later, the three club members sat on the front porch as Yuri handed her guests their own cup of tea.
"Thanks, Yuri," Monika smiled.
"Mm-hmm," Shujinkou grinned.
"It's nothing special," Yuri said. "It's customary to offer your guests refreshments."
Monika took a quick sip of her tea and expressed her delight. The calming effect of the tea was exactly what she needed at that moment.
"So, Yuri, how come you weren't at the club today," she asked.
"Um…" Yuri went silent for a moment and turned her worried gaze to Shujinkou. He wasn't sure how to respond. Should he apologize for indirectly instigating this visit or…?
Yuri then turned her attention to her tea cup and sighed.
"I needed some time alone to think," Yuri answered.
"Well, we can't fault her for that," Shujinkou thought.
"But you all probably hate me for ruining today's meeting," Yuri lamented.
"We don't hate you, Yuri," Monika assured her with a gentle smile. "We were just worried about you after learning you have some bad history with a teacher at school."
"Ah…" Yuri averted her gaze and started playing with her hair; her expression constantly switching between sorrow and disbelief. "Sorry for making everyone worry."
"Don't apologize. Even though we're not fully aware of the situation, we can't really blame you for taking a day for yourself," Shujinkou said, his gentle smile providing a sense of comfort for Yuri.
"If you don't mind me asking, Yuri, what happened between you and Akuma?" Monika asked.
Just hearing the name sent a heavy chill spiraling down Yuri's spine, something that didn't go unnoticed by her companions.
"Maybe we shouldn't ask," Shujinkou thought.
"I guess it must be a tough thing to talk about, but we're here to listen, just so you know," Monika assured her.
"He… He was a former teacher of mine and my literary tutor," Yuri started.
"Literary tutor?" Shujinkou was surprised to hear that Yuri was once tutored in literature. He was the last person he expected to need tutoring for that subject. He then realized that he's been surprised a lot the last few days. "Well, to be fair, I have been learning a lot of things that invalidate my perceptions. Perhaps I should talk with the others more so that I'm not constantly surprised by new information."
"He opened my eyes to a lot of literary tropes and I'm still grateful for all he taught me, but…" Yuri remained silent for a full minute before continuing. "He was suspended as a result of us having a fallout."
"I see…" Monika took another sip of her tea. "I guess that must make things pretty awkward for you at school. But why did you two have a fallout?"
"That's because…" Yuri couldn't find it herself to finish that sentence.
"Does this mean that you won't be coming to the club anymore?" Monika asked.
"Well…" Yuri didn't know what to say. She wants to come to the club, but she frightened by the idea of staying in the same building as Akuma when she didn't have to.
Noticing the internal struggle that was taking place in Yuri's head, Shujinkou began to wonder if there was something he could say to help. Suddenly, a thought penetrated his drifting mind.
"It's a long shot, but…" Shujinkou cheeks turned bright red as he contemplated whether or not he was really about to do what came to mind. After debating back in forth in his own head, a sigh escaped through his mouth before he decided to speak what was on his mind: "May your heart be your guiding key."
"Eh?" Monika and Yuri turned their attention to Shujinkou, causing his rosy cheeks to grow even redder.
"It's a quote I heard of once. It's a fancy way of saying to follow what you're heart says," Shujinkou explained. "It's kinda cheesy, but it's something I live by. Anyway, right now your mind is telling you to avoid this guy at all costs, but what does your heart tell you to do? Does it to tell you to avoid a place you feel happy at just to avoid some guy or…"
"Ah, but…" Yuri wasn't sure what to say.
"If it makes you feel better, there's another quote I live by," Shujinkou said.
"What's that?" Yuri asked.
"'When a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there… to help'" Shujinkou quoted.
Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek as Yuri smiled bashfully.
"That goes for me and the rest of the club too," Monika added. "After all, all of us worked together to try to figure out what was going on with you… even though that all amounted to reading files."
"Hmm… I guess it would be irresponsible of me to ruin the experience for everyone," Yuri said, wearing a small smile on her face.
"So we'll see you at the club tomorrow?" Monika asked.
"Yes!" Yuri replied in a surprisingly enthusiastic manner.
"Kingdom Hearts quotes have saved the day. I kinda find it hard to believe," Shujinkou chuckled to himself.

Shujinkou is your average high schooler. When he isn't indulging in manga or video games, he's usually loses himself to scenarios in his head. That's how he figured he spend the rest of his high school life until a request from childhood friend, Sayori, changes his life forever. Can Shujinkou cope with being pushed out of his comfort zone and adjust to life in the Literature Club?

famous literary quotes novel

Famous Quotes

On The Same Page

Beyond The Sky

Words of Power Quest

Paragon of Sin

Daily Struggle of an Author

Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Dead on Mars

Tales of Demons, Gods, and Libraries

My Reality (Doki Doki Literature Club!)

People search famous literary quotes also like: