The Boy in my Story
A girl with a chronic disease wants to reconnect with her childhood best friend but has to face the difficult choices of either slowly dying or being pain free but still at risk.
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Souls Reborn: Isekai Warrior's
Isekei is a genre of book and tv show where someone ends up in another world by some kind of means; the more common ways is by death summoning or through the use of video games or some kind of building or door. Life is always throwing some kind of challenges our way whether it's battling the Misbelief of stereotypes or the misbelief of our worth to others. Sometimes it's the battle to face one's past or face the truth of one's own misguided actions. These hard times can make us wish for a way to escape these aspects of our lives. as far as I know, the chances of something like this actually happening are zero to none. At least that's what I thought. After all, Magic would need to exist for that to happen, and life is no game, so there is no magic here on Earth, and as far as I know, Earth is the only planet with life. meaning there is no other planet to get Isekeied away to. no matter how crappy life is there is no escaping. no matter how much we desire to. so, like a lot of things, this is one thing we need to accept even if the world will never accept us, or we can't accept the truth about ourselves the only thing we can do is accept what we can and learn to face these challenges head-on even if it means facing what we fear most. just like the heroes of this tale cause sometimes what seems freighting and impossible may in fact be a chance to discover a new possibility within ourselves. Walking up to a man who I had known for most of my life I greeted with a smile on my face. "Ah, Mr. Harris, it's pleasant to see you again, sir." "Oh, Kris, my boy, no need to be so formal and polite with me. I knew you and your family for a long time." He said putting his hands in his pockets. "Frankly, Mr. Harris am surprised you are still willing to help me even though my father cut me off from the family finances." "Oh, that well, your father was always close-minded. I was more of a friend of your mother's, plus she had me promise to help you if you ever needed it. Anyway, before we move ahead with the deal, I think you should know something. Even though I own this property, I didn't run the restaurant before that was the person renting from me. The manager's family sold it back to me because apparently, the manager went missing for a while. then showed up again going crazy claiming he had customers that came from a different world." "Fuck Mr. Harris. I got a lot of things I need to do. Can we stop joking around?" "Oh, but Kris, it's no joke the previous manager really did make those claims." "Whatever, let's just get this over with, old man." "Ok, Kido, but don't say I didn't warn ya." So as I pay the man he was on his way, and I took the keys and open the door the place was dusty like crazy and the paint on the was pilling so rolling up my sleeve I got to work cleaning the place before painting the wall a Stunning shade of red this color would be perfect for a restaurant since it believed that red subconsciously makes you hungry and the more people are hungry the more they are willing to buy of cause I can't have only one plan color on my wall I want the place to also feel relaxing and in enjoyable for my customers so having the old floors tiles remove and replace with clean white tiles and a few fake plants place in three corners of the shop then a weeks later I brought in the black marble tables and had a new counter installed that match the tables then after that I started installing the kitchen area along with the appliances so in a few Brief weeks I was ready to open as soon as I was stocked up and ready to go I turned on the open sign when out of nowhere it got really bright outside before the light faded as someone entered the my restaurant. "Hello, welcome to K-Styles restaurant." As I greeted the customer, I noticed the red-haired boy dressed like some fantasy knight. "Was there a cosplay convention in town?" I asked the knight only to have him ask me what Cosplay was before I notice a slight smile before he asked for the opening special after serving him his food, he left a small bag of coins on the table, but as I examined them, I notice it wasn't any kind of money, I was familiar with. "What the Fucking Hell is this?" later that night, after I closed, I found out I wasn't in Texas anymore, let alone Earth. So, using the money I got from my shift, I booked a place to stay here. I managed to find out I was in some City called Gia that lies within the kingdom of Aria. Not only that, but I was on a planet called Aza. In fact, in this world, there are two kinds of Spirits Human Spirit or Animal Spirit. Each race can be born with or without the ability to use Magic. Human spirits that can use Magic are called Mages, and Animal Spirits that can use Magic are called shaman, and it seems I am stuck here." "I guess that story that old man Harris told me was true after all Fuck am an idiot." After a week here I got the hang of things and been experimenting with the food of this world since some of the food that is similar tend to tase different in this world not only that but it seems they have other names for these thing for one carrots are carrao and potato are called ground Pato for whatever reason and meat no matter what it is, is called meat and animal skin is called hide but not only that but the market where you have to go to get food is all the way in the capital which mean i'll have to leave and head their but from what I hear it's pretty dangerous if you don't know how to fight or at least have a fighter in your party as I was serving one of my customer's I heard the ring of the bell as I greeted the Cute young girl I notice the way she looked clothes torn in places hair a mess and bear footed it didn't take me long to know this girl had no money but I could care less when the girl stomach growled I couldn't turn her away. "sorry I didn't realize this was a restaurant I have no money sir." As she was panicking, I could notice some of my customers were glaring at the young girl, which made me wonder, but dam well started pissing me off to some degree. What did this girl ever do to them, whatever that is not important right now. "Calm down it's ok it's on the house. You're hungry, right come in and have a sit." "Wait! You don't have to. It's kind of you, but I can't pay it wouldn't be right. Like I said, I came in cause the door looked like it was from Earth." "Wait, you know about earth?" after hearing what she said, it made me wonder could it be? "Yeah." She said, nodding nervously, looking around, understanding why I calmed down and grabbed her arm, leading her into the back office away from the glaring customers. "There. no one should be glaring at you; well, you're in here; go ahead have a sit ill be back." As I said this, I noticed her take a seat on the couch before I walked out and made beef stew with potatoes and carrots. After serving her, I took a seat down in my office chair. "Wow! the beef is amazing. I miss eating carrots and potatoes." "so you are from Earth as Well?" I asked as she swallowed the bit that was in her mouth. "I wouldn't say that. more like I was reincarnated as a cat Shaman, so your restaurant and you been Isekeied too?" "Yeah, pretty much. Wait, Isekeied, isn't that an anime term?" "Yeah, I take it you a fan too if you knew that." "Well yeah, I've seen my fair share of anime. you?" "Oh, I lived in Japan most of my life, plus I been studying manga and anime since I wanted to be a writer one day. studding shows and books have helped me with my writing from time to time." "I Got It. I have an idea you said you have no money, which means you need a job, right? How about you work here in exchange you help me out. You have lived here for 15 years, which is longer than I have. So if you can help me figure out how to get to the capital to restock when food gets low, then we can call it even." "Yeah... sure, I would love to help, and if you would like, I actually can fight. I use daggers and knives, and Dark Magic am pretty fast, and I have traveled to the capital before, so that won't be an issue." "I see one last question. Do you have a place to stay?" she lets go of her spoon before rubbing the back of her head nervously. "Uh... well, not really. I'm pretty much homeless right now, but that is not really a problem. My kind are used to living in the wood so I can handle myself. I just need a job, so I won't starve" "if you say so, then your hired welcome to K-styles." Placing my hand out to shake. "Wait! for real! Thank you, thank you so much." She excitedly said, shaking my hand. "Ok, go ahead and finish your food am going to check on my customers before closing up for a lunch break once the last customer leaves. After the last person left, we headed out. "So, might I ask for your name?" "Oh yeah! I go by Luna here, but in my old life, I went by Yuriko. Feel free to call me what you like." "Ok, ill call you Luna I'm Kris, by the way." "Well, it's nice to meet you, so where are we going exactly?" "Well, this city may not sell food, but it seems Gia is known for its clothing, so I thought ill get you some new clothes. After all, it's a good idea to be clean when you're dealing with food, so I'll buy you an outfit to wear when serving food and one to wear when we travel it only fair and ill be willing to buy one new weapon for you as well when we get to the capital but anything extra you buy it yourself you got it." "I understand. Thank you." "Oh, and one thing ill be willing to pay for you to stay at the hotel nearby until your first paycheck, so make sure you take a bath tonight, so you are clean for work." "Right!" A few months later, as I was prepping one of the orders, I heard a loud crash from the dining area. I saw Luna on the floor and everyone laughing as I came in. What the hell, these jerks, why in the world would is wrong with these people as I run over, I help her up before telling her to take a break she may say she is fine but I notice the tears in her eyes she act tough but truthfully what these people do, do affect her. "Yeah, am fine." Placing my hand out for her to take. "Are you Sure about that?" I asked as I noticed her wipe her tears as she stood up. "Yeah, I'm sure, thanks." At that moment, the customer got up and left before a few others followed him. Good riddance. If they hadn't left, I would have kicked them out myself. "Hey, Luna, why don't you take a break ill make you something if you like?" "Oh, thanks, that be nice." She said, smiling a bit as she made her way to the office. "Hey, Chef!" I heard a man behind me say. "a word of advice, if you don't want your business to go under. I would suggest you think about replacing that girl Beasts are nothing but wild animals you are lucky. If she hasn't stolen your money, yet. their kind can't be trusted." the man stood up as I crossed my arms. "Fuck you!" "What?" "Listen here all I am hearing is your judgmental opinion about a girl who hasn't done anything to you or anyone else, and I'm familiar with that kind of mindset since my father had one, and as far I see, she strong-hearted girl who is working hard just to survive because of people like you making it harder if you keep this type of attitude you can Fucking leave and don't come back I won't stand for anyone mistreating and talking down to my employee now get out." As I pointed at the door, I watched as the man left. I turned around and made my way back to the kitchen, thinking about my childhood with my father. Although I live in Texas, I didn't grow up there. I was born and raised in New York City. My father was a prominent CEO of a company, and My mother was a famous actor. She met my father when she was paid to do a commercial for my father's product. Soon I was born, but when I turned 13, I found out the truth my mother had a one night stand with a director of a film she was acting in the night before their wedding. I was the child of that affair; however, my mother never had another child, and my father was forced to raise me. Even then, I got raised by the maids and butlers of the place. I hardly ever saw my father, and when I did, it was because I did something that hurt his reputation, getting into fights or cursing out a teacher I didn't like. I got slapped and thrown against a wall a few times. It was worse when he drank cause he would keep going calling me names his favorite was the word Bastard the maids and butlers wouldn't dear step in until my father left, too afraid of losing their job or getting hurt themselves. Still, once my father left, they would rush over to me and take me to get treated. So it went on until I turned 18. I left to come to Texas to attend a culinary school in San Antonio that why I can't stand people who judge someone based on how they were born or how they look stereotyping them, it pisses me off. After finishing the fried rice and beef stew, I plated it up and took it to her as I handed her plate, our hands touched slightly, and I noticed her blush slightly, taking the plate from my hands. "Thank you." "No prob I got to finish serving customers. I'll be back in a bit." As I walked out, I served the food myself for about an hour before she came back out to help for the rest of the night until it was time to close. As the next month passed, there were more issues left and right, and I noticed fewer customers came because I would defend her. Then, I saw the worried look Luna gave towards the dining room. I hadn't mentioned or talked about what I found out, feeling it was something she might want to tell me herself, even if I have to Act dumb to a degree. "Hey Kris, can we talk?" Luna said, walking into the kitchen putting down the dishrag to look at her. "Of course, what up?" "Well, about the lack of customers. am sorry, but I think it might have something to do with me." "What, why would you think that?" he asked as he crossed his arms. "Wait, you didn't notice the looks they gave me." "Oh, that yeah, I notice that and how they treat you to I don't get why they have to be such assholes." "Wait, Kris, don't you know?" "Know what?" "I thought so well in the kingdom of Aria Animal spirit like me are not seen as equals to human Spirits, in fact, we are seen as less than that to point we are made into a slave to serve a master most spirits wouldn't even give someone like me a job so if you want, I'll be happy to leave you may even get your customer's back if I do." Sighing, I rub the back of My neck. "Oh, so that what that was about. Well Who cares animal spirit or not. You're still a spirit and not only that, but you're from Earth like me. Frankly, I hate people who judge someone based on appearance alone. What is important is what you can offer. From what I have seen this past month, you're more knowledgeable about this world than I am. Not only that, but you're a hard worker, so no am not allowing you to quit on me. Plus, we still need to make that trip to the capital. You promise to help me get their right?" as I watch her blink a few times at my words before a smile appears on her face again. "Yeah, I did." she said looking away nervously. "Well, with the lack of customers lately, I think this is the perfect time for that trip. So we'll head out first thing tomorrow." The next day I am not going to lie, I was extremely nervous. After all, I had no clue how to fight, and I can't use magic. At least I think I can't, and even if I could, I wouldn't even know how to use it. Man, I'm so useless in this world. I need to learn how to fight at some point. As I made it to the hotel, Luna was staying. I saw her come out in the adventure outfit I bought her. She was adorable. The outfit made her look like some kind of Ninja. As we made it to the edge of town, I looked at her. "You ready?" she asks me. "Oh yeah, I am," I said, trying not to sound nervous. "Nervous?" she asks, smiling. "I'm not nervous." "Yeah, right, you be fine. Trust me; I got your back, Kris, I Promise." her words somehow made me less nervous as this strange feeling welled up in my chest. "Yeah, that's true." "Well then, what are you waiting for? Let go!" she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the road leading to the forest of Jura.
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Souls Reborn: Our Entwined World
There are many sayings that talk about how one choice whether that's through actions or words can have a ripple effect throughout our lives. We can even feel these ripples back from the choices of those who came before us whether it's from the status you are born with to what you where born as. This is my story my name is Sarah white and yes I am the daughter of Dr White the infamous animal sciences and paranormal experts however I didn't always know this in fact You learn of this until my 18th birthday where everything changed. You see my story isn't a pretty one yes it may have a happy ending but the road to that ending wasn't all cupcakes and rainbows in fact my journey was filled with heartache and Suffering, pain and violence. This story isn't for the faint of heart so I advise you if you are too sensitive for any of this I advise you to leave my blog. No I know there's going to be a few people who are not going to pay attention to this warning and they're going to cop a fit in the comment section especially those lacking a brain cell oh boo hoo did i hurt your feelings if so maybe you should leave cuz whatever you type up it's not going to affect me one but I'm no pushover sweetheart and trust me I know that there's some people out there who have heard of the events that happened within the city that I call home and have brushed it off at some hox but trust me when I say this. The supernatural is more real than you know and the reason you don't know a thing is because of the events that happened in my city because of those events we now have the laws and rules in order to protect both humans and the supernatural from the things that lurk in the shadows when you're back is turned to the eerie howls during the midnight Moon. Things that science alone can't explain. So sit back relax cuz my story is about to begin and like all stories mine starts back at the beginning. ⏳18 years ago ⌛ Among the Red glow of the Full Moon and the dense fog that mirrored its color, the cries of a child could be heard as the sound of gunfire filled the air a man appeared running to his truck holding his child close to his chest as he opened the truck door and placing the child inside before closing the door calling someone asking them to come to the parking lot near the trail before a loud Bang only for the man to drop his phone before collapsing to the ground. A large shadow appeared against the car door before trying to open it he searched the man's dead body failing to find the keys upon looking inside he noticed the key on the seat as he slammed his hand against the car head lights blinded him causing him to take off into the woods as two figures get out and approach the car finding the man shot to death as the female figure looked inside gasping in shock as her husband began to call the authorities. Upon hearing his wife he walked over seeing the child inside used his arm to bust open the truck and open the door allowing his wife to grab the crying child soothing it without hesitation as she asked where the child's mother was before finding a letter next to where the child has been looking it over before looking to her husband with a sadden expression handing it over as tears fell as her husband rush out of there before giving the police officer his information explaining the situation. ⏳18 years later ⌛ Bang! I jump out of my skin at my friend Melissa sat down at my table with her lunch tray making me put my book down. "What up with you?" I asked as her cousin sat down next to her saying something in Spanish before turning around and explaining how her mom had forbade her from going to the test of courage next weekend because it was the night of her baby cousin's birthday party. "Well, what you expect this year it's being hosted by Jose who's a senior this year meaning this is my only chance to go to the thing with him." Melissa whines making me roll my eyes you see the Test of Courage is a yearly senior event every senior in school gets together at midnight to take part in the test of courage typically it's an event only for seniors but if you're one of the lucky few to be invited by senior you can participate last year was hosted by Ryan who past the honor onto Melissa boyfriend Jose. I never planned on attending that stupid event after all what the point after all I know how it's going to go. Jose is going to tell that stupid story about the corrupt scientist that turns people into werewolves then he's going to send a group in one at a time and knowing me I'm going to end up by myself because my partners will be scared off immediately. don't get me wrong I have my own fears but werewolves, zombies, and vampires please they are not scary with werewolves you have to climb a tall tree and wait them out, and with zombies depending on what kind you're dealing with you just got to get somewhere high and on uneven ground and vampires well as long as you can keep them from getting to your neck and avoid dark places with no light then your good but none of that real. "you reading that garbage again?" Erica said looking at the book in my hand shaping my attention to her. "hey the supernatural facts may be wrong and the movie may have some crappy acting but overall it does have an intriguing plot." I said shaping my book close as Erica removed all the items from her tray right before I grabbed it holding it over my head as the sound of liquid hitting it was heard. "Nice try Ardrey couldn't think up anything better to do?" I said maneuvering the tray and getting it up as she stepped in front of me suddenly making me run into her with the milk-filled tray causing a loud squeal. Rolling my eyes. "geez what did you think would happen seriously how many times are we going to go through this? Your attempts of bullying seriously lack." "Sarah white you think you're cool don't but you're not. don't you get it no one here wants a weirdo like you just look at your white hair talk about weird." she said smiling like she just said the most hateful thing ever. rolling my eyes again I shove the tray into her arms before walking back to my seats to notice Erica and Melissa trying to hide their laughter. "Ms. Larnce..." I called out to one of the teachers that just walked into the cafeteria. "I think Ardrey might need a change of clothes she accidentally spilled her milk on herself." at my words the teacher came over and rushed her out asking her what happened. "Man what is her deal so what if your hair is white I think it looks pretty cool you know like one of those anime characters your always watching." Erica Remarked looking into her compact mirror brushing her hair out with her fingers. "Well if were done talking about that bitch can we get back to the real problem at hand. The only way I can get out of going is if someone else i know gose so..." Melissa said making me snap my attention to her. "Oh hell no don't give me that look." I said pinching my nose in annoyance. "Melissa I told you time and time again I am not going to this thing it's just stupid." "Please Sarah you're the only other person I know that I could prevent to go to this thing your a senior plus haircut can't go since she's helping her mom make the cake plus don't you like this type of things I mean literally your favorite holiday is Halloween and that's nobody's favorite holiday." "And you think that's going to convince me to go." "Come on Sarah for me please when I'm a senior next year Jose won't be able to attend plus i heard there going to be a blood red on the night of the test of courage." "wait that's soon wasn't the last one like 18 years ago." Erica chimed in. My interest peeked there have been many occurrences since i was born but my parents constantly kept me in those nights and since I wasn't 18 I had no choice but to follow the rules is there a call Melissa both known I've been interested in seeing one for myself for years. "Fine I'll go." I said Melissa shot out of her chair and embraced me thanking me making me roll my eyes. "However the moment you guys abandon me on the trail I'm out of there you understand. I won't be somebody's third wheel so if I'm going with you you're doing the test of courage with me." "Alright that a deal. You won't regret this." She said before running off most likely to let Jose know that she'll be attending after all making me and Erica laughed at her Antics. The next morning, I woke up to my dad walking into my room and opening the curtains, making me groan, and shielding my eyes from the light. Only then did I start hearing this loud ringing sound, causing my head to hurt. I could swear I heard whispers of voices in my head, their words muffled and distorted. "Hey, sweetie, you're okay, what's wrong?" My dad asked, appearing in front of me. At my dad's words, it stopped. "No, I'm fine it nothing what going on?" "Have you forgotten? You're helping me out at the zoo today." "Oh, yeah, wolves!" I said excitedly, jumping out of bed and running off to get dressed. My dad laughed before yelling out that he would be downstairs waiting. Mom had made her famous breakfast with bacon, which made me even more excited. As I brush my teeth look up into the mirror and notice my eyes turn an eerie yellow making me scream out in fright at the sudden occurrence blinking twice before leaning close not seeing everything I brush it off as just my imagination only to notice my bangs to slowly began to turn blue Freaking me out only for my Mom to yell out that breakfast was ready. Making me quickly forget the incident before rushing downstairs where Mom greeted me with her usual kiss on the forehead before telling me to make my plate. As I finished I sat next to my dad who was going through some important papers. Mom as usual yells out at him that work wasn't allowed at the table before making him on the head with the newspaper. "Sorry dear it seems one of the Cheetas is refusing to eat or leave a den it managed to dig itself and I have been going through the vet reports trying to figure out what it could be however vet reports say the same thing unless we are willing to pay them to come out they can't give an Offical diagnosis and unfortunately the directed of the zoo isn't willing to to pay as much as they would like for a visit. "Wait is it Masa?" I asked looking towards my dad Masa was the only female Cheeta in the Cheeta enclosure. "Yeah the den is so small we can't get a good look at her to figure out what's wrong and what's worse is she won't come out even when we put food in the enclosure." "Maybe Masa pregnant after all when female Cheeta get pregnant even if they Originally stick with a male Cheeta they tend to not want to be around male cheetahs since Males even if they father the offspring will kill the cubs so if she is pregnant the den could be her way of safeguarding the cub and herself." "you know what I didn't think of that." my dad said reaching over and hugging me. "My Daughter the Genius." "Dad Come on you should have known that that was one of the first animal facts you taught me when I was growing up." "yeah, and I feel like an idiot for not remembering that Fact myself I'll make the call so the zookeepers can remove Zuma and Bliz from the enclosure. when we get there I can see if I can get Masa out well you check on those wolves of yours." I let out a slight laugh at my dad I finished mom special Breakfast before running to catch up to my dad hopping into his truck. As we got closer I started to hear voices again this time it was becoming clearer that they were bickering about who was better as a female voice quickly reprimanded the other two. The voices began to give me a headache only for it to vanish as my dad asked if I was alright. "yeah, I'm fine just a slight Headache is all." I said smiling at him. He informed me how he had Headache medicine in the glovebox upon opening it up I found it taking some out and quickly chasing it with some water from my bag that Dad keeps in the truck for days like this. Upon arriving my dad left me at the entrance of the wolf enclosure. As I stepped in closing the gate behind me I was greeted by The four wolves there's Zylee, Zane, Midnight, and Ash. I can remember their names more easily than the other animals since I was the one who named them when they first came in after being found abandoned in the forest as pups beside their handlers and myself. If anyone other than us goes into their enclosure, they'll attack. "Hey, guys," I said as I saw them running up. Zane pounces on Ash as the two wrestle on the ground, making me laugh before they stop as Zylee gives a loud growl at the two wolves. Ever since coming here, Zylee has always been more dominant out of the four wolves as Midnight attached himself to her, only jumping in to help keep Zane and Ash in line. Knowing what I know about them clearly, Zylee was the Alpha, and Midnight was clearly her beta. As for the others, I Have no clue about how they act; my best guess is that they were most likely considered omegas among the other two. Before I made my way past the silly wolves, I sat down as Ash walked up to me and placed his head on my lap. "Tired, buddy?" I said to him as I petted his head before, to my surprise, I heard him say. "Yeah, I am sick of Zane getting me in trouble." which causes me to jump. That voice it's was one of the ones that had been in my head since this morning which means the other Voice had to be from Zaylee and one of the other two males. Hold Up! Since when can the wolves speak?
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The fake wizard and the spell
Two wizards bond over saving a town for the king but the king refuses to pay them as they never planned on paying. The wizards disagree on what to do next. The older but also somehow younger wizards says while it’s evil and horrible there’s nothing else they can do about it. The other wizard Tablelor disagrees and says the village must suffer for what th lomg had done the older younger wizard shouts and says he won’t allow revenge. Younger older wizard after realising tabelelor can’t be stopped kills tablelor but not before he can cast one spell to make the town trapped inside a magical dome unbreakable and eternal. the king lies about why the dome is there but forces all wizards inside the dome to get them out they are unable to until one non wizard scams the king and accidentally unleashes a spell that makes the town forget food exists.
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Souls Reborn: BEWARE!!!!!
There is a theory that when we dream, we are brought to a world where our dreams and nightmares can manifest. Some even speculate that it is the same world. However, the world we enter has an Astral barrier that prevents our soul from passing through and entering another person's dreams, leaving our physical bodies behind and vulnerable to the Spirits and other supernatural creatures that lurk in this world if the ties to our body are severed we may become lost forever leaving those Supernatural being a vessel to enter Our world. My name is Leo I’m a neuroscientist or at least, I was assigned to a black-budget operation called Project Dreamscape. Officially, we were researching advanced cognitive immersion. Unofficially, we were trespassing into places the mind was never meant to go. The lab wasn’t tucked away in some desert or underground bunker. No, it sat right in the heart of the city a four-story concrete shell of a building wedged between a vegan café and a vape shop. Unremarkable. Deceptively mundane. That was the point. To the outside world, it looked like a medical testing firm. Inside, the walls were lined with soundproofing foam, the lights hummed with sterile indifference, and cameras blinked in every corner. No sunlight. No clocks. Just recycled air and the slow rot of overambitious science. At the center of it all was the Dream Pod a sleek, coffin-like chamber connected to a maze of servers and neural link processors. Its purpose was simple in theory: allow test subjects to enter a controlled dream simulation. We told ourselves we were building therapeutic breakthroughs, but what we were really doing was slicing open the human subconscious and seeing what bled out. Then they brought in Rena Moral. She was a civilian. A college student. Twenty-two, maybe. Too young to be this desperate. She didn’t look like the others we tested—soldiers, patients, hardened cases. She looked... ordinary. Fragile, almost. I first saw her in the waiting room, curled up in a folding chair with a sketchbook on her lap. She was drawing something birds, I think but when I looked closer, I saw they had too many wings. Their eyes were bleeding. We spoke between assessments. She was warm, even funny at times, but there was always this tension in her smile. I asked her why she volunteered. She hesitated. “My mom died last year. Cancer. Left my dad in debt. I just... I needed the money,” she said. It was the kind of answer that should’ve made me feel sorry for her. Instead, it made me afraid because I knew what they were willing to sacrifice for the data. And she didn’t. I tried to warn her, gently at first. She thought I was being overdramatic. “They emailed my professors,” she said. “It’s part of an official partnership. I’m getting extra credit.” Extra credit. For what? Feeding yourself to the void? When Dr. Kavner found out I was speaking out of line, he cornered me in the server room. “You’re done after this run,” he said coldly. “And if you keep talking to her, I’ll make sure you’re blacklisted. Don’t make this your hill to die on.” But what if she died on mine? The test began at 9:13 PM. It was raining outside. Thunder echoed faintly through the building’s thick walls. Rena walked to the pod with hesitant steps. She glanced over her shoulder once at me. I gave her a reassuring nod I didn’t believe in. Inside the pod, she was fitted with electrodes and a breathing mask. Her fingers trembled as the lid sealed shut. The sync initialized. At first, everything was routine. Pulse steady. Brainwaves aligning. Then the waveforms shifted. She began to convulse. “Heart rate spiking 170, now 180!” “EM signature off the charts,” another tech said. Then came the scream. It wasn’t just fear it was primal, guttural, as if something inside her was trying to claw its way out through her throat. The Dreamscape display flashed static. For a second, we saw an image: a hallway, impossibly long, lit only by flickering bulbs. And something moving at the end. Not walking. Crawling. Fast. “Shut it down!” I yelled. Dr. Kavner slammed a button. “No! If we pull her out now, it might come back with her!” “What the hell is it?” I screamed. The screen went black. Rena’s vitals flatlined then spiked again. Whatever she saw, it hadn’t let go. “We isolate the pod,” Kavner barked. “We contain this. Everyone out.” I fought to stay. I begged. But two guards dragged me from the chamber. As they pulled me up the stairwell, I looked back through the observation glass. Her face was visible in the pod eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream. But the thing that chilled me? Her breath had fogged the glass... from outside the mask. If i didn't get back in she would die.
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A Hundred Years of Loving You
A courtship/romance between two immortals who've already lived for at least hundreds of years. What could spark romantic intrigue for two such experienced and even jaded people?
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Monsters of Magdalore
On the new continent of Magdalore, hundreds of undocumented species roam the land. Many have adventured to the land in search of fame and fortune, but only a handful have ever returned. Those who did told tales of monstrous beasts and man-eating fauna. No one dared travel to Magdalore, until one brave explorer made it her mission to document the entirety of the continent's creatures.
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Chronicles of the Juggernaut War
Deep space miners have found an ancient, deactivated dreadnought the size of a planet. The human military wants it. So does the alien empire. A brutal infantry war is being fought entirely inside the ship's cavernous engine room.
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The Case of the Artemis II
When Artemis II passed behind the moon, Earth lost contact for 51 minutes - 10 minutes longer than estimated. Despite identical appearances, whatever returned was NOT the crew of Artemis II.
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The girl with an indomitable will
Disability a stepping stone to greater success and freedom.
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All I Want for Christmas is Munchies
Ethan and his friends waited for the clock to strike twelve. The trap was set. They had paid double to get the extra strong stuff. This year, they would make sure Santa would be flying not on his reindeer, but on their weed infused milk and cookies. Nathan wiped the crumbs off his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He made the cookies, so he saw no reason why he couldn't partake. Just as the clock struck midnight, the boys heard footsteps approaching their chimney. They excitedly rushed to their hiding spots in the living room, as they waited for Santa to arrive.
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The Penthouse Project
I have never been interested in what vision my clients bring in, most of them are quite uninteresting to bother with. They come with their ideas, we coordinate, give them our quotes , we deliver, they tell us if they approve or not, they pay and the business is done. Well some might call me cocky for saying this, but I believe there’s no bigger cliche than believing in “your dreams are ours now” , the stupid tagline that my brand uses in its marketing campaign. Apparently that’s what it takes to keep us relevant in this industry, a tagline cheesy enough to attract customer attention that after 5 years of operation, my interior designing firm is now the top one in the city. Quite proud of the achievement, quite cringed at the thought of things that I had to do to get there. This further accelerated the feeling of indifference and apathy in me. Until that one man who walked in the door that day. He came in the same way the other clients came in, but this time I was so invested in his vision that I forgot about everything else. I had my 42nd birthday last week. For me it was just any other day, but you can’t convince the bunch of GenZ’s in my team. So after work we went to a pub nearby where they danced to their heart’s content while I took a corner near the balcony, chugging my beer while soaking in the skyline of the busy city in the evening. Another birthday went by, yet another anticipation of that one text I hoped would come but hasn’t been since the last 14 years. Bless the wisdom that comes with getting older, I can shrug away the thought at an instant, dance a little with my younger team, get to my apartment, feed myself while I watch something on the television and hit the bed. That’s it. I don’t need anyone around. This is peaceful. The day just started like any other, I was studying the new trends in designing that had hit the market when my assistant informed me about this new order. “It’s a massive penthouse on the 50th floor in the prime location of the city, you can see practically everywhere from one corner, the skyscrapers, the streets, the slums, the trains, the malls, the markets, etc. This man wants us to work on the library, he wishes to give it a cozy English cottage look while being in the middle of the city. He told me it’s for his wife on their 10th wedding anniversary. She loves books, so there has to be a lot of bookshelves and a cozy but royal divan for her to sit and read the whole day. ” “Not another couple and their wishy washy fantasies!” I said, quite cringed at the idea. But, a business is a business, and a penthouse, that’s a lottery. While home, I was reading the brief of this client. What intrigued me is that he is making a whole reading space at that height when he could’ve done anything. A cozy English cottage? I never got the hype. And then, her thoughts struck me. My mind went back to the summer, 14 years ago, when she told me “I can practically spend a whole day just reading, sitting on a couch, if the weather is nice and there’s an endless supply of hot tea, you can’t find me anywhere else if I have a space like that. ” I heard her, and I smile even today at the thought. Maybe that’s what is the reason why everything happened the way it did. I heard her but I didn’t listen. The next morning, this client is supposed to meet me in person and we shall discuss the quote for this assignment. Well there’s a lot of work, the anniversary is in three months so we must expedite the work in order to meet the deadline. Needless to say, there’s going to be a hefty payment for this. I expected him to bargain when I told him about the estimated cost, but he just said, “Good! Are you sure that would be enough? See, I don’t want any compromise on this. You can say this is my most valuable investment. I am not putting my hard earned money on a house, but on the happiness that it would bring to my wife, and eventually me. ” Yeah sure, like I care. You pay us, we part ways, my company grows and you get what you want. “Still thinking like a businessman” . That's what she said one time when I told her I just need a lot of money, a big apartment, a string of expensive cars, a lot of servers and butlers and a steady bank account rolling in millions every passing hour. Well, that’s all that matters, doesn’t it? Money, power, glory. Well maybe not, otherwise why do I even think of her after all this time? The next few weeks on this project were interesting, to say the least. Each and every time we would present an idea to this man, he would need something even better. “I have said a million times, don’t be stingy with this. There’s no budget, cross the discussed quotations if needed. Cross it a hundred times but I will take what I want and I am willing to ruin your lives over this” , he screamed. This man needs to calm down! This has been the most stressful project I’ve ever been involved in and at the same time, I somehow find myself caring more about this one client with each passing day. He’s definitely loaded, works in finance and still his primary concern seems to be taking care of his wife’s needs. His priorities are at the right place and that triggers me. I have always wanted to be this man for as long as I can remember, and I never thought I should care about anybody else when I become that. I was willing to lose her for this, and this man, he’s willing to trade in so much cash for the woman in his life. “Overrated” I told my assistant, trying to put on that apathetic facade while I feel myself melting. That night I had a dream about her. It’s from the time when she took me to her favorite bookstore. A bookstore? What else does a man do for love? “You see those. Limited leather bound editions of world classics. ” She said, “If I get rich, I will buy all 50 of them. That’s my dream. ” “How expensive are they?” I asked. “All 50 of them would come at the cost of a huge penthouse, for sure. ” Ridiculous, I thought. Comparing books to a penthouse. Eureka! I know what I need for this penthouse project to stand out. It just doesn’t need the bookshelves and the divan, but also those rare editions in place. I had no idea how difficult this is going to be, a whole month went by trying to procure those. After a lot of pulling strings, a bookstore in Paris confirmed that they have it, all 50. Austen, Tolstoy, Tagore, I never quite cared about these names before as much as I do now, and I didn’t even notice. “Woah! I have never seen you like that for any project. Those books would cost us a lot more than the quoted price, even double. Plus, there’s expensive shipping from Paris” , said my assistant. “Let me handle it. She loves them. I mean his wife, I am sure she would” I said, trying to compose myself. After a month, the project finally took shape. The bookshelf looks regal and that cozy divan in the center of the room looks intimate. The books are arranged in order that they need to be arranged. An English cottage, one would definitely think so if they didn’t look at the urban bustle outside the window. Just one thing, the client hasn't been informed about the added cost. We’ll see about that. The D-day is finally here. We have handed over the apartment to the client. Quite unlikely to our business policy, we agreed that he can pay after he has checked the penthouse. On the next day of their anniversary, I got a call. “Well you guys have outdone yourself. The apartment looks amazing. My wife loved it, but she especially loved those leather bound books. She said she always wanted them, all 50. I mean, I know I told you to not be stingy, but this? Well I don’t mind, she’s happy and that’s exactly what I wanted. Please send me the invoice along with the cost of those books. ” I said, “The books are a gift from our side. My assistant will send you the invoice for the deliverables that you asked for. Happy Anniversary!” I hung up and went back to check the new issue of The Architectural Digest
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