Corrupted Bonds - Chapter 28: Fractures Beneath the Surface

“You need my help, Tesoro. You choose. A marriage with me or be torn apart by them” His voice was cool as though this wasn't a matter of life or death.I didn't want this life. My father had gambled a lot and left me with a lot of enemies and now I needed the help of Don Vincenzo LaRosa who was my high school bully and now the Don of the most powerful mafia family in Italy if I was going to survive it.It was just a marriage of convenience but I realized something. He wasn't helping me out of a good heart. I had been sold without my permission to him. I was the mafia's pawn.

I despised her. I despised how she schemed to get married to me. I despised her because of her arrogance.

“Li Rui, you don't know how many times I have wished to kill you.”

But all of this was my illusion. Everything was a mysterious trap of lies. A trap that was laid to trap me.

“Rui, I want to protect you from this whole world. I will not ask you to love me.....just don't hate me. Hmm....”

The story of a lover that was never destined to get the girl he loved but his fate led him to her.

“An Ice Dragon with a legendary bloodline? Yeah… I tamed it.”Killed in an explosive lab accident, Liu Feng thought his story had ended. But fate had other plans. Reborn in a world where magic reigns and beasts dominate the wilds, science is no longer his weapon —magic is.[DING! You have been reincarnated!][DING! You have received a Talent!][Talent: Eye of the Beast King][Rank: SSS][Abilities: Speak to beasts. Control without bonds. See into their souls. Heal their wounds. Break their will]Gifted with one of the rarest talents in the realm, Liu Feng —now reborn as Aiden Aswald— seemed destined for greatness.But with power came a price: a cruel curse of immortality, one that chained him to an eternity of pain.At twelve, Aiden regained the memories of his past life —and with them, unlocked his beast-controlling powers.His first tamed creature? A terrifying Ice Dragon with a legendary bloodline, feared even among apex predators.Taming it should've been impossible. Surviving it? Even more so.But that was just the beginning.Now, Aiden walks a perilous path, forging bonds with magical beasts while uncovering the truth behind his curse. To break it, he must seek out the Essence of the Chronos Fire Dragon Beast.In a world where beasts rule, contracts are sacred, and survival is earned fang by fang... will Aiden rise as king —or fall as prey?

Ezekiel recognized early in life that he didn't want to follow in his parent's footsteps and spend the rest of his days as a mere farmer. No, his eyes are set on a grander stage, a place where tales of monster hunters, mighty generals, and benevolent heroes hold court — A world of Magic and mysteries.One day, the opportunity he had been waiting for arrives. Without a second thought, Ezekiel throws himself headfirst into the adventure. However, not everything turns out to be as magical as he had dreamt it to be...THIS IS A SLOW BURN FANTASY PROGRESSION LITRPG STORY:Even though you are not going to see blue boxes from chapter one, I guarantee you that this IS a LitRPG story. This is, however, NOT a pure “game world”! Instead, I have tried to integrate the interface elements of a LitRPG into a world with a very thought-out magic & power system, which will be explored over the course of the first book.This world doesn't work like a game, where you can put '5 points in strength' and the body somehow changes magically into a stronger version of itself. It might take a couple of chapters for the world and magic to start to make sense, but I feel like a power system built on solid principles is a lot more rewarding in the long run (...and more IMMERSIVE!).