Crown of Thorns - Chapter 72

The call of the nightmare realm cannot be denied, the woven fate is inevitable.

His ability to travel to the nightmare realm granted him immortality but also pit him with an unfamiliar world, curses and magics unseen before in the real world.

Monsters of unknown origin, macabre beasts and horrors beyond the ken of man have taken the place of old inhabitants of a once glorious civilization.

Now under the light of the Clairvoyant Moon the nightmare realm is on the verge of destruction. Here you will find dishonorable knights, mad sorcerers, twisted alchemist, the malformed Lost Ones and the vestiges of old gods all converging in a dead world.

But there are also those who seek to undo the curse, to restore the world. There are scavengers that only want to survive, the seekers of truth that seek the secrets of old.

And then there’s Aldrich who plans to exploit the resources and powers of the nightmare realm to achieve his own goals.

The epic tale of struggle against impossible odds and enemies bigger than life.

What Aldrich will find outside his little village will not just test the limits of his will, but also his sanity.

****

Aldrich, is a fifteen year old boy, living in a small village called Wakefield, he dreams of being a Crestmaster.

On the day Aldrich awakens his Crest, Wakefield is attacked and burned.

He is the only survivor, barely making it out with a mysterious gift, a heavy mission and dire warnings to never turn back.

He is then told to forget about what he saw and the innocent villagers that died, to never ask questions. All things Aldrich could never do.

One day he will uncover the forces behind the massacre and take his revenge. But for now he will lower his head and pretend that nothing has happened.

For now.

Memories surged like a tide into her head after she was reincarnated, and she found out who she was… A complete pushover. Her name was Beiting Huang, a direct descendant and third-generation descendant of the Beiting Dynasty. Her fearsome reputation stretched across all nations on the continent. She was a girl, but she was disguised as a boy for some reason. Everyone was also after her wrist… to hack it off and take the bracelet she wore, which was actually a high-level spiritual item that concealed her gender.

Everyone included her own brothers. Her brothers were fighting and killing each other, tearing the dynasty apart in the process… and she happened to be caught in the crossfire.

Mercy? Did the old Beiting Huang not beg before she died? Did they spare her when she did? An emotion that was not hers stirred within her body, and Beiting Huang knew it was the old Beiting Huang’s grief.

In her mind, she assured her: Don’t worry. Since I’ve reincarnated in your body, I shall avenge you. Your death will not be senseless! After those words, the old Beiting Huang’s emotions faded.

Now, there was only one Beiting Huang. She was the underworld’s king, a mercenary lord who slaughtered and plundered with the world at her feet. Reincarnated into the fearsome Beiting family as its ‘useless’ ninth son, the world’s riches were once again in her grasp. She cultivated impossible abilities, contracted with magical beasts, and possessed a mystical dimension. She also trampled over gods and demons as and when she liked. Cold and handsome, her very presence was proud and magnificent, causing the world to fight for her affection.

As soon as Bai Lu opened her eyes, she became the boss’s little wife.

***

When we met for the first time, even though the traces of time had crept up to the corners of our eyes, the man’s graceful and handsome appearance was still stunning. His cruelty, cold-bloodedness, and ruthlessness were all hidden under the deep and silent cold eyes, creating a deliberately hypnotic environment. It had no effect on him.

His consciousness was clear and he looked at her calmly.

Bai Lu has been a good child from other people’s families since she was a child. She is well-behaved, sensible, and listens to her parents. After graduation, she works step by step as a psychological hypnotist.

If she hadn’t accidentally learned that the international case her father was trying was related to Xiao Cheng, she would not have been involved in the danger privately, trying to hypnotize him into his memory and obtain relevant clues.

She had seen Xiao Cheng’s information. His father was addicted to gambling, and his mother abandoned him when he was three years old. Shortly after his father remarried, he and his stepmother died one after another, leaving behind a younger brother who later accidentally disappeared.

Xiao Cheng climbed out of the darkness alone, starting from scratch. His psychological defense was too strong. Bai Lu was no match at all. The hypnosis only read part of the memory and was interrupted unexpectedly.

During their second appointment, her plane unfortunately disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

When I opened my eyes again, I was transported back to more than twenty years ago.

She became Xiao Cheng’s little wife who died young…

What’s even more unexpected is that it turns out that the evil dragon is also gentle, and is willing to turn into a thorn to protect her and the rose will bloom brilliantly.

- Description from novelbuddy

I’m a high school student who became an author after debuting at Dengeki Bunko. After taking a year of hiatus from school to write my work, I transferred out to another high school to study, and met a girl called Eri Nitadori in school, a rookie voice actress cast as a character in the anime adaptation of my work.

In school, we treat our professions as a secret. However, Nitadori’s very popular in class, and I’m a loner…the only chance we get to talk to each other is when we take the Limited Express train together every Thursday, seated side by side as we head off for an anime, After Recording.

To improve her skills, she asked me questions regarding the profession. While I was answering the questions regarding the process–how did it end up like this.

This is what I last remembered before I lost consciousness, and the story of my near-death experience.