Rivers of the Night - Chapter 27: Thorny Fields

Earth fell long before Auron Drex was born. By the time he turned nineteen, the skies were brown, the air filtered through broken machines, and humanity had retreated underground, outnumbered, outgunned, and slowly fading.Auron was one of the last unmodified humans, no implants, no neural lace, no connection to the system. Just blood, flesh, memory, and a little bit of fight left in him.Then he died.Killed in an invasion with the machines, Auron thought that was the end. But something else was waiting for him.The Goddess of Death.She offered him a contract. A second chance at life, a new world far from Earth, and one simple promise: when the time came, he would help her. No explanation. Just a bond, sealed in death and carried into life.Now, Auron wakes in a world nothing like his own. A cultivation realm, where beasts roam free, ancient sects dominate the mountains, and humans wield godlike power through spiritual force and brutal discipline. It’s a world where strength decides everything, and weakness is an invitation to die again.But he’s not alone.The Goddess of Death, bound to his soul, follows him, watching, guiding.He doesn’t know her true reason for bringing him here.He doesn’t understand what help she’ll need or when. But he remembers Earth. He remembers the silence. And if there’s a chance this journey will give him the strength to return, to fight back against what destroyed his home, he’ll take it.He was forged in a dying world. Reborn in one that lives by the sword. And somewhere between them, Auron Drex will carve out who he’s meant to become.

Balthazar was just a random giant crab enjoying his life in a fantasy world full of bothersome human adventurers, but then he had to go and accidentally discover the secret of attributes and levels. And also pie. With baked goods and coin as his new life goals, he turns to the competitive business of trading the random junk adventurers loot every day.Follow Balthazar as he does everything to find a baker... except leave his pond, because exploring the dangerous world out there is for suckers. Witness how adventurers just can't seem to stop dying around his home. And cheer for a crab who makes great new friends by simply buying them.Book 2 is out now, with new chapters every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, fresh off the bakery!What to expect from this story:- No harems, not unless they're a harem of gold coins.- Silliness, lots of it. The story doesn't take itself too seriously, so you shouldn't either.- The only kind of OP here is how “overpriced” the crab's deals are.- A system simple enough for a crab to use, but still conveniently complex when necessary, for some odd reason.- Proper realistic adventurers: they're not very bright, and they make very poor decisions.- Did I mention there will be pastries?

The corridor was dark. Selene moved fast, barefoot against the cold stone, her heart thundering in her chest. She didn’t know how they’d gotten so close, how he had.But the moment she turned the corner, he was there, and he slammed her back against the wall.Her gasp was muffled by a rough hand clamping over her mouth. The other braced beside her head as his body caged hers completely. Heat rolled off him like a furnace. His scent hit her nose, faintly familiar. Like burnt cedar, cold steel, and storm.He leaned in, his voice a ragged whisper by her ear.“You’re Selene... my Selene.”Her blood ran cold. Her heart rebelled against her chest, trying to escape.“I’m not,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “You’re mistaken.”His fingers traced the curve of her jaw like he was trying to memorize it. “It’s you. I’d know your soul even if the world burned it from your bones.”“You’re mad,” she spat.But he suddenly dipped his mouth to kiss her hard, to confirm that it was really her.***Selene was the daughter of the cruel Alpha who ruled Moonveil through fear. Years ago, he wiped out an entire pack just to rise to power. But he made one mistake...he left behind four orphaned boys.Those boys returned as Alphas. They are stronger, colder and out for revenge.They took everything...his land, his title, and finally... his life. Selene was only seventeen at the time. She had no idea what her father had done. But that didn’t matter. To them, she was guilty by blood.They didn’t kill her. No. They did something worse.They marked her as a slave.In their world, even omegas had rights. Slaves had none. She became nothing more than property.But Selene still had hope. On her eighteenth birthday, like every werewolf, she expected her wolf to awaken. It was supposed to be the start of her new life.Instead, it turned into a nightmare.Her wolf never came. Her body remained cold and silent. And then… the bond appeared. She was mated to all four of them.The very Alphas who hated her.The ones who owned her.But the truth is Selene was never a wolf to begin with.As her body withers under the weight of the bond, a darker truth surfaces. She is not just a slave… she is the last living witch, born of the very bloodline werewolves have hunted for generations.Now, her enemies wear the mark of her mates...And the witch they thought they broke may be the one who burns them all.

Ji Chen Ai has always wanted to be a good person until he was physically disabled for some reason.

When he is being neglected by his parents, Ji Chen Ai just smiles. When he is being bullied by his brother, Ji Chen Ai just smiles. However, when someone pushes him and his wheelchair down the stairs, Ji Chen Ai can’t smile anymore.

But why is it during this time, that something came out suddenly and tells him that he must be a good person?!

System: Our goal is — No! More! Bad! People!

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