The Villain Who Stole Hearts - Chapter 86: A slightly bewildered Caden Voss

This is a time of great powers: The vast Persia, Sparta that was founded by force, Athens with its trade and business, Thebes the rising star, The ambitious Macedonia, The twin heroes of the Western Mediterranean, The rising Rome and so on.

This is an era of brilliant stars: Agesilaus II – the last king of Sparta, Epaminondas – the Rising General of Thebes, Philip II – the founder of Macedonian’s hegemon, Dionysius – the tyrant of Syracuse, Camillus – the Roman dictator and savior…

This is an era of contention among a hundred schools of thought: Plato – the great philosopher, Antisthenes – founder of cynicism, Pythagoras – school of number, Democritus – the encyclopedia scholar, Hippocrates – the father of western medicine, Aristophanes – the great dramatist…

What will the hero bring to the world when he comes to this age as a humble mercenary through rebirth?

The discovery of the so-called dimensional world heralded a new era for humanity.

This world, populated with lifeforms of ever-increasing strength, would soon become known as a treasure trove for those hunters willing to brave its risk.

Soulshards and gene fragments obtained by killing such lifeforms could be assimilated into their bodies, transforming them into genetically enhanced fighters and setting the stage for the age of genetic enhancement.Zhang Lie, a seasoned fighter who had once explored the fourth of the five known realms of the dimensional world, finds himself thrown back into his youth, to the initial heyday of exploration and growth, before the secrets of this new world had been mined and revealed to all.

Armed with foreknowledge, Zhang Lie will blaze a path for humanity to the stars—and beyond.

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Upon awakening, the apocalypse's metaphysics master, Nan Li, found herself as the lost Sixth Miss of the Anyang Marquis ManorThinking it would be a story of abuse, she never expected all five of her brothers to dote on her one after another!Nan Li shouted, “Stop pampering me! In fact, I can do everything, from capturing ghosts, exterminating demons, divination, physiognomy, to healing and saving people. I'll lead the family to rise in power and wealth!”Accidentally saving the Ninth Prince, who held great power in the court, Nan Li found him renowned for his cold and unfeeling demeanor. However, he became utterly addicted to pampering her and refused to take other concubines.The scheming and malicious women were angry, shouting, “The prince lacks heirs, how can this be allowed?!”Nan Li pointed at the line of little ghost-catching disciples and said, “I'll cure your poor eyesight!”The Ninth Prince lifted her in his arms and said, “We have a bit of thin property that needs to be inherited, so we'll have a few more children.”Later on—Nan Li looked at the continuous immortal mountains and the room full of treasures, her mouth twitching, “I thought you had a throne to inherit, what's going on now?!”

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)