Chapter 66 – Clash of Flames and Arrows
Amelia sat gracefully in the elevated gallery, hands folded in her lap, her eyes never straying far from the arena below where Iskandaar had just concluded his remarkable duel. He spread his arms as a showman, and she smiled. She enjoyed the boy’s antics a lot.
The Colosseum was bathed in crisp morning light. Its towering columns were drap...
2024-12-16 16:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostLeaving the party behind, I eased open the door quietly, half-expecting to find Amelia hunched over a desk or pacing around stacks of old scrolls.
Instead, the chancellor’s office greeted me with hushed stillness and a single occupant: Sathari Nezehra, the Naga Princess.
She sat curled in Amelia’s armchair, her tail dra...
2024-12-13 16:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe elves must be having a field trip, but I didn’t have the luxury. I had to prepare and gear myself up. The streets of Waybound City had transformed for the Winter Festival, with vibrant banners of crimson and silver swaying in the crisp air and hanging from every lamp post and shop top as I walked.
The hum of life filled the streets—merchants...
2024-12-11 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostMy eyes fluttered open slowly, and I found myself in my room. Memories of last night flashed before me, making me sigh as the golden light of morning poured into the room, spilling across the bed and warming my face.
My head was a little heavy, with techniques spiraling like broken words. Sometimes, I dreamt of performing and observing techni...
2024-12-09 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostAmelia stared at me, her eyes wide, mouth half-open, words failing her. She stayed still for a bit, and then her fingers drummed on the surface of her desk, the silence stretching between us. I could almost hear her thoughts—spinning, recalculating, trying to make sense of what I’d just dropped on her.
“My hair is going to start gra...
2024-12-04 16:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostAs I stirred my coffee, the silver spoon clinked softly against the porcelain cup. My Phantom Hand shimmered faintly in the dim light of the Fenixia mansion’s living room, its translucent fingers moving with precise intent.
Solara sat sprawled on one of the couches, her fiery hair catching what little light there was. Her gaze was locked on my h...
2024-12-02 16:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostThe heavy door closed behind Iskandaar, leaving Lilian and Solara to face the cold night air. Lilian stared, her eyes glinting, and the atmosphere seemed to chill her bones even through her transformation.
Her arms and legs were covered in fur, muscles bulging underneath, and her gaze stayed locked on the figure standing ahead—Bastian Fr...
2024-11-29 16:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostWe moved along the shadows, ducking behind stone columns and trying to stay out of sight. The quiet rustle of our steps felt too loud in the silence of the night, and the fear of being heard accompanied every breath. The darkness that normally offered safety now felt like a double-edged sword—if we could hide, so could they, and I had no idea how ...
2024-11-27 16:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostI stood in front of the mirror, my reflection staring back at me, sharp edges softened under the dim light of the room. The suit felt strange against my skin, even compared to the academy’s uniform. It was too stiff, too formal, I didn’t like that.
I adjusted the cufflink of my left hand with my Phantom Hand, watching the shimmering false fle...
2024-11-25 16:12:20 +0000 UTC View PostIt was nighttime, and the air was cold. I reached Nebula’s door again. The second time today, and I was just returning from the post office. I knocked twice, and it only took a moment for the door to creak open. Mirella stood there, looking exactly as she had a couple of hours ago—poised, formal, and just a bit exhausted.
“Ah, Young Master Isk...
2024-11-22 16:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostLilian exhaled softly, foggy breath painting the air. A faint shiver ran through her as she opened her eyes, looking down at her arms with amazed eyes. Beside her, Solara took a moment longer, her wings unfurling slightly before her eyelids fluttered open.
The ambient hum of cultivation energy faded away, leaving only the distant sounds of ...
2024-11-20 16:00:15 +0000 UTC View Post“We get this entire area to ourselves?” Solara looked around, surprised by the size of the area. “How lucky.”
“The Blazing District that we had our class in was also very large. The smoke just made it hard to see,” I said. That wasn’t the case here. It was a dense forest, filled with the calls of bugs and birds, the smell of a recen...
2024-11-18 16:00:13 +0000 UTC View Post“Now, you just have to sign it here.”
“Yes,” Nebula said, leaning forward and signing the papers. Then she pushed the paper and pen to me, and I nodded at her. I took another look at the [Contract].
I was selling my license to the recipe, not the recipe itself. The sharp difference between Licensing vs. Sellin...
2024-11-13 16:06:05 +0000 UTC View PostNote: I’ve added a part in the last scene of Chapter 52, along with the system page — the Insight Skill’s results. Reminder for you guys to check it out to not miss out on stuff!
The Alchemy Guild’s headquarters buzzed with the low hum of conversation and the clink of glassware, a quiet bustle that faded when we en...
2024-11-11 16:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostNebula’s room caught me off guard the second I stepped inside. It was far softer than I expected—everything about it held an almost delicate touch.
Sheer curtains, drawn just enough to let in the late light, cast a lavender hue over the walls. A small bookshelf lined one side, filled with neat rows of books and a few scattered trinkets....
2024-11-08 16:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe Murim was a strange mix between Chinese Wuxia and Xianxia in terms of power ceiling. There were no universe-splitting sword techniques, but it was certainly higher than the barely–above-human feats of Wuxia. I think Murim was comparable to this world’s ceiling, and considering that, it wasn’t an exaggeration when I said learning Culti...
2024-11-06 16:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostThe gangplank groaned beneath my boots as I stepped off the ship, Ragnar moving at my side. Her eyes were bulging out as she took in the scene ahead. I couldn’t blame her. The salty air clawed at our skin, mingling with the thick stench of fish and sweat from dockworkers straining under their loads.
Seagard wasn’t just a pa...
2024-11-05 16:14:14 +0000 UTC View PostThere were three ways I could answer her question. Firstly, I could lie. I could make up the wildest lie, but it would still be believable if I worded it right and told her that was what I was. Something like ‘an old man from the distant continent in the east came to me and blah blah blah.’ I didn’t want to do that. Hiding the truth from her had a...
2024-11-04 16:00:14 +0000 UTC View Post“No. There was an odd, robed figure here. He was wielding the Destruction Affinity in a skillful way.” Iskandaar said, making her frown.
Amelia’s gaze flitted between the young man before her, and the corpse sprawled across the stone path. A robed figure, he says. Iskandaar's robes had vanished from sight, a neat trick th...
2024-11-01 16:03:23 +0000 UTC View PostAlaric pressed his back against the crumbling stone wall, every sharp inhale piercing his side where the blood soaked through his fingers. He had to steady himself—had to hold his breath, even—as he risked a glance around the corner, assessing the situation from his cover. He dreaded what he would see.
Across the alleyway, his maidservan...
2024-10-30 16:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostNote: I’ve added an extra scene in Chapter 42. It’s nothing major but it helps “slow down” the pace that, according to my proofreaders, felt a little rushed, and therefore stabilizes the flow. It’s a scene from Nebula's POV, the 2nd scene of Chapter 42. Do check it out, starting: Nebula moved through the city, her blue and white academy cloak catching the eye of passersby...
2024-10-28 16:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostI stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection, which was slightly distorted by the flickering candlelight in the room. My left hand worked to adjust the collar of my tunic, but it felt clumsy and unfamiliar. What was left of my right arm was tucked against my side, wrapped in fresh bandages.
It still throbbed, thou...
2024-10-25 16:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostThe heat of the smoldering forest was oppressive, like a furnace that never shut off, and my weakened body felt every bit of it. Thankfully, the level-up refreshment took effect fast, washing the weakness away. The trees that were burned to skeletal husks stood as silent witnesses to the carnage. Ash floated around us, clinging to our skin, m...
2024-10-23 16:03:24 +0000 UTC View PostThe wind whipped across the deck, carrying the scent of salt and sea, filling the sails with a steady breeze. The ship swayed slightly as it cut through the waters of the Tempestuous Sea, the rhythmic creaking of wood and the occasional call of a seabird echoing above. The endless blue stretched out in every direction, the horizon a faint line where the ...
2024-10-23 15:55:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe world around me smoldered like the aftermath of a battle that hadn’t yet finished. The thick air felt more suffocating than the usual stench of smoke. Flames crackled in the distance, casting long, flickering shadows across the charred landscape.
The Eldergrove Expanse, or what remained of it in this blazing district, seemed ho...
2024-10-21 16:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostThe acrid air fumed at our lungs as we moved through the undergrowth, dodging twisted roots and smoldering branches. The forest around us was alive with crackling sounds of flames, every step releasing a plume of ash that mingled with the thick smoke around us. We pressed forward, all three of us scanning the shadows for any sign of movement, ...
2024-10-18 16:04:19 +0000 UTC View PostKatheran leaned forward against the desk with a composed expression, arms folded as he watched the students relax a little after the procedure had been completed. There was an odd sense of relief in the air, yet it clung to the tension that hadn’t quite dissipated.
Even those who had nothing to hide were on edge, stealing wary glances as ...
2024-10-16 16:00:34 +0000 UTC View PostNebula looked like she’d been caught in a snare. Her skin, pale even on the best of days, now seemed almost translucent under the academy’s stark lights. Her hands were wrapped tight around herself, knuckles white, as she stared at the building where the Holy Knight had vanished into.
When she saw me approach, her eyes widened, a hint of...
2024-10-14 16:05:24 +0000 UTC View PostSolara wrapped the bandages around her arm a little tighter, flexing her fingers as she moved. She still felt the sting beneath the gauze, a reminder of what she’d just gone through. The thick, healing strips covered much of her body, winding over her arms, her shoulders, and even parts of her face. Her wings were hidden now, resting beneath the laye...
2024-10-11 16:20:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe sun hung low over the Valtherian village, casting early morning light over a scene of triumphant chaos. The smell of blood and charred meat filled the air, mixing with the scent of wet earth. All around the village center, the spoils of the great hunt lay scattered.
Giant boars, ogres, hobgoblins—each carcass more grotesque than...
2024-10-10 16:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post