《I Wish You Well》New Year Bliss
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Baylan is a small developing city that can be found in the Southwestern region of Mindanao. Its Northern reaches are surrounded by high mountain ranges. It faces a sheltered bay in the South and is rich in good fishing grounds. The city has been prosperous for years now with new businesses popping up in every corner. It is also considered a peaceful place since the crime rates are lower compared to other cities.
Anya was born in Baylan. She lived and breathed in this place. Though not as well known as other major cities in her country, still one can see that it's well underway into becoming a rapidly highly urbanized area.
Anya has a lot of fond and sad memories in this place. She was 24 years old when both of her parents died. It was unexpected as most deaths by accident are. She remembers it all clearly like it happened yesterday. It was a family reunion. Her parents and her father's siblings planned their little trip to a waterfall located in the Northern part of Baylan. The said place was a bit remote and only local tourists were allowed during its opening at that time. The sun was shining brightly back then when they arrived at their destination. The place seemed beautiful and enchanting. It looked like one of those mysterious and untouched for centuries kind of a place a person sees on television shows that bewitches anyone who visits there. Even though big boulders can be found scattered around, many people still enjoy the shaded place and its cool waters. A few hours passed as they were soaking in the pristine waters, they noticed a light rainshower falling from the sky. Moments later, they heard a low rumbling sound from afar. It seemed to be getting closer. They didn't mind it at first though since they didn't know any better. It was their first time bathing in a waterfall. The area was not opened until that day since the locals have considered the falls and its surrounding forest sacred. For hundreds of years no one was allowed to even go near the place for fear of old superstitious beliefs; one of which involves 'dwendes' and 'aswangs' who play tricks and kidnap people never to be seen again to name a few. Looking back Anya thought maybe the local people made those rumors to serve as warning for others that we all need to be wary of nature. Filled with laughter whilst making conversation with other family members, they soon noticed the water turned brown. However, it was already too late. In a blink of an eye, there was a sudden rush of muddy water from up above the waterfall. Being nearer to the water's edge, Anya miraculously was able to move to safety. Her parents, one of her aunt and two of her cousins among several other people swimming in the water at that time were not so lucky though. They were quickly swept away by the strong waters from upstream. It was a heart-wrenching day for them. Anya was an only child and in a brief moment she's the only one left. They were a trio. She had always been close to her parents. Other people may see her as childish when interacting with them but she had such a strong bond with her father and mother. It took her a long time to understand what happened back then. She was rooted to the spot, lost in emptiness. She could never forget the wails of those that were left behind on the sidelines though, powerless and unable to do anything but watch as their loved ones were devoured by the flashflood - just like her. Death has this way of leaving such an ugly mark in a person's mind.
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Pulling herself from the folds of her memories, Anya started walking toward one of the largest supermarket that is located in the center of Baylan. 2022 is coming a few hours from now. New year means new beginnings for her. There's nothing wrong with remembering the past but she must be careful not to be drowned by it, she thought.
Dragging herself faster, she takes a shopping cart from the entrance and pushes it to the pasta section. Like everyone around her, she is doing some last minute shopping in preparation for the celebration of New Year. She needs to finish buying the things she needs in order to make a sumptuous and gratifying meal. Just because she lives alone doesn't mean she's gonna sit in a corner and not enjoy the festivity in her home.
It's already 7:00 in the evening. She got off late from work due to the reports she had to finish. Good thing Cale stayed with her for a while otherwise it would be hard for her to grab a ride. She asked him to drop her off in the city center. She remembered Cale inviting her earlier to spend New Year at his father's house together with his family but she declined. Call her an introvert or whatever but she really does not want to intrude in his family's gathering. She was also avoiding the possibility that he might say something about her living conditions in front of his family. That guy was still concerned about her especially with what happened earlier. She finds his act very endearing. It feels like she has a family again. Not that she's trying to replace her parents but she's thankful that even if they're gone now, there is still a person who stayed by her side. He is someone who constantly reminds her that she's not alone in this world. Sure, she has relatives nearby but they weren't really that close with each other to begin with. It became worse because of what happened a long time ago. Some wounds take a very long time to heal. She thinks maybe it's hard for them to see her as much as it's hard for her to see them. It brings back painful memories. It's funny though - how fate lets us meet people who make us feel like family even if we're not related by blood. And she's very grateful for that.
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She's in the middle of deciding which brand of pasta to choose from when the lights began to flicker. She didn't mind it af first. Baylan may be prosperous but it still suffers from power interruption from time to time. It got worse since two weeks ago a powerful storm ravaged the country. Baylan encountered a few fallen electrical posts in the aftermath of said storm.
She's looking at the price of the pasta in her hand when she noticed that it suddenly became eerily quiet. Looking around, she found that no one was in the aisle with her.
"That's weird. I'm pretty sure there were a few people around here earlier," she says to herself.
"You're right. However I made them leave," a deep and chilly voice came from behind her.
Anya quickly turned around.
"A pleasure to meet you, disciple of Aguaye."
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A man wearing a uniform trudged along a small path holding a flashlight. He was doing his usual rounds checking that no one has stayed inside the park now that it has closed for the day. Silence has crept in the area. It was still 6:00 in the evening but the park has already been covered in darkness. Not a single soul nor a single noise can be seen and heard apart from the guard's footsteps and breathing. He has worked here for 10 years now and has gotten used to roaming around the park alone. But, this time something felt different. For some unexplainable reason goosebumps start showing up on his skin. Fighting off the chills he felt, he continued walking a bit further until he reached the children's playground. Slumped on the ground near the monkey bars was a man.
"Hey mister. We're already closed. You should come with me and I'll accompany you to the exit," he said. The guard waited but no reply came from the unknown person.
At first he thought the man was drunk and was just passed out. He moved closer to the man and tried to wake him up. Then, he was dumbfounded. The light illuminated droplets of blood on the ground. He dropped low to check if the man still has a pulse. He was taken aback though. The slumped figure completely slid to the ground. Upon closer look his face was contorted. Panic etched on it. It was like he died of fear - of seeing something he shouldn't have. However, that was not what made the guard step back. What he saw was worse for he saw that the dead man's eyes were hollow. Blood gushed out from the sockets. His eyeballs were gone. There was also a hole in his chest in which more blood poured out. The guard couldn't take it anymore. He ran away immediately screaming for help.
The guard did not notice that in the distance hidden among the trees, a pair of blood red eyes gave an ominous glint in the darkness. A low growl can be heard as the night air changes.
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Way of the mage?
A typical story starting from revenge and transmigration . An assassin who lost his reason to equip his blade tries to walk the path of mage.
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[RoyalRoad April 2022 Writathon Winner] 200 years ago, man attempted to play God and unleashed the mysterious energy field known as the Rddhi, inadvertently ushering in two centuries of warfare in the process. In the present, the successors of the former United States once again spiral into war. Included among the vast resources necessary for the growing war machines are those students of the next generation who can freely manipulate the Rddhi, granting them psychic abilities. Enter Isaac, a student attending the New England Confederation's Rddhi development program to avenge his father's death in the First American War. A chance encounter after school gives him the opportunity of a lifetime. Storm clouds darken over the world. The approaching Second American War will just be one theater in humanity's final conflict. Join Isaac as he ascends the path of the Eightfold Fist and seeks its ultimate prize - Godhood and enlightenment - against a backdrop of technological rediscovery and feuding ideologies. In sum, a progression fantasy-inspired story set in a post-post-post apocalyptic 1930s-esque world. Interlude chapters on August 14th and 29th, then returns in September! Chapters will be between 1500-3500 words. Also publishing on ScribbleHub, where a glossary with a character sheet is currently under-construction. Season 1 - “The Great American Japanimation” (Chapters 1-) Isaac of the New England Confederation unlocks the ability to manipulate the Rddhi, bringing him into the wider world of colorful characters, psychic powers, and political intrigue. Along the way, he and his friends will battle enemies and threats including, but not limited to: spies, smugglers, revolutionaries, serial killers, state security forces, ambitious elites, estranged family members, old flames, mobsters, gangsters, hallucinations, mental health, recreational drug use, a particularly long shojo interlude, lab experiments, international politics, love dodecahedrons, creative differences, overdue VHS tapes, and...Piper.
8 206Dawn Avante — The Record of Otherworld’s Cosmic War
The young man remembered. Through flames and ocean, he fought, all to be the symbol of hope. He started with a fist, then a gun, now a psychic blade. Some say the merging of his planet with this beautiful hell was a curse — that the Earth was doomed. As an optimist, he disagreed. They weren’t merged into a world with monsters and tyrants. The monsters were locked in the same world with a hero. What happened next was a tale as old as time. A sound of fighting was heard in the distance. He felt the presence of an old foe and several old burdens. It appeared Chronicler’s victory didn’t drill the lesson into that psychopath’s brain. Fine. He stood. He didn’t mind hard-carrying those idiots on his shoulder again. The hero vanished in the blur, speeding to save the day. … How did we get here? Well, let's go back a few hours before shit hits the fan. To a young porter who didn’t know that fate had a greater plan for him. Plans which involved comic wars, slaying outer-gods, and grenades. So. Many. Grenades.
8 352El Dorado
Eighteen-year-old, Caden was close to finishing his fourth Ph.D. and ready to work in space as a space miner. He knew he wasn't exceptional and needed to show the United World Council (UWC) that his ideas for a new use of nanoengineering could not only advance UWC's agenda but also make him very rich. After the advent of high-level, AI and the last Cyborg war, each citizen of the UWC provided an APRIL (Artificial Personal Research Intelligent Library) to each person. The dummied down AI was injected into every recorded birth with nanobots to help integrate with the government-controlled Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. After finally getting permission to work with Virtual APRIL coding, he dug into this project only to get frustrated time and time again. He decided to work on the project in the real world and see if the software worked better. Through unforeseen circumstances and accident forever changed Caden's world. What happened to him? Where is everyone? Is he even still on earth? Join Caden on this new adventure in El Dorado. What will Caden do to survive? What would you do?
8 61The Night Hunter
(Side Project closed. Thanks for reading.)Ghosts, demons, zombies, werewolves, vampires, gargoyles, and other creatures of the night exist. Save for a select few, most of humanity is ignorant of their existence and believe them to be creatures from myths and fairy tales.One boy in his late teens, while placing the trash bins on the street, meets a man who called himself a Night Hunter. As the man dies, the teen hears him say that he would have lived if his level were high enough. Willing or not, he became involved with a Night Hunter and ventured to a new reality and future.
8 246Annihilation System
Mark, Who was the Most Wanted and Greatest Criminal on Earth suddenly died in his cell. But Mark, Who suddenly realized that he was not on earth.Got pissed off at the world and yelled "WORLD!! I DIE IN MY CELL AND I DON'T GET ANY SPECIAL ABILITIES?" Mark who finished yelling, Suddenly heard a voice in his mind Initiating System Launch Scanning The Hosts Soul Scanning Complete Host Received -(Annihilation System)- Message from "??? "I'm Sorry for letting you die Mark, But someone destroyed the Life&Death System on our part, So we gave you a chance to Reincarnate and gave you a System to Annihilate Gods/Devils on your World. Please be warned, Mark this system can help you strive to survive in your world, but you can't kill us for this is a new system that we just made And we are not Gods we are Eternal Beings, So Have Fun!" Mark who received the message got mad and said:"The One who let me die, I'll find you and give you a punch to the face." Mark's Journey just started to Fight, Live, Kill, Rule to the Everlasting World of Gods! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey Guys! First Time making a story or second time? I don't remember. My grammar is somewhat crappy sometimes so; please don't criticise :)
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