《Triplicity》Chapter 1
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‘Tom… Tom wake up. C’mon Tom… we… we have to go.’ Tom slowly opens his eyes, staring up at Anne. Long shadows are cast across his face as dead tree branches try to hide the setting sun. Anne’s bright green eyes tear up as she peers into the direction the sun was setting, hoping to see an end to this lifeless forest.
‘I still can’t see far past these trees. C’mon, the sun is almost gone. We need to try make it as far as we can.’
They reluctantly get up and shake off some dirt. Their joints and muscles were stiff.
It has been three days since their escape from the mysterious facility. The sun would be too hot during the peak of the day, so they would find the biggest tree trunk or stump to hide from the sun’s hot rays. At night the moon gave enough light for them to see where they were going, and the cool air was welcoming. Even though they did most of the walking at night they could not stop their feet from blistering.
Tired and thirsty they continued their journey into nowhere. Hours go by and the moon had moved halfway across the sky. The depressing landscape around them seemed to be ever static and unending.
Anne feels her thoughts getting increasingly heavy as Tom’s pace slows, making him fall behind.
‘Hang in there, Tom.’ She says, while giving him the biggest smile her cracked lips can handle. ‘You know how intense our feelings overflow to each other, especially when we are this close. You can feel mine, can’t you? I need you need to stay hopeful’
Anne hugs Tom, holding him close.
‘I bet there is lots of water right there over that small hill.’ She softly whispers.
‘Cool refreshing water. And food. More than we could eat.’
She lets go to look at him.
Tom turns his face curiously to look at the approaching hill that appears to shrink smaller at Anne’s words.
He could feel it. The emotions flowing from Anne made him feel warmer and hopeful indeed, even though they both know the feeling was groundless.
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With new hope they press on. The long quiet walk in the moonlight gives one a lot of time to think.
Why were we in that… that place? Who are we? Anne thought as she looked at markings just below her wrist. She only noticed it when they first set out from the facility.
Tom’s marking is the same. And… these. She holds her shoulder, then runs her hand down until she felt a small round metal socket, about an inch deep, imbedded in her arm. The socket was cold to the touch and wide enough for her fingers to feel inside, with a slight protruding ridge around the outside edge.
One, two… three. She counted.
Then she continued down her other arm.
Four, five, six. Six more on my legs. She slips her hand under her ragged shirt.
Two more just above my chest, and two just below. One on each of my sides, above my hips. And… behind…?
‘Tom, stop!’
Tom froze, startled.
‘Turn around.’
Tom turns with his back to her, and she lifts his shirt.
‘No!’ she squeals, making Tom jump in surprise.
‘Sorry! Sorry, it’s ok, its ok.’ She lifts his shirt higher until his whole back was exposed. Anne’s heart dropped. She moved her hand over two rows of sockets that ran up his back on either side of his spine, gleaming in the moonlight. More startling was the last two sockets about a hand’s width below his neck. They are much larger than the rest. Anne makes a fist and fits it in one of them.
Thirty-one… THIRTY-TWO.
She drops his shirt as a shiver runs down her back.
No doubt mine are the same.
‘C’mon Tom’ She sighs as starts walking, pulling him by the shirt. The image of Tom’s back bores into her mind. She tries her best not to let the worry overwhelm her now that Tom has calmed down.
The scene around them was finally changing. The trees were now smaller and less dense, making room for smaller shrubs and bushes.
Crunch!
Anne yelps as she steps on something. It was a small green fern.
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What is this sudden rush? Happiness.
Tom suddenly ran up to her, pointing excitedly ahead.
‘Leaves! Look at all the leaves Tom. And flowers. The plants, they are ALIVE.’
The dead forest ended very abruptly, as if a line can be drawn where death ends, and life begins. The dim light was enough to see the rich foliage and diverse plant life. A few fireflies were hovering over a big orange flower. The change in scenery is overwhelming and almost uncomfortable.
The ground is so soft. It is making my feet tingle.
They run forward, embracing the touch of long grass and the soft leaves against their faces. Some branches had droplets hanging under them. Minutes later and they were wet and sticky.
The landscape suddenly dropped to a steep decline, and at the bottom a silver stream could be seen flowing into the distance. Anne pulls Tom closer as he starts crying at the sight. His sobs a stark contrast to the relief and gratitude beaming from him.
Their muscles were weak and exhausted as they made their way down towards the water. The downward climb was slow and tedious as their small bodies struggle through the thickening vegetation. The past few days suddenly felt like a distant, hopeless memory.
Anne couldn’t hold back her own tears when they finally stood on the edge of the water, staring at their reflections on the water’s surface. It took a while before Anne finally manages to mumble something, her lips trembling.
‘W-we should… drink f-first. And wash up’
They drink their fill from the cool, clear stream. They found a few shallow pools just off the main flow of the stream and they each picked one to wash up in. Tom jumps in without a second thought, letting out a giggle as he struggles out of his wet rags in the water.
Anne puts her folded scraps of clothes on a flat rock on the edge of the pool. A stray cloud moves in front of the moon, casting them in a patch of darkness. Anne tries her best to clean all the dirt from her hair while she listens to Tom playing in the other pool next to her. She gets out after properly washing up to stand in front of her reflection once more. Moonlight is thrown across the landscape again as the cloud passes, giving her pale skin a slight glow as she stands exposed to the moonlight. She stares at her reflection and runs her hand over her chest, stopping on one of the cold metal sockets just below her left breast.
Who did this to me?
She turns around to look at her back in the water mirror.
So, I have all of them too… What are these… things? Why are we even here? I can’t remember anything since we came out of that dark room. All I know is that Tom is my brother. Not just a brother. We shared a womb. I must protect him. Why do I feel so alone? It hurts so much.
Her thoughts are interrupted when she notices Tom staring at her from his pool. His face displaying the strain of her internal monologue.
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…
Tom gets up halfway out of the water and turns around, gesturing to her to wash his back. She gives Tom a small grin and joins him, using his wet shirt as a cloth.
‘You better wash my back too you know’ she said as she starts.
Tom gave an enthusiastic nod. They spend the night in silence until they were both dressed and looking for a place to sleep. They had washed their rags, which brought out the orange colour even more. No markings could be discerned from the cloth. No writing. No badges or identification.
The night air was not too cold, so they each made a big pile of leaves close to each other. A makeshift bed.
They both try and capture this moment: they were happy. They were relatively clean, and the fresh water was bringing back much needed strength for their bodies and minds. They slept soundly within minutes. No dreams.
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Pawns of God
Five Lines PitchJoin Mark in his fight against a God and change the game's destiny! Delve into a slow-paced story focused on the progression of the main party and the development of the world. Mark himself will be narrating his life inside the game, and to a much lesser extend outside. Guild building, economy, and strategy are the central pieces of the novel. Mark is not overpowered, he will have to build his own power through action-packed battles, trials, traumas, love, and death. Accompany him, the healer and the strategist, an agent of chaos, in the adventure of his life. Without further preamble, I will let Mark take the mic. SynopsisHi! My name is Mark. This is my story, my life as I live it day after day. I’m in my thirties, and there’s nothing I love more than playing online games. I’ve just joined the action on the newest VRMMO game, Pawns of God. An immersive experience you can play while sleeping. Of course, as a game that takes pride in its long development and technological advances, everything inside seems and feels real. Beware, this is not a game-turns-real story. I love my own world and I would detest being summoned into another one. If that ever happens, I’ll just quickly take my life and be done with it. I play with my friends, in a party of 5. We have taken several roles, but lately, I've come to love being a healer. It's my secret ambition to someday be the shotcaller. I am not overpowered. If there is any bug or exploit in the game, they are yet to be discovered. Anyhow, for a game of this scale, the company is pouring all of its resources into test servers, QA, and beta tests. I don’t expect to find any, so I’ll be playing the game just like any other person. I must say, though, I am easily distracted, as you will immediately notice once you start. I'm working on it, I promise to improve! I am no hero. Being in my 30s, my heart is too old for this shit. I wouldn’t mind being one, of course. Who hasn’t dreamt of it? Either way, I’m not doing any grand quest to save the world. Whatever the game throws to their users, I’ll be there to experience it. Most of my life, at least the interesting parts that I’ll be narrating, happen inside the game itself. Rarely, there will be some IRL (In Real Life) chapters. You’ll understand, however, that as a freelance software developer, there is not much I can entertain you with when outside the game. Did I say I love games? Well, I’m also a fan of LitRPG literature. You know, journeys of magic, relationships, personal development, items, skills, discovery… In the spirit of not overwhelming my public, I’ll condense each chapter into circa 1500 words. You might have noticed some tags over this story, let me elaborate. I like to swear. I’m not shy when it comes to cursing my enemies, friends, or even myself. When there’s blood, I tell it as I see it. And… it hurts to admit it, but I’m not a casanova. Of course, this doesn’t mean that I won’t ever find love. So, in case I do end up finding it, let’s keep my sexual options open. As for traumas, none yet, but the future is vast and unknown. Release Schedule The schedule is subject to change, particularly if enough readers end up loving it. All chapters are already written, thus there is enough freedom to modify them. Arc 1 * Chapters 1-14: Each released one day and an hour later than the previous. Starting with chapter 2 at 09:20 UTC+2 on day 1, and finishing at 21:20 UTC+2 on day 13. Elapsed: 2 weeks Total: 2 weeks * Chapters 15-30: Releases every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 11:30 UTC+2. Elapsed: 5½ weeks Total: 7 weeks (1 month, 3½ weeks) * Chapters 31-49: Releases every Wednesday and Saturday at 11:30 UTC+2 Elapsed: 9½ weeks Total: 17 weeks (4 months, 1 week) All subsequent arcs will follow the same release schedule, 2/week. No hiatus will be done between arcs 1 and 2.
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Needing a favour and an easy way to pass his Physics class, closeted gay Zach Hamilton seeks Jace, the smart ass band geek who has snarky comebacks to everything.Becoming smitten with the tall, skinny, cheeky nerd was pretty easy, but difficulties arise when his clique and his brother toughen down on him, and his best friend, Flynn, holds a secret that can't be forgotten easily.-- -- --Disclaimer: boy x boy, quite a lot of swearing and... This is a PG-13 book, so you know the rules.
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###REBOOTED VERSION UP/UP SOON!### *** Setting *** After hundreds of years, candidates to the legendary Title of Twin stars finally appear in the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect. However, few people can tell wether they will bring luck, misfortune or even catastrophe, as the clash between two hidden powers slowly unveils for the world to see... A thousand years ago, a man at the peak of existence, the Evil Saint, along with his companions challenged the might of the Nine Heavens of Tian and fought the Tyrant of the Heavens, Lord Tian himself! After the Evil Saint died in battle, his companions dispersed throughout the countless planes of existence and laid low, licking their wounds and not daring to openly challenge the heavens again... Now, a full thousand years later, there are once again signs that something big will happen! Mortal, Ageless and Immortal. The three big Realms of cultivation, furthermore divided into total of fifteen Stages. Many walk on the path of martial cultivation but few reach its end. A boy eight years old holds knowledge that many seek but none can obtain. Who is he really? What is his connection with the Evil Saint? Who and WHAT is the Mountain? *** Disclaimer *** Immortal Ascension Tower is an ORIGINAL Xianxia/Xuanhuan(Eastern Fantasy Novel).Epic Cover by Francis Blake/NeonBeat, feel free to check his profile out on DeviantArt! (http://ineonbeati.deviantart.com)Although I own the story, I'm not an English native speaker so I apologize in advance for any mistakes I might make while writing this story. *** Release Schedule *** The dates are announced every week due to the writer's busy schedule.
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Argos is obsessive over Mr. Plant. What would happen if Argos were to ever find out that Mr Plant was hanging out with another entity?This is a fanfic of a TikTok ship from user @ashurgharavi⚠️ Profile Art is Not Mine!⚠️Argos × Mr. Plant is canon and was proved in the Valentine's video this year.Entity is another word for people but in a Dreamcore/Weirdcore world.
8 154My best friends brother
"Are you going to pretend like last night didn't happen?" He asked. I looked at the ground."You know we can't" I answered. He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. Lena's best friend is Aubrey. Aubrey has an older brother that comes back from military school. What will happen between Lena and Jaxon. Read more to find out.
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