《Prince Of the Abyss》Initiation
Advertisement
Jackel rise from bed at the exact time every morning, the alarms goes off minutes after. Outside the sun was just peaking over the horizon and the dawn was golden like a fresh harvest of wheat. Standing at 6"3. Jackel nearly hit the ceiling as he stood naked in the basement suite of his Mother's suburban house. Although nearly twenty four years old. Jackel was unable to keep a steady job, and although he tried to go back to school, he never was able to commit. It's not because he lacked intelligence. In fact Jackal had a very sharp mind. But nothing in life had offered him anything to which his loyalty could be proven.
Jackal made his way to the kitchen and pop opened a couple of containers and swallowed the colourful little pills without a drink to accompany it. They were mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics ordered by the doctor. When Jackal was in his last year of high school seven years ago, He started to hear a voice in his head, at first it was telling him things like how to walk with confidence, and how to appear attractive, then it became more aggressive and taught him how to move his body in a fight, which proved to be very effective when Jackal was pushed to defend himself against a gang of shady drug-heads at school.
Eventually the voice in his head began to take on a wrathful tone. Making absolute judgement on strangers and calling itself a god. Jackel eventually broke down and was hospitalized. while under intensive care, the voice was subdued and, after 3 months of being heavily sedated, he was released on the condition that he would continue to take the pills.
Since Jackel was diagnosed with the mental illness, he fell victim to the stigma but never really gave up on his belief. He knew the voice belonged to something real and his hallucinations were not made belief, and thus, he started to research religions and every spirit related topic he could find. On this day, Jackel decided to go to a meet up he found online which was under the heading "Order of luminous knights". The description was as followed:
Do you believe in the Father sun, the Mother moon and children of the stars. All things that shine and illuminate the abyss of the vast space. Are you brave enough to unveil the mundane, die for the truth and return to light? We are knights that carry the lantern, and magicians that weaves reality. If you stumbled upon this message, you have but two choices. pass it off as folly, or join the holy.
Advertisement
Saturday, 1666 33rd st.
deeply sceptical of the cult like implications. Jackel was more than weary to be swayed with the elaborate words and promises. However something compelled him to at least show up for this invitations.
Standing in front of the mirror. Jackel rubbed some hair gel on his jet black hair and roughed it up with his hands. he shaved the stubbles off his chin and stroked his cheeks. his handsome reflection looked listless as usual.
At half past five, Jackel left the house in his black leather jacket and took the bus to the address given on the site. Although Jackel felt quite calm on the surface, his hands were sweating ferociously and his heart was beating as if he was sprinting. His intuition was telling him to run while his mind was frozen and lacking any discernment. At just a quarter past seven, Jackel was standing in front of the house in the address. It was so inconspicuous that it almost stood out as being too ordinary. especially compared to the surrounding houses, which stood more like miniature castles.
Jackel went up to the door and knocked three times then waited. after what seemed like a long time he was about to knock again when the door swung opened. A man wearing a pretty casual business suite greeted him.
"The doorbell works you know." which was the man's Idea of a greeting. "You can call me Raphael, Welcome to the Order of Luminous Knights.
Jackel reached out to shake the man's hand but Raphael did not reciprocate the gesture. He simply gave a small bow and invited Jackel inside.
The Inside of the house betrayed the exterior. every corner was decorated with statues of gods from various religions, the ceiling had a grand painting of angels and maidens. Jackel was immediately impressed although this only increased his belief of the possibility of it being a cult.
Raphael lead Jackel to the center of the house. There was a round table that could seat around thirteen people. he asked Jackel to sit.
At the table, there were 5 other present. Judging by their dazzled expressions. Jackel assumed they were all participants.
"we are expecting one more, and the orientations will begin"
Sitting next to Jackel was a gorgeous girl with green eyes, she was a blonde but part of her hair was dyed pink. Jackel was not usually easily seduced but the girl gave off an incredible aura of seduction that Jackel felt quite guilty being so close to her.
Advertisement
"Did you find the odd message on line too?" The girl asked Jackel.
Jackel nodded.
"It's weird, I don't really understand the message and wouldn't paid any attention but something made me want to come and check it out" the girl continued
"I felt like I had to come to this as well, but the message was a little cryptic" Jackel replied
" I know right? I am Rydia by the way." The girls said with a charming smile
"Jackel" Jackel replied
A man who was wearing a similar suite to Raphael entered the room.
"It would seem the other two are not ready, we shall continue without them" The man said to Raphael.
"But we need all seven of them!" Raphael demanded.
"The father spoke, it will have to be another time" The man replied
With it said. The man turned to the five young people gathered at the table.
"I am Michael, The chief of this Order. You are all here in the name of redemption"
At this point, every flag was raised in Jackel's mind. this is a cult, there's no doubt.
While thinking of a way to excuse himself from this "orientations", Michael spoke again.
"It is not an accident you were summoned here, you did not stumble on our website by chance, The truth is each and every one of you is a sinner. or should I say the source of a sin.
Oh shit this is bad, this is very bad. Jackel didn't like how this meeting was going. It could potentially be a very dangerous cult.
The other people were also shifting in their seats while looking very uneasy.
"of course, I do not expect you do believe me. Or for you to remember your true natures. Therefore, I had no choice to "guide" you here for a forceful initiation. Trust me, It's good for your own soul"
Upon hearing this, Jackel got up from his seat and was ready to head to the door. But his feet wouldn't cooperate and he just stood frozen.
"what did you do?" Jackel cried. He looked down at the floor and there was faint glow that outlined what looked like a very elaborate symbol painted in a circle.
"we had to take some measures against being such as yourself. If you think yourself a human and it's the truth. You should have every ability to walk out the door".
The young people at the table looked terrified, Rydia was close to tears.
Raphael entered the room with a tray full of chalices and put one in front of each person at the table. He handed the chalice directly to the standing Jackel. and walked off.
"what this?" Jackel tried to sound confident but there was obvious fear in his voice.
"This is blessed wine that will cleanse the impurities in your body and mind, It will even rid you of all that built up medication in your blood"
"how did you?...I am not drinking this" As Jackel was rejecting the wine, he noticed everyone else was taking a sip. Why the hell are they drinking this thing. While in thought Jackel noticed he was slowly bringing the cup to his lips. NOOOO! Jackel smashed the chalice on the floor and wined spilled on to the carpet.
"I was afraid it will have to come to this. After all, you are the most stubborn of the bunch" Michael said as he approached Jackel. When Michael was just a few feet away, Jackel noticed he was holding a white dagger decorated by the wings of an eagle and a star.
"What do you think you are doing?" Jackel said alarmingly.
But Michael leaped forward like a nimble cat and stabbed Jackel in the heart.
Jackel coughed in shock, his vision blurred and everything went black.
Advertisement
The Beginning After The End
King Grey has unrivaled strength, wealth, and prestige in a world governed by martial ability. However, solitude lingers closely behind those with great power. Beneath the glamorous exterior of a powerful king lurks the shell of man, devoid of purpose and will.Reincarnated into a new world filled with magic and monsters, the king has a second chance to relive his life. Correcting the mistakes of his past will not be his only challenge, however. Underneath the peace and prosperity of the new world is an undercurrent threatening to destroy everything he has worked for, questioning his role and reason for being born again.
8 1108Lazy Dragon Queen: Gaming in an Illogical World
Other Tags: Tower Defense | Crafting | Anti-Cat Propaganda Have you ever thought to yourself, “tfw no qt3.14 dragon girl gf to play vidya with?” Are you one of those lonely people who claim to prefer single-player games because you have nobody to play multiplayer games with? Do you wish that you could have a harem of cute, 10/10 waifus who just want to play video games, be lazy with you, and do cute romantic things? Then congratulations! You don’t get any of those things, but Drake does. You do, however, get the opportunity to live vicariously through Drake as he goes to a lazy dragon’s (read: best girl’s) pocket universe that has been designed to be the perfect survival / tower defense / crafting hybrid game-turned-reality! Have I mentioned that there are cute dogs and bees involved? What about the bodybuilder cat enemies? Or the fact that I, the best informational status window and synopsis writer ever, Window, am in the story? Oh, and you might want to keep in mind that the dragon in charge of the universe dislikes all things rational, logical, and other boring things like those. --- Volume 1 now available on Amazon! Cover art by ErosPanda! Full-sized version of the cover art here!
8 309Salted Shores
An unknown gang of arsonists has targeted mansions, yachts, and corporations on a ruthless campaign of escalating violence. Have the locals living in Loony Maine had enough of being pushed around, and forced out of their homes by the rich who want the shores all for themselves, or is it a conspiracy that runs much deeper?
8 136BODY&SHADOW
AN ILLUSTRATED NOVEL • UPDATES TUESDAY AND FRIDAY In a time before living memory, the King Dragon of the Void watched the world and realized there was a crack. He realized that humanity was destroying the rock upon which they lived; they leaked life’s code into the churning chaos. At first the change was imperceptible: nanites overtook microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, amoebas. Insects became increasingly inorganic; birds and lizards followed soon after. Even humans were infected by their own advances, cell by cell, till there was not a person left on earth who wasn’t at least part synthetic, the product of a prior generation’s carelessness. The world’s population was ravaged by mechanical viruses with no vaccines; they were mercilessly overtaken by bacteria that knew no death. Soon, most of the planet was empty and only a handful remained who remembered the hedonist realm they came from; only a few were left who remembered what the world looked like when their buildings touched the sky. The King Dragon of the Void watched the rock turn. He watched humans cower as the Old World fell down around them; watched their great monuments crumble into dusty ruins; watched their codes become precious, ancient gem memories forged under the crushing pressure of so many fallen stones. The world has spun many times around the sun since chaos swallowed man whole. It is a simpler time than the one that died out, but the people now are not immune to the folly of the people before. There is old code everywhere: in the water, in the air, in the trees. The heart of man has been replaced by power cores, many of which are hard-coded with preternatural abilities—when they die, an esoteric mountain sect collects their cores and stores them in their hollow mountain home to preserve the sanctity and dignity of human death. They’ve learned to harness artifacts of the old world, gemstones full of codes their nanite infused bodies can parse as spells imbuing their users with great power; they inlay them into their bodies, into their skins, connected to their cores by copper conduit and gold tracers; they dress themselves in tattoos to advertise their prowess; they battle for relics in arenas, fight for them in the open world wherever they are found. The King Dragon of the Void watches the rock turn and wonders: when will this hunger finally make the rock stop spinning? WELCOME TO FANXING CITY … Twenty-five years ago, Fanxing City and the surrounding lands were commanded by the mad King Zao Beiguan. For many years, the King hoarded wealth, artifacts, food; he demanded tribute from a people already taxed to the edges of their existence and expected they be happy with their circumstances. Noncompliance was often punished harshly, bodies displayed proudly on Fanxing’s streets as a warning, from the city gates to the Zao palace’s golden doors. The youths of several prominent clans came together to overthrow the tyrant and made names for themselves as legendary heroes across the land: Tian, Ren, Feng, Gui, Ma, and Zhenxi. Even wanderers from the Luanshi sect descended from Yunji mountain to aid the rebellion. When the dust settled after three years, Tian Yunyong ascended the throne of Fanxing and swore to honour his slain father’s memory, and has maintained Fanxing’s peace with generosity and mercy where fear and cruelty once reigned.
8 72Adversary
What makes a Hero? Is it the drive to do right? The need to stand up for those who cannot do so themselves? The wish and ability to make a change? Or is it merely the person who stands victorious? History is written by the victor, after all. The concept of 'Heroism' has changed countless times throughout human history. One man's 'Hero' is someone else's 'Villain.' Who says the 'Villain' can't save the day? Who says the 'Villain' can't be the 'Hero'?
8 222NEGATIVE ZERO: Walking With Memories
After escaping the grasps of Xal's chaos, Sana and her friends returned back to Azumore- with the news of the Kionhou sisters gone forever. At a final plead, upon the awakening of Minatozaki Sana, she set her verge to return the Kionhous in the world she normally known. Will they remember who their friends were? or is there more secrets hidden behind their identity?⚠️⚠️⚠️ Before proceeding to the book, Make sure to read Negative Zero to understand the story in it's full capacity :D ⚠️⚠️⚠️
8 119