《Perspectives on Madness》Chapter 0004 - A Voice in the H.I.V.E.
Advertisement
>
With an aching head and a fuzzy gaze, Duan Jian lifted his heavy eyes open. He found himself on the moss-covered stone floor of a tiny prison cell. Distorted screams and scratchy voices echoed throughout the area. The air was stuffy and reeked.
Across from his run-down cell, he could see dozens of other prison inmates. Hidden in the dense shadows, they clutched their knees in hunger, waiting for something edible. To Duan Jian's astonishment, every single inmate had ocean-blue hair; no exception.
He moved his attention away and focused back on himself. Even though he showed himself in an arrogant demeanour yesterday, he did it only to impress other people. Being now alone and by himself, he leaned his jade-white back against the cold stonewall and gave a heavy sigh. "At least the wall supports me…"
He pulled his knees up to his head and hugged them tightly, blocking all noises. They were now the only things that gave him warmth in this cold world. With his face buried between his knees, hidden from view, he let loose of his feelings and a lonely tear fought its way down his face.
The silence in this darkness calmed his heart and his breathing got softer.
He snuggled closer to his black trousers and pressed his face tightly on it. Shortly after, he moved his delicate face away from the fluffy cloth and stared at the ceiling, going through his memories.
"*sigh* I'm tired of it all," he muttered under his soft breath.
Shifting his hand towards his head, he ran his rough hand through his snow-white hair, trying to get rid of the rose-red blood in vain. Only a single thought remained in his head: Will I die alone?
"HEY, YOU SAVAGE!!" howled a deafening voice, crushing against his ears. "KEKEKEKEKE~~" a heinous, female laughter scratched at his pain-ridden ears, sending him a shudder down his spine.
Advertisement
Duan Jian raised his voice and screamed back, "Who are you?! No… Where are you?!" But his questions were left unanswered. The devilish voice continued talking, pressing its next words through its gritted teeth, "Oh~, you puny boy~~."
". . ."
Duan Jian's heart knocked against his rib cage, begging to be let out. A wet and moist breath floated into his ear. In a swift motion, he shot an icicle towards that direction, decimating a part of the wall in the process. But there was no one, not a single living being.
The scratchy voice sounded out again, "So…, you hate being alone? Should I keep you company?" The voice moved closer and whispered, "Let's have some fun~. You and me, just the two of us. Kekeke!"
Duan Jian's eyes contracted, his heart stopped beating, and his breath faded away. Ocean-blue veins popped up at his neck, crawling like earthworms. His icy-blue eyes turned a crimson-red colour and he hissed under his gritted teeth, "How dare you!"
Life faded away from Duan Jian's eyes. His snow-white hair turned ocean-blue in seconds, the bulging veins hid themselves under the skin again, and his now serpentine eyes radiated of pride.
A pugnacious smirk cracked onto his face. Licking his lips, he whispered in a hoarse and flirty voice: "Just lean back and enjoy the ride, little boy~."
With a straight back and his head held high, he walked with wide strides towards the rusty iron bars of the prison cell.
At that moment, a single prison guard walked by this run-down cell. The guard was clad in a damnation-black military outfit. A casket-black military hat sat on his head, accenting his devilish smile and sharp and murderous teeth even more.
Seeing the symbol of a black raven on the guard's hat, Duan Jian couldn't keep calm anymore. His fingers slithered along the rusty iron bars, waiting for its prey to come closer. His breathing got rasher and ragged, not able of hiding his excitement.
Advertisement
"A little bit more~… just a little bit more~," he whispered to himself as if he was trying to calm himself down and be more patient.
His rough hands continued slithering and coiling around the rusty iron bars. The military clad guard marched in lockstep forward; his night-black dog tags were chinking and dinging with each stomp.
Duan Jian swallowed his saliva. When the guard was directly in front of him, he shot his slithering hand forward, his fingers forming into fangs. In a swift motion, he clutched his dog tags and pulled him closer - closer to his doom.
The surprised and soldierly guard couldn't react in time and was smashed face-first into the iron bars. Not waiting for the angered guard to recover, Duan Jian pulled his foot backward like a bow string and shot it between the guard's legs, hitting his only weak spot.
But to his surprise, the guard didn't even twitch a single eye lid. With no other choice left, Duan Jian balled his other hand to a fist. With bones cracking and popping, his fist was shrilling through the heavy air, hitting the forehead of the savage-looking guard.
The soldiery guard screamed and screeched in pain, alarming every guard in the facility. His eyes turned white and he fell unconscious. Not having time to waste, Duan Jian slithered his fingers into the guard's pockets and pulled a golden key out.
Unlocking the rusty gate, Duan Jian pulled the sorry-looking guard into his dark and stench-filled cell. He stripped the guard half-naked and changed clothes with him.
Just as he finished changing, a group of guards arrived in lockstep and in an orderly manner in front of the cell. The leader of the group, wearing purple dog tags, scanned the dog tags around Duan Jian's neck and screamed, "G54, what happened here?!"
Duan Jian straightened himself and made a military salute. "Reporting! LV30C10 was acting out of line and I taught him a lesson."
The group leader responded with a slight nod and continued his patrol.
Duan Jian cracked a smile and sniggered under his teeth. He stepped out of the cell and locked it tight, not sparing the person inside another look.
With his back straight, head held high, and clattering and clanking dog tags, he slandered along the corridor into the boiling darkness of unknown dangers.
Advertisement
- In Serial57 Chapters
A Void Spirit's Slightly Psychotic Tale
Being a kid is hard. Being the equivalent as a spirit is even harder. What will our protagonist do when it learns that life isn't all fun and games? Come along as a new spirit sees the world and grows, from dumber than a doorknob to quite the intellectual. With the occasional stumble here and there. (*No it is not a reincarnator*)
8 190 - In Serial22 Chapters
Aeon Chronicles Online
Edited Book 1 now available on Kindle Unlimited in all regions! US https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07BKR6FWT Book 2 is now available on Kindle Unlimited! https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07Q4Z3Q9S A dark litRPG novel. After a deadly encounter with a forest wolf, Rowan Black survives thanks to stem cell therapy and experimental bionic brain implants. Rowan's body recovers, but the treatment leaves his memories fragmented and his psyche shattered into something inhumane, irritable, callous—and a tad bit lustful. When Rowan's doctor fails to notice this, his parents reluctantly sends him back to Westwind Highschool, resulting in the murder of Rowan's past bully. After serving juvenile detention in a psychiatric center for two years, 18-year-old Rowan is offered a choice by a powerful corporation: Either spend the next decades in a psychiatric prison or play in their fully-immersive virtual reality game, Aeon Chronicles Online, and grow into the role of the world's next major raid boss that players must defeat. Will Rowan regain his old psyche? How will Aeon Chronicle’s AI controller react to Rowan’s unique mind? Will Rowan receive help in a team-oriented game or is he alone? Find out in this 130k+ word, dark LitRPG novel! This series is part of the LeMort Multiverse.
8 273 - In Serial43 Chapters
The Fallen
Wishing to back out of her suicide attempt only after she hit the ground, the fallen human finds that she is unable to move. When a voice offers to save her for a price, she is too terrified of the darkness to do anything but accept. At first the voice seems helpful, promising to guide her out of the Underground so that she can see the sun again. But as time goes on and her control over her own body begins to slip away, she is forced to face the horrible truth of what she has allowed herself to become. Now she seeks the answer to but one question: can a soulless person save the timeline from shattering?
8 104 - In Serial22 Chapters
Tales of the 33rd universe - A Mech Designer story
Meet Marcus Caelum, since young he wanted nothing else to play with mechs. He studied, worked hard and he finally did it, now he is a Mech Designer (provisional).He achieved his dream and now is the time for realization, he now will learn that not all is great, that there are things to learn and that if he wants to do the job well he better adapt. Cover taken from a Battletech manual. This is my "first" novel so do forgive the quality a bit.It is mostly a Slice of life following what I believe a Mech Designer life would be. It will have action, science, comedy, dark moments and some adventure. It will barely have any romance and little actual combat (he won't go off fighting enemies everywhere, the MC is not a fighter). It's medium sci-fi, most hard science with some mana altering normal materials.The pacing is a bit slow, it takes some time for the story to advance.The first arc is completed and the novel is until further notice on HIATUS.I may continue the Tales of the 47th Universe to try my hand at another style and pacing. More info in chapter 22.
8 169 - In Serial43 Chapters
Void Emperor
When outlander forces attacked planet earth,the solar system’s guardian spirit which most earthlings refer to as God uses the remaining of his power to seal all life forms inside a barrier. From that point on everything became a video game,skill books levels and super powers became the common while old morals friendship and religious ideals became a joke worth nothing. The barrier would protect them for less than 60 years,which should be enough time for earthlings to gather enough power and accumulate enough fate. the system said: reach 100 fate in order to get granted passage to another world,work hard and conquer..survive the darkness to see the light Cut your binding morality shackles and use every means necessary to reach enough fate or perish,from now on it was survival of the fittest. rule of the jungle,rule of the demons! credits for the cover: DeviantArt
8 274 - In Serial13 Chapters
The Beginning - Breath of War
The Beginning: Breath of War tells the story of young man wandering through a ravaged post-apocalyptic world in search of his younger brother. Faced with brutality, death and pain from both humans and the fantasy creatures that have invaded his world, he changes. Togran Ka an Orc Warlord and conqueror of many lands finds himself embroiled in ancient rivalries and blood feuds. His attempts to reunify the Orc clans and adapt to the humans use of technology causes much division and unrest among the clans. But his greatest fear is that the Orcs will lose their ways and become just like the humans they hunt into extinction. Cora a spirited ranger with skills in stealth and ambush heads out with her squadron to protect her settlement. Only to learn of an even greater threat to her home...
8 244

