《Perspectives on Madness》Chapter 0005 - My Little Soldier
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Slandering through the ashen darkness, Duan Jian arrived before a gigantic, golden door. On each side of the sunrise-golden door stood a small army of soldiers clad in raven-black amour. With their spears raised and ready, they pointed them at him.
From each small army, a scar-ridden leader stepped forward, sending the dust from the ground with each step into turmoil. Like a united being, they both shouted; "STOP!" towards Duan Jian at the same time.
Duan Jian halted in his steps and tore his dog tags from his neck, throwing them towards one of the guards.
The soldiery guard clutched them with his bony hand and gave them a slight scan from his elf-sharp eyes. Sparing Duan Jian a last glance, he threw the dog tags back at him and moved back into formation, making way for Duan Jian.
His blood-red eyes changed back to their icy-blue colour and his conscious returned. The only thing that stayed the same was his ocean-blue hair, cascading down his head.
At this moment, he could hear a familiar voice again, which gave him goose bumps - simply spine-chilling. "Little boy~, let's have some more fun next time."
The heavy, golden door creaked open, showing an enormous land of green in front of him. From grasslands and flowers to waterfalls and big trees, everything looked awe-inspiring.
After he stepped through the door, a cherry blossom sweet smell assaulted his nostrils. A whiff of baked-apples was lying in the fresh air and accented the sweetness of the air even more. Looking at the mint-green leaves of the proudly erected trees, he felt like he walked into a picture book.
The beauty of the forest not only comforted Duan Jian's heart, it seemed that it was also enjoyed by the animals living in it.
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Yolk-yellow ducklings waddled along the riverside, sticking their cute butt feathers clumsily towards the air. With a pleased look in their innocent eyes, they followed their mother and gave an occasional "grackgrack" from them.
The nut-brown deer stood peacefully in the flower field, surrounded by busy bees.
Unnoticed by the mesmerized Duan Jian, the enormous, golden door closed tightly behind him.
With freedom lying in front of him, Duan Jian couldn't help himself and a bright smile blossomed on his face. He hummed a mesmerizing song and followed the path of gravel deeper into the fairy-like forest.
Even though he had never seen this forest near the city, he gave it no heed and just enjoyed this moment of bliss. Putting his hands into his pockets while walking further, he looked like an innocent person taking a stroll in the park.
After having walked more than five minutes, the noises of a surging waterfall could be heard. Following the gravel path even further, he stood before an aquarium-blue waterfall. The water drizzled onto the rocks under it, lifting a curtain of white smoke. The flowers next to it were swinging along and had a honey sweet smell.
Lowering his gaze even more, he saw a petite woman sitting on a throne under the waterfall. The cloud-white mist from the waterfall extended from under the throne like a carpet only for gods themselves to use.
The petite woman had ore-golden, bright hair which flowed over her right shoulder. Her dreamy, duckling-yellow eyes accented her pencil-thin eyebrows. Even a sculptor couldn't have created a better Amazonian figure than hers. Wearing an Eden-green dress, she seemed like she had a gentle and cheerful character.
Opening her sugar sweet lips and showing her angel-white teeth, she formed a soothing smile which eased his heart. With an enchanting and melodious voice she asked, "What are you here for, my little soldier?"
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Duan Jian chocked on his words and didn't know what to say. No matter what he would say, he would embarrass himself in front of her. Moreover, he got a familiar feeling from her, as if he knew her. In his panic, he just said what came to his mind to avoid an awkward silence. "Oh. Ahmm… I am on the way to the city. I think I took a wrong turn."
The woman only gave a light smile in return, chuckled, and stood up from her throne. She gracefully walked over the carpet of cloud-white mist towards Duan Jian. Standing next to him, she leaned her head next to Duan Jian's ear and whispered to him in a seductive manner, "You're not my little soldier."
Duan Jian was left perplexed. 'What does she mean?'
Shifting back her head, she continued in a voice no songbird could match, "Every solder of mine knows that this is my throne room. How could any of my sweet, little soldiers mistake my throne room for the outside world or anything else?"
Only now did Duan Jian understand. He hasn't left the H.I.V.E. prison at all! He was still in it, and adding to his mistake, he was in the throne room of the owner of the prison! That was the worst place he could have come to!
Duan Jian started to curse that mysterious voice in his mind for sending him in here.
Within a split-second, the petite woman sat elegantly on the throne again. A lavender-purple hue flashed through her yellow eyes as a golden crown thrice the size of her head appeared above her.
Shortly after, the non-existent sky turned casket-black and thunder was cracking and crashing above their heads. The thunder rang out across the area, echoing through the throne room. A single lightning fought its way through the grumpy, black clouds and shot full of anger towards Duan Jian.
Having a good reaction, Duan Jian could evade the thunder in time. He started sprinting towards the exit to flee from this monster. He also tried to summon his head gear to no avail. It seemed that the puppet ate it last time and his cultivation was now non-existent.
Ghost-white mist crawled out from the ground and slithered along the ground. Cold and heavy raindrops fell from the outraged clouds and drenched Duan Jian. His breathing became ragged and uncontrolled; he didn't know if she followed him or not, but he also wasn't willing to turn around to look.
With his hawk-like gaze focused on the far away golden door, he ran for his life.
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The Right Place At The Wrong Time
"What will you feel if, by inevitable circumstance, you never see your most beloved ever again?" ~~~ In the year 2000, 18-year-old Steven Vincenzo moved from the Philippines to the USA due to his father's promotion. They settle down in a small neighborhood known as Izzaya, in a city called Haggrew. Just a few days after moving, he finds out about a dark past from the Prohibition Era that still haunts the neighborhood, a dark past full of grizzly murders and kidnappings. Determined to know more about it, he finds out that there are ties to an old abandoned house he always passes by in the neighborhood, seeing it as a lead. Hesitant at first, due to the fear of breaking and entering. In order to find out more, he needed to go into the abandoned house where he finds a mysterious door that isn't like any other in the house. The infamous door that was presumed to be "The Culprit's Room." He enters the room where he suddenly got sucked in by an unstoppable force. He wakes up outside the abandoned house, to a confused girl in front of him trying to get him back into his senses. This girl was wearing vintage clothing and had quite a distinct accent that Steven had never heard of before, except in movies and TV series. Looking around, he knew something was definitely wrong. The abandoned house looked newly built along with other old houses in the vicinity. Trying to understand the situation he's in with all the clues he has, he eventually asks the girl what year it currently was to confirm his speculations. To this, the girl replies with a serious tone, "1927." Steven doesn't know what to do with all this information. Will he be happy that he could know more about the dark past and possibly try preventing it? Will he be distressed in trying to figure out how to come back to his own time?
8 187A Tale From Azaad
Desperate and wandering, a young lord stumbles upon unknown knowledge that can help to overturn his peoples’ destiny. But can he rise to bring the prosperity his people need, or fall before it can ever take shape? AN: I hate writing synopses, so I'd recommend reading a few chapters before making a decision. Also, it's tagged as an isekai but those tropes don't appear. Warnings: I mention them, but there are a few chapters that are really gruesome. Furthermore, the innovations and advancements don't come into play until a lot later, though the framework for it all is built up early. Inspirations: South Asian history, Tales of a Reincarnated Lord and some of the histroical and kingdom-building stories on RR are inspirations for this work. If you enjoy politics, clever strategies, nation-building and technological advancement, then this story might interest you. Schedule: New chapter every Saturday at 3PM PST.
8 79Cursed Genesis
Hundreds of years ago, a natural scourge appeared in the world of Nyana, Horrors. Horrors corrupted the lands and killed humans, feasting on their fear. Hundreds of years later they were still a problem, but a small group had dedicated their lives to hunting down the Horrors for generations. They were raised by the Master, and they called themselves the Cursed. Ilon is the youngest of the Cursed and had thought that Horrors were a natural part of the world, that is, until he comes across an attempt to transform a living human into a Horror. The only clue he has to uncovering one of the biggest secrets of the world is that it was done by someone with violet eyes. Follow Ilon as he seeks the answers to the mysteries of the world. What exactly are the Horrors? What causes them to form? What are the Cursed? And who is the person with violet eyes? Schedule: M W F [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 126Welcome to the Upward Bound System, V.3
They say third times the charm. With every iteration we improve. When the System came to Earth, it changed everything. It is a grand thing used by gods and men alike. What had once been fantasy was now a reality. People believed and so that belief gave ideas the strength to manifest. "Welcome Founder of the SCP Foundation" It stirred the gods from their deathly slumbers. Stirred by an almost mechanical voice promising them new life, and followers as countless as the stars. All it asked of them was for their help. Help with what though? The old gods, the forgotten gods, and the new gods drew breath, and then made their voices heard. On a day like any other Dante was home from college watching the Presidential inauguration with his parents. Little did they know that this day would turn out to be anything but ordinary. That this was the day everything changed. Dante is not your typical MC. While he has a troubled past, he looks forward to the future. Follow Dante, his parents, and the new friends he meets along the way as they traverse this new system world. However, before they can explore this new world they must complete, the Tutorial. (Please note: This tutorial will be part of the story. Rather than a skim of the information, you will get to experience it in depth. So the tutorial will last a good while.) A much slower style of LitRpg than what you would normally find. Follow Dante and his party as they find their world taken over by the system. Welcome people of Earth to the Upward Bound System!... With the system's arrival so too does great danger come... The tools of your survival shall be granted upon you by the system... Please note, I don't own the art. Please enjoy the story, and if you don't please leave a comment and I will try to improve the story for you. This is the second version of this story, so feel free to check out the original and compare the two.
8 145Agent 13 (Book 1)
"With all due respect sir, adding a new member to this team will only slow us down.""On the contrary, if anything your team will slow her down."***She's the ghost story you tell around a camp fire. The monster that hides in your closet. The nightmare that wakes you from your sleep. She's the definition of the word 'deadly'. She never smiles, never shows any emotion other than a blank stare. Unless, she's pissed, then it shows. She doesn't trust any of the other agents, only the chief. She doesn't play nice with others. She's a solo agent, always works alone, but that's about to change. Respect her and she'll take a bullet for you. Mistreat her and she'll put a bullet in you...if you're lucky. She's Agent 13...***Book 1***Highest Ranking: #1 in Action
8 144The Slump God (Stokeley Imagines)
Imagine that...
8 233