《Tanka's and Haiku's》Chapter 22: Haiku #22
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Summer Morning
(Sophia Sandoval)
The sunlight seeping
Makes the dust fly everywhere
Its warm and dusty
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Apollyon's Curse
Within the pages of folklore and fantasy, tales of people who chase after the dream of eternity, of living forever, rarely find a happy ending. They are either struck by the grim truth of reality, give up, and return to mortality or face a ghastly realization of their wishes. The latter often the worse fate, as they come to realize, only far too late, that what they sacrificed was worth far more than the time they gained. Ultimately, the common thread in these stories is that “immortality is as much a curse as it is a blessing”. People either realize it early and give up or are doomed to inevitably face its consequences. In the world Enrich lives in, that saying does hold merit. Every pathway towards eternal life has shackles of its own. They bring those high above down to the ground, evening the playing field. It is thanks to these fundamental laws that ambitious mortals are able to defy the heavens and achieve immortality themselves. The variety of methods result in each of these bindings varying in intensity and degree of freedom. Enrich’s path doesn't break this trend. Though, after what he did to himself, most wouldn’t even consider him a living thing anymore. On the day of his ascension, a world’s worth of souls were melted and recast. On that day, the human’s path had reached its conclusion, recast into Apollyon. An artifact, a weapon, is eternal, after all. As for the curse? The payment will be made, as it must. So why not offload the curse to someone else? Mortals throw their lives away for all manner of petty reasons, noble or otherwise, especially in desperation. Eventually, someone will be willing to foot the bill. Most will if given the chance. The bait is far too tempting, after all. Power, status, knowledge. All at their fingertips. If only they say “yes”. And Apollyon is very willing to help any lost souls. If they give up everything in return, of course.
8 116The One and Only
Candle Dragon's eyes, Qiong Qi's energy, Rok's wings, Flying Serpent's enchantment…each of it brought him an insane ability. With a sword in his hand, he could smash the sky and conquer the universe. He cared little about the afterlife, he only wanted to live life to its fullest in this life! Read all of the updated chapters ahead on Flying-Lines.
8 100Again
Most villains, no matter how terrifying, are defeated by a hero on the first try. The hero may be forced to flee or otherwise delay the real confrontation, but it’s still certain that he will win when it occurs. But some villains simply defeat all comers. Against an opponent like that, the only options are to give up or to try again. --- This story is a participant of the WriTEr's pledge. In short, I promise to finish it, and may I be Hall of Shamed if I don't.
8 92The Love He Never Understood
A frail and petite girl defied the Lords to take what is rightfully hers .
8 130Queen of the Night (Witchfire 1)
Chance Nightshade, daughter of the Melbourne City Alpha, will avenge her brother's murder at any cost. Even if it means working with a charming vampire prince. *****Cursed with yellow eyes and the ability to tell truth from lies, Chance Nightshade is used to confronting the uncomfortable reality of things. But when a death in the family snowballs into a shadow war between werewolves and vampires, Chance finds herself torn between protecting her pack and working with a charming vampire prince to solve her brother's murder. Can she prevent the destruction of everything she holds dear by putting her faith in her enemy? Or will she be forced to save herself and her people by taking up her father's mantle as Alpha...whether he's willing to step down or not?[[word count: 90,000-100,000 words]][If you enjoy this story, please consider supporting my work by leaving a review on Goodreads!][Queen of the Night is Book 1 in the Witchfire Series, followed by King of the Mountain and Legion of the Lost]Cover designed by Stefanie Saw
8 186The Deadly Trick
Bill Reeves was a normal guy. Had a job. Bought a small house. Married his high school sweetheart. Has kids. Just your regular Joe.But after life had flung his dice into the chasm of hell, Bill lost everything. Divorced, unemployed, homeless and having not seen his kids for three years, Bill found a ticket to the magic show that is the talk of the world. Worth good money.Has Bill finally found his golden ticket?Or did something else find him?
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