tragedy

"In the cursed ledgers of the Hastings, I was nothing but a number. In the depths of Lindbrook Mansion, I became a Sovereign." In a world governed by dark bargains and blood oaths, Evangeline was never meant to be more than a sacrifice. As the "Fourth Bride," she was led to the haunting estate of Lindbrook—not to wear white, but to feed the ancient "Contract of Shadows" and preserve a fading nobility’s legacy with her life. The Harrowing Choice Surrounded by the lingering echoes of previous brides who turned to ash, Evangeline faces a choice that defies fate: The Sacrifice: To perish for a curse that was never hers to bear. The Rebellion: To tame the monster lurking within the blood of Lord Valerian—the heir who fears his own touch, lest the darkness behind his eyes consume his bride. The Saga of the Four Elements This is where the chains break. Follow Evangeline’s transformation from a slaughtered victim into a Sovereign of Shadows, redefining the cosmic balance of: Salt | Fire | Air | Spirit Why Add This To Your Library? A Gripping Journey: Dive into 30 chapters of relentless mystery and character growth already available. High Stakes: A grueling quest where immortality is traded for the ultimate human gift: The Freedom of Choice. Epic Scale: A story that turns a prison for souls into a beacon connecting the earth to the stars.

On the night Kazane Namikaze was born, the air itself stilled as she released an overwhelming surge of chakra, far beyond that of any normal infant. Only days after her birth, Kazane developed a severe, unbreakable fever, not from illness, but from her overwhelming chakra. Kazane was not meant to be ordinary. To save her, her parents must attempt the impossible: teach a newborn to master chakra. But in a world that treats powerful children as weapons. Power will come easier than survival.

**WARNING** CONTAINS SCENES OF EXTREME PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AND SEVERE DISTRESSING PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA● My tears fell in silence, without even daring to sob… until his tall shadow fell across the threshold. He stepped inside. Slowly. Heavily. His eyes… locked onto mine. The same eyes people said carried the scent of blood, burdened with a dark and haunted past. I was afraid of him… everyone was afraid of him. And yet, I was certain that behind that predatory gaze, another truth existed. His fingers, trembling with hesitation, reached for my face. His touch was so gentle that it was hard to believe those same hands had once clenched the cold hilt of a Jiàn (剑), [a double-edged Chinese sword]. He stared into my eyes… but he did not see me. I could sense it. His gaze passed straight through me. With longing, he pulled me against his chest, as though he wished to chain my soul to his own. That was when I heard it; the fierce, thunderous beat of his heart beside my ear. My fear dissolved. I was calm. I clutched at his clothes and found stillness in the chill of his embrace... yes, in the arms of the devil! He carried secrets too heavy for the earth to bury, and perhaps some men are better left forgotten!

{WARNING: MATURE CONTENT 18+} The world marches toward an unavoidable ending. A foul, unstoppable plague of corruption called the Scourge is devouring every corner of the world. A king, Ixion, once nobly fought against the vicious, untamed foes; however, the fruitless nature of the fight was that it could only end in one fashion — a pitiful loss. If that was the destined fate of the world, and his resistance would buy a year or two at most… Why spend the little time he has left in the depths of melancholy and grief?! Why not enjoy his life while the world crumbles?! So, Ixion decides to make a list of things he wants to do and accomplish before the world’s demise. A list full of his most devious, lecherous fantasies and desires, alongside a plot of revenge — revenge against the world that had forsaken him.

In a world where power is born of talent and fed by luxury, and after a long exile filled with pain and regret in the depths of the Vargrim Forest, Takeshi finally makes his choice. He breaks the chains of his isolation and throws himself into a dangerous adventure to take back his destiny and face his fear of the unknown. The spark was lit when the Royal Skull Gang attacked his sanctuary to steal his sword—the last piece of his past and the only thing he has left to lose.

After her mother’s death, Su Nian is left behind in a family that does not protect her. Grief turns into silence. Silence turns into cruelty. Accused of crimes she did not commit and abandoned by every adult who should have stood between her and harm, Su Nian learns early that survival often means enduring what should never be endured. Years later, when life finally places someone in her path who sees her wounds instead of her rumors, Su Nian is forced to confront the question she has avoided for most of her life: Can someone who learned to endure learn how to love? A slow-burn story of trauma, healing, and a love that arrives gently when she least believes she deserves it.

The odds were never in his favor. He faced the impossible, bled for victories no one would remember, and walked paths meant to break men. But Peter doesn’t stop. He moves forward—through ash, through silence, through everything that should have ended him. He carries pain like armor and purpose like fire. Not because he believes in destiny— but because turning back was never an option. This is not a tale of heroes. It is the story of a man who endures. A man who keeps walking... even where gods do not. ___________________________ It’s a story about: - survival without instruction, - stillness that screams, - and what happens when you see too clearly — but too late. If you enjoy: - rich worldbuilding like G3, Tolkien or Sanderson, - atmospheric tension with sudden emotional weight, - characters who observe more than they speak, - or the tone of Shadow of the Colossus, Metro, or The Last of Us... ___________________________ what to expect: - no harem (sorry for some of you) - contains strong language and mature themes (text only) - power system similar to one in Shadow Slave - a long-form story with depth and twists ___________________________

"Immortality? That can be lonely. And in the end, everyone will die. It doesn’t matter what you do to escape it—sooner or later, all shall taste death. It is already written; it’s only a matter of when and how. But glory… glory is the answer. Glory will outlive flesh and bones. Glory is what we should strive for, not immortality." ~~~~ Robin Burton was a young man who grew up with everything anyone could ever hope for: immense talent in cultivation, a sharp mind, and a wealthy family that would stop at nothing to protect and nurture him. He had everything—except the will to make use of it. "Why should I walk the same path as my ancestors? Why must I seek strength just to defeat one rival or compete with another? That is not what I was born for!" --- “…Heh\~” Robin let out a long sigh. “Pursuing power was never my goal. I left my family and secluded myself to escape those pointless struggles for authority. I wanted to explore the universe, and to explore myself first… yet time and again, I was dragged into devastating wars. I wanted to benefit people with my knowledge and immortalize my name, yet worlds fell and hundreds of billions died because of me. Ironic, hah?”

The iron in Syzespol is rotting, and the city has finally started to scream. ​Vargas is a man dragging a corpse of a life through the acidic filth of the Lower District. He’s held together by a 'Hip Clock'—a jagged piece of machinery jammed into his pelvis that grinds bone into powder every time he moves. He isn't just running for his life; he’s fighting for a son who is becoming a stranger. Brant’s skin is turning into clicking, oily plates, and his heartbeat has been replaced by the cold, rhythmic hum of an engine. The boy’s eyes don't see a father anymore; they only reflect the predatory hunger of the Grey Marshes. ​Old prisons are breathing again. Hunters are stalking the fog. As they descend toward the rusted spires where the air tastes like ammonia and burnt grease, Vargas faces a jagged, ugly truth: you can patch up the flesh, but you can’t save the soul. In a city built on the bones of the weak, the Industrial Furnace is always hungry. ​When they reach the bottom, the question isn’t who will survive—it’s whether anything human will be left to stand.

In New York, where corporations have completely replaced the state, and a human being is worth exactly as much as their blood and organs, 27-year-old barista Ethan Hitcher lives as invisibly as possible.
His only weakness is a girl named Mari — a street artist who still believes that paintings can wake someone up. One night a drunk heir to a corporation kills Mari right in front of Ethan.
The murder is officially recorded as an “accident”.
Society rages for three days. Then — silence.
Ethan is offered $5,000 and a nondisclosure agreement.
He refuses. Now Ethan begins, methodically and without unnecessary noise, to break the system from the inside — using its own rules and loopholes.
But most importantly: he is an ordinary person, and they are vampires… Charters art inst: archivelampich

Ashe has always believed his ability to see ghosts was a curse—an unwanted side effect of standing too close to death for too long. From childhood onward, spirits followed him, whispered to him, and sometimes screamed his name in voices only he could hear. Ignoring them became a survival instinct. What Ashe doesn’t know is that something else has been watching from inside him.

https://www.royalroad.com/profile/814934 "I will be posting this story on RoyalRoad.com." In the tale of history and the shrouds of darkness, who was watching? Who was calling?  The Voices of the unseen watching from the rifts, awaiting their time of calamity. In the Shadow of the gods and monsters, nestled between nations lies a place not marked on any official map, A place known only to those who need it most. They call it the  House of Red-Hill. To the mundane, it's a charitable home for war orphans and lost children. A quiet estate just beyond the edge of the Nation of Aegis, run by a woman once hailed as the brightest mind, but Red-Hill is no sanctuary. beneath its warm halls and shared meals, the children are trained in silence, secrecy, and survival. They are taught not to pray but to act, to kill, to protect.  Each child is raised to not just face the monsters lurking in the shadows but to be bought, licensed, and employed by those afraid to rely on divine mercy alone.  Some call it salvation, Others call it exploitation. But to the children of Red-Hill, it's just home. And every night, when the rifts groan, they lie awake in their beds.... waiting for their next assignment.

Recently, a reporter from the World Economic Journal risked their life to secure an exclusive interview with the pirate who had just risen to the rank of one of the Four Emperors—Louis Bardell. Now known across the seas as “Pirate Commodore Bardell,” he carries a reputation unlike any other. Every captain he had ever sworn loyalty to was dead. Capone “Gang” Bege. Gecko Moria. Shiki the Golden Lion. Charlotte Linlin. One after another, the giants of the era fell. And yet Bardell alone climbed higher. From subordinate… to survivor… to Emperor of the Sea. To the world at large, Bardell is the most cunning fraud of the Great Pirate Era—a master schemer, a manipulator of grand designs, an ambitious mind said to rival even Blackbeard himself. But when confronted by the reporter, the newly crowned Emperor nearly burst into tears. “They’ve completely lost their minds with these theories!” Bardell complained bitterly. “They keep saying I betrayed my captains from the shadows. Tell me—does anyone honestly think I’m smart enough to pull that off?” He looked genuinely aggrieved. “Every captain I ever joined died in some kind of accident. I don’t even know what’s going on anymore!” He threw his hands in the air. “And becoming one of the Four Emperors? That wasn’t even my idea! Big Mom was terrifyingly strong, and then—bam!—she was just gone! The next thing I know, everyone pushes me forward and says I’m the new Emperor!” He leaned toward the reporter urgently. “You’re journalists. Report the truth! Clear my name! Print more papers if you have to, alright?!” The reporter merely adjusted their glasses and calmly finished their notes. Observe closely. Even at the pinnacle of success, the great fraud remains flawless—careful, airtight, never leaving a single crack in his story.

A kid from the slums decides to test his luck by climbing the gargantuan, mystical tower over his town. Anyone who reaches the top floor will have their wish granted, whatever it is. If he makes it to the tower's peak, he and his family will be well-off for the rest of their lives. Yet, this proves to be a challenge far too tall for a 12-year-old boy. Equipped with abilities bestowed by the tower, will he see his dream come to light... or will his family never hear from him again?

"You will suffice" something whispered inside Raizen's head. He didn't understand what it meant. By the time he did, it was already too late. Nyxes - creatures of living shadow he swore to erase - have hunted humanity for as long as anyone remembers. Mindless. Relentless. Unquestioned. The Vanguards kill them, history doesn’t want to remember them, and nobody wants to ask what came before. But something did come before. Something older than the monsters. Something that looked at Raizen dying and decided he was worth keeping. Waiting. Silently. Now, he walks in a world built on lies. Pretty ones, too. Eon turns desperation into miracles, Luminite weapons rewrite the rules of what's possible and what's not... But beneath it all - buried mysteries that should be dead keep coming to light. If he wants to survive, he needs to get stronger. If he wants answers, he must become someone not even the nightmares can ignore. …But to win? He may have to end anything in his path - and hope he doesn't give the voice exactly what it wanted.

Sequel to Vessels of Ruin- Book 1: The First Seal

A young man who belonged to the dregs of society is chosen by fate to become a hunter. Now he must hunt beasts to survive and avoid becoming prey while fighting to protect those he loves. Discovering, then, the true meaning of violence. Bloodshed....

Oren falls into a foreign land after surviving something that should have erased him entirely. Whatever he once was, whatever power or purpose he held, is gone. He awakens weak, human, and surrounded by people who treat suffering as routine and survival as currency. ( will probably change) (Author’s note: The title of this story may change in the future. Those who continue reading will understand that the current title relates to the MC’s past.)

“The law may be blind, but our bullets never miss. If justice has no place for you, come to our café. Order the bitterest espresso… and we will ensure your enemy tastes a far more bitter remainder of life.” In a dim corner of the city stands an Italian café known as La Mensa. Its aroma is irresistible, its coffee flawless, its service beyond reproach. Yet for those carrying wounds the law cannot heal, La Mensa offers something not written on the menu: Justice. Run by four former high-ranking members of the Italian Mafia who long ago abandoned morality, La Mensa is more than a place to rest. Behind closed doors, they become judge, jury, and Il Boia—the executioner—for the scum who slipped through the grasp of the legal system. One special order. One cup of pitch-black espresso. And one question from the owner, Vincenzo Valenti: “How bitter do you want your enemy to suffer?” The moment you drink, Il Patto di Sangue—the Blood Contract—begins. No mercy. No compassion. They do not come to arrest you; they come to strip everything you own through Espropriazione—confiscation—and dismantle your life down to its very foundation. Behind Venetian maschera and immaculate suits, the team of La Mensa ensures that every sin is paid for at the highest possible price. Because to them, the law may be blind… but their bullets never miss. “Welcome to La Mensa. Please enjoy your espresso.” ⚠️ DISCLAIMER & CONTENT WARNING This story is a work of fiction intended for mature readers (18+). Case Inspiration: Some events depicted in this story are inspired by or loosely reference real-life incidents within society. The author presents them as a form of social commentary, not to diminish or exploit the suffering of real victims. All resolutions and outcomes portrayed in this story are purely fictional and must not be imitated. Graphic Content: Readers will encounter explicit violence, torture, strong language, and acts of vigilantism carried out by the main characters. Morality: The characters in this story are anti-heroes. The author does not condone their actions in real life. If you feel uncomfortable with themes of brutal revenge or are sensitive to potentially triggering subjects, you are advised to stop reading here. “At La Mensa, we do not serve sweet lies. We serve bitter truths. Read wisely.”