mystery

"He said his name was Elmer. I don’t think that was true. But then again, nothing about him ever really was."

Death was supposed to be the end of Lukas’ miserable life. Instead, he wakes up in a world where humanity fights monstrous Star Beasts and awakens supernatural talents. But fate plays a cruel joke on him once again. While everyone awakens powerful abilities, Lukas receives the weakest talent in history: a pathetic skeleton summon barely capable of fighting. Mocked as trash and abandoned by hope, Lukas discovers a terrifying secret during his first hunt. His skeleton can evolve. By devouring the bones of fallen monsters, it inherits their skills, bloodlines, and powers. A Fire Phoenix grants Wings of Nirvana. A Star Wolf grants Meteor Momentum. Ancient creatures become stepping stones for endless evolution. While others rely on talent, Lukas claws his way upward through blood, cunning, and relentless effort. From wandering merchant to monster hunter, from nameless nobody to humanity’s greatest awakener, he walks a path no one else dares to tread. In a world where the strong rule everything, Lukas will prove one truth: Even the weakest summon can become a nightmare capable of devouring the stars themselves.

Power comes with a cost... and it was something she was willing to trade her soul for. A few nights before her wedding, Lauren sought a way to break her fourth engagement. Known for her bad reputation as the rebel princess, she was the only lady who had the guts to step foot on the Everston mansion, the house of a notorious warlord, in the middle of the night. She offered him a wicked alliance that the entire kingdom did not see coming: a marriage. A vixen pretending to be a damsel in distress and a man whose crimson eyes screaming for bloodshed. Could something blossom in this treacherous dance of lies and deception? -- "Are you upset?" She eyed him sharply. "Should I be honored that I got tricked by you, milord?" He drank the remaining wine in his glass with one gulp and put it on the wooden table. He stepped in front of her. His hand was on the rail on her side while his other hand grabbed her glass and finished her wine before putting it down. The way his Adam's apple moved with his every violent gulp made her feel a tickling heat around her nape. When he brought his attention back to her, he licked his lips to wipe off the trace of wine. "How shall I make it up to you then?" he asked with his deep voice, like a seductive devil asking his victim how she would like to be killed. Dangerous yet… enthralling. - Note: This is a dark fantasy-romance genre with a lot of gore, family feuds, steamy scenes, twists and turns, and other explicit content (no rape) that will rile you up and might give you a heart attack so basically this is not for soft-hearted ones, so read at your own risk!

“Existence is a canvas we are given to paint as we see fit.” A single, silent voice echoed across the globe, shattering the illusion of the world as humanity knew it. They called themselves the Tohotsi, and their decree was absolute: accept a brutal evolution, or fade into the void of insignificance. In a fraction of a second, reality fractured. Time lost its meaning. The mundane gave way to an ancient, decaying truth. The world is no longer a home for humanity; it has become a blank, terrifying canvas governed by unfathomable laws and absolute predators. Thus began the dawn of the Qualia, the awakening of the pure, subjective essence of individual consciousness. Faced with a cosmic upheaval, survival is no longer a matter of physical strength. In a universe where trauma and fractured sanity can literally reshape reality, the true battle is fought within. When the mortal shell is paralyzed by primal terror, what happens when the mind awakens to a chilling, intoxicating fascination? To walk the one and only path of existence, one must transcend. But what, exactly, are we evolving into?

Woke up in the middle of an unknown forest, witnessed two moons illuminating in her eyes. An experience that was new and foreign yet familiar for her. While the memory of herself, empty as the cloudless night sky. Emilia, only her name remained in her, along with knowledge from another 'world'. For some reason, there is a desire that motivates her to travel around the world. This is the story of a magician who wants a happy ending.

Born amidst fire and prophecy, Aaron Hotveil was never meant to live an ordinary life. Branded as the Cursed Prince, his very existence defies the order of the Flamebound Kingdom — a realm where power is measured by the strength of one’s flame. When betrayal strikes the royal court and his destiny is torn apart, Aaron’s dormant power awakens — a power so ancient it burns through fate itself. Haunted by whispers of his lineage and hunted by those who fear him, he must choose: to embrace the curse that binds him… or forge a new destiny through the ashes of his past. As secrets unravel, alliances shatter, and the skies themselves tremble, the line between savior and monster blurs. Because sometimes… to save the world, you must first set it on fire.

Elara’s first life crashed hard. Cruel tricks ruined her name, broke her dreams, and turned the whole entertainment world against her. Friends betrayed her. Lovers sold her out. Everyone she trusted stabbed her in the back. The pain piled up until she felt trapped with no way out. One night, she couldn’t take it anymore. She walked to a river and ended it all in the cold, quiet water. Later, proof came out. Messages. Recordings. Everything showed she had been framed. People posted apologies online. But it was too late. She was already gone. The universe, though, clearly has a twisted sense of humor. Because somehow, Elara came back. She woke up in her own past, every awful memory still sharp in her head. Right then she made a promise she would never break: protect her grandfather no matter what, and never let anyone push her to that dark place again. This time she steps into the entertainment world with her head high. She trains harder, sings better, fights smarter. The same people who once crushed her? Now they get to feel the pressure. Love? Not happening. Her heart is locked tight. But why is it that as she rises and shines brighter, handsome, powerful men start circling her—guys who never even glanced at her in her previous life. The actor smiled at her during a press interview, leaned closer, and said softly, “We should have dinner sometime.” The footballer sent flowers so big they blocked her room door. The surgeon she met at a charity event checked her pulse and then forgot to let go of her wrist. The singer she collaborated with kept calling her name during rehearsals, as if the mic could not hear him well enough. Elara stared at the ceiling one night and sighed. She only wanted to sing. Why did everyone look like they wanted to adopt her, date her, or both? But the worst one came after a concert. The lights had just gone off. Her ears were still ringing. Sweat clung to her neck. She had barely stepped backstage when a shadow blocked her path. She looked up. The CEO of the greatest company in Aurelia stood there. The same man who once said her voice was “not worth investing in.” The same man who had made her life a living hell. Now he held her wrist gently, but firmly. “Let’s talk,” he said. Elara blinked. “About… sponsorship?” “No,” he replied calmly. “About marriage.” Her brain froze. “…What?” “I will give you everything,” he continued, as if asking for a glass of water. “Resources. Protection. Freedom to sing. Become my wife.” Elara stared at him, her mouth open, her thoughts running in circles. This was not how it was supposed to be. Why was the world now skipping steps? NB: This story is set in a fictional world. Aurelia is a country. Solmere, Veston, and Starfall City are the three capital cities of Aurelia. Other cities, such as Lorien and Crelou, are smaller cities. * * * * * Contains few queer characters, messy relationships, slow-burn romance, and some dark themes.

'Do I even want to do this all again? I could just never use it. It could end now. I could just let it end...' At the brink of death, Kaius Seraphall’s seemingly useless Artifact finally activates, sending him back fifteen years in time to his home planet of Zenin. A world plagued by Demons and interspersed with other supernatural beings. Now, able to start again in an attempt to change his fate, Kai begins to manipulate the threads, desperate to avoid his demise and the betrayal that drove him to the doomed planet to begin with. But what was he going to do now with no power and only the knowledge of what was to come? And why was his closest friend, the man who had betrayed him in the past, acting so strangely towards him? He hated him…right? Spotify Playlists - Twisted Artifacts I Twisted Artifacts II Loulou

Crestwood used to be peaceful. Now people lock their doors before sunset. The town has become consumed by a string of brutal murders, each victim connected in ways the police fail to understand. To everyone else, the deaths seem random. But Aubrey knows better. There’s a pattern hidden beneath the bloodshed—something watching, choosing, waiting. And when the pattern begins circling her, she realizes she was never outside of it. Desperate for answers, Aubrey gathers the friends she trusts most, only to uncover a terrifying truth: all of them are connected by something far deeper than coincidence. Their lives, their encounters, even the tragedies that shaped them feel orchestrated, as though they had been guided toward one another long before they were born. But the deeper they dig, the more reality itself begins to unravel. Because behind Crestwood lies something far worse than a murderer. There are forces moving beyond human sight—silent influences shaping lives, steering choices, and bending fate toward an outcome only they understand. To them, people are nothing more than expendable positions in a larger design, living entire lives unaware they were never truly in control. Everything was proceeding exactly as intended. Until one of them changed. Among Aubrey’s group, one fate begins drifting beyond what was planned, triggering a chain reaction no one foresaw. What should have remained controllable becomes unpredictable. Dangerous. For the first time, something within the system is no longer obeying the role it was given. And if even one pawn can move on its own… Then the ones controlling the board may finally learn what fear feels like.

Pablo Drake is dying. In a world where dreams are punished, where reality hurts and hiding from it numbs the pain… where saying “that’s enough” is never enough. Will you still dream? Or will you run from what you will have to face? This is the story of Pablo Drake, a man sentenced to death by a disease no one understands. And no one dares to speak about. In a world of magic and powerful treasures, Pablo searches desperately for a cure. But the cruel truth is this: The problem he’s trying to fix… is one he created himself. --- In the year 497 AS, three years before the promised prophecy is said to be fulfilled, Pablo must set out to sea and discover his destiny. He'll meet wonderful characters, make alliances, and upset some people. He must use and master his Treasure in order to keep going, even when he doesn't want to. This is the story of Pablo Drake and his rebirth. Discord: discord.gg/qhXjSRCS Reddit: r/beneaththedrowning personal discord: karmabutuzgun editor: noirekhan tiktok: karmabutuzgun_

When the soul of a 21st-century youth merges with Luffy’s, the world of pirates begins to change! He faces Crocodile in Alabasta, duels his nemesis in Mogu Town, and even challenges the gods of Skypiea! Highlights: Multiple female leads Fast-paced, action-packed storytelling Early chapters closely follow the original manga (you can skip ahead to the Crocodile battle if you know the story!) To read more chapters, you can visit 02radnovel.com.

Once, an old turtle named Sifu found a small monkey lost deep inside a forest and gave him the name Las. As he grew older, Las trained harshly under his master, Sifu. Down in the underground city known as Rock City, Las made many friends. One of them was Eli, a white cat with green eyes, along with his three close friends, Piu, Skav, and Vroom. One day, outside the city, an eagle appeared carrying a papyrus scroll. That event became the reason the entire Rock City was destroyed by the Black Wolves, and Sifu was killed, forcing Las and his friends to abandon the city and escape to the unknown surface world. Now, after losing his arm, Las must survive in the vast and unfamiliar world stretching out before him.

After the universe is corrupted by Ink energy, a strange boy of unknown origin is raised by a hardened mechanic in a mechanical sanctuary. As survivors gain abilities based on how much ink corruption and pain they endured, the boy discover, and explores a terrifying secret about himself, while fooling observers with his fake study of serums and body enhancement. He began his strengthening journey in a chaotic and half destroyed polluted world. His journey exposes the true nature of Ink, the cosmic entities behind it, and his own mysterious origin. I'm a new webnovel author, I'll really appreciate any form of support and encouragement from my readers... Disclaimer: +18 age requirement. Contains content some readers might find too gory and disturbing.

Shin Kinghad is a kid that had been abducted and trained by a powerful underworld organization since he was three years old. After six years, he was rescued by the Special Forces during their operation against that organization and was adopted by the captain of the Special Forces. Since then, he treated the son and daughter of the captain as his own brother and sister. Years later, he joins the greatest VRMMORPG of all time, [Destiny's Fate] online, due to repeated invitations from his brother. He creates havoc inside the game as he climbs his way from being a beginner player to a peak class expert. But as he grew up, he became curious about his real identity and his biological parents. He tried to investigate it with the help of his brother and best friend. And after discovering his real background, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and stood at the peak of the world using his Martial-Art Skills and Mentalism Techniques.

Aether Moirai was never meant to be free. Born from the final spark of the Abyss—a forgotten god’s last act of rebellion—he is the last vessel, a boy whose powers grow stronger the more his mind fractures. Bound by the Codex, a system that can rewrite history itself, Aether is hunted by worlds that fear what he might become. The Infinite Library has always been his home—a labyrinth between worlds where every book is a living realm, and every story is a battlefield. But when the tales begin to warp, birthing monsters and rewriting entire histories, even the Library’s endless shelves can’t protect him. To survive, Aether must step into dangerous books where myths breathe, legends bleed, and the wrong choice can erase you from existence. Each journey brings him closer to the truth of his creation—and the author who penned his fate. But the corruption doesn’t stay contained. As the stories unravel, their chaos seeps into the real world—kingdoms clash with empires that never existed, myths walk beside mortals, and reality itself begins to fray. In the end, the Library isn’t just collapsing into itself. It’s dragging every world down with it. And some stories brought by it could end the world in seconds. So can someone like him, survive in such a world. Even more, try and rule it?

"You will suffice." That's what something whispered in Raizen's mind before a Nyx that slaughtered his village dissolved into shining ashes at his feet. He doesn't know what spoke to him, or why it led him to an unconscious girl with no memory. All he knows is his parents are dead, his home is gone, and the only place that'll take him now is the Underworks - an undercity of rust beneath Neoshima's shining petal walls. Down there, Nyx hunters called Gravers scrape together coins for chipped Luminite and drag themselves back from contracts missing limbs… If they come back at all. Someone offers Raizen a choice: he can stay in the Underworks and survive on scraps like the rest, or train for the Lotus Academy - where Vanguards learn to shape Eon into techniques that bend what should be impossible. But the voice that saved him hasn't spoken again. And the higher he climbs, a dark truth becomes clearer: the thing that saved him and the darkness that has haunted humanity for centuries... Might just be the same thing.

[Rebellious MC] [Goal Driven MC] [Little Smut] Sometimes, Dual Cultivation is not a choice but the only option. Tyler Grant was a young man burdened with the fate of an Immemorial Paragon Tower, a house for nine fairies with immeasurable power. In this world, everyone awakens an Inherited Technique but Tyler had two. One he didn't want to use, and another he could not use. A Dual Cultivation Technique and a Normal but Powerful Technique. Witness as he explores the chains of fate, draws his sword against the Heaven and slowly breaks from the control of Heaven. He was a cultivator, destined to defy the Heaven. His nature is kind but the world is cruel. Will he bend to the power of fate and choices or would he make choices that would defy everything? This is a journey of a young cultivator who was forced to become a Dual Cultivator.

Just got out from Hiatus. Updates will be 14-15 Chapters a week!!! ... Jeff, who died while doing his usual daily routine, found himself transmigrated into another world one that was twice the size of Earth. At first, he thought life would be the same. Peaceful. Boring, even. Just another world with different skies and landscapes. But he was wrong. On one fateful night, while he lay in his small room, a sudden ding echoed through the air. It was sharp, clear, and unnatural like something out of a sci-fi film. And then… something appeared before his eyes. [Luck Spin System has finally bind] [Congratulation you have gotten a skill: Godly Programming] With this luck finally his dream can finally come true which is making games, seeing that their was no minecraft in this world he decided to recreate it. Then his journey began starting as a programmer, he quickly rose to dominate the digital field, racing field, swimming field, shooting field, combat field, robotics field, hacking field, academic field, business field, gaming field, drone piloting field, artificial intelligence field, engineering field, virtual reality field, and even the military simulation field What would Jeff do with all these, skill and titles read to find out of course. ... Thank you for reading, and I hope you’ll continue to support me on my journey as an author. ******************************************** DISCLAIMER ******************************************** This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, applications, songs, technologies, locations, events, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously for storytelling purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to real companies, brands, applications (such as ChatGPT, Minecraft, or other well-known services), or any other entities is purely coincidental. All real-world references are included as part of the fictional setting and do not imply any endorsement, association, or ownership by the original creators. The author has no intention to defame, discredit, or infringe upon the rights of any individual, brand, organization, or intellectual property. This story is created solely for entertainment and creative expression, and should not be taken as factual or representative of real-life entities or events. Readers are advised to treat all references in this work as fictional, regardless of name similarities or thematic inspiration.

A collection of all my Artificer Fics except for three, currently contains 8 chapters of RDR2: Artificer of the West and five chapters of DxD: Lucifer's Artificer 2 and two of DC: The Artificer, enjoy!

(Marvel fanfiction) After joining the Traveler in defeating the Abyss and saving Nata, Mavka witnessed and participated in the immense changes the Traveler brought to the continent of Teyvat. After everything settled down, Mavica relinquished her position as the Goddess of Fire, returned to human form, and lived a peaceful and happy life. However, just after Mavka closed her eyes without regret, she opened them again as an infant, born into a world called Asgard... (Based primarily on the Marvel Cinematic Universe) [Mavuika is reborn in the Marvel universe.] Visit my Patreon to read up to 221 chapters ahead and enjoy daily updates: patreon.com/laktozlu