A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands - Chapter 17Book 3: : Al-Lazar

Our protagonist, once a homeless child navigating the city's harsh realities, clawed his way towards a better life. He stole coins to buy knowledge. However, the prestigious university scholarship he craved was a rigged system, awarded to a politician's son who needed the name, not the education.Descends into a life of crime.After being forced to taint his pride his death is ordered with his own making the final blow.god “congratulations you're given a chance at a new life...”him “ why?”god “cause you had a tough life so im being generous... and making you reincarnate in a mana world...”him “ bullshit...”On the brink of oblivion, a dubious offer arrives – a second chance from a strange god. Haunted by the shadows of past 'generosity', Rei struggles with suspicion. Accepting means becoming a pawn, rejecting means eternal damnation. With no good options, Rei plays along, unaware his role thrusts him into a cosmic conflict.

[Warning: This book contains Strong Language and Mature Content]On her eighteenth birthday, Ravenna felt the weight of exile as she was outlawed from her home because she could not shift to a werewolf, a mark of shame in their world that revered power. Away from all the ridicules and hate, she had at least a more peaceful life, until a beautiful storm knocked at her door. Deceived by its enchanting waves, Ravenna welcomed it with open arms until she was swept away into the deepest depth of the ocean of love. Being a daughter of an alpha, that was not supposed to happen even if she was not living in the pack anymore. Falling in love with the king of darkness.Alaric! He is the epitome of danger. But then, she turned his life upside down. From a heartless man to an obsessive lover. All he wished was to keep her with him. Even if it meant chaining her to himself. Whether what he felt was infatuation, desire or... he just would never ever let her go. Let no man or beast separate him from what he had claimed and marked; else they would face his unceasing wrath.****************“Am of no use to you, why do you still insist on keeping me?” She just wanted to hear him say it. That he loved her as much as she did. She was becoming more desperate as days went by, maybe more than desperate to the extent of destroying herself in this love.Alaric paused and kept his laptop aside. He held her hand and brought her in front of him before pulling her to his lap.Silently, he sniffed her neck and licked it, then replied, “Because I want to.” He continued his actions, and his hands were already moving under her dress caressing her thighs.Ravenna took a deep breath trying to stop herself from diving into pleasure as always. “Will you ever say it?” Her voice came out as a low yearning plead and with his advanced hearing ability, Alaric did not miss a word.“Say what?” His hand reached her pant ready to tear it apart.“That you love me.” Her words made him pause abruptly before looking at her. As usual, his eyes were blank with no hint of emotions making Ravenna feel like she was just fooling herself. For howlong could she endure this?“Do I?” He asked not tearing his gaze away from her eyes that were already tearing up.

To pass as an imperial concubine, one must be professional.

Actually, the profession of an imperial concubine is pretty good. The emperor will accompany you in eating and drinking, and even pay you for it. What’s not good about that?

- Description from Novelupdates

The cycle of life is not infinite—except, perhaps, for Elijah.At 122 years old, Elijah lived a long and successful life—until he woke up as someone entirely new. Now, an anomaly in a mysterious kingdom sustained by magic, he faces questions about his place in a world that doesn't defy the laws of nature, but take them to an entirely new level.For over six millennia, this isolated realm of 300,000 citizens has thrived, its survival bound to the magic that nurtures its air, water, and food. Yet, some whisper that a kingdom refusing to expand is doomed to fall. How, then, has this kingdom endured?As Elijah uncovers ancient secrets, dives into treacherous cave systems, and grapples with the fatal flaws of magic, he learns the truth about existence itself—forces that shaped the cosmos. New alliances rise to confront an ancient plague, and the kingdom's delicate balance teeters on the edge of collapse.In this world, the vibrant hues of freedom and potential are mere illusions, like sunlight filtered through stained glass. Elijah must decide whether to shatter the illusion—or embrace it.————This novel goes into great detail about the ways of the people and how it will differ from the suspected outside world. What seems like a population of people who do not have much knowledge, show how they found their way by “feeling”, or by anecdotal(personal) evidence.