MADman - Chapter 20: Villian

In a fractured world ravaged by the collision of dimensions, humanity faces an apocalyptic threat from three fronts—vengeful ghosts from the past, sinister alien invaders from beyond the stars, and rogue artificial intelligences that have turned on their creators. Amid the chaos, a resistance rises, blending human courage with AI innovation to battle the horrors plaguing the Earth.Leading the charge is Elara Myles, a brilliant yet haunted survivor who holds a mysterious nexus device—one that connects to a realm between the living and the dead. As the veil between dimensions thins, Elara must confront phantom enemies and inner demons while uncovering the secret behind the Nexus—before it becomes humanity’s doom.With every heartbeat, the war intensifies. Ghosts whisper secrets, machines evolve with emotion, and the skies rain down terror. In Phantom Nexus, survival isn't just about fighting back—it's about understanding the enemy that once was us.

In 2177, the world changed forever. The first full-dive VRMMORPG, 'Eclipse Online', was released.With its breathtaking graphics and adventures, countless players and already established guilds flocked to the game, which stunned the entire world and forced the largest conglomerates to act immediately after gold could be bought with money.It was supposed to be the future of gaming.For Yone, it was the cause of his destruction.Starting over once more, he has entered this “living game” again to control his own fate.This time, he will not be controlled by others and will instead walk his own path.“Kill them till they are allies”This was Yone's infamous phrase as he will rise from just an assassin expert to an unprecedented peak in this life.

Tangtang's greatest dream is to live a simple life with the people he loves the most, but even at an early age, he soon learned that life was never meant to be easy.His parents abandoned him to marry their new love.His boyfriend, whom he loved for five years, cheated and left him for his half-brother.Friends whom he genuinely treated like family mock and gossip behind his back.And the one person who had ever genuinely loved him, his grandmother, passed away because he was unable to provide her with the necessary medication.At the end, all the people he loved had left and abandoned him.What is he working for? Why does he need to study hard? Why does he need to suffer?Everything turned dull and became a regular routine for him to continue living.Until he learned to play around, the only excitement in his mundane life was having sex with different strangers that he met at a bar once a week.Unacceptable? Disgusting?Yes!But he started to get addicted to the warmth and sweetness that he could feel once in a while from people he didn't even know the names of.Is this the life he dreamed of?No.He knew that this was not the life he was supposed to have.He tried to oppose this so-called fate, but the more he did, the worse his life got.As the days and years passed, he started to accept this cycle.Until one day, he woke up in a new world.Is this a second chance bestowed upon him to achieve his dream?________________________.English is not my first language.Kindly comment if there is a wrong grammar or spelling.Thank you.Update Schedule: Tuesday & Friday

The Year 1766

Disowned by her own family for their own reasons, she was taken in by a maid at the age of seven to work at the Carmichael's household. The Carmichael's were one of the respectable pureblooded family in Bonelake and like any other household, there were rules. Rules that needed to be followed by the servants and maids.

Like everyone else, she was reminded not to disobey the rules. But before she learns to walk in the shadows like the rest without a whisper, the Duke's young son calls her 'Bambi' and everything breaks loose.

Book cover credit: complxmars