Serial Player - Chapter 59: Giving You an Ancient Empire! (Thanks for the reward from GloomyShan)

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Situ Xin was highly intelligent, but because she had been an orphan since a young age, she was quite unemotional.During her last mission, she was betrayed by “one of her own.” As her soul was in the process of Soul Formation, she was saved by the Phoenix Jade Pendant she wore, allowing her to be reborn as a fetus in her mother's womb. Moreover, she carried a space with her.Let's see how she lives a different life after being reborn in 1988.A new work by Ai Guo—Rebirth: Not To Be Cannon FodderIntroduction: Mi Zhiyao, the heir of the mysterious and ancient Aristocratic family—the Mi Family, woke up from her sleep, only to inexplicably become another Mi Zhiyao from a different time and space, who committed suicide for love in the Mi Family.The same name and a similar status, but two completely different personalities.Watch as Mi Zhiyao fiercely dumps her scumbag fiancé, deals with her greedy cousin, and then leads the once-declining Mi Family back to the pinnacle of their family.

Yin Li was born with a pure Yin body. He possessed the body of a male but the fate of a female, his Yin and Yan energies fully inverted. Because of this, his family’s old ancestors claimed he wouldn’t be able to live past twenty years of age.

To prolong his life, his parents fostered a furnace whose energy he could harvest to nurture his own.

As Yin Li looked at the frail and delicately charming boy in front of him, he felt his heart stir with compassion.

The Heavenly Path is carried through reincarnation, life and death are decided by fate.

He couldn’t simply ruin this pitiful child for the sake of his own selfish interests. Instead, he kept the small boy at his side, spoiling him and raising him as his trusted aide.

He truly believed they shared a master and servant’s pure and honest affection, not at all realizing that that wicked boy had been rotten from the start. The delicately charming small boy who was spoiled day and night only ever thought about two things:

1. Why hasn’t master bestowed his favour on me yet?

2. Just how can I climb into master’s bed?

- Description from Novelupdates

The world is full of mysteries. Strange, seemingly unexplainable events occur more often than we may realize. A young boy may catch an illness no doctor can explain. An office may catch fire for no apparent reason. And perhaps, someone may die a sudden and unexpected death – their bodies blighted beyond recognition.