Temple of the Demon Lord of Wishes - Chapter 26: Untold Emotions

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)

A hundred years ago, Chen Qingyuan entered a forbidden zone called Sky Abyss, where his soul lamp extinguished, and everyone believed he had died. Today, although Chen Qingyuan has emerged alive from the forbidden zone, his cultivation has been completely crippled, and his spiritual roots are shattered. Faced with the remorse of lost love and the oppression of various sects, how should Chen Qingyuan proceed?“Chen Qingyuan, I'll give you two choices: one, marry me; two...”Inside Sky Abyss, there lives a girl in a red dress, with eyes like stars and a gentle voice.“I choose the second option.”Before the girl in the red dress could finish speaking, Chen Qingyuan decisively made his choice.(Main character with a dark belly + no system + humor + traditional fantasy + weak synopsis)

“From my viewpoint, this so-called supreme bastard’s body will serve as a valuable asset to simplify my life.”Dane was a carefree slacker until a deadly virus turned humanity into flesh-eating monsters—his own roommate included. After being devoured, he mysteriously awakens inside a simulated LitRPG world as a hidden extra, far stronger than the protagonist. Gifted with Adaptation and a heavenly beast, he rises through Soul Academy, defying expectations. However, a mysterious hindrance threatens his newfound power, forcing him to fight for survival.‘…One… Two… Three… Wake up!’

Thousands of years ago, the First Expungement came. The world changed, and humanity was nearly wiped out. Thankfully, with the paracausal power of Angelicas, humans was able to push back the Ghost tide and rebuild their civilization.

Now, however, it was time for the Second.

Finn Thresher was just a normal university student at first. He, like the rest of the public world, had no idea what was coming for them — but sometimes, just because you don’t know, doesn’t mean you can’t be harmed.

His family… his sight… his purpose. All lost to the paranormal.

It was time to abandon his beliefs. To throw away his morals.

After all… if these creatures weren’t human anyway, there was no point in showing them humanity.

In the first battle of this war, the Ghosts won, nearly driving the human race to extinction. In the second, the humans fought back with the power of Angelicas and managed to secure a victory.

Now, the third and final round was approaching — and this time, it’s personal.