thief of fate - Chapter 35: The mirror doesn’t lie...but you do 2

At long last, Fu Zhi, the mysterious heiress who had developed countless technologies was given two guardians by the country! Initially, the Lu Brothers shut her out when she joined the Lu Family. However, after spending some time with her, they began to warm up to her and took turns showing their brotherly love for her by throwing money at her.

[You have inherited The Class Huntsman Of Death.]Deathborne.An RPG that I couldn’t stop playing in my free time. A game that hooked me to the core. A game that I was determined to finish and achieve the true happy ending by hook or crook.Why?Because no matter what choices I made, no matter how much I tried, it always ended with a bad ending.Not the bad ending in the traditional sense where the world comes to an end, but something worse. The protagonist would win, yes, but only at the unacceptable cost—sacrifices so immense that they left humanity and the world broken.And honestly? I didn't like it.Would you enjoy a movie, novel, or game that ends with only the protagonist surviving?Neither could I.That's why I tried my hardest and kept trying. Alas, despite all my efforts, I have yet to reach the true end but…Until today…It started just like any normal day for me.I returned home, greeted my mother, had my lunch, and was about to start yet another grind. Just as I was about to start, my screen flashed with a blood-red message:[Congratulations, player Mr. Per781, for clearing all hidden conditions. You are now eligible to access the hidden route, as deemed by the game developer.] [Do you want to proceed?] [Yes] [No] Before I could even think about my answer, a hand emerged from the screen and pulled me into the game.And when I regained consciousness, I wasn't myself anymore. I was in the body of a side character as Lukas Star, one of the weakest and nearly forgotten Hunter of the Archeon Academy.

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

Ruins stretched across the landscape in the apocalypse after the nuclear war.