Two Worlds at a Time - Chapter 86: Help from beyond the grave

The heavens and earth change when the blood phoenix descends.

Gu Ting Yu is a veterinarian with a fear of animals. Haunted by the same nightmare all these years, he is desperate to find out the reason behind those dreams. He then travels into a fantasy realm by fate, entering the Palace of the Twelve Sacred Beasts.

On an ordinary day, Lucius stumbled upon a strange, run-down shop. At first, he assumed it was abandoned—until he stepped inside.[You have entered the Universal Alchemy Store.][Congratulations! You are now the store’s owner.][Please craft your first potion.]Lucius blinked. 'What kind of joke is this?' But as if guided by an unseen force, he followed the instructions. Minutes later, his first creation was complete.[Love Potion: The drinker will fall in love with the first person they lay eyes on.]Lucius swallowed hard. 'Wait… does this actually work?'Before he could process it, the shop’s door swung open.Standing in the entrance was no ordinary customer—she was an elf. Long, pointed ears, mesmerizing green eyes, and a body sculpted by the gods. A visitor from another world.A dangerous thought crept into his mind.'Should I test it on her?'

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.