Kill the Lights - Chapter 3 part1

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

A car accident left Mu Lan, who was about to get a divorce, with sudden amnesia.Gazing at the strange man before her claiming to be her husband, Mu Lan was speechless. Could her taste really be that terrible that she chose a man with a poker face?“Whether I was blind or out of my mind before, since the heavens have granted me amnesia, this is an opportunity to start anew.So, this marriage, I'm definitely ending it!”However, no one can escape the so-called 'True Fragrance Law.'Not only did she fail to get the divorce, but she also ended up investing herself into it....Tingxiao never expected to suddenly find charm in the woman he had married for seven years and hardly bothered to look at more than once, all because of her amnesia.But even though they had agreed that once her family overcame their difficulties, they would go their separate ways, he found himself unable to let go.“Tingxiao, you're shameless, breaking your promise and growing fat from it.”“If I'm fat, I'm fat; for my wife, I accept it!”

Damien's life was ruined two decades ago by betrayal: his dearest friend Ethan and sister Serena betrayed him, leaving him impoverished and broken. Damien was consumed by vengeance and spent years rebuilding his kingdom, preparing to strike revenge.His plan is now being carried out: he sends his son Nate to seduce Ethan's daughter Evangeline, with the intention of breaking her heart and destroying her family. But as old secrets resurface, Nate discovers harsh facts about his father's betrayals, compelling him to doubt everything.Meanwhile, a shadow from Damien and Ethan's past, James, reappears with his own desire for vengeance, threatening to destroy both families in the concept of killing two birds with one stone.Betrayal by Love is a compelling story about love, vengeance, and the deadly consequences of justice.Who will ultimately triumph in this battle?

As a human, I should be miles away from any large shifter event. Especially the annual Mate Hunt.A hunt for mates. Doesn't that sound barbaric? Yeah, it's as bad as it sounds.Several packs in the area gather as their newly minted adult wolves shift. Females are let into the woods first and are given an hour's head start, just before sundown. Then it's time for the males, ostensibly thrown out to hunt down the scent of their fated (or chosen) mates.It isn't an event for the faint of heart, and it's definitely no place for someone who can't shift. So why the fuck am I here, running my little human heart out, chased by what sounds like an entire pack of wolves? Great question. I don't know, either.But I'm here.Surrounded by howls fueled by the thrill of the hunt.Feet bleeding. Lungs freezing.I am so fucked.----R18. Dark themes, including but not limited to: Murder, attempted murder, a stack of dead bodies, betrayal, mild sociopathy, an ML who appears to bathe in red flags despite his favorite color being green, an unwarranted hatred of blueberry muffins, and pillow thievery.