Papa Paladin - Chapter 9: Circle of friends

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria, or The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria, tells the sinister story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class—for the 13,118th time. She majestically announces to “break” him, without paying heed to anyone else around them.

The youngest in the Torres family was born sickly. She was sent to the Mystic Church for foster care at the age of one. Four years later, it was rumored that she was going to be brought back.

The sons of the Torres household all expressed their opinions.

Her first brother said, “I don’t like her! I don’t want a sister!”

Her second brother said, “He-he, we can tease her. I hope she can be a little unyielding. Then we can play fun tricks on her.”

Her third brother said, “What sister? Who is that? I don’t even know her!”

Lauren, the girl sent to the church, was not acknowledged by her brothers.

Before she came back, she was ostracized by her brothers. Everyone thought that Lauren would be bullied every day when she returned home.

However, at Lauren’s fifth birthday party, strange things happened. The first brother who was stern and ruthless actually let her sit on his shoulders. And the second brother who liked to mess with others and bully others was actually busy looking after her. He was even more considerate than a maid. Those who liked to speak ill of Lauren were all ruthlessly taught a lesson by her brothers. They even declared, “No one can speak ill of her. Otherwise, they will become enemies of the Torres family.”

Everyone was shocked. Lauren, who grew up in the church, was actually so favored in the Torres family? It turned out that Lauren was no ordinary girl. After returning from the church, she could predict the future. She had predicted the first brother’s death and successfully saved him. She predicted the second brother’s economic crisis and successfully saved his company. She had predicted the third brother’s early state cancer and saved his life successfully. The Torres family doted on her. She was such a powerful baby.

How could they not like her?

The world suddenly entered an ice age, and as the apocalypse arrived, over ninety-nine percent of humanity couldn’t withstand the extreme weather and died.

In his previous life, Ye Xingchen didn’t have much food to eat, but in order for his beloved campus belle to have something to eat, he didn’t hesitate to open the door during the apocalypse. In the end, however, all his survival resources were snatched by several strong men the campus belle brought, causing him to die tragically in the cold.

Reborn one month before the ice age, Ye Xingchen swore to make these people pay tenfold.

He awakened his spatial abilities, possessing a three-hundred-hectare dimensional space. In this life, he no longer lived just to survive but crazily stocked supplies worth billions and built an apocalypse fortress.

As the ice age arrived, while others were almost freezing to death, he was swimming in a warm pool.

While others were killing each other for a bite to eat, he was savoring an 82 Lafite, eating the finest Kobe beef, enjoying a banquet, and watching movies leisurely.

One day, when some people discovered that Ye Xingchen’s house was stocked with countless delicacies and was warm and comfortable, they went crazy and wanted to rush in.

But they soon realized that this wasn’t just a house. It was an apocalypse fortress that even nuclear weapons couldn’t break open!

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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.