Desolate Era: Hatching a Phoenix at the Beginning - Chapter 209 - Silver Threads in the Pool

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.

The more ruthless the Palace is, the more miserable the loser will end up—this he understands. But what he does not understand is, why the brother whom he lived together with peacefully in the past, would so heartlessly humiliate him today. Asking him to beg for mercy, asking him to succumb to his knees, and even… asking him to tactfully entertain him. “Yong Shan, ah, Yong Shan, as of today you are the one who qualifies to succeed as a Crown Prince, what exactly is it that you want?”

For the past 16 years, Yong Qi’s gaze was never set on him. Despite being twins with his younger brother, Yong Lin, Yong Qi has always been directing his smile and laughter towards Yong Lin, and to him, Yong Qi deliberately alienates him. He does not understand, they have the same features and looks, and he obviously is his brother too, but why won’t he be intimate with him… as if he is humiliating him. “Yong Qi, ah, Yong Qi, why won’t you understand, what I want is very simple…”

- Description from Novelupdates

Eldraus was once a normal world , peaceful, beautiful and full of life, much like Earth.But everything changed when the Beast Mutation began.Animals started turning into terrifying monsters larger, stronger, and unnaturally violent. Kingdoms fell. Cities burned. Humanity was pushed to the edge of extinction.Then came the System, a mysterious power that awakened within humans, granting them abilities to fight back. Over time, the system became a part of everyday life. Every person now awakens with a System, ranked from the weakest gray to the legendary black and above.This is a world where strength rules, and the weak are left behind.Kaelen Maglor, son of a noble, awakens with a rare black support system. People mock him, expecting him to be a healer. But Kaelen has no intention of following their path. He chooses to walk his own.With danger rising and powerful enemies lurking, Kaelen enters a deadly academy that trains the next generation of fighters. There, he will uncover secrets, face deadly trials, and learn that the system that grants power... might also be hiding a terrifying truth.In a world where monsters roam and only the strong survive, Kaelen must prove that even support can become unstoppable.