Heart of Darkness - Chapter 224 Face reveal

Arthur was a weak and cowardly boy who lacked the power to protect anyone—a truth brutally demonstrated when his parents were massacred while defending him during a Gate outbreak. As the sole survivor, Arthur spent weeks believing his life was over. When intense chest pains began, he assumed he'd been infected with corruption by the void creature that killed his parents and was merely waiting for death.What Arthur didn't expect was that these sensations actually signaled his Realm Core forming. In two months' time, he would be forcefully transported to the next realm and awaken new powers, becoming one of the world-renowned “Chosen” who protect humanity from Gate outbreaks. Now Arthur must rise through the heights of power, climbing each of the seven realms in hopes of saving his world... or does he?

Cairn is a prince who is already tired of ruling. Faced with an imminent coronation and an overbearing father, he wants nothing more than to drown his responsibilities in cheap liquor and poor decisions. With the help of his sister, he hatches a plan to escape the clutches of the throne once and for all. It all goes terribly wrong, and Cairn finds his priorities shifting in the face of unimaginable tragedy. The change of heart comes too late, however, and Cairn dies. He reawakens to find himself transported ten years in the past. He immediately begins to plan for the future, only to discover his killer has somehow followed him. To succeed, Cairn must unite the kingdom and discover the motivation of his killer, using as many tries as it takes. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++I exhausted pretty much every time loop story ever written and decided to write my own. You'll see a few similarities here between this story and some existing stories, at least initially. There's a lot of inspiration drawn from both MoL and Re:Zero, though in terms of pathos and darkness, this story leans more towards the latter. Be warned, it is something of a slow burn. The main character will grow and become powerful, but a theme of this story is that power comes slowly and often at great cost.

After being torn from the only life she knew, 16-year-old Margo is forced into a new home with strangers who call themselves her parents. Haunted by memories of her past and consumed by feelings of isolation, she struggles to adapt to her unfamiliar surroundings. School offers little relief—until she meets Lucien, a mysterious boy who appears just when she needs a friend the most.Gabriel is everything Margo needs: kind, attentive, and always ready to whisk her away from her troubles. Each night, he invites her to secret places—an abandoned playground, a fog-choked garden, a crumbling train station at the edge of town—each more unsettling than the last. Yet with every chilling rendezvous, Margo feels more alive... more seen.But something isn’t right. Gabriel never comes to school during the day. Her adoptive parents never see him. And when they catch her talking to thin air, their concern deepens into fear. They say Gabriel isn't real—that he’s a figment of her imagination. Margo wants to believe them, but Gabriel feels real. More real than anything else in her life.As the nights grow colder and more twisted, Gabriel’s true nature begins to surface. Shadows move where they shouldn’t. Time warps in his presence. And the places they visit seem to echo with whispers from another world. Margo is forced to ask herself: Who—or what—is Gabriel? Why does he only want her? And what will happen on the final night he asks her to come with him?As the line between reality and delusion begins to crumble, Margo must make an impossible choice: stay in a world where she feels loved, or return to one that barely feels real.But one thing is certain—some friendships never let go.

“Since I was born, I’ve had the same dream every day, where the same day repeats over and over.”“What do you do in the dream?”“Rob banks, blow up buildings, flirt with girls, play Grand Theft Auto… since it’s a dream, I naturally do a lot of lawless things.”“Tell me what you did last night.”“Last night was more interesting. I’ve been dreaming for so long, but it’s the first time I’ve dreamt of someone I know in real life. She was a very beautiful girl…”“Mhm.” The police officer nodded while taking notes. “Go on, I’m listening.”