Martial Online. - Chapter 3: Servers Online

In the city of Graheel, a small antique shop sits quietly mixed in with all the other shops. Its unassuming appearance is easily overlooked by many. However, this store and its owner has a terrible secret. A devil lives in that building. The owner of the store, John Li, an enigmatic figure whose origins and intentions are unknown. The desperate from around the world, often unknowingly, come to him in search of salvation.A red witch thinks the owner is an ancient creature, a white fox calls him a wizard of eld, a warrior believes him to be a spirit, and a holy woman declares him a god. This mysterious individual and his customers would stand at the center of a strange series of events. From the store owner John's perspective, he has no idea what's going on. He really was just an unlucky dude that got caught up in some crazy stuff.

Terrence suddenly found himself back in the past, just moments before countless monsters were about to eat him.He got a second chance in life, but there was one problem.Unlike his peers, who had overwhelming talent, he was just an ordinary soldier with below-average skills.However, there was one thing he could count on that didn’t require talent.He knew the future.And with that knowledge, he could secure his survival, amass wealth, and build the ultimate sanctuary before the first wave hit.“I will be the one to shape the new era.”

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.

Aries Aime Heathcliffe. A princess from the small kingdom of Rikhill was loved by all. With her beauty that was enchantingly demure and a wise mind, she had caught a lot of attention and captured the hearts of many. One of them was the dashing crown prince of the Maganti Empire.

Overcome by the desire to have her and his interest in the land of the small kingdom, the crown prince of the said empire would stop at nothing. The knights from the Maganti Empire marched across the masses and seized the four-hundred-year-old kingdom of Rikhill.

The kingdom of Rikhill fell into ruin overnight. The crown prince left no members of the royal family alive aside from his war trophy, Aries. After suffering in his hands, Aries found the perfect chance to escape.

That was when he took her to the world summit. A gathering of each sovereign from each kingdom and empire for peace talks.

There, she met the emperor of Haimirich, Eustass Silvestri Abel Bloodworth. Overwhelm by desperation, Aries begged him to take her in. It was too late when she realized that the man she asked for help was far more cruel, twisted, and downright diabolical than the crown prince for taking her as his… pet!

EXCERPT:

With a pair of crimson eyes hovering over her, Aries held her breath. When the corner of his lips curled up devilishly, she couldn’t react fast as he swiftly flipped their position. She only realized it when she was saddling him, gazing down at Abel, wide-eyed.

“No one is above me in this empire and even out — not even the law, but look at you,” he intoned with a devilish smirk. “Staring down on me… so daunting.”

Aries bit her lip, planting her palm on her inked chest. “Your Majesty…”

“Do you now understand the power you hold, darling?” Abel carefully wrapped his fingers around her wrist, chuffed by her reaction. “Only you, Aries, may go above me and the only person in this world who can look down on me. No one else.”

He raised an arm and ran his fingers through the side of her hair, settling his palm on the back of her head before he pulled her down until her face was a palm length away from him.

“You better use this at your own disposal,” he whispered, tilting his head as he lifted it up to claim what’s his. HER.

Meet Eustass Silvestri Abel Bloodworth, the sadistic tyrant, who reigned an empire with an iron fist. With his pet, Aries’ increasing presence in his boring, dark life, he was set to kill her. But alas, every time he thought of taking her life, he finds himself changing his mind.

The more he kept her by his side, the more it got harder to dispose of her. And the more he yearned for something deeper and darker... it was driving him insane.

With a secret he was keeping from her, what would Abel do if Aries found out about the rotting truth behind the empire and the emperor? Would he kill her? Or kiss her? Perhaps cage her?

And if she found out that Abel wasn’t just a normal human, would she try to escape? Or would she accept that he wasn’t just a demon incarnate?

In a complicated world that tainted them black, was love even possible to bloom between a pet and her master? Watch as these two play the dangerous and insane game of love and lust.

Who would be the master and the pet? Who was the prey? Read to find out more.