Ascension: Cursed Blood - Chapter 6: Scarlet Lake

A Journey Across Time, A Battle for FreedomWhat if you could go back in time?What would you do?Stop the world war?Stop slavery?When Joseph Situma, a modern-day man, is thrust back to the year 1542, he is reborn as Khisa Lusweti, the son of a village chief in Eastern Africa. Struggling to bridge the gap between his past life and his new reality, Khisa must navigate the brutal tides of history. But as he uncovers the looming horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, he realizes that fate has given him a chance—an opportunity to change the course of history.Armed with knowledge beyond his years and the trust of a people who see him as both a leader and a boy, Khisa must unite warriors, outthink ruthless enemies, and fight for a future that was never meant to be. But history is not so easily rewritten, and with every victory comes a greater challenge.Will he defy destiny, or will the weight of the past crush him before he can break the chains of oppression?A gripping tale of resilience, strategy, and the unyielding spirit of a people on the brink of war.

I was the Pope.I had ten years to save the world from destruction.I came close to death many times, saved the world, and finally returned to Earth…[Warning! If you do not reach the target number of believers within 90 days, your system will be reset!]“…Excuse me?”“What?”“…I’ve come to tell you about the good news of our Lord.”

“When the Lord Jesus comes for the second time, those who died in Christ’s name will be raised from the grave first.”

– “1 Thessalonians 4:16”

In 2019, an outbreak of zombie virus quickly swept the world within months.

Communications were interrupted, water and electricity support ceased, chemical plant leaked, nuclear power plant exploded, the world was reduced to be like hell on earth; without God, it became an era of legends and saviors, with the fire of survival instinct rekindled within mortals.

Resident Evil zombie-theme in ABO setting.

- Description from Novelupdates

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.