My Unrestrained Lives - Chapter 6: Gray Gate (3)

I once believed I was the heroine of a modern fairytale, blessed with beauty, wealth, intelligence, and a powerful legacy. Men adored me, women envied me, and I was engaged to the most desirable man, Cole Fay. My life seemed perfect, a dream where I held the starring role. But on my eighteenth birthday, that illusion crumbled. The truth hit me hard: I wasn’t the protagonist, nor even the villain or a side character. I was just cannon fodder, a disposable part of someone else’s story. But when fate recognized the cruel joke of my life, I was granted a second chance. This time, I’ll write my own story, living for myself. And this time . . . I will never love you again.

This is the tale of the time when mighty dragons and legendary phoenixes ruled the world. Under the shadow of such powerful beings, the feeble humans lived lives worse than slaves.

1560 BC, Jerusalem

The darker-than-ink night sky was torn asunder by the tongues of purple lightning. The nocturnal macabre was augmented even further by a priestess that was busy performing a forbidden ceremony. Around her were six innocent kids that watched the priestess in silence as she performed her ritual with a ceremonial bowl in front of her. A drop of blood could be seen, making its presence known inside it.

The priestess was unperturbed by the earsplitting noises of the incessant lightning outside her abode as she chanted the spell in old Hebrew. The ritual was complete when she placed the drop of crimson blood on the tip of her tongue and gulped it down with her eyes closed.

“Heed my prophecy, my little ones. From today onwards, you shall walk on the path of greatness that will make you the rulers of this world.

Here, drink this to your heart's content and unleash the power that is bestowed upon you.”

She cut her two wrists and filled the bowl to the brim with her blood by cutting her wrists. The lightning noises could be heard even louder than before at this time.

The children obliged and drank the merlot drink one by one. But the macabre of the night was increased even further when the children started shape-shifting. One turned into a vampire, while the other changed into a werewolf. There was a witch among the children now. And being turned into a chimera and an elf were the fates of the other two.

The children changed into something else before turning back to humans again. This was the phenomenon that happened with five children.

But the sixth child remained human. Why did he not shape-shift?

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Tags: System, Vampire, Sci-Fi, Aliens, Werewolf, Slice of Life, Overpowered MC, Harem, Dragons, Phoenix, Witch, Magus, Cultivation, Military, Strategist, Arrogant female leads, Romance, Humor, Assassin, Angels, Celestials, Titan, Devas, Asuras and many more to be added with the progress of this arcs.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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