I Grow Stronger By Eating

I hated being locked up like a damsel in distress. Like I was some princess that needed constant protection, but deep down I was grateful. I was still struggling to summon my powers, so if I was attacked alone I would be defenseless. I understood why Valerian wanted me to stay confined within the walls of our home since there was a protection spell suffocating the entire atmosphere that surrounded it. But I was so bored. Valerian was not there to take me out and keep me occupied with his cocky smiles and quirky comments. The only thing I could think to do to pass the time was to take a stroll around the castle grounds. I exited out into the courtyard and walked past the beautiful wooden benches and vibrant trees. Roses of every colour confiscated the grounds and it was like I was walking through a rainbow. My fingertips caressed the petals and I inhaled the sweet scent of their exquisiteness as I walked through the trails. I was so mesmerized by the area that I didn’t realize where I was going. I gasped as I reached for the next rose in my path, and it crumbled from my touch. The rest of the walkway was filled with black and decayed roses that tumbled to the ground like ash from a horrible wildfire. My frightened eyes glared out into the distance as I realized the dead flowers led to a shadowy tunnel made from black brick. A sign barely dangling from a broken chain at the top of the entrance read ‘dungeon.’ My body cringed at the sight. This was the dark side of Valerian that I knew and wanted to avoid as much as possible.

Mark Sanders worked his fingers to the bone as a freelance construction project manager. Every day felt like an uphill battle as he tried to grow his business while dealing with the cold stares and cutting remarks from Richard, his wealthy father-in-law. Initially, Lisa stood by Mark, believing in his dreams. However, as their unpaid bills mounted and their bank account shrank, she began to distance herself from him. Richard never hid his disgust, always making Mark feel like dirt beneath his polished shoes. The dragon tattoo on Mark's shoulder—a reminder of his carefree college days—became his only link to a time when hope burned bright in his chest. Mark's life fell apart when Lisa walked out. Her goodbye came with a shocking revelation that she and her father had been plotting against him for months. She falsely accused him of gambling away their savings and mishandling their money. Within days, police showed up at his door. The charges? He never committed. Richard's connections twisted the justice system like clay in his hands. Mark sat helpless as a sham trial tore his reputation to shreds. From his seat in the courtroom, he watched Lisa hiding behind her father, her eyes never meeting his as the judge sentenced him to prison.

I am Kava, an ordinary person as usual. I'm not the chosen person by the system. One day, I got a lot of money. I went to a cafe to celebrate with my sister, Mika. It was then that we came under attack from a chosen system user. I lost the fight and my sister was taken away. I found a Florine system bracelet and I put it on. However, that's not a combat type system and I wasn't chosen. Even the system guide insulted me. What do I have to do to be able to use the system?

My peaceful short life had been quickly cut off by a band of bandits that had raided my village, killing my father and capturing my mother. The bandit leader took a fancy to me and decided to make me one of them because of my face, for reasons unknown to me, but this was only the start of my journey. The more I grew up the more I realized that I had no talent, I was as ordinary as I could be, with no inherited memories, no old masters to help me improve my talent, no legacies left behind, no locked bloodlines that would burst into activity when I was in danger. But I still had something that most people didn't have. A stubbornness that many wouldn't possess, the stubbornness and sense of danger that I got for life after I saw my father die in front of me. And with that, I shall predate upon those that are more talented than me. I shall walk forward and reach the apex of the world, not because I want to protect anyone, but because that's simply what I want to do! Regardless of the methods that I have to use or the people that I have to push out of my way!

My name is Alanna, I believe. I have lost myself in the depths of an island. I don't know where I'm from, or what my real name is, I just know that a pack of wolves has rescued me. I will have to fight against the Alpha and the Beta of the pack, but something dark blooms in me, something I did not know, a mythological being that lived inside me. A mermaid, yes, I am one of the most beautiful mermaids in the world.

I've never wanted this life for myself—this life filled with perils and evil. It's like a dream I can never escape from—a dream which I'm forever stuck in. Heh, no one ever wanted this life or ever wished for it. You'd be either insane or extremely evil to wish for this kind of life—the life where you don't have a choice over anything—the life where you're bound by your deepest desires. I never wanted to enter into the supernatural world. I never wanted to come across the Crimsones[1], Lycanthropes[2], demons and the rest. I never wanted to be involved in anything pertaining to the dark and supernatural world. I had always yearned for freedom and not servitude. But of course I was wrong all along. I had been delusional, thinking I'd be able to escape it all—to escape from fate. I never knew I would be pulled into this mess, becoming one of those dark creatures which roam about in the ungodly night. I never wanted to be a merciless predator who was also a prey to another predator (what a food chain!). But all is good. No matter what I shall not alli myself to degenerate into a heartless monster who only knew how to tear flesh, spill blood and break bones. I cannot allow my desires to pull me down. I cannot be corrupted by the abyss! My name is Daniel Stark and what I'm about to tell you is a real life horror. I don't know what you call horror or romance or fa Intasy but this story I'm about to tell you, you need to listen attentively and not miss a bit of information. This is my story—one beginning with pain.

"Congratulations, my Heir," a mysterious figure declared, "you have proven your worth, and you're now the Heir to the God of Healing and Medicine, Elandor!" Suddenly, I found myself in excruciating pain, hanging on the edge of a hill. The figure's words barely registered, and I felt like I was forgetting something crucial. Before I could make sense of it all, I blinked, and the pain was gone. My wounds had vanished, replaced by a newfound strength. There, around my neck, hung a gemstone amulet. I gasped as the amulet shone, flooding my mind with knowledge. "In the realm of healing, I'm the ultimate arbiter of life and death. As Elandor's heir, I command over ailments and the frailty of life. I am the embodiment of healing's power and authority." As memories flooded back, I realized why I was here. Darius Blackthorn, that treacherous scoundrel, had thrown me down this hill. "I won't let you get away with this. I'll have my revenge for all the pain you caused me. I'll show those Rossi family snobs who mocked me for being poor and treated me like a live-in servant. You'll regret ever looking down on me. I'm a god's heir, and you will pay for every bit of suffering you put me through." Fueled by rage, I stood there, determined to make them all pay.

A murderer. A crazy woman. Is what they all call me. Apparently to me, I'm seeing the dead, which makes me crazy to everyone, but I know I'm not. Being stuck in a psychiatric hospital with a pending murder case at hand is not how I pictured this time of my life. I don't really get it. I am a lot of things that I'm not proud of, but certainly not a murderer. How on earth will I be able to vindicate myself if the dead is making me look like a murderer? How will I be able to vindicate myself when my past ways isn't even something to write home about, and all it can do is just spice up my case? How will I be able to save myself when I, and the dead was never in good terms, and I happen to be the cause of it all? What have I done to myself?

I was a disgrace to the Prestwick family—a poor, unwanted son-in-law they wished their daughter had never married. She had chosen me for my looks, but now, even that wasn’t enough. She wanted out. A divorce. To erase me from her life and marry into wealth like her family had always intended. But I loved her. Despite the insults, the humiliation, the way they treated me like dirt beneath their feet—I refused to let go. That was my biggest mistake. Frustrated by my defiance, my brother-in-law took matters into his own hands. He killed me, tossing my body into a cold, dark river, leaving me to sink into oblivion. I should have died. I did die. But before I took my final breath, a man appeared before me, cloaked in shadow, his voice like a whisper from the abyss. "What is your last wish?" I should have begged for revenge. I should have cursed their names. But all I wanted was one more chance. One more chance to live. And so, I was granted life again. But I was no longer the same. My soul was no longer my own. My body was no longer mine to control. Because I had been reborn as something far more powerful. I was no longer John Prestwick. I was the Devil himself.

The event: an unforeseen cataclysm which wiped out all of life leaving but a fraction… So they say, but I know the truth, even though I'm uncertain of how it really happened. I can't seem to remember much. Compared to when i first awoken, 50 years ago, even if it's a fraction I'd call it progress. Over 200 years has passed since the event and I'm trying to find the answer to how this place came to be. I know it's not going to be easy and you can guarantee I'm going to fall into some unwanted predicaments. My goal: return it to the time before even if it takes destroying this world. To do that i think i have to find the one who cursed me and stole my memories... What i truly am, I'm yet to find out, and how I plunge the world into its current state. Author's note: I know my synopsis sucks but pls bear with me.