Game of Thrones: Holy Flame King - Chapter 428: Return

A 19-year-old young lady came to the Jiang family, a prominent family in Sea City. Rumors had it that she rescued the Jiang family’s madame many years ago in the countryside. After she enrolled at Sea City University, the madame took her to the Jiang family’s residence before school started, claiming to familiarize the lady with Sea City’s environment.

It was said that that the young lady was an orphan who grew up in the countryside. However, she carried herself in a manner that befitted a rich young lady from a prestigious family, more so than the real rich young ladies.

It was said that the young lady had not seen the world and was not presentable. However, she maintained her composure in front of the bigshots from all walks of life. She maintained a proper smile that made people look askance.

It was said that the young lady was brought home by Old Madame Jiang to be Young Master Jiang’s wife.

It was said that the young lady came from too humble a background and was not fit to marry into the Jiang family.

It was said that the young lady fell in love with the young master of the Jiang family at first sight, but the young master of the Jiang family did not care about her at all.

…

First meeting.

She sat by the lotus pond in the Jiang family mansion as she read a book.

Even though she was in a simple outfit of a white T-shirt matched with black pants, he saw the charm of a beautiful lady.

She exuded the aura of a young lady.

First meeting.

Her book fell. He called after her.

She turned around after hearing him.

At that moment, she suddenly understood what “a man as beautiful as jade” meant.

He was a bright gentleman who was as gentle and beautiful as jade; she was an elegant young lady, reserved and upright.

If someone asked her what her greatest gain in coming to Sea City was, she would answer without hesitation, “Meeting him.”

If someone asked him what his greatest gain in staying in Sea City was, he would answer without hesitation, “Meeting her.”

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Ren Takahashi, a shy, hoodie-wearing tech genius, hides behind the online alias GhostHood — a quiet legend in underground hackathons. Despite appearing average in school, he dreams of becoming a real-life Iron Man — not the hero, but the builder of world-changing tech.Enter Aoi Hoshizaki, a bold, gal-style girl with a love for code, a messy room, and a mysterious spark. When she moves in next door and discovers Ren's secret, their world begins to change — from quiet club meetings to national hackathons, late-night debugging sessions to secret rooftop conversations.What starts as teamwork grows into something deeper, more complicated, and far more electric than either expected. Together, they aim for Japan’s most elite tech university — and face rivalries, rumors, and the whisper of love in every line of code.