Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord - Chapter 6: The Symbiosis Ritual

What happens when a goddess falls in love with a shifter?Asara; the goddess of love, was punished by her father, the god of thunder.Her crime being falling in love with a mortal shifter Alpha.To pay for her sins she was reborn as Cassandra LeBlanc; a mortal Princess in the magical Kingdom of Speldaria.Her family and kingdom, except her middle sister, shunned her for she was born without any magical abilities and she had no recollections of her true identity.Her betrothed, the powerful mage commander of the Speldaria, was unbothered by her. He wished for someone strong.Cassandra’s life was toppled when she was gifted a warrior slave by the mighty Alpha of Dusartine. She was asked to take part in the Yearly Arena Event by collaborating with the warrior.Cassandra who hated ‘The Arena’ with her very breath. A place where blood flowed like wine and life was cheaper than the very air they breathed didn't understand her purpose in it.On top of that, the mysterious warrior affected her in unimaginable ways.His hypnotic gaze unsettled her.His rare essence overwhelmed her.His muscular bronzed body consumed her with sinful thoughts.Even the dreams of her past life plagued her.When ‘The Arena' began the hidden agendas and underlying truths came to light and Cassandra was played a hand of fate. She was left with no choice but to give in and choose a path.The question would be.How will Cassandra grapple once she learns of the curse placed on her?Will she be able to obtain her magical abilities and stand up to her father?Who will help her along the journey?~Excerpt~Then she felt him, all of him.All his ruggedness.The strength of his arm.The softness of his lips.The grip of his hand.The warmth of his breath.Every muscle in her body went taut at the implications of sleeping in a man’s arms. She had never slept in a male’s embrace before.Her whole skin tingled like tiny sparks dancing on the very parts that connected with him.The crevices of her brain had these memories which weren't hers. This touch somehow didn't seem foreign to her. She felt safe in his soothing embrace and didn't wish to push him away and yet she knew this was far from appropriate.Cassandra tried to wriggle out of his hold, his arms seemed to be built from iron for they wouldn't budge.The light garment she had worn had lifted from her milky thigh baring it as his bronzed muscular one was draped on it.And now she could sense something poking her back. Her eyes suddenly expanded from the realisation and Cassandra fully panicked.“Let go!” She voiced out, heavily.Siroos slowly lifted his leg and slackened his hold on her waist so she could shuffle away. He had awakened when she had stiffened for the first time but wished to behold what she would try.With eyes blown wide she stole a glance towards the man who had her wrapped in his embrace like a precious treasure, his treasure.His molten gold eyes had flickered open and there was this softness and want with which he stared at her.Those soft brown curls cascaded over his eyes as he forgot to blink, watching the timeless beauty that she was. Her one-of-a-kind fragrance was a torture to his senses.How he wished to grab her dainty ankle, pull her from it and have her sprawled underneath him. To kiss the very skin that oozed such scent which was driving him insane.Instead, he bent his arm and placed it under his cheek using it like a pillow to watch her with desire-filled eyes.The awkward lull between them prolonged as Cassandra cleared her throat.“Did you have to climb on me to sleep?”“It wasn't intentional but was certainly enticing and definitely won't be the last time.” His deeply hypnotic voice was even more alluring this early in the morning as it resonated all around her.

Humans of Earth were transported to the Divine Sky Realm, a world brimming with fortune and danger.In this celestial domain, humanity now dwells upon floating islands, ascending as rulers. When else will you get the chance to be a king and vie for supremacy?The system bestowed powers upon chosen individuals, granting limitless luck. Lein, an ordinary office worker, received the SSS-rank talent - Infinity Duplicate.There was nothing in this world that he couldn't duplicate, not even god-tier materials. The path to becoming the strongest lay before him. Yet, Lein knew all too well that it required a process.Even the gods needed a process to create the universe.The Divine Sky Realm offered a fantastical life that Earth's humans had always dreamed of. Soaring through the skies, shattering mountains, rising to the pinnacle in all endeavors. But humans remain humans, wherever they are, driven by their innate nature: greedy and unaware of their limits.Humans believed they were the sole inhabitants of the universe, thinking only they received the system's fortune. But reality proved otherwise. Other races in the universe were granted the same blessings, without distinction. In fact, the human physique was considered low-tier.Races like the Wood Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, Dragons, and countless others possessed bodies that defied the heavens from the outset. Could humans survive in the Divine Sky Realm? We can only hope for the best.The humans found themselves in a realm where dreams and nightmares walked hand in hand, a place where every desire and fear took form. Floating islands became their new kingdoms, a testament to their newfound power and ambition. Lein, an unremarkable man back on Earth, now wielded the power of Infinity Duplicate, a gift that could make him invincible.

Megumi Fujiboma, a boy who met an untimely end, awakens to find himself reincarnated as the head of the prestigious Fujiboma household, a branch family of the revered Boma clan.From the moment of his birth, everyone eagerly anticipated the growth of this remarkable heir. However, their enthusiasm quickly faded when Megumi was revealed to lack external abilities, and was declared unfit to become an exorcist—one of those destined to drive the world away from darkness.Yet, Megumi was not one to be easily defeated. He possessed a powerful binding system that equipped him to transform his circumstances far sooner than expected.[Target successfully bound]********[Talent has successfully awakened: Grade One Fire Talent][Receiving tenfold the rewards]

After being torn from the only life she knew, 16-year-old Margo is forced into a new home with strangers who call themselves her parents. Haunted by memories of her past and consumed by feelings of isolation, she struggles to adapt to her unfamiliar surroundings. School offers little relief—until she meets Lucien, a mysterious boy who appears just when she needs a friend the most.Gabriel is everything Margo needs: kind, attentive, and always ready to whisk her away from her troubles. Each night, he invites her to secret places—an abandoned playground, a fog-choked garden, a crumbling train station at the edge of town—each more unsettling than the last. Yet with every chilling rendezvous, Margo feels more alive... more seen.But something isn’t right. Gabriel never comes to school during the day. Her adoptive parents never see him. And when they catch her talking to thin air, their concern deepens into fear. They say Gabriel isn't real—that he’s a figment of her imagination. Margo wants to believe them, but Gabriel feels real. More real than anything else in her life.As the nights grow colder and more twisted, Gabriel’s true nature begins to surface. Shadows move where they shouldn’t. Time warps in his presence. And the places they visit seem to echo with whispers from another world. Margo is forced to ask herself: Who—or what—is Gabriel? Why does he only want her? And what will happen on the final night he asks her to come with him?As the line between reality and delusion begins to crumble, Margo must make an impossible choice: stay in a world where she feels loved, or return to one that barely feels real.But one thing is certain—some friendships never let go.