Paintings of Terror - Chapter 97: The Degree of Bewitchment

Yan Xi was the eldest young lady of Beiqiao City’s top four families, the Yan family. Despite her talents, she was sickly and destined to die young. She was an unattainable dream girl for many.

One day, she had a dream, and the setting was in a novel. In the novel, for the sake of alleviating his pain of losing his wife, and soon his daughter as well, her father adopted a girl named Chen Xiangxiang who looked just like her. The girl was docile as a deer and very therapeutic, which made her all the more lovable. This girl became her substitute, and after a series of heart-wrenching incidents, everyone, from her father, brother, fiance, to her friends, they all doted on this girl. Meanwhile, she, the real rich daughter, was schemed against. After being disfigured, she jumped from a building and fell to her death.

Now, she returned to the moment when she was just discharged and before the tragedies happened. She lowered her head and looked at the person before her. She smirked. This time, she would control every development, and those who intended to harm her could forget about escaping.

Want to burn Night City to ashes?Want to overthrow these corporate enterprises?Want to try a fully immersive virtual reality game?What are you waiting for? Quickly order “Future Horizon - Cyberpunk”! You won't regret it! Free spots available!Huang Ban, Military Tech, Kangtao, Biotech, Su Petrochem: Where did these cyber nutcases come from?Ye Corporation: Don't look at me, you wouldn't mistake these jumping monkeys for rogue AI, would you?Blue Eyes: I don't know them.Night City's hottest sex icon: Why does every one of these lunatics want to kill me for a photo souvenir?Regina: Lin Miao, there are suddenly a lot of cyber psychopaths on the streets, do you have any clues?Lin Miao (whipping out a whip): I know, they are my loyal machine servantsPlayer: Dog planner, get out here! Who taught you that implants need a separate set of equipment? Guns and bulletproof vests aside, even the damn body requires me to pay? And Adam Heavyhammer, Darling~~ My secret weapon will give you an unexpected surprise~~

Set in the Shadow Slave world...a time before Sunny was born...this story follows a simple soldier who must survive in a dystopian, apocalyptic landscape where magic and gun warfare collide.In a far-off Quadrant known as North America, a young soldier named Hope is 16 years old when he gets infected by the Nightmare Spell. He passed! But...he feels a bit scammed...?A flaw that makes him fade from people's memories...A cursed attribute that makes him remember everything endlessly in eternal wakefulness...It's as if the Spell is twisting his future and existence into an almost improbable one.All he has ever known his purpose to be was to serve as a simple soldier. Not too powerful. But not so weak either. And maybe, just maybe like some others, become an Awakened. Although he never dreamt of being one.Now that his whole life is compromised after his First Nightmare, his first objective is to survive on his own. But as he tries to escape his fate, his actions seem to lead him further from his goal.He struggles against obstacles that slowly grow bigger and out of proportion.Maybe the Dream Realm and the Real World aren't so different than one may think.Hope's journey involves uncovering secrets and gaining knowledge about his true nature and his new role in the world.Is he fit to be a hero?Could he redefine it?***Please read the READER DISCLAIMER in Volume 0.This is my spin-off novel of “Shadow Slave” by Guiltythree.But please don't expect the same writing style, setting, and characters, especially the main character.This story reveals more about how people/cities/governments operate after the Spell’s arrival. I always find it interesting how maybe one country handles it fairly, but how others handle it with desperation to the point that you question humanity.There will be easter eggs pointing to the original novel either intentional for the plot or unrelated to it, but all for fun.I am a new author so props to all who bear with me and helps me improve my writing. If it is not for you, please don't leave outright hate comments. Eat wassabi instead if you want pain. Critique and advice would be great too.

Theodore was not satisfied with just looking at her, he wanted to touch her.He slowly raised his hand and approached Princess Adeline. But Adeline subconsciously pulled back and shouted again, “I have already warned you, not to do anything like before. Or else I will…”Instantly, Theodore’s cheerful face turned grim. His golden eyes were now blood red and were staring very deeply at Adeline’s eyes. He was starting to emit a dark aura around him.Before Adeline could react, in the very next moment, Theodore pushed Adeline flat on the bed and was on top of her. He pinned both of her hands down with his hands and whispered near her ear, “Or else you will what? You will shout for your maids again?”Theodore sniffed in the sweet aroma that Adeline was giving off and gave a wicked smile, “Oh! I want you to try. I want you to try calling for your maids again. But don’t be shocked when I seal your juicy lips with my own lips.”Adeline had never in her life expected to see this side of Theodore. Yes, she knew he was the Devil but...[Book 1 Synopsis]Princess Adeline is the youngest child of King Dragomir of Wyverndale.She is detested by her stepmothers because she is born to a concubine – the only woman whom the King loved. And she is envied by her stepbrothers and stepsisters for being adored and loved by the King.Blinded by jealousy, the first Queen orders Princess Adeline to be kidnapped and thrown into the faraway Devil’s Cave as an offering.Her fate was to die that evening. However, her fate got rewritten by the very creature who was supposed to take her to her deathbed.The Devil took pity on the Princess and even went as far as sharing his demonic power with her.Ever since that day, her fate was bound to the Devil Prince of Hell – Prince Theodore.With time, love blooms between the son of God and the daughter of humans. They are madly in love and they want nothing more than to be together forever.However, with the rise of several enemies, from other fallen angels, supernatural creatures, and even God himself, will they get their forever after?[Book 2 Synopsis] **Spoiler alert for Book 1**Adeline and Theodore have a beautiful daughter – Ariel.She is the definition of perfection because God himself created her to be without any flaws. God wants to hand over the whole universe to his granddaughter and retire from his duty as the Supreme Being.However, nobody else wants that future for Ariel.Ariel, on the other hand, is oblivious to her grandfather’s plan for her.She is a free spirit who always has a wide smile on her face. And the only thing she wants to do is go on adventures with her childhood friend – Damien and her cousins.But will she be able to maintain the smile on her face upon being faced by God?Will she be able to maintain her friendship with Damien when he discovers a gut-wrenching truth – that Theodore was the one to kill his father?