Souls Online: Mythic Ascension - Chapter 9: Cruelty of Man

Time is an illusion, and reality is a fragile thread in Kael's fractured world.Kael's life is defined by darkness, memories that flicker in and out like glitching shadows. Struggling with haunting nightmares and terrifying hallucinations, he finds himself trapped in a reality that doesn’t make sense—a reality where time is breaking, and nothing is as it seems.When a mysterious red notebook, filled with cryptic symbols, falls into his hands, it opens a gateway to a world where the laws of time no longer apply. Every hour, every minute, every second twists and warps, and Kael begins to realize that something—or someone—is manipulating time itself, pushing him to the edge of his sanity.But he's not alone. A girl, whose existence is as twisted as the world around them, seems to be connected to his suffering. Kael's bond with her grows as they both search for the truth behind their disturbing experiences, yet the more they uncover, the deeper they fall into an abyss of despair and madness.The Pulse, an unfathomable force that distorts time and reality, pulses through their very existence. As Kael inches closer to the truth, he faces a devastating choice—one that could either save them or shatter everything they hold dear.Time is collapsing, the Pulse is awakening, and Kael must confront the horrors lurking in the fractured timeline before it consumes them all.

There are three treasures in the imperial city: Me, my husband and my mother-in-law.Su Guifei¹ was favored and envied by countless imperial consorts in the harem. Chen Wang² grew up with His Majesty showing favoritism to him. However, anyone, who was more or less educated, would sigh with regret and say that this pair of mother and son were sure to come to a bad end in the future.Ming Jiuzhu, who was about to marry Chen Wang: Really? I don’t believe it.Chen Wang in Jiuzhu’s eyes: a beautiful and kindhearted little fairy boy vs. Chen Wang in the eyes of others: His Majesty and his favored consort’s hedonistic son.Jiuzhu often wondered why people always gazed at her and Chen Wang with a ‘you are doomed one way or another’ look. Could this be the ugly side of jealousy?Aiyah, the hearts of these people are so dirty.————–¹ Guifei – Noble Consort² Wang – Title given to adult sons of the Emperor.

Tao Tao has transformed into Yang Peimin from the 1970s, a spoiled and arrogant original character who is the princess of her family. She is pampered by her parents, indulged by her brother and sister-in-law, and even her younger sister dares not raise her voice against her.Being waited on hand and foot is not an understatement, all because she possesses a unique skill – she falls ill whenever asked to work or scolded!She is known in the village as a lazy girl, and families looking for a daughter-in-law shake their heads and waive her off upon mentioning her. Apart from her looks, she has nothing but flaws, and she is certainly not a worthy ancestor to marry. It's foreseeable that her marriage will be a major issue.So, for the newly arrived Tao Tao, is this a good hand or a bad one?Until someone who saw some sparks beneath her notoriously bad reputation.Yes, she is someone who can be molded.

-- WSA 2025 Entry --“Five… Four… Three… Two… One…”As the countdown towards the new year went on to the last second, Miles looked up to the sky, just as everybody else did.In the middle of the crowded street, Miles for once felt like he belonged. Being a teenage gamer, living with his parents, and trying to build a life as a streamer, he did not feel like leaving his room every day.But there, in the middle of that crowded street, with everyone around him paying attention to the sky, the countdown on the digital billboard, and mostly anything else but him., Miles felt like a ghost.A welcomed ghost, but a ghost, after all.With a smile on his unseen face, he looked up as the countdown reached one, and everybody sang in unison.‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!”But Miles’ eyes widened as he watched in utter horror, and curiosity, even, hovering above him, a holographic screen with a few lines of text written in it.All around him, although he did not pay much attention to it, a few other people seemed to experience the same situation.[Updating home-world 39515’s version][Version 20.25 update brings a lot of fun and games with the new and improved survival mode][Do you want to convert your previous avatar to home-world 39515’s latest version?][Yes] [No]“Survival… Mode?” Miles’ lips quivered.Before he could think of anything else, though, the people around him began to scream…