The Only Player in 'Child of Stardust' - Chapter 3 - 2: Steel Rose

“Did you really think that after all that you've done to me, I would simply let you go, Rosalie? You might as well go to the Devil himself because otherwise, I will definitely find you. No matter what.”One day, Wang Meiling, an ordinary office worker who likes to read romance fantasy books, wakes up in the body of Rosalie Ashter, a minor villainess in the R-rated fantasy novel that she was reading before this weird transmigration.As expected of the plot, Rosalie is supposed to die at the hands of her crazy and abusive brother Raphael, thus, armed with the detailed knowledge of the original story, Meiling is set to save the tragic villainess whose body she is now possessing and approaches Duke Damien Dio, the story's male lead who is suffering from the “Acme fever” curse.She offers him a one-year contract relationship, promising to help him relieve his suffering in exchange for his protection from the Ashter family and a hefty payment afterward.Although skeptical at first, Damien agrees to sign the contract, but when the time finally comes for Rosalie to leave the Duke, she realizes that ending their relationship might not be as easy as she thought.This novel can be categorized as “he falls first and he falls harder”.WARNING: The story contains mature content such as R18 scenes, obsessive/yandere behavior, domestic abuse, an indication of sexual abuse, and gaslighting. It will also include the depiction of violence and gore. Read at your own discretion.

Pinning her tall body against the hard wall, he looked into her beautiful emerald green eyes as he spoke in a deep voice, "I have two options for you," his body came closer to hers as he continued, "Be my girlfriend. Or," his lips turned into a sly smile as he whispered close to her ear, "Be my boyfriend." He even dared to wink right before her as his dark orbs glinted amusingly.

“Evil God of the Universe, You are in every space and time. Present in every dimension of reality and govern the darkness of our world.Oh, almighty Atticus! Hear our plea and grant us your presence tonight, awaken my Lord!”The rain had completely stopped and the strong gale had subsided into the fading raindrops. The night had turned eerily silent and only the sizzling and cackling of the fire entered their ears.Suddenly, they all felt like floating from their feet despite setting foot on the watery, hard ground, as if they were traversing into space. The darkness of the night gradually turned darker, enveloping them, morphing into everyone, like a void eating them slowly. Sequentially, their breathing turned oddly slower. Despite exaggeratedly inhaling air to breathe, it was to no avail, as if a higher entity was limiting them from breathing.Nolan felt his throat and tried to open his mouth to gasp more air but failed. Everyone but him was in a state of indignation and panic as they struggled to breathe to fill their lungs with air. Nolan tried to calm his heart. He closed his eyes and stopped inhaling air in pure panic, instead, he put his heartbeat and breathing into a rhythm. It was hard at first, but after a minute, he found his breathing gradually went stable.His whole being was in pure anticipation of what was going to happen next.After a couple more minutes, the storm completely subsided, the night turned to normal. Nolan remained standing, taking in his surroundings with his eyes closed. Everything turned silent. The eerie atmosphere and the crackling of the fire from the hay figure didn’t even enter his ears. Nolan waited for a couple more minutes, his breathing turning normal. He was reluctant to open his eyes, afraid he might ruin their ritual.“It’s alright now, Young Master. You can open your eyes now.”Nolan’s breathing hitched. He jolted on his feet as he fluttered his eyes open.“Atticus? W-why are you here?”The butler, standing in front of him, a raincoat hung on his arm, smiled. “I am everywhere, Young Master, in order to best serve you.”****Atticus, a demi-god from the underworld, was cast out of his parents' realm and banished to the human world. The reason? He had yet to give them any grandchildren.Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is purely the product of my imagination. Any resemblance to real people, events, or beliefs is entirely coincidental. The intention is not to disrespect or diminish any faith or tradition, but rather to explore ideas within a fictional context. Reader discretion is advised.

She wanted to be a Necromancer, but awakened as a Saint! Somehow her summoned heroes are all undead?How will the church react when their Saintess summons a skeleton in place of a mighty hero? Sofia isn’t too keen on finding out.To many a summoned hero, this world looks oh so familiar. Beastmen, Dwarves, Trolls, Dragons and Elves!Saints, adventurers, dungeons, maybe an evil demon lord to be vanquished?A video-game like system! Classes, skills and levels!Although... why is the system even a thing to begin with?Do gods really choose saints like you pick your next meal?There are great powers at work beneath the surface, this is their world, and you're living in it.Follow Sofia as she unknowingly gets tangled in power struggles far beyond what she had bargained for.Be ready for a wild ride. Break a leg, skeleton!