Toaru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku - Prologue

Three years ago, the sky split open to let in toxic blue and black mist that swallowed the world. Now, inside the last city standing, surviving meant obeying the brutal laws and ranking, or becoming the monsters outside.Maeve Lester, spent the last three years on her knees, as a rankless slave in the city of Kargahart, until she finally became an omega, approved to serve the elite with whispered promises of freedom. She was ready to start her life at the Parthenn dome, until she met him.Valden Malawitt.Her first love and the man who shattered her heart three years ago. And who doesn't even remember her anymore.But Valden wasn't the only one watching her closely. And not the one she ends up being chained to unwillingly.When secrets of the mist are revealed and Maeve discovers more about herself and her wolf, she's torn between the need to hunt, to destroy or to succumb to her desires.

Ace Carter Greyson, her husband of five long years forcefully divorced her on the night of their fifth wedding anniversary. Reason? Simply because she can't bear him a male heir.

Phoenix begged him to stay but his decision was firm and unbendable so she finally let him go. Her life was even more shattered after she discovered his long time affair with his secretary, and now, the mistress was pregnant. Just months after their divorce he married the impregnated secretary.

Phoenix's world suddenly turns upside down when she discovers she's four months pregnant.

Amidst a disaster, an orphan contracts a sickness.

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.