Shattered Vials and Stolen Glory
By @john1208
I stood over Tariq’s hospital bed, watching his chest stutter. Our parents weren’t there. They hadn't maliciously abandoned us; they simply forgot we existed, too busy preparing for my identical twin Samira to debut the revolutionary Jiva-sap engine she stole from my workbench. I was ready to tear the ward down to pay for Tariq's treatment when the doors blew open. In walked Dr. Ardeshir, the undisputed mad genius of the upper sectors. He didn't care about my family name; he only cared about the crude, brilliant bio-patch I’d wired to Tariq’s heart. Whisking us into a world of hyper-kinetic rooftop chases and cutthroat alchemical warfare, Ardeshir gave me a lab and his bottomless bank account. My family is about to realize their massive mistake when Ardeshir casually drops a billion credits to outbid them for the very core Samira needs to function. But as my hunt for the toxic source of Tariq's illness collides with Ardeshir's war against the city's collapsing power grid, a terrifying truth emerges. Are we fighting the exact same monster?
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Spite and the Sun-Eater's Shadow
By @john1208
Naszra Vesh has survived her family’s neglect the only way she knows how: with barbed insults and indiscriminate violence. Blamed for the mysterious blight that killed her mother, she is treated as dirt while her family worships her younger sister, Ninshur - a reincarnator who uses "prophetic visions" to steal Naszra’s forge-designs. Naszra couldn’t care less; she’s too busy trying to punch her arrogant academy rival, Ghaeron, into the mud. But in the middle of a particularly vicious duel, the heavens part and Lord Qaldir of the mythic Sun-Eater Clan descends. Ignoring the academy's shock, Qaldir publicly humiliates Naszra's father, buys out their debts just to burn the deeds, and declares Naszra his cherished ward. Suddenly drowning in unearned luxury, Naszra is assigned Ghaeron as a bodyguard. Told in alternating third-person perspectives between Naszra's prickly fury and Ghaeron's horrified realization that he is falling for a feral disaster, the story takes a dark turn. As Qaldir prepares the ultimate face-slapping gala, Naszra realizes her life's tragedies weren't natural. If her family was manipulated, who planted the poison - and why does Bozig, her bumbling comic-relief sidekick, suddenly wield an assassin's blade that smells like her mother's death?
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The Scapegoat's Accidental Masterpiece
By @john1208
I was supposed to die gracefully. Blamed for my mother’s fatal glass-lung disease, my family, House Oskari, despised me while practically worshiping my flawless older brother, Pelag. So when the Emperor's notoriously bloodthirsty uncle, Lord Rostavar, fell into a death-coma, they generously volunteered me to be his curse-absorbing proxy. Standing at his deathbed, I did what any shameless survivor would do: I tried to pry the extremely valuable life-support gems off his chest. Unwittingly, dislodging them broke the curse. He woke up, laughed at my sheer audacity, and officially adopted me on the spot. Now I’m trapped in his estate, absolutely certain this is a long-term execution plot. Why else would he force-feed me ultra-rare spirit elixirs and hand me keys to the forbidden vaults? Every time I deliberately sabotage his 'traps' by hoarding junk and squandering his wealth on bizarre vitric-tuning experiments, he just claps and buys me more. With Pelag’s lifelong dream - the global Prismatic Astrolabe award - approaching, I'm about to use my stockpile of 'junk' to show my biological family exactly what a real genius looks like. But how long until the tyrant finally springs his trap?
2
The Sun-Gilded Slumber
By @john1208
Nima of House Vashar is always tired. Born to frantic provincial diplomats, she was simply forgotten - left behind in dusty libraries while her parents showered their attention on Mahroo, the sweet-mouthed adopted daughter who always demanded their time. The neglect reached its peak at her grandmother's funeral, where her family literally forgot to arrange a carriage for her in the pouring rain. Seeking a dry mausoleum for a nap, Nima accidentally stabilizes the agonizing curse of Prince Zardash, the Emperor’s ruthless and bloodthirsty uncle. For years, Nima believed her chronic lethargy was a magical defect, completely misunderstanding the very rules of their world's magic; she thought she lacked physical stamina, but her stillness was actually a legendary Void-Soul passively neutralizing catastrophic energy. Recognizing her unparalleled genius, the terrifying prince whisks the lazy prodigy away to his estate. As a slow-burn romance blossoms alongside her loyal friend Farzan’s secret rebel ties, House Vashar desperately tries to reclaim their biological daughter. But their massive, irreversible mistake culminates at the imperial gala, where Zardash publicly humiliates Nima's parents for their cruel bias, shattering their legacy. Will Nima finally embrace her worth before her unchecked power consumes her?
1
The Counterfeit Chimera
By @john1208
Jynva was always the scapegoat. Blamed by the aristocratic House Ophien for the bio-toxin that killed her mother and left her younger sister, Saelia, playing the sickly victim, Jynva’s explosive temper only alienated her further. Hunted by her own family's enforcers, she corners herself in a rotting alleyway where she makes a frantic blood-pact with a dying girl, swapping biometric identities to survive. But the dead girl was the runaway daughter of Vordyn Cortael - the most ruthless, feared magnate in the toxic metropolis of Zetharis. Vordyn isn't fooled for a single second. Yet, instead of executing the imposter, the terrifying billionaire is deeply amused by Jynva's lethal ferocity and fierce loyalty to her street-rat friend, Gorin. He forces her to play the role of his heir, plunging Jynva into a brutal world of high-stakes bio-forging. As the Ophiens bank everything on Saelia winning the prestigious Sovereign Sigil award, they have no idea they are about to face the wrath of the daughter they threw away. Will Jynva’s explosive talents finally burn down her past, or will the dark secrets Gorin hides destroy her new sanctuary first?
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