Adolescent Adam - Volume 6, Chapter 4 - A Distant Yet Close Pair

Power runs in blood - and blood always demands payment.Aya rules the North Kingdom with an ancient power that could end her bloodline forever. When Killan, the Southern King, seeks alliance through marriage, politics turn dangerous and desire becomes a liability.What begins as political maneuvering soon becomes something far more volatile. Drawn together by necessity, respect, and a growing attraction neither expected, Aya and Killan must navigate court intrigue, ancient rivalries, and the heavy cost of duty. As old wounds resurface and war looms on every border, the choices they make will determine not only the fate of their kingdoms—but the price of their hearts.Echoes of Ice and Iron is a story of power and inheritance, of love tested by obligation, and of sacrifices demanded by crowns forged in blood and history.

William Scott, a soldier, returned to the city with the goal to live the rest of his life peacefully. He would practice the lifestyle of a retired person.

However, his mother set him up on blind dates time and again. Unwilling to keep up with her arrangements, he was left with no choice but to pretend to be in a relationship with Yvette Quinn, a female CEO who was also forced by her parents to go on blind dates.

To his surprise, this was only the beginning of many troubles to come. Before he could get to settling those troubles, he first needed to sort out an even more pressing problem.

The girl looked at him and asked, “Take a guess. Am I the elder cousin or the younger cousin? As my boyfriend, you should be able to differentiate between the two of us, right?”

His contract girlfriend was so unprofessional. Although they had an agreement, she was always asking her younger cousin to take her place and pretend to be her around him.

What should he do about that?

A merciless and unforgiving world where a common cold could kill you, a world where survival of the fittest applied—A world where humans aren't at the top of the food chain.A world where the roar of predators echoes through the wilderness, and the threat of being hunted lingers around every corner. A world where the natural elements are both beautiful and deadly, with raging storms and scorching heat waves that can wipe out entire communities.Every day is a battle for survival, with individuals and groups fighting tooth and nail to secure food, shelter, and water. The weak and vulnerable are often left behind, their fate sealed by the brutal law of the jungle.And in this same age, same jungle there was a young boy, whose fate changed when he heard an unknown voice in his head.Garnt woke up feeling a little better after he was on the verge of death because of a single wound he suffered from hunting, and the first thing he noticed was that everything around him looked foreign to him, even though the cave he was lying in was supposed to be his home.While he was unconscious from the injuries, Garnt saw several things he couldn't even understand.He saw people using brick-like equipment to communicate with each other and flying monsters that happily served humans by taking them inside their bodies. A bizarre world where everyone covered their bodies. He saw giant structures that stood even taller than the largest caves he had seen and suddenly a voice questioned his mind about what he witnessed.[Why do these waters look muddy? Why don't you filter them?]What are you talking about? This is how they are supposed to look.[Why are these weapons so blunt?]They are sharp enough for me.[Where are your clothes, Don't you get cold?]What are clothes, I don't know.[Why do men and women look like they don't feel anything while having sex? Wasn't it supposed to be romantic and sensual?]What do you mean? It is just an activity for procreation.After witnessing such a world, Garnt felt like they were missing something important. His current status looked like a living hell when he compared it with the vision he had. But was that vision real? Does something like that really exist?[Yes, it exists. Do you want to see that world? I will help you, but in exchange, you should make my dream come true.]

Experiencing a dreadful tragedy, Nightingale never expected anything good from life. No matter what he did or where he found himself, this feeling only became more profound and apparent. However, he could have never anticipated getting infected by the Tower of Worms and awakening as an Esper, the supposed unnatural individuals bestowed with Mythical powers.Just like that, his mundane routine was now filled with more excitement and danger, the genre of his life changed forever.