Smiling Under Lanterns - Chapter 671 - 229: Purple Clouds

What life is left for a warrior when there is no more enemy to fight?

…He knelt before her in the posture of a soldier giving honor to their Queen. And she didn’t even know it.

“Harth,” he rasped, “I come empty-handed. I bring no weapon. Because I swear to you, I will never choose to harm you. Never draw your blood—in anger, or in fear. I bring no shield. Because I vow I will never defend myself from your eyes, your hands, your mind. I am yours.”

*****

After a year of peace in Anima, Tarkyn finds himself… lonely. As the Captain of the Queen’s Guard and a lion-shifter, he has met every female in the tribes, but never found his mate. Certain he must have overlooked someone, Tarkyn undertakes a grueling ritual, pleading with the Creator to reveal her. But the ritual presses him to the end of even his formidable strength.

Yet, the Creator heard his cry…

Discovered on the brink of death by his mate, Harth, and nursed back to health, Tarkyn now faces the most difficult battle of his life. Because Harth isn’t just a stranger to the Anima, she is a weapon of the humans who tried to destroy them.

Can the love of a warrior and his enemy bring peace to Anima? Or will they be torn apart forever by war between their peoples?

*****

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STANDALONE STORY: While Tarkyn’s story is a part of the Anima world and fans will be reunited with some of their favorites as side-characters, Tarkyn and Harth are new POV characters and their story is a new plot arc, so their story can be enjoyed without reading the previous books! But please add Falling in Love with the King of Beasts, and Taming the Queen of Beasts to your library to enjoy later!

[Welcome to the Type-Moon System!We offer our most sincere blessings to you, our user.As a beginner, you’ll receive our initial care—a single free draw with a guaranteed five-star.Additionally, you'll enjoy a beginner’s privilege: a guaranteed strategy draw (up to three stars) until your beginner phase ends.Moreover, if you decide to become a player now, you'll receive a pocket dimension for storing your items.You'll also be granted special transmigration privileges, letting you experience what it's like to be the protagonist.So, what do you say? Are you interested in joining?]The boy sitting in front of the computer made up his mind and pressed the “Confirm” button.At that moment, his consciousness froze, and a black hole appeared before him, swallowing him whole.In the dimly lit room, the computer screen still glowed, displaying an unsettling line of text, as if it had snared its next victim.[Welcome to join us.]

Facing extinction, humanity seeks salvation in the Astral Verge, a dangerous dimension accessed via portals that threatened to wipe out the entire planet.Few years later, aspiring recruit Daniel Vance enters the Verge for his final assessment, hoping to Awaken a Talent and secure his future. While others gain common abilities, Daniel secretly Awakens the mythical SSS-Grade Talent: [Soul Assimilation]. This allows him to absorb essence, enhancing gear, gaining stats and EXP from slain creatures, and crucially, absorbing attributes and skills from fallen Awakened.Witnessing the swift death of the arrogant Jaxon Rex, Daniel makes a grim choice: he assimilates Jaxon, gaining his first skill, [Kinetic Pulse]. This sets his path: scavenging the aftermath of others’ battles. He enhances gear and, after achieving his first kill on an injured beast, waits patiently to assimilate two more fallen recruits, acquiring [Quick Step] and the invaluable passive [Aura Sense].Starting as average, Daniel rapidly gains power in secret, enhanced gear, multiple skills, and boosted stats , far exceeding his peers while remaining outwardly unremarkable. He navigates the lethal Verge alone, using its inherent dangers to fuel his growth, wrestling with the moral cost of his unique, overwhelming power.

[Attention, humans][Welcome to Midgard, a realm between life and death.][All 300 players accounted for!][Evaluation successful!]Jamie never expected his life to end while saving a stranger. One moment he was pushing a pregnant woman out of the path of a roaring truck—the next, he awakens in Midgard: a realm where death is just the beginning.He isn’t alone. Two hundred ninety-nine others, torn from their final moments, stand beside him. Their fate? To endure ten brutal trials that test body, mind, and spirit.Each challenge grants skills—swordsmanship, magic, strategy—that could mean the difference between survival and annihilation.And at the end awaits a choice:Reincarnate into a fantastical new world, carrying every skill earned.Return to Earth … alive, but powerless.But in a world where trust is fragile and every alliance can shatter in an instant, Jamie must decide—Is mere survival enough?Or will he fight for something greater?