Sold to a Prince! - Chapter 25 - Beating Heart

“You will suffice.”Raizen heard those words the night something chose him to survive.He doesn't know what whispered inside his head. He doesn't know why. But ever since that night, his life hasn't been entirely his own. Something marked him.Now he walks a beautiful world built on even prettier lies, where Eon turns desperation into miracles, Luminite weapons twist the laws of what's possible and what's not, and where humanity has been fighting creatures of shadow - Nyxes - for as long as anyone can remember. Though sometimes, the cruelest of enemies aren't made of darkness at all...But Raizen is starting to realize: the monsters aren't the only things hunting him.Something primordial is watching. Waiting. Pulling strings he can't see.If he wants to survive, he needs to get stronger.If he wants answers, he must become someone even the nightmares fear....But to win?He may have to end anything in his path - and pray he doesn't give the whisper exactly what it wanted all along.

The red meteor shower rained across the sky, a black fog engulfed the world.

After waking from a night of torture and agony,

Humans discovered they no longer dominated the world.

—The hunters have become the hunted.

After the apocalypse, I struggled for survival for ten bitter years, but ultimately couldn’t escape death.

But when I opened my eyes again, I had transformed from an ordinary 35-year old woman into a beautiful young man of 18.

A different gender, a world that is both familiar yet not, an apocalypse that has vanished without a trace, and an unexpected return of 17 years of youth.

Looking around, I discovered I had a powerful, protective big brother and a gentle, charming little sister.

Just as things couldn’t possibly look any brighter—

The end of the world came crashing down again.

And this time around, is it fight? Or flight?

Leif Vin is mortally wounded and left for dead at the conclusion of a devastating battle.The squad he commanded have either fallen or abandoned the fight and all around are the cries and wails of the dying.With both armies all but wiped out vultures and parasites stalk the aftermath, one such creature finds Leif as the last of his lifeblood stains the muddy ground.Implanted with the essence of a carnivorous and corrupting tree, Leif loses his levels, memory and humanity.Reborn as a sapling in the newly formed wilderness that sprung up among the fallen, Leif must piece back together the fragmented shards of his soul and identity.But before that he must do what all trees must.Put down roots, stay still and grow. ===Hey, author here! Here's a few things about Hyperion Evergrowing to make seeing if this is something you might be interested in easier:This story follows a young man reborn as a carnivorous tree and missing all but one of his marbles. The plot focuses on his progression from feeble sapling to world striding legend. Utilising a litrpg system to quantify stats and skills Leif must engage with the system to evolve his monster class in a never seen before direction.There are certain advantages to his fairly unique circumstances, though these advantages do not instantly make him a demigod of war capable of defeating all foes with hands tied and eyes closed.One of the protagonists initial goals is to discover and reclaim his lost humanity, this puts him on the path away from sitting in the ground and doing tree things forever. Progress in this direction starts fairly early on so if you're not interested in seeing a monster attempt to reintegrate into civilised society and all the struggles involved this might not be for you.Time passes, due to his nature as a monstrous tree Leif has a much longer lifespan than most people. Leif will witness the rise and fall of nations, see the beginning of new eras and observe the very planet change as time marches inexorably onwards. There will be some light kingdom building, but it isn't the focus of the story.Oh! There's also a subplot involving the origin of the system itself.Three chapters a week, with updates happening at times convenient to an Australian. Enjoy!

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.