The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride - Chapter 5: Trouble (1)

In a world torn apart by rifts that release dangerous monsters, Espers—humans imbued with powerful abilities—serve as humanity's last line of defense. But the power of an Esper comes with a price. Overuse of their abilities leads to dangerous corruption, a force that can destroy them from the inside out. This is where Guides come in: individuals with the unique ability to calm the corruption within Espers and restore their balance.Rowan Mercer, an S-class Guide, is one of the best in his field, capable of stabilizing even the most dangerous Espers. He has worked quietly behind the scenes, helping those in need, but his life takes a dramatic turn when he is called to work with Lucian Vaughn, an S-class Esper whose immense power and unstable corruption levels make him a dangerous threat to himself and others.Lucian, a tall, stoic, and enigmatic figure, has long fought against the growing corruption within him. At first, his relationship with Rowan is purely professional—Rowan as his Guide, helping him to stay in control. However, as their interactions grow more frequent, their bond deepens in ways neither expected. What started as a simple duty soon turns into a complex relationship where power, trust, and vulnerability collide.As the world around them faces escalating threats from rifts, Rowan and Lucian must navigate not only their personal challenges but also the dangerous world of Espers and Guides. Their bond will be tested as they fight together against the corrupting forces that threaten them both.In Corrupted Bonds, survival isn’t just about battling monsters from the rifts—it's about fighting the darkness within themselves and finding a way to stay connected in a world that’s constantly pulling them apart.

Lady Dawn expected to die.After casting her soul to the wind, taking a one-in-a-million chance to escape the wretched dungeons of Taegrin Caelum, the once-caged songbird of the Asclepius wishes nothing more than to find her Hearth and warn them of the coming danger. Instead, she’s found herself a shade, anchored to a young man who knows far too much—and with far less hope than she’d started with.Toren Daen, for his part, only wanted to make it home safely. Now he’s in a world taken straight from the page, questioning what is real and what is fiction, and scrambling to make something worthwhile. And with his foresight, there’s only one way that Toren can see to keep this new world safe: prevent the descent of the Legacy. But those in power will not make it easy: Nico Sever is in a league of power all on his own, and Arthur Leywin bears the burden of Fate a continent away. In this familiar-yet-not world of mana, monsters, and looming deities, any misstep along the roads of Alacrya and the High Sovereign’s Dominion could lead to a Fate worse than death.But what is death to a phoenix? With a burning secret in his mana core, knowledge of the future, and a maelstrom of fears and questions, Toren might just survive to be more than what Lady Dawn expected him to be. He might just survive to waylay the encroaching tide of death in the proxy war between raging asura clans.More than all of that, he might just live.

Are you afraid of death?For Jie Fu Lian, who had already come to terms with his death, the thought of being alive was scarier.Although his death was quite tragic, he still lived a fulfilling life. He had done everything that he had wanted to do and he had achieved everything that he had strived for.Even as he died, he only had a single regret.He regretted the fact that he couldn't thank Hua Tianshu, an enemy who had stood up for him till the end.His death was quite painful but he wasn't unhappy with it.However, it should have ended right there.Why the hell was he now possessing the body of a tyrannical demon king?!The heavens above were certainly playing with him and laughing at his misfortune!As if possessing the body of his enemy wasn't enough, out of all the people that he could run into, why did he have to run into Hua Tianshu?!Just when Jie Fu Lian thought his luck couldn't get any worse, Hua Tianshu just had to go and recognize him as well!“Is this what an ill-fated relationship means?” Jie Fu Lian's lips twitched.It was as if even death couldn't break the red strings that had tied the two of them together.“Why are you so nice to me?”“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you the reason,” Hua Tianshu sighed.“You are falsely accusing me. I trust everything you tell me.”“I like you.”“I like you too, brother,” Jie Fu Lian beamed, however, this response only disappointed Hua Tianshu whose words had been misunderstood once again.“We are clearly not on the same page,” Hua Tianshu sighed as he turned around and left.Jie Fu Lian frowned as he tilted his head cluelessly.The new demon king is a thick-headed idiot who can’t even take a hint!