How can I love the night if it gives me pain?

This is a story of a guy who wants to slowly open himself to everyone, but he is scared no one can understand him. While on a vacation, he met a playful tall guy who wants to befriend with him. Just like the song Fireflies, the lyrics became his life. Can two parallel people heal each other?

Under the blue sky
Whenever the rain will come uninvited
We'll sing a romantic song together
And get drenched in the mood fragrance
Sipping on a hot cup of tea
We'll be so far away from the land and people will look like fireflies

There's a flower boy with starry night blue hair held by two whitey clips on his bangs.

He talks about fireflies and why you shouldn't step on flowers. 

And Wooyoung can't stop thinking about his smile.

ateez fanfiction
©maixtex
materialization of my passion for flower boys, necromancy and rockateez.

TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of suicide, depression, death, and rape. Do not read if you can not handle these topics. Also this book is meant to be slightly a horror novel.

  this book is about a sixteen year old girl named Victoria who moved into a small town for a fresh start after her mother died. Little did she know what would go down in the town. Mysterious disappearances that can't be explained. An untraceable virus? Victoria and her two other friends try to get to the bottom of it.

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epilogue: My mother always took me by the waterfall as a kid, but only later in the afternoon. She did this so I could see the fireflies. "fireflies are the opposite of waterfalls" she would say. We'd spend a good hour or two playing in the water and catching fireflies in jars only to let them go when we leave.

  She would always remind me that I was beautiful even when the kids at school would make fun of my rather dark appearance; dark circles under my eyes, dark black hair, pale skin. It was great until she died. Death unknown. I've been doing my best to recover, but my father has never been the same even though he says he's fine. I catch him staring at Mom's old pictures sometimes. He does his best to seem strong if front of me, but I know that he needs time to heal. As do I. Which is why Dad said that moving out of town would be a good idea.

TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of suicide, depression, death, and rape. Do not read if you can not handle these topics. Also this book is meant to be slightly a horror novel.

  this book is about a sixteen year old girl named Victoria who moved into a small town for a fresh start after her mother died. Little did she know what would go down in the town. Mysterious disappearances that can't be explained. An untraceable virus? Victoria and her two other friends try to get to the bottom of it.

--------------------------------------------------

epilogue:
  Dad would always say that our mom used to take me to the waterfall when I was a kid.

  I don't really remember this of course. I was only four when she did, but we would catch fireflies and she'd tell me I was her beautiful Angel. When my brother got old enough she would take him there since I felt I was too old to catch fireflies and play in the water. I do have memories of my mother, it's only been eight months since she's passed. I'm sixteen now and unlike most girls my age who go out and do drugs do to peer pressure with their friends, I've been home schooled for the past eleven years due to my mother thinking the bullying would lead to depression later in life. I don't have friends or anyone to talk to. My mother was my only friend and now she's gone.

  It's not like I can look for any comfort nor company in my father now these days. He's been a ghost since mom passed. Meaninglessly roaming around the house bumping into things as he goes, not really paying attention to what he's doing. My brother is too young to deal with this type of loss being only six. I know that dad tries his best with us in the sense of being there, but no matter how many fake smiles he puts on I still hear him crying in his room some nights. With that being said I'm the one who does the comforting in my family and together, yet alone, we cry.

  I thought it was going to be like this for the rest of our lives. I never planned to move out at eighteen because I didn't want to leave my father here alone to rot. A shell of his former self slowly decaying along with the house. With my little brother being motherless and pretty much fatherless I had to learn to be a parent and raise him the best that I can. I'm guessing my dad had different plans. He burst into my room early one morning without warning.

"I need you to pack you and your brother's stuff. We're leaving to Oregon. Please pack as light as possible. You'll have time to choose what you want to keep or leave because you have two weeks."

-------------------
Cover artist: Roxanne Jane Black
insta: roxanne.janeblack

"Hahaha! It is true! There are a lot of ores there!" exclaimed Toba!

Ten minutes elapsed since the barbarians entered Five's dungeon and after following the long tunnel, they came across several intersections. Some of the tunnels were smaller and the barbarians directly ignored them, but others were of the same size as the same tunnel. 

Since their task was just to explore the mine and ensure that it is a safe place, the barbarians decided to split into different groups and right now, they were separated in 3 groups; one of 10 barbarians and two of 5 barbarians. They simply split into two when they met an intersection.

Although only ten minutes have passed, Toba already came across an iron ore embedded in the wall. It only took a few swings of the pickaxe to pull it out. He did not really understand the importance of these pieces of rock, but he knew he needed to bring as much as possible back to the village. Both the Shaman and Achi heavily emphasized this; they did not need to take a lot of risks and just needed to explore this place and bring back the ores and coals they would find.

"Let's quickly continue!" said Toba. The other 9 barbarians quickly followed. After another 20 minutes, they already collected another ore and 2 pieces of coal. In fact, they could have collected much more if they went into the small tunnels; whenever they would see another tunnel, the group would usually try to see as far as possible inside and often, they would catch a glimpse of something shiny. But due to their large frame, they did not really want to do so and decided to come back later; it was not like the ores would suddenly disappear.

Zeke was walking just behind his dad, "Ah, those annoying fireflies... Go away!" said Zeke with an annoyed expression. He violently clapped his hand right on top of a small firefly and instantly squished it.

"F*ck those insects... Why are there so many of them..." 

When he first came to the mine, Zeke naturally encountered some fireflies but this time, it looked like there were so many of them! More importantly, he felt like he was being targeted by the fireflies as they would often fly around him. Some even tried to land on his arm and were violently killed by the young barbarian.

The other barbarians would simply laugh at the sight of Zeke venting his anger at the small fireflies.

Very soon, they came across yet another intersection. 

"Let's divide into two groups. Baltra, choose your men," said Toba. Baltra was another barbarian but compared to the others, he was not burly or muscular but had a slimmer figure. He was, in fact, a powerful ranger; his shots would always be accurate to the point that the other barbarians would often just have to pick up the dead preys.

Baltra could be considered as the second in command of the team and everyone respected him despite his appearance. "I choose you, you..." Quickly, Baltra picked four barbarians.

"Alright! You guys go into this tunnel. You know what to do. No matter what, return at the entrance in three hours. Also, don't divide again."

"Got it!"

Baltra and his men quickly disappeared in the dark tunnel. Aside from their loud steps, Zeke heard one of them comment, "What a pity, it would have been nice to stay next to Firefly man; with him, we don't even need a torch, hahaha"

His expression turned gloomy, but his father tapped his back, "Let's go, we don't have much time left!"

...

30 minutes later, Toba's group now had 5 iron ores in their hands. They kept all the ores and coals they picked in a bag of animal fur which Zeke carried. Two fireflies were circling around him and although he kept pushing them away, they would simply come back and continue to annoy him.

"Zeke, stop being so agitated, it's just some insects!"

"You are not the one targeted by them," answered Zeke as he continued to try to get rid of the fireflies. But with one hand occupied by the bag, he could no longer kill them easily. The other barbarians did not bother to help him and instead use him more as a distraction. 

But suddenly, while Zeke was wildly swinging his free hand, the two fireflies stopped circling around him and instead both flew away in front of the group. Zeke was puzzled, the fireflies had been harassing him for a long time but now, they suddenly chose to leave.

The fireflies emitted a bit of light and could easily be seen in this dark tunnel. They were about to disappear at a turn when a brighter light appeared there. 

Toba and the other barbarians became cautious. They immediately drew their weapons, ready to strike at any time. The light at the turn was becoming brighter and brighter as if the light source was getting closer but they could not hear any footsteps.

"Baltra! Is that you? Don't scare us like that!" asked Toba as he observed the turn at the end of the tunnel. He thought that the two tunnels could simply reconnect at some point and therefore, it was possible that it was simply Baltra.

The two fireflies could clearly be seen as they started to dance in mid-air and a few seconds later, the barbarians finally saw the light source. They were surprised to see a group of fireflies suddenly appear at the turn and join the two fireflies in their dance.

"What is happening? Why is there so many of these?" said Zeke, he was anxious as the thought, that all these fireflies would dance around him, crossed his mind.

"Calm down son, look carefully! There's a bigger one in this group!" calmly said Toba. He was holding his usual heavy ax in one hand and a lighted torch in the other.

Hearing his father, Zeke focused on the fireflies and effectively, he noticed that one of them was at least 5 times larger than the other. All the other fireflies seemed to be dancing around the bigger one.

After a few seconds, the group of fireflies flew back to where they came from. They disappeared at the turn, but the barbarians could still see the light they were emitting.

"What was that? There is a whole colony of these fireflies?" asked one of the barbarians.

"I thought this place was deserted but if there are creatures like fireflies. There should be more things deeper like plants and water for them to survive!" said Toba. He did not know much about fireflies but if there is life, there should also be food and water not far away.

"Let's follow them then. At least, we won't be exploring randomly anymore," commented another barbarian.

Toba looked at his son who clearly did not want anything to do with fireflies anymore before saying, "That's a good idea!"

Quickly, the barbarians made their way through the tunnels, following the fireflies was easy. They were not very fast and were very visible. In just a few seconds, the barbarians were now walking just a few meters away from the fireflies. 

"Do we really need to stay near these insects?" asked Zeke who was worried that they might suddenly choose to attack him again.

"Zeke! You are a man. How can you be scared of insects..." 

His complaints were fruitless, and he could only quietly follow behind the fireflies. Strangely, the insects did not go into any of the smaller tunnels and kept picking the larger one whenever they would meet an intersection.

They were flying at a relatively slow pace but in a little over 30 minutes, the group finally saw a change in the environment. The tunnel suddenly enlarged itself and turned into a large room. The place was deserted but at the end of the room, the barbarians could see stairs going down.

They stared at the scene in amazement. This room was much larger than the tunnels and even looked like it was man-made. 

"Just what is this place? How come we never discovered it before?"

As one of the barbarians were commenting, the group of fireflies suddenly sped up and disappeared down the stairs. It was so sudden that the barbarians could not even react 

…

On the second floor, Five was observing the barbarians' movement. He was delighted to see them separate into groups as this was something he was hoping for. He wanted to lure some barbarians to the second floor to get some more DP by killing them; it might be a greedy attempt, but he could not remain eternally passive.

He wanted to use this opportunity to send a strong message to the barbarians that the second floor and below were dangerous! It was clear that the barbarians were already interested in the mine and would come to collect the ores; this was something he easily determined by observing their behavior and how they picked every single ore they could reach.

The ideal scenario for Five was to keep all the barbarians on the first floor but it was something impossible. Deterring the barbarians from moving to the next floors was his goal which is why he targeted the weakest member of the group which was Zeke.

He asked Lumen to lure him down and use him as an example, but he never expected that the big boss of the barbarians, Toba would also form part of the same group. Luring Toba was the worst possible scenario. He was level 32 and could easily kill his way through the labyrinth!

It was too late for regret, Five could only bite his nails as he anxiously observed the barbarians who were deciding on what to do next.

After being betrayed, framed and kicked down to the ground, our protagonist was sentenced to life imprisonment. But a few days later, a global disaster occurred, people from all nations migrated to underground refuges.

As a prisoner, he thought his life was over, abandoned by everyone. However, he wakes up, greeted by Gaia, the person responsible for New Earth.

New Earth was a second chance for him, watch as he builds up his own dungeon and become known by all as the Emperor of Madness

Note that this is a slow novel and dungeon building only takes place after 40 chapters

[Note: I am also posting this novel on RoyalRoadLegends: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/18115/new-earth--the-dungeon-of-madness]

Here's an edited version available on Amazon: 
Book 1: https://amzn.to/2MwyMBG
Book 2: https://amzn.to/2U9R6lp
Book 3: https://amzn.to/2UdVbVx

Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/nikostar2

Hope grunted, but to think about it again… the demon wouldn't let her die under the paws of her underling, right? Such as, the demon wolves perhaps, or the troll?
Hope was unsure.
However, there was no harm on trying, or maybe there was?
"Whatever," Hope hissed as she took off her cloak and folded it beside her, now all she could do was to wait, whether this would work or not.
When Hope folded the cloak, her fingers brushed against something hard inside the pocket, only then she remembered about the candle.
Hope took it out and stared at the blue flames. "Really…" she sighed frustratedly. "I don't know what I should do with you." Since there was no one to talk to, Hope had a monologue to herself. "Why the candlemaiden didn't make it easier? She could just give me something more useful or something that can tell me directly where the priestess is, not a candle which I don't even know what it does."
Hope blew out the candle, but like what had happened, the fire still didn't go out, then she lifted the candle in her hands in eye level and pondered what she could do with it when the corner of her eyes caught something.
At first, it was just one flickering thing, but then there were two, three, five… and in a minute, the whole place was filled with them.
The fireflies.
Hope was dumbstruck by the amount of the fireflies around her, this was twice the number of fireflies she had last seen and they were utterly beautiful.
Hope had seen them since the first time Kace and she parted way with the centaur, but because their number was not significant, she didn't say anything about it and just thought it was only an ordinary thing.
Then Hope remembered the last thing she saw before she fell asleep and was captured by the demon woman, she watched those fireflies too.
"What is this?" Hope whisper- asked to no one in particular.
Some of the fireflies perched gently on the branches trees as the wind stirred them gently and some of it flickered around Hope.
"How beautiful…" her voice was a soft whisper. However, the thing that made her gasped loudly was when her eyes caught the blue flames in her candle turned into the color of red.
It could only mean one thing; the priestess was near.
But where?!
Hope whipped her head from left to right, trying to see if there was someone there. She stood up and stepped on a big rock near the pond that was made because of the waterfall.
Hope craned her neck and sharpened her sight and hearing, yet there was nothing, she was still alone there. The priestess didn't suddenly appear from the bushes or out thin air, neither from the pond.
Hope clicked her tongue, annoyed. The last thing that she wanted now was another riddle. She jumped down from the rock and picked up her cloak.
When the beautiful fireflies flickered away right in front of her face, Hope realized the movement from them.
The fireflies that were previously scattered around Hope, now gathered in one direction. Hope tilted her head as she put the pieces together and with hesitant steps, she followed the firefly in the same direction she had taken before.
==============  
Just like what she thought, the fireflies wanted her to follow them, yet Hope was unsure where they took her, as she kept walking to the different part of the mountain.
But, one thing made her mood better, the fact that she was no longer circling the same area. This told her that her decision was right.
Hope didn't wear her cloak on purpose, maybe this way, Kace could find her faster before other supernatural creatures did.
And one more thing that Hope noticed was the more she followed the fireflies the more their number increased and their light under the sunrays were akin to beautiful speck of dust that glimmering, floating in the air.
"What are those fireflies?" Hope mumbled to herself as she quickened her steps to keep up with them.
She remembered about past chat with Ethan about the fireflies when Hope had just gotten a dream about Kace's beast, he said base on ancient story about the supernatural creatures, those fireflies were symbol of spirit, the soul of the dead.
Hope didn't know what he meant until she entered a cave, which the fireflies led her.
She was standing at the cave mouth when wind shrieked through the hollows and gaps of the cave like banshees haunting a graveyard.
"Is there a ghost inside?" Hope hesitated to take another step, but then she shook her head vigorously, after seeing the demon itself and surrounded by supernatural creatures and had experienced life and death, a ghost wouldn't scare her anymore, compare to what she had been through, Hope was at the point she would befriend with the ghost just so she wouldn't feel alone.
Steeling her heart, she took a decisive step into the cave. The cave was built into the muddy brown rock of the cliff, the stone guarding the entrance was jagged and uneven, arranged in such a way that it would be difficult for passerby to spot. If it was not for the fireflies that led her, she would miss this place entirely.
Inside, only the flickering of the fireflies that illuminated the dark place.
Hope moved around by following the damp wall of the cave with her hands when all of sudden, flaming torches sparked to life, lighting up the tunnel ahead and bathing the entire cavern in a flickering orange glow.
And the fireflies vanished…
Hope frowned when her guide disappeared, yet when she saw there was an open area ahead from her, she kept moving forward.
Only then, she understood what Ethan meant with the fireflies were symbol of the death, because right before her eyes, there were thousands carcasses scattered on the cave's ground.


COMPLETED!

Snippet:

A year ago Raine was discharged from mental institution and had to live in the orphanage. It wasn't the best place. At least not for someone like her.

Until one faithful night she met him.

***

He stopped the car.

The clutched on the blanket tightened as Raine wonder if she did something wrong. She could feel it when Torak reached out his hand at her.

Will he hit me? Raine shivered with that thought.

Torak pulled back the hoodie off her head and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Don't." He said firmly, "I want to see you, don't hide yourself…"

**************

“The spirit of the guardian angel will breathe new life into human child. Three guardian angels will be born into terrestrial world once again and the three of you will be their protectors.”

“Protectors!!?” Jedrek snapped. In the end, he stopped walking and turned his back to look at the moon goddess from far distance away, his eyes glistening red with anger. His wolf was livid. 

“Why do you think we will help?” Kace asked while narrowing his black obsidian eyes, his wolf took control of him. He was the youngest among the three and the less temperamental among them.

The three of them were cursed by Selene because of their ferocious action to gain supreme power and authority. 

The moon goddess didn’t bless them with a mate as a punishment of their atrocious way and forced them to involve in this deadly war with the demons.

“You will turn us into a slave for those sickly creatures!?” Torak asked incredulously. “Aren’t you afraid that we will snap them into two?”

The guardian angel was so fragile and they as lycanthropes didn’t appreciate the weaknesses.

“No, you will not.” Selene said patiently. “You will not be their slave nor hurt them, you will cherish them in every way possible.”

Jedrek laughed menacingly upon hearing this, they didn’t care about the resurrected of the beast, once they crossed their territory, with or without the guardian angel he would tear their body apart. “I will be the last person they will see, once I find them.” He was referring to both the guardian angel and the demon.

But, the next voice from Selene was laced with mirth when she spoke.

“You will not hurt your mate.”

============================
Session 1 (chapter 1 - 394) : Torak Donovan - Raine (completed).
Session 2 (chapter 395 - 628) : Kace Donovan - Hope (completed)
Session 3 (chapter 629 - 1083) : Jedrek Donovan - Lilac (completed)
Session 4 (chapter 1084 - on going) : Side Stories

============================

This is a werewolf story and of course a fantasy! Since everybody has their own version of the way supernatural life, here I am trying to write mine.

If you have read other werewolf stories, you will be aware there are similarities and differences.

============================

***Caution!

English is not my first language, so there is a possibility that you will find grammatical error (I didn't do it intentionally though), if it makes you uncomfortable, please let me know so I can fix it.
*You have been warned ^^

Any constructive criticisms are very welcome!

..........................................................................................

##Meet me on instragram : jikan_yo_tomare

##Cover by: @Gisel.arts

Check out my other stories: 
**PURPLE DAWN TILL DUSK: dearest through the time
**THE STORY OF DUSK

Fangzheng shook his head and said, "It's not that kind of sadness, but a sorrow that comes from a sense of despair. It's a pain that comes from being about to die, as well as a longing for the deceased loved ones. This feeling is becoming clearer and clearer… I can sense that they are truly in despair."
The more Zhu Lin listened, the more confused she became. She scratched her head and said, "This… Master, I really don't understand. Then… how are we going to help them? Let them out? But these little fellows belong to the Hall of Dreams. We don't have the right to take them away. Besides, it's a world of ice and snow outside. Going out will be suicide for them."
Fangzheng shook his head. "I don't know either. They are very horrified."
Just as he finished speaking, someone raised his cell phone and with a click, a flash of light appeared. Following that, the man chuckled and said, "I took a photo. Let me see the effects. It's not that nice. I'll take another few more and post on my Moments page, heh heh…"
"Please stop! No flash photography!" At this moment, the female service staff at the door shouted.
However, that person continued snapping photos as if he hadn't heard anything.
The female service staff continued to shout, "Please cooperate with us. Don't use your flash."
"It's so dark here. You can't see anything without the flash," a woman complained. Following that, she took two pictures.
As soon as she took the lead, the others followed suit and switched on their cameras. Instantly, the flashes flickered…
Zhu Lin frowned. "These people are too unruly, aren't they?"
Fangzheng's frown deepened. Just as everyone activated their cameras to snap pictures, Fangzheng could clearly sense the fireflies' panic intensifying. Were they afraid of the flashes?
However, there were more and more fireflies in front of them. There was no negative reaction. What was going on?
At that moment, Squirrel said, "Master, I saw many fireflies fall into the grass."
Fangzheng immediately observed carefully when he heard that. In the pitch-black room, he couldn't see much. All he could see was the fluorescent light and flashes. The fluorescent lights were dim and the flashes happened in an instant. It wasn't suitable for illumination or observation. It even affected his observation.
However, Fangzheng still saw a firefly fall from the midair. It landed on the grass and shook its wings. There was no movement as though it could not fly any longer.
Was it tired?
Fangzheng was puzzled.
At that moment, Fangzheng saw a tiny hole behind the room. There were fireflies constantly being released from the tiny hole. Only then did Fangzheng come to a realization. He mumbled, "It's no wonder there are more and more fireflies. It's not the original fireflies flying, but more fireflies being released. The number of fireflies that are released is more than the number of them falling. Therefore, it looks like there are more and more of them, making it remain beautiful."
Squirrel said, "Master, why do I feel like these fireflies are getting more and more alarmed?"
Fangzheng nodded. He circled around the crowd and came to the door. He asked the anxious and helpless service staff, "Why don't you allow flash photography?"
The service staff said, "This is a rule. These fireflies are very fragile. Flashes easily kill them."
"Kill them?" Fangzheng finally understood why the fireflies were panicking. They weren't here to perform. They were in an execution ground! It was no wonder they were afraid. Who wouldn't be?
The attendant said, "That's right. Every day, we release tens of thousands of fireflies. In a day, only a few hundred survive. Sigh…"
Upon hearing that, Fangzheng's heart ached again. He said angrily, "There's so many deaths every day. Why do you continue?"
The attendant was given a fright by Fangzheng's words before saying, "How would I know? I'm just an employee. I do whatever the higher-ups arrange."
Fangzheng knew that he had lost his temper when he heard that. "Sorry, I was a little agitated."
Zhu Lin clicked her tongue. "My goodness, tens of thousands a day, and only a few hundred survive. This… is basically a 99% death rate! This… is like firefly hell!"
Squirrel added, "From the looks of it, this isn't a space of dreams. It's a mortuary for fireflies."
"Everyone, please stop using your flashes. The flashes kill the fireflies," Zhu Lin shouted.
Everyone turned to look at Zhu Lin in confusion.
The man who was the first to use his flash said, "How is that possible? It's just light, not bullets."
The attendant said, "Sir, it's true. These flashes are like bullets to fireflies."
Another long-haired woman pursed her lips and said, "You merchants are afraid that we will take pictures and go back to show it to others. After seeing it, there will be fewer customers, right? If I must say, you guys are bad at business. With us taking photos—beautiful ones—we can post on our Moments page and attract even more people to come."
"That's right. You guys are bad at business," the others agreed.
The attendant panicked. "I'm telling the truth. Fireflies are really afraid of flashes."
"Afraid? Then let me try. Let's see if a firefly is killed!" shouted the long-haired woman.
"Alright, let's watch," the others said.
The long-haired woman was about to use her flash when a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm. "Patron, isn't it too cruel to use a life as an experiment?"
"You…" The long-haired woman was about to flare up when she turned her head and saw a bald monk dressed in a white monk robe looking at her with a serious expression.
She was immediately stunned. This was Black Mountain City. Here, Fangzheng was definitely a household name. Many people might not even recognize the governor, but everyone basically knew Fangzheng.
The woman exclaimed, "Abbot Fangzheng!?"
The others snapped out of their daze and looked at Fangzheng.
At this point in time, Fangzheng knew that it was meaningless to hide his identity. He needed his identity to help increase his persuasion.
Fangzheng pressed his palms together when he saw everyone exclaim. "Amitabha. Patrons, what Patron Zhu Lin said just now is true. If you don't believe me, why use the fireflies as an experiment? You all have cell phones. If you go online to check, wouldn't there be an answer?"
"Abbot Fangzheng, there's no need to investigate. I don't believe others, but I believe you." The woman immediately changed tunes and was the first to side with Fangzheng.
"I believe you too. I'll just stop taking photos." The man who took the photo first put away his phone as well.
"I really didn't expect that a tiny flash could kill fireflies…" someone mumbled, but he put away his phone.
Then a child shouted, "Dad, I see a firefly fall down. It's not moving."
When the man heard that, he squatted down and looked in the direction the child was pointing at. When he saw it, his heart trembled. He said with a trembling voice, "Everyone, look!"
Everyone crouched down and took a look. Everyone gasped!
The long-haired woman exclaimed, "There's more beneath the grass! Tons of them!"


In the rural northeastern mountainous regions stands a tiny Buddhist temple, named One Finger Temple. It isn't a large one but it is extremely miraculous.

The temple has rice that emanates an aromatic fragrance.

The temple has sweet and refreshing water that rivals ambrosia.

The temple has Buddhas that grant wishes to the sincere.

The temple isn't large but it has everything. The temple isn't large but it has flourishing incense offerings that far exceed all temples. The temple isn't large but it attracts both citizens and foreigners that line up overnight…

The temple has a bald but handsome monk. Every day, he would bawl, "I want to renounce asceticism! I want to marry a chick that's not too pretty, have a cute baby, and lead a stable life!"

This book is a casual novel that introduces various Chinese traditional customs, as well as Buddhist ones. It strives to be a positive book, allowing people to reflect on how they should live their lives and treat others.

One day. 
Two days.
Three days. 
Four...
Five...
Six...
Seven full days passed by in a flash with no sign of recovery in sight. By the seventh day in hell, I was on the verge of breaking down. I was losing it. My eyes were dead. I felt like a lost wandering soul with nowhere to go.
Even when I knew she was right there beside me the entire time, I still felt unbearably alone. I'd grown numb to being alive and seeing the same empty void day in and day out.
It was only when I came out on the eighth day that there was some sort of change to the outside world.
The moment she took me outside on that day, I was greeted by a cacophony of fireflies fluttering wings. They were everywhere. They had filled the void as far as I could see.
However, the further we went from my apartment, the lower the density of fireflies remained in the surrounding area.
By the time we were at the office, there were hardly any fireflies remaining. I was confounded by this sudden realization and for the first time in what felt like an eternity within these seven days, I was slightly intrigued. From the very beginning, the fireflies had been around from day one. Could the inauspicious fireflies actually hold some sort of secret after all? If I figured out their significance, would the world return to normal?
This time when I was at work, I left Val's office on my own without her assistance. I told her I was going to the washroom and that she didn't need to show me the way. I didn't want to bother her with this if it turned out to be nothing.
After a week of practice with Val, I'd gotten much better navigating through the void. The chaotic sounds, despite the reduction from the air muffs, still left me feeling stick to my stomach even after these long seven days. No matter how much time passed, it was something I knew I'd never grow accustomed to.
I made my way to the bus stop and took out my wallet. Val helped me buy a bus pass, so all I had to do was flash it when the bus arrived and I was able to avoid fiddling with the invisible change I couldn't see or feel when trying to pay the fare.
She was far too considerate, but it pained me deeply to rely so heavily on her for every little detail. The last week made me fully understand how dysfunctional a person without any senses truly was. The simplest of operations became extraordinarily difficult and even the slightest change in the environment became a monumental life-threatening hazard to me. Without Val leading the way, every step I took was like walking on a tightrope over a bottomless chasm. 
While I rode on the firefly bus, the name I gave it after lengthy internal deliberation; I looked out the window. I saw the usual firefly cars, but unlike before, there were now lone fireflies flying about everywhere. The closer we got to my apartment, the denser the firefly population became in the vicinity.
When the bus stopped at the intersection where my apartment was located, I made my exit into the firefly infested world. I tread through the void carefully in the direction where the fireflies became more dense in search of the origin of what caused their sudden influx.
It didn't take long before I realized that the fireflies all had one similarity, overall, they all flew in the same direction. They were also unnaturally moving from sparsely populated areas to a region increasingly dense in population.
With that unnatural phenomenon, I was certain there had to be something attracting them all. It lit a small flame of hope in my heart while I desperately trudged through the cold heartless void. I was slightly convinced that it had to be the key to escape this nightmarish reality. The fireflies had been here from day one, and I never understood the mystery of what they represented in this world. The closer I got to the origin, the more quickened my pace. I was anxious. I wanted to be released from this desolate world where nothing existed; the sooner the better.
As the distance decreased the closer I drew to the truth, the more ragged my breaths became. I couldn't feel the thumps in my chest, but I was certain I had a significantly elevated heartbeat. With the inability to feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins, it made me unsure whether I was really dead or alive.
When I arrived at my final destination, where the fireflies had congregated, I was left confounded. At the origin was a single door created by fireflies whose lights gradually transitioned between on and off. 
It wasn't the strange door that left me confused, it was because based upon my memory, the door led to the unit directly beside mine. I started to doubt my memory and assumed that I somehow miscalculated my steps on the way here. It could very well be my own room and I might have made a simple mistake.
I felt unnerved when I examined the door constructed by the fireflies. When I approached closer, I discovered both the frequency at which the light flickered in and out along with the intensity of the light given off by the fireflies was inversely proportional to the distance I was away from the firefly door. I backed away to verify this, and as expected, the emitted light returned to its previous state where the frequency and luminosity was notably lower. It screamed of sketchy, but I was desperate to escape from this world no matter what cost I paid.
I extended my hand out to touch the door formed from fireflies, but the moment I did, they suddenly scattered in all directions in slow motion. They fled both towards and away from me as they created a peculiar flickering particle effect. When they scattered, what was revealed behind was a wide-eyed figure completely buried in lightless fireflies. A gruesome figure with insects veiling their entire appearance was all I could see amidst the flickering lights from the fireflies in the surroundings.
My heart stopped momentarily as I staggered backward and called out in a panic, "who are you!"
My own question rattled my brain when my voice echoed out on repeat inside my head. I felt queasy and weak in the knees, just about ready to collapse from the spinning sensation brought on by lightheadedness.
The figure instinctively replied to my abrupt question with a single word, "Adele."
The instant I heard the voice, or rather; the moment the name registered in my head, the darkness suddenly expanded from the two of us as the crux, outwards, revealing the familiar scenery I'd desperately longed for over the last two weeks.

If you were told there was another unseen world hidden in plain sight, would you believe that?

If you were told invisible otherworldly beings pulled the strings in the background for their own sick and twisted amusement, could you accept that?

Of course not!

Diogenes Genovese, a man of science who denies the unbridled reign of gods and demons, struggles through the adversity and opposes the unjust world he finds himself a part of.

Bombarded by a string of ever escalating calamities and disasters, his beliefs are tested; pushed to never before seen extremes, while surrounded by a slew of lunatics, he seeks out the truth of the irrational world we live in.

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Fortunately, someone in Lin Ping's team reacted quickly and pulled on Lin Ping. The other earth ability user immediately summoned a five-pillar earth wall and surrounded them tightly.
The fireflies collided into their barrier frantically. Qin Yi observed carefully and discovered that the fireflies actually had sharp fangs that were used to bite off the bald man's head.
Qin Yi's barrier was extremely sturdy, leaving the fireflies helpless. Lin Ping's side was also temporarily safe at this time.
Mutated beasts that came in packs and dense populations were the most difficult to deal with, because once an individual left their shield or protection behind, the possibility of being devoured without being able to unleash any abilities was very high.
Fortunately, they had Yun Huan with them. Yun Huan's spatial abilities could be said to be the bane of these mutated beasts. With a wave of his hand, countless fireflies were controlled by him, exploding to death.
Even so, there were too many fireflies. Even when a group died, another would appear. Fortunately for them, the numbers seemed to dwindle after a period of time.
A loud shriek suddenly sounded out, the fireflies that were colliding into their barriers immediately retreating. Not a single one was left behind, as though they had all been summoned back.
When the fireflies disappeared, Qin Yi recalled the barrier, then looked at Yun Huan.
"That sound just now…"
Yun Huan nodded his head, "En, it should be the mutated plant they mentioned, but it is able to control these fireflies."
Qin Hanyu's handsome features were serious as he looked at Qin Yi. "Baobao, are we still going?"
Just the fireflies were enough to be trouble, and they didn't even know what the mutated plant could do. He was also worried that there might be more than one mutated plant.
"Go. Why not?" Qin Yi's phoenix eyes were ablaze, like resplendent fireworks. Her brows were flamboyant and reckless, unlike her usual cool self. At this moment, she resembled a battle god. "I'm going."
She always believed that true strength and potential would explode in the most dangerous and crucial moments. Tempering oneself without experiencing real battles could not drastically improve her abilities, even if their abilities were already extremely strong.
It was how she had grown in her previous life, struggling with her life on the line, facing all sorts of dangers and benefiting from them. It was the same in this life. 
Nothing could stop her strengthened heart.
Yun Huan did not say anything as he looked at her with his handsome and warm face, his peach blossom eyes filled with tenderness. This was the little fella he knew, the prince he recognized.
Qin Hanyu sighed helplessly, his phoenix eyes undulating. He had known Qin Yi's answer before she even said it.
"Alright, we will go together." He was not there for the first part of her life, so he planned to stay by her side from now on.
Qin YI walked over and pushed down the mud wall, revealing the four people trembling and hugging each other. 
She raised an eyebrow, asking them, "They're gone, so are you guys going to continue?"
Lin Ping looked outside and confirmed that not a shadow of the fireflies could be seen. He sighed, remembering Qin Yi's question as he swallowed saliva, hesitant and unsure.
Lin Qing suddenly stood up, a smile on her face, but Qin Yi could see the hatred in her eyes. It was obviously directed towards them.
"Go! Why not? We're going."
'They did not save baldie when he could have been saved and didn't do anything at all. They knew that the fireflies were a problem but did not tell us anything. They deserve to die.'


Qin Yi was reborn half a month's time before the apocalypse. In this life, having already seen the true colors of her scumbag sister and father, she swore to let them have a taste of their own medicine—an eye for an eye. She disguised herself as a man and kept improving, getting stronger day by day. Common people hailed her as “Prince”, making countless people bow in homage.
But who is this guy who keeps pestering her? She isn’t homosexual ah, faints~~
Facing a group of men and women who wanted to snatch his person away, a certain someone had a murderous look on his face. “Qiqi is mine.” Then he shamelessly stood in front of Qin Yi. “Qiqi, I don’t care about your gender~~”
Everyone: ...


Then, the person who covered her mouth dragged her behind the artificial mountain.
The artificial mountain was hollow in the middle. There was just enough for two people to squeeze in.
Qin Shu's back pressed against the hard stone wall. The uneven surface of the stone wall felt a little jarring. Qin Shu was shocked. Just as she was about to use all her strength to break free from the other party's grip, the person leaned closer to her ear and whispered,
"Bao'er, it's me."
She heard the familiar male voice. It was deep and masculine. Qin Shu's loosened her grip.
Soon, Qin Shu was surrounded by the man's unique scent and the faint smell of tobacco from him.
The man removed his hand, which covered Qin Shu's mouth.
"Little Shu, where are you?"
The old madam said. She sounded anxious and worried.
Qin Shu wanted to step out of the artificial mountain, but the man grabbed her wrist. It was obvious that he didn't want Qin Shu to leave.
So, Qin Shu took two steps forward and exposed half of her body. She called out to the old madam, "Grandma, I'm catching fireflies. I'll be back soon."
The artificial mountain was only seven or eight meters away from the gazebo. Lights were hanging at the top of the gazebo, but no lights were hanging from the artificial mountain.
There was a street lamp two meters away from the artificial mountain, emitting a weak light.
Therefore, it was dark near the artificial mountain. People in the gazebo couldn't see the details of the artificial mountain clearly.
The old madam didn't ask any more questions when she heard Qin Shu's response. She went back to chatting with Xu Wei.
Qin Shu's body stiffened because the man leaned over from behind her. He rested his chin on her right shoulder and hugged her from behind.
"Why did you come without saying a word? Aren't you going to greet your grandmother?"
He must have returned to Bright Garden first. When he didn't see her there, he asked butler Shi and found out her whereabouts. Then, he rushed over.
"I don't want her to know that I'm here." The man's masculine voice felt hot on her ears. It was a little itchy for Qin Shu.
He actually asked his Fu Tingyan, his brother, through text while he was on his way over. 
His younger brother said that it was fine.
That was why he appeared in such a manner.
Qin Shu asked in confusion, "You ambushed here. How did you know that I would come over to the artificial mountain?"
"Bao'er likes fireflies," the man answered matter-of-factly.
"Could it be that you were the one who put these fireflies here?"
The man nodded.
Qin Shu's eyes flashed with surprise. No wonder she didn't see any fireflies in the beginning. 
Then the fireflies appeared out of nowhere.
How did he know that she would definitely come over if she saw the fireflies?
Fu Tingyu tightened his arms around Qin Shu. He said in a low voice, "Bao'er, were you well treated?"
Qin Shu chuckled softly. "I'm just here to eat. Of course, I was well treated. Besides, your grandma is actually quite nice. She knew that you've been busy recently and was a little worried about you not eating."
Qin Shu suddenly recalled the time he went to the Lake of No Return to catch fireflies. The memories still made Qin Shu feel nervous for him.
"You didn't go to the Lake of No Return to catch these fireflies again, did you?"
"No, I saw them on the way here. I caught them on the way."
On the way to the old house, there was a park. On the right side of the park was a large patch of grass, and fireflies often appeared there in summer.
On the way?
The fourth master of Jiang City went to the park to catch fireflies?
That didn't sound right. The fourth master of Jiang City was a noble, ascetic prince who could change the weather if he wanted to.
When Fu Tingyu hugged Qin Shu, he felt her flat stomach. It felt as if she had had enough food. 
"How much did you eat for dinner?"
"A bowl of rice."
The man frowned. "Why only one bowl?"
"I just ate a few pieces of watermelon. I'm full."
The man paused, "Is it sweet?"


“Are you still going to run away?”
“No, not anymore.”
He loved her to the point of paranoia, a compulsion that penetrated his bones and was impossible to cure.
“Babe, you can only smile at me.”
“Babe, I’ll get you everything you like.”
After getting revived, Qin Shu’s eyes were as bright as snow and she had high intelligence. She held on to her handsome and rich husband, refusing to let go, devoting herself to protecting and pampering him. She worked hard to become stronger so that she could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
Before her revival, Qin Shu believed the words of her younger sister. She hated him, blamed him, and devised a thousand ways to run away from him.
Yet, he loved her deeply, pampered her with all his heart, and allowed her to behave atrociously.

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