Crown of Thorns - Chapter 37

A phoenix is a creature of legends, a wonder of the world, an imagery of life and destruction. This fabled creature signifies the rise of a hero in a virtual world where battles occur for the sake of honor and glory!

Tragedy had reduced James to a nobody. Washed up and homeless in NYC, he thought his life was over.Then a message appeared in his vision:60,000 year countdown has endedNemesis 1 releasedPlease acknowledgeAs the world falls apart, as billions die, as society collapses and all hope seems lost, James discovers a powerful truth: he was wrong to think himself a nobody.With the dawn of the Void, he'll become the most important person to have ever lived.Release Schedule: 5 Chapters a week; Mon-Fri.Dawn of the Void is ONLY published on Royal Road and my Patreon. Please notify me if you find it elsewhere.

The Non-Human Society is a shell of its former self. Its members are scattered and in hiding, and few if any have the will to fight any longer.Joining the Society, Renn has a single goal. To no longer be alone. Yet her membership comes at a price.Renn joins Vim, the Societies Protector, in hopes of preserving the last chance she has at finding a home and a place to belong.What to expect?- An immersive world-building and character focused story!- A typical, but fleshed out, low-fantasy world. Regrettably, the only numbers that go up here are the chapter and word counts...! And my debt, but let's not talk about that.- A more down to earth, sometimes somber story. But there is hope!- A huge world to get lost in. Lots of content. Over 1M words written already!- Side-Stories! Now released once a month.- A tiny sliver of my heart... forever yours!

Tang Qiu was a substitute bride–forced to take her half-sister’s place and marry the young master of the Jiang family, a deformed cripple with less than 6 months left to live.

“Who would have thought that even a sickly whelp like Jiang Shaocheng would find himself a bride?”

“I hear that he’s practically on his deathbed and he’s only marrying the Fengs’ daughter to improve his lifespan.”

Tang Qiu ignored the whispers around her and focused on her husband-to-be, who coughed violently in his wheelchair. At the altar, after they had said their vows, she lifted her veil and knelt in front of Jiang Shaocheng, pressing a hesitant kiss to his lips.

The marriage contract was signed. No matter his physical deformities, he was now her husband.

She wasn’t afraid of the scars that marked his face, nor was she repulsed by him being confined to a wheelchair. Every morning, she made him breakfast, attended to his needs, and thought of little else beyond her duties as a wife.

“Young Master Jiang is a cripple who can’t get it up,” her best friend argued. “When he dies, you’ll still be untouched. You should set your sights higher.”

“A sickly invalid like Jiang Shaocheng can’t give you happiness,” her ex-boyfriend insisted. “I’ll wait for you.”

But Young Master Jiang only scoffed. “I have plenty of time left to be with her.”

Later in their marriage, Jiang Shaocheng wanted to enjoy his little wife in all ways–the press of her lips against his, the brush of skin on skin; the way a husband and wife were supposed to. But Tang Qiu refused him, blushing. “No, we can’t. The doctor says you can’t exert yourself.”

Jiang Shaocheng’s desire was surging through him, a heat in his core that demanded to be satiated. He cursed, I should have gotten rid of that doctor and the wheelchair long ago.

But he yearned to make love to his little wife, and so he revealed his true identity. In the blink of an eye, the deformed cripple transformed into a powerful businessman–tall, dark, and handsome. He quieted Tang Qiu’s protests, his body positioned over hers, his arms caging her as she lay on the bed. His voice was low when he asked, “What about now?”