MAD END'S DECEPTION

ARAHPlumber Paul was dead.Not even a month had passed since he’d walked into her shop and picked her Clover Wish for his first tattoo. She'd pitched that design as a lucky charm to her clients—just a gimmick of sorts. So imagine her surprise when Paul’s wish to win the lottery actually came true days later.Now, he was gone. Just like that. It wasn’t because of her tattoo, of course. But with that last memory of him, how could she ever look at her Clover Wish and call it lucky again?Her eyes drifted down to Barky, who was happily munching on his dog food. She squatted next to him, stroking his back and twirling her fingers through his soft brown fur. At least she had this big guy to cheer her up.The bathroom door creaked open. She glanced up to see Gildeon strolling down the hallway in black sweatpants, rubbing his dark hair with a towel. She’d seen him naked plenty of times, but each time, his perfectly sculpted body drew her gaze like a moth to a flame. The way his muscles flexe

GILDEONAs soon as Arah drifted off, he slipped out and hit the road. Her Clover Wish tattoo and Plumber Paul's death might’ve been a coincidence, but he had to be sure.“Where to now, Master?” Ghulik asked in his tiny, raspy voice. “Ghulik's tired, Master.”“You wouldn’t be tired if you didn’t provoke the dog,” Gildeon shot back, glancing at the two-foot, gray-skinned creature beside him.Barky's restlessness had kept Arah awake longer than usual, so he had to wait before leaving. His destination was opposite the tourist area, but the locals were early risers. There was always the risk of being seen even before dawn.So far, the streets were deserted.“But that mutt is wicked, Master. Always angry. It wants to eat Ghulik,” the goblin snarled, scratching the air with his sharp nails. “Can Ghulik eat the stupid dog once we're back home, Master?”“No,” he said firmly, turning onto a dimly lit street.Ghulik grunted, slumping against the seat.“You’re supposed to hide when the dog's arou

ARAHLater that night, she woke up in a strange land. Her muscles ached, and it felt like her bones had been shattered and reassembled. Maybe this was what it felt like to be struck by a ship or to fall from the sky. But how was she alive? Her head throbbed, and the only thing she could remember was her name.Panic rose in her chest as she looked down to inspect herself. Her skin, decorated with odd blue marks, was pale—almost translucent—blending with her silk dress. Her body felt light as if she could easily float and disappear into the wind if she wanted to.Behind her, a towering wall of black rock loomed, stretching along the shadowy horizon. The only exit was a vibrant wall of pulsating lights ahead.“Am I dreaming?” she muttered, feeling as though her mind had been caught between two worlds, two fabrics of time and space.The wall before her buzzed with energy, making her skin prickle. She struggled to her feet—every movement was like wading through chest-high water. She teeter

GILDEONHe had always known Arah could shut out the world when she needed to focus, just as she had a minute ago. She’d remained oblivious even as he parked the car and walked through the door.But her picking the lock on his study had caught him off guard. This was new. A black box lay sprawled on the floor, its contents a jumble of instruments. Where did she get them?Just when he thought he had Arah all figured out, she found new ways to surprise him.But this time, she’d crossed a line, and he wasn’t about to let it slide.“I’m ready,” Arah said, a bold expression etched on her pretty face. Her chest was out, deliberately drawing his attention to the curves of her breasts, their buds poking hard against her nightdress.Lust surged through him, his pulse racing in anticipation. The thought of stripping her and making that tight body squirm under his touch made his cock twitch.He could take her right then and there, but he restrained himself. He had promised not to touch her until

Long ago, mindless beasts from distant realms breached this world. They were ravenous, draining the air and water, turning the planet into a wasteland.To resolve the crisis, the Shining Keeper, a being from the celestial planes, descended to the mortal realm. The plan was to craft vessels to house souls pivotal in sealing the cosmic breach. Those vessels would later be known as Lower Mortals, identified as Humans.To make the world habitable, the beasts had to be exterminated first. So the Shining Keeper created the Salamanders—Higher Mortals born of fire—to fulfill this task. They succeeded. Yet, she deemed them too barbaric and unfit to become the guardians of Humans.She fashioned a gentler and more docile successor. The Sylphs—Higher Mortals born of air—were tasked with eradicating the first race and replacing them as guardians.But the Salamanders defended their existence.Now, through ages untold, the Salamanders and Sylphs are engaged in an endless war, trapped in a fragment o