Yet everything changed in a single night. My mother disappeared, and the faint, metallic scent of blood filled the air, suffocating the room. In the chaos, my nanny scooped me up, clutching me tightly as she hurried to the hidden passageway within the palace. She ran and ran, the dark corridor seeming endless as she raced toward the exit, desperation etched on her face.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHUibouaLH
But just as we neared the exit, a figure awaited us—a strange woman whose form began to shift before our eyes. Her charred, cracked skin softened to a pale, almost porcelain texture; her four eyes faded into two, and her twisted horns transformed into long, silky hair. In moments, she looked almost human, yet something sinister lingered in her gaze.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxNXBJbjyz
"Hand over the child," she demanded, her voice as cold as ice.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nwKWk9QQB
"This child does not belong to you!" my nanny said firmly, holding me protectively.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2cYXkRmls
The woman sneered, her expression darkening. "Foolish human. Do you truly believe this child is either human or demon?"
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3YE0cJdC3
My nanny’s grip tightened as she glared back. "This is the child of light, blessed by the goddess herself!" she proclaimed, her voice unwavering.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9g6NFYEPC8
The woman laughed, a sound sharp and mocking that echoed through the cold stone passageway. Her smile was unsettling, filled with a dark promise.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡje2hDraSKO
"A blessing?" she scoffed. "Or perhaps a curse. Light and dark are two sides of the same coin, after all."
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1T6VfNMT2
My nanny’s breath hitched, but she kept her stance firm, shielding me with her body. "The goddess’s light is beyond your grasp, creature," she declared, though I could feel her heart racing.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLr5oElQqIN
The woman stepped forward, each movement as graceful as it was dangerous. "Brave words, but you’re wasting them. That child is meant for greater things than you can imagine."
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSX6Je8BcP1
My nanny took a step back, eyes darting around, perhaps looking for a way to escape. But the woman raised her hand, and shadows danced at her fingertips, curling and twisting like living smoke.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGmkaqmYPW
"Enough of this. Give her to me, and I may spare you," she said, her tone laced with menace.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAXL8owkEI
But my nanny stood her ground. "Never," she whispered fiercely. With a sudden, determined movement, she pulled a small charm from her pocket, a delicate, glowing pendant that shimmered in the dim light.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKowAQf0ff
At the sight of it, the woman hesitated, her smile faltering.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJS9FmPgbh
"By the light of the goddess, I banish you from this place!" my nanny cried, thrusting the charm toward her.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbt5nd4Ted
The pendant flared with blinding light, and the woman hissed, recoiling as shadows wavered around her, disrupted by the radiance. She snarled, her eyes flashing with fury.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPAqVdOEX2
The woman pretended to be affected by the light as she then laughs. "Pathetic human!" She said as her shadows devour the nanny leaving only the princess on the demons hands.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAunUrbHej
"Now it's between you and me, daughter of moon" the creature said. As her eyes glow together with moon.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGhiQSKBNj
My body felt so heavy as I didn't realize I shut my eyes and I don't know what happened after that.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHcBEVwdyG
---
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlht31YScC
"Hey, wake up!" I heard a man's voice, and suddenly, when I woke up, I found myself in a strange place... Not entirely strange, but rather familiar.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQkVqw1fuL
I then realized, based on some gossip I overheard from a maid who comes here to "take care" of me, that since the mother of demons suddenly appeared, they had found me at the back of Ashengil Castle, completely clueless—no emotions, like I was alive but my soul wasn't there.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcwkXbr0no
My father didn’t visit me after my mother’s disappearance. They said that while the emperor was busy dealing with the creature, someone saw my mom leaving with another man.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLz1YBeKcgM
I thought that man must have been my father, not the emperor. Afterward, I learned the emperor made Saraphina the queen, but not the empress.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1o9q7Ot3W
I saw them in the garden, where my parents and I usually stayed. That's when I realized that I... had been reincarnated in the book titled "Roses of Thorns", as Sienna, the female lead, and Aeron, the male lead. This world would soon be invaded by dark creatures.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8u2KDnz9qm
The mother of demons is superior among all creatures. Once a beloved goddess, she later turned into a demon because of her betrayal.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNsUEpBCc7
Sienna holds the light, and Aeron is the knight of the light, which is Sienna. Together, they fight side by side against the dark forces of nature.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJ5UOtoMJu
Yet... this book... has many twists. One is the real Goddess of Light... and how I, Lethyxia, became an extra character who never even appeared or was born. How Caelum became the Young Headmaster of the Magical Tower. How Valen became a greater swordsman. And some hidden characters, such as the son of shadows.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlWrhAFOEF
But... still, this feeling... Why? Why did my father and mother... just easily break their promises? Am I not worthy of love?
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleppoMRdgn
Every morning, I feed myself because my caretaker is too lazy to do so. I didn’t even realize that I could see my brother, Caelum, face to face. But suddenly, I felt strange and ran away before he could notice, as he was talking to Aeron and Valen.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GcRUtAmVT
Suddenly, a woman—a strange woman—grabbed me by the neck. I couldn’t see her face, but her mouth widened as if to scoop my soul.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXfOtDaEM9
I couldn’t breathe. My body felt numb... It was so cold, suffocating... I couldn’t even scream for help. All I could do was let the woman take my life.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPDIhMN8te
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYf5JfrYEQb
---
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAv12DgXCnt
Meanwhile, at the holy temple, one of the relics of the Empire—a crystalline fragment said to be a remnant of a star that fell from the heavens—held the power to allow the wielder to see into the past, present, and future.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0o7LjqxcGs
By placing the shard under moonlight, it reflects visions of future events, sometimes showing multiple timelines and potential outcomes.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4f9z1ZxQv4
It is rumored that the Shard of Eternity has a mind of its own, subtly guiding those it deems worthy to the path of prophecy.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsMnGGoz7l
A flash from the crystal suddenly appeared.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgNqgvXBoi
"When shadows dance under the blood moon, two souls within one body shall rise. The Empire’s fate will rest in the hands of she who commands darkness. Salvation or ruin—her choice alone. The right soul shall bring salvation; the other will deliver judgment."
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqV69dlhXfa
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw9HSf2erd
---
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJ6czrDmv5
That’s when I woke up and found myself back in my real world. “Was it all just a dream?” I said, a pinch in my heart.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1PXnxLSqb
Huh? Where am I? This isn’t Ashengil Castle... I suddenly heard the sound of a kid in the back of the room. There, I saw a group of kids bullying another child.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75nIxYnLLH
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” I shouted.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC0G3sIWJK
“Ohh... Little missy ain’t afraid, huh?” one of the children said.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwegjdsmIQi
“Continue bullying that poor child, and I’ll inform the adults,” I said proudly, not even realizing what I had just done.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShNhSwNF13
Luckily, the children got scared and ran away. And that’s when I met Ermis, my only friend.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLt4fSbXUiK
_____
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXo42Hg2qNy
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYVuU1SmxP
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpi7wKZpUEi
Ermis and I became close friends. At first, he was so cold, but later on, he warmed up. Maybe it's because I'm too cute, hehe. I accepted my fate of reincarnating into another body. This body’s name is Xia. Ermis and I are in an orphanage called Sere of Hope, where unfortunate children are given a chance at a better life. Here, they teach children etiquette to help them be adopted by noble families.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKeCW2KqJy
Yet, there's a dark side to this orphanage, as beneath its sweet exterior lie dark secrets—the underground arena. In this arena, skilled children fight monsters, and nobles bet on them for money. It's all just entertainment for them, and Ermis is one of those skilled children.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xwJ68b6MD
Although I kept telling him to escape with me, he just said, "In the right time." Fine, I'll just wait. After a few months, my nightmare began. The temple found me and used me as their vessel. That's when I learned that the temple's high priestess was a psychopath. She takes children’s blood for her rituals. Who knew that a priestess, a follower of God, was actually a devil?
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSAxWBjxv0
This happens every three months, the same as Ermis, who goes to the arena to fight every three months. We only have one week to be together and play. I didn’t tell Ermis about the temple, but I think he already knew and was just waiting for me to open up.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLFNgyN8Wi
"Ermis, if anything happens... don’t forget about me, okay?" I said.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3t9YgtG8t
"I promise I won’t," he replied.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTifinS7er3
"Instead of saying you promise, prove it, alright? Because if you forget about me, i promise I'll never talk to you ever or even be blind just so I can't see you," I said.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibU7i4TcAH
We laughed and enjoyed our night together. And that was the only memory I have left with Ermis. Because, at that time, Ermis went to the arena, and the high priestess took my life.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfg6IUDUOh
I have died again.
---
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkwTESiHHa
The weight in my chest lingered as I sat up, breathing in the cool air around me. The familiar yet distant feeling of the real world seemed so out of place compared to the vivid, agonizing reality of what I had just experienced.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvXCJVQfvg
It all felt so real—so alive—yet now, as the light of my room softly illuminated my surroundings, it seemed like a distant memory.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZOzhk7pP4
"Was it all just a dream?" I whispered, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. But I could still feel the raw emotions from my past life—the confusion, the betrayal, and the haunting vision of the woman who nearly stole my life. The weight of her cold grip still lingered on my skin, like a shadow from another world.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡealzIegc5x
"Hey! You're not dead yet?" Jellay mockingly said.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvjs0ElMna
"Why not try it yourself so you know how it feels to die?" I sarcastically replied.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22cQsOVeQl
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kYxEEpAf8
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.