I had made a very impressive acquisition earlier—a wristwatch that glows in the dark. Since I left my phone at my condo, I didn’t have anything to check the time with. I could’ve bought a digital watch. Or a regular watch, and I’d just shine a flashlight on it.
But I thought this glow-in-the-dark one was really funny. I was an easily amused girl.
And the reason I needed a watch was to meet up with Overdrive and the rest of the gangs before midnight, our scheduled attack on...
2025-11-10 13:23:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Kind of scary they have this technology,” I said. Especially worrisome for me, an Adumbrae. “Why do they have this stuff when the BID doesn’t? The PCM isn’t even like a megachurch, with hundreds of millions of dollars and lots of people donating money. They’re just in some parts of California. No way they made it themselves.”
“The 2Ms gave it to them,” Myra said with a shrug. “Or the assholes at Red Island. It’s like they’re a group of criminal organizations. I...
2025-11-08 12:44:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
I sidled past Myra and entered the doorway to check the Adumbrae-shoo-away machine. I mentally sighed in relief to find it squished against the wall. The Adumbrae must’ve been huge, squeezing itself in this small tunnel.
“The Adumbrae destroyed the machine,” I said, pointing at it.
“How is that possible?” Deen asked. “Did the machine fail to keep it away? Maybe we misunderstood how it works. Did you do something to the machine earlier?”
“What? I just walked p...
2025-11-06 12:40:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
“This is bullshit!” Myra rushed out of the room to follow the blood trail.
Deen went out, too. I didn’t immediately follow them, deciding to first remove the techie metal strips on Cecilia’s body. Not sure if it was worth taking this, but I wanted to give it to the Professor. We might need Dario’s help this time because that wormy mad scientist might’ve seen our faces. We lost our masks when Illusory Eye tried to integrate us into the floor.
Did Cecilia hear me shout m...
2025-11-03 12:10:45 +0000 UTC
View Post
My cute original body got hammered into the floor like a cartoon character, leaving behind a me-shaped hole after Deen dug it out. I wanted to fill the hole with plaster and take the molded form home. Would look great in my living room. Mom would probably find it bizarre.
I expected my original body to have regenerated any injuries caused by Illusory Eye. But my clothes were a mess, peppered with tears, powdered by dirt, and accented with spots of blood. I might be really cursed, having...
2025-10-31 12:46:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
We can share thoughts? My first instinct was to disconnect from Deen. I hated physical touch. ‘Mental touch’ was several levels more abominable. No way I’d let Deen rummage through my thoughts! Spooky Erind was different because she was an entity from another dimension; the ickiness factor of human connection wasn’t there.
(Erind! Can you hear me?) Deen’s telepathic message hit me again, wrapped in desperation. Stupid emotions got transmitted, too? I could also sense ...
2025-10-29 12:25:27 +0000 UTC
View Post
That damn invisible pet! It was snitching on me!
Times like this reminded me of how bullshit Deen’s power was. Was the Guardian Angel telling me to transform into Blanchette? Probably not. I’d rather escape this fight than reveal the secret of Blanchette to Deen and Myra; it was too valuable a source of drama. Deen’s Guardian Angel could only mean my metal mannequin form. I had been planning to pretend it was my Core power after all.
“N-no…” I said, pretending...
2025-10-27 13:18:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
We’re sent by Red Hood? Ah, I could see why this mad scientist would think that.
Cecilia didn’t know about artificial Corebrings, but she should know about what happened at the docks. Given that we were supposedly Adumbrae in her eyes, and Red Hood was the rumored big bad Adumbrae around here, she’d assume that we were Red Hood’s subordinates. Perhaps Red Hood intended to drive the remnants of the 2Ms’ forces out of the city and considered the PCM an enemy, t...
2025-10-25 13:08:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
The fuck? The PCM wanted to cure Adumbrae? This actually aligned with being ‘Protectors of the City’ and all that. But was it really possible? And it was surprising that they had the capabilities to even attempt this in the first place. Maybe they did make the Adumbrae-shoo-away machine, which was bad news for me.
“Two people inside,” Myra whispered. “At least.” She cocked her head, opening her stone helmet over her ears to listen better. “Several more? Hear that ...
2025-10-23 13:35:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
“There’s really an Adumbrae here!” I exclaimed, partly with genuine surprise. Would you look at that, the rumor that Enrico shared was actually true. At this point, I shouldn’t be surprised if an Adumbrae was hiding under my bed.
They—we—were freaking everywhere in the city. La Esperanza was prime real estate for non-humans. BID super agents were also here. The next thing I’d know, there’d be Corebrings around.
“Wait a second,” Myra said. “We’re no...
2025-10-21 13:34:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
(Author’s Notes: Thank you for the feedback on the previous chapter. 5.3 wasn’t up to standard. I’ve heavily edited 5.3 and moved its latter half to this chapter. For those who have read the older version of 5.3, it might be best to reread it before reading 5.4. And I have edited twice, so some might have read the partially fixed version. I’m very sorry for this!)
Oho! I mentally grinned when I realized that Deen was conflicted about possibly killing people.
W...
2025-10-17 12:34:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
The entrance to the bunker system that Overdrive had told me about was around a fifteen-minute ride from Enrico’s place. It was near an abandoned train station that used to be a stop when Marsh Row was thriving. The train lines had since been diverted closer to the business districts, and a new station had been built—this was where I usually jumped off when visiting Marsh Row. I hadn’t passed by the old station because it was out of the way and blocked off by overgrown shrubbery.
...
2025-10-15 13:53:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
“I didn’t expect my visitors to be ninja ladies.” Enrico was quite tall and oddly V-shaped, with very broad shoulders and an extremely thin waist. He carried himself like a male model and dressed the part, too. Though I bet that most of what he wore were fake luxury items.
“Ninja ladies? Ah, cause we’re wearing masks,” Myra said. “Makes us more conspicuous, doesn’t it? But we also don’t want you to get a good look at our faces.”
Enrico spread his arms as he gav...
2025-10-13 13:18:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
I was waiting for Book 1 to finish on RR/SH to post this. Come hang out at RR/SH to celebrate the public completion of Book 1.
After 142 days since public release and 69 chapters (nice), we reach the end of Book 1 of REND on RR and SH. It’s been quite a journey over these past months, and I’m thankful that you’re here supporting REND. Do I put [BOOK ONE COMPLETED] in the title like other stories do? Just kidding. It’s going to stay as just “REND”.
Why I wrote R...
2025-10-10 08:43:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Just two girl pals strolling through the mall,” I sang in the tune of a familiar song. “Hoping no one is following them.”
It was the afternoon of the day after my Marsh Row field trip. Actually, it was the same day, given that I got home at almost three in the morning. I didn’t get much sleep because I was too excited about all the unraveling drama that I started. Just thinking on and on about various scenarios. Thankfully, my Adumbrae regeneration took care of any pesky head...
2025-10-09 12:58:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
They all stared at me after I spoke, and did nothing else. Their expressions weren’t one of shock but of confusion. They might’ve thought they’d heard differently. I could hear the sound of crickets. Or that could be a creaking bed outside, caused by someone jumping up and down on it to relive their childhood.
“Yes… A Purple Bloom,” I slowly repeated. “Just like the one in Madagascar. You’ve seen what’s happening there on TV?”
“You gotta be shitting me,” Du...
2025-10-06 14:39:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
Captain Gesmund of the Silver Order Sentinel was an imposing man, standing a couple of inches shy of seven feet. He had a wiry mesh of a beard, as if he glued a dozen shower poufs to his face. Wouldn’t it be better to shave it a bit? It would be quite itchy and hot having that much facial hair sealed inside a full-face helmet.
He looked down at me with beady eyes that were too small for his head. “Chosen Bestowed,” he said in a rumbling voice, slightly bowing. “I bring terrible ...
2025-10-06 00:27:52 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Rumors are rumors,” Clarisse said in a sing-song tone as she continued to examine the wound. She wiped away the slime with bits of my dress that she readily tore without asking permission. What the hell was wrong with here? She went on, “The militant monastery was abuzz with these rumors when we left. Rumors are no longer rumors if they’re true, aren’t they? So, is it true?”
I slowly nodded. “My Constitution’s rank… did increase. That’s what showed up when ...
2025-10-05 10:07:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
Queenpin! I asserted in my head. I didn’t even know where the word kingpin came from. Nowadays, it commonly referred to bosses of criminal organizations and such, but I had a feeling that wasn’t its original usage.
The compound had three squat buildings inside that I could make out, illuminated by dim, yellowing lightbulbs stringed up here and there. And there were several vehicles crammed here, ranging from a beat-up jeep to a glitzy sports car. Lots of people, too, hangin...
2025-10-03 14:43:23 +0000 UTC
View Post
The pickup truck bounced over potholes as we made our way to Overdrive’s new hideout. From there, Tattoo Sleeves’ group would head to a sort of clinic that serviced the not-so-lawful people of Marsh Row. I sure hoped we’d get there with this clunky truck; its deformed chassis and warped door creaked as we wobbled along the uneven road.
Where the fuck are we? I wondered, squinting at the buildings shrouded in shadows along the way.
I didn’t memorize the map of Mars...
2025-10-01 13:24:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
I scrambled up the slope while yelling my lungs out. Speaking of lungs, I wasn’t winded by the physical exertion and shouting at the same time. The pain in my head continued to subside as my vision became sharper. The green glow covering my dirty arms meant I was healing faster than normal—and my normal was already faster than the average person. Was this because I was in a fight again?
Well, the sternial wielder with that darkness power wanted to fight me. Kill me, even. I...
2025-09-30 05:29:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
I jumped down the building behind the group hunting Teflon. I fixed my hoodie, tightened my gloves, and made sure that my black face mask was secured before walking towards the trucks. There was an online store selling face masks with designs, and one of them had this cool monster mouth full of fangs. Very tempting to buy it, but also very easy to uncover my identity by tracing the purchase.
Maybe I could order Overdrive to buy it for me? He had lots of money. I’d turn these gangsters...
2025-09-29 13:37:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
(Author Notes: This is an ExD chapter. I decided to place a note on top of ExD chapters so that the preview in the email notification hopefully won’t show the weird lines outright, just in case someone else is looking at your screen while you check emails.)
Amber Deen Leska
Amber Deen watched Blanchette sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of her.
Blanchette cocked her head to the side as she raised a brow. “Rhgoarr?”
“You know what I’m t...
2025-09-28 06:43:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
(Author’s Notes: This is an Erind x Deen side story chapter. If you’re interested in this series, which is a spin-off of the Prior Cycle, you can read from the start of the collection. We’ll have another ExD chapter after this. I’m making this note for new patrons who are unaware of ExD.)
Amber Deen Leska
“Blanchette…” Amber Deen’s heart raced as she watched Erind turn into her Blanchette body.
To be accurate, her already wildly beating h...
2025-09-27 10:21:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
I leaned back in my seat, calming my breathing so Ramello wouldn’t notice that I was bothered. I reined in my racing brain. Process everything slowly.
It couldn’t be Tower Cop’s actual intention to turn me into an informant. Spying on possible Adumbrae? Ramello was right—Tower Cop wouldn’t endanger a cute and innocent girl like me in that way. Which means that Tower Cop didn’t believe I was completely innocent. Unlikely that he suspected me to be an actual Adumbrae, o...
2025-09-26 09:27:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
Fuuuudge cake! Myra was snooping around Marsh Row! Why couldn’t she just accept that Kelsey was gone? If I had a sister, and she refused to return home, I’d just ignore her. That was her life.
And who told Myra about Red Hood? Overdrive’s group? Teflon’s group? Could be anyone, really. The legend of Red Hood had spread after the bodies of the two guys I had killed were found. As much as I wanted Red Hood to be well-known, this was an unintended consequence I hadn’t co...
2025-09-24 14:55:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Abandoning…” I repeated. “Like, they’re just leaving La Esperanza? What about their clients? I thought the Adumbrae rich people needed maintenance to stay in their human forms.”
I also wondered how he got this intel. The Professor must have other people lurking in the city. Could also be a mole in the 2Ms’ organization.
“They’re merely moving their operations to the next city over—New Los Angeles,” Dario explained. “From there, they’d have to set up a ne...
2025-09-22 11:50:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Weeee! I couldn’t help but grin at the ridiculousness of the situation. The threat of death and the thrill of possibly crashing made my blood boil with excitement. Maybe this was the warrior’s fire that Wonderwerk mentioned. I hugged the wagon floor as I reached out to grab Melphor, stopping him from getting thrown off.
“Lady’s Glove!” Melphor feebly shouted. He desperately held my arm as he hovered a couple of feet above the wagon after another bounce.
The wago...
2025-09-21 10:05:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Short hair also looks good on me, I thought, examining my blurry reflection on the blade of Lorwin’s knife. To be fair, I’d look good in any hairstyle. Though I wouldn’t try shaving my head to prove a point.
“Emery, dearest!” The other Emery’s mom hugged me tightly. My cut hair, which she had secured to her head with a piece of cloth, tickled my nose. “We’ll meet each other again. The gods will protect you.” Talk about death flag lines.
She let ...
2025-09-20 13:24:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Hi there, Erind.” Everett, or Emcee if we were on a mission, sat straight on the beanbag and saluted me. His strong Mediterranean features broke into a friendly smile.
I mentally rolled my eyes when I noticed his tight-fitting dark clothes. Trying to impress Deen with his muscles as usual? Did he manage to get bonus points by showing off during the docks mission? His natural olive-toned skin made me think about getting a tan at the beach. If I had stayed in Hawaii, I wouldn’t be ...
2025-09-19 12:01:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
