Note: It's been a while between episodes. Here are some quick links to One and Two. Enjoy.

A man in his early thirties answered the door, “Yes?”

The sun was just beginning to rise over the spires of Gale Haven Academy when Akari woke up on her first day of classes. Despite the early hour, her roommates, Lila and Mira, were already up and moving, chattering excitedly about what the day would bring.

“First day of school at Gale Haven!” Lila practically sang as she flung open the curtains, letting the morning light stream into their room. “This is going to be awesome!”

Chapter 9

I took the shoes from her and sat next to her on the bed. There was a box of wet wipes on the bedside cabinet. I took a few and started cleaning off the gore, taking extra care around the sharp edges and points.

I’d about finished when a quiet but distinct tick sounded against the window. I opened it and reflexively caught the two heel sheaths that came flying through the gap.

“Thanks,” I said quietly. He’d already demonstrated how good his hearing was.

Chapter 8

I hadn’t noticed the summer dress causing much hindrance to my fighting style, and I had several in a similar style. I put on a different one and packed a short skirt and tee-shirt combo as alternatives. Mum gave a small smile of approval. I mean the hemline wasn’t that much lower, but it did cross that narrow dividing line on the parental scale between cuteness and indecency. The dress had puff sleeves and a ruffled skirt, which I think helped from the cuteness angle.

Hope's Light

Chapter 4

by Erisian

Book 6

Chapter Four - Enemies

When appearing again in front of Krux and all his gun-toting troopers, I’d changed clothes. Gone was the casual jogger garb, replaced with biker’s gear of white leather: boots, chaps over jeans, gloves, and an armored jacket - one with enough pockets to wedge in all the currency I’d just recovered. My bike, of course, was stuck in a galaxy far, far, away - but I knew the pattern of this outfit well enough to replicate it.

Being an angel had certain advantages.

It shouldn’t be a big deal. All Billy's friends have visited the widow's house and each seemed to come away better for the experience. Visiting her has been a rite of passage for boys in town for as long as anyone can remember.

Billy knows he should want this. The whispers about him have been growing and even his friends are starting to ask questions. Tonight is the night if he's going to end the rumors. Should it matter if it’s Halloween and there’s a full moon in the sky?

Hope's Light

Chapter 3

by Erisian

Book 6

Chapter Three - Sin

Languages are magic.

Think about it. By making weird sounds or scribbling strange markings against a surface, we transmit ideas, conjure images the recipient has never seen, and organize the very way we think. And it’s not limited to only verbal or written mediums; there is language in music, in mathematics, in dance and motion, and yes, in the act of making love. They are the tools by which we interact with each other and the universe at large, coordinating our very perceptions into meaning.

Mostly we use language to manipulate the thoughts and ideas of others, but some…well, some use it to manipulate the world directly. And what lies behind it.

After the initial shock of the changes, I took a moment to thoroughly analyze my body, trying to process everything that had happened. My reflection was almost unrecognizable compared to the person I once was. My hair had grown significantly, flowing down my back in soft waves. Its color had transformed as well, shifting into a beautiful gradient of light blue at the roots that deepened into light purple at the tips. It shimmered slightly in the light, almost as if it had absorbed some of the water's essence.

Halloween Transformed Completely

John had always enjoyed Halloween, but this year, at fifty, he felt a new urgency. His office costume contest promised a trophy and bragging rights, and he was determined to stand out. After hearing about a quirky costume shop an hour away, he decided to check it out.
The shop, dimly lit and overflowing with costumes, felt like stepping into another world. An older woman behind the counter noticed his hesitance and approached him. “What are you looking to accomplish?” she asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

I had pleaded for my parents to do something, anything, as the men gripped my arm firmly and led me away.

"Mum!" I had turned back to scream at her as she cried into my father's arms.

Why weren't they doing anything? Why were they letting these strange men lead me away and for what?

"Nabo, what's going on?" I had turned to my old friend who had been avoiding my gaze.

I had tried to force myself out of their grip with no success. Now, as we approached the shrine and my pleads fell on deaf ears, that same feeling of helplessness began to resurface.

Hope's Light

Chapter 2

by Erisian

Book 6

Chapter Two - Paintings

Ever since that moment of radical transformation (or resurrection, if one prefers) back at the start of all the madness - when my name went from Justin to Jordan and personal pronouns flipped on their heads - I’ve had occasion to journey to a scattering of spiritual places. Planes of existence, dreams, realms - call them what you will - they all had a certain commonality. They were formed around an inner core, a nugget of desire or purpose which stabilized the whole and resonated throughout. Some were tied to entire stories sung forth in glorious splendor, others built on specific concrete principles or even emotional states. The more coherent the core, the more cohesive the realm - and all the souls and spirits resonating in sync with that pattern locked-in the solidity even further. Their presence and observations made things more ‘real’ within that domain.

I’ve tasted, touched, ripped, reinforced, and even created such places anew. The planes of Hell were no exception in their properties, and while I’d only visited two of the many available, for various (and desperate!) reasons I’d needed to delve deep into the structures of both to fight against a Chaos-corrupted agent attempting to shred them into incoherent pieces.

The school was a sight to behold, far beyond anything I had ever imagined. It stood before me, a testament to elven elegance and grandeur, its towers and spires reaching gracefully into the sky. Every detail of the architecture seemed to shimmer with the same fluid design I had come to expect from the elven world, but this place was on a grander scale. As we approached the entrance, I, Sam, couldn't help but feel out of place. The courtyard was a sea of elves—tall, graceful, and otherworldly. I scanned the crowd, hoping to see another human, but there were none.

Hope's Light

Prologue & Chapter 1

by Erisian

Book 6

Part One

Prologue - Bargain

“Are you certain this is the right path?”

Two figures crept down a narrow underground passageway, shoes slipping across shallow puddles lining the curved concrete floor. Their coats, one jet black and the other a lighter brown, flickered in the weak light offered only by a white crystal held forward by the taller and much darker-skinned man.

“They didn’t provide a map, Callas. I told you the same instructions they told me, and your memory is as perfect as mine. If you think we’ve misapplied the sequence, you should’ve spoken up.”

“Hmm.”

After flubbing a powerful incantation, meant to give newly coronated Demon Queens the wisdom of their ancestors, Devilla Satanne awakens to memories of her past life as Jacob Divington, a human from Earth. Having gained a new perspective on life, she quickly comes to a rather horrifying conclusion: she's been a complete and utter brat! No wonder everyone hates her!

And then there's the fact that she's apparently been reincarnated as the villainess of Tower Conquest, a lesbian porn game with a surprisingly intricate plot. One in which the Heroine conquers Dimona Tower, turning Devilla's people against her in the process. In victory, the Heroine brings about a glorious age of peace between demons and humans for the first time in millennia. ...Which actually sounds pretty good for her people, come to think of it. Devilla knows her terrible behavior is beyond forgiveness, but maybe she can still make up for her past mistakes? She just needs to make sure the events of the game unfold correctly. Though there is one little detail she'd like to change - the part where Devilla herself is killed or enslaved!

The series cover was commissioned from https://twitter.com/HaizeUqei

Helping Mum wasn’t as dire as it sounded. She took charge, which was only right since she knew a lot more about the running of her kitchen than me, and preparation for lunch took less than half the time it usually did. The happy bonus being that Mum calmed down rather than becoming her usual frazzled self. With twice as many hands available, it was easier to wash up as we went, so there wasn’t much in the way of dirties in the sink by the time we were ready to serve up.

“Do you speak French?” he suddenly asked.

Pete's Vagina
57. Moving the Chain
by Erin Halfelven

We stepped into our new home, and I was immediately enveloped by the serene beauty that surrounded us. The grand hall showcased the same flowing, natural designs that were emblematic of all elven architecture. It was as if the very essence of the forest had been coaxed to form the structure itself. The banister of the curved staircase seemed to have grown organically from the floor, its smooth lines resembling the gentle twists of vines reaching toward the sky.

Boys can dream, can’t they?.

Bryce and Paul were boyhood friends. Many Saturday afternoons had been spent horizontal on sofas watching sports on the TV. As the years went by the cans of cola were replaced by beer, razors were in each bathroom and their voices had broken, of course. Commercial breaks were now occupied by discussions of the attractiveness (or otherwise) of various girls of their mutual acquaintance and the ruses needed to get them wearing as little as possible, as quickly as possible.