Novels by Li

The legends didn't do him justice - the Dragon God was even more beautiful in person. Staring at him, I could tell that beneath his perfect exterior, there lies a hidden strength just waiting to be unleashed. The Dragon God’s eyes glowed with a fierce crimson red, and his cropped black hair moved as if blown by the wind. The spikes along his fingers and arms appeared sharp and menacing, but he seemed like he could retract them with ease. If it weren't for the black pants he had on, he would have been fully nude, his muscular torso with the finest of hairs on full display.The winter wind howls outside, and snow swirls into the temple, creating a blanket of white around us. My heartbeat quickens, and I am able to perceive the slight twitch of his nose as he inhales my scent in the dim light. I can see the recognition in his eyes. He knows who I am. I can sense that he knows I was meant to be his from the moment I was born.I expected him to say something, and he didn't disappoint when

Even though I had heard tales of the Dragon God my whole life, nothing could have prepared me for the sight of him. In my mind, he takes the form of a massive black dragon with shimmering scales and a striking orange mane. My mind's eye conjures up an image of the Dragon God's eyes, capable of transforming any living creature into a lifeless statue, and his breath, hot enough to reduce even the strongest of men to a pile of ashes.It's dawning on me now that what I once thought was real was nothing but an illusion. It's possible that he's an immortal being with abilities beyond my wildest dreams, capable of transforming into a dragon at will. But there he was, the air around the man standing by the door crackled with energy, and I knew that he was the one I had been prepared my all life for - the Dragon God.I remember the night Thalon and I snuck out of the house vividly - I was only 10 years old at the time. It was something only we knew, and we intended to keep it that way.A sec

At the tender age of six, I was introduced to Thalon Krauss for the first time.The village had strict rules, and one of them was that I was never allowed outside the house. According to Mother Orvi, the roads were rough and rugged, with sharp pieces of glass mixed in with the gravel that could easily cut through even my shoes. As a naive child, I took her words at face value and believed her without question. She told me a lot of things. She tells me how the sky goes dark and lightning can sometimes hit people. She warned me about the rickety bridges connecting the cabins in our village, Levabonne, and the danger of falling if I stepped on them. She explained to me how the Dragon God plays a vital role in the villagers' lives, ensuring their safety and prosperity.And without fail, she reminds me every day that I must offer my life to the Dragon God and become a savior to our people when I turn 21. The thought of being afraid never crossed my mind because I saw myself as the one wh

I’m going to die today.My breath formed icy clouds in the frigid air as I walked through the falling snow. With every step, the snow piled up on my lashes, while the icy wind turned my hair into a painful whip that stung my face. My feet were raw and aching after walking for what seemed like hours. Left behind with no shoes, I looked down at my feet and wondered if they were already bleeding.I knew that running away wouldn't solve anything, no matter how far or fast I went. The scar on my knee was a reminder of the time I tried to run after they left me, a move that would horrify them if they found out, given their efforts to save my skin from any injury. Screaming until my throat felt raw was futile too, as no one came to my aid.Just a few feet away, the dangerous winding path to the Dragon God’s temple looms before me.The temple on the mountain looked like something straight out of a nightmare, with its dark, faded exterior looming ominously against the horizon. I take a deep br

My mother named me after a color I didn’t even like.I would have preferred it if she had named me Green. Green is a nice name. It’s a nice color. I love the color green. And so does my brother, Gray. He only ever showers when the shampoo is green. Green is also what I color the trees. Trees are good. Without trees, there would be no books. I couldn’t imagine what life would be without books.Or maybe I can, I just don’t want to imagine life without it.I like books. Right now, I’m reading a book on different psychological assessments. A few months ago, we moved to a place that’s far away from my mother. Sometimes I don’t like change. Change is weird, it makes me scared. This time, I liked the change. This time, I can read all the books I want and my mother won&r

A miniature demon was inches away from my face.“Markus,” Gray whispered softly. “I have to ask you something.”It was like he was trying not to wake me up more than he already did. Groaning, I rub the back of my head. When he had woken me up by blowing warm air in my ear, I woke up flinching. My head hit my headboard, and I was afraid I might have broken it, and I wasn’t really in the mood to spend any more than I already did the past few days.“What is it?” I asked, lifting him up and placing him on my lap. The past few months have been amazing, he’d taken in a lot more weight and even though he hated it, he also started taking more showers. All we needed was changing the shampoo to the green ones that he liked. “What’s wrong, bud?”

It was around midnight when my sister started to fucking scream.When we had been living on the same roof, I was used to her bitching every hour of the day. She finds gum in her shoe, she bitches. She loses one of her earrings, she bitches. She figures out I ate the last fucking piece of donut. She fucking bitches. Everything she does is bitch. It came to the point where I don’t even want to come home anymore because I was missing sleep because of all the time she keeps bitching about everyone at the house.Still, for some inexplicable reason, I feel like her bitching now didn’t sound like her typical bitching.Rubbing my eyes, I yawn, pulling myself up from the couch. The television was still on when I had been watching a movie a few hours ago. Violet would probably have bitched about this too but

“Give that back to the kind gentleman, Gray.”Gray scrunched his nose up in annoyance, “No!”“Gray,” I say again, forcing a smile so that none of the other people could tell I was close to slapping the back of his head for being a brat. “Return the paper bag to the man.”“Helen said only one per person!”“We bought lots, didn’t we?” I counter, “Just give it back.”Gray mutters something under his breath once more but, he returned the paper bag to the homeless man who for sure was hiding five more bags inside of his coat. He walked by more than a few times already, I just didn’t make a comment. Hey, if we were in t

“What’s that about?” Red asked as we got out of the cab, pulling an exhausted and dozing Markus out. Thankfully, Red was with me because there was no way in hell I can carry Markus all on my own. I already had another set of weight that’s pulling me down in my belly, I can’t have the person who made the weight possible adding to the changes of my center of gravity. “What did that woman mean by contract, Violet? What was she talking about?”I say nothing. Instead, I slung my arm around Markus’s lower back, while his inner elbow settled around the back of Red’s neck. It was a good thing that his apartment was in the basement and we didn’t have to use the stairs. Thank you to whoever invented elevators!Red huffed, his voice sounding annoyed with my sudden s

“You brought a titty club?”“Red!” I hissed, covering his mouth immediately before either of the kids hear. “It’s not a titty club! I’ve never seen an uncovered breast at Ardere. Can you keep your mouth shut?”Red and Clementine got home a few hours after we prepared dinner.And Markus was yet again, working late today.He had been working late for quite a few days now that I’m starting to both get worried and annoyed. Granted, I wasn’t alone at home and he could leave me without me getting bored, it still wasn’t what I expected. Especially now that we knew what the other had felt. I thought for sure that our feelings were mutual, everything would feel different.

Kavan.Kavan lifted his head, just in time to see Fyn enter the cave.As expected, he was carrying more baskets full of fruits and vegetables. Fyn took a deep breath and leaned down, dropping all the baskets he was carrying in one swift motion. He then wiped the sweat that dripped from his forehead with the back of his hand, "They just won't listen to me." "Have you told them?" "Countless times!" Fyn muttered, crossing his arms against his chest. "I told them that there's more than enough food here, but they still keep on leaving these on the edge of the forest." Kavan chuckled. He closed the distance between the two of them, curling his arm around Fyn's waist. As usual, Fyn blushed, averting his gaze. Tilting his head, Kavan gripped his chin with his fingers and brushed his lips along with the man that he loved. "How is her daughter?" Fyn's eyes twinkled. "She's almost ten now. It's really strange when I think

Fyn."That was a terribly long slumber." Fyn rubbed his eyes, blinking warily as light invaded his vision. Slowly, he pushed himself up, confused. There was something heavy on his chest and when he tipped his head down, he saw Havu, curled in a ball on top of his chest. The serpent lifted its head, tilting it as if bowing and darted its forked tongue out."Hello, Fyn," the serpent's voice echoed inside his head. "That was a terribly long slumber."Fyn pushed himself up, carefully placing Havu down on his lap."What happened?" Havu met his gaze, tilting its head to the side. As if in a trance, Havu crawled off his chest and walked towards the entrance of Kavan's cave. Running his hand through his hair, Fyn pushed himself up, stretching his arms up in the air to get his blood pumping. A groan escaped his lips when he stretched too far up, a pain erupting on his side.Furrowing his brows, he

Kavan.Fyn fell limply in his arms.There was nothing but silence. Kavan was still staring at the villagers of Gashea. He could feel blood pumping to his head, could feel his heart beating erratically. What just happened? What was happening? He licked his lips, still unsure of what just unfolded right in front of his eyes.Surely not, he thought. Surely not, he prayed.Not Fyn.Please, he prayed again, silently, the thought repeating inside of his head in repeat. Not Fyn.With widened eyes and his mouth agape, he looked down. He watched as Fyn's blood seeped through his blouse. What was once white and clean was now stained with deep red. A red that was still spreading on his blouse like a paint on a canvas. For a second, Kavan thought his blouse had always been red, but that was impossible, wasn't it? Not

Fyn.Fyn clenched his basket full of herbs tight against his chest.He blinked, the sky right in front of him. The cool grass brushed his cheeks while the soil was warm against his back. Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground, a tiny bit groggy. How had he not noticed that he had fallen down? Shakily, he stood up, brushing dirt from his knees and elbows. Like a mantra, he kept repeating the nursery rhyme, One for sorrow.Crouching down, he picked up the herbs that had fallen from his basket when he had fallen down. Strangely, he couldn't remember how he fell. There didn't seem to be rocks blocking his path or could have caused him to trip. Neither were there strong winds that could have made him unsteady. It was truly strange, yet some part of his brain was telling him that everything was completely normal. "That's all of it," He muttered to himself as he chucked the very last herb into his basket. The herb looked funn

Fyn.Fyn wanted to laugh.If things had been different, he would appreciate just how Kavan looked in orange light. The demon looked utterly magnificent under the crimson rays of the blazing fire. The flying embers and charcoal making him seem like an angel that had just been sent down from the heavens. Still, Fyn knew that with the amount of sweat that was now dripping from him and Kavan, their scenario was a whole lot different from the image that he conjured up in his mind.Oh, but how wonderful it would be, Fyn thought to himself, forcing himself not to smile. It would be inappropriate to do so at that very moment. If only things were that simple.If only.But it is not."Can you hear that?" Fyn asked, his ears straining as he leaned once more in Kavan's arms. He should be scared. It should have terrified him, being in such close proximity to the demon that his village had feared for ages. And ye

Kavan.Something was wrong. Wiping the sweat that formed on his forehead, Kavan couldn't quite tell how he knew.There was something off. Instinctively, he felt his wings escape from under his skin, protruding in great lengths and width. As softly as he could as to not wake him, he wraps his wings around Fyn, bringing the mortal close to his chest. As soon as he felt the small breath Fyn did in his sleep, Kavan felt himself relaxing. For a few moments, he stayed still, just enjoying the warmth of the small mortal.Until he feels the same shivering sensation that climbed up his spine. Sighing, Kavan raised his hand between the both of them and softly brushed his knuckles along Fyn's cheeks.Surprisingly, the mortal leaned into his touch, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips. Without meaning to, the tips of Kavan's lips tilted upward.He realized he's been doing that whenever the mortal does anything surprising

Here's to alcohol, the rose-colored glasses of life.✾The place behind the counter looked very much like it really belongs to Verdant.There were various shelves full of jars that had different colored liquids inside. Some had roots, leaves, as well as some things that I didn’t bother identifying. For some reason, my wolf had told me it was better that I didn’t know. There were barrels on either side of the counter, their spigot dripping a sticky brown liquid whose stench made me crinkle my nose. Furrowing my brows, I tried leaning over the counter, checking if there was something that I could at least give Auster, maybe even some water.

There are two questions a man must ask himself: The first is 'Where am I going?' and the second is 'Who will go with me?'✾The second thing I noticed when we reached Verdant was that everyone had a huge smile on their face.Unlike Azure, almost all the villagers had various colored clothing. Although it is quite apparent that most had pipes with them. Even from a distance, I could hear their laughter, as well as notice how there were some random villagers dancing and running about. It had been a long since I’ve seen an actual place in Cinco where there were wolves laughing and having fun.It smelled like fresh dew and the mist was still pretty thick. Much like the old man who was steering our gondola towards one of the docks, they also had glossy eyes. I’m guessing it probably was because of the

And live like it's heaven on earth.✾The first thing I noticed once we reached Verdant was that it was inexplicably green.Verdant was a district that was abundantly covered by mist. The trees and mountains seemed to be covered by moss and various plants and leaves. And everywhere I went, the only thing I could smell was fresh dew. The kind of thing one might smell at the start of the morning as dawn breaks. Once we have reached the vicinity of Verdant, the sound of one of the largest waterfalls I have ever seen echoed throughout the thick forest.The trees surrounding the whole district seemed as tall as the sky and seemed to disappear within the clouds. I had no choice but to look up. I couldn’t even help but awe loudly.“Woah,” I mut

A boy needs a father to show him how to be in the world. He needs to be given swagger, taught how to read a map so that he can recognize the roads that lead to life and the paths that lead to death, how to know what love requires, and where to find steel in the heart when life makes demands on us that are greater than we think we can endure.✾I closed my mouth and listened.Yohan was quiet right next to me and it was thanks to him that I haven’t jumped Eleanor yet. My mate had just gone through something horrible and almost died back in the underground fighting ring and she wants to put him in the spotlight again? Gritting my teeth, I continued looking down on my lap, my hands clenched.“Amara, I don’t like this idea any more than you do,” Eleanor says. Without meaning to, I scoff. I hear her sighing, and I find myself lifting my head a bit to look at her. She was staring daggers at the map, her jaw clenched.

It is a long-cherished tradition among a certain type of military thinker that huge casualties are the main thing.✾It had been a few days since I had breakfast with Eleanor.Like how I imagined it would be it was a bit awkward. Especially with how every few seconds, she would stare at me and tears would leak out of her eyes. I teased her about it, hoping that she would stop, and her pride would get the best of her. However, when I did tease her, not only did it make her more emotional, but it also made her talk about how we used to be in the past.When I had teased her about her tears, she took me seriously. I had assumed that she would just scoff at me or ignore my teasing, but it seemed like the past few months actually changed her. Instead of just rolling her eyes at me, she took it way too seriously. S

No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.✾The first time I ate something that Eleanor had cooked, I instantly regretted it.She was a Sem native, they were great in things like mining and exploring forests but that was it. They were horrible cooks. As much as possible, one would be safer with a Sem native as a guard instead of having them as one of the kitchen staff. Even though they were given a recipe book, or a list of instructions, seeing as they were from Sem, they would end up with a burnt and wasted food. Those from Sem were known for being so full of pride that they rather eat what they had burnt instead of asking for help.Eleanor was one of them. The good thing was that at least she was willing to accept that there were things that she needed to correct. See