Slow-burn

After being banished with nothing but the clothes on her back from the convent she grew up in, Helena finds a job in an eerie mansion with strange rules that bind her there indefinitely. Still haunted by the ghosts of her past and the scars of trauma, she clings to routine, asking for nothing more than a place to survive the winter. But the mansion is far from ordinary. Despite the servants’ kindness, something about it feels like a coffin frozen in time. Screams echo through the night. The scent of blood lingers in the halls. The lord of the house keeps to himself behind locked doors. But when he appears, drawn by the sound of her piano, he looks at her with something deeper than curiosity. Hunger. As Helena spends her days dawdling in the library, tracing melodies on the old piano, she feels the walls watching her like a beast ready to pounce. Yet Helena doesn’t fear the man they call a monster, or even the threat of being swallowed whole by darkness—what she fears is the awakening of something she’s been trying to bury away before it takes the little peace and freedom she has found. ❧༻༺❁༻༺☙ A low fantasy, gothic story set in an alternative era. A slow-burn, obsessive “who-did-this-to-you” romance wrapped in psychological horror, tender dread, and mature themes of trauma, hunger, and autonomy. For readers who crave stories where broken girls meet dangerous men, and somehow, in the grave between obsession and care, they learn again what it means to feel alive. THIS STORY CONTAINS themes that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to childhood abuse, psychological & physical, recollected; emotional manipulation, grief, PTSD, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, attempted sexual assault (past, recollected), death of a character, obsessive behavior, emotional fixation between main characters, blood, gore, torture. Please be mindful of this and other triggers.

Princess Thalia’s life ended in fire and betrayal. But for her, death was not the end—it was a second chance. Waking up one year in the past, she is the sole keeper of a horrifying secret: the king, her own father, is about to unleash an apocalypse. To stop him, she must transform herself from the forgotten, useless princess everyone despises into a master of magic and intrigue. Her only hope lies chained in the darkness beneath the palace—a legendary elven warrior, the last of his kind, broken by a centuries-old curse. He is a weapon she must wield, a secret she must protect, and a soul whose fate is inexplicably tied to her own. As they forge a desperate alliance, their combined power awakens ancient magic and a forbidden love that could unite their peoples. But in a world of whispering shadows and monstrous creatures, their bond may be the very thing that triggers the doom they are trying to prevent. For in a battle against fate itself, the price of saving the world may be everything they have come to love. NOTE FROM AUTHOR: Hey everyone! Just a quick note on how chapter releases work. I'll be posting new free chapters every Monday through Wednesday for all to enjoy. If you're eager to read ahead, you can purchase early access to future chapters. It's a great way to support the novel, and don't worry—every chapter will eventually become free over time. Your support makes this story possible. I hope you enjoy the journey!

“The bell tower rang once. Just once. That means someone’s going to die.” Lira told herself it was just a story. Just small-town folklore. Just one of those creepy things people say to mess with new kids. But when the old school bell—silent for over fifty years—rings out during detention, Lira and her three classmates are the only ones who hear it. Now everyone’s acting like nothing happened. Except them. Ezra won’t stop researching. Ryke won’t stop joking. And Callen—the weird, quiet one—seems to know more than he’s letting on. Something in Greystone is waking up. And it’s not friendly. To survive, the four of them will have to uncover what the bell really means—and why it chose them. If the curse is real, they’ll need more than just brains or bravery. They’ll need each other.

Exiled and marked as a curse, Alanah has built her entire life around a wall of solitude and suspicion. She is her people's shadow-protector, a ghost who fights the true monsters. Her world is simple, if brutal. Until he tears it all down. He appears, a living embodiment of her deepest fears and prejudices. He's an enigma she wants to despise, yet he holds the key to the mystery of the cursed moon that threatens to destroy everything. Forced to journey with him through a treacherous land, Alanah finds her hatred challenged at every turn. He is her enemy, but what if the greatest threat isn't his power, but the possibility that she might be wrong about him?

🌙 Seventeen-year-old Aster is a commoner girl living with her Aunt Sally in the capital of Crescentis Kingdom. She remembers nothing from before she was seven—only a boy with brunette hair whom she constantly dreams of, the one who gave her a mysterious crescent moon crystal necklace engraved with the words: “Once the sun and moon combine, Realms unite and stars align.” When her top grades earn her a place at Celentine Academy, a prestigious school for nobles, she meets Ranley, a young noble with the same name and brunette hair as the boy in her dreams. Convinced he might be the one, Aster is determined to get close to him and uncover the truth behind the necklace. Navigating academy life won’t be easy, especially when the nobles see her as nothing more than a commoner. Along the way, she will find true friends, encounter magic and mischief, and even discover the first stirrings of love. Yet beneath it all lies a greater mystery: Is Ranley truly the boy she once met, or is fate leading her toward a truth far more extraordinary? ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── I first wrote this story when I was seventeen, and now I’ve reconstructed it with a fresh perspective. Originally, it was only twenty-six chapters, but with the addition of new characters and a richer fantasy world, it has grown longer—likely around a hundred chapters or fewer. Please note that this is a slow-burn story, with moments of angst, twists, and unexpected turns along the way. I still hope you enjoy it and feel like a part of Aster’s journey as you read. (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) ₍^. .^₎⟆ ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊

In a world ruled by the Dragon Empire and Phoenix Clan, Hanara is born with a rare, dangerous dual aura—one that can heal… or destroy. After her mother’s murder and her clan’s annihilation, Hanara hides in the mountains with her baby brother and loyal phoenixes. When Dragon knights strike, she unleashes her devastating Fireborne Wrath, forcing a trusted ally to whisk her away. Years later, trained in secret, Hanara disguises herself and infiltrates the Dragon Empire to rescue her brother. But the closer she gets, the more she realizes that staying hidden might be the only way to protect him… especially with the Ice Prince growing suspicious. To keep her brother safe, Hanara must remain hidden. Among dragons. And beside a prince who may be her greatest threat—or her only ally.