Series

The Hunt
The dragon looms over me. It's reptilian stink is almost solid and makes my eyes water. It's breath feels burning hot on my skin. I think maybe some of what I smell is my own hair getting singed. I am completely helpless. Why doesn't it kill me?
By L.C. Schäfer2 years ago in Fiction
Becoming Urania
The plan to destroy the tower was intricate and fraught with peril. Stacy Mendez - former right-hand to the man who wanted to be god- had to bypass layers of security and countermeasures. Every step she took was calculated, every move deliberate. Her heart raced as she planted explosives around the critical nodes of the tower’s infrastructure. She was acutely aware of the stakes—destroying the tower was not just about stopping Argo’s reign of control but also about restoring the freedom that had been so insidiously undermined.
By Karina Thyra2 years ago in Fiction
New City, New Friends, Same old Dante . Content Warning.
I woke up sitting in a chair with my arms tied behind me and two men hovering over me. One was skinny with a pointy face, small dark eyes and greasy black hair, immediately reminding me of a rat. Like yin to Rat-face’s yang, the other one was blonde with shoulder length hair that hung around his face perfectly framing his light blue eyes. He was just my type, tall with broad shoulders, muscular and almost pretty even with a ugly scar running down the side of his face. Different circumstances, I wouldn’t mind being tied up, probably would enjoy it.
By Alexis M. Collazo2 years ago in Fiction
Pulse
It was a mistake to look back … then again it was a mistake to look forward too. When I was struck by lightning while playing golf, I found I woke up with the ability to travel in time. That's when I became Pulse.
By Savannah K. Wilson2 years ago in Fiction
Hope
A full year has passed since Nightmare and I said goodbye to our parents. Things were hard at first, I needed some time to myself before coming back to my own body. Nightmare and I had long talks about moving forward with our existence with each other. In the end we came to an understanding.
By Lucy Torralba2 years ago in Fiction
Fantasy Shorts: Deathly Doo-Dads
The gnome, a tinkerer as luck would have it, stood precariously at the head of his party as the stairwell rumbled. He fumbled with something in his hand as the party watched on in horror. They were all halted by a solid brick wall erected in an archway that blocked the bottom landing. The cleric looked over the gnome's shoulders while the rogue and the wizard stood at the rear watching the dungeon staircase fall step by step into a slowly growing dark abyss behind them.
By Ian Read2 years ago in Fiction
Poison Gown. Top Story - August 2024.
I always aim to write these as stand alone stories, but I think I didn't succeed this time! I recommend reading this one first. It is very short, I promise!
By L.C. Schäfer2 years ago in Fiction
The War of the Americas
Author's preface: To this point I have been dual publishing each installment in the series in both the Fiction and Chapters communities on Vocal. That has been a real pain in the butt to keep up with so going forward this series will be published only in the Fiction community, and I will return to using the convention "Part" to refer to each installment in the series. I will also use the shorter version of the title which is officially "The War of the Americas." I have also been trying to include links to each of the earlier installments in every story, but unfortunately it is too much of a pain to do that every time so going forward I will try to include those links on at least every other part.. If you go to my profile page you can find all the parts of the story there. Wish there was a way I could organize them in one place there for easy reference, unfortunately Vocal does not provide that functionality. In any case my profile page can be found here.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Fiction
When Trust Is Broken, Sorry Means Nothing
--- In the quaint town of Harborside, nestled by the edge of a serene lake, lived Emma and Ryan, a couple whose love was as renowned as the town's picturesque sunsets. They had been together for nearly a decade, sharing dreams, laughter, and the occasional argument. To the townsfolk, they were the epitome of a perfect relationship—until trust was shattered by a single, unforeseen act. Emma had always been the planner, meticulously organizing every detail of their lives. Ryan, on the other hand, was more spontaneous, often acting on impulse. Their differences balanced them out, or so Emma thought. When Ryan received an offer for a prestigious job in the city, it seemed like a dream come true. They had discussed moving before, but Emma had always been hesitant. The thought of leaving their peaceful life in Harborside unsettled her. Despite Emma’s reservations, Ryan took the job, convincing her that it would be the best for their future. They decided to move, and as they packed their belongings, Emma found a worn-out journal hidden among Ryan’s things. The journal was filled with sketches and notes—entries about their relationship, dreams, and most disturbing of all, plans for their future that were never shared with her. Emma was unsettled. It wasn’t the journal itself but the fact that Ryan had kept such significant thoughts from her. When she confronted Ryan, he brushed off her concerns, claiming it was just a collection of fleeting thoughts. “It’s not important,” he said, his voice laced with irritation. “I was going to tell you eventually.” But the damage was done. Emma’s trust was compromised. Every small argument and every ignored concern became amplified by the betrayal she felt. She felt as if her partner had been living a parallel life, one she was not a part of. As the days went by in the city, their relationship strained under the weight of Emma’s resentment. Ryan’s apologies, though frequent, seemed hollow. He would say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” but Emma’s heart had already taken a hit too deep to be mended by mere words. One rainy evening, as they sat in their new, but empty, apartment, Emma looked out at the city lights with a sense of disillusionment. Ryan sat beside her, his hand reaching out to hold hers, but Emma pulled away. The gesture was sincere, but it couldn’t undo the betrayal she felt. “You say you’re sorry, but that doesn’t change what you did,” Emma said quietly. “Trust is not something you can just apologize for. It’s something you build, and once it’s broken, it’s hard to ever make it the same again.” Ryan’s face fell. He understood the gravity of her words but felt helpless. “I wish I could take it back,” he said, his voice tinged with genuine regret. “I didn’t realize how important it was to share those thoughts with you.” Emma looked at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “It’s not about realizing now. It’s about what you did when it mattered. When trust is broken, ‘sorry’ means nothing. It’s the actions that follow that matter, and right now, all I feel is that I’m alone in this.” The silence that followed was thick with unspoken words. Emma and Ryan spent that night apart, each grappling with their own thoughts. The next morning, Emma made a decision. She needed time—time to heal, to understand whether the love they had once shared could be rebuilt or if it was irreparably damaged. Ryan respected her decision, though it pained him. He began to understand that trust, once fractured, could not be mended by apologies alone. It required time, patience, and a deep commitment to change. Emma took the time she needed, and though their path together was uncertain, they both began to work on rebuilding what had been lost. In the end, the journey of trust was a long and arduous one. Emma and Ryan’s story was not just about love but about understanding the deep, often painful process of reconciliation. Trust, once broken, required more than just words—it required a renewed dedication to the relationship and the willingness to make amends through actions, not just apologies. Harborside, with its peaceful sunsets, remained a backdrop to their story, a reminder that some wounds run deep and that the journey to heal them is as much about the path forward as it is about the past.
By Juliusly 2 years ago in Fiction
Echoes of the Lost World
In the distant future, Earth had changed beyond recognition. Technology had advanced, yet the world was deeply fractured, and humanity had lost touch with its ancient history. Amid the chaos of rebuilding, archaeologists uncovered fragments of a mysterious civilization from the distant past—an enigmatic culture known as the Aetharans. Among these fragments was a set of peculiar artifacts and cryptic texts hinting at a place known as the Lost World, a realm said to be a wellspring of unimaginable knowledge and power. Dr. Evelyn Harper, a renowned historian specializing in ancient civilizations, was driven by a personal quest to uncover the secrets of the Aetharans. Her great-grandfather had been one of the early explorers who had disappeared while searching for the Lost World. Guided by a mix of family legacy and scholarly curiosity, Evelyn assembled a team of experts to delve into the mystery. The team, consisting of geologist Mark Sullivan, linguist Li Mei Chen, and technology specialist Ravi Patel, began their expedition in the dense rainforest of the Amazon Basin. The ancient texts pointed to a hidden gateway in this jungle, and the clues were woven into the very fabric of the landscape. Their journey was arduous, battling not only the elements but also the dense foliage that seemed to shift and change, as though the forest itself were alive and protective of its secrets. After weeks of navigating treacherous terrain, they discovered an overgrown stone archway, half-buried and concealed by centuries of vegetation. It was inscribed with the same symbols they had seen in the Aetharan texts. With great effort, they uncovered the archway and activated its ancient mechanism using a combination of the artifacts they had found. As the archway opened, it revealed a hidden staircase spiraling down into the earth, leading to a vast underground world. Descending into the darkness, they emerged into a sprawling, subterranean city bathed in a soft, bioluminescent glow. The architecture was both alien and majestic, with towering spires and intricate carvings that depicted scenes of great cosmic events and advanced technology. As they explored the city, they found remnants of Aetharan society—intact libraries filled with ancient knowledge, advanced machinery that seemed to harness natural energies, and holographic records that spoke of their history and achievements. The Aetharans had been a civilization of great wisdom and power, and their downfall had come from an inability to balance their advancements with the natural world. The team discovered a central chamber that housed the most crucial of the Aetharan artifacts: the Echo Sphere, a device that could record and replay the past in stunning clarity. Activating the Echo Sphere, they were able to witness the final days of the Aetharans, as they faced a catastrophic event caused by their own technological hubris. The ancient recordings revealed a desperate effort to preserve their knowledge by hiding it in the Lost World, ensuring that future generations could learn from their mistakes. In a poignant moment, Evelyn and her team realized that the Echo Sphere was not only a historical record but also a beacon of hope and warning. The knowledge contained within could help humanity avoid repeating the same errors that led to the Aetharans' downfall. However, their discovery did not go unnoticed. A rival faction, intent on exploiting the Aetharan technology for its own gain, discovered their location. As the rival group closed in, Evelyn and her team faced a race against time. They had to protect the Lost World’s secrets and ensure that the knowledge did not fall into the wrong hands. In a dramatic showdown, Evelyn and her team used the Aetharan technology to defend the city, creating illusions and traps to thwart their adversaries. They managed to drive the rival faction away but realized that the Lost World could not remain exposed. As they prepared to leave, Evelyn made the difficult decision to seal the entrance to the Lost World permanently, ensuring that its knowledge would remain hidden until humanity was ready to responsibly embrace it. She left behind a carefully crafted message for future explorers, guiding them to the Lost World’s legacy and the lessons it held. Evelyn and her team emerged from the jungle, their mission accomplished but forever changed by the echoes of the Aetharan civilization. The Lost World remained a hidden sanctuary, its secrets preserved for a future where humanity might finally understand and honor the delicate balance between progress and preservation. In the annals of history, the story of the Lost World became a legend, a testament to the wisdom of a forgotten civilization and the enduring quest for knowledge and responsibility.
By Juliusly 2 years ago in Fiction
Valoria
When Thalos and Seraphina arrive at the Plains Tribe village, the atmosphere shifts dramatically. The once serene plains now feel tense, the usual warmth of his home replaced by suspicious glances and murmurs as the villagers notice Seraphina by Thalos's side. The Plains Tribe, known for its caution and deep-rooted traditions, isn’t accustomed to outsiders, especially from the Tundra Tribe, whose reputation for fierceness precedes them. As they walk through the village, the deer whisper among themselves, their eyes darting between Thalos and Seraphina, their distrust palpable. Thalos, usually confident in his surroundings, feels the weight of their judgment and the pressure of having brought an outsider into their midst.
By Digi Dragon 05 (Or Digi or Revely)2 years ago in Fiction
The Cost of Utopia
Kenrick Argo Kemp, once overlooked and rejected despite his genius, grew to believe that only the most capable should lead society. He saw the world’s inefficiencies and injustices as the result of incompetence, leading him to embrace a twisted utilitarianism—sacrificing the "expendables" to create a utopia where only the brightest could thrive. He believed that by controlling who reproduced, he could eliminate humanity's flaws and craft a superior society.
By Karina Thyra2 years ago in Fiction