Soul Guardian - Chapter 4: Hell in a Handbasket

This is a fan work of “Magic Forbidden Book Catalogue”, and some settings of “Puppet Circus” are added at the same time.

A traveler from a circus enters Academy City to study and live as a puppeteer; at the same time, he secretly fights against the enemies who keep coming to seize the original magic book in his hands, and protects the safety and peace of Academy City by the way.

…The Third World War? Does the mainland dare to call it “World War” without playing?

- Description from novelbuddy

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

As the overweight daughter of the Sutton family, Kelsie is an eyesore to everyone. Her father can't wait to get rid of her, his wife and their daughter daughter too.The man she's supposed to marry can't stand her and looks for ways to end their engagement, all to no avail.But on the day she's to get married, she finds out she's pregnant.Her fiancé finally uses the opportunity to break off his engagement to her and her father sends her packing to her aunt in another city never to return after she refuses to remove the baby like he asked her to.Seven years later, she returns to the city to claim her position as the heiress of her mother's fortune, which her father and his wife and daughter has been living off of all these years.But not as the overweight duckling everyone expected, but as a stunning, glamorous woman.Behind her are three children: a daughter who looks exactly like her, a handsome son, and another handsome son who looks too much like the most powerful man in the city.Unexpectedly, the dimwit, her fiancé who broke off their engagement comes begging for them to get married like they were supposed to.“So what if you're stunning now and lost all that weight? Everyone knows you used to be an ugly duckling. Who knows the underhanded ways you resorted to to lose weight. Forget our past and marry me again.”The woman looked at him and snickered. “Aren't you the heir of the Baker family? Why would you marry a fatso like me?”The man huffed and said arrogantly. “Hmph! Do whatever you want. But I assure you that no one in Silicon Valley will want to marry a woman saddled with bastard children!”The triplets came up on his face and snorted in disdain. “Who's this? Where is daddy when a man like this harasses mommy?”“I told you he wasn’t worth her. Hurry up and call him quickly.”The man who was in the middle of a conference call ended it as soon as he heard the news and went straight to where she was.“Are you hitting on my wife? Bastards? Are you calling the beloved children of Jett Adler bastards?”“Eh-what? Jett Adler? The most powerful man in the city? How is that even possible!”

In the novel “Forced Love”, the female supporting character Huo Wu was a fake princess who had occupied someone else’s position for 18 years.

And everything she possessed should have belonged to the female lead.

After an accident, Huo Wu’s real identity was completely exposed.

She and the female lead returned to their respective places but she was still regarded by the female lead as a nail in her eye and a thorn in her flesh and ultimately came to a miserable end.

——————-

After Huo Wu, a small 18th line celebrity transmigrated into the character of the same name in the book, she shivered.

The female lead’s fighting abilities are too strong, she really can’t afford to offend her.

In order to avoid the ending in the book, she held on tightly to her “brother’s” thigh in order to seek protection.

His golden thighs were exceptionally strong and this top rated “brother” was powerful to the point where there was nothing he couldn’t do.

But…

How come she isn’t allowed to let go after holding onto him?

QAQ

———————

Huo Wu blinked her eyes, “Wouldn’t it be good if you were really my brother?”

Huo Yu Sen faintly refused, “No, I just want to be your man.”

———————

My brother is too good to me, what should I do?

What else can you do? Of course you should be together.