The Last Touched: Rite of Queens - Chapter 2: The Knife & The Flame

After the judgment, the ire of God was revealed with the words: “Be cast unto eternal damnation!” And so it was that humans and jinns alike found themselves scattered across the Nine Circles of Hell, left to burn and suffer for eternity. Until after an untold number of eternities, an angelic voice called out, announcing God's decree: “One soul shall earn the chance to return to grace.” Humans and jinns found a shimmering screen appear before their eyes, tallying their sins and something called 'Fragments of Divinity'. “Cleanse away your sins,” said the voice. “Do what must be done!”Now, a human known as Wretched Nameless One—the only human found in the Ninth Circle—sets out on a journey to claim his spot in Heaven, tasked with fighting hellish monsters and devilish hell-dwellers competing to return to grace. Will he escape eternal torment and rise to grace or return to the everlasting cleansing fire once more?

MC (female protagonist) dies in a plane crash and wakes up in the body of a beautiful but corrupt and lascivious prime minister in ancient times, Zhang Qinglian. As circumstances decree, he (she) cannot reveal that the original owner’s soul is gone else calamity might occur. So he (she) decides to walk a righteous path, determined to help the lovely but simple little emperor rule the country. Not backing down after facing torture, not losing courage, destroying rebellions and facing off with scheming princes.

Elaine Monroe never meant to fall in love with him. She never meant for her heart to betray her like this. But as she watches him stand beside another, hand resting on the waist of the woman he’s meant to be with, she wonders if she was always destined to be the outsider.“You knew,” she says, voice barely above a whisper. “You knew how I felt.”His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t deny it. He never does.“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” he finally says.She laughs bitterly. “I know.”Loving him was always impossible. He belonged to someone else. To his family’s expectations. To a future where Elaine had no place.“Forget whatever you think you feel,” he tells her, voice firm, but there’s something unspoken in his eyes—something that makes it hurt even more. “It will never happen.”And yet, his gaze lingers, just for a second too long.Then there’s her best friend—the one who stands beside her when the world turns its back. The one who sees her pain without asking.“You don’t have to do this to yourself,” he says, handing her his jacket on a cold night. “You deserve more than waiting for someone who will never be yours.”She wants to believe him. She wants to move forward. But some loves are impossible to forget. Some wounds never truly heal. And some desires, no matter how forbidden, refuse to die._____“loving him best decision i ever made” Elaine“you are my world”

Aubree descended the mountain and became the real young miss of the Aubree family in River City.No one in the Aubree family liked this little Buddhist nun who came out from deep mountains. They gave the fake daughter their utmost care while warning the real young miss to discard all ideas of replacing the fake daughter's place.Aubree did not fight. She ate vegetarian food and read Buddhist scriptures every day—void of lust and desires.Her younger brother got caught in a huge lawsuit. Mrs. Aubree went through a lot of trouble to invite the First Lady to plead for mercy only to receive merciless ridicule. “I'll give you a second chance on Master Aubree's account.”Mrs. Aubree, “?”Mr. Aubree's company was in a crisis and was in desperate need of money. In his attempt to gain the richest man's favor, the rich man merely responded with a gaze full of despise. “You tend to take fish eyes for pearls. I think you've developed an acquired taste in your investments.”Mr. Aubree, “?”The fake daughter wanted to ruin the real daughter's reputation at a banquet. Eventually, everyone ended up realizing that the real young miss of the Aubree family was as beautiful as a fairy with a kindred heart.Fake daughter, “?”The crown prince of the wealthy, Qu Feitai, was also a top celebrity in showbiz. Being at the center of attention, he could summon a tempest whenever he wanted.When he participated in a variety show, a frail female guest appeared. She chopped wood with her left hand and pulled noodles with her right hand. Steaming, boiling, and cooking; everything was a piece of cake to her. As someone horrible at maintaining an orderly life, he was dumbfounded.During the live broadcast of the International Junior League finals, his cousin, who was known as a genius in Go, was extremely anxious. On the other hand, the familiar-looking beautiful girl opposite him was calm and composed, ending him in one move.His high-flyer best friend cried to him, “After your goddess transferred over, I can never surpass being in second place anymore.”Qu Feitai, “How many surprises do you have that I don't know about?”Until one day, he actually saw her discussing scriptures and Buddism with a group of old monks at an international Buddhist exchange. As she started to speak of Buddhist Dharma, Qu Feitai panicked…“You keep your six senses pure and saw through the vanity of the world, but I insist on dragging you here for a walk in the mortal realm. Worse comes to worst, you'll ascend to nirvana and I'll end up in hell.”