Blurb：
Embark on an epic fantasy journey with Aria, the chosen heroine destined to save Eldoria from the clutches of the Shadow King. In this thrilling novel, follow Aria as she uncovers ancient prophecies, battles dark creatures, and forges alliances with unforgettable characters like the wise mage Elara and the rogue warrior Kael. Set in the mystical world of Eldoria, this tale is packed with magic, adventure, and heart-pounding twists. Perfect for fans of high fantasy, strong female leads, and immersive world-building. Discover why readers are raving about Aria’s courage and the Shadow King’s sinister reign!
Content：
In my previous life, I was born at the stroke of a cold, pitch-black midnight on New Year’s Day, an omen the old town whispered about. They called me a Deathbringer’s child, destined to guide the souls of the stillborn to rest.
From the age of six, I carried small coffins alone to the graveyard by the church, burying them in silence.
Each time, when I reached into the velvet shroud that wrapped the tiny casket, I would find a golden coin resting inside.
My mother sold those coins for money, buying my brother a grand mansion, while leaving me behind in the crumbling family house to keep doing the work.
No one expected the world of Haunts to descend. However, those coins turned out to be tokens of command, keys that bound the Haunts of the apocalypse to my will.
With them, I became the Empress of the End, feared by all, ruling with every resource at my command.
Chapter 1
In my previous life, when the Haunts world descended, I had just returned from burying someone in the open grounds next to the church.
The wind that night was so chilly it seemed to slice through my bones.
The front door was left ajar, allowing the ice cold air in, as my mom and brother sat stone-faced on the old house’s chairs.
Their faces were ghostly white, void of any emotion.
A shiver of fear ran through me as I shakily offered a gold bar. “Mom, don’t you and bro usually only come by at noon?”
Mom’s eyes did not even flicker as she took the gold bar from my hand.
Instead of smiling, she hurled it at my face in a rage, her voice raspy with fury.
“Everything’s ruined, it’s completely ruined! Your brother’s supermarket, the food factory, and the orchards, thousands of acres, all snatched away by the Haunts. This is all your fault, you’re a jinx. I should’ve ended you the night you were born!”
The gold bar struck my eye, and a tear mixed with a drop of blood trickled down.
It stung, but the pain in my heart was worse.
I felt like I was plunged into an icy abyss, Mom’s words echoed in my head. I whispered to myself, “Didn’t you say the gold bar was for me? Was that big house for my brother not enough? You gave him so much… What about me?”
She gazed at the moonlit sky, her smile bright but cruel. Then, she slapped me hard. “You? You get a gold bar for burying a coffin. If your brother could do the job, wouldn’t it be better?
“You’ve laid to rest so many young souls, maybe it’s your turn now.”
Mom’s face twisted into something monstrous, her arms and legs jerking towards me like a puppet on strings.
I sobbed and stumbled backward, “Mom, it’s me, Silvia, what are you doing?”
“The Haunts world is here. No one’s going to make it out alive. I know how your blood calms the wind. Maybe if we drain it dry, they might spare us.”
Her eyes, already wide with greed, became even more frightening as she tossed me aside like a discarded sack of potatoes at the doorstep.
Outside, Mom was yelling into the void, “Take this as my tribute, just please, leave the two inside alone.”
The door slammed shut behind me, my fingers bleeding from clawing the door open, but it did not faze whoever, or whatever, was on the other side.
The icy wind laced with whips streaked my face, a strange force rolling over me without consuming me. Instead, it passed right through the door and carved out my mother’s insides, leaving her an empty husk.
I was so scared my legs turned to jelly, as I stumbled to what was left of my mom.
I could not scream nor move.
Her hollow eyes stared back as blood tears fell onto my hand.
Out of nowhere, agony exploded in my body, like a knife slashing through my arm.
I looked up to see my brother, holes gouged out of his flesh, licking the blood from his knife with a manic glee.
His voice was so hoarse that it made my ears sting, “I wondered why that thing didn’t scoop out your heart. Turns out, your blood was the best shield…”
……
I woke up drenched in sweat, back in my bed. It was a week before the Haunts world descended.
The gold bar from last night’s burial was still heavy in my pocket.
Chapter 2
If the gold bar was a ticket into the Haunts world, then I could use it to command the infant spirits, to take what was needed.
Maybe they could even help me fight off the threats that were coming.
While I was lost in thought about my plan, the door suddenly burst open and Mom strutted in with her pricey handbag in tow.
She was about to set it down on the dusty table but changed her mind.
She spoke while reaching for the gold bar, “Jobs are running dry. You should put some ads online. We’ll save whatever you make for your dowry.”
I raised my arm in defense, a scowl etched on my face. “Haven’t you heard of the old ways? The gold bar belongs to Deathbringer’s Child, the girl who guides souls. If you take it, you’ll bring a curse upon yourself.”
Mom’s laugh was cynical. She spun around and slapped me, her nails leaving a stinging trail on my cheek.
Her eyes shot like daggers. “If I say you’re the soul guide, then that’s what you are. If I say you’re not, then you’re just my daughter. If I decide to sell you off to some lonely old man, that’s exactly what you’ll do!”
A single drop of blood hit the floor, and a flicker of rage sparked in my gaze.
Before I came back to this life, she had slashed my eye the same way it was, leaving me half-blind. Then I met a Haunt’s end, all so they could steal my body for themselves.
The memory was suffocating.
“Aren’t you scared? Don’t you worry about your son facing the consequences?”
Mom staggered back, then lunged at me with her fingers clamping down on my neck.
“How dare you curse your own brother. You’re just a wild wolf, never truly one of the pack. Don’t worry, when my time comes, I’ll make sure to drag you down with me, so you can never harm a hair on my son’s head.”
Her grip was unyielding, and as I gasped for air, a vision flashed before me.
An orange sports car speeding down a winding mountain road.
It was the flashy convertible my trust fund brother had just bought.
A smile played on my lips as I whispered a countdown, “Three… Two… One!”
Mom’s face twisted in horror as she caught my mocking grin, her grip finally softening.
“What are you counting down to?”
With that, a thunderous crash sounded from afar.
A massive impact echoed from the mountains, and Mom’s knees buckled. She tripped over the doorstep, crashing down so hard she lost two teeth.
Blood smeared across her face, yet she still fought to look up to see the fiery wreck of an orange sports car becoming a twisted heap at the bottom of the ravine.
She could not believe her eyes at first, but when she saw the orange glow of the car and the figure inside, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
“My son, oh James…”
……
Mom ran forward, tripping over herself again, and shot me a fierce look.
“If your brother comes to any harm, I swear I’ll strangle you myself for sending my son off!”
It was like a replay of my previous life. James Kane had showed off around town in his sports car, and ended up with his body shattered.
In the hospital, he barely managed to dodge the first wave of Haunts and was lucky enough to escape to the mountains.
Only before I died did I learn that my blood could command the fierce infant spirits, who could take on hundreds, while I fought to the death against the Haunts that rode in on the wind.
In this life, I had resolved to gather more of those infant spirits. A grim fate was not meant for me.
I followed Mom to the hospital, reluctantly, and watched my brother, all bandaged up like a mummy.
Through her bloodshot tears, Mom said, “Look after your brother, bring him water, and keep an eye on his IV. I’m going to fetch some holy water and rosemary for him. Surviving a calamity means blessings are on the way.”
“Where would you find those things now?” I asked.
“That crappy orchard your brother bought. It’s got quite a bit of rosemary in it. Ha! Not only has that dump never made a single dime, we still have to pay a crew to maintain it every year.”
A thought flickered in my mind.
I knew that place. The orchard sat on a ruined silver mine, its trees drawing on the soil and the breath of silver for years, gaining a power to ward off evil.
The Haunts came with the wind, but silver tamed the wind.
Those trees were worth far more than my mother and brother could ever imagine. If my infant spirits had wielded weapons made from that wood, they would have been unstoppable.
Chapter 3
I glanced at her, choosing my words carefully, “Mom, the old family house is in my name. What if I trade it for the orchard? The old house in town is known to be sacred ground. Anyone buried there has been blessed by the Lord.”
She did not take the bait, though. “What’s yours is what’s mine, when I’m gone, will you deny me a place there?”
My eyes were locked in determination. “Without my say-so, no one gets buried. You know the weight I carry around here.”
She was ticked off. “When I say it’s a no-go, it’s a no-go. Your spot’s not even worth a dime.”
……
Little did she know, long ago, someone had already dangled a million-dollar carrot for a slice of my hilltop, and I had not even blinked.
However, now, I was on a mission to get what I wanted, no matter what cost.
I was out in the garden when I rang Nelson Ellis, the village’s wise old man.
“Remember that big shot looking for a final resting place? The one who knows my brother? I’ve passed the baton to him. Give my bro a call, okay?”
Nelson took a puff of his smoke. “So, after all these years, you’re finally taking a swing at your brother?”
“Enough smack. I’ll make it worth your while later, as a token of my gratitude.”
Our family’s prayer hall was strictly guys-only, but I was the only lady for miles who could waltz into any family’s sacred space.
All thanks to my lucky streak and my knack for doing the right thing.
Out of nowhere, a few sighs, clear as crystal, filled with woe and agony, reached my ears. I could not help but follow the sound.
Just like that, I found myself at a grave not too far off. The person had been gone for a long while, the ground around it was old, but it showed signs of recent digging.
The source of the sighs was coming from down there.
His voice was so captivating that guided by the moonlight, I started clawing through the dirt without even realizing it.
Soon enough, a young, handsome face appeared, still warm, freshly buried, but breathless.
I caressed his cheek and let out a sigh of my own. “Why didn’t anyone give you a proper send-off?”
When young ones pass away too soon, they are dressed in their best outfit, swaddled in a thick blanket, and it was up to soul guides like me to tuck their caskets into the graveyard’s embrace, so their souls could set sail for paradise.
He looked like he couldn’t catch his breath, and let out another heavy sigh.
I kept digging. To my surprise, he had the face of a boy, yet his frame rose with unexpected height. I could not stand the thought of him resting in a stranger’s plot, so I bit my finger and let a drop of blood fall on his forehead.
That’s when his eyes flickered open.
……
Thanks to my rescue, he became an infant spirit. He trailed behind me, unseen by the rest.
To my surprise, when he rose to his feet he stood a whole head taller than me.
I just had to ask, “How old are you?”
His eyes were frosty as he replied, “I’ll be eighteen in two days.”
I let out a sigh of my own, “Even if you’re nearly six feet tall, you’re still a kid. Whatever, you’re with me now.”
Before he could shoot back, my mom’s call came through.
I braced myself for the onslaught. “Where did you disappear off to? You’re supposed to be watching your brother, he’s not doing well. Get home. Right now.”
My brother sprawled out on the bed, still wrapped like a mummy, while mom sobbed and doused him with holy water.
He twitched and rambled, unstoppable.
When she saw me, mom whipped me with a sprig of rosemary.
The infant spirit, marked by my blood, stepped in front of me like a guardian.
Mom’s knees buckled when she realized that not a single drop reached me. She then begged, “Silvia, you’ve got the power, please help your brother.”
Chapter 4
I lifted my gaze to meet hers, and she jumped.
“What’s… What’s the matter?” she stammered.
Without a word, I moved to my brother’s side, bit my finger, and let a single drop of blood touch his forehead.
With my back to Mom, I whispered, “Don’t worry about it. You haven’t said my name in years. Hearing it just once makes it worth saving him for a day.”
“A day? He’s your brother. How can you stand by and watch him suffer in pain?”
Mom’s tears kept flowing.
However, I could not forget how in my previous life, she shoved me out the door and left my heart to pound with fear.
“If you want me to save him, we should do this officially. Get a lawyer to make it official. I’ll trade the old house for your forest.”
……
She paused, taken aback. “A lawyer? You think we’re after your money?”
I cocked my head, “Or are you planning to give it to me for free?”
Her face twisted with irritation. “Just heal him now. The lawyer can come by tomorrow.”
I sat down, each word deliberate as my gaze fixed on her. “No, it has to be today. Right now.”
She snapped, “You’re stepping out of line.”
She raised her hand in anger.
On the bed, my brother stirred, nodding vigorously.
“Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm.”
Was that a yes?
The lawyer showed up fast. His credentials did not faze me, but the infant spirit at my side was all worked up, fists balled up tight.
“Let me guess, you were a law student in the living world?”
Silence. Then, as I signed, he murmured, “Juris Doctor.”
“Wow, a real brainiac. Sorry for not noticing.”
In my previous life, I only had one infant spirit and he was too young to spoke.
But Jim wasn’t a standard “infant spirit.” He wasn’t a silent baby. He was clear-headed and could talk. Honestly, it felt kinda fascinating.
The deed said everything above the old house’s foundation was mine to handle.
Mom sneered, “What good are some old wooden tables and chairs?”
She had no clue. Those ancient timbers were the only reason I grew up safe and sound.
Under the silver glow of the moon, I went there with the infant spirit, both of us swinging our axes, taking apart furniture like it was made of matchsticks.
He did not say a word and just went along with it. Even in silence, he had that cool vibe that made me want to mess with him a bit.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Jim.”
A single bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he looked at me, catching the moonlight and sparkling so brightly it left me speechless.
I tossed him a wooden bow. “Catch. You’ll need this to stay alive.”
Jim looked confused, his brow furrowed in thought.
He hurried to keep pace with me. “Aren’t you curious who killed me? Or why did I end up buried in a stranger’s grave?” There was a hint of anger in his voice.
We stood alone in the empty ground, the cold wind making the bushes dance like the hands of giants.
As I shut my eyes, I could almost see the dark chilling world of my previous life, where the cold winds could fragment a life and leave nothing but an empty shell.
“Life and death? They’re not what’s important. It’s what we leave behind in this world that counts.”
I bit my finger and let the blood drip onto the sandy soil.
“Rise…”
Just like that, fabric unfurled like waves, lifting coffins out of the ground as if like a magic trick.
One by one, infant spirits broke free from their wooden prisons.
I pointed at them, then back at Jim. “See them? Some never got to talk, some never even saw the world. They’re just like you, trapped between life and death. In seven days, this place will be as spooky as it gets. Are you in? Will you fight with me, even if it’s to the death?”
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