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The Forsaken Prodigies

In 1943, on the outskirts of London, two young brothers - Vernon (9) & Bruce (8)- live hidden from the world in a lonely house surrounded by the forest. Their parents, once celebrated as the Sages of Innovation, revolutionized the study of Qi and Mana Heights, a breakthrough meant to heal the sick, strengthen the weak, and change medicine forever. But everything changed when their research was stolen, twisted, and weaponized into instruments of war. Branded as the creators of humanity’s newest horrors, the parents were hunted, persecuted, and erased from the history they helped build. One quiet night beneath the stars, as the brothers look through their father’s telescope, the world finally catches up to them. The home is attacked. Flames swallow the night. Their mother sacrifices herself to buy them time. Now the boys escape into the darkness with their father - wounded, silent, carrying truths even heavier than the children can imagine. But Vernon and Bruce will soon learn: Their parents’ lost research was only the beginning. The world will hunt them next - not for who they are, but for what they might become. With rumours spreading that the brothers inherited the forbidden power, the world sees them as future monsters… long before they ever choose a path. As they grow, grief and misunderstanding twist their fates in different ways: Vernon, forced to mature too young, sees humanity’s hatred as proof the world deserves to burn. Bruce, still gentle despite everything, wonders if he can save what despises him. Between war, magic, and the weight of a legacy they never asked for, the brothers must uncover the truth behind the Lost Designs, the real reason their mother died, and the shadowy forces that turned the world against their family. And in the end, the world may marvel… Are these boys humanity’s doom… or its only hope? --- "Knowledge is a lantern. Passed down, it becomes a torch." - Alice Lily
BonkersWinter · 17.3k Views

BLACK CONTRACT CITY

If you’re enjoying what you’re reading Your support truly makes a difference. Don’t forget to: • Support the story with Power Stones • Vote if you like the work • Leave a comment with your thoughts (even a short one means a lot) All of this helps me continue and deliver better chapters For discussions, special updates, and early announcements: Join the Discord server: https://discord.gg/5HkPBebUg Your support and presence are greatly appreciated BLACK CONTRACT CITY "In a city where the sun never shines, power is not a gift—it is a debt paid with the fragments of your soul." SETTING: The world is contained within a nameless, vertical megacity known as the "Tiered City." At the bottom lies the Underveil—a rusted, suffocating labyrinth of slums, oily rain, and "Hollows" who have been drained of their essence. Above them sits The Grid, a neon-lit battleground of syndicates and mercenaries. At the very peak lies The Crown, where the elite rule through ancient sorcery and demonic pacts, shielded by a massive concrete sky called "The Line." PROTAGONIST: Asher Noctier is a ghost in the machinery. A survivor of a forgotten massacre, he lives in the shadows of the Underveil, tethered to a chilling entity named Velzar—a demon child who offers protection but demands a terrifying price. Asher is the only one who perceives the "Interface," a translucent, flickering HUD that maps the world’s decay and grants him forbidden abilities. THE POWER SYSTEM (THE VOID’S TAX): There is no free power in Black Contract City. To use his demonic abilities or the Interface's functions, Asher must pay the "Void’s Tax." Every victory costs him: a precious childhood memory, a sensory faculty, or hours of his remaining life expectancy. As Asher grows stronger, he becomes more hollow, literally burning his humanity to fuel his ascent. THE CONFLICT: Driven by a cold need for truth and a hidden locket that anchors his past, Asher begins an impossible climb from the mud of the Underveil to the spires of The Crown. Along the way, he assembles a crew of broken outcasts—a feral warrior, a shadow-weaving captain, and a nihilistic engineer—each bound by their own dark contracts. THE CENTRAL QUESTION: As the Interface slowly consumes his mind and the city descends into chaos, Asher faces a brutal realization: If the world is corrupt at its very roots, can you save it without becoming the very monster you sought to destroy? To reach the top and reclaim his life, Asher must decide how much of himself he is willing to lose before there is nothing left to save. "BLACK CONTRACT CITY" is a dark, psychological action epic about the cost of ambition, the weight of memory, and the thin, bloody line between a savior and a demon.
Youssef_Elouizari · 2.9k Views