Rats In The Nutcracker

a black figured somebody arrives each night at 11pm and watches Jonathan sleep while smiling. watch as the nightmare unfolds

Every night, when the world drifts into sleep, a hidden reality awakens. A select few—gifted yet cursed—enter The Forgotten Realm, a world where they transform into animals, each form dictating the power they wield in the waking world. The stronger they are in the dream, the weaker they are in reality, and vice versa. But the dream is more than a mere illusion; it is a battleground where survival is the only law. Elias Crowe, a loner with an uncanny ability to notice what others ignore, finds himself trapped in this nightmarish cycle as a raven—weak in the dream yet powerful in reality. When he stumbles upon an ancient truth hidden within The Forgotten Realm, he realizes the dreamworld is no mere escape—it is the graveyard of past realities, erased from existence through a cosmic reset. As other dreamwalkers hunt one another, consuming their prey to grow stronger, Elias discovers an even darker fate... Hunted in both the dream and the waking world, Elias must choose, fight to preserve a doomed existence or embrace annihilation and forge something new. As the lines between real and unreal blur, one question remains—can he outfly fate itself?

After unknown “ Distant Persons” nearly destroyed humanity for their own experiments, the city of Myrid has risen from the ashes in perfect order. In this peaceful and seemingly perfect sanctuary, Ren wakes up in a strange bed with no memory of who he is.

"This is the story of a girl who doesn't truly know who she is. She feels as though she's walking alone on an endless road made of glass - fragile, beautiful, and dangerous - chasing a destination that always slips just beyond her reach. Behind her, she sets fire to every path she's crossed, knowing there's nothing left for her if she turns back." "Inside her, two versions of herself battle silently. One is gentle, sweet-spoken like honey, easily frightened, always smiling, and often in tears. The other is cold - a fearless creature that dances with danger, thirsts for blood, and is consumed by madness. She hates herself with a passion so deep, it burns through her sanity." "She thinks the soft girl inside her has already died... But she hasn't. And one day, the mad, twisted side of her will finally kill whatever's left - leaving behind nothing but a complete monster."

The weight of guilt left him drowning. But sometimes you have to reach the bottom before you can come up for air. Castin is a man hollowed by loss, sleepwalking through the wreckage of his life. When grief finally drags him under, he doesn’t expect to make it back up. And yet, he does. But not to where he began. Surrounded by strangers who speak in half-truths and wear their trauma like armor, Castin is thrust into a world where survival depends on silence, and trust is in short supply. The deeper he’s pulled into this place, the more he realizes his pain didn’t bring him here by accident. It brought him here for a reason. Now, Castin must walk a reality that mirrors his own fractured soul, where the only way out may be to navigate through the very guilt he thought would destroy him.

My name is Lucian. I was once a bringer of light, a servant to the noble ideals I once wished to preserve. But now? I am the unholy offspring of life. Maybe I was like this from the beginning. For I am the son of darkness, the foulest sin of life. From now on I am no longer Lucian, the light bringer. I will be reborn as Asura! Master of oblivion and I shall make them regret my unholy birth. I shall unleash the demons of the abyss and drown the realms in blood. I will become a god amongst the demons and punish those that denied me my freedom. I promise to make them writhe in agony just as they made me. I will burn their hypocritical ideals to ash! No!!! I shall burn all the realms to ash until there's nothing left but silence. And then maybe I can finally have my eternal slumber, but until then… I will be the dark in light.

The village whispers warnings: Don’t follow the voices. Don’t look at the cabin. And if it ever sees you… run. Mia didn’t listen. She saw it, buried in the mist, rotting yet untouched by time. It wasn’t abandoned. It was waiting. Watching. And now, it knows her. Because the cabin doesn’t forget. It marks its prey. And once you're marked, you can't escape. The whispers follow. The shadows crawl. The woods twist behind your back. Another girl once stood where Mia stands now... and she was never seen again. Now it’s Mia. And the cabin is hungry. Once you're marked... it will never let you go.

Set in a dark, steampunk world where gods watch from above, a war rages between three races, and madness spreads like a plague—where is the light in this chaos? Light, once an ordinary young man, never expected to be reincarnated as the very first Ratkin in this grim world. His new race, considered mutants and servants of the dark gods, faces hostility from all sides. But fate grants him a lifeline: a system that allows him to build structures to train the Ratkin into various professions. From Ratkin Warplagues to Ratkin Gutter Runners and Ratkin Warlocks, Light must harness these forces to lead his people. Can he guide the Ratkin from the shadows and carve out a place in this unforgiving land?

Silence can be the loudest warning. When his neighbor vanishes, Wren uncovers a mystery beneath the floorboards one that could cost him everything. How far will he go to find the truth?

Bianca Flores greene grew up in a powerful and wealthy family. With a history of old money and success she grew up expecting to follow the safe footsteps as her family before her. she would become powerful business woman with a long line of success who never had to suffer worldly pains or losses with a constant safety net to catch her. marriage and children and social events, education, new experiences and travel. She knew she was lucky to have such a good life and was determined to live it to the fullest. That is until she died in a frat party at 21. She found herself reborn into a new world. As a slum rat. A young girl living on the streets in rags, fighting for food with no one but her brand new big sister. What the hell is she supposed to do now?!

A house in the woods, the Appalachian mountains surrounding it on all sides. many owners, but none stay too long, whether they’re chased away or taken. short stories of the home and its demented tenants deepen as the tales unfold and interwine together, each incident and haunting tying together in a terrifying mix of emotions. as the scared tenants come and go, The House in The Woods claims their souls.

In a land where winter reigns eternal and hearts are bound by blood-oaths to gods long buried, one woman carries a secret that could melt the world-or burn it to ash. Eira Wynter is a weatherbinder, born in the kingdom of Elowen where the sun hasn't touched the land in over three hundred years. Her gift to manipulate the cold should make her a prized protector of the frostbound realm-but she hides the firestorm inside her veins. A flame she was never meant to carry. When Kael Thorne, a gruff exile with a haunted past, discovers her secret, he offers her a choice: be turned in for the bounty on her head, or run with him to the far edge of the world where the frost ends and forgotten truths lie buried in flame. As the storm between them grows fierce and undeniable, their journey awakens a war that's been sleeping beneath the ice. Love may be the spark-but the fire they ignite could consume gods, kings, and their very souls.

In the quiet corners of Tokyo, Kaito lives a double life—by day, a reserved barista at Café Lumière, and by night, the dazzling drag performer Kane, who captivates crowds with glitter and fire. When Ren, a regular customer and aspiring artist, accidentally discovers Kaito’s secret, the two form an unexpected bond that blurs the lines between performance and reality. As Ren draws Kaito’s hidden self and Kaito wrestles with the fear of exposure, their friendship deepens into something fragile and beautiful. Together, they confront the pressure of living behind masks—both literal and metaphorical—and find courage in vulnerability. The Boy in the Café is a tender boys’ love story about identity, acceptance, and the courage it takes to shine as your true self, even when the world is watching.

Theo Corven lives a carefully balanced double life—an ordinary student at Halcyon Academy by day, and a skilled Null Agent by night, battling the creeping threat of an ever-expanding labyrinth beneath the city. With his rare psionic power, Refraction, he bends momentum and perception to strike faster than the eye can follow. For years, the system worked. Theo stayed hidden. The city stayed safe. But the labyrinth is changing. The monsters are evolving, the city above growing restless, and nature itself seems to be fighting back. When the lines between his two worlds begin to blur, Theo faces an impossible choice: protect his secret… or risk everything to protect others. Because some threats can't be contained in the dark forever—and neither can he.

A story about how a useless young man changes his fate and becomes a genius playboy.

In a world where emotion is a weapon and freedom is a myth, The Girl with the Collar follows Rosie—a genetically-altered teen escapee with a poison-laced control device on her neck and a storm in her veins. When she flees the brutal lab she was born in, bleeding and alone, fate throws her into the path of Jamie—a pop star hiding scars deeper than fame can cover. He recognizes her collar. He wore one too. Together, they build a fragile sanctuary in a world that wants them silenced—until Charlie, Rosie’s lost protector and maybe something more, returns from the dead, bringing truth and fire in her wake. But Rosie isn’t just running from the past—she is the key to a sleeping empire known as Echoes and, Dr. Lutego's not done with her yet. With a found family of rebels, hackers, and haunted hearts, Rosie's must choose: burn the system down, or let it rewrite her mind.

a gamer is killed by a vr headset and is transmigrated in another world as a rat!

“My new family was nothing like I had imagined; they loved me and treated me with kindness. As time passed, fragments of memories from my past life began to resurface. I was not an ordinary person back then—I was a man of great ambition, deeply immersed in knowledge and power. I knew this world from reading a fantasy novel. But there is one undeniable truth: I am the villain. In my past life, I was the villain, and now, I have been reborn into a world I once read about, once again taking on the role of the villain—a wealthy and influential figure. But there is one crucial difference… In this world, I am destined to die at the hands of the protagonist and lose everything.” {“I will be posting this story on RoyalRoad.com”}

Leo was just an ordinary man who wished to become a detective until one day when he suffered an injury that would change his life as he knew it.

She is the princess of pop. He is the prince of New York. All she ever known was music. All he ever known was wealth. They are polar opposite; both from different worlds, but they are attract to each other like a magnate to steel. This is their story. Katrina McNoir is a teenager that is worldwide known as Katy Noir; an international popstar. She is the hottest thing that hit the music scene in the last decade. She is America's lovable and charming sweetheart, but she had enough. She just want to be normal and she finally did. Sethaniel Al Babar or better known as Seth is an Arabian prince; who is one of the richest teenager in America excluding his family's riches. He is bonded by family obligations to be the next Sheikh of his country but he holds a deep secret about what he wants. In the most unlikelihood, these two met and now it is them against the world of persons who wants to tear them apart. Follow as they take on a journey where they face difficult challenges while staying true to themselves and each other.

in his past live he was named subject no.1452 , he was poor orphan beggar which got caught by shaddy science organization, his body has been modified with ehancement serum, he learned everything from math, science, social, economy, everyrthing. he was also proficient with all kind of martial arts and skill be it close combat or ranged ones. he thought he could finally be free as he planed to break out from the facility given his imense knowledge, yet he failed. not because he was caught but because his body finally succumb to its very limit after aborbing immense knowledge. now, he became another child beggar but heaven doesn't close its window as he brought all of his immense knowledge and body constitution to the new world, the world with sword and magic. how our protagonist break out from his predicament and what lies ahead of his journey?