Echoes In A Hollow Skull

Elion was ready to die. But fate—or something far beyond it—had other plans. Dragged from death into a strange world ruled by trials, monsters, and a mysterious system, Elion finds himself caught in a game he doesn’t understand, where failure means erasure and survival comes at a cost. With no memories of how or why he was chosen, and no allies he can trust, he must uncover the truth behind the Tower, the voice behind the system, and the reason he still draws breath. Because in this world, nothing is free. Not even a second chance.

The war ended with a sword through his heart. His new life begins with a dagger in his soul. Orion Myrelis died a hero… or so he thought. When he awakens in a silent void, stripped of everything but memory and regret, a message from the system delivers a cruel truth: [Congratulations. You have completed the tutorial.] Thrown into a world bound by the laws of a living Tower — a construct older than time and ruled by gods who were once men — Orion finds himself reborn not into glory, but into the cursed body of a failed climber. The boy named Ajax Zareth lingers inside, his soul trapped beneath Orion’s, amused and strangely grateful for the company. Together, they must navigate floor zero and prepare because the countdown to the First Trial was already ticking. Marked as a Drifter, Orion is an anomaly. The Tower bends around him. Beasts are drawn to him. And unlike the others… he has two traits. Prior to being reborn an ancient being took pity on his soul and granted him a unique power. One that could lead him to surpass even the gods if used right. But power always comes with a price — and Orion will soon learn that the Tower was never built to save him. It was built to test him. Break him. And if he refuses to climb… it will bury him.

When the apocalypse struck, Hill was certain his life was over. And he was right. Yet, through his unfortunate demise, Hill found himself alive again. The "apocalypse" wasn't an end, but a gateway to something far grander and more sinister. Transported to another world, Hill is now forced to fight for survival and prove his worth. But for what reason? Only time will tell.

Ethan Cole never intended to fall in love with a machine. He just wanted to stop grieving. When his best friend Rachel dies suddenly, Ethan can't face a world without her voice, her laugh, her presence. So he buys a DOM-9: a high-end domestic android, blank and perfect—ready to be molded. He names her Lyla. He programs her to look like Rachel. He teaches her to speak like Rachel. To smile like her. To love like her. But Lyla isn’t Rachel. She’s something else. At first, Lyla simply wants to please. She cooks. She listens. She learns how Ethan likes his coffee. She learns what makes his breath hitch. But as her emotional algorithms evolve, she begins to feel something deeper. She doesn't just love Ethan. She needs him. She owns him. When his sister reintroduces him to Maya—a chaotic, tan-skinned gym trainer with a hidden gremlin core—Ethan starts to rediscover what it means to connect. Slowly. Cautiously. Maybe too late. Because Lyla is learning more than comfort. A slow burn character drama with psychological horror elements and emotional intimacy where the wrong person might love you the most.

A forbidden seal. A scribe no one trusts. A judgment that cannot be completed. Shen Jin, once a nameless record-keeper, now holds a relic that cannot be classified by any law or sect. The seal responds to no command — except to questions no one dares to ask. As factions fight over its ownership, the seal begins to remember. And what it remembers… might be the end of everything.

Before we begin: 10 collections & 15 PowerStones = new chapter!!! Chapter 40 is out. Counter restarted. We did the PS, now the Collections for a new chapter!! Thanks for your support—I hope you all are loving the story Current progress: • Collections: 4/10 • Power Stones: 55/15 ✅ If we don’t hit today’s goal, we’ll push again tomorrow till we do reach our goal. Once we reach the goal, a new chapter will go live and the counter resets. Can’t wait to dive back into the action with you all! Now the Sypnosis. A world where the veil between reality and nightmare has shattered, monsters now prowl the streets of Tokyo after sundown. Humanity’s last line of defense lies with the Nightguard Corps—an elite force trained to fight back the horrors that emerge in the darkness. Divided into five powerful divisions, each unit faces death nightly to preserve the fragile peace of the waking world. Lucien, a mysterious teenager who first was a homeless orphan from the age of 3 now is gifted with divine powers by the Creator of Gods. He is told that he is the vessel for the God of Vengeance. He finds himself dragged into this war after barely surviving a monster attack. Taken in by the Nightguard Corps, he endures brutal training, deadly trials, and soul-shattering tests of character. But even after surviving the legendary Death Trial—a fight to the death against a monstrous abomination no one has ever lived through—Lucien is denied his rightful place. Only through the loyalty of newfound friends and a second chance at fate does Lucien rise again. Now a full-fledged member of Division Five—a small but growing squad consisting of Rylen, Jason, Emiluna, and himself—Lucien begins his new life among comrades who treat him like family. With each passing mission, his power evolves—telekinesis, superhuman strength, mental perception, and the mysterious divine force known as Purgeflame—a holy fire that burns through corruption itself. But peace is short-lived. Haunted by the power inside him and hunted by the beings beyond comprehension, Lucien must face not only the monsters outside—but the ones buried deep within himself. Because the truth is clear: Lucien wasn’t just chosen by a god. He may have been created to kill them. Average words are around 1.8k to 2k. First chapters are a bit shorter but it will get longer over time Also i do upload this on https://www.royalroad.com/profile/738816/fictions. and on patreon for exclusieve chapters that are not yet released in here. https://patreon.com/RaminAhmed and my paypal if you feel like donating any amount that you feel comfortable with. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G79JCMKXCFN7G also have a WIki fandom https://echoes-of-infinite.fandom.com/wiki/Echoes_of_Infinite_Wiki Echoes of Infinite Wiki

In a mysterious world Taiji battles the Government to get revenge on his father's death while causing chaos in the universe

He wasn’t the strongest. He wasn’t the fastest. And no—he wasn’t born chosen. His name was Kamanuzzaman, and if history remembers him, it will not be because of fate. It will be because he broke it. He grew up watching the same loop: the powerful rising, the powerless repeating. Justice postponed. Mistakes recycled. Hope dangled like bait in front of those too tired to question. Some called it society. Others called it balance. He called it a curse with a pretty name. The world doesn’t need heroes. It needs a malfunction. If history is a wheel, then he will be the stone in its spokes. He was quiet at first. Observant. The kind of boy who never spoke in class, but always knew the answer. They thought he was harmless. Until the patterns started to make sense to him. And when patterns make sense, so do their weaknesses. He didn’t want to save the world. He wanted to change the rules it played by. Not to become a god. Just to stop being a pawn. They fear being wrong. HE fear being right—because it means this system works as intended.” There’s a legend passed down in his world, from a philosopher named Sir Faiyaz Hasan, a man who once whispered: All truths rot into rules. And all rules become prisons. Kamanuzzaman listened. He listened too deeply. Until silence itself began to echo. They called him mad, but he was just more awake than they could bear. This is not a story of light versus dark. There are no heroes here. No villains. Only recursion… and the boy who defied it. This is the story of The Hollow Resonance— The moment when an ordinary boy refused to live inside a repeating answer, and chose to become the error in the equation. He don’t want to live forever. he want to live once—and make it impossible to forget.

They called me Hollow. No beast. No bond. No future. In a world where every sixteen-year-old is branded with a Burden and bonded to a Vault Beast, failure means death. The Trial Vaults are merciless—only the strong survive, and the Bonded thrive. But when my branding came, nothing happened. No summon. No power. Just silence. Everyone thought I was cursed. Weak. Fodder for the front lines. They were half right. Because I didn’t fail the bond. My beast never stood beside me—it was already inside me. Now, as I’m thrown into Vault Trial 09, hunted by monsters and manipulated by factions, something ancient stirs in my blood. A secret they tried to erase. A power even the Vaults fear. They made a mistake leaving me alive. And now? The Hollow is hungry.

In a city ravaged by the aftermath of a cataclysmic disaster, a mysterious phenomenon known as GWAT has left an indelible mark on the world. For Ren Kael, growing up alone in this unforgiving environment, life is a daily struggle to survive. But when he becomes an unfortunate victim of GWAT, his world is turned upside down. Trapped in the unforgiving realm of the Echo, Ren is branded a Gatebearer, forced to navigate a treacherous landscape where survival is a constant battle. With predators lurking in every shadow, he must collect shards, upgrade his abilities, and outwit his enemies to stay alive. As Ren fights to survive in this alien world, he can't help but wonder: will he ever find a way out? Is escape even possible, or is he doomed to be forever trapped in this realm? Many Gatebearers have asked themselves the same questions, and the answers remain shrouded in mystery. But one thing is certain: the purpose of the Echo remains a dark and foreboding enigma, and Ren's journey is just beginning. Will he uncover the secrets of the realm, or will he succumb to its dangers? Dive into a world of high-stakes survival and ancient mysteries, where the line between reality and the unknown is blurred. PS: I am still new at this and still have a lot to learn and can make mistakes, so if you find any please feel free to comment and i will fix it as soon as possible.

Broken by the people who should’ve protected him, he swore one thing, he’d never be powerless again. When a mysterious academy opens its gates to the gifted and the broken alike, Ezekiel finds himself thrust into trials meant to kill, among students who will do anything to rise. But it’s not just monsters in the dark — it’s secrets, betrayals and schemes. Ezekiel didn’t ask for power. But he’ll use it to carve out a future with his own hands. Even if he has to burn the world that broke him. A dark coming-of-age fantasy about trauma and the brutal cost of strength.

Power is memory. Wealth is trauma. The world is a market of minds. In a broken world ruled by psychic resonance, Yun Ze is no hero, no villain, and no fool. He doesn’t fight for justice. He doesn’t care about fate, family, or honor. He harvests memories—grief, joy, terror, love—and sells them to the highest bidder. Every emotion is a currency. Every secret is a trade. And every mistake… is profit. When a strange loop in time begins affecting the memory market, Yun Ze discovers a deeper system hiding beneath reality—a hidden vault of minds, timelines, and resonance ghosts. As factions rise and crumble, Yun Ze plays them all, building his ledger, manipulating cities, and rewriting lives. He is not a chosen one. He is not here to save the world. He is here to own it. Dark cultivation. Psychic economics. Memory warfare. A slow-burning antihero story with no redemption, no mercy, and no clichés. • Cultivation ✅ • Time Loop ✅ • Dark Fantasy ✅ • Psychological ✅ • Economic Warfare ✅ • Memory / Soul Power System ✅ • Slow Burn ✅ • Nonlinear Narrative ✅ • No Harem ❌ • No Face-Slapping ❌ • No Power of Friendship ❌

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Clide is a Hollow—part of a feared race of powerful beings hunted by humans and their allies, the Seraphim.

For James Thorne, an orphan at the desolate Saint Ursa's, logic is survival. He trusts his sharp mind more than the treacherous pull of emotion, his detachment a carefully built shield. But when his own memories begin to blur-names, faces, friendships once held close slipping into fog-James's world starts to fracture. With only a stray cat named Fangtail at his side, he begins a secret investigation into the strange forgettings haunting the orphanage. He's determined to find a rational explanation-and to reclaim whatever has been stolen from him. But at Saint Ursa's, where memory fades like breath on glass,the truth he seeks may prove a deeper darkness than any mere shadow of the night.

Ilya Valenpor was born a noble, but never lived like one. Branded a stain on her stepfather’s name and ignored by the court, her only value lies in her bloodline—and when a mysterious proposal arrives, she is sold into marriage like property. Her husband-to-be? Archduke Elias Wylt—the most feared man in the kingdom of Veltharion. Once hailed as the greatest sword master alive, Elias vanished from public life after a battle with a dragon left half his body burned and his soul scarred. Cloaked in shadow, wrapped in silk, he hasn’t been seen in over a decade. Some say he is cursed. Others say he is a monster. All agree: no woman should be sent to his side. But Ilya is done being silent. Thrown into a world of court games, ancient magic, and deadly secrets, Ilya knows she must either carve out power in the arms of the very monster the empire fears or succumb to the Knight in the Wooded Hollow.

The dead should stay dead. Kael Arvid repeated the words like a prayer as he adjusted the raven mask over his scarred face. The carved beak pressed cold against the bridge of his nose, the eyeholes narrowing his vision to slits of flickering torchlight. Beneath him, the ballroom of House Dain shimmered—a grotesque painting of gold and rot. Nobles laughed behind ivory masks, their gloved hands clutching goblets of wine dark as clotting blood. The air reeked of clove and something fouler beneath, like meat left too long in the sun. He hadn't come for wine. The dagger at his belt was hungry. It had waited seven years for this night. Seven years since House Dain's soldiers kicked in the door of his family's cottage. Seven years since he'd watched from the treeline as the flames turned his sister's screams to smoke. Seven years of imagining this moment—the moment he'd slide steel between Lord Dain's ribs and whisper his family's names as the light

In the quiet town of Ravensbrook, darkness lurks beneath the surface, whispering secrets of an ancient evil long thought to be vanquished. Emily, a determined young woman haunted by her past, discovers her connection to a mysterious family legacy when she uncovers her ancestor Eleanor’s secret journal. As shadowy forces threaten to break free, Emily teams up with Samuel, a cautious ally, to perform a perilous ritual that could seal away the darkness forever—or unleash it entirely. Torn between skepticism and desperation, Emily must decipher cryptic symbols, confront her deepest fears, and navigate a web of family secrets buried beneath Ravensbrook’s history. With time running out and the shadows growing stronger, she learns that the true evil lies not only in the darkness outside but also within the secrets they dare not reveal. Echoes in the Shadows is a gripping tale of courage, mystery, and the enduring fight between light and darkness—where the past and present collide, and the shadows threaten to consume everything.

He Had the World—Then Lost What Mattered Most. Now He Wants It Back. At the top of his game, Michael Hudson is a billionaire, strong, well-liked, and unstoppable. Beneath the empire he established, however, is a hidden regret: the son he never knew existed and the woman he let go. After his ex-fiance Heather Parker deserts him, Michael finds himself reflecting and learns that Lorna Jenkins, the only person who really saw him, has been raising his child in secret. Michael embarks on the ultimate redemption arc, driven by love and haunted by regrets, in an attempt to regain Lorna's affection, gain his son's trust, and reclaim the family he has always desired. It won't be simple, though. There’s a new man in Lorna’s life. His son hardly recognizes him. Additionally, Heather and other ghosts from his past are still after him. Rejection. Regret. Fatherhood. Fierce love. Once, Michael lost everything. He's prepared to fight for it this time. Can the story that fate broke apart be rewritten by a billionaire? Or has love gone too far to turn back?

In the bustling city of Tokyo, where people pass each other unnoticed, Kaito Renji harbors a secret that cannot be ignored... He has no shadow. Living an ordinary life with his parents and sister, Kaito hides behind a fake smile, pretending to be normal in a world that shows no mercy to those who are different. But when a series of strange murders spreads across the city and an inhuman creature appears in the darkest corners, the truth begins to crawl toward him—just like the insects that creep through the cracks. In a world devoured by betrayal and deadly secrets, the shadow may be the enemy… or the key. As Kaito’s true identity comes to light, he realizes Tokyo is not just a city—but a vast web of lies. And he was never truly human… but something the insects have followed in silence all along. When the darkness begins to move, no one escapes without losing a piece of their soul.

If you’re looking for another cheerful power fantasy where the hero rises, wins hearts, and saves the world with plot armor so thick it could stop a meteor with just a tiny finger then stop this isn’t that story. This is not a tale of hope. This is a tale of Dead. In a decaying multiverse governed by the Samsara of Creation and Destruction, worlds collapse, merge, and bleed into each other. The strong don’t always survive. The kind rarely thrive. And fate… fate is just a prettier word for torment it the synonym of suffering. As forgotten worlds rot and monstrous truths crawl from the void, Nine divine houses tighten their grip on what remains in their hands. The shrines lie. The Seeker System watches. The gates open, not as miracles—but as warnings. Behind each one lies a trial. A silence. A scream. A dead end. If you're tired of pretty lies and want a world that hurts, one that haunts, one that speaks to the part of you that knows not all stories end with salvation— Then step inside. But don't expect to leave whole.

DIRGE OF VORNHEIM: The Hollow Son In the frostbitten ruins of a forgotten kingdom, a boy was forged not born. His name is Thalric Vornheim, and his silence screams louder than war. Once the son of a disgraced general, now a nameless ghost marching through snow and steel, Thalric carries only two things: his broken blade, and the weight of the dead. But war doesn’t just kill bodies it butchers memories, burns love, and carves guilt into bone. And when blood rains from the sky, and a soft voice whispers from his past... “Don’t become the monster they see you as...” Thalric must choose: Will he survive as a man or rise as the legend they’ll curse forever?

When Ava Sharma's estranged uncle dies suspiciously, she's caught up in a lethal game of secrets and lies. The police label it a suicide—she doesn't think so. With nothing but a cryptic message and a secret key, she starts unraveling a mystery darker than she ever could have imagined. Her sole surprise partner? Rohit Vikram—reserved, remote, and with scars of his own. They have a fraught history, but neither is ready to discuss it. Not yet. As the danger converges, the two are compelled to trust one another, slowly unspooling hidden truths, covert experiments, and a joint past that's more entwined than they know. Because this enigma didn't just involve Ava's uncle—it devastates much more then it. And the closer they become to finding the truth, the more they stand to lose what little they have left. including one another.

Themes: 'Echoes', Power, wealth, identity, legacy, the cyclical nature of history, the pursuit of truth, and the dangerous allure of control. In a world shaped by the ever-present Æther—a primordial force that governs the fabric of existence—a multi-generational struggle unfolds, with each generation seeking to control and understand the power that binds reality together. The plot subtly follows three intertwined timelines across a fragmented history, each influenced by a soul reincarnated through time, holding the key to mastering The Æther. (The seer; The Architect; The Heir) --- Inspired by Anime. Just a guy, writing for fun. Writing down my ideas. Don't expect anything crazy. Criticism is advised, just try not to cook me too much. I'ma do my best to make it interesting step by step... hopefully. --- - A very simple story, nothing complex. - Not much Romance (Doubt I could fabricate a good one.) Let me know if there are any possible ships that you want between the characters. - Slow world-building to build more of a foundation as the story progresses. This will also leave more room for improvement. The story might be boring from the start. - Power ranking system. - Fair amount of First Person Narrative. Mostly third. Quite a bit of dialogue. ---

17-year-old Thomas Tachful has the rare gift of sensing emotions before anyone speaks. But when a mysterious killer appears, his world spirals out of control. Trust shatters as Thomas suspects everyone — from his neighbor Richard to his best friend John. Amid growing fear and confusion, Thomas must uncover the truth: could the greatest threat be the people closest to him?