Castiel Fever

Some bonds are too powerful to be broken—not by time, not by memory, not even by death. Castiel grew up in a homophobic environment, especially his parents who had made it clear times without numbers that they would never support such an act. However, despite the fear he had, Castiel couldn't help but fall in love with another boy—a boy who was known as an outcast and hated by everyone, Warren.

In the grand, unforgiving world of Viraatkshetra—a realm governed by the iron whims of Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons)—all life follows a preordained path. Mortals are but pawns in a cosmic game, their destinies woven into a celestial tapestry by forces beyond their comprehension. The grandest of these predestined events is the War of the Crimson Twilight, an apocalyptic conflict that will reshape the heavens and the earth, for which entire generations are born to serve as fodder. Amrit, a soul from modern-day Earth, is reincarnated into this world not as a prophesied hero, but as the third prince of a minor kingdom, a boy cursed with a frail body and shattered meridians, destined to be one of the first casualties of the coming war. His life is a quiet tragedy, a footnote in a blood-soaked epic. As he lies on his deathbed, consumed by a fever that his new world's divine medicine cannot cure, his despair and the unique nature of his transmigrated soul trigger an awakening—a system beyond the understanding of gods themselves. He gains the [Infinite Crit System], a god-defying power that can apply a random, multiplicative "critical hit" to any action he performs. A single breathing exercise can yield a century's worth of cultivation. A glance at a sword technique can grant him the insight of a grandmaster. A moment of thought can untangle the profound mysteries of the Dao. Armed with this unprecedented ability, Amrit's path diverges violently from the one fate has written for him. He begins a journey not just of survival, but of rebellion. He will cultivate forbidden techniques, forge impossible weapons, and gather allies from the forgotten corners of the world—those who, like him, have been deemed disposable by destiny. His journey will lead him from the dusty training yards of his forgotten kingdom to the celestial battlefields of gods, from uncovering the dark secrets behind his reincarnation to challenging the very beings who weave the threads of fate. Shattering the Celestial Loom is an epic of defiance. It explores themes of determinism versus free will, the nature of power, and the courage required to tear down a gilded cage, even if that cage is the entire universe. Amrit must not only grow stronger than the heroes and villains of his age; he must become a force capable of breaking the fundamental laws of reality, facing cosmic entities who view his existence as a glitch in their perfect creation. His ultimate goal is not just to survive, but to seize the celestial loom and grant true freedom to a world shackled by destiny. discord channel - https://discord.gg/8PVnHKcj

Shu Yao has always loved Bai Qi. Silently. Secretly. With the kind of devotion that doesn’t ask to be returned. But Bai Qi has never looked his way—not like that. His eyes have always been on Shu Yao’s younger sister, Qing Yue. Bright, soft-spoken, radiant in the ways Shu Yao was told boys should never be. So Shu Yao stays quiet. He smiles when he must. He bleeds where no one can see. When a high fever forces him to break his routine and drop his mask, everything begins to shift. Bai Qi offers help—clumsy, well-meaning, but blind to the damage it causes. Shu Yao, too used to locking his doors and swallowing his ache, can’t bring himself to let it in. Not when every kindness feels like pity. Not when his dreams are haunted by things he can’t say aloud.

Rayyan was no ordinary boy—he possessed a power unlike any other. Mysterious and quiet, he lived a life shrouded in secrets. One day, in a twist of fate, he kidnapped a girl named Daphne Catherine, unaware of the truth behind her identity. She wasn’t just any girl—she was Dee, the infamous master of the underground racing world. Dee had abandoned her past, hiding from the law as the police closed in on her illegal racing bureau. Determined to clear her name, she returned to the city to resolve the chaos she'd left behind. After the case was settled, she enrolled in university, eager to start over. There, she met Duke—a charming, attentive guy who helped her during a bout of fever. Slowly, she began to fall for him. They spent time together, often meeting at the cozy café where he worked part-time. But just when she thought she could trust again, Duke betrayed her. He took her to a place, unaware that she secretly owned it. The lies shattered her. Devastated, Dee returned to the racetrack, her old escape. But the race turned tragic—an accident left her in a coma for a month. When she finally opened her eyes, Rayyan was there. He confessed his feelings, the emotions he’d kept buried now pouring out. They argued often—Rayyan, normally quiet and distant, only ever opened up to her. Despite the tension, something sparked between them. Love, hesitant and tender, began to grow. Together, they began crossing off items from Dee’s bucket list, sharing laughs and stolen moments. But happiness was never meant to last. Tragedy struck again. In the chaos, Rayyan saved her, risking everything. He introduced her to his sister, letting her deeper into his guarded world, and then left the country for a series of high-stakes business deals. But when he returned, everything had changed. Dee was distant, cold. Without warning, she walked away, claiming she no longer wanted him in her life. The rejection broke Rayyan. Her absence consumed him, turning his quiet obsession into a dark spiral of despair. He was no longer the same. Now, with their love shattered and hearts in pieces—what happens next?

"I believe that if you have a problem, we just need to solve it with firepower. If the problem isn't solved by then, it just means we weren't using enough firepower." In a world of swords and magic, Lucen Thornehart, the eldest son of the Iron Duke, was considered the shame of the noble knight bloodline. No talent, weak, and worthless. Until one day, when a fever awoke his previous life's memories and the knowledge of the class from an old game he used to play, Gun Mage. More than just guns, he creates weapons that have never been created in this life and the last. A sword that heats up, turns crimson, and could melt metal. A rune-engraved gun that mages use to amplify their spells. A giant sword that you would only once see in a video game, which makes an explosion every time it hits an enemy. A gun that is powered by mana and shoots out condensed amounts of mana. Airships, steam trains, and boats. Lucen Thornehart isn’t here to play fair. He’s here to redefine warfare, with overwhelming firepower.

In the shadow of ancient ruins, love becomes a curse more binding than death itself. Lucien Kael, scion of a noble house, forsakes everything for Yuva, a healer's daughter whose gentle touch promises salvation from his world of cold duty. Their forbidden love blooms in secret—beneath chapel eaves, by frost-touched fields, in stolen moments that belong to no one else. But when a merciless fever claims Yuva's life, Lucien's desperate prayers to silent gods go unanswered. In his darkest hour, something else responds. A crimson-eyed crow brings forth an ancient darkness—Valek, a shadow-wreathed entity who offers the impossible: Yuva's return from death. The price? Four unspoken conditions that will carve deeper into Lucien's soul with each passing day, binding him to a curse that transforms him from man to monster. Yuva returns, but she is not the same. Something cold and otherworldly peers from behind her familiar eyes, growing stronger with each soul Lucien is compelled to claim. As the entity wearing her face feeds on death and darkness, the real Yuva remains trapped—a fading fragment begging for release. In a cottage where frost forms at midnight and shadows move with malevolent purpose, two souls face an impossible choice. Love that conquers death may be the cruelest love of all. A haunting tale of devotion, damnation, and the price of defying fate itself.

Ah, Noxvara… a paradise plucked from the fever-dream of a dying girl, stitched together with golden threads and perfumed lies. You see, this island is no blessing. It is the last, desperate wish of a young girl who refused to die in sorrow— so she gave birth to a world where pain was banished, and reality itself became her plaything. And what a world she made! Beauty so cloying it stifles, gardens so sweet they rot on the tongue, a sky painted gold to blind the eye and silence the soul. Its people—ha!—glorious, laughing puppets, all hollow smiles and empty hearts, more concerned with their own little dreams than the truth festering beneath their feet. They worship joy, they shun pain, and in doing so, they have become monsters. There is nothing so grotesque as a happiness built atop oblivion. Over them all reigns Noxvara, the “Origin,” herself, a ruler who smothers sorrow with kisses and sews wounds shut with silk. She is both jailer and beloved, the mother who would rather see her children die in bliss than ever taste the poison of truth. But even illusions decay. Into this sugar-laced hell arrives a “Savior”—a lamb bred from hope, sent by Noxvara herself to preserve the dream from the creeping rot. Ah, but what is she truly saving? A world that devours its own memories, a people who would rather forget than awaken? Beneath every song lies silence. Behind every smile, a shadow. The greatest curse of Noxvara is not that it is dying, but that it deserves to die. So… will you save this paradise, little Savior? Or will you do the merciful thing, and tear it apart at the seams?

After Yin sacrificed himself to save the universe from his evil brother's clutches,Yang- Castiel,an immortal man gets a vision where Yang is freed from his prison and plunges the whole universe into cold and darkness. Castiel's goal is clear: Assemble The Twelve Zodiacs, Yin's loyal soldiers lost through space and time to resurrect Yin once more or the universe will surely perish.

Arianna never believed the old tales. Whispers of an underworld—a realm of the dead lurking beneath the land—were just stories told to frighten children. As a healer’s apprentice in a quiet village, she only worried about curing fevers and tending wounds. But when the earth splits open during a violent storm, Arianne is cast into darkness. Lost and injured, she stumbles through winding tunnels and ancient caverns marked by ghostly lights and long-forgotten symbols. There, she finds chilling remnants of lost civilizations—and warnings that the underworld is not only real, but hungry for the living. What begins as a desperate search for escape becomes a journey into legend. At last, she crosses the threshold into the true underworld, where the spirits of the dead wander in mist-filled halls of stone. And there, she encounters Tharos, the forbidding Guardian of Souls—sworn to keep the worlds apart. To him, she is a dangerous anomaly. To her, he is the key to returning home. But neither of them expects the bond forming between them—a connection that defies the laws of life and death. As forbidden desire blooms and rival underworld forces rise, Arianne must choose: risk her heart… or risk the worlds.

Kaito, the dorm's softest and sweetest boy, has become mute after relentless bullying. Despite living with Ren and Azel, he hides his pain behind long sleeves, fake smiles, and cuddling plush toys. One rainy day, he's locked in a toilet stall and soaked in freezing water. He lies, saying he just got caught in the rain. That night, while asleep and fevered, his whimpers wake both roommates—and they begin to hear his thoughts for the first time. "I wish someone would hug me... even once… Just once… Am I really that disgusting

In a world where bonds between alphas and omegas are sacred, Eren Hale, a quiet, orphaned omega, never believed he'd be chosen. But on his twentieth birthday, a glowing mark appears on his skin—he has been paired with an alpha. His fated mate is Caelan Drayen, the reclusive alpha of a remote border pack, feared and respected alike. Caelan never wanted an omega. His past is filled with scars and losses, and he's sworn never to love again. But fate cannot be defied. Each time they part, the bond burns. The fever rises. Their bodies ache for connection… and perhaps, their hearts do too. A slow-burning love story of healing, instinct, and the undeniable pull of soulmates.

Nicole’s fiance cheated on her. So she did what any heartbroken girl might do—she drank, got bold, and hunted down a one-night stand. With a werewolf. A gorgeous, charismatic, too-sexy-for-his-own-good Alpha, to be precise. But, of course, things can't ever go smoothly. Nicole ends up rejected like it's a bad fever dream. Cool. Fine. Whatever. She's had worse mornings. Until her boyfriend turns up dead. Now she’s the prime suspect, her one-night stand is the lead investigator, and fate is laughing in her face. Oh—and did we mention the part where she has magic? Not the cute crystal-in-your-bra kind. The kind she's not supposed to talk about. The kind that gets noticed. As the case unravels, so does Nicole’s carefully controlled life. Her powers are spiking. People are dying. And hidden conspiracies keep coming to light... -- This is a fated/rejected mates urban fantasy romance. Content warning for: Nudity, more nudity, swear words, inappropriate humor, dead people, undead people, incomprehensible amounts of magic, too much supernatural whosits and whatsits, werewolves and all the fetishes that come with them, did I mention the nudity?, and a questionable level of sanity at times.

After dying in a plane crash, world-renowned pastry chef Capri wakes up in the frail body of a sickly orphan named Avril on a forgotten low-class planet—alone, broke, and burning with fever. In this cold interstellar future, food is seen only as survival fuel. Flavor? Pointless. Desserts? Extinct. Armed with nothing but his memories, stubbornness, and sugar-loving pride, Capri refuses to surrender. With a cranky orange cat by his side and barely enough starcoins to survive, he begins his journey to revive the joy of taste—and dreams of opening the first dessert shop in the Galactic Empire. As the scent of sweetness begins to spread across the stars, a mysterious high-ranking commander starts taking notice... watching Capri from afar with unreadable eyes.

Heat: Fifty Erotic Fictions for the Fevered Mind By Gem-Ma No fade to black. No soft focus. Just the edge of pleasure. Step into a world where boundaries melt, clothes fall, and fantasies ignite. From secret pillow fights and forbidden fittings to rough backseat confessions and whispered sins behind bookstore shelves, HEAT delivers 50 scorching tales of seduction, kink, and raw, unfiltered desire. Whether it's soft sighs in a steamy bath or the slap of skin in a dark alley, each story plunges you deep into lust, longing, and the edge of surrender. M/F. F/F. M/M. Threesomes. Strangers. Exes. Teachers. Brides. Bosses. No fantasy is off-limits. Multiple kinks. All orientations. One rule: never look away. Perfect for readers who crave vivid scenes, dirty talk, and characters who always cross the line-again and again.

Maya thought she had buried the past. Rafael disappeared five years ago, leaving her pregnant and alone. She raised Leo herself, through every fever, every first word, every night he asked where “Daddy” was. Then one glance in the park changes everything. Rafael returns—not for Maya, not even to make peace—but to confess something that shakes the ground beneath her: Leo might not be his son. As letters from Maya’s late sister begin to resurface, secrets buried deep threaten to unravel everything Maya built. And when Jason—the man Maya swore never to see again—sends a message, the truth turns into a weapon. Now two men claim a right to the child. But only one holds the truth. In a story of betrayal, forgiveness, and the love that survives the wreckage, Maya must choose between rewriting the past—or protecting her future. Because sometimes, love isn’t how far your arms can reach. It’s how much you're willing to lose to hold on. ---

*****WPC OCT 2024 Entry***** Glossary and Illustrations: https://discord.gg/PGbfE7TVcD Scheduling Updates: From 09:00 UTC Daily. When Carl Suis, a fresh zoology graduate, lands an internship with MECCP (Mythical and Endangered Creatures Care and Protection), he expects to work with exotic animals—not be magically whisked into Mythica, a realm brimming with dragons, mermaids, and other magical creatures. What starts as a dream job quickly spirals into chaos. Feeding creatures is the least of Carl’s worries as he tackles ecosystem meltdowns, interspecies feuds, and cultural clashes straight out of a fantasy fever dream. Forget the myths—these creatures are nothing like the books said. With Mythica’s fragile world teetering on collapse and MECCP’s future at stake, Carl must rely on his zoological skills, quick thinking, and unexpected allies to save the day. But in this unpredictable land, survival means embracing the wild—and the wildly hilarious—at every turn. Can Carl protect this magical world, or will his internship be his last adventure?

I was a normal novelist, who got really popular after creating my first novel "Fever War" and went to Comiket to not only meet my fans, but also sell my own merchs. Only for me to make a stupid bet with one of my fans and was sent into my own novel. Now I have to survive this everchanging landscape, fight against other human competitors and the invaders while closely follow the lead of the MC of the story. Make changes to my decision due to my appearance and the butterfly effect I have caused and try to find a way back, and get back against the one who sent me to this place.

Às vezes, o destino está nas mãos daqueles que nem sequer acreditam que alguém esteja por trás dele. Caspian só queria completar seu rito de passagem no vilarejo. Mas agora, precisa sobreviver às forças enviadas pela Mãe dos Monstros, enquanto viaja ao lado de Azuriel, Lucy e a boneca de palha Hazel para destruir o berço que dará vida ao Deicida Chornobog. Em sua jornada, ele descobrirá verdades sobre sua falecida mãe, os presentes enigmáticos que ela deixou… e o papel que lhe cabe na salvação da Tecelã do Destino — e talvez, do próprio mundo.

In the year 1300 A.D., in Eastern Europe, there lies a quiet village, far removed from the ambitions of kings and conquerors. Nestled between dense forests, it exists in a peaceful bubble, largely forgotten by the outside world. Here, we meet Asiel Vaughn, a sixteen-year-old boy who finds himself at a crossroads between the carefree days of youth and the heavy weight of a war-torn reality. His life is filled with simple pleasures: daily chores, quiet training sessions, playful moments with his younger sister, and the looming presence of his father’s legacy a former soldier named Castiel Vaughn, who once traversed the blood-soaked paths of empires. But tranquility is a fleeting thing. When an unexpected invasion disrupts their lives, Asiel is thrust into the harsh reality of being a prisoner of war, thrown into a brutal world where might makes right and the strong dictate the fate of the weak. Armed with only a few scraps of combat skills and the distant teachings of his father, Asiel must navigate the treacherous landscape, find a way to escape, and ultimately decide who he wants to be in a world drenched in blood. Will he seek vengeance? Or will he carve out his own destiny?

An ordinary man dieing inside from a life spent working a dead end job goes to bed one Saturday morning after a binge session of a new season of an anime, and some gaming. While sleeping he dreams he gets messages granting him three wishes before being transmigrated into an anime version of Earth. This is his story as he lives out a new life in an anime world. ...………………………… But is it even real? Or is it all just some fever dream, maybe comatose delusions? But more importantly: Does it matter? Is everything he experiences any less real if he's only dreaming or in a coma? .................................... So I plan for this book to be fairly light-hearted but also tackle some deep questions at some point. There will be some cringe moments- including chuni AF moments. This could also be considered a fan fiction with elements from several animes and games being introduced either as part of the system the MC has or as things from the system. I might have some characters from different anime games movies or books popping up. Uploads may be slow, as I write the chapters on paper before typing them to post and because I write for fun, my daily life will effect the schedule.

My first love arrived like a sudden tempest, catching me off guard and sweeping me into a whirlwind of emotions. I regretfully recall how I treated her unfairly, often overlooking her delicate feelings and allowing my rudeness to cloud our moments together. She was the embodiment of gentleness and kindness, a rare gem amidst the chaos of my inattentiveness. Like a winter storm that bursts forth unexpectedly, she filled my life with a breathtaking beauty, leaving behind memories that sparkled like freshly fallen snow. But just as swiftly as she entered my heart, she began to melt away, leaving me with a longing to admire her exquisite beauty, a treasure I never fully grasped before it slipped through my fingers.

You ever wake up one morning and think, “Hey, today I’ll just get kidnapped by a dungeon, unlock fire powers, save a girl from goblins, and somehow end up stronger than a wrecking ball with zero muscle mass to show for it”? Yeah. Me neither. Until it happened. I was your average, totally not crazy teenage boy. Kyle Walker. My biggest concern used to be whether my mom would notice I vacuumed only the parts of the rug you could see. Then I woke up with a glowing status screen hovering in front of my face, full-on RPG mechanics in real life, and a “Daily Fortune Wheel” that once rewarded me with a banana-shaped rock. (Yes, really. I still have it. It might be magical. Or just potassium-themed.) Things escalated. Fast. There were goblins. Real ones. Screeching, stabby, and not the kind you want in your bedtime stories. I rescued a girl Azalea Quinn who now thinks I’m some kind of cheat code wielding fire mage. Which, fair. I did throw a fireball. From my hand. While screaming. But the real kicker? I’m not alone. My best friend Rhea is a maybe-descendant of the war goddess Istha. She swings around a spiked club like it’s a purse and has major “goblin-hunter before breakfast” energy. (Okay, the breakfast part is a joke. Probably.) Then there’s Michael, my classmate who can now bench-press lockers and shatter school furniture like it’s made of wet paper. And LETI? That’s the super-secret government agency with mind-wipe squads, lunar-module entrances, and a gym that makes superhero boot camps look underfunded. The only normal human left in my life? Jimmy. My childhood friend. He thinks all of this is just a big anime fever dream. Bless him. So now I’m juggling school, superpowers, suspicious cafeteria meatloaf, and the cosmic prank that gave me strength stats without the muscles to match. So, no,I’m not crazy. Probably.

Crushed by cruelty, mocked by fate, a nameless boy dies at the bottom of society — unloved, unwanted, unremembered. But death isn't the end. It's the beginning of a far more confusing paradise. Reborn in a matriarchal world where men are soft, beautiful, and cherished — and women rule with elegance and iron — he awakens as the son of a powerful marquise. The problem? He’s traumatized, insecure, and completely out of place in a realm that demands grace, poise, and submission from men. As he navigates this twisted utopia filled with seductive nobles, overprotective dads, magical politics, and dangerously attractive women, he must face a haunting question: What if heaven is just another form of prison? "Reincarnate in a totally matriarchal world" is a fantasy harem full of charm, chaos, and contradiction — a fever dream of power, gender, beauty, and desire where nothing is as it seems… and every pleasure hides a price.

The world didn’t end the way I thought it would. No meteors. No alien invasions. Just a sickness on the news. A cough. A fever. Then death. And then they got back up. I was just a skinny high schooler with bad posture and a brain full of trivia. No combat skills. No muscles. No clue what to do when the world collapsed. I tried to survive—locked the doors, rationed the food, stayed quiet. But in the end, I died. Torn apart while trying to save a stranger. I thought that was it. But I woke up right where it all started—with a voice in my head and a book in my lap. The Survivalist’s Instructions Manual. No explanation. No second chances for anyone else but me. Just tasks. Quests. A shop I can barely understand and a system that won’t tell me why I’m the one using it. Now I have to learn fast. Survive faster. Every choice matters. Every day I don’t die is a reward. I don’t know what’s waiting out there. Mutated zombies. Worse things. People. But I’m not the same idiot who died in a hallway. This time, I’ll be ready. This time, I’ll win. No matter what I have to become.

In the year 2010, humanity faced an unprecedented catastrophe when a highly contagious virus was unleashed upon the world. This virus, later dubbed the *Phantom Virus*, spread rapidly, infiltrating every corner of the globe. Initial symptoms were mild—fevers, headaches, and hallucinations—but as the virus mutated, it began to affect the very fabric of the human psyche, unlocking latent potential within those it infected.

*What happens when the reader becomes the tragedy?* Nahila was just a book-loving woman with a quiet life and a deep love for tragic romances—especially her favorite novel, *To Be the Empress of a Tyrant*. She knew every twist, every betrayal, every painful detail of the Empress’s doomed life. A frail woman married to the most feared Emperor in all the lands, wrongly accused of treason, and executed by the very man she loved. But when Nahila wakes up in the body of that same Empress, moments before the tragic fall begins, she realizes fate has handed her a second chance—not just for the Empress, but for herself. The Emperor, Kavros, is exactly as the books described—cold, calculating, ruthless. But there’s something the story never captured: the shadows behind his steel gaze, and the brief flashes of something almost human. When he visits her during a fever spell—concern flickering in his voice—Nahila knows she’s entered a chapter that could change everything. Armed with knowledge of what’s to come and a new will to live, Nahila is determined to survive this story and rewrite the ending. But the palace is a nest of serpents, and every move she makes is watched—especially by Kavros himself, who begins to suspect the woman he married is no longer the same. Can she melt the heart of a tyrant before history repeats itself? Or is tragedy the price of wearing the Empress’s crown? ---

Synopsis: Seventeen years ago, Ava Langford was left alone and pregnant at nineteen—heartbroken, terrified, and determined to build a beautiful life for the tiny boy in her arms. What she didn’t expect was Ray. Her best friend. Her safe place. The quiet, unwavering constant who held her hand through every tantrum, report card, and 3AM fever. He wasn’t Sebastian’s father—but in every way that mattered, he became exactly that. Now, Sebastian is a teenager with sharp comebacks and a hidden soft heart, Ava is still her over-affectionate, dramatic, loving self, and Ray—well, Ray’s been in love with her since the moment she held that baby in her arms. But parenting a teenager isn't for the weak. Between school proposals, sudden kisses, teenage attitude, Ava's fear of abandonment, and Ray’s inability to say the one thing he’s been dying to, this little found family is on the edge of some big changes. And when Sebastian’s estranged biological father suddenly returns, old wounds reopen. Ava finds herself caught between past trauma and present love, while Sebastian must decide what father truly means—and who gets to be called family. Funny, emotional, messy, and full of tender chaos,Lavender Skies is a story about the family you make, the love that waits quietly for years, and how sometimes the strongest kind of bravery… is letting yourself be loved back.

In an alt medieval fantasy world filled to the brim with monsters and adventure. Zachary haze is just an average boy in search of a thrill. One day when coming home work he sees a flier that opens up a whole new world of possibilities. It was an add asking people to join a guild. "No way" he thought. "Could I seriously become an adventurer?" driven by purely the fever of a dream. This is his story!

When college student Nanago Ibaki wakes from a nightmare of falling skies and fevered air, he dismisses it as just another strange dream, until a real-world emergency broadcast rattles his reality. As whispers of a spreading sickness grip the city of Almenio, a cryptic warning from classmate Kita Gasaki suggests this outbreak is more than coincidence. Pushed by instinct and desperation, Nanago and his best friend Toji decide to flee the city, hitching a ride with a stranger named Soja. As the world begins to unravel, one thing becomes clear: the end didn’t start somewhere else. It started here.