Facing the most powerful man in the Lands armed with nothing but a sword and the hope that she could prevail, was not the direction Akira saw her life going in. After witnessing her family's death she had stayed away from it all, living in hiding. Yet when she discovers that her dragon is a Dragon of Legend and together they are to challenge Haiden, the ruler of the dark Lands, her life plummets into chaos. Taken in by the Academy, where young dragon riders are trained to fight, she must rise up and prove herself worthy of the name of the 'Rider of Legend'. Yet as Akira finds out, fighting for an almost hopeless cause when no one believes in you, is not easy. With all odds stacked against them, Akira and her dragon must fight for their own lives as well as try to fulfill all expectations and free the Lands from a tyrant's rule once and for all.

This story is an anthology. And though it is an anthology, it doesn't mean that I'll get done with each story in one chapter. Oh no- most have multiple parts. Something surreal and impossible will happen to each main character for these stories. If something is not answered, then you'll find out what happened for my last short story, which will wrap it up. I don't know how many I'll do for this series, but we'll find out! Also, I was inspired from the creepy- yet blood free- atmosphere of The Twilight Zone to write this. Each story will take place in modern reality. The short stories~ The Hooded Man One day, strange things start happening to a woman. A strange scratching in her head. 'Misplacing things randomly'. And then, of course- there are the dreams of him. The Hooded Man. He shows up in every one of her dreams and makes her spine crawl. One day she becomes hysterical when her husband suddenly disappears and... something very weird, and very strange happens to her- and death has nothing to do with it.

After an attack on a space freighter, the only two survivors find themselves marooned in an emergency shuttle. When an unknown ship approaches them, the men think they are saved. But everything changes, when they fall into the hands of pirates. Follow Luke, an ordinary adolescent from the prosperous Federation, as he finds himself in the far reaches of a universe plagued by poverty and crime, forced to serve under the command of a notorious pirate captain. 'Journeys of the Shepherd' is a 25th century tale of adventure, combat, freedom, and above all, life and death.

Peace has finally descended in the Federation. Treaties with the Romulans and Klingons - the latter decades old, the new treaty about to be signed with the Cardassians. But in Nature nothing is ever perfect, therefore if everything is right.. something is wrong...

Seven colonies scattered along the shipping lanes to a distant star. Seven colonies alone in the cold lightless void of space. Seven colonies connected only by holograms and by voices. The final frontier as it will be and as it must be. Lonely Planets. Note: The series is updated every so often. The newest episodes can be found here: http://www.scintilliarium.com/series/lonely-planets/.

For twenty-five years, L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest has discovered and nurtured a steady stream of new authors who have changed the face of SF. Chosen by an impressive panel of judges drawn from the biggest names in the genre, taught at a remarkable week-long workshop, and celebrated at world-class venues such as the Kennedy Space Center, the United Nations and the Science Fiction Museum, Contest winners are given the best possible foundation for a long-standing writing career. Filled with more than a thousand spectacular images, interspersed with over one hundred success stories and testimonials, this book celebrates the first quarter century of Writers of the Future. This is truly the gold standard of SF awards. For more info, please visit: http://www.writersofthefuture.com/