"Let us meet again in hell." Before she became the infamous seductress. Before he was the most hated tyrant. Before it all fell apart... Born a curse, she was cast away from the royal family. But when the kingdom needed an alliance, she was the one called upon to marry. As the second son, he had no right to become heir. Yet in the face of war and politics, he was always the first commanded to fight for the country. "Whoever is wedded to the princess is destined to become emperor." Somehow, fate brought them together, and the course of the empire thus changed forever. She became known as the most shameful seductress, purposefully tempting six emperors in a wild bid to maintain her lavish lifestyle. She once dreamt of becoming the century's best medic; yet after a lifetime in the palace, she couldn't save her own children from slaughter. He turned into the worst tyrant in Chinese history, knowingly sending millions to their graves in a blind attempt to pursue his frivolous dreams. He initially wanted to live a simple life; but under the pressure of power, he instead found himself using all those he loved as mere pawns. She thought she was fighting against destiny, but it turned out to be the ones she most trusted. He believed he was the one pulling on the strings, but in reality, he was unknowingly playing his own part in the script. They were unwilling puppets, each trying to break free from the invisible strings of fate. Only when the stage finally fell, it was to chaos. At the end of it all, she no longer knew if her tears were for him or the irony of it all. ----- Cover: Manipulated by Photoshop but all photo credits to their original artists on Pinterest

My first life I swore, I would love you once more. My second to listen and attempt to forgive. For my third may I enjoy a cup of forget. And my fourth to shed no more tears of regret. Into my fifth, darkness grew and shadows dreamt. The sixth life uncovered, truth in death. By my seventh life I was ready to plunge a knife into your chest. Then my eighth to rip your soul to sheds. Now my ninth you should pray to let me see you never again. For every tail that grew, a human life was lost. But before scarlet blood dyes my silver fur into a sinful hue. And until my soul burns to dust in the abyss of hell. Let you be my ninth tail, my last lie, and my only life.

• {UPDATED BI-WEEKLY} • "You are a seer!" Allon protested. "No, I don't believe it!" Sabine shook her head steadfastly. All she wanted was to be a normal girl in the land of Petra, the city carved from a canyon. 'Normal' didn't involve being taken captive by Rome, nor did it involve a dream of the future. How could it be possible for her to see the future? Her fiancé and friend were taken captive as well, but they were separated from Sabine. Now both wonder if the others are alive. All they want to do is to go back home to their war- torn city and rebuild it - to go back to normal life - but what obstacles will they face before they achieve their goal? Will they even survive in their perilous surroundings to meet again?

The first mermaid is discovered rotting on a rocky shore. The second is found, freshly dead, across the ocean. But the third mermaid... the third mermaid is caught alive. Dr Ian Woon heads the scientific study bent on understanding this new, fascinating organism. But to him, it's hard not to feel more personally attached to the mermaid in their tank. Her existence has excited the world, but it's only confused him. Especially when she starts singing. And when she lets him know that she has a soul. *a loose retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid* DISCLAIMER 1: This is a NaNoWriMo 2013 novel. While I'm trying to be very careful with all the scientific stuff I talk about in this story, I will of course make mistakes, because it's NaNo and I don't have time to research. If I ever catch myself talking about something that I know is wrong, I'll (maybe) make a note of it. If you do see something wrong, I would appreciate you bonking me on the head and correcting me. :) DISCLAIMER 2: Story is not actually complete. Repeat, STORY IS NOT ACTUALLY COMPLETE! I'm very sorry, but the final chapter does explain why. Images used in the cover: Tail: http://deviantroze.deviantart.com/art/Mermaid-Tail-05-317149745 Background: http://koko-stock.deviantart.com/art/underwater-312310525 12/4/15 #823 in Science Fiction!