Having to care for her mother since the end of grade school, Meadow Jil Carreal was no stranger to exhaustion. Being the bigger person physically, mentally, and emotionally was excruciating, but Meadow always was. When Meadow, a DLSU student, eats dinner outside her campus one day, she sees Kalon Mangundapat, the Isko who often eats near her school. Kalon liked the cheap food he consumed on Castro Street. What reasons would the two find to know why their existence in each others' lives suddenly jumped from the air?

Dreams begin and end in school, that's what Diwata Yvon Mahalina, a student from UP Manila, thought. Because for her, after school, you must be aiming for stability. Nothing can compare to a safe life. However, Ignacio Trillano, a guy who lived in Blumentritt and studied at FEU, disagrees. A quiet life like Diwata's dream was not fulfilling and meaningful, Ignacio argues. Ignacio was a ComArts student who was loud as an airplane flying away. Would Ignacio's words and actions be enough to encourage Diwata to begin a life beyond her comfort?

Switching to a condo would be a huge shift in Eloise Danielle Madrigal's life, the Iska from UP Manila. From living in her aunt's home, she will independently live near her school. From growing up with so many hands to help her, she will face a new life alone. Since Eloise wasn't familiar with commuting from Padre Faura that well, the cousin of her block mate, Graham Anthony Laurel, will surely be of help. This walking GPS guy that was a first-year Thomasian had quite a temper as he taught Eloise. It seems as though one of them needed to teach the other beyond directions, would Graham find a calm and kind way to tell Eloise that her head was in the sand?

WATTY'S SHORTLIST 2023 Stuck in the never-ending responsibilities as one of the breadwinners of the family, Calisse Abigail Guillermo, an Iska from UP Manila, seeks to find true comfort between drinking and smoking. But she never does. Her desire to find consolation in everything is not found within the consumption of toxins. When she meets fellow smoker Chance Luy, a UP med student, in the bustling street of Pedro Gil, she thanks the heavens for a chance to meet him. Chance is your worn-out med student who is stingy. As they ponder about life, would they find solace as they share a moment of smoke?

Anjel Delo Santos, a Lasallian, craved affection from her parents. It wasn't easy getting it. She had to be brilliant because her parents were intellectual people who yearned for recognition in their own fields. College was her opportunity of being brilliant. As Anjel walked on the streets of Malate, she will see a disappointed-looking River Alexandre Abad. As a fan of River, who is a DLSU student, she couldn't help but be concerned with the basketball player's state. While they get to know each other, would their eyes appreciate the silver lining in the midst of the nimbus clouds around them?

Betrayed by the people she once loved, cared for, and protected, Queen Gatria is determined to make everyone suffer and feel her wrath. With the intent of saving her sisters while executing her revenge, can the Mistress of Nature carry out her plans and succeed in time? ****** Finally free from being held captive for two centuries, Queen Gatria Valen Balsatra sets on a quest to free her sisters and exact her revenge. With her heart full of wrath, she is prepared to slaughter everyone who would stand in her way, her ex-lover included. Now faced with numerous betrayals and hindrances, Queen Gatria is put to the test. Can she save her people and live up to her role as the Mistress of Nature and overseer of Azitrea? Or will her unending rage cause everything to crumble down and die? [ BOOK 2 OF AZITERA: YTHER'S QUEEN ] CECELIB | C.C. COVER: Regina Dionela

[ BOOK 1 OF AZITERA: YTHER'S QUEEN ] Consumed by avarice, the four human kingdoms-the Infernal Empire, the Kingdom of Caelum, the Kingdom of Treterra, and the Nayale Archipelago-betrayed their covenant with Yther of Azitera, the race blessed by deities, who protected humans for untold centuries. They slaughtered and defiled the beings that once protected them from storm, famine, poverty, and pestilence without mercy. Betrayed by the humans they protected, the Ytherians were enslaved. Their four queens were caged, chained, and imprisoned to serve as nutrients to the human kingdoms. The once prominent Ytherians were reduced to nothing but servants. As the four kingdoms of the human race prospered for many years since their betrayal, one news staggered them, causing them to tremble in fear and rally their armies to protect and defend their domain: Sollel-the Mistress of Flame, one of Yther's queens-had escaped her prison. Her flames will raze hell, ready to burn the souls of her betrayers. COMPLETED CECELIB | C.C. COVER: ASTRID JAYDEE