The Mind Game

There's a little shop downstairs that sells organ soup. It's always packed with customers. People line up as if bewitched, eager for a bowl. I've often wondered what secret ingredient made their soup so irresistible. This afternoon, I finally found my answer. Floating in my bowl was a piece of human skin—inked with a tattoo I knew all too well. It was the one etched on my boyfriend's arm.

"Dasar anak durhaka!” Begitulah kalimat terakhir yang Arya dengar dari mulut ibunya, sebelum kemudian dia terbangun dan mendapati dirinya terdampar di sebuah tempat asing. Dengan menahan panik, Arya mencoba mencari tahu di mana dia berada. Ternyata Arya sedang berada di dalam sebuah game yang sangat berbahaya. Usut punya usut, ternyata Arya dikirim oleh orang yang sangat mengasihinya. Arya ingin segera keluar. Tapi, tentu saja tidak mudah! Dia harus menyelesaikan setiap misi yang bisa melenyapkan nyawanya kapan saja. Apakah Arya berhasil menaklukkan setiap misi dan keluar dari dalam game tersebut? Dan siapakah orang terkasih, yang dengan teganya mengirim Arya ke dalam game mematikan tersebut? Follow instagram-ku di: @mayuunice.feli Cover's Credit: Desain by Azusa Rain

In a society where only the rich keep getting richer, chasing a dream is a luxury Reya Fernandez has never been able to afford. At 27, she’s her family’s breadwinner—carrying burdens far beyond her years, constantly setting herself aside as life throws one dilemma after another. But when she’s unjustly suspended from work, stuck in a dead end with her family’s needs piling high, Reya finally decides she’s had enough. She goes on a vacation. Hesitant but determined to take charge of her life, Reya sets out to breathe—for once. What she doesn't expect is to stumble upon fate's game, giving her life an unexpected 'Splash of Colour'.

Adalah Lisa, siswi pemurung yang hanya memiliki segelintir teman, pelanggan ujian remedial, dan cenderung pesimis dengan hidupnya. Serenina adalah nama karakter dalam game online yang lisa mainkan dengan citra yang berbanding terbalik dengannya di dunia nyata. Pemain tersohor dan dapat diandalkan banyak orang. Hidupnya yang dikira akan begitu-begitu saja, ternyata berubah drastis setelah Lisa menyaksikan kematian sepupunya yang terbunuh karena berusaha melindunginya. Hal-hal tidak masuk akal mulai terjadi, membuatnya terjebak dalam permainan hidup dan mati. Semakin Lisa mencari, semakin dia tidak mengerti, semua kekalutan dan kebingungan seolah berujung pada satu pertanyaan. "Siapa di balik cerminmu?"

Born of Beta and witch, Aurora lives a life of cruelty for not being the Beta her father wanted her to be. When the Worthy Wars takes place. She is thrown in the mix. Only to be protected by her 'unknown' fated mated, Liam the future Alpha King. Liam's POV "I want to touch you", Zeus slipped passed me. "And I want to play a game", she taunted, stepping out of my grasp. Zeus whimpered at the loss of contact, giving me a distraction to wrangle full control back from him. "I like a good game", I smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. She stepped back into my reach. She placed both of her hands on my chest, sending sparks into my heart. I placed my hands on her waist, pulling her closer. Her breasts were pushed against my abdomen. "You can touch me, if you can catch me", her voice was low, nervous. "You want to play a game of cat and mouse? With the fastest wolf in the country?", I smirked. "You are drunk, princess. That wouldn't be a fair game. But that's the point, isn't it?", excitement bubbled in my chest, as the pieces began to fall into place.

Her aunt sold her at eighteen… to a ruthless billionaire, Thomas Brooks, to save her dying brother. She lost her baby, her name, and three years of her life to a monster who treated her like she was nothing but a worthless possession bought with money. And on the night she finally broke free from him, she fell into the arms of the one man she was never meant to touch… her stepson, George. One night of reckless, forbidden passion gave her a child she kept a secret, and a shame that haunted her for many years. Now, six years later, Alice Cooper is no longer that desperate girl who begged to be seen. She's the queen of a half-billion-dollar empire, and the city that once crushed her now bows to her feet. But the past catches up to her sooner and faster than she could ever imagine. Thomas is losing money, and his empire is crumbling… and now he comes crawling back to her, begging for help. Her aunt, Samantha gives her an ultimatum… help Thomas rebuild his empire or watch her darkest secret exposed to the world. With threats closing in and the safety of her child hanging on the line, Alice must decide… assist the same people who broke her, to keep her secret buried… or destroy them all, even if it means risking everything she has ever built.

My husband's childhood sweetheart needed surgery, and he insisted that I be the one to operate on her. I followed every medical protocol, doing everything I could to save her. However, after she was discharged, she accused me of medical malpractice and claimed I’d left her permanently disabled. I turned to my husband, hoping he’d speak up for me, but he curtly said, “I told you not to act recklessly. Now look what’s happened.” To my shock, the hospital surveillance footage also showed that I hadn’t followed the correct surgical procedure. I couldn’t defend myself. In the end, I was stabbed to death by her super-alpha husband. Even as I died, I still couldn’t understand—how did the footage show my surgical steps were wrong? When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Joanna was admitted for testing.

This is the seventh year of my arranged marriage to Frank Jackson, yet he is constantly seeing other women. Because of that, I become known in our circle as the ever-tolerant wife. Everyone is watching and waiting to see when a mistress will finally replace me. But when I unexpectedly get pregnant, I hear a furious voice screaming at me from my belly in my mind. "Mommy, are you some holy saint? In your past life, you kept tolerating everything. That was exactly why my scumbag dad's mistress drove you out and left you for dead on the streets! "That vile woman is practically trampling all over you. How can you not fight back? Slap her! While you're at it, give my fool of a dad a good slap, too! The more you tolerate, the more people push their luck. You need to stand up for yourself and divorce that scumbag!" I swallow nervously, but my hand is already itching to act. Maybe I should try doing what the baby says...

After lights-out, I make my roommates play with an Ouija board with me. Being the scaredy-cat she is, my roommate decides to ask something stupid, "Where did my earphones go?" I almost burst out laughing. I can't believe she's using it to find her earphones. To our surprise, the planchette starts to move. It spells out, "It's under your bed beside the eye." We exchange glances in confusion. What eye? I snort and get out of bed. Using my phone's flashlight, I check under the bed. Nothing is there. Before I can make fun of my roommate for being superstitious, the door slams open. The student who stays next door barges into our room, her face as pale as a sheet. Her voice trembles as she shouts, "Wake up! Everyone on campus is going wild! Someone found an eyeball in our dorm!"

In my past life, I was trafficked and gave birth to a son. When Noah Barrett turns six, I plan to take him and escape from the mountains. On my first attempt, I map out the route in advance and prepare to flee with him. But in the morning, my mother-in-law, Ruth Whitaker, blocks me at the door. She ties me up and locks me inside the shed. Then, she starves me for three days. On my second try, I secretly buy sleeping pills from an unlicensed village doctor and slip them into dinner. At the table, Ruth flips the table without hesitation and beats me until I am half dead. The third time, I take advantage of a village meeting and escape with Noah again. We hide in a concealed mountain cave. Neither of us makes a sound, yet Ruth finds us with ease. I am dragged back and locked away in the pigpen. Ruth takes a shovel and strikes me with it again and again. "You filthy bitch. You dare run off with my precious grandson!" Her eyes are bloodshot. With the final blow, she uses all her strength and smashes the shovel into my head. I collapse to the ground. My consciousness fades. My blood drains away, and I die. When I open my eyes again, I am back on the day I plan to escape the mountains with Noah. Suddenly, I can hear Noah's thoughts, his voice clear and dripping with viciousness. "Mom can't be allowed to run. Grandma says Mom is our family's slave. She's supposed to serve us for her whole life."