Quills: the Rise of the Northern Matriarch - Chapter 10: Earth to Nora

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

What's it like to be wrongfully killed? Cheng Su felt she'd really hit rock bottom when she was yanked out of a building by someone who jumped. Talk about a true miscarriage of justice! But when she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in the eighties, replacing the 'culprit'? In her last life, she was clear and alone, but in this life, she had a promising, dazzling military husband, as well as a cocky and domineering third child? Ugh, spit on that! She had died with cheats, so since the husband was hers, she'd beat anyone who dared to snatch him—pummel one, annihilate two. She'd make gourmet food to sell at a stall, start a chain of restaurants, and earn the money herself. She'd have the children, flirt with her husband, and fight off any mistresses; as long as her military husband doted on her, all was good. With this cheat-code life, she wanted to eat well, drink well, gain both fame and fortune, and together with her husband, make a home anew! “This story is purely fictional. Please do not take it seriously or imitate it. Any similarities are purely coincidental.”

A short, happy, and heart-warming story about the daily lives of a modern-day married couple.