Author's notes section:
2022-11-07: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
Info: Ok, let me start with what I promised in the last chapter of `My home is where my heart lies`. So, I often find myself not motivated enough to progress through the story, to write something refreshing and good. And thus, I feel like I will be splitting the story into 3 parts, aka the initial story will be split into 3 separate works. It will allow me to finish one part, re-read it, and think about changes that are necessary to take place. Furthermore, I feel like I have made a lot of mistakes throughout these nearly 3 years of writing this story. And... a lot of these come from a simple concept; I have started too many stories, and I have not been able to conclude virtually any of these. Moreover, my writing style and English proficiency drastically changed/evolved throughout this time. As you might know, I'm a perfectionist; I would love each and every one of my chapters to hold the same standard, to be simply the best. And... yet, with my knowledge of language broadening, it would require me to completely rewrite the story to maintain more or less the same level. And, as you might expect, it would take me ages to do so. So, as I have said, I will try to conclude the first part of this series as soon as possible. Nevertheless, I expect that I will need at least 3 - 5 chapters to do so.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2022-11-07]: A preview has been released.
Info: As promised, here is the preview for the next chapter. I will try to finish it asap, but as nearly always, I can promise you when the piece will be finished. Anyway, Enjoy :)
Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.
Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?
References:
Stratovarius - Black Diamond
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of the author's notes section.
Akali's POV (a few moments later):
The constant growling that kept coming from below started to irritate the huntress. To state anything else would have been a massive understatement. But, regardless of that bothering sensation, the woman's task must have been carried on. Hence, she tried to deal with the junk someone undoubtedly had called in the past state of the art. But, honestly, returning it to an operational level was slow and somewhat challenging.
"It must be damaged," Akali concluded after 10 minutes of mostly fruitless tries. "Maybe… maybe, I can emulate this system within my gauntlet?"
It could work, at least in theory. But, currently, such speculations were the woman's best shot to deal with the apparent problem. Still, it would, unfortunately, take some time.
The huntress summarised the whole incident with a heavy, prolonged exhale. Nonetheless, she immediately got back to the task. After all, the quicker she could solve this, the sooner they would proceed.
Still, something was definitely wrong; something felt off.
Akali tried to fight off the bothering thought. But, in the end, it forced the woman to stand up. Then, she realised what was wrong. All it took was to avert her gaze from the screens and listen to her surroundings.
Silence reigned throughout the complex. And… it was absolutely deafening.
Without a moment to spare, without an ounce of hesitation, the huntress left the console behind, exiting the room. The guts told her that something ugly would happen soon. And… sometimes, a hunter should trust their instincts.
"Irelia, come back," the white-haired predator said, utilising the mind connection between her and the soldier. "Come back, please. I have a nasty feeling that something is going to happen," she tried to sound calm, but it was within the realm of possibilities that her nervousness showed up regardless of her tries.
"I don't understand," Irelia responded after a few moments. "I can swear that I heard a constant growling not so long ago. But… but… now, there's nothing. I can hear nothing. It's like everything around me died out. I can't explain that, but it feels wrong," the officer added. Compared to the predator, the pink-haired woman could not control her voice. She was, without a single doubt, conflicted and terrified.
"Irelia! Irelia, listen to me," Akali growled. "Come back. Or a much better question, where are you? I can not see you. How far did you stray from the control room?" she questioned.
"Hmmm," Irelia hesitated for a moment. "I think… I think I'm only a level below you. But… how did I get here… I can't say for certain," she mumbled.
"Stay where you are, then," the huntress ordered immediately. "I am coming for you."
"Thank you," an emotional whisper sounded. "Akali? What about the console? Have you learnt anything useful from the files and records?"
"No," the predator whispered back. "I have, unfortunately, not learnt anything. The system seems to be severely damaged. And… given the current situation, I did not have enough time to bring it back online. But, nonetheless, it should not matter all that much. So, please, stay where you are. I should reach you in a few."