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An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 49 - Renewed Threats
On the lone Carpathian roads, a small mottled convoy of minivans stopped at the waist of a mountain. They looked like ordinary tourists, dressed in colorful garb, and even occasionally stopped to take photos of the beautiful mountain scape. The only thing that stood out among them was that they were predominantly asian, but that in of itself wasn’t too odd. Even Murphy wouldn’t second guess it in this day and age.What truly stood out to Morpheus was instead a cottage, half-hidden in the woods on a cliff not far from here. A poorly maintained gravel road lead from the tourists straight to Eleanor’s doorstep. Hers was the only house in a thirty mile radius, so it became clear to him this dream was no mere coincidence.The tourists lingered even after the sun settled, and cars on the main road dwindled one by one, until the whole region slept.Then, colorful garbs were replaced for pitch black carbon. Bulletproof vests, helmets, and military grade comms. There were also guns… so man
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 50 - Preparations
A few days had passed since that night. Still early in the evening, Murphy held his hand against a rock, not far away from the hill overlooking the main road.His eyes were closed, furrowing in deep concentration while his fingers continuously danced around the boulder as if weaving some invisible spell.“What are you doing?” Eleanor asked, having silently watched him for the past few minutes.Startled by the sudden intrusion, Murphy’s eyes shot open and he lost control. Flames flickered in his pupils for an instant, and the rock in his grasp splintered like a boiled egg shell. “I was practicing my control,” he frowned, watching the uneven cracks leading straight to the boulder’s core. There, the sediment was almost liquid, and it bubbled softly like boiling lava.“I’m trying to pass heat through a solid obstacle without affecting it,” he continued to explain, tearing his eyes away from the failed experiment, “What are you doing here?”“I brought you a jacket,” she smiled, “I thought
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 51 - Burn
A small two by two hole was dug in the ground, just beneath his couch. Fresh concrete with thick rebar formed an impenetrable bunker, albeit a very small one. Murphy’s last job was in construction, after all. It was all too easy to make an impromptu safe haven for him. Just before the sunset, Ellie and Lucky descended in there and locked themselves from within. Inside, there was water and food for two whole weeks, as well as a few tanks of oxygen should the vents fail. A few monitors were linked up to the camera feed, giving her insights into what was to come. The assassins had already arrived, and were seemingly taking scenic photos of their roadtrip. ‘Stay safe,’ Murphy mouthed, then covered his head in a thin camouflage veil. Over the past few hours, while feigning an interest in the local flora, the hitmen had already scouted the place with a few drones. Murphy would have preferred if Ellie left the compound altogether, but they couldn’t lure them in without showing signs o
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 52 - Pyrrhic Victory
Walking through the fire, he paid it no heed and stepped right over as if he were its king. The flames bowed, making a path for him to the cabin, where Ellie emerged with the dog. “Why are you out!?” he accused, even if the danger had passed, “What were you thinking!?” “I heard gunshots,” she stammered, hiding in fright from his gaze, “But then it was over… and the power was out…” “So!?” he approached, lifting her chin up to show her just how angry he was, “The plan was for you to wait for three knocks, or 2 weeks — whichever came first.” “I couldn’t,” she said, tears forming at the rim of her eyes, “I couldn’t wait to see if you still lived or not!” He frowned, his anger easing but not by much, “You could have gotten hurt… What if there were more out there?” “Then… it would have meant you died…” she sniffled, “and there was no point for me to live on.” “What nonsense are you spouting!?” he berated, “You had every reason to go on.” “It’s pointless, Murphy.” Ellie denied, “Witho
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 53 - Living On
A week later, atop the same bridge he leapt off of before. Murphy sighed and looked down at the inviting hole, but he knew there was no redo this time. He could only cope with the hurt, with no end in sight. [Chinese Corporation Hunts Down Critic in Europe][The Next Step After Censorship] [A Gross Overstep of National and Ethical Boundaries] These were just some of the excerpts from headlines around the world. As was typical with the mass media, they made it seem like an overblown conflict about to kickstart world war three or something. Murphy scoffed and nearly tossed his phone off into the void below, unsatisfied with any of the articles. After all, none of them could encapsulate what truly mattered. Neither of them touched upon his true loss — Eleanor. How could they? The journalists didn’t have all of the story, and he wouldn’t give it, either. What little they found was from government agencies and leaks, as well as the fact that the incident kickstarted a massive wild fir
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 54 - God of Dreams
The only reason Eleanor survived the gunshot was Lucky. Even so, with the nearest urban center being a full 30 kilometers down the mountain, she would have bled out long before help arrived.Murphy had no choice but to use his flame to cauterize her wounds. By searing her flesh haphazardly, he ensured she wouldn’t bleed out, but also complicated her recovery and left a visible scar no doctor could get rid of.He could already imagine her rant when she found out he marred her perfect body, and he looked forward to it. Anything was better than the dreadful silence…“Don’t get mad, Ellie,” he comforted, holding her still hand and speaking as if she could hear him, “You’re still the most beautiful, and always will be.”Only the soft beeps of the life support machine answered, just as monotone as ever. He stared at the heart monitor, her pulse weak but steady, and wondered if it could ever beat as strong as it once did. “If you won’t wake up…” he leaned in, and softly kissed her forehead
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 55 - Escalating Conflicts
« Congratulations on achieving the third tier of a Numen Power. Oneiromancy Code set complete! »The cyan text continued to stream across his retina, but he had little interest in it. It was soulless now, in painful contrast to how things were when she inhabited it. Still, with the code complete, he intuitively knew the name he jokingly chose as a child had now come true. He was indeed Morpheus, God of Dreams, an omnipotent being in the imaginary worlds. The third power was tremendously powerful, and a little scary. He could absorb dreams, and in doing so pull other people into his own realm where he was all-powerful. On a whim, he could simulate entire lifetimes worth of scenarios, learning one’s deepest secrets or even going a step more nefarious to brainwash them.The subconscious mind was unprotected to him. On a layer even deeper than hypnosis, he could subtly manipulate people and change their behavior. Unlike the acid state-sponsored brainwashing schemes, however, his contro
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 56 - Corruption
‘This is rigged,’ Murphy seethed with rage, leaving a faint heat imprint on the chair he was in.The preliminary hearings were going very poorly, and it seemed like the arbitrators were busier deciding lunch than his case. He knew he had a solid case, but it would be difficult to make it if they didn’t even pretend to pay attention.With his enhanced senses, it ticked off every instinct that things weren’t as they appeared, and he suspected foul play. What angered him even more was that he couldn’t say anything about it, and could only pretend along.Once the hour was up, the men stood up and agreed to reconvene 10 days later for the formal arbitration. They gathered the presented documents nonchalantly, and it became clear they thought the trial had a foregone conclusion.Murphy didn’t expect for one second they would actually entertain the plan he presented, so he had to alter his plan.When he returned to the hotel, the staff informed him he had a package delivered. His requested e
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