Sophie stood frozen at the doorway, her heart pounding in her chest as the four strangers in white robes stared back at her with unsettling calm. Their presence sent a shiver down her spine, but she refused to show fear. She had learned long ago that showing weakness to those with unknown intentions was dangerous."What do you mean by that, and excuse me, who are you all?" Sophie demanded, her voice firmer than she felt inside.The man standing at the front of the group raised a hand in a placating gesture. "Relax, Sophie Washington. Let us inside," he said softly, his tone almost soothing, but with an edge that made her uneasy.Her breath caught in her throat. "How did they know my name?" she thought, panic rising within her. "How do you know who I am?" she asked, her voice trembling despite her best efforts.The man smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "We were sent by the one who made a deal with your late husband," he explained.Sophie’s eyes widened in shock, her blood runni
"Mom? Are you with me?" Jeremy’s voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present. He had been talking for a while now, but she hadn’t heard a word."Yes, love," she lied, turning to face him with a forced smile. "I’m with you. I was just… lost in my planning for tomorrow."She sat beside him, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way her hands still shook. But deep inside, she knew the peace in their home had been shattered. What had started years ago with her husband's secret deal was coming back to haunt them. And now, Jeremy was caught in the middle of something far more dangerous than he realized.*> Saturday had finally arrived, and with it, a bundle of nerves that twisted Jeremy's stomach into knots. He had been up since 4 a.m., pacing restlessly around his room. By the time 8 a.m. rolled around, he was already fidgeting, glancing at his phone every few minutes as he waited for Sarah's arrival.Why am I so anxious? he w
"What the hell?" Jeremy snapped, furious at being manhandled. He glared at James, his fists clenching as he prepared to give him a piece of his mind. But then his mother’s words echoed in his head: No fighting or arguing. He took a deep breath, letting the tension in his shoulders loosen as he let out an exasperated sigh."My time is limited," Jeremy muttered, crossing his arms and pouting in frustration. "I’m expecting someone any minute now.""I won’t take long," James assured him, his voice still unnervingly calm.Jeremy studied him for a moment. James seemed different—too calm, almost fragile, like someone on the verge of collapse. His usually confident demeanor was missing, and Jeremy couldn’t help but feel like something had cracked inside him."Alright, I’m listening," Jeremy finally said, though his impatience was still evident. He leaned against the porch railing, waiting for James to speak.James took two steps forward, but inst
It didn’t take long for a sleek, red car to pull up outside Jeremy’s house. The car gleamed in the morning light, its polished surface reflecting the sun’s rays. Jeremy watched, mildly surprised, as the door opened, and out stepped Sarah, looking as radiant as ever. She wasn’t just beautiful—she was stunning, her presence magnetic. She spotted Jeremy and immediately ran toward him, her face lighting up with joy. Before he could even react, she wrapped her arms around him in a warm, tight embrace.Jeremy stood there, momentarily stunned, as her warmth seeped into him. His arms wrapped around her instinctively. She smelled faintly of vanilla and roses, and for a moment, he forgot everything else. But his attention was quickly drawn to the two men still in the car—the driver and another man, probably a bodyguard. Both were glaring at him with obvious disdain. The driver’s eyes narrowed, and the security man even went as far as dragging his index finger acro
Sarah finally took her leave, after spending a few more minutes chatting with Jeremy by the front door. She bid Sophie goodbye, her bright smile lingering as she made her way outside. Jeremy followed her to the car, determined to see her off. And, of course, he couldn’t resist one last taunt toward the driver and security guard, who were still glaring daggers at him from behind the windshield."Let me know if they give you trouble," Jeremy joked, pulling Sarah into another embrace. This time, Sarah didn’t hesitate, immediately wrapping her arms around him with a warmth that made the guards bristle even more. Jeremy caught the driver's disgusted glance and smirked over Sarah’s shoulder.As the red car pulled away and Sarah waved one last time, Jeremy stood there watching, his thoughts bouncing between the warmth of Sarah’s presence and the looming mystery of what her birthday surprise might be. But he didn’t dwell too long. Monday was fast approaching, and
The air inside the dungeon crackled with a strange energy, thick with tension and the promise of danger. It didn’t take long for the first wave of beasts to appear. Massive, C ranked buffaloes emerged from the shadows, their thunderous hooves shaking the ground as they charged forward in a disorganized mass. Jeremy remained unbothered. He sat cross-legged on the dry, cracked ground of the dungeon, watching as Warhuz, Brandon, and Russ engaged the buffaloes with a mix of strategy and brute force. Warhuz, seasoned and efficient, fought with precision, his sword cutting through the beasts with practiced ease. Brandon, strong and steady, used his tonfa to counter the buffaloes’ attacks, while Russ struggled to keep up, parrying the horns of an incoming beast with visible frustration. "Tsk! Do something!" Russ snapped, his voice strained as he barely managed to deflect another attack. "Stop sitting there and acting like you're too good for this fight." Jeremy didn’t bother to rise. H
He rolled his shoulders, feeling his aura flare up as the yellow aura that had flickered around him earlier exploded into life, surrounding his body in a bright, untamed energy. His muscles bulged slightly, and his senses sharpened, the power within him coming alive.The next python, sensing the surge in power, hesitated for a split second—just enough time for Jeremy to strike. He lunged forward, moving with inhuman speed, and his sword seemed to vanish as it tore through the python’s body. The beast let out a bloodcurdling screech, but it was over before it even began. Jeremy’s beast-like instincts took over, his movements primal and vicious as he hacked through the python with a savage ferocity. His eyes gleamed with the thrill of the hunt, every swing of his sword leaving a trail of carnage in its wake.One by one, the pythons fell, their massive bodies crumbling as Jeremy unleashed hell upon them. He tested new moves, experimenting with combinations o
The man in red took a step forward, his smirk deepening as he crouched slightly, trying to meet the child’s gaze. "You could’ve ejected them in a nicer way, you know.""I don’t care," the child replied curtly, dismissing the suggestion as easily as one might swat away an insect.The red-clad figure sighed dramatically, rising back to his full height. "You could have killed the ascendant," he pressed, his tone almost teasing.The child’s eyes snapped open, a dangerous glint flashing within the eerie white pupils. "I don’t care," he repeated, but there was a sharp edge to his voice now, a warning."You should care." The man in red spoke."This is the second time he's stuck his nose in our business. If you’re not careful, you might get more attention than you bargained for," the child replied. "Besides, he’s not an ascendant yet. When I finish here, I’ll confront the true ascendant myself on why he allowed this nonsense to happen.<
The air around them crackled with an oppressive, unnatural tension as Typhon stood motionless, towering over the battlefield like a living storm. His eyes, glowing like molten fire, were locked onto McCoy and his guild, his cold expression betraying no hint of mercy.A grotesque, unsettling noise filled the air. Typhon made an odd, guttural sound, and slowly, methodically, he stuck his massive hand down his throat. The movement was unnatural, almost alien, as he dug deeper, pulling something from within him. The sound of slick, greasy slime slithering over the ground followed, enough to make anyone with a semblance of sensitivity to retch.“Nu-ah...” Typhon muttered in an unsettling tone, his voice resonating deeply as his monstrous hand gripped the hilt of a weapon.From his throat emerged a sword—an absurdly long and grotesque blade, dripping with thick, viscous fluid. It was no ordinary weapon. The blade itself seemed to pulse, radiating a malevolent energy that made the air feel t
The flames didn’t stop with Jim. The fiery blast tore through the air, its heat warping the atmosphere. Buildings miles away were scorched clean, their facades riddled with perfectly circular holes as though a god’s spear had pierced them. Those not incinerated crumbled from the sheer force of the blast, collapsing in a cacophony of destruction.Even McCoy, standing far from the epicenter, felt the intense heat lick at his skin. His magically enhanced senses allowed him to track the blast’s trajectory, and what he saw sent chills down his spine.The devastation extended far beyond the city, leaving a trail of ruin in its wake. Streets buckled, trees withered to ash, and the ground itself cracked and smoldered. All of this happened in less than five seconds, yet the aftermath stretched for miles.A cold sweat ran down McCoy’s back as the reality of Typhon’s power sunk in. His hands trembled as he took in the scope of the destruction, but he forced himself to stay composed.“This isn’t
McCoy stood frozen, his mind racing through every piece of mythology he had ever read. His analytical nature warred with his instincts, both screaming at him to act but in entirely different ways.Before him stood Typhon—the youngest son of Gaia, a monster of unparalleled power. A being feared even by gods, Typhon’s mere presence warped the air, bending it to his will. His form loomed over the battlefield, a tempest of chaotic energy swirling around him."The youngest son of Gaia," McCoy said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "Surely you do not want to destroy a part of yourself."Typhon’s glowing eyes narrowed, his thunderous voice reverberating like an earthquake. "Huh? It seems this young mortal here is a fan of mine.""You could say that," McCoy replied, wiping the sweat rolling down his temple.He wasn’t lying. Since childhood, McCoy had immersed himself in the stories of gods and monsters, legends and myths that spanned cultures and centuries. Much to his parents’ dismay, he
Elijah stood firm, his voice steady despite his labored breathing. “Fighting isn’t just about brute strength,” he declared, his words cutting through the chaos. “Sometimes, wisdom outmatches power.”The words had barely left Elijah’s mouth when a deafening blast tore through the battlefield.Soren’s body was flung backward, forced deeper into the earth as concentric circles of light—white, gold, and red—engulfed him. Each explosion was more devastating than the last, the ground shattering beneath him in a cascading storm of debris.The battlefield transformed into a massive crater, the destruction extending for miles. Smoke and fire erupted from the epicenter, painting the sky in ominous hues.From a distance, Elijah and James watched the chaos unfold. They panted heavily, their bodies trembling from exhaustion. Blood dripped from their wounds, pooling beneath them as they knelt on the cracked earth.“Did we get him?” James asked, his voice hoarse and uncertain.Elijah didn’t respond
Two figures stood amidst the wreckage of a city torn apart by their power. One radiated a blinding, ethereal light, while the other exuded a suffocating darkness that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. Their combined presence created a storm of energy that rippled outward, shaking the city to its very core and filling the air with a foreboding sense of impending doom.“Yo,” James sneered, his voice carrying a sinister edge. The shadowy aura around him writhed and twisted like a living entity, its tendrils snaking across the ground as if searching for prey.Soren stood across from him, grinning wickedly. His red aura flared with malevolent energy, a living flame that seemed to consume the air itself. A glowing crimson rod formed in his hand, jagged and pulsating with chaotic energy, its shape constantly shifting like molten lava.“This is going to be fun,” Soren declared, his voice dripping with sadistic glee.The moment the words left his mouth, the ground beneath them shattered.
The battlefield was chaos incarnate, the ground trembling under the immense force of their clash. Elijah stood amidst the destruction, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. His once-pristine white suit was now in tatters, his body marred by countless bruises and cuts. Yet, his eyes burned with an unyielding resolve.Across from him stood Soren, his figure exuding an aura of superiority. His crimson gloves gleamed ominously, his sly grin a cruel mockery of the man struggling before him.“You sure are strong for a mortal stuck in the A-rank,” Soren remarked casually, his voice dripping with condescension as he adjusted the base of his gloves.Elijah didn’t respond immediately, his mind racing as he worked to suppress the pain from his injuries. The earlier kick had done significant damage, and he knew he couldn’t afford to falter now.“Twenty minutes,” he thought, focusing his energy inward to heal his ravaged organs. “That’s all I need to buy him. Just twenty minutes.”Soren cocked hi
James stirred in the rubble, the sharp sting of pain dragging him back to consciousness. Blood trickled down his face, pooling beneath him, and his entire body felt as though it had been shattered and pieced back together. His breaths came in shallow gasps, each one a struggle against the suffocating weight of debris and exhaustion.“Damn it,” he thought bitterly, his mind swimming in a haze of fragmented memories."Since I was young, I knew I was different. Special." James’s thoughts drifted to a distant past, a time when the world had been simpler. "I was born into wealth, into privilege. My family wanted for nothing, and from the moment I could walk, it was clear I wasn’t like the others."By six, James wasn’t just strong; he was superhuman. His punches could break walls, and his reflexes were unmatched. But with that strength came isolation."I terrified the other kids," he thought. "They couldn’t understand me. My silence, my ferocious gaze, the way I always got what I wanted—it
Soren descended gracefully, his crimson aura swirling around him like a living entity. His polished red gloves caught the dim light, and he dusted them off as if brushing away imaginary dirt. His gaze fixed on Elijah, a sneer tugging at his lips.“Insolent being,” he scoffed, his voice carrying an air of disdain. “How many times must I remind the world? I’ve stood at the peak of S rank for over a century. The strongest gods are just within my grasp. To think someone like you could challenge me… it’s laughable.”Elijah stood firm, his calm demeanor masking the storm within. “I agree with you,” he said, his tone steady. “Your power is extraordinary. But, you see, I’m not exactly ordinary myself.”Soren raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite himself.“I’ve been stuck at the peak of A rank for over two decades,” Elijah continued. “And just as the A rank is a bridge to the heroic ranks, S rank serves as the gateway to divinity. You stand at the edge of godhood, but even the gods have their l
The city of Texheram was no more than a smoldering wasteland. What once stood as a bustling metropolis was now a graveyard of shattered buildings and burning rubble. The streets, once filled with life, were eerily silent except for the crackling of flames and the occasional cries for help. The sky was a murky gray, thick with ash, and the faint glow of fires illuminated the chaos below. It was in this hellscape that Soren stood, embodying the destruction he had wrought.Perched on the edge of a crumbling skyscraper, Soren exuded a terrifying aura of dominance. His crimson attire, immaculate despite the carnage, caught the flickering light of the fires, and his tousled hair danced with the breeze. In his grasp was a woman, her neck clutched tightly in his hand. She gasped for air, her struggles feeble against the overwhelming strength of her captor.“Isn’t the weather splendid today?” Soren said with a grin that stretched unnaturally wide. His voice was calm, almost cheerful, yet laced