Catherine's muscles sang with fatigue as she hurried through the empty hallway. Her heart raced with her feet and her blood boiled within her veins. The urgency made her take the stairs, twice at a time. Amid the rustling voice of the wind, she could hear the mockery at the back of her head. The second bell had gone off, signaling the beginning of the cooling break for the inmates and the first shifts for the Wardens. It was their signal, the clue she and her friends had been waiting for.No, never. She thought. It was a trap. She should have known from the beginning. This was never going to work, the Shadowman knew their secrets and was waiting for them to make the first move. The plan had been a mistake all along.Catherine bit her under lips when she finally made it to the last floor. The door on the exit, brown and twice her size, stood
The sun animated the streets of Bel Haven and as Damian burst out from the alley, swimming through the crowd and giving no care to the shout and curses that seconded his heels, two things kept playing back in his mind. The garrisons that were hot on his heels, and his Granny who was going to pass away today. Having stayed on the streets and giving no care to the old woman, he should be glad that her constant yells were going to pass to the other side of the wall. But on second thought, the fact that Fred would become his responsibility knotted his stomach. If money could buy forever, he was going to steal a castle. He had done that many times, but this was the final stage, a transition to another life, a life which most people were scared of. Elixia can't save his granny again. It had not saved his parents after the accident and had left him and Fred on the streets. Like the many individuals in Bel Haven, his family's case has been one which the doctors had called, irrevocable. He c
Blue and red lights continued to hover about them as tones and tones of crimson sports cars kept pulling by. As usual, the Garrison hid their faces under a black helmet, contrasting their red uniform and adding more life to the black strips and boots.Damian has seen the Garrisons before, but not so many at a time. He could only guess that something bad had happened? Or was this about the fifteen Cents they had stolen from Ember's castle?"Put your hands over your head," someone said from the microphone.Fred's hands were already on his head and the fright that dilated his eyes sent a disturbing sensation through Damian's stomach. He was afraid too, but nothing compared to Fred. This was all his fault. He had dragged Fred away from Granny and into the streets. If he had known, he would have instructed the eleven-year-old to stay indoors while he carters for their wellbeing. That way, he would be the one feeling the brunt of the hardship. But now they were in tro
Dorin has seen people come and go, men and women of different shapes and sizes, both fair and dark alike. If his calculations were correct, then it was seven years since the breaking of the world. Seven years since the wonders of Elixa. Before now, he was just there, existing in isolation, like an island waiting to drown in an ocean. Nobody cared to ask how badly life was treating him. Having lost his parents to cancer, he was the last string on the guitar, waiting to be pulled out or to make a melody of his own. But life has taken its turn and thanks to the miracles of science, to the executive board of EverTech, and to his amazing father."Professor, it is time."Dorin smiled at the words. Base on his past, there was no way he could have lived so long. But everything has changed. His life was a testimony of what science and patience could do to a man."How many" Dorin adjusted his tie, before turning back to his assistant, "the audience""Oh," George ch
The glass cup clattered on his teeth as he took another sip. Colored lights animated the streets spreading out the vast body of darkness like moving galaxies. The hovering cars and hologram billboards were a testimony of his hard work and innovation. Single-handed, he had added life to the city and had placed the missing piece in the right place. It was thirty years now since the emperor and the firstborn had doubted his invention. They had called him mad and had almost exiled him from Bel Haven. Time flies. They had threatened his own existence, all because they were too poor in knowledge to see past their expectations. If they had exiled him, perhaps he would have returned and burned down Bel Haven to the ground. This magnificent city would have laid in ashes and dust, a foretaste of his consuming wrath.But on second thought, that would have been a waste. With the increasing deforestation and lack of water, destroying this world would have been a total waste. Not to talk o
Men and women parade the tower, looking straight and sturdy as if they had been polished with frown and meanness. Freetown was the capital of Bel Haven, the seat of the Firstborn and the government itself. Unlike Bel Haven that was blessed with nature's air, Freetown depends on the recycling factory for the citizens to stay alive. It was the same reason why everyone had an oxygen pipe on their nose. Sometime in the past, the emperor had tried to centralize power to the capital of the Nine Rings. That way, they would dissolve the Firstborns and have more money being pushed to the capital city, which in this case was sitting in Norls. What happens to the citizens has little or no role to play at the moment. Most people were interested in the money and the resources and the emperor was no less different.Kristen lowered her head as she walked with her hands behind her. But for the cleaners and the men in training, white was the color accepted in Freetown. It was a sign of purity
Kristen took off her hood and adjusted the collar of her inner shirt, suddenly feeling the heat at the back of her neck. Nobody has seen a Darkeel before, just the stories and mysteries. Those creatures were things that had kept the world at bay. After the war that had lasted for hundred years, the Darkeel had returned to hell, but some books have it that they were meant to return, to break the world a second time to take away everything that has breath. There were no documented files to these claims, if not, the tower would have been making preparations. The authenticity of this claim was rather difficult to manage and rumors were something the tower despises dearly.The cold went through Kristen's skin, making her hug herself. Situations like this always leave her ruing the day she was born. Had she had the powers, she would have gathered some of the Firstborns and created an army of her own. An army that would fight the darkness when it comes. Too bad she was just he
It was the constant beeping that finally woke him up. His vision was blurry and keeping his world from spinning was rather difficult, especially in the presence of the white lights that were threatening to pull his eyes out of his socket. Somewhere at the back of his head, he could feel a little lump, pulsing like a second heart and sending waves of pain throughout his body. Maybe he had hit his head on something, it was hard to tell, all he knew was that his head was aching badly. Blinking, Damian tried to turn, but the restriction on his right made him stop. There were different tubes, going in and out of his body. It was as if he had been spiked with a metal tube and the sight sent a nauseous feel down his esophagus. What had happened? Why was he lying in this bed and where in the world was Fred? The thought of his brother made him jerk, however, he screamed when a sudden pain shoved into his bones from the tube that was on his hands. He remembered now. The Bounty hunters, the c
Catherine's muscles sang with fatigue as she hurried through the empty hallway. Her heart raced with her feet and her blood boiled within her veins. The urgency made her take the stairs, twice at a time. Amid the rustling voice of the wind, she could hear the mockery at the back of her head. The second bell had gone off, signaling the beginning of the cooling break for the inmates and the first shifts for the Wardens. It was their signal, the clue she and her friends had been waiting for.No, never. She thought. It was a trap. She should have known from the beginning. This was never going to work, the Shadowman knew their secrets and was waiting for them to make the first move. The plan had been a mistake all along.Catherine bit her under lips when she finally made it to the last floor. The door on the exit, brown and twice her size, stood
"What's his name," Catherine asked looking past the Founders on the field, towards the door standing on the far end."Drake." Vick breathed in before parting Catherine's shoulders, smiling in the process. " Don't worry, he is not worth your anger""How much does he know? How much did Damian reveal?""Don't get sick over that, Damian was smart to play the dumb game.""You are giving him a lot of credit, the deal was to remain quiet instead of revealing the one information that would probably get us killed.""Do be so mean. I thought you liked him""Yes I do, but not when he is dead. I like living creatures.""Hmm, someone got back their sense of humour."Catherine picked one of the cracked stones and dropped them into the wheelbarrow. The scorching sun had failed to hide under the forming cloud. It was sending merciless heat on the earth, almost shattering their skull. And the founders had not provided them with any water or shade.She needed to get away from this place, so sad Damian
Damian has never been to prison before, and he hadn't expected his first experience to be among wayward Founders whom society had rejected. Most of them stood tall, with veins trailing the sides of their long neck like tendrils of creeping plants. Their hands were pale and faces as dark as coal. The fairness of their skin was lost from the blistering heat of the sun, which left their skins in scales as a testimony of the sun's harshness. The wall of the prison stood in the far distance. Its edges were smooth and almost touching the cloud. It made Damian wonder if he was going to die here. There was no getting out. Nothing could save him and his friends. This was their doom and end. Unless Molhin and the council changed their mind, and he doubt that would happen anytime soon."Nobody mentioned prison would be this boring," Ygon said. She was the only one who is finding being locked up, funny.
"How can this be? All of it is impossible. It’s so absurd?" Nina fell on the couch, too tired to think. Her heart was aching and her world spun with confusion. It happened so fast. One moment she was delighted to be home, to be celebrating with her father the Emperor of the nine rings. And then, like a flash of lightning, it was all gone, replaced by a nightmare she had never had. How could this be? Where was good fortune when she needed it the most?"I don't have the answers you seek, Nina. But I must warn you, you must lie low, for now, everyone wants your head. They think you killed the Emperor." Rodian said unfazed by her sob and uneasiness."How can I possibly kill my father? It doesn't make sense.""Many would do that to ascend the throne. There is nothing man cannot do for the quest of pow
St. Vincent’s streets were the last place Carlos wanted to be. Coming here was a mistake, it has always been a misfit for him. The people and the air and the noise, all seemed off. He had never fit into society, not before and certainly not now. Everything about the street brought back old memories. On the shores of this very street, he had been abducted by the Garrison and sentenced to jail to rot there. It was a long time ago, about ten or so years before he formed the Red Heron crew. Yet, the memory and the need to breathe through an air pipe, instead of the normal, natural air, added more salt to his injuries. He hated the streets. The city itself was magnificent, with its silver tower almost touching the blue sky. Emron was the capital city of Bel Haven and the second most prosperous state in the entire Nine Rings. It was the seat of the Emperor, the home of wealth and power. A drawback to it, however, was the structure and la
Perfection was the best word to describe the event. From the procession to the people’s square, down to her very room. It was perfect. The last time she had seen so many people gathered together to celebrate her father was on his fiftieth birthday. She was so young then, but she could recall how everything had played out. It was a replica of today’s event, a cloned version of this one. The only missing piece was the presence of the Empress, her mother.Nina sighed and took the photograph sitting on the table. A smile appeared on her face without permission as her eyes studied the three people in the photo. Her father stood on the right and towered over them, and his younger version had a smile that Nina had never seen on him, ever since her mother passed on. The empress, a dark-haired woman, stood on the left and was laughing as well. Her bright eyes were wide and seemed to portra
CHAPTER 82Hope watched with satisfaction at the disarray in the people’s square. She was pleased with the ingenuity of her shadow man. Left to her, she would have sneaked behind and killed the emperor without the eyes of his guards. But the shadow man had done the perfect job. It had not only killed the Emperor but had played the Nina part well. It also used the people to create a diversion so it could get to the emperor. Causing a riot? Hope hadn’t seen that one coming. It was a great idea, one which Hope doubt she would have thought up herself. That riot had kept the garrison busy, leaving her Shadow to fight off the palace guards and the Firstborn. This was the best day of her life, one which she would celebrate for all eternity. Everything was falling in place. All her plans, it was just a matter of seconds.Her smile broadened when she heard the approaching footfal
Numerous hoverbikes and air shuttles covered the air as the parade continued through the streets. It was almost impossible to see the rays of the morning sun which sat in the sky like a yellow lens. The palace guards had taken the front and the rear, leaving the side and the middle to the able hands of the garrison. They were heavily armed, and their watchful eyes were attentive to pick out any possible threat. They kept watching the tall buildings, the streets and the crowd. It was the best they could do, they were the best in their jobs, and times like this call for their attention and professionalism. This was one of its kind. It was the golden jubilee of the Emperor, 50 years since he sat on the throne and ruled the nine rings with power and a rod of fire. Compared to his predecessors, he was an angel, but none of them had lived up to his age. None had sat on the throne this long and none had conquered more kingdoms or held so much p
The noise from the founders had quieted down, replaced now with a silence that could only be found in a ghost town. Even the courtroom looked empty and gloomy, from the tongue of light that created circular shadows. One look and one would think the room is empty; there were at least sixty-five thousand Founders who had gathered here, to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. According to Catherine, the founders had a legend and prophecy in their land. It was a lost legend that would shape their lives and restore the balance to their nation. But after so many years, some of them were beginning to lose hope in the prophecy. Some have called it a joke and would laugh it away whenever it was mentioned. That was the reason why so many believers were enthusiastic. The unbelievers, well, they still held that doubt in their faces. Nothing about them has changed much.Kristen sat among the audience, b