The forest seemed to breathe around them. The green panorama vibrated and exhaled itself onto Miko and Lyle as they trekked up the monumental mountain. It seemed to watch them every step of the way. It seemed to welcome their entrance. Their appearance. After many years.
“How long has it been since we came back here?” Lyle asked. The way up felt like an escalator to them. Like a path opened up just for the two. And they wore their suits, in case the locals would ask.
“Too long,” said Miko. “I miss this place.” He spun around slowly as he let himself be consumed by the little frames and systems that synchronously made the forest. Its curved trees grew in a way that represented movement. Like a shockwave at the center had just blew them all away and now they’re frozen in time. Its moss populated it enough to make everything colored green. For a moment, the two felt peace. “Your sister would’ve liked this,” Miko
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God Hounds Chapter 7: The Path
There was a ray of light at first, but it was more of just a blurry smudge of brightness in his eyes. But it gradually grew. He blinked repeatedly, until he got the sense of his own surroundings. Until he got the sense of his own state. He was looking up at the trees above. They covered him from the perfectly-risen sun and its light, but a few beams of the full morning had still managed to get through. Tickles of heat played around his skin like yellow insects, but overall, it was a perfect shade of phosphorescent green in the daytime. His head felt hard. He felt like he was lying down in a rough and itchy asphalt road. His body wasn’t in any kind of pain, but it felt like it finally moved for the first time after a hundred thousand years. It was dizzying, and nauseating, just to sit up straight. His eyes took in even more of what was around him. Right in front of him was just enough space for him to see a majestic, solid bluff, that overlooked an illuminated skyline. He felt
God Hounds Chapter 8: The Three
To Alice, everything was all about the cafes in San Pedro. Every street. Every road. Every corner. The seven-year-old city was Laguna’s beating heart for food and coffee. The kids grew up watching coffee shops and restaurants come and go while family businesses and startup companies eat each other and fluctuate against even more. Alice was never a big fan of coffee. But that never really stopped her. Jumping from one café to another remained one of her biggest hobbies, if she wasn't in one of the safehouses brutally interrogating her prisoner. Cafes just felt right, to her. It was essentially the most important human innovation in all of economic history. Maybe it was the people. Or the menu. Or the interiors. But Alice always felt at home, in the best ones. There was a novel sense of privacy that came with coffee shops. Everyone would just mind their own business. Civilized customers knew how to respect the silence. And the café enthusiasts always had thei
God Hounds Chapter 9: The Guide
“The what?” he asked Nanay Wang to repeat herself. He furrowed his brows and glanced at Nanay Wang perplexedly.“The Kadlum.” Nanay said. She walked towards him and looked back as well. “It’s a group, kid.”“What kind of group?” he asked.“The kind of group that’ll give you your memories back,” she sneered. She looked away, slowly being pulled into her thoughts, and nodded confidently. “After that,” she gazed back at him. “You’re one step closer,” she added as she gave off a tiny smile. “You want to know why this is happening and why the world’s doing this to you?” she dared. “You’ll find out in the Kadlum.”“They’re… like you.” he said.“Well…” She shrugged, and chuckled. “You’ll see…” She walked past him and headed towards the doorway. “
God Hounds Chapter 10: The Name
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God Hounds Chapter 11: The God
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God Hounds Chapter 13: The Witch
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God Hounds Chapter 14: The Kadlum
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