"Where am I?" Riley asked out. His voice echoed in the space where he stood, and his eyes roamed within its socket as he tried to find something recognizable about where he stood.His ears picked up the sound of sought rumbling underneath his feet, and the cracking of the wall which drifted his attention from the ground to the rough wall. His heart skipped beat as soon as a fragment of the wall broke and fell to the ground, giving off a tiny passage for faint light to pierce through the darkness.With bold steps, he walked towards the opening, and while she fought against the bright light and tried to have a view of the outside through the tiny opening, there was nothing he could find which could give him a memory of where he stood.He let out a slight groan in his frustration, running his hands through his air as he turned around. His eyes fell on the weakened Byssted knight on the ground. It was injured, in a state which captured all of his consciousness before something else bought
"Oh no!" Riley groaned the words as soon as he sighted the Morpher by the side. He was well aware of what it was. Perhaps, he had heard stories of this breed of monstrosity, yet, for the first time ever, he stood face to face with what he had initially considered as a rumour.He took two steps backwards as he stared at the figure before him. The Morpher as well never moved an inch. It still remained there, as though it was frozen. But Riley never wanted to conclude so.He could feel the life inside this figure as it peered into his eyes deeply, feeling something eerie about it which he coding fathom or place his hands on.From where he stood, he could sense a form of power exuding from him. This power was that which was way beyond what he could decipher, way above what he could fathom.He would have concluded that this figure was the source of the power, yet, he shook his head in doubt of what thoughts pierced his mind.The entire place was quiet, yet the air around them both was dist
The Morpher was accelerating in its speed, flapping its heavy wings as it scaled upwards. Riley's eyes were widened as he stared at the ground from where he was seated, and his hands were gradually becoming sweaty as he slipped from the back of the beast.He grabbed on tighter with a louder groan, struggling just so he wouldn't fall from such height. His mind had pictured just a thousand outcomes if he dropped from such a height.Yet, his fingers were aching, his tenacity was wearing out. His hands were slipping, until he lost grip of the firm body of the creature, and dropped from the height.He landed on his feet, falling backwards with his head hitting the ground as he went unconscious. A few seconds had passed and he opened his eyes with a deep gasp for air, swallowing hard as he jerked from the ground."Oh my God!" He said out loud. He looked at his legs, and looked at his hands before he lifted his eyes towards the sky.Slowly, the memories were returning. He could remember drop
Riley laid on the ground with his eyes closed. Soon after, he could feel a little bit of strength within his bones and more life as he picked himself up from the ground.His eyes were glued with the creature as he tried to catch his breath. His hands and limbs were aching, and his head was aching as well as he struggled to decipher what went on within the day."I've had the roughest day!" He heaved the words out. How could he explain his sudden appearance in a cave, and the presence of a Byssted knight there? How could he also decipher the sudden transition between the battle of the Byssted knight to the battle with the Morpher?He knew the specialty of his awakening. He knew the potential of the gauntlet around his wrist. Yet, he never also knew the intentions of the creator of these beasts, and what they sought from him as well.He sat there, unsure of what the future had for him. With each passing day, he hoped to achieve the answer to the questions which troubled his heart. His fu
"What have I done?" Riley whispered the question to himself. His face was pale and squeezed as thought flooded through his mind. His eyes were wet, as though he was about to tear up as he looked around himThere was so much carnage, rocks broken with the little pebbles spread through the floor. He looked to the side, to the sight of men who groaned as they struggled to pick themselves from the ground with blood flowing down their bodies.One after the other, he could see the other men who walked out of their hiding places with their eyes widened, and their mouths agape as they pointed their fingers towards him.Riley stood still, staring at each of them. There was guilt which rose inside his heart, a feeling of having to explain his actions to those who stared at him.Then he realized that their eyes were drifted away from him, to where the trinity lay. It was the trinity their fingers pointed towards. He turned around to the unholy sight of what he had done.Their bodies were filled
It was getting tougher as the minutes passed. As Riley moved through the streets of the system, the only strange thing he could notice were the pictures of himself pasted everywhere, holograms of himself displayed in the sky, and even his name on the lips of many.At that point, he realized that there was none probably on his side. He was on his own, no one to call a friend as each person he passed by had the same intentions like the rest. The bounty on his head was just too juicy for anyone to resist, and he was always on the run as he was most sought after.Was this the result or the benefits he got from overthrowing the trinity in charge of the system? Was this the appreciation he got for setting the system and everyone in it free from the hands of those who were under the influence of the trinity?These questions flooded his mind as he walked through the streets, lowering his head with his hood over his head as he tried to keep his identity secret.Riley walked his way until he si
The alarm went off and Riley rolled over to the side of the bed, placing his hands on Leila 's warm body. The latter hummed in satisfaction as the sweet morning scent of her husband hit her nostril.Riley was glad that he could wake up every day to Leila beside him and while he didn't know what to expect in his marriage, it had turned out to be quite amazing.The sun rose through the curtain, giving the room a warm golden light.Riley rose up from the bed and grabbed his schedule book, skimming through the content to understand how his day would look."Babe... I have to go to work." He said realizing he had a special meeting with the board of directors of his consortium.Riley had been able to establish an empire that would be the phase of the entire country and half population of the world as well."I thought we would spend more time together?" Leila muttered through the sheets."I know, but you need to understand that today's meeting is important." Leila rose from the bed, he
"So how has life been with you and your wife ofcourse.." Jessica asked barely minutes into their meal. Riley had believed it was going to be a mere casual meal, but it was obvious that it was far from being a casual meal, Jessica really wanted to know more about him."Are we here to talk about my wife?" Riley asked, not liking the question."I thought we are here to catch up and know my duty as your personal assistant." Jessica asked with a shrug of her own."Listen, I don't know what propaganda you are planning, but it wouldn't work. After what you did to me months ago Jessica, I don't trust even your shadows any more.," Riley knew his words would cut deep, but that was his intention either ways."How would you say something like that? I am the one who loved you Riley , I could kill an entire race because of you Riley . You didn't just seem to like me." Jessica blow back with intensity in her voice.Riley noticed their conversation was beginning to draw people 's attention and th
The white banners still streamed from the windows set high in the walls of the hall, now caught in what was surely the heralding wind of a thunderstorm. A man who perhaps wished he’d possessed extra time for more vital parts of his life.Nasri asked a touch softly, “You fly every day, then, Prince?”Sartaq dragged his stare from his youngest sister’s death-banners to assess Nasri . More warrior than courtier, yet he nodded—in answer to an unspoken request. “I do, Captain.”When Sartaq turned to respond to a question from Duva, Riley exchanged a glance with Nasri —all he needed to convey his order.Be in the aerie at dawn. Find out where he stands in this war.A summer storm galloped in off the Narrow Sea just before midnight.Even tucked into the sprawling library at the base of the Torre, Matilda felt every shudder of thunder. Occasional flashes of lightning sliced down the narrow corridors of the stacks and halls, chased by wind that crept through the cracks in the pale stone, g
The minced lamb turned leaden in his stomach at the sight of their uniforms, at how they stood so tall and proud. How many meals had he himself been positioned by the doors, or out in the courtyard, monitoring his boss ? How many times had he laid into his men for slouching, for chattering amongst themselves, and reassigned them to lesser watches?One of the Carl ’s guards noticed his stare and gave a curt nod.Riley looked away quickly, his palms clammy. But he forced himself to keep observing the faces around him, what they wore and how they moved and smiled.No sign—none—of any wicked force, whether dispatched from Morath or elsewhere. No sign beyond those white banners to honor their fallen princess.Aelin had claimed the Valg had a reek to them, and he’d seen their blood run black from mortal veins more times than he cared to count, but short of demanding everyone in this hall cut open their hands …It actually wasn’t a bad idea—if he could get an audience with the Carl to c
The moment I stepped out of the moving vehicle, into the huge building that laid before my very eyes, Joyce couldn't help but take in everything before my very sight.Standing right before me was years of hardwork, coming off that horrific relationship with Jaxon.A lot of people would have gone into the state of depression, after everything Jaxon did, but I was never the type to back down.While strolling through the hallway, deep in contemplation, I was greeted by a familiar voice saying my name."Ayla!" he called out. "It's been a while since we last saw each other!"I looked over and saw Riley , a friend and marketing analyst, walking towards me with a friendly grin."Great to see you again Riley ! How are you?" I asked extending my arm for a friendly hug.Riley has been one of the main men to push me to the limit with the business and I always found a way to show him gratitude for that."How is Finn and Feris doing? I bet they are really big now " he said with a smile on his f
"Quite easy, James." All heads turned from Riley to Joyce who got off her seat, an air of confidence all around her. The question was about something their competitor had which they didn't. From the looks of it, they had already had a meeting with Broadway Enterprise before this particular one with F and A, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of their proposal.James was aware that Riley would be interested in his activities, and as such, he'd distracted him from looking further at his day-to-day dealings by frolicking with women, while he gave an audience to their rival party. Finding nothing fishy in his dealings, Riley had ordered his men to quit monitoring James' activities."While it is true that this idea and approach is novel, and hasn't been tested yet, and would therefore need tons of investment, it is no doubt the best we need if we're concerned about skyrocketing our target audience. In F and A, we've put this into consideration and that's exactly why
The meeting day fast approached, and both Riley and Joyce got ready earlier than the meeting time. The previous day, Riley had mentioned that they would need to discuss a couple of things as touching their faux relationship. Joyce gave herself one last look over before leaving for Riley 's room. She took one long breath before knocking on his door which opened effortlessly.Riley 's back was turned to her when she walked in, his fingers fastening his wristwatch. Joyce 's gaze lingered on the broad expanse of Riley 's back, moving lower to his legs, cladded in blue suit pants. He twirled, catching sight of an ogling Joyce who flushed hard and turned away the moment he caught her staring at him. Her heart clattered in her chest, and she blinked more than necessary."I've been waiting for you." His face twisted in a smile and he grabbed his tie from the sofa, striding to her, his charming smile still lining his face. "My tie."Without a word, she grabbed i
The tension in the air was palpable as Sonia prepared herself for what Riley had in store for her. Richard 's eyes shone with a dangerous intensity, his intentions unclear but menacing. Sonia 's mind raced with horrible possibilities, each more horrible than the last.She felt a shiver run down her spine as Richard 's laughter echoed in the dimly lit room. Despite her fears, Sonia remains defiant, refusing to show any sign of weakness in the face of Richard 's twisted desires. "I can do more than you imagine and make you hot!" Riley smiled as he read the expression on Sonia 's face. It's really fun teasing Sonia at the moment. Her lips trembled, hoping she wasn't thinking anything. "Are you making me hot?" Would it really roast me alive or burn a part of me? Sonia asked stupidly Although she is a stripper who must know a lot about the tactics of men, unfortunately she is a lamb who
"How dare you?" Riley roared like a lion as the champagne spilled over his dress and poured freely into his trousers. Sonia was shaking terribly as she searched for towels to clean Riley clothes and shoes.He had just poured himself a glass of champagne. "I'm so terribly sorry! I was---sss" stammered Sonia , trying to finish her words when Riley pulled her hair and picked her up. "You are here to pay your brother's debt, but you are clearly unable to do so! Riley said in a very intimidating voice, letting the lumps fall on Maris's neck. "Please, I feel weak!" He had never felt this way in his entire life as he searched for ways to survive. He felt his strength leave him and let his body fall into Richard 's grip. Everyone's eyes in the VIP room widened. "This girl is really doomed," commented one of them and motioned for Riley to take
“We need to get out of this place right now. I can perceive danger” Riley said to the rest of the gang members. They all went and hide behind the trees as they shifted to their wolf to make a run for it.Mr. Branson and his soldiers were still searching for his son, when they came across footprint and his heightened sense of smell, caught up with his son’s scent and he smiled to himself.“They were here and judging by the footprint, it seems they weren’t alone. So listen up soldiers, I want you to make sure you get my son and you can kill the Weak link ” the soldiers nodded as they spread out across the bushes in search of the Mr.’s son. Mr. Branson on the other hand took the direct route he presumed they had followed, coupled with his few soldiers left.Riley and Olivia , alongside the gangs had been running for hours with the hope of giving their attackers pace so they won’t catch up with them. As the night approaches, they had to stop running and take a rest.“Who do you think
Mr. Branson had thought the two animal terrorists was his son and the Weak link , but it turned out that they weren’t even people but animal tourist who wanted to explore the lands. He had made sure that the tourist didn’t know they were people by shifting to their animaloid form.“Greetings people, my name is Branson and these are my friends” the tourists looked at the man before them and they were amazed by his structure for he was seven foot tall and he looked like a giant compared to them.“Thank you very much sirs, but if we may ask, who are you people?” the male tourist asked definitely curious.“We are inhabitant of a near by village and so had decided to go find games to haunt and that is how we stumbled on you two” Mr. Branson said trying as much possible, to conceal their identity.The tourists bought the lie sold to them by the Mr. and once again asked,“May we know this village of yours? We are tourist and it is part of our duty to explore the world we live in, so if you