The door is opening, and Landon rubs the sleep from his eyes. He's confused, disoriented, and he fumbles for the door that separates their kitchen from their living room.. The living room is too quiet, and he can hear the birds outside. The sun is just up. It was 6:47 in the morning. Everything looks as though it's reflected in gold tinfoil, the trees standing tall in the Land of the Sorcerers were still twinkling like gold. He wonders a little if this is what it always looks like at dawn. He spent so much time outside the Land of the Sorcerers that he had forgotten what his own homes looked like. He almost forgot how beautiful the Land of the Sorcerers was during sunrise.He sips the coffee on the table and assumes it was made for him and winces. It's bitter, and he’s sure his mother — Tahani was the one who made the strong brew.He stands up, unsteady at first, then makes his way to the kitchen, fingering his hair and straightening his clothes. He's just getting his cereal out whe
The light was dim at best, the feeble orange glow of the night lamps was barely enough to see by. The first thing Levi Shaldan does is to check that it's a body, and not a corpse, that he's just stumbled on. The second thing he does is to check if the little one was actually breathing.Levi Shaldan —the Benevolent ruler had just created a monster beyond belief, a titan whom he named Atlas. He felt pride knowing he had something powerful enough to threaten the remaining Celestial on the stars. Someday, he will bring forth his creatures of terrors up there and finally end the reign of those beings.He will dethrone them someday. And he will end the tiring circle of life they had created. He planned to make things right. To create a new Earth. But then, on his way back to the castle he called home, Levi Shaldan stumbled upon a little girl. The little one looks even worse under the harsh glare of the fluorescents, bruised and bleeding from at least a dozen shallow cuts on her upper bod
At first he thought it was all a fluke. The healing of his hand, the leprosy going away. The promise he made, that one day — if the The Necromancer, Levi needs something in return for healing his hand. Then he couldn’t deny anything he wanted, or else, the sickness would return. It's not like Urubeh to concern himself with things that aren't any of his business. The rational part of his brain tells him to keep walking, while his feet choose that very moment to stage a mutiny. An idea that he had been tempted to execute a couple of times.A woman bumped against his shoulder as he paved the way to the busiest market in Egypt. “Excuse me.” The woman bowed her head and apologized. “My apologies.” He’s far from being stupid, and he’s always aware of what’s happening around him. The Creatures of Tar and Coal was created by the man who healed his hand. The same man who gives out favors, is now seeking for the payment that was promised to him.And if the rumors were true, then the prize w
"Don't you dare!" Anastacia warned aloud as the beasts ran towards her. Its claw shined against the moonlight. The being did not feel fear for it only intended to kill her, it used its claws and brandished it like a weapon.The blade was heavy on her fist, and the thing made a terrible sound as the sword slashed against its torso and tore the creature in half. It screamed –half shriek, half moan of agony– features writhing, twisting.Anastacia stiffened, and took a step forward. Another creature jumped in front of her, this time she raised her hand and threw a group of heavy boulders towards the creature's direction.With heavy breathing, Anastacia looks down on the creatures who had fallen before her. The monsters groans, and jerks, limbs spasming as if in remembrance of some recent pain.She moved forward and ran, running as fast as she could to get closer to the Fortress of Scorpio.She continued her journey, but stopped when she felt the sand shift beneath her feet.The chimera ju
The sand hit her eyes when a creature hiding from below jumped out to attack."Ack!" Anastacia groaned when the fine grain of sands entered and disturbs her line of sight. Looking around her with only one eye, the woman got hit in the face when the fist of the creature successfully connected, making her stumble against the ground.The creatures she created were greatly outnumbered by the chimera's.One by one, the monsters made from rocks, vines and roots perished and were destroyed. She and three creations of hers were left. And this scene, this racing of her heart. The blood on her forehead and bruises on her knuckles were awfully familiar.Using her god-like strength, Anastacia managed to kill seven creatures. And as she battles and fights against them, the sun rises slowly.The soft rays of the sun peeked behind the tall rock formations. Minute by minute the sun rose completely.And like the creature of the night --- the terrifying beings screamed and writhed when the sun touche
There were times of near-isolation and they were more frequent now. Kane felt the silence and while it became him, it also undid him. There were a thousand ways they could have done things differently, a thousand words that he wouldn't mind taking back: the hurt wouldn't be so amplified in that case.A month after the collapse of the Island of Mindoro, and now they’re facing a battle. The only difference is, the fate of the world somehow depended if Hyacinth was able to do the job.With little training and only two weeks of skills enhancement, a part of Kane was worried to the core.“She doesn’t even have any armor…” Kane thought to himself, and did not realize he said it out loud. He worked and helped with whatever it is that he can do for the Orion’s to keep himself busy. To push all the protruding thoughts away. It was noticeable of course, how worried he was for his friend, Hyacinth. It had only been two days, but it felt like she was gone for a week.He was not alone with the
Nad stared out from the window as she sat on the edge of her empty bed. Using the fingers of her right hand, she kept playing with the ring finger on her left hand. A symbol of a promise.And maybe, what will be a reminder of a promise she made with Dane a few years ago just before he left.Tears fall down her eyes as she recalls the day they met.He was introduced to her by their leading extractor Goldie Harris. Dane was a couple of years older than Landon. Unlike her, he has no family, and he's alone when he was brought to the Land of the Sorcerers to study as an extractor.Back then, Dane doesn't offer anything beyond the bare bones of his history, or how he became an orphan. All they knew was the general details. Of how his parents died on a mission.They died as honorable Sorcerers, and Nad, despite her curious nature, didn't bother to ask for anything more as Dane was introduced to the group.It's enough for her that Dane appears to be interested enough. How interested he was wh
Being a Sorcerer whose expertise is extraction and creation of Barriers and Weapons had always been her dream. A dream that she never realized would come to reality. At first, Tahani thought it was impossible to create an armor for Kane. The young man is full of hope and potential. The bearer of Rowan the Creator’s will and the young man who conjures fire out of thin air. But after years of experiments and cuts and bruises and sheer will —finally, Tahani pioneer’s and creates a glove that was able to conduct the boy’s fire. Not only that, but protecting him from the burns and mild to severe pain. At first, she thought it can't be anything but, even as the rubber and latex-like material embed themselves in the young man’s flesh —acting as his second skin. Who would’ve thought that she would be able to create such things. Even her son and husband refused to believe in her talents at first. Now, here she is. Tahani is creating another armor for the Woman. Not only that but an audie