Just… one… more…
She sharply exhaled as her arms gave out, the rocks she had been holding rolling away under the relentless force of the waterfall.
Ayu’s breaths were ragged, her hands trembling uncontrollably from the exertion.
She closed her eyes, calming her racing heart with a few minutes of meditation as the icy water pounded against her back. The sound o...
2025-01-15 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostI step forward cautiously, my blade raised in a guard position, eyes locked on his.
His body is still, but I know better than to trust that.
Stay calm. Don’t overthink. Just move.
I feint left, a quick step and flick of the wrist to draw him out, but he doesn’t move.
Fine. I press forward, slashing diagonally toward his shoulder.
He parries cl...
2025-01-14 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“My real skill?” he says, his voice low, amused. He lets the seconds pass, his gaze on me but seemingly unfocused, lost in his own thoughts.
“Fine,” he finally speaks. “For this exchange and this exchange only.” He pauses, a grin tugging at his lips. “You can come at me anytime.”
Something shifts. I can’t explain it, but as I stare at him, I feel it. A change. Is i...
2025-01-13 01:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostGo inside? The same place I was with Darius?
I stay silent, turning the idea over in my mind.
“How exactly does that work? I thought me being in that place was a rare occurrence because of my half-dead state at the time.”
“And it was,” Houston replies. “Something I hadn’t initially considered possible. But… anything that happens once can be ...
2025-01-11 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostWarning: The first part of this chapter contains an explicit sexual scene. Reader discretion is advised. If you’re not comfortable with such content, feel free to skip it—it is not essential to the main storyline.
***
I wake slowly, the world around me coming into focus in pieces. The first thing I feel is warmth—soft, undeniable, and ...
2025-01-10 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post“So, you’re from Thailand?” I ask as we walk through the Isles, the faint sound of waterfalls cascading in the distance.
She nods, her eyes wandering over the scenery around us.
“Oh,” I say, the memory surfacing naturally, “I was there once. Spent New Year’s Eve in Phuket.”
I send her a series of images, the vivid memory of fireworks exploding against the night...
2025-01-09 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“Houston?”
“…”
“Houston, fuck, are you there?!”
“Hmmm? Well… this is certainly une—”
“HAHAHAHA!” I laugh loudly, letting it all out. Finally… I really missed that voice.
“So the red orb, huh? And that new item, it looks promising.”
“Oh, come on, you just came back. Take a break. Chill o...
2025-01-08 01:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostMy senses pick up a subtle shift in the air—faint, far, fast.
I dig my heels in and twist, rolling forward.
BOOM!
The sound slams into me, rattling my core, hitting after the tendril slices past.
I hit the ground, and I know. Another is coming. And another. And another.
BOOM! BOOM!
Thin or thick. Faster or slower. Over and ...
2025-01-07 01:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAs soon as the fourth orb shattered, Chiara noticed the shift. The remaining three orbs began to glow, and a third tentacle rose, bringing the total to three evenly spaced tendrils dedicated purely to defense.
But something else caught her eye. A new tentacle began moving. It was different—thinner along the edges, sharp. It didn’t carry the blunt force of the others; if that thing hit...
2025-01-06 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe first wave of jellyfish surged toward them, a mass of glowing, translucent bodies weaving through the Riftflow like spectral predators. Chiara adjusted her stance, sending out subtle, disruptive EM pulses through the air. The ripples distorted the swarm's formation, forcing several jellyfish to falter in their trajectory.
“Arjun, three incoming from the left.”
“
So… this is it.
I stare out at the Riftflow through my mask. Waves of jellyfish swirl around like ghosts, drifting eerily over the barren wasteland.
My grip tightens on the sword in my hand. Gauntlets are secured, a sling hangs from my waist, and a bag full of javelins is slung across my back. I don’t have Houston, but Darius can manage Overdrive, so it should be okay.<...
2025-01-03 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostHe finally comes into view—casual expression, carefree smile, and a massive backpack slung over his shoulders. Not exactly what I expected from a climber standing in front of me.
Then Ayu steps forward, smiling, and they… they just start talking.
Mandarin, I suppose? It’s refreshing to hear Ayu’s voice, but the situation baffles me. Am I seriously being ignored...
2025-01-02 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChiara’s fists were clenched, trembling despite her efforts to steady them. She couldn’t deny it—she was nervous.
Addressing all the climbers, their piercing gazes fixed on her. These weren’t ordinary looks; they were the gazes of people who had blood on their hands, who had fought and survived to make it this far. And now… now she had to say it. What she had to become for them...
2025-01-01 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“I know what I did deserves no forgiveness, and I will ask for none. I just… want you to know the truth. The reason he was like that back then, the words he said… I… I am at fault, Ayu.” Chiara’s gaze stayed on Ayu, heavy but unwavering.
Ayu remained silent, her eyes fixed on the ground. She had suspected the reasons behind his departure, but she’d thought it was his 2024-12-31 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
“So that’s what you did… the Dual-Overdrive Protocol?” I ask, my focus drifting to the note in front of me.
“Yes,” Darius replies. “It was the only way to save you and Ayu at that point.”
“So you took control of Overdrive and put me and Houston on the same stage… even though he had never been through it.”
Darius stays silent.
My fist clenches hard, ...
2024-12-30 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe sixth floor.
A large screen dominates one end of the room, with a plain sofa positioned in front of it. The design of the space is minimal, resembling some kind of movie room.
Darius stops and looks at me, his gaze steady. Is there something important here too? Some answers, maybe?
I glance back at the screen and step closer. As I focus on it, a flood of data appe...
2024-12-28 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostDarius? It’s an odd name, but… why does it ring a bell?
“So, where to start?” His gaze locks onto mine, steady and unblinking. Despite his wild, untamed appearance, the way he speaks and looks at me feels oddly familiar—like we’re old friends meeting after years apart. Strangely, it doesn’t feel out of place.
Seconds stretch into what feels like an eternity as...
2024-12-27 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostAyu gritted her teeth, every muscle in her body screaming in protest. She pushed forward with everything she had, ignoring the searing pain tearing through her battered frame.
She clutched Alonso tightly, his weight pressing down on her like a mountain, each step a battle against her failing strength.
Her ribs ached with every breath, sharp jolts of pain stabbing her side. Sweat pou...
2024-12-26 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostSo… this is how it ends.
It’s sad…
Very, very sad.
Ayu felt his embrace, his arms holding her tightly. At least she had this in her final moments.
She had sent him everything she wanted to say and show, hoping it would ease his pain. But… he still wanted to push through, still clinging to some desperate hope.
She mused about a miracle. It would...
2024-12-25 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe landscape glows with pulsing fissures and ghostly jellyfish drifting lazily around us, their translucent forms casting an otherworldly light. We keep moving, their presence barely registering against the surreal, barren hues surrounding us.
Ayu sends me a timer. Two minutes left. Not that I wasn’t already keeping track.
I send her back a thumbs-up.
As we run, my curiosit...
2024-12-24 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMy eyes widen, unsure how to react, an embarrassing smile creeping onto my face.
It’s unfortunate I can’t see her expression behind the mask. Is she angry? Blushing? Both?
Suddenly, a wave hits me.
“Stupid.”
Huh? What the…
English? Ayu speaks English? No way.
I blink, still processing, and quickly send a wave back.
...
2024-12-23 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“Ayu is what?!” Chiara’s eyes went wide, her usual composure cracking for a moment.
“Yeah, she’s learning English,” Lukas said casually, scratching his head. “She asked me yesterday to start teaching her through the neural network.”
“But… all of a sudden?” Chiara blinked, her mind already running calculations. “Well, I mean, with our current brain capabilitie...
2024-12-21 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostStupid, perverted, dick-brained, shameless, idiotic, arrogant, selfish asshole!
How could he be so… so stupid?
Appearing out of nowhere with no shame, no apologies, and then complaining that it’s his place? Fuck his place! He could drown in that shitty pool for all she cared.
Damn it, she hadn’t hit him hard enough. She should’ve punched him again.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck this shit!”
I growl, the words escaping through gritted teeth. My legs scream with every motion, my entire body trembling under the strain. The thick tree trunk balanced across my shoulders feels like it’s trying to crush me into the dirt. Sweat pours down my face, stinging my eyes, but I don’t stop. Not yet.
“Forty-nine… one more,” I mutter, my voice...
2024-12-19 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostSeptember 30, 2024 - ???, India
The general leaned forward at the table, his sharp gaze fixed on Siddharth. Beneath his calm demeanor lay a hint of deep respect, though it was buried under the weight of his responsibility. “What’s your assessment of this batch?” he asked, his voice measured and serious.
Siddharth, seated with his usual composu...
2024-12-18 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“Now this is life, Houston,” I said, sinking deeper into the makeshift hot spring bath I’d built in my cozy cave.
The water, naturally heated by geothermal vents I uncovered nearby, laps against my shoulders. The air inside is warm but not stifling, and the occasional breeze flows in through the window-like holes I carved into the stone walls. Through them, the view is nothing short...
2024-12-17 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostFor a moment, there was nothing.
The pain dulled into silence. The oppressive heat felt distant, the constant buzz from the lizards’ EM waves disappeared, and even the blood running down her face seemed to stop. Ayu’s world shrank to herself—a solitary, calm center surrounded by chaos.
Her thoughts stilled, like a calm before a storm. She wasn’t sure if she was falling apart...
2024-12-16 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAyu finally reached the edge of the Molten Crest.
The place was hellish, like a battlefield that had been scorched and broken over centuries. Jagged black rocks jutted out like crooked fangs, and molten rivers snaked through the cracks, glowing an angry orange. Heat rolled off the ground in waves, making the air shimmer and cling to her skin.
It was hard to breathe, heavy and dry, b...
2024-12-14 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe roar of the crowd was deafening.
Ayu sat on the edge of her seat, her small fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Her father stood in the center of the ring, his towering frame illuminated by the harsh overhead lights. The sweat glistened on his skin, muscles taut and coiled like a predator ready to strike. He looked invincible. To Ayu, he was invincible....
2024-12-12 07:11:17 +0000 UTC View PostI sit beneath a leaning tree, holding the finished mask in my hands.
It’s carved from dense, polished wood, shaped to fit snugly over my face. The grain is smooth where I sanded it down, a dull sheen from the resin coating.
The antennae trail from the top, made of intertwined neural filaments from the arthropods’ antennae, humming faintly as they respond to my mental waves. I te...
2024-12-12 07:09:49 +0000 UTC View Post