With money in my pocket, I suddenly felt like sweetening life a little. Besides, I needed to test the interface’s payment system… Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
At the first vending machine I came across, I bought four packs of crisps and two cans of cola. My pockets couldn’t hold more cans, and I had to carry the crisps in my hands. The whole lot cost me twelve units and...
2025-03-10 13:16:36 +0000 UTC View PostOn the way back, I finally figured out the navigator. Turned out, it wasn’t complicated at all.
I’d just been using the full-screen map mode before, which completely blocked my view and blended annoyingly with my surroundings. But in compact mode, the holographic display shrank down to about the size of both my palms and hovered somewhere on the periphery—off to the side, easy to gl...
2025-03-10 13:07:49 +0000 UTC View PostA sharp wake-up alarm shattered the morning silence, yanking me out of the warm cocoon of sleep.
I opened my eyes and immediately felt my body protest. My muscles ached like I’d just run a marathon, my joints felt rusted over, and my solar plexus still held onto a faint warmth from yesterday’s Flow Chamber.
Someone sighed. Someone else mumbled something unintelligible. And someo...
2025-03-10 12:56:10 +0000 UTC View PostThe Flow Chamber looked… like a gas chamber. Or maybe a crematorium.
I had expected something futuristic—gleaming metal walls, holograms, or at least some kind of high-tech equipment. A meditation mat at the very least! But inside, there was nothing. The walls looked like they had been cast from raw iron, not even painted over. No buttons, no panels—just soft, dim lighting filtering...
2025-03-10 12:47:39 +0000 UTC View PostWe walked down the familiar corridor, and I immediately recognised the spacious waiting hall with its panoramic windows. It was much quieter now. Only a handful of cadets remained on the benches, and instead of a crowd of supervisors, there were just two. They looked relaxed—one stood by the window, lazily scrolling through something on his tablet, while the other sat slumped against the wall...
2025-03-10 12:43:21 +0000 UTC View PostBao kept up his attitude for a bit longer, muttering something about “pathetic idiots” before finally climbing up—teeth grinding all the way.
Silence settled over the room. It lasted just long enough for everyone to form their own first impressions. I sat on my bunk, stretching, eyeing the others from the corner of my eye. I figured we’d sit in silence a while longer, each lost in...
2025-03-10 12:34:53 +0000 UTC View PostAs Diego explained cultivation and its hidden pitfalls, my decision had already been made. I wasn’t going to sit around waiting for someone to lead me by the hand—especially when both Doc and thinhorn had made it clear that no one would give a damn about me.
They hadn’t said it outright, but that was the impression I got.
If cultivation was the key to survival, then I wasn’t...
2025-03-10 11:56:52 +0000 UTC View PostThe thin-horned guy led me into the corridor. His little horns were distracting, but—Verdis, eight other moons, cultivation, cull… I had bigger things to think about. I’d landed right in the middle of a bloody rat race, with no memory, no experience and he didn’t seem like he was about to kill me.
The corridor was wide, with dim white lighting and unnaturally smooth, sterile walls...
2025-03-10 11:38:27 +0000 UTC View Post“Memories can be jumbled at first,” the doctor said. “Let’s start with something simple. Do you know where you are?”
“Looks like a hospital…” I said, glancing around.
“Is that a memory or an assumption?”
“Assumption,” I admitted.
“Strange. This is an important day, an important place. It’s usually one of the first things people recall.”
<... 2025-03-10 11:20:33 +0000 UTC View PostThe cold against my neck turned to warmth—then a sharp sting flared and shot straight into my temple.
“Bloody hell!” I blurted out, jerking instinctively, but the doctor’s grip tightened on my shoulder.
“Do not move!” he barked. “This is a standard synchronisation process. If it works, the interface should activate in a few seconds.”
The pain faded just as sudd...
2025-03-10 11:10:38 +0000 UTC View PostMoody looked even worse than Sunset had that morning—his face was pale, his hands trembled, and his touch was cold and clammy, even though the day was already well past noon. Clearly, police officers are better at handling alcohol poisoning than lawyers. Still, the solicitor showed iron willpower and, despite his suffering, threw himself into work at the first phone call. Maybe that’s why h...
2025-03-10 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostA sharp whistle of an incoming shell warned me, and I dove into the trench. A violent blast slammed me to the ground, burying me under a mound of dirt. The headache and ringing in my ears was unbearable—another blast concussion for my collection.
A choking sensation made me cough. Cold air rushed into my lungs, sharp as needles. My eyelids felt heavy, but I forced them open. Above me, a...
2025-03-09 18:16:23 +0000 UTC View PostGrandfather would’ve said I should be proud of myself. And honestly, I think he’d be right—what seventeen-year-old manages to stay sober at a drinking party? I did, and I count that as a serious achievement, especially when you compare it to the state Sunset is in right now.
That trio—Harry, John, and Harold—started last night with cheap, strong whiskey and moved on to even chea...
2025-03-07 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostLast night, we didn’t manage to decide what to do, but we did have plenty of time to argue. Most of the arguing was directed at Kettle, who barked back with enthusiasm, even managing to shift the blame first onto me and then onto Sunset. Vixley caught some of the fallout as well, though his stance on the matter was rather odd: apparently, an Archmaker doesn’t meddle in city politics or caus...
2025-03-04 00:46:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe vampire women agreed to Vixley’s proposal. Vampires would agree to anything when their lives are at stake, and they'll even keep their word—as long as circumstances demand it. But afterwards, they always sought revenge. Bloody, cruel, and with a distinct touch of cynicism. As Sunset explained to me, however, the Special Squad had existed long before the vampires struck their deal with t...
2025-03-01 00:46:03 +0000 UTC View PostBy the time I reached The Anvil, I felt clear-headed enough for the compulsion to nearly vanish from my mind. I could finally think straight. Logic told me that no compulsion could last forever, but the power of a master vampire was not to be underestimated. Better to drive the remaining hundred metres than to try turning back and risk collapsing from the pain. Only now did it dawn on me: I’d...
2025-02-26 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostI thought Harry would kill him. Right then and there, smash him into the ground. Peace with the Fairburns – who could even come up with such an idea? But Moody’s expression was unshakeable, and Harry displayed an unexpected restraint, limiting himself to a curt:
“Bloody hell, no!”
“Then we’re left with escalation. We’ll have to play dirty. I’ve already had to spend t...
2025-02-23 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe usual Anvil residents’ meeting was held, as always, in the kitchen. Knuckles and I were explaining the new collection of holes in the hall’s interior over cups of tea with milk, while Cap was supposed to report on the smashed jar with the ether spark. However, he decided to keep his mouth shut, sitting there frozen like a statue and not drawing attention to himself – not even crunchin...
2025-02-20 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostI was heading home without Harry. The wizard had stayed behind with Sunset to discuss cultists, sectarians, maniacs, and other lunatics. It was possible that before the arch came into play, our killer had been using more primitive methods, but the police had failed to link those crimes to the current ones.
Knuckles dropped me off at the porch and drove off to park the Royal in the makeshi...
2025-02-17 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostHarold Moody stayed with us a bit longer than he had initially planned. He started with Cap while Harry and I were descending, easing into his questioning of the lad about the jar with the spark. Later, I asked Harry if it really was an ant’s ghost, to which the wizard only raised an eyebrow sceptically. But the boy believed it, and that was enough. It was clear that the lawyer wasn’t inter...
2025-02-14 00:46:00 +0000 UTC View Post“What’s the plan?” I asked Sunset as soon as we left the building.
“Eggs with bacon and beans, a glass of gin, and a good, long sleep.”
“Then skip the gin.”
“That’s exactly what I need, trust me on this,” he replied with the confidence of someone who’d tested the theory many times.
“If we stop by Kettle’s solicitor first, lunch is on me.”
<... 2025-02-11 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostI got home just before dawn, collapsed into bed, and woke up closer to noon – but not so late as to bother waiting for a proper lunch with the others. Besides, a couple of cold toasts and fried eggs were waiting for me in the kitchen. With a hot cup of tea laced with a drop of milk, they went down easy enough.
Once my body’s basic needs were dealt with, I went looking for Harry. His o...
2025-02-08 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostWe slowly made our way toward the exit. Kettle, the idle baronet, seemed to be in a daze. Handcuffs weren’t new to him, but this was the first time they’d been slapped on for a murder charge. Not that I cared about his feelings – my own worries were plenty.
“John, I need to stay and help the girls,” I said, trying not to turn around but barely watching where I was going, my gaze...
2025-02-05 00:46:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Harry,” I knocked on the door to his office and walked in without waiting, “I’ve got two urgent matters to discuss with you.”
The wizard gave me a tired look from under his brow, tugged nervously at his beard, and set aside the stack of papers – if you could call it that. The desk was buried under piles of handwritten sheets, but there were even more pinned to the walls and f...
2025-02-04 20:19:35 +0000 UTC View PostIt was a strange conversation, teetering on the edge of truth and half-truths, politeness and disdain. Yet there was no shortage of frankness.
"Lord Loxlin," the lawyer asked, "why are you so biased against my client? He’s not a bad person – he’s never wronged anyone maliciously, and when he’s caused harm, it’s mostly to himself."
"I don’t like the way he acts," I admitt...
2025-02-04 20:16:24 +0000 UTC View PostThe morning was anything but good. To start with, it didn’t begin with breakfast and a cup of tea, as mornings should, but with a visit from Kate Lindemann. It was Cap who woke me up, and Harry just went ahead and invited the bloodsucker into the house. To top it off, I’d had a sleepless night, and my calf and shin were swollen to the size of decent-sized logs – a side effect of applying ...
2025-02-04 20:12:43 +0000 UTC View PostGiven the circumstances, I wasn’t able to give my guests a proper welcome – not even offering them tea. Fortunately, the girls knew their way around the place and quickly took over the kitchen, while the men settled into the living room.
Ellie’s father was named Hal, her older brother Marcus, and her younger brother Garfield, whom I was already somewhat acquainted with. The three of...
2025-02-04 20:09:57 +0000 UTC View PostThe conversation with the baronet yielded nothing but more questions. I was slightly disappointed, but Sunset, on the contrary, was tapping his fingers excitedly.
“What’s got you so cheerful?” I asked.
“The caliber of the players involved,” he replied.
“Explain.”
“All the victims so far were small-time criminals.”
“Except for the vampire,” I p...
2025-02-04 20:05:17 +0000 UTC View Post“Answer, boy,” Kate said with darkened lips and a sultry, seductive voice. Knuckles shook his head and waved his hand in front of his face as if swatting away invisible gnats.
“How do they punish attempts at mind manipulation?” I asked Sunset.
“Three to five years in prison,” the detective replied grimly. “And a permanent seal as a preventive measure.”
“Oh, c...
2025-02-01 21:54:47 +0000 UTC View PostThe news about a supposed long-lost relative didn’t go over well with the brothers. To be honest, they weren’t thrilled. Neither of them had ever heard of an uncle from New Freeland, and they certainly weren’t interested in falling under his guardianship. For Cap, it would mean losing a mentor he could admire and aspire to emulate. The boy had been slaying shifters and vampires by the doz...
2025-02-01 21:53:49 +0000 UTC View Post