Hope didn’t even register the full prompt. He turned and sprinted the opposite direction, forcing everything he had into his legs.
But it was gaining.
It was faster than him?!
His heart pounded harder. He pushed more—faster, faster. His breaths came short.
Still behind him.
This won’t work.
His eyes darted. The brown pillar—
He veered hard, cutting just in front of one of the tall structures and hooking around it tight.
The beast reacted late. Not exp...
2025-06-16 01:32:00 +0000 UTC
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He opened his eyes.
A screen hovered in front of him—floating text, numbers, labels he didn’t understand.
ID: 815165
Grade: C6
Level 1
Physis: 434
Magia: 0
He stared beyond them.
The land was green. The sky was blue. A warm breeze brushed against his face.
It wasn’t cold.
He looked at his hands—white, smooth. Cleaner than they’d ever been.
He was dressed in white. Plain shorts, a sim...
2025-06-16 01:31:01 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone!
Hope you’re all doing well.
Two quick things I want to share with you today:
First: I’m considering shifting Alonso’s POV back to third-person, past tense. The upcoming chapters will use this style, so let me know how it reads. I'd love to hear your thoughts — feel free to vote in the poll below!
Second (and most exciting): my new novel, No Place for Hope, is now launching here on Patreon! See below for the Cover and Summary.
I’m working on this n...
2025-06-16 01:30:02 +0000 UTC
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Chiara’s eyes opened wide as she stared at Imani.
There was complete silence in the room.
Lukas’ fingers stopped tapping. His smile faded.
Wang stood frozen by the door, fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
No one spoke.
Then, at last, Lukas pushed off from the wall. Slowly. His arms dropped to his sides. His expression had shifted—no grin now, no casual tone.
He stepped forward.
“Tell us everything. From the start.”
Imani drew in a shaky breath, nodded once, and began. ...
2025-06-16 00:00:07 +0000 UTC
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I stare at the sky. It’s showing signs of dawn, the sun setting in the distance.
I guess it’s time to head back.
The swords magnetize to my hands, the familiar pull tingling through my arms.
I set off.
The ground blurs beneath my feet as I pick up speed. Wind claws at my face, eyes half-narrowed against the rush. The grass hisses in long lines beside me, dust kicking up in my wake.
I keep a comfortable pace at over a hundred miles per hour.
Feels good to be running in the open again.<...
2025-06-13 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“The emissary has arrived. Follow me.”
They rose without a word and followed the man down another series of wide corridors, each more ornate than the last. The walls were lined with deep carvings—stories of the Ajnal lineage, the sun, pyramids, and battles fought. Small embedded crystals pulsed softly between the glyphs, casting a faint golden light that flickered in rhythm with their steps.
Soon, they entered a vast chamber.
Imani’s eyes widened slightly.
The floor was a single vast slab of dark volcanic ston...
2025-06-11 00:00:09 +0000 UTC
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How can this river be so damn long!
“Hey, Houston. How long has it been already?”
“A little over 43 hours since you started,” came the familiar voice. “Good news—we can safely say by now there’s no Xok’al behind you.”
“And how far have we moved since the start? I felt a twist to the East maybe midway, but too lazy to do the calculations.”
“What happened with the—”
“Cut the car crap, Houston. I’ve been swimming for nearly tw...
2025-06-09 00:00:07 +0000 UTC
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I exhale.
Even with the optimised pattern, it still took much longer than expected.
22 hours. Nearly a full day to steadily channel the EM energy from the Pillar and construct the mental subnodes.
But it’s done. After nearly a month since reaching the first, I’ve achieved it.
The Second Pillar State.
I send my pulses outward and immediately feel the stark difference. They’re more nuanced than before. The maximum frequency and amplitude I can output have significantly increased. And my con...
2025-06-06 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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December 14, 2024 - The Tower, Second Tier, Second Stage
Pablo blinked as he slowly pushed himself upright.
He touched his head as the blurry vision around him began to clear—and then noticed someone sitting in front of him.
He recognised him. Jeffrey.
He had a strange sense of déjà vu. No... this wasn’t the first time.
“I’m sorry, I… passed out—”
“Are you okay? If so, come with me. Leonie wants to see you.”
Pablo nodded and stood. He felt a bit t...
2025-06-04 00:00:06 +0000 UTC
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CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks fly as my scimitar clashes against its blades in rapid succession.
I step back and feel something crunch beneath my boot—bones.
Shit.
The Xok’al exploits the tiny gap. A crushing EM wave slams down, dragging my blade as if gravity just multiplied, while its tail whips toward my flank.
I lean low, letting the tip of my sword scrape the floor, and the strike grazes my cheek. At the same time, two piercing limbs shoot toward my ribs and thigh.
He expects me to...
2025-06-02 00:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Chiara focused on the 3D image in her head.
One of her minds mapped every moving element around her—every Xok’al, every twitch in their muscles, every wave they emitted, the EM domain surrounding them, each crack in the ground their feet produced, every twist in the wind caused by their blades.
Another mind analysed the incoming data. It processed the signals, filtered them, applied a Fast Fourier Transform to the spectrum, identified key frequencies, isolated components, extracted relevant features, and used that data to gen...
2025-05-31 00:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Her mouth tasted like iron.
Ayu rubbed her fist over it and spat the blood onto the dirt, never taking her eyes off the beastman in front of her.
She was barefoot—each slow step letting her toes feel the warmth of the ground, the sound beneath it, the subtle hum of motion hiding inside the stillness.
She gripped her kukris tight, wrists loose, blades angled low. The two circled each other, assessing, measuring, waiting.
Then—
The earth cracked beneath her heel as she launched forward. Dust exploded behind he...
2025-05-30 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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December 12, 2024 - The Tower, Second Tier, Second Stage
“Leonie… you have to see this.”
“Skip the mystery, send me the visuals. What’s happening?” She removed her sword from the dead octopus and leapt out of the water.
She received the images, and her eyes narrowed—then slowly, she smiled. “How’s he doing it?”
“We… we don’t know.”
“Can you communicate with him? Is he conscious?”
“He doesn...
2025-05-28 00:00:06 +0000 UTC
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“So the Xok’als were artificially created,” I stare at the diagrams outlining different phases of the process, apparently failed models and how they slowly started looking more like the Xok’al I know. I still cannot read the language it is written in, but there is no doubt.
But… why? Why all this lore for this stage? Why this lab here, hidden and abandoned underground?
Sure, the Xok’al were created by some older pre-Ajnal civilization, that was somewhat more advanced than them, so… what? Sure it’s interes...
2025-05-26 00:00:08 +0000 UTC
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I don’t know how long it’s been.
My arms scream. My back stiffens. Fingers barely respond.
The pressure never leaves. It just gets stronger.
But I keep moving. I don’t stop. I—What?!
My waves detect something different ahead.
Tiredness immediately fades.
I swim faster. The passage ahead widens. An open cavity? The end of the river?
I send waves in every direction.
The open space is massive. More than a hundred meters across every direction.
I calm myself and push...
2025-05-24 00:00:07 +0000 UTC
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December 9, 2024 - The Tower, Second Tier, Second Stage
Pablo blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the light as consciousness returned.
He looked around.
A tent…?
No—wait!
His throat tightened.
He lowered his gaze.
Leonie was seated at her wooden desk, eyes fixed on him.
Pablo immediately pushed himself off the bed and tried to stand—only to sway and drop back down onto the edge.
What…?
He winced, placing a hand on his forehead.
...
2025-05-23 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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SLASH!
The scythe cuts clean through the neck.
Behind it—those reptilian, dark eyes stare at me from the shadows.
I shift my gaze.
And then I see it again.
A head, drifting slowly through the sky—detached, spinning.
The eyes are still open.
Still watching me.
Heavy. Judging. Disappointed.
“You made a promise.”
I…
“Where are you?”
I…
“No matter what…”
Don’t die without me.
The v...
2025-05-21 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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It was dark.
Imani moved swiftly, his large frame cutting through the dense jungle before emerging into the barer terrain beneath a near-moonless sky.
Route 15…
A mental map of the region unfolded in his mind—each route, from 1 to 28, marked and memorized.
He focused on Route 15. Then scanned for the marker.
Marker 7.4… Got it.
He adjusted his trajectory slightly.
At this pace… fifty-four minutes. Too slow.
His grip tightened around the shield and hammer.
<...
2025-05-19 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“Alon—”
Where…
“Alonso.”
I blink.
That voice…
“Houston?”
“Take it easy. Just lie back.”
I glance around. Wooden walls. A faint, warm glow. My back rests against something soft. There’s a window—slightly open—and a gentle breeze stirs the curtain.
I raise a hand to my head.
Everything feels… slow. Fuzzy.
What just—
Images flicker.
The eyes. The blood. The scythe-blade.
Ixchel’s head.
Tohol’s last s...
2025-05-17 00:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Tohol is on standby, ready.
A pulse hits me. Orders.
I confirm.
Alright.
I press forward. Kahul and Tziib close in at my flanks. Ranged support sets up behind us. I detect six Xok’al ahead—but that’s just the surface.
I keep my nodes inactive, relying on my new highly conductive armor and blades.
I deflect incoming fire mid-run, dodging between the shots.
The first one moves. I catch the twitch—predict the follow-through.
I arch my back, shift my flow. A tail sweeps pa...
2025-05-16 00:00:04 +0000 UTC
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“A joint patrol?”
Xam grins. “Afraid, Fang-born?”
“Yeah—afraid they’ll steal my kills,” I say, spinning my swords around my wrists with a lazy smile. Then I launch them upward and keep them circling using my waves, the blades weaving smoothly around me like rings in orbit.
“Tohol is joining today too.”
What?!
My control falters for a moment—one of the blades trembles in the air before I steady the pattern again. “Captain Tohol? Are we expecting elite Xok’al today?”
Xam ...
2025-05-14 00:00:07 +0000 UTC
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“I heard you got yourself a nickname already,” Imani says with a smile as he hands me the arm bracers. “Chital, the Fang-born.”
“Yeah… well… a bit unlucky lately… or should I say lucky?” I slide the conductive coil around my arm and test it with my waves. It responds smoothly.
“What’s your kill count so far?”
“Twenty-two. Still haven’t run into a three-tailed yet,” I sigh, sitting down on a rock. My waves move subtly through the armor, mapping its behavior against my nodes. The conduct...
2025-05-12 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Pablo’s Notes – Note 11, Volume 2
Day 19, Second Tier, Second Stage
It has been nineteen days since I arrived at this stage with The Shadows. Based on landmass drift patterns, I estimate we’re not yet at the halfway mark. If my current model holds, the full cycle of this stage will last approximately 49 days.
The Shadows, as always, move with an efficiency that defies conventional expectations. I suspect the recent breakthrough has lifted morale across th...
2025-05-10 00:00:04 +0000 UTC
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November 24, 2024 - The Tower, Second Tier, Second Stage
Pablo tensed as the bag of orbs arced toward the giant creature’s maw.
Every frame played out in slow motion in Pablo’s eyes as he instinctively took several more steps back.
Soon, the bag disappeared into the dark, fiery depths of its mouth.
Pablo caught the glint in the creature’s eyes—and he could swear there was a wicked smile hidden in them.
The first second stretched. Nothing happened.
But then it did.<...
2025-05-09 00:00:04 +0000 UTC
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November 24, 2024 - The Tower, Second Tier, Second Stage
Pablo stood rather anxious at the back.
He had not expected Leonie to take his suggestion so seriously.
Before him stood the Shadows’ seven main 3-man squads, all in battle formation, with Leonie wearing her full gear at the front.
Pablo’s heart was beating fast. After all… he started all of this. And… who the hell was he?
As his thoughts drifted into doubt, something caught his eye—movement on the horiz...
2025-05-07 00:00:04 +0000 UTC
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November 24, 2024 - Melbourne, Australia
The world was changing.
And it was changing fast—too fast.
Jack had just said goodbye to his parents, who’d shown up for one of their short weekly visits. He stood near the edge of Mount Sugarloaf, hands in his pockets, staring down at the view below.
The big metallic casing that once surrounded the spot Alonso had disappeared from? Gone.
They’d removed it.
Obvious why. They no longer wanted to make Alonso feel threat...
2025-05-05 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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A day has passed since I finally reached the Stone Jaguar stage.
After some talk, Imani and I managed to book a hunting trip with the Ajnal.
And here I am, standing in the plains near the river. The grass runs waist-high in some spots, rippling with every gust of wind. Sunlight beats down, the sky wide and cloudless, and the steady rush of water echoes faintly from the east.
My arms are crossed casually, a smirk on my face as I enjoy my pal’s fight.
Imani blocks the charge of the triceratops-looking creature with hi...
2025-05-03 00:00:04 +0000 UTC
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I grit my teeth.
The air stinks of burnt skin and something metallic.
I don’t know… how long it’s been.
My breath is shallow.
When was the last time I rested?
My whole body aches. There’s blood in my mouth—a faint, coppery line trailing down my lips.
Sweat clings to my skin. My armor smells like shit. I smell like shit.
Fuck.
I strip it all off.
Every piece. Chest, arms, legs.
I drop onto the cold stone, letting my back slam against it with a dull thud.
It h...
2025-05-02 00:00:16 +0000 UTC
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Ayu moved swiftly through the plains.
Boots slicing tall grass.
Wind whipping past her helmet.
Overdrive enhancing her senses.
The scent of water hung in the air—fresh, clean.
To the east, the river shimmered beneath the morning sun, cutting through the wild like a silver blade.
Mist hovered low.
And in the distance—
Thuds. Heavy. Rhythmic.
A herd.
She crouched.
The earth vibrated beneath her feet.
Dozens of massive creatures.
Scaled hides. Serrated tails.
<...
2025-04-30 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
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I stare as Imani hammers the conductive metal alloy again.
And again.
The strikes are slow. Steady. Each one lands in perfect rhythm, like he’s syncing his breath with the motion.
I can feel the heat even from where I stand.
Not from a fire, though. There’s no open flame, no furnace. Just a heavy block of stone beneath the metal, and a shallow EM channel running through the table. A raw line of pulsed energy fed from one of the underground cores.
The Ajnal don’t use full forges in smaller settlements like ...
2025-04-28 00:00:07 +0000 UTC
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