The dull thud of projectiles hitting the ground echoed through the air as Wang moved fluidly, his sword flashing in precise arcs.
The circle beneath his feet, barely a meter wide, remained untouched as his body shifted and twisted with controlled precision.
"Faster," Wang said, his voice calm but firm.
Mei nodded, her sharp eye...
2025-02-15 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“Are you ready for the spar?”
“Yes, I’m on my way,” Ayu transmits back.
I stretch a bit and climb into the arena, my body in good shape as I make sure to avoid any extreme exercises before the duel—a lesson learned the hard way.
Seconds pass, and Ayu arrives. She takes off her mask and wal...
2025-02-14 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe library is quiet, the faint sound of waves outside the window blending with the rustle of papers on the simple wooden table between us.
“So, what’s the urgency? Chiara’s notes?” I ask, leaning back in my chair, my eyes fixed on Houston across from me.
“Notes? That’s a simple way to put it,” he sighs, rubbing his tem...
2025-02-13 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostOctober 18, 2024 - Melbourne, Australia
Pablo… Pablo is inside The Tower?
Jack couldn’t believe it. What were the odds of his two best friends being chosen like that? Wasn’t it only one million people from around the world?
And Pablo… Jack had talked to him before...
2025-02-12 01:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostOctober 17, 2024
24:00:00
“Twenty-four hours remain until the Second Ascent. Governments worldwide have declared a state of global pause.”
In New York, UN Secretary-General Elena Morales addressed the world: “This is a moment that demands cooperation, not division. Let’...
2025-02-11 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostOverdrive: A Brief Overview and Operational Framework
Overdrive represents a state of heightened physical and cognitive function achieved through precise electromagnetic wave manipulation. By channeling controlled bursts of energy into neural and muscular systems, this state enhances reflexes, perception, and physical ...
2025-02-10 07:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostSuddenly, my thoughts gain clarity.
Where… where am I?
I send out waves, grounding myself in the moment.
I’m still in the air, flying—but someone is holding me.
Chiara?
“Try to help me with the waves. It takes a lot of time to reach this speed, and we’re losing momentum,” she s...
2025-02-10 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostIt’s hard to breathe.
My heart pounds like a war drum.
The acrid, sulfuric stench of molten lava fills my lungs, burning with every inhale.
I watch it as it towers before me, poised to crush me any way it can.
I stomp hard, channeling my waves into my gauntlets to generate the momentum I need.
Its tail is already ...
2025-02-08 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe deafening roar threatens to shatter my eardrums, but worse, I sense an EM wave component ripping into my mind, an unrelenting force trying to break through.
I clench my teeth, focusing my waves to push me down to the ground and defend simultaneously, but it’s damn hard. Feels like a relentless, hellish chainsaw grinding into my skull...
2025-02-07 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“To all units,” Lukas’s voice came through. “This is your first formal operation. The task is simple. Objective one: kill as many as you can. Objective two: stay alive. GO!”
Ishaam took a deep breath, the searing hot air stinging his lungs, as his gaze shifted forward to the battlefield.
The captains had a...
2025-02-06 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostI’m back at my cave.
That went pretty well.
The fights in the VR world against Houston’s generated monsters are getting harder and more complex by the day. It feels like they’re learning from my habits. Some sort of machine learning algorithm?
I glance at the time. Just 20 minutes left until the agreed meeting wi...
2025-02-05 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostSo, this is the big day, huh.
I check the time. Still 6 hours left.
I send a wave to Ayu. “I’ll be heading over.”
A thumbs-up comes back.
I gear up, strapping on everything carefully.
My pouch of projectiles, the ones Lukas handed out that day, hangs at my side.
I’ve got to admit, the...
2025-02-04 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostElena’s hand tightened around the phone.
She remained silent.
Those words. She remembered those exact words from before. It had been after the man in the suit came for the first time. He also called her then.
Viktor… Viktor Ivanov.
“So, you’re with them?” she finally said, her voice lo...
2025-02-03 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“Should we introduce each other first, Lieutenant?” Diego suggested, his tone easy and confident.
“Eh… sure. I mean, yes,” Ishaam said, slightly taken aback. He took a deep breath to steady himself. “My name’s Ishaam Ansari, but you can just call me Ishaam—no need for formalities. I’ve got a bit of combat experience. I us...
2025-02-01 01:08:41 +0000 UTC View Post“Hah… hah…” my breaths come in ragged gasps, my chest heaving from the strain.
I’m drenched in sweat, my muscles screaming for mercy, my head pounding as if stuffed with needles.
Ayu stands on the other side, her chest rising and falling, sweat trailing down her neck.
“So, 27 to 43,” I manage between breaths. “S...
2025-02-01 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostMy body feels utterly destroyed. Every muscle screams in agony.
The sting hits hard as I slide my gauntlets on, the cold metal biting into the open wounds on my hands.
And Ayu’s spar is in a couple of minutes.
Damn it.
I should’ve stopped earlier. Got too carried away.
My eyes drop to my bare feet, grim...
2025-01-31 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post“Thank you for putting your trust in me,” Lukas said, as the crowd grew silent, their gazes now fixed on him with a renewed resolve. “But I am just one, and I will need your help. For that reason, I’ll start with my first command: the new organization we’ll follow moving forward.”
The group’s expressions turned serious, their...
2025-01-30 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostI remain silent, staring at Houston.
A monster? Chiara? Will she really become that strong if she manages to get through this?
“And what are the odds of this working? Is it a sure outcome?”
“Well, I have no idea. Both Chiara’s mental state and the complexity of the model she is working on are variables I can’...
2025-01-29 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostGive everything?
I wonder how many of them truly grasp the weight of those words.
As for me… hmm… I’d give everything for Mom and Ayu. The world inside The Tower may be fake, but Ayu? She’s here and she is real.
I glance at her briefly, standing beside me, her sword grip resting against her heart.
I guess...
2025-01-28 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostIshaam couldn’t believe his eyes.
The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, painting the sky in hues of gold and crimson, casting a surreal glow over the breathtaking landscape before them.
Paradise.
It was, without question, one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen.
He glanced at the others...
2025-01-27 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“Thank you, guys. Really,” Lukas says as he approaches, carrying Chiara in his arms.
She seems to be sound asleep, her face slightly pale but oddly peaceful.
Before I can react, Ayu steps forward, taking Chiara from Lukas’ arms with ease.
“It’s okay,” Ayu says softly, holding her securely as she gazes at her face. 2025-01-25 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
“So,” she says, her voice light and playful, “what were you saying about dancing?”
I smile at her, but the moment breaks as I catch a shift in my incoming waves.
Someone’s coming.
Ayu notices the change in my expression. “What happened?”
I focus on the waves, mapping out the approaching figure.
<... 2025-01-24 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostI wake up.
I feel her embrace, her hand still caressing my hair. It slows as she notices my subtle reaction, but she remains silent… and so do I.
I don’t want to move. I just… want to stay here. It feels good.
It reminds me of simpler times, when my mom would cradle me like this and take all my worries away.
I feel ...
2025-01-23 01:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostChiara sighed as she took the orb from the octopus. It was the 14th one today. She glanced at the sun, now sinking low on the horizon. Maybe three more, then call it a day.
She checked the last update on everyone’s locations, hoping Rakesh’s team had finally answered. Nothing.
Great. First Arjun, now them. W...
2025-01-22 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post“Damn, these Screechers are something else,” Manoj said, playing with the sword in his hand.
“Well, we sure know how they got their names. That constant buzzing is fucking hell, man,” another chimed in, massaging the back of his neck.
“I still can’t believe Arjun hunted these beasts alone. They say he’s already in the l...
2025-01-21 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostOne of the rocks suddenly slips through, throwing off my rhythm, and the rest follow suit, clattering to the ground.
Shit.
I pause, taking a break as my breathing comes in ragged gasps, my body drenched in sweat.
Fuck that psychopath.
Running all the way from the Isles to the volcanic region—a journey ...
2025-01-20 01:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostI feel subtle movements and wake up, instantly alert.
But my wary eyes soften as they meet hers, her face so close, her beautiful eyes glistening with a quiet intensity.
“I hope you had a good rest,” she says.
Memories of last night flood back. If I’m honest with myself, I’ve never experienced pleasure so intense in my ...
2025-01-18 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostWarning: This bonus chapter contains explicit sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.
Note: Bonus chapters do not contribute to the main storyline. Feel free to skip them.
Ayu's pulse raced as the sparring match came to an end. Sweat clung to her skin, and her breaths c...
2025-01-17 01:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostAyu closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling once again, her waves following the patterns Alonso had shown her.
She could feel her body responding, her senses growing refined and her mind more alert. She felt… stronger.
The world around her became clearer, the sounds sharper, the smell more distinct, the touch of the wind ...
2025-01-17 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostOctober 12, 2024 - Isan, Thailand
Santi calmly stared at the setting sun.
He still couldn’t believe she had the nerve to come. His shaky hand contorted, gripping the armrest of his chair as his teeth clenched.
How… how had he fallen for such a woman?
It was his greatest regre...
2025-01-16 01:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post