Part 1 “Hoping to find”
Year 2146, World had advanced, Threats of War plagued Earth, Sahara desert was now baren again due to War.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDksFpNqQdn
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Star Labs.
A secretive, illegal research facility hidden in the heart of an oasis, run by mad scientists—pushing the limits of technology beyond its time.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMex83pAR4
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Sirens blared through the compound, echoing off shattered walls. The white corridors were smeared with blood, bodies sprawled in the flickering red light. Ronin moved through the carnage with an unhurried, almost regal stride, pistols loose in his gloved hands. His black suit caught the crimson flashes, but nothing about him seemed hurried or unsure—each step radiated a silent command that the chaos would part for him. The mask’s red Spartan visor glowed, and even the dead seemed to shrink from his passing.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEn9WWMIn5U
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His Sister’s last known trace leads him here.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3k8qO6UXtO
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A compact EMP device hung at Ronin’s belt, its matte casing blending seamlessly with the rest of his gear. The radio, built directly into his mask, crackled to life with Frey’s voice—playful, teasing, and underscored by the faint pew-pew of her game stream.
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“Ronin, when this is over, should I start shopping for a dress? Or do you want to pick the color?”
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He exhaled, the sound barely audible beneath the sirens. “Frey, not now. Are you Gaming again?”
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She let out a dramatic sigh. “It’s just a stream. But don’t let that distract you.”
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“It is distracting me,” he replied, voice flat but unhurried, as if nothing in this blood-soaked corridor could rattle him.
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“Blame the scientists. Their security is so bad, I’m bored. I expected something worthy of my genius hacking. Instead, it’s like breaking into a lemonade stand.”
He checked his ammo, jaw tight. “I’m almost out of bullets. Any chance I can use one of theirs?”
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“Nope. They are designed to Self-destruct triggers on touch. Bio-locked, too. I mean, you could try, but I’d rather not scrape you off the ceiling.”
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He cut her off, voice low and calm. “Quiet.”
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He paused, head tilting slightly—he’d already heard the mechanical thumping echoing closer.
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“Cyberbots—four, and they look grumpy. Plasma rifles, KS-200s. I’d let them pass if I were you.”
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“Eyes on the feeds, Frey. We’ll talk after I find Ava.”
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The Cyberbots round the corner, humanoid machines clad in heavy armor.
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"Intruder. Surrender, and We may grant—"
Ronin doesn’t wait for them to finish. His twin pistols Roar, and the first bot collapses as a well-placed shot fries the circuits in its head.
The remaining three take a glance at the bot which is shot and took aim immediately at Ronin. Before they could fire, Ronin’s gloved hand flicked the EMP device on his belt. A silent pulse rippled through the corridor—lights flickered, and the bots seized up, circuits frying in a heartbeat.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjePH8p1e5W
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He wasted no time, dispatching the disabled machines with clinical precision. As the corridor fell silent, he thumbed the EMP device off, his movements smooth and unhurried.
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“Out of bullets,” he muttered, discarding the empty pistols and retrieving a combat knife from a fallen soldier.
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“Hey! Don’t just ditch my custom mods like that!, I poured my love in them.” Frey complained, her voice bright in his ear.
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“They’ll slow me down. Unless you can guide me to more ammo.” His voice was all business, but she knew him well enough to catch the faintest flicker of apology.
“Why do I have to tell you everything when I made an A.I. for you? Use Him too. I put so many features in him” Frey says573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LEWcjajej
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“I am not used to using him.” Ronin says573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJcL1ncOlw
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“AW, just admit you love my voice” Frey teases573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelW9TD5w04
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Voice cold, Ronin replies “Not in a lifetime.”573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM22A9ahHvK
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“You are so boring.” she says on which Ronin Grunts
Frey lounged in her chair, ponytail swinging as she toggled between her game and the lab’s security feeds. “So, Mr. ‘I’m retired from the killing business,’ what happened to the old Ronin? The one who’d threaten world leaders with nukes just for fun?”
He didn’t rise to the bait, voice cool as steel. “Is that your type? And did you delete those codes, or should I worry?”
“Eyes front, tough guy. Two guards incoming. And wow, they haven’t been skipping leg day unlike you— they’re jacked.”
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Two more guards round the corner, weapons raised. Ronin Threw one magazine on the first guard’s face, making him stagger.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tx5LCxE5M
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“Son of a bitch!” he yells stumbling back.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwMrD9DcZj
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Ronin lunges forward, dodging the first shot from the second guard by aligning himself behind the first guard.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfChg0UvAJf
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The first one attempts to grab him, but Ronin slip under his arms, sweeping his legs out from under him.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsBjByZORR
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As he falls forward, Ronin thrusts his knife into his throat in a clean, practiced motion.
Frey clicked her tongue. “You’re not even using my plasma spear? I swear, you’re impossible to impress.”
He grunted, not quite hiding a smirk. “It’s excessive. I prefer not to watch bodies twitch.”
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The second guard trembles. “Y-you… You’re the Man of Death, right?” He raises his gun with shaking hands.
Ronin doesn’t waste time. He flick flicks another magzine, deflecting his shot mid-air before rushing towards him.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW73uR7zfHU
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He screams, shooting in a frenzy,573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2MOI60usV
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“Die, demon!”573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7jrlXkqaA
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Ronin uses the heavy man’s body as a shield, some bullets pass through him and hit Ronin’s suit but doesn’t penetrate.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH25l20muo3
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“This always hurt.” Ronin says573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokD9Goei9e
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“You know, a little gratitude for that bulletproof suit wouldn’t kill you,” Frey chimed in.
He ignored the bait, shifting the body aside. “Later, Did you find her?”
“Nope, there are no cameras in that room. It’s like they knew you were coming.”
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Ronin takes down the guard into a choke position, his gaze cold under his mask. “How many men are on this building? Tell me, and I’ll let you live.”
The guard speaks immediately, panic evident. His voice only enough “J-just two scientists… The rest… they’re escaping the labs.”
“Escaping?” I snap. “Frey!?”
“I can’t believe I fell or it! They paused the camera feeds on the floors above and below.”
Ronin exhale sharply. “Why?”
“Why not? If a demon like you is on a rampage, I’d run too.”
The man nods furiously. “You’ll let me go now, right? I—I have a family, please—”
“You called me a demon,” Ronin said, voice low and unreadable, his gaze boring into the man. “Now you want mercy?”573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNllQCa262
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Fear overtakes the guard. He bolts, leaving his pistol behind. Ronin takes out his plasma spear, extending it. Its tip pulsing.
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The gates hissed open with a hydraulic sigh. Two scientists stood frozen near a desk, faces pale as paper.
Ronin Relaxed his spear slightly, his voice low and unreadable. “Relax. Just tell me where my sister is, and you’ll walk out of here.”573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyqlkIJIEE
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They exchanged a glance, then inched forward—too eager, too tense. Ronin’s eyes narrowed.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpiNRMMOT5
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“Another step, and you will have a taste of my spear.”
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Frey hacked into the room’s speakers “I’d listen to him instead of using that grenade you are hiding behind if I were you.”573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNNV2KCOEg
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The Scientists smile like creeps as they pull the pin573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOP7gKiOBUQ
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“Insane Bastards!” Ronin throws the dagger through one’s eye socket and pushes the other with his spear’s pommel.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwA1lVHUIe
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He then jump-rolls out of the room and slides behind one of the rooms walls.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfbuiE7eBo
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The blast is deafening,573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTft0L9esXn
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Ronin stepped into the ruined Room, bodies of the scientists lay blown and lifeless.
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Frey’s voice whistled through his mask, playful even now. “It would have been interesting had you noticed a little later. Would’ve been a real fireworks show.”
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He didn’t look up from the carnage. “As if I’d let amateurs get the drop on me.”
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She snorted. “Alright, Rony. Plug the drive into the hazard panel. I’ll handle the rest. Intel says this is a gravity prison—cosmic radiation experiments, the works. Your sister went in, but after that, poof. Data wiped.”
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He pressed the drive to the panel, exhaling slow. “If that Scientist we tortured on the 2nd floor was telling the truth, she vanished in this room. Doesn’t add up… but I have to see it myself.”
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The lock disengaged with a heavy thunk.
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“That was fast,” he muttered, glancing up as if expecting Frey’s usual snark. Silence. Maybe she’d finally run out of things to say.
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He stepped forward nervously.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyE3Xxmsvf6
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“Gravity Room huh?” he murmured
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Before he could take more steps he started to float—weightless, suspended in a room that was less a room and more a void. Not darkness, but the absence of everything. Stars shimmered on the walls, stretching into infinity.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wVOvjRUNm
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“It feels strange, Frey can you turn on lights of this room?” he asks but no answer573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXmdCbbwOP
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“Frey?!” he asks again
“R-Ronin! Come in—Ronin!” Frey yells, her voice distressed.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RGN9SeWQy
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“Yes! What happened?” Ronin asks573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMs8AJEFCl
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“Thank god finally!” She says, as if crying “Ronin, Get out of there—NOW!” Frey’s voice cut through the static, panic cracking her usual bravado.
His voice faltered at Frey’s distress. “Wait, Are you crying? What’s happening?”
Her reply was ragged, glitching. “I hacked a hidden file—that’s not a room! It’s a rift! You’re not in reality! You have to—”
Her voice dissolved into static as the door slammed shut. Ronin reached for the wall—nothing. Suddenly, his chest tightened. He couldn’t breathe. Worse: the air in his lungs was being pulled away, like the void itself was drinking him dry.
Darkness closed in. He let it.
When consciousness returned, Ronin floated in an endless black—weightless, untethered, utterly alone. There was no air, no sound, not even the faintest vibration to suggest a universe outside his skin. Yet his chest didn’t clench, his lungs didn’t scream for breath. Instead, a living warmth pulsed behind his left eye, slow and deliberate, each beat sending ripples of heat through his bones.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ip4y5cH9C
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Then, something shifted in the darkness. A presence—vast beyond comprehension—took shape before him. Its body was a tapestry of galaxies, nebulae spiraling across limbs that defied human geometry. Where a head should be, there was a helmet just like his spartan designed mask, etched deep into the cosmic mask.
Ronin’s throat worked, but his voice emerged as a ragged whisper, lost in the vacuum. “What the hell… is that?”
Before he could process the vision, a force—cold and irresistible—latched onto him. It pulled, not at his body, but at the core of his being. The void tore open, revealing a sliver of green and blue: a world, vibrant and alive, suspended in the abyss. As he hurtled toward it.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwTAElip4t
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He shut his eyes, a bitter laugh echoing in the emptiness of his mind. “This is one weird dream,”
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Images flickered—disjointed, feverish. He saw a figure: humanoid, but not human, its form shifting between shadow and starlight, winglike structure flapped. Unlike before, his body felt limp, unanchored, as if he were a ghost adrift on a cosmic tide.
A voice, soft as moth wings, brushed his ear as he lost consciousness again “How blessed am I to have met you, my lord. But I am weak. I will distract him. Please live, even if it is hard.”
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The being carrying Ronin is a humanoid with dragon Wings.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPN5E62w0f
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“Warzheil is behind me, but if I turn now, Zamba will find him too. I will need to leave Lord Cosmeta somewhere here. I am sure he will be able to survive here.” The humanoid thinks as he drops down closing his wings and going into the forest.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XewWpCtZ2
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A dragon comes flying, hovering above the forest. He laughs menacingly as he looks around.
“No more corners to cower in, Drax. You die by my hand—your era ends tonight.” Zamba’s lips curled in a predatory sneer, jagged teeth gleaming, the promise of death in his eyes.
“If you do not reveal yourself, I will burn this forest.” he says as fire sparks from his grills on the neck, getting ready to burn every thing.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXCWMeFBCx
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Drax finally comes out.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAy4WKlM5XB
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His breath hitched—a wet, ragged sound. The summoning ritual had hollowed him; even lifting his talons felt like dragging mountains. Yet his eyes burned brighter. “Honor died with your ambition, Zamba. You are nothing but the heavenly king’s puppet begging for scraps.”
Zamba lunged, wings shearing the air into supersonic shrieks.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiw4AAGkIb
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“We will see about that.” Drax teleported—a flicker of starlight—reappearing above to drive his spiked tail toward Zamba’s spine. The impact reverberated like a gong, shaking trees for miles. Zamba roared, ichor spraying as scales splintered, but retaliated with a backhand swipe that sent Drax crashing through a granite outcrop.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZQ8v9u71h
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“Gah!” the dragon recoils back in pain before composing himself.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGwDZCtj0j
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A guttural, mocking laugh rumbled from Zamba’s throat. “If you were whole, you’d have erased me with a thought. But now? Now I know you bleed.” He swept a clawed hand—razor talons tearing through air and flesh alike—catching Drax across the chest and flinging him through the trees like a broken doll.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7yoDHpe36
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Drax’s exhaustion is evident on his face, his bright red eyes, burning like ambers, the glow around his eyes and in his glowing red hair dimmed as he huffed.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwejvFsm5Fd
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Hours pass, The battle raged—sky torn by fire and starlight, earth scarred by their fury. Again and again they clashed, until finally, Zamba’s tail caught Drax mid-charge. The blow sent him crashing through a dozen trees, each trunk exploding in a rain of splinters, before he slammed into a boulder with bone-cracking force.
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“Finally, I have become the new dragon king! Your era has ended, Drax.” Zamba’s voice thundered as he descended from the bruised sky, each wingbeat sending tremors through the scorched earth.
His form rippled, scales liquefying into a humanoid silhouette encased in volcanic armor. He hovered above Drax’s shattered body, a sphere of molten fire coiling in his clawed hand. “Your daughter,” he hissed, voice low and venomous, “will kneel before your corpse. I’ll make sure she tastes every ounce of your failure.”
Drax coughed, blood flecking his lips. “You… win, Zamba. All your scheming with the heavens finally paid off. But don’t fool yourself. I’m the one who truly won.” His smile was brittle, but his eyes burned with a last ember of defiance.
Zamba’s laughter was slow, oily, curling around the clearing like smoke. “That god of yours? Just a mana-less human now. Once you’re gone, I’ll hunt him—and your daughter—down myself.”
Drax’s smile faded, replaced by a cold, ancient gravity. “By the rites of the dragon king, the victor must grant the loser a wish in exchange for the Dragon Rune. Refuse, and the throne will spit you out.”
For a heartbeat, Zamba’s triumphant sneer faltered. He masked it with a dismissive wave. “Fine. I’ll grant your wish—if it’s reasonable. I am, after all, a merciful king.”
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“He fell for it,” Drax thought, a flicker of triumph in his pain-blurred mind.
“You will not harm my god’s avatar or my daughter,” Drax rasped, voice barely more than a whisper.
Zamba rolled his shoulders, the fire in his palm pulsing. “So be it. I, Zamba the Dragon Blood, swear by the rules of the Dragon King: as long as your god’s avatar and your daughter do not interfere with my throne, I will not move against them directly. If I break this oath, I lose my throne—and my wings.”
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“Now, the Dragon Rune,” Zamba demanded, hand outstretched.
Drax drew forth a shard of silver, etched with a blazing orange sigil, and let it drift toward Zamba’s waiting grasp.
Zamba’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve lived too long, Drax. Goodbye.”
He conjured a lance of pure flame and hurled it through Drax’s chest. The dragon god’s body convulsed, flesh whitening into light and Slowly dispersing into air.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgjuAJye10
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Above him, clouds gathered, blotting out the sun, as if the heavens themselves mourned Drax’s passing.
Zamba rose, casting one last, suspicious glance at the forest canopy before launching skyward in a thunderous burst, vanishing into the storm.
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Zamba rises up in the sky, glancing at the forest again, his eyes narrowing. But he flies off, in a super sonic speed.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pYNugkwIt
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The bushes rattled around him as Drax opened his eyes before he took his last breath. “Go, lead him to Warzheil.” He spoke as his voice became a whisper.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHu4wdsUY3K
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The rattling of the bush became distant.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNX9Q1xUhx
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Ronin Opens his eyes, adjusting as he blinks, drop of rain fell on him, he shakes his head as he sits up, but as his eyes adjust he looks around, finding himself in a vast, alien forest. Sunlight pierced through colossal trees as the clouds moved away from his area raining heavy in the areas ahead, the air sharp and too clean with soil’s smell. He pushed himself up, taking in the sheer scale of everything—the trees, the grass, even the underbrush looked unreal.
Something glinted in the grass: a battered grimoire.
He picked it up, muttering, “By the gods… What is this place?”
He flipped the cover. Strange, elegant text spiraled across the pages. This was no ordinary world. This was something far beyond his expectations.
He turned the book over in his hands, voice low and skeptical. “Why is this here? Where the hell am I?”
“Sanskrit?” He frowned. “At least those mad scientists appreciated the classics.” He traced the inscription: “Adapt to unlock, and Find him?. Find who?”
He tilted his head, unimpressed as he closed the book with a sigh. Riddles were not his Forte.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8VBuAzeBO
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Suddenly, he heard bushes rustled. A group of oversized, blue-eyed squirrels bounded out, fluffier than any he’d seen.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWmdkH3qeX
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“Never seen these before, looks like squirrels…but big?” he thought573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqR4zLqmzwt
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The squirrels took cautious step toward Ronin, curiosity evident in their demeanour.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKdgUNi3K6
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Ronin kneeled, he too liked squirrels.
Before they could get close, the creatures froze, their gaze shifting toward a stack of boulders piled like a miniature mountain. The ground looked as if it had tried to erupt and failed.
He followed their gaze—nothing there. When he looked back, the squirrels had already escaped toward the woods, into the underbrush.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ321e5aIXcg
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He sighed, disappointment flickering for a heartbeat—then a cold chill slid down his spine as he noticed something from the corner of his eyes.
He turned, and froze.
Three monstrous, skeletal sheep loomed before him, towering and grotesque, their hides rotting, empty sockets burning with unnatural purple light.
His body refused to move. Even his breath felt heavy.
“What… are these things?” the thought came naturally
He forced his limbs to obey, breaking the paralysis. He ran, heart pounding, the forest blurring around him as he fled deeper into the unknown.
My body refuses to move. What... are these things?
I can't just stand here. Letting them get any closer is not an option, because whatever these monstrosities are, I don’t want to stick around to find out.
Forcing my frozen limbs into action, I push past the paralyzing fear and sprint in the opposite direction, my heart pounding as I race through the forest.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxhMuRq8T4
Dear Reader, be kind enough to leave a comment in the chapter about it, as it inspires me to keep improving and doing better. And like if you enjoyed this chapter.573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0j8dMiXLp
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Join my Discord server If you want sneak peeks or early access to chapters of Cosmeta series. Discord Server link: http://discord.gg/Q27uA8vnfu573Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqC9EtLMl4
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