Novels by Dep Flair

The System message appeared in Michael's vision as he stood backstage, still breathing hard from his improvised runway performance: [Emergency Task Completed: Create something revolutionary from nothing. Reward: Enhanced Creativity - Level 3 Activated] Michael felt the enhancement take effect immediately. Ideas began flowing through his mind with unprecedented clarity and connection. The collaborative demonstration he'd just performed wasn't just a solution to sabotage—it was the foundation for an entirely new approach to neural-responsive technology. "Michael," Sophia called urgently, "the media wants statements about the collaborative presentation. They're calling it a breakthrough in interactive fashion technology." "Because it is," Michael replied, his Enhanced Creativity revealing possibilities he'd never considered before. "What we just demonstrated accidentally is more revolutionary than anything we planned deliberately." Louise approached, still glowing from the successfu

Michael watched in horror as Louise stepped onto the runway wearing the compromised prototype. His enhanced intuition was screaming warnings, but there was no way to stop her without creating an even bigger disaster in front of the international audience. "Systems failure in prototype six," Rebecca announced urgently from the technical station. "Neural interface is malfunctioning, color responses are erratic." "Can we fix it remotely?" Sophia asked, frantically working at her tablet. "Not without shutting down the entire outfit," Rebecca replied. "And that would leave Louise wearing a dead garment on live television." Michael felt his heart pounding as Louise reached the center of the runway. The prototype was supposed to demonstrate their most advanced emotional visualization technology, but instead it was flickering randomly between colors that had no connection to Louise's actual emotional state. The audience noticed immediately. Murmurs rippled through the venue as fashion ex

The atmosphere at Lincoln Center was electric with anticipation. Fashion Week had returned, and this time So Black wasn't the mysterious newcomer—they were the main event. Michael stood backstage wearing his Black Investor mask, watching final preparations for what the media was calling "the most anticipated fashion show of the decade.""Pre-orders are already at two million units," Sophia reported, checking her tablet. "And the show doesn't start for another hour."Louise approached, radiating the confidence that had become her signature since her breakthrough performance months earlier. She was no longer the struggling model taking desperate risks—she was the undisputed face of revolutionary fashion technology."The international press is incredible," Louise said, adjusting one of the new So Black prototypes. "Journalists from thirty countries, technology reporters, medical professionals. This isn't just a fashion show anymore."Michael nodded, feeling the weight of expectations tha

Michael's phone buzzed with an urgent text as he was leaving the Crawford board meeting. The message was from Kylie, and the fear in her words made his blood run cold: "I think someone's following me. Same car for three days. Help?"He immediately called her, his enhanced intuition picking up genuine anxiety in her voice even before she spoke."Kylie, where are you right now?""The university library," she replied, trying to sound calm but failing. "There's a man in a dark suit who's been sitting across from me for two hours, pretending to read but watching everything I do."Michael's jaw tightened. Eric's investigation had clearly expanded beyond targeting Michael directly to include family members who might provide leverage."Stay exactly where you are," he instructed. "I'm twenty minutes away."As he drove toward the university, Michael called Olivia on his secure line. "I need a team at the university library immediately. Kylie's being surveilled, and it's not friendly.""Corporat

Michael stood in the Buzzer Tech conference room, surrounded by screens displaying global market data that would have been impossible to imagine just months earlier. Olivia was coordinating with manufacturing partners across three continents while Megan reviewed distribution agreements that spanned twelve countries."The Asian rollout exceeded every projection," Olivia announced, pulling up sales figures that made Michael's head spin. "Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are reporting demand that's literally crashing retailer websites.""European pre-orders are similar," Megan added. "London, Paris, Berlin—every major fashion capital wants exclusive launch events for So Black."Michael felt a mix of pride and anxiety as he watched their revolutionary technology spreading across the globe. The therapeutic applications Louise had developed were genuinely helping people manage mental health challenges, but the success was creating visibility that made his double life increasingly precarious.

The Crawford family dining room hadn't hosted a dinner like this in years. Richard sat at the head of the table, still pale from his recent cardiac episode but determined to project strength. Eric and Katherine flanked one side, while Michael sat alone on the other, the seating arrangement making the family divisions physically obvious."I thought we should celebrate," Richard announced, raising his wine glass with deliberate ceremony. "Michael's Project New Day has received preliminary approval from the Department of Energy. Federal recognition of our renewable energy initiative."Michael's enhanced intuition immediately picked up the complex emotional currents around the table. Richard's pride was genuine, but mixed with concern about something he wasn't sharing. Eric's congratulatory smile masked fury and calculation. Katherine's supportive expression hid deep anxiety about something specific."Congratulations, brother," Eric said, his voice perfectly calibrated for family harmony.

The academy gates looked different when they returned.Same stone walls. Same guard towers. Same banners flapping in the wind. But something felt off.Maybe it was them who'd changed.Draven walked through the gates with his team behind him. Students passed by, laughing and talking about classes. Normal academy life. Like nothing had happened.Like they hadn't just failed to save two people."I need a shower," Lyra said quietly. "And sleep. Lots of sleep.""Same," Jin agreed.They split up in the courtyard. Jin headed to the dormitories. Lyra toward the bathhouses. Sera just disappeared without a word, the way she always did when things got heavy.Draven stood alone in the courtyard, watching students move around him.He should report to Master Vex. File the expedition paperwork. Explain what happened.But he couldn't make himself move.The pendant was cool against his chest. Silent. No ancient memories offering wisdom. Just his own thoughts circling endlessly.Varen and Rask were sti

The mill came into view as dawn broke.It sat beside a dried-up riverbed, half-collapsed and covered in vines. The waterwheel was broken, missing planks like rotted teeth. Windows were dark and empty. The whole structure looked ready to fall apart with a strong wind.But smoke rose from inside.Someone was there.Draven crouched behind a fallen tree, studying the building. His team spread out beside him, all of them watching for movement."Two guards at the front door," Sera whispered. "One on the second floor, north window.""I see him," Lyra confirmed.Jin shifted his weight, axe ready. "That's only three. Where are the rest?""Inside probably," Draven said. "Or they really are running low on numbers after the camp.""Or it's another trap," Lyra pointed out."Definitely another trap," Sera agreed.Draven studied the mill's layout. Something about it bothered him. The guards were too visible. Too easy. Like they wanted to be seen."Lyra, can you take the window guard?"She pulled out

Draven kept watch while the others slept, his eyes scanning the darkness between the trees. Every shadow looked like a threat. Every sound made his hand drift toward his sword.Something was wrong.He couldn't put his finger on it, but the feeling sat heavy in his gut. The rescue had been too easy. The mercenaries too disorganized. For a professional company, they'd fallen apart fast.Too fast.Beside him, Varen shifted in his sleep, muttering something unintelligible. Rask breathed heavily, his ribs clearly hurting from the beating he'd taken.Draven looked at them in the dim moonlight filtering through the trees.Then he froze.Varen's wrist. The rope burns were there, red and raw. But something about them looked wrong. Too perfect. Too symmetrical.Draven stood slowly, moving closer. He knelt beside the merchant, studying his face in the pale light.The cuts were real. The bruises were real. But the way Varen breathed, the way he lay there—It was too still. Too posed.Like a paint

The forest had gone still. From the ridge above the mercenary camp, Draven could see every torch, every shift of movement below. The mercenaries laughed and drank around their fires, unaware they were being watched. Sera crouched beside him, tracing rough lines in the dirt with a piece of charcoal. “Two towers. Four patrols. They swap every twenty minutes.” Lyra leaned closer, her eyes narrowed. “And the prisoners?” Draven pointed to the center of the camp. “There. Varen and Rask. Both tied to posts near the supply wagons.” Jin grunted, resting his axe against his shoulder. “Two of them, thirty of us. Sounds fair.” Sera smirked faintly. “Thirty of them.” Draven’s gaze didn’t leave the camp. “We wait for the third patrol. That’s our window. Sera lights the distraction. Lyra handles the south tower. Jin cuts through to the prisoners.” “And you?” Jin asked. “I’ll finish what you can’t.” They went quiet again. The sound of distant laughter floated through the trees. Someone below

The walk back felt longer than it should have.Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was the weight of what they'd left behind. Either way, every step dragged, and the silence between them stretched thin.Draven led the way, his sword heavy at his hip. Behind him, Jin limped slightly, favoring his left leg. Lyra kept checking her daggers like she expected them to break. Sera walked without a word, her eyes distant.None of them had slept well. None of them would admit it.The sun climbed higher as they followed the dirt road back toward the staging area where Varen had set up base camp. Three miles, maybe four. Not far. But it felt like walking through mud."How long do you think he's been waiting?" Lyra asked eventually."Varen?" Jin snorted. "Probably pacing holes in the ground. That man doesn't sit still.""He's going to have questions," Sera said."He always has questions," Draven muttered.They crested a small hill, and the valley below came into view. The camp should've been visible

The wind was colder when they reached the edge of the cemetery.Not the chill of night — this was deeper, the kind that came from the ground itself.The kind that meant something ancient was finally dying.They didn’t talk much as they packed their gear. Sera’s cloak was torn. Lyra’s daggers were dull from striking enchanted armor. Jin’s axe had a split down the handle. None of it mattered; they were alive.“Let’s get out of here before the ground decides to eat us,” Jin said, slinging his pack over his shoulder.Draven nodded, but his gaze stayed on the hill. The soil where the tomb entrance had once been glowed faintly under the moonlight — a slow pulse, like a heartbeat fading away.Sera followed his eyes. “You think it’s over?”“No,” he said quietly. “But it’s ending.”They started the trek back down the narrow path that wound through the old gravestones. The silence felt heavy, too complete. Even the insects had gone quiet. Every few steps, a low rumble rolled underfoot — the tom