Novels by Dep Flair

The corridor led them deeper into the ruins. Stone walls covered in carvings that seemed to shift in the firelight, telling stories Draven couldn't quite follow. Dragons everywhere. Fighting, flying, burning."These carvings are really detailed," Jin said, running his hand along the wall. "Whoever built this put serious work into it.""They had centuries," Sera pointed out. "And probably slave labor.""That's dark.""It's realistic."They emerged from the corridor into an open courtyard. At least, it had been a courtyard once. Now it was half-buried in red sand, with massive stone columns jutting up like broken teeth. The sky above was visible but distant, filtered through layers of magical haze that made everything look red."We're still inside the tomb structure," Lyra said, looking up. "But this section is exposed to the desert.""Great," Jin said. "So we get sand and monsters. Best of both worlds."At the far end of the courtyard stood gates. Massive things, easily thirty feet tal

The darkness inside the tomb wasn't natural. It swallowed light, ate it whole before it could spread. Draven conjured a small flame in his palm and it barely illuminated five feet ahead."This is unsettling," Jin said, his voice echoing strangely."Stay close," Lyra said. "Don't lose sight of each other."They moved forward slowly, feeling their way along the stone walls. The air was cool here, almost cold after the desert heat. And it smelled old. Ancient. Like nothing living had breathed here in centuries.The corridor opened into a larger chamber. Draven's flame grew brighter suddenly, as if the room wanted to be seen.What they saw made them stop.Murals covered every surface. Walls, ceiling, floor. All depicting the life of Dragon War God Pyrion. His training as a young warrior. His first battles. The day he bonded with his first dragon. His rise to power. His victories against impossible odds."He was a legend," Sera said softly, studying the images. "Look at this one. He fought

The first hour wasn't bad. Hot, but manageable. The sand was rough under their boots and the sun beat down like a hammer, but they'd trained in worse conditions."How far until we reach the tomb area?" Jin asked, wiping sweat from his face.Draven checked his map. "If we keep this pace, maybe two days. The main group will take three following their route.""Assuming we don't die first," Lyra muttered."You agreed to come.""I agreed to not let you die alone. There's a difference."They walked in silence for a while. The desert stretched out in all directions, red sand and rocks as far as they could see. No plants, no animals, no signs of life. Just heat and sand and the distant shimmer of more heat."Look," Sera said, pointing back the way they'd come.In the distance, they could still see the main expedition. Tiny figures moving along the marked route like ants following a trail. Even from here, Draven could make out the organized formation, the careful progress."They're doing fine

The announcement came three days after Draven's team had their breakthrough in training.Master Aldren stood at the front of the assembly hall, looking more serious than usual. "The academy has been selected to participate in a joint expedition," he said, his voice carrying across the packed room. "Multiple academies from across the kingdoms will be sending their best students."Students immediately started whispering. Joint expeditions were rare. Dangerous. And they usually meant something big."The destination," Aldren continued, "is the Tomb of Dragon War God Pyrion, located deep in the Crimson Desert."The whispers became excited chatter. Everyone knew the legends. Pyrion had been one of the greatest warriors in history, a man who'd mastered dragon flame itself. His tomb had been lost for centuries."The tomb is said to contain the Dragonfire Sovereign Art," Aldren said. "A technique that grants mastery over dragon flames. Finding it could change the balance of power in the kingdo

Draven showed up at the training field at five forty-five in the morning. Better early than give Lyra another reason to be annoyed with him.She was already there, of course. Running through wind magic exercises in the pre-dawn darkness, her movements sharp and focused."You're early," she said without stopping."Didn't want to be late.""Smart." She finished her set and turned to face him. "We're going to push hard these next two weeks. I want to win this tournament, and that means training like we mean it.""I'm ready.""We'll see."Jin arrived right at six, eating a breakfast roll and looking half asleep. Sera materialized from somewhere, because that's what Sera did."Alright," Lyra said, pulling out a notebook. "Now that we know what Draven can actually do, we need to rebuild our strategy from the ground up. Everything we practiced before was based on him holding back.""So what's the new plan?" Jin asked."That's what we're figuring out today. Draven, show us your real speed. Fu

They found an empty training room after lunch. The kind tucked away in the corner of the academy where nobody went unless they wanted privacy.Lyra shut the door behind them with more force than necessary."Alright," she said, turning to face Draven. "We're alone now. No cafeteria full of students, no chance of being overheard. So let's have the real conversation."Draven leaned against the wall. "I thought we just had it.""That was the public version. This is the part where I tell you exactly how pissed off I am."Jin winced. "Lyra, maybe we should—""No." She cut him off without looking away from Draven. "He needs to hear this."Sera had already faded into the shadows at the edge of the room. Smart. This was between Lyra and Draven."Go ahead," Draven said."We're supposed to be a team," Lyra started, her voice controlled but tight. "Do you know what that means? It means we trust each other. It means when one of us is in danger, the others are there to help. It means we don't keep

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.

Michael woke up feeling different. Not physically different—the health apple the System had given him hadn't changed his body in any obvious way. But something fundamental had shifted in how he perceived the world around him.Walking into Crawford Enterprises that morning, he immediately noticed things that had been invisible before. Board Member Harrison's micro-expressions when he greeted Michael suggested anxiety mixed with guilt. Vanessa's posture indicated she was hiding something significant. Even the security guard's greeting carried undertones of nervousness that hadn't been there yesterday.It was like gaining a sixth sense for reading people's true intentions beneath their surface presentations."Enhanced Intuition," Michael realized, remembering the System's reward description. The health apple hadn't just improved his physical condition—it had upgraded his ability to perceive the emotional and psychological states of everyone around him.The new ability was immediately use

The green flag dropped and Michael floored the accelerator, feeling the Porsche surge forward with raw power. For the first few seconds, he stayed even with Claire's Ferrari, matching her acceleration through the initial straightaway.Then she pulled ahead.It wasn't a dramatic gap—maybe half a car length—but it was decisive. Claire took the racing line through the first turn with precision that made Michael's driving look amateur by comparison. She hit the apex perfectly, carried more speed through the exit, and extended her lead down the back straight.Michael pushed harder, using every technique he'd learned over years of track days. His enhanced reflexes helped him brake later and accelerate sooner, but Claire was simply better. Not because of superior equipment or luck, but because of pure skill developed through countless hours of practice.By the end of the first lap, she was ahead by nearly three seconds. In racing terms, that was an eternity.Michael tried different approache