Novels by solangechidinma

CHAPTER 34Rowan's eyes blinked open to cold, sterile silence. The Mirror Room hummed softly around him, its eerie blue glow pulsing in time with his heartbeat. Every pulse felt like a countdown.A prompt hovered in the air in front of him:[SIMULATION ACTIVE. SUBJECT: ROWAN STORMONT. SYNCING NEURAL THREADS... 92%]His chest rose and fell rapidly. He gripped the sides of the chair, preparing for the shift. …96%...98%...100%.The world tilted.He was no longer in the Mirror Room.Now he stood in the middle of a battlefield, scorched and broken. The sky roiled with ash-colored clouds, occasionally torn open by streaks of synthetic lightning. Stormont banners burned in the distance. Drones screeched overhead, unleashing plasma rounds into the haze. Screams and static crackled in every direction.And then he saw her againAcross the shattered earth stood Raven. But not the Raven he remembered. Not his sister This Raven wore obsidian armor laced with crimson, her eyes glowing blood-red l

CHAPTER 33 – FaultlinesRowan sat alone in his command chamber, the room dimly lit by flickering system holograms. The hum of idle machinery underscored the silence like a ticking bomb. His eyes flicked to the console as he initiated yet another twin sync attempt. ‘[‘System Alert: TWIN LINK — DISCONNECTED. CONNECTION FAILED.]’He slammed his palm against the console. “Damn it!”He stood abruptly, the chair rolling back. “Where the hell are you, Raven?” he muttered under his breath, tension crackling in every movement.He moved swiftly down the corridor to Raven’s quarters. The door hissed open. The room was empty. Her bed was neatly made, the lights dimmed. No signs of a struggle. No sign of her.Just then, Conrad appeared at the doorway, his face grim. “She left hours ago. One of the guards said she needed air,” he said hesitantly. “She didn’t log her destination.”Rowan’s expression darkened like a storm cloud. “And no one thought to stop her?”“I’m sorry, sir. I—I should have be

CHAPTER 32‘Stormont Estate – Medical WingAria stood alone in the biometric lab, staring at the system scan that glowed faint red across her forearm. The same pulse had shown up in Celeste during the rescue,red veins, vibrating like warning flares.Her breath caught.The display didn’t lie.She tapped the screen again. A low hum responded.‘[Dormant Code Signature: ERIS PROTOCOL – PARTIAL HOST FOUND]’She staggered back.“No… that can’t be right,” she whispered.The ERIS PROTOCOL wasn’t just a legend buried in encrypted logs. It was real. And it was inside her.Her hands shook. The lab felt smaller now.She had seen what Celeste could do with just a partial activation. What if hers was deeper? What if she was the key to the destruction of Raven and Rowan and didn’t even know it?Aria’s fingers hovered over the console, her breath shallow. System diagnostics danced across her vision, flickering and erratic since the blackout. Something was… wrong. Deeply wrong.She isolated the code,

CHAPTER 31Sirens blared faintly in the background, echoing through the dark, pulsing corridors of the Helix facility. The entire system was still reeling from the blackout shockwave Celeste had unleashed. Red emergency lights flickered back to life, casting jagged shadows across the floor."We have to move," Rowan said, clutching his side as the group began to run. Sparks sizzled from overhead conduits. He could feel his internal systems glitching vision flickering, telemetry lagging."Raven’s gone," Celeste said, glancing behind them. "She escaped in the chaos.""Good," Rowan muttered, staggering. "Because I wasn’t sure I could… fight her."“But we have to go before they come back”They reached a sealed corridor door. Aria’s override hadn’t reached this far. Celeste raised her hand, and with a hum of energy, the door’s lock fizzled and popped.>>>>>Smoke curled into the night sky as the remains of Helix HQ crumbled behind them.Rowan staggered, one arm clutching Celeste, the other

CHAPTER 30 HOURS EARLIER THAT DAY.The air was thick with tension as Raven stood alone in the dimly lit chamber. The walls pulsed with a faint, eerie glow, reflecting the advanced technology embedded within. She was led here by Trace, who had promised her answers.Suddenly, the room transformed. Holographic projections surrounded her, depicting a future where she stood atop a throne, ruling alone. The world beneath her feet was in chaos, but she remained untouched, powerful, and revered.Trace’s voice echoed, distorted and ancient, "This is your destiny, Raven. Embrace it."Raven’s eyes narrowed. "What is this? Some trick?"Trace stepped into view, his smirk laced with ambition. "Not a trick Raven, but the truth. One version of it, at least. With Celeste’s power under our control, this future is within reach."Raven turned sharply. “Who is Celeste?” she asked, her voice steady but her hands curled into fists."You will meet her soon," Trace replied. "And when you do, you'll under

CHAPTER 29 – CelesteStormont Estate – Rowan’s Private StudyThe room was dimly lit, the glow from the holographic display casting shadows on the walls. Rowan sat at his desk, eyes fixed on the image before him, a dossier labeled "Celeste Vercelli."Dante stood nearby, arms crossed, his expression a mix of concern and determination.“So,tell me again, what exactly is she? Is she a human being?”. Rowan asked, looking up at Dante, who didn;t exactly respond at first. "She's my half-sister," Dante began, breaking the silence. "A system-savant, unparalleled in her abilities. The Helix Circle stole her six months ago."Rowan looked up, eyebrows raised. "The Helix Circle? I thought they were a myth."Dante shook his head. "They're very real. An underground syndicate specializing in system manipulation and black-market enhancements. They've been using Celeste to further their own agenda."Rowan leaned back, processing the information. "Why come to me?""Because I need someone I can trust,"