Novels by Chris Ahafa

They looked through magical scopes. They shot glowing purple bullets that ignored the wind and tracked body heat. They were cowards. They were cold, calculating machines. Jonah slowly lowered his hands from his face. He looked at his massive, thick arms. He looked at the heavy, dark iron scars covering his skin. He was a Tank. The System had built him to be a shield. His Undying Will skill was a miracle of survival. It allowed him to absorb bullets. It allowed him to turn terrible pain into kinetic power. If a monster stood in front of him, Jonah could shatter it into dust. But what good was a shield if the enemy refused to get close? What good was a massive, forty-pound iron sledgehammer if the assassin was two miles away, hiding on a cliff? "I am just a target," Jonah whispered into the dark, empty room. His deep voice was full of bitter, painful realization. If he walked out the front door right now, the invisible snipers would shoot him again. They would shoot him ten times.

The silver light grew so bright it was hard to look at. The room vibrated. Small rocks danced on the concrete floor. "You will not take her!" Jonah roared. With one final, massive push, Jonah blasted a wave of pure silver energy deep into her chest. A thick cloud of black, foul-smelling smoke exploded out of Lisa’s wound. The dark purple light shattered into a million tiny sparks and completely vanished. The Anti-Regeneration magic was dead. Jonah had burned it away with his own soul. Jonah pulled his hand back. He stumbled backward, completely exhausted. The silver light in his eyes faded. The iron scars on his chest turned dark and cold again. He fell heavily against the concrete wall, panting for air. Martha did not wait. The doctor rushed forward to the metal table. She looked at the wound. The purple glow was completely gone. "Kevin, give me the other potion!" Martha yelled. "The small blue bottle in my bag!" Kevin grabbed the bag. He dug his good hand inside and pulled

Jonah stared at the black ash on Lisa’s chest. His heart dropped into a cold, bottomless pit. "The bullet," Jonah whispered. His deep voice sounded like a dying engine. "The bullet is cursed." "It has an Anti-Regeneration property," Martha explained. The doctor’s hands were shaking now. "The purple Mana inside the wound is eating the healing magic. The enemy designed this bullet to stop the System from fixing the damage. It destroys medicine. Normal healing potions and skills will fail." Lisa let out a terrible, rattling sigh. Suddenly, her body went completely limp on the metal table. Her back arched slightly, and then she fell flat. Her dark eyes rolled back into her head. "She stopped breathing!" Elena screamed. Martha pressed two fingers hard against Lisa’s pale neck. She felt for the pulse. The room was totally, perfectly silent. Martha looked up at Jonah. Tears filled the doctor’s tired eyes. "She is flatlining, Jonah," Martha whispered. "Her heart has stopped. The purpl

The heavy metal doors of the Sanctuary broke open with a loud, violent crash. Jonah ran into the concrete building. He did not care about the cold. He did not care about his own bleeding wounds. His massive chest was covered in dark red blood and freezing gray ash. In his giant, scarred arms, he carried Lisa. She was incredibly light, but the weight of her dying body felt like a falling mountain. Her green mechanic’s suit was completely soaked in black and red blood. Her head hung back loosely over Jonah’s thick arm. Her dark eyes were closed. "Medic!" Jonah roared. His deep voice shook the dust from the concrete ceiling. "I need a medic right now!" The escape from General Silas had been a desperate, bloody blur. Just as Jonah had put the dark handcuffs on his wrists, Elena had driven the massive, heavy logging truck directly off the cliff. The truck had crashed onto the ruined highway, crushing three invisible assassins under its massive rubber tires. The explosion of snow and

"Hello, Jonah," Silas said. His hypnotic, beautiful voice echoed softly in the quiet, snowy tunnel. Jonah stood up slowly. He gently laid Lisa back down in the snow. Jonah stepped in front of his son and his dying friend. He placed his broad, massive body between them and the guns. The freezing silver light in Jonah’s eyes flared with blinding intensity. The iron scars on his chest pulsed with heavy, terrifying power. "Silas," Jonah growled. His voice sounded like grinding mountains. Silas smiled beneath his silver mask. He looked at the glowing giant with deep, scientific admiration. "You walked through a wall of my best sniper fire, and you do not have a single scratch on you," Silas murmured, nodding his head. "Your Undying Will skill is truly magnificent. It is a flawless piece of biological programming. It breaks all the rules." Silas took a slow step forward. He did not look afraid of Jonah’s power. "But you have a fatal flaw, Jonah," Silas said softly. Silas pointed hi

The bullets rained down on Jonah. His back and shoulders took dozens of hits. The kinetic force pushed him forward. It was like running while being hit by baseball bats. Jonah gritted his teeth. He let out low, animalistic grunts of pain.But he did not stop. The giant wolf refused to fall. Kevin ran behind him, totally amazed by his father’s sheer, impossible willpower. As they ran, Kevin used his Rogue/Scout skills. He kept his eye on the sky. "Drone on the left!" Kevin shouted. Kevin unslung his sleek black compound bow. He knocked a steel-tipped arrow. He aimed while running. His Agility stat kept his hands perfectly steady. The arrow flew through the blizzard and pinned the flying drone directly to a dead pine tree. "Good shot!" Jonah called back. They worked in perfect, flawless harmony. The Tank absorbed the heavy damage. The Scout eliminated the tricky threats. Father and son fighting side-by-side in the end of the world. Through the thick, blowing white snow, massive

The world was gone. Riley felt nothing, no heat, no sound, no pain. Only emptiness. His body floated in a vast, silent void. There was no up or down, no sky or ground. Just endless gray light stretching forever. He tried to move, but his limbs didn’t respond. He wasn’t even sure he had a body anymore. “Where… am I?” he whispered.His voice didn’t echo. Silence, then, faintly, a sound, like a heartbeat. Slow. Heavy. Distant. Thump. Thump.With each beat, faint ripples spread across the emptiness, and pieces of memory flickered in front of him, flashes of faces, battles, laughter, screams.Akira. Hogan. Doyle. Alira. The Titan’s roar. The Shadow’s eyes, then, the explosion. Riley gasped, his body snapping upright.He was lying on cold ground. The air was damp and thick with mist. Shadows shifted around him like living things, whispering faintly.His head pounded. His body ached all over, burned and broken, but somehow he was alive.He looked down, his armor was cracked, his clothes tor

Riley felt the power drain from his body like someone had ripped his soul away. His sword shattered into fragments of fading light, scattering into the molten air. His system’s voice, the calm tone that had guided him through every battle, went silent. For the first time since it began, he felt truly alone.The Titan’s massive hand swung toward him, the heat like a storm of fire. Riley tried to move, but his limbs were heavy, unresponsive. The infection burned through him, black veins crawling up his face.He fell hard onto the crumbling bridge, his breath ragged and short. Alira screamed his name, her voice echoing across the cavern. “RILEY!”The Titan’s molten eyes gleamed. “It ends.”The world slowed. Riley looked up, the reflection of the Titan’s blazing hand filling his eyes. Time felt thick, heavy, like he was sinking through it. His thoughts drifted back to his team, to Akira’s worried face, to Hogan’s stubborn loyalty, to Alira’s voice telling him he was chosen.He wanted to

The cavern shook with the Titan’s laughter, deep and cruel. Lava spilled down the throne, dripping into the chasm below. The heat was unbearable.Riley stood at the edge, sweat streaming down his face, his chest heaving. His body trembled from exhaustion, his infection burning like fire under his skin.Behind him, Hogan, Doyle, Miller, and Akira stayed close. Their weapons were drawn, but their eyes showed fear.The Titan raised its massive blade of shadow and fire. The flames licked the cavern ceiling, sparks falling like meteors.“You are weak,” the Titan rumbled. “You crawl, you bleed, and yet you think you can take what belongs to me?”Its furnace eyes glowed brighter, fixed on Alira. “She was always mine.”Alira lifted her head slightly, her silver eyes faint but defiant. Her voice, weak but steady, cut through the heat. “No. I will never be yours again.”Riley’s chest tightened. He gripped his broken, flickering blade tighter, though it barely glowed now. He muttered under his b

The cavern shook as the Titan’s molten body retreated into the darkness. Its burning chains dragged Alira across the floor, her silver glow flickering as she struggled against them. Her voice echoed through the heat and ash.“Riley!”Her cry pierced his chest like a blade.He tried to move, but his legs buckled. His arms shook violently, his blade gone, his vision swimming in red haze. The infection inside him surged like fire, tearing through his veins. His system blinked in frantic warning.SYSTEM ALERT: Collapse Imminent.HP: 45/500.Infection Progress: 94%.“Not yet,” Riley whispered through bloodied lips. He planted his hand against the molten ground, forcing himself up inch by inch. His breath came in ragged gasps. “Not, yet.”But the Titan was already gone, vanishing into the glowing tunnels with Alira bound in its grasp. The last echo of her cry faded into silence.Riley collapsed again, coughing hard. His blood hit the black stone, sizzling on the heated ground. He clenched

The Titan’s roar shook the cavern walls. Lava dripped from its body, glowing rivers running across the floor. Its molten chains dug into Riley’s skin, each link burning like fire pressed into his flesh.He gritted his teeth, pulling against them with all his strength. His system blinked in his vision:ALERT: Shadow Bind, Escape Chance 5%.HP: 110/500.Not enough. He was trapped. Alira stepped forward, her silver glow faint but steady. Her eyes never left the Titan’s burning face. “You still live,” she whispered.The Titan’s voice rumbled like a grinding stone. “And you still run. But not this time, Alira.”Riley’s chest tightened. The Titan knew her. He forced the words out through clenched teeth. “What, what are you to him?”Alira’s gaze flickered briefly toward Riley, then back to the monster. Her voice was calm, too calm. “He was my creation’s first host.”Riley froze. His stomach dropped. “What?”Alira’s eyes darkened. “Before you, before me, the Titan bore the system.”The chamb

The valley was silent. The screaming mist had gone. The glowing moss no longer pulsed. The ground lay broken, ash from the fallen Guardians scattered like gray snow.Riley stood on shaky legs, breathing hard. His blade had dissolved, his energy almost gone. His arm still throbbed with black veins, faint but stubborn, crawling beneath his skin like poison that refused to leave.Alira stood a few paces away, her silver hair glowing faintly in the dim light. She seemed calm, too calm for the destruction around them.Riley forced himself to speak, though his voice was hoarse. “You said, my team. They’re alive?”Alira turned her glowing eyes on him. “Yes. Alive. But held in a place worse than death.”Riley’s chest tightened. “Where?”Her gaze shifted toward the distance. Beyond the shattered valley, the horizon burned faintly red. There, a mountain rose, black and jagged, glowing with cracks of molten fire. “The Titan’s lair,” she said softly. “They are trapped within.”The name itself m

A blast of white-silver light tore through the cavern. Xayn stumbled back, shielding his face as wind howled from the center of the chamber. Stones ripped from the walls, chains snapped, and the torches went out one by one. Dust filled the air until he could barely breathe. “Lia!” he shouted. “Stop!”But it wasn’t Lia anymore. The girl on the floor rose slowly, her hair floating around her as if underwater. The marks of the seal blazed across her skin like living fire. Her eyes glowed pure silver, no pupils, no warmth, just cold light. The ground trembled. Cracks raced across the floor, spreading like lightning.System: “Warning. Unknown energy detected. Intensity, catastrophic.”Xayn took a step forward, his voice trembling. “Lia, it’s me. It’s Xayn. You’re safe now.”Her gaze snapped toward him. The air shuddered. When she spoke, her voice was layered, two tones overlapping, Lia’s soft one and another deeper, older, filled with fury. “You should not have freed me.”The mask pulsed

The sky above the city was pale and gray, the first sign of dawn breaking through the night. A thin fog crawled across the streets, softening the edges of broken walls and burnt wood.Xayn’s footsteps echoed dully as he stumbled through the alleyway. His entire body throbbed with exhaustion. Dried blood streaked his arms. The Shadowglass still glowed faintly in his fist, pulsing like a dying heart. The mask was still on his face.No matter how many times he clawed at it, the iron refused to come off. The edges had fused to his skin, cold and hot all at once. He could feel it breathing, like something alive pressed against his soul.System: “Bond locked. Artifact stable at 99.9%. Warning: external removal impossible.”He ignored it. All he could think of was Lia. He had been gone for too long. Every second mattered.The streets looked different now. Quiet. Deserted. Even the stray market lights had gone out. He turned down the narrow road that led to the safe house, the one he and Ki

The world was black. Not silent, though. The mask laughed in the darkness, its voice echoing like a storm in his skull. “You’re mine now. All mine. No more pretending. No more fighting.”Xayn tried to speak, but his lips wouldn’t move. His body felt heavy, trapped, as if he had been chained in molten iron, then another voice cut through, smooth, steady, calm. “Not yet. He’s still useful.”Xayn’s eyes snapped open. He was no longer on the blood-soaked streets of the Black Market.Instead, he stood in a strange void. The ground was black stone, cracked with glowing veins of red. Shadows swirled like smoke, wrapping around him. Above, the sky was endless and empty, yet alive with whispers, and standing in front of him was the red-eyed man.The cloak around his body swayed though there was no wind. His hood shadowed his face, but his glowing eyes cut through the dark like twin blades.“You’ve walked far,” the man said softly. “Farther than I expected. Most who wear that mask don’t last a

The night was silent now. Too silent. The bodies of Sean’s soldiers littered the street, blood pooling around broken armor and twisted spears. The torches guttered in the breeze, their light flickering over the ruined stones. Xayn knelt in the center, his chest rising and falling heavily. The mask still clung to his face. It pulsed with heat, its hollow crimson eyes glowing faintly, each beat in rhythm with his racing heart.His hands trembled as he reached for the edges of the iron. He tried to rip it off, as he had before, but it didn’t move.His fingers scraped against the cold metal. His nails dug until they bled. Nothing.The mask laughed softly inside his mind. “I told you… this time, you don’t take me off.”The system’s voice crackled in his ear, weak but urgent.Warning: Host identity collapsing.Bond stabilizing at 99.6%.Immediate removal required.Xayn growled through clenched teeth. “Then help me! Tear it off!”Error: External override blocked. Artifact resistance too st

The stones cracked under Xayn’s feet as he lunged forward. The black iron mask clung to his face, burning hot, its hollow crimson eyes blazing with power. His blood-red vision tunneled onto Sean, every muscle surging with violent strength.Sean didn’t flinch. He didn’t raise his weapon. He simply stood there, smiling, and that smile made something deep inside Xayn shiver.The mask hissed in his mind. “Kill him. Crush his skull. Tear out his heart. He dares to laugh at you!”Xayn’s fist roared forward, the air splitting under its speed. At the last instant, Sean moved.Steel sang. Sean’s blade flashed like silver lightning, parrying Xayn’s punch with impossible precision. Sparks exploded as fist met steel, the shockwave rattling the buildings around them.Xayn staggered back a step, his crimson eyes narrowing. Sean had stopped him. The mask hissed with anger. “Impossible. No man can match this power.”Sean tilted his head, his smile never leaving. “So it’s true. The mask accepts you.

The night wind carried the faint smell of smoke and blood. Xayn stood at the end of the alley, his chest heaving, his body still trembling from the battle with the assassins. His hand clutched the Shadowglass tightly, while the satchel containing the cursed mask pulsed faintly at his side, and there, standing in the torchlight with his men, was Sean.Sean’s polished armor gleamed even in the dim night. His eyes were sharp, filled with amusement, as though the entire world was nothing but a game for him. His cruel smile widened when he saw Xayn’s bloodied form.“Well, well,” Sean drawled. “The rat returns from the gutter. I half-expected the Black Market to chew you up and spit out your bones. But here you are.”His soldiers chuckled behind him, the sound grating like metal scraping stone.Xayn’s jaw tightened. His body screamed at him to move, to fight, but exhaustion weighed on every limb.Sean’s eyes flicked to the satchel. “And look at that. You even brought me a gift. What’s in t