Novels by Achie Ver

The throne split apart with a deafening crack. Roots twisted and snapped as something enormous pulled itself free.The Gardener’s beast was not one form. There were many. Arms of stone. Wings of bone. Faces screaming across its chest. A tail made of roots and fire that whipped across the sky.The beast rose higher and higher until its head scraped the dome of green light above them. Its eyes burned like black suns, and every breath it exhaled sent waves of death across the ground.Kai and Amara stood small beneath it. Their light was bright, but it looked fragile compared to the endless size of the monster.The Gardener’s voice echoed from inside the beast, deep and broken. “This is eternity. This is what you cannot kill. This is every life, every soul, every failure. You will drown in it.”The beast roared, shaking the whole world. Kai’s chest felt like it would burst. The sheer weight of the beast’s presence pressed on him like a mountain. His sword trembled in his hand.Amara’s glo

The world shook as the Gardener rose from his throne of roots. He was tall. Taller than any man. His body looked like it was woven from branches and vines, his skin a shifting mass of bark and stone. His crown of green fire burned high, and his eyes were endless holes, black as death.The ground trembled under every step he took. Faces twisted in agony across his chest, thousands of souls trapped in his body, their screams leaking into the air like wind.Kai and Amara stood side by side, gripping each other’s hands, their light shining faint but steady. Kai whispered, “So this is him.”Amara’s voice shook. “The one behind everything.”The Gardener’s voice thundered like storm clouds: “You dare to reach me. You dare to burn through my prison. Foolish heirs. Do you not see? You are mine already. You were mine from the moment you were born.”Kai felt the words crawl into his chest, heavy and suffocating. His father’s voice echoed inside him: “You’ll never be enough.”The faces in the G

Kai and Amara fell through blackness. The air screamed past them, cold and endless, as if the abyss had no bottom. Their hands clung to each other, the only anchor in the void. Amara’s voice shook. “Kai, where are we going?”He tightened his grip. “Wherever he wants us. But we don’t let go.”Her light flickered weakly around them, small against the endless dark. Kai could feel her trembling, not from the wind but from fear.He pulled her closer. “We’re still together. That means he hasn’t won yet.” Finally, the fall ended.They hit the ground hard, landing on black stone. The impact echoed like thunder.Kai groaned, forcing himself up. His sword lay beside him. Amara sat up slowly, her glow faint but alive. They looked around. The place was not empty.It was a hall. Long, endless, with walls made of shifting mirrors, but these mirrors didn’t show their reflections.They showed their memories. Kai froze when he saw the first one. His father stood inside the glass, glaring at him, voice

The creature stepped closer. It wore half of Kai’s face, stern and cold, the other half Amara’s, soft and glowing. Its body was tall, twisted with roots and fire, its hands clutching a sword of living wood wrapped in green flame.Its eyes glowed with both their colors, gold and green, yet burned with hunger. It grinned. The half of its mouth that was Amara’s whispered: “Love is weakness.”The half that was Kai’s thundered: “Trust is death.”Amara gasped, clutching Kai’s arm. “It… it’s us.”Kai tightened his grip on his sword. His jaw locked. “No. It’s not us. It’s him. Just another trick.”But deep in his chest, he felt the truth. This thing was made from pieces of them, their fears, their doubts, their sins, and it was alive.The hybrid rushed forward with inhuman speed. Its blade struck Kai’s, golden sparks flying. The ground cracked beneath them.Kai grunted, shoving back. But the hybrid’s strength was monstrous, far beyond his own.Amara raised her hands, summoning light, sending

There was no ground, no sky, no light. Kai and Amara fell endlessly, clinging to each other. Their fused glow flickered in the dark, gold tangled with green.His heart pounded. His lungs burned. But he would not let go. Amara’s hair floated around her face. Her eyes glowed faintly, trembling. “Kai… where are we?”He forced his voice steady. “Inside him. Inside the Gardener’s prison.”The void around them pulsed. Faces flickered in the dark, faces they knew, faces they feared, faces of the dead.Whispers clawed at their ears. “You are nothing. You are broken. She will betray you. He will leave you.”Amara clutched him tighter. “Don’t listen. It’s not real.” But the whispers grew louder.Suddenly, their fall ended. They hit the ground hard. Except it wasn’t ground. It was bone. Thousands of bones, fused together into a pale white plain. Skulls stared up at them. Empty eye sockets. Open mouths. Amara staggered back, her hand over her mouth. “Oh, God.”Kai steadied her. His sword flicker

The blade cut through the air, glowing bright gold. Amara shut her eyes, tears falling. The soldier screamed her name. The Gardener laughed with thunder.But at the last second, Kai twisted his wrists.The blade did not cut Amara. It drove instead into the roots beneath her feet.The ground screamed, a sound like thousands of mouths tearing open. Green fire burst upward, clashing with his golden light.The chamber shook violently. Kai held the sword with both hands, teeth clenched, pouring everything he had into the strike. “Not her,” he growled. “Never her.”The Gardener roared. “Fool! You cannot cut me without cutting her!”But for the first time, the roots split. Amara’s body jolted as if shocked. She cried out, clutching her chest. “Kai, it’s burning, he’s burning through me, ”Kai gritted his teeth, refusing to let go of the blade. “Then burn with me. Don’t let him win.”The soldier stumbled closer, eyes wide. “Crest, what are you doing?”Kai shouted through the roar of fire and r

The shimmer of the hidden road twisted and groaned, like fabric tearing. Then the hunters stepped through.Kael emerged first, his red blade glowing like a burning brand, every step slow and deliberate. The green spear-bearer followed, poison dripping in sizzling drops onto the grass. Last came the violet-blade warrior, their weapon pulsing in sickly waves of light.All three spread out across the cliffside. Behind them, the shimmer of the road sealed shut, cutting off escape.The warm sunlight did nothing to soften their presence. Even here, in open air and clear sky, they carried the stench of shadows.Kael’s masked face tilted toward Aiden, who lay in Kylian’s arms, pale and trembling. His voice carried easily over the sound of the river. “You’ve run far enough. Vermillion blood cannot hide from the hunt.”Kylian gritted his teeth, clutching Aiden tighter. “Stay back!” His voice cracked, but he forced himself to raise his sword.The stranger stepped in front of them, daggers drawn

The altar’s silver veins pulsed like a heartbeat, each throb shaking the black stone platform. The whispers grew louder, echoing in every ear: “One must bleed. One must fall.”Aiden staggered toward the altar, one hand pressed to his wound, the other gripping his sword like a lifeline. His steps were slow, heavy, but determined.Kylian lunged after him, catching his arm. “Stop! You can’t do this!”Aiden’s eyes were glassy with fever, but his voice was steady. “I’m already dying. Let it be me.”“No!” Kylian’s grip tightened, his voice breaking. “Don’t you dare leave me like this. You think I can just, just watch you give yourself up?” His eyes shone wet in the pale glow. “I won’t let you.”Elara stood near the altar, her silver gaze sharp. “The road will take someone, whether you choose or not. The longer you hesitate, the more it hangs. Already the shadows stir.”The stranger’s voice cut in, cold and even. “Then maybe it should be me.”All eyes turned to them. The hooded figure steppe

The forest pressed in on all sides as they stumbled through the undergrowth. The mist was thinner here, but it clung stubbornly to the ground, curling around their boots as if unwilling to let them go.Aiden leaned heavily on Kylian, his breath shallow. Every step sent fire lancing through his side where the green hunter’s spear had pierced him. Black lines crept outward from the wound, crawling like veins across his skin. His sword hung limp in his hand, dragging faintly against the dirt.Kylian’s voice trembled as he spoke. “He’s getting worse. We need to stop.”“No stopping,” Elara said sharply. She moved at the front, her white cloak brushing against branches, her bow always in hand. “If we stop, he dies.”The stranger walked close behind, scanning the trees with a tense stillness. Their dagger dripped with black smoke from the shades they had cut earlier, but their attention was no longer on monsters. It was on the boy they were trying to keep alive. Aiden’s head lolled forward

The red mist swirled thick around the clearing, swallowing the trees and smothering the air. It carried the smell of iron and ash, sharp enough to burn the back of the throat.Kael stepped forward, his crimson blade glowing brighter with every breath he took. On either side of him, the two new hunters moved into view. The one on his left carried a curved spear that dripped with green light, each drop hissing as it struck the ground. The one on his right held a long, jagged blade pulsing violet, the glow faint but unsettling, like a dying star.Aiden’s chest tightened. One hunter had nearly been too much. Now there were three.Beside him, Kylian muttered, “We’re dead. We’re so, so dead.” His hand shook as he gripped his sword.“Not if we keep moving,” the stranger said, voice low and sharp. They pulled their remaining dagger free and shifted into a stance that screamed readiness.Elara stepped forward, bow raised, her white cloak billowing faintly in the mist. Her silver eyes locked

The forest was quiet again, but the quiet was not peace. It was the kind of silence that came after a storm, when every branch seemed to hold its breath and every shadow felt alive.Aiden sat against the roots of the great oak, his sword laid across his lap. Sweat clung to his brow, and his arms ached from the clash with the hunter. Lightning still prickled faintly in his veins, like his body hadn’t yet decided to let go of the fight.Kylian was sprawled on the ground beside him, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He pressed a hand against his ribs and winced. “I'm not built for this much running.”“You’ll live,” Aiden muttered, though his tone lacked its usual sharpness. He was too busy replaying the fight in his head, the red blade, the endless shades, the way the hunter’s voice had carried weight like a curse.The hooded stranger stood a little apart, back straight despite the exhaustion that pulled at their limbs. Their eyes scanned the dark forest, every rustle of le

The red glow from the hunter’s blade lit the mist like a fire in the dark. Aiden barely had time to bring up his own sword before the strike came. The force of the blow sent a shudder through his arms, the shock traveling into his shoulders. His boots slid back across the damp earth, leaving shallow grooves in the dirt.The hunter didn’t pause. His second swing came low and fast, the red light slicing through the fog. Aiden jumped back, the blade missing his knees by inches.The stranger darted in from the side, twin daggers flashing, aiming for the hunter’s ribs.The hunter turned with inhuman speed, blocking both blades with a single sweep of his sword. The impact sent the stranger skidding back a step, the red light from the weapon casting their hooded face in harsh shadow. “You can’t win,” the hunter said, his voice echoing through the mask. “Not here.”Aiden tightened his grip on his sword. “We’ll see about that.”Kylian circled to the hunter’s flank, moving low and fast. He dr

The grand hall smelled of blood and smoke. The bodies of Gregory Hart’s guards lay across the polished marble floor, their lifeless eyes staring into nothing. Some had fallen against the stairwell, others sprawled across broken furniture. The silence was heavy, broken only by the faint creak of the old chandelier swaying above.Kael Voss sat in the high-backed chair at the end of the hall, as if the mansion belonged to him now. His silver hair glistened in the dim light. His hands rested calmly on the armrests, his posture steady, confident, like a king on his throne.Leon stepped forward, his boots crunching against shattered glass. His gun stayed steady in his hand. “Where’s Gregory?”Kael smiled faintly. “Ah, straight to business. No greetings, no pleasantries. You wound me, Leon.”Jason scanned the shadows, his rifle sweeping left and right. “Boss, this feels wrong. Too quiet.”Eira’s green eyes never left Kael. “It is wrong. He wanted us here.”Kael chuckled softly. “Correct, a

The papers lay scattered across Selena’s bed like broken glass. Numbers, signatures, accounts, all pointing to one truth she wished she could unsee.Her father. Gregory Hart. The man who had raised her, the man who had built her world of privilege and protection, was helping Kael Voss.Selena pressed a trembling hand to her lips, fighting the sob that threatened to escape. Her chest hurt. It felt as if her heart itself had been split in two.The villa was quiet around her. Too quiet. She thought she could hear the faint hum of the night insects outside, the steady crash of waves against distant rocks, but inside the walls, silence pressed like a weight.If Leon knew, what would he do? He would go after Gregory. He would destroy him, no matter the cost.And if she confessed, Leon would see her as tainted too. She was Gregory’s daughter, after all. Kael’s words came back to her, sharp as knives: “Blood always finds blood.”Selena wiped her eyes and forced herself to gather the papers ba

The harbor was quiet except for the sound of water slapping against the wooden piers. The night mist curled low, carrying the faint scent of salt and rust.Selena Hart walked carefully across the damp boards. Each step echoed softly, swallowed quickly by the heavy fog.Her coat did little against the chill, but it wasn’t the cold that made her shiver. It was the man waiting at the end of the pier.Kael Voss stood there, tall and unmoving. His long black coat rippled slightly in the breeze, silver hair catching the pale moonlight. He looked like a statue cut from ice, still, sharp, impossible to ignore.When he spoke, his voice was smooth, almost gentle, but every word carried danger. “You came alone. Just as I expected.”Selena kept her chin lifted even though her knees wanted to tremble. “I didn’t come for you. I came for answers.”Kael smiled faintly. “And answers you shall have.”Selena stopped several feet away from him, close enough to hear every breath, far enough that she coul

The villa went dark in an instant. Every light, every lamp, every quiet hum of electricity vanished. The silence that followed was thick, heavier than before. Even the air felt different, like the villa itself had been hollowed out. For a moment, no one moved.Then Jason’s voice cut through the dark. “Power’s down. The emergency grid’s not kicking in. This isn’t an accident.”Leon’s hand went immediately to his weapon. His voice was steady but sharp. “Everyone, stay calm. Check your positions. Jason, backup lights, now.”Jason cursed under his breath. “On it.”But even as he moved, a faint sound echoed from deep below the villa. A steady, rhythmic tick, tick, tick. Selena froze. Her whisper was barely audible. “What is that?”Eira answered, her tone flat. “A bomb.”The words jolted the room into motion. Leon’s voice snapped like a command. “Jason, take the east wing. Find the breaker. Selena, stay close. Eira, with me. We go to the cellar.”Selena grabbed his arm in the dark. “Leon,

The sun was just beginning to rise, painting the misty hills in pale gold.But the light did not make the villa safer. It only revealed the danger more clearly.From the balcony, Leon, Selena, Eira, and Jason looked down the long road. Black SUVs lined up in perfect formation. Their engines growled low, steady, like beasts waiting for the command to strike.And walking calmly at the front was Kael Voss. His silver hair caught the morning light, shining like steel. His dark coat moved slightly with the breeze. He walked as if the entire road belonged to him.Jason swore under his breath. “He brought the whole damn army.”Selena’s voice was sharp. “Why come here openly? He could’ve sent them in the night.”Eira’s green eyes stayed fixed on Kael. Her voice was calm, but there was weight in it. “Because he wants Leon to see him. He wants to prove he’s not afraid.”Leon didn’t move. His eyes narrowed, studying the man who had haunted so many shadows.Finally, he said, “Prepare the defenses

The study fell silent after Eira’s words. Outside, the wind pressed against the shutters, making them creak softly, like the villa itself was holding its breath.Leon stared at her. His jaw was tight, but his eyes, his eyes were colder than she had ever seen. “Say it again,” he said.Eira didn’t flinch. “The man you caught tonight. The one tied up in your side room. He killed your father.”For a long moment, Leon didn’t speak. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. Selena appeared in the doorway, sensing the tension. “What’s going on?”Leon didn’t look at her. His gaze stayed locked on Eira. “You’re certain?”“Yes,” she said simply. “I was there.”Jason stepped into the study, his usual casual tone gone. “Leon, you should hear her out.”Selena crossed her arms. “Start from the beginning.”Eira moved closer, the soft tread of her boots on the floorboards the only sound in the room. “Your father wasn’t killed in some random attack. Kael sent someone to do it. That someone is the ma