Novels by Olugbengapens

Darkness wasn’t the absence of light anymore. It was light, inverted, folded, turned inward until it burned without color.Frank opened his eyes into it and realized there were no eyes to open. He floated, weightless, surrounded by pulsing threads of gold that stretched into infinity. Every heartbeat echoed like a drum in a hollow world. “Where… am I?”His own voice came back to him, distorted. “Where… am I?”Then another voice answered, smoother, colder, familiar. “Inside. Where you belong.”“Root.”“You broke the order. You turned your power against me.”“I tried to fix what I broke.”“You failed.”The light flared, showing flashes of memory, the palace, the people, Elara reaching out, the city falling. Then everything went black again. Frank whispered, “Is this death?”“This is the consequence.”A shape began to form from the darkness, human at first, then shifting, stretching, too tall, too fluid. It wore his face, but the eyes glowed white. “You’re me,” Frank said quietly.“I am

The world was still burning when Frank opened his eyes.Silence stretched for miles. The air smelled of iron and dust. What was once the grand city of Lyrendale now lay in ruins—a vast graveyard of stone and smoke. The palace that had ascended now hung above the horizon in shattered fragments, frozen in the sky like constellations torn apart.Frank stood at the heart of it all, barefoot on the ashen ground, untouched by the fire.“Where…” His voice came out strange—flat, layered, too calm. “Where is everyone?”The Root inside him pulsed softly, like a second heartbeat. They are part of you now. You’ve transcended them.Frank’s gaze drifted over the destruction. “No… I didn’t want this.”You wanted to be seen. Now, the world looks only at you.He took a step forward. Each movement bent the air, rippling like heat above a desert. In his reflection on a pool of molten glass, he saw not a man—but something vast, half-shadow, half-light, his veins glowing faintly through transparent skin.

The palace trembled like a living thing. Cracks split the marble pillars. Torches flickered blue. Every windowpane shimmered as if the air itself was holding its breath. “Frank!” Elara’s voice echoed across the throne hall. “Fight it,please!”He stood at the center of the devastation, back arched, arms trembling as streaks of light pulsed beneath his skin,gold and black interwoven like veins of fire and shadow. His eyes, once gentle and curious, were mirrors now. No pupils, no warmth,just reflections of the world he was about to unmake. “Elara…” His voice was layered, two tones,one human, one ancient. “Why do you resist evolution?”“Because it’s not you talking!” she shouted. “It’s that thing inside you!”The throne behind him collapsed under invisible pressure. The Root’s whisper slithered through his mind, a sound no one else could hear. Merge completely. End the chaos. Become what they fear.Frank gritted his teeth, holding his head. “I can hear everything,their thoughts, their f

Lightning tore across the sky as Frank and Elara burst through the shattered palace gates.The once-glorious halls were chaos,guards running, banners burning, marble cracking under the weight of golden light leaking from the floors.Frank’s system flickered, its voice fractured and cold.[Warning: Root influence spreading across royal network. Defensive capacity reduced to 11%.]Elara drew her blades, scanning the corridor. “He’ll be in the throne room. That’s where he always hides when the world burns.”“Sounds like a king,” Frank muttered.They sprinted past bodies of fallen guards and glowing veins of energy crawling up the palace walls like vines. Every step deeper made the air heavier, hotter.At last, the massive golden doors of the throne room loomed before them, half-melted, half-alive.Frank hesitated. “You sure about this?”“No,” she said. “But we’re out of options.”She pushed the doors open.The throne room was no longer a room,it was a cathedral of light. The ceiling was

The earth rumbled beneath the capital, deep and endless. Every tower groaned, every bell trembled.Inside the shattered vault, golden dust hung in the air like dying stars.Elara coughed through the smoke. “Franktalk to me. Please.” Frank stood motionless in the center of the room, eyes burning with molten light. The air shimmered around him, alive with static.“System?” he whispered. “Are you still there?”"Yes… and no."The voice was different, slower, deeper, as if something ancient now shared the same breath.“Frank,” Elara said carefully, stepping closer. “You’re scaring me.”He looked at her, his gaze unfocused. “It’sloud. Too many voices. I can hear them all.”"Residual data of past users. Systems merged. Memory corruption detected."Elara frowned. “You absorbed them… all the previous hosts?”"Correction: They are not gone. They are awake."Frank clutched his head. “They’re inside mewhisperingshouting""Warning: Neural overload imminent."“Stop it!” he yelled. The golden light

Rain lashed against the marble walls of the capital that night, turning the streets into rivers of silver and shadow.Frank and Elara crouched beneath the ruined archway of the old cathedral, soaked and breathless. Frank whispered, “You sure this is the way in?”Elara nodded. “Every secret has a crack. The king’s vault is below the royal chapel. There’s a tunnel that leads straight under it.” “Convenient,” he muttered. “Not convenient,” she replied, eyes glinting. “Cursed.” [System Analysis: High concentration of unknown energy signatures ahead.]Frank frowned. “System’s nervous. That’s never good.”Elara smirked faintly. “Get used to it. The Vault feeds on fear.”They slipped into the tunnel , stone steps spiraling downward, the air thick with dust and age. The deeper they went, the louder the hum beneath their feet grew. Elara whispered, “That sound,do you hear it?” “Yeah,” Frank said. “It’s alive.”[Correction: It’s resonating. Frequencies match System architecture.]“What does

The city groaned under rain and neon, streets slick with water and debris. Raymond’s crimson eyes burned through the mist, the System pulsing violently through his veins. Every shadow, every sound, every movement streamed as data into his consciousness.“SYSTEM ALERT: HIGH PRIORITY TARGET DETECTED. MASTER NETWORK NODE ACTIVE. ENGAGEMENT REQUIRED.”Kiera stumbled beside him, drenched, breathing hard. “Raymond… who is this person? They… they control everything?”Raymond’s jaw tightened. “Not everything. Yet. But they’re the reason the debts are more than numbers, they’re weapons.”From above, a faint red glow coalesced into a humanoid figure standing on the edge of a skyscraper. Cloaked in darkness, presence radiating raw authority, the figure’s eyes glinted with intelligence and malice.“SYSTEM ALERT MASTER NETWORK NODE CONFIRMED. THREAT LEVEL MAXIMUM.”Raymond’s crimson eyes narrowed. “Finally… the source.”“OBSERVATION: MULTIPLE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ADVERSARIES AND MASTER NODE DETE

Rain slashed through the streets of Manhattan like needles. Neon signs flickered against wet asphalt, reflecting off puddles that shimmered like fractured mirrors. Raymond’s crimson eyes glowed beneath his hood. The System pulsed through him, threading into every nerve, every muscle, every thought.“THREAT: MASSIVE ADVERSARY DETECTED. MULTIPLE HOSTILES CONVERGING. SYSTEM ALERT: MAXIMUM ENGAGEMENT REQUIRED.”Kiera stumbled behind him, voice trembling. “Raymond… we can’t… there are too many!”“Count them,” he muttered, voice low, “then erase them one by one.”The massive shadow loomed ahead, its presence radiating suffocating force. Smaller attackers flanked it like predators circling prey. The central figure from the park stood just behind, smirking, watching the storm about to break.“SYSTEM ALERT: TARGET CONNECTION HIGH. PRIORITY: MAXIMUM.”Raymond’s lips tightened. “The network… I see its threads now.”“OBSERVATION: MULTIPLE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ADVERSARIES. DATA INCOMPLETE. RECO

The skyline of New York blurred through rain and neon reflections. Raymond sprinted across rooftops, Kiera close behind, the System thrumming like a living heartbeat beneath his skin. Every shadow, every ripple of light, every sound of the city became a data point,guiding, predicting, calculating.“TARGET: SHADOW FIGURE – EXTREME THREAT. LOCATION: MULTIPLE.”“Raymond… how are we supposed to survive this?” Kiera gasped, struggling to keep pace.He didn’t answer immediately. Focus. Data. Prediction. The System pulsed violently, projecting probabilities, escape vectors, engagement strategies.“SYSTEM ALERT: MULTIPLE HOSTILES DETECTED. THREAT LEVEL: MAXIMUM.”Raymond’s eyes glinted crimson. “We adapt. That’s how.”From the mist below, the towering figure from the park emerged, flanked by multiple shadows, moving in perfect synchronization. The city’s noise dimmed around them, the rain and neon painting the scene with tension.“ENGAGEMENT PROTOCOL: FULL SCALE.”“You shouldn’t have follow

The city hummed with late-night life, oblivious to the invisible war unfolding above its streets. Raymond moved with predatory precision through narrow alleys and fire escapes, the System thrumming beneath his skin, every step calculated, every sound amplified.“TARGET ESCAPED: CENTRAL PARK. NEW TRAIL DETECTED. DISTANCE: 1.2 MILES.”Kiera ran beside him, panting, her coat soaked, eyes wide. “Raymond… are we… chasing ghosts now?”“Ghosts can kill,” he muttered, voice low. “And these aren’t ordinary people.”“SYSTEM ALERT: MULTIPLE THREAT SIGNALS DETECTED. POTENTIAL AMBUSH.”Raymond scanned the rooftops. Shadowed figures moved above, watching, waiting. His pulse synchronized with the System’s rhythm.“RECOMMENDATION: ENGAGE ONLY IF NECESSARY. OTHERWISE, PURSUIT OPTIMAL.”Ahead, a faint red glow flickered in a window of a high-rise overlooking the East River. The escaped figure from Central Park had paused, unaware that every heartbeat was being traced. Raymond’s lips tightened. “Ther

The moon hung low over Central Park, pale and cold, reflecting off puddles from the late evening rain. Raymond moved along the gravel paths, hood drawn, eyes scanning. Every streetlamp flicker, every shadow beneath the trees, every distant sound registered with unnatural precision,the System whispering through his veins.“TARGET: UNKNOWN AGENT – HIGH PERSONAL RELEVANCE. DISTANCE: 0.6 MILES.”Kiera walked beside him, silent, clutching her bag as if it could shield her from what was coming. “I don’t like this,”she said quietly. “Everywhere we go, something… follows.”Raymond didn’t answer immediately. He adjusted his pace, letting her words sink. The System hummed, almost amused.“OBSERVATION: HUMAN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE DETECTED. POTENTIAL INTERFERENCE.”He let a faint smile touch his lips. “You’re right,” he said finally. “But fear… can be useful.”Kiera glanced at him, unease written across her face. “Useful? You’re saying you’re… you’re going to,”“Stay focused,” he interrupted. “T

Rain streaked across the skyscrapers like liquid mirrors, reflecting the neon chaos of New York below. Raymond stood on the roof of an abandoned warehouse in Queens, phone in hand, the System humming through him like a living pulse.“NEXT TARGET: Kiera Lawson – 2.4 MILES.”“STATUS: ACTIVE. PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP DETECTED.”Raymond exhaled. “Personal, huh?” he muttered. “Guess I’ve got a family reunion after all.”“WARNING: EMOTIONAL INTERFERENCE HIGH. CONTROL RECOMMENDED.”He flicked his eyes toward the street. The city moved oblivious to the invisible chess game unfolding above it. Cars honked. Pedestrians argued over umbrellas. Somewhere, a siren wailed. And somewhere else, Kiera was walking, unaware that the System’s red pulse tracked her heartbeat as surely as her shadow.Raymond stepped off the ledge, landing lightly in the alley below. Water splashed around his boots. He moved like a ghost between dumpsters and parked vans, weaving through the night. A voice in his head: “MET