Novels by E.C Blackwood

From the midst of the crowd, the grandmother of the Vincent family walked close to the Grand Beast Master, keeping her head bowed. She said with a tone of respect, “Take a look at him and his feeble beast, is it possible for them to take down the Fog Demon?” The Grand Beast Master’s gaze was still locked on Alaric, who stood still with an indifferent expression despite what everyone was saying about him. There was more to the story than what everyone was pushing forward, he could feel it, but that didn’t feel like the right time to dive further into it. He turned away from the students. “Since that has been resolved, let’s announce the examination results.” Lucien pushed towards the front of the group with shoulders held high. “I can’t believe that piece of shit didn’t even make any attempt to debunk the credit that was being pushed onto him.” One of his teammates sneered, “I guess he is just trying to fit in.”“Fit in?” Lucien scoffed, "Someone my family considers worse than dir

The panicked voices of the people outside the secret realm died instantly, it felt like time suddenly stopped.Something else had grabbed their attention instantly, and it was the sudden change. The examination countdown timer had resumed its normal movement. Everyone turned to stare at each other, stunned by the sudden change. “I thought the Grand Beast Master said that the students are doomed?” one of them asked. The Grand Beast Master’s brows furrowed and his expression cracked, but he was quick to compose himself, and then he offered the only solution to the current situation. One that everyone had in the corner of their mind but didn't want to admit. “One of the students had defeated the Fog Demon.” The chief examiner turned to stare at him, he was just as stunned and confused as everyone currently on the examination ground. “How is that possible?”“The Fog Demon is equivalent to a level 20 beast, and there is no way any of the students have a level 10 beast with them," he

Deep within the Forbidden Zone, the forest had long since lost its original form.The ground was cracked and blackened.The trees were twisted into grotesque shapes.And the fog—It was everywhere.Thick. Endless. Suffocating.By now, the concept of points had become meaningless.Alaric glanced briefly at the system panel.The number continued rising at an absurd rate.But he closed it immediately.It didn’t matter anymore.If they couldn’t leave this place alive…Even first place meant nothing.“The scoring system might already be corrupted,” Tristan muttered, breathing heavily. “What’s the point anymore…?”Kira didn’t respond.Her focus remained ahead.“Elena,” Alaric said quietly.She stood at the front, her warhammer dragging slightly against the ground.“I can feel it clearly now,” she said.Her cold eyes fixed on the distance.“The source is just ahead.”The air suddenly grew heavier.Then—The fog surged.From all directions, countless fog creatures emerged.Dozens.Hundreds.T

Outside the Secret Realm, the situation had spiraled completely out of control.The once-orderly examination grounds were now filled with shouting, panic, and despair. Families of the candidates crowded the area, their faces pale as they stared at the sealed portal.“Why isn’t it opening?!”“My son is still inside!”“Do something!”Examiners rushed back and forth, attempting to stabilize the situation, but the tension only grew heavier with each passing minute.Then—A powerful aura descended.The air itself seemed to tremble.Everyone instinctively turned toward the sky.A man stepped forward from the crowd of arriving officials.He wore a long black coat, his presence calm yet overwhelming.The moment he appeared, even the arguing examiners fell silent.“The Grand Beast Master…”Someone whispered the title with reverence.He was the nation’s strongest Beast Master.The final authority in matters like this.The chief examiner stepped forward immediately.“Sir, the Secret Realm—”The

The forest grew darker as time passed.The faint light filtering through the trees had turned dim and gray, as if the entire Secret Realm itself was slowly suffocating under an unseen force.Kira’s group moved cautiously through the undergrowth.Every sound made them tense.Every shadow looked like an enemy.Behind them, the memory of the fog creature still lingered like a nightmare.One of the boys in Kira’s team—tall, sharp-faced, with a constant scowl—glanced at Alaric with obvious dissatisfaction.His name was Marcus.And his eyes were filled with something more than fear.Jealousy.He watched the way Kira occasionally looked toward Alaric.That small shift in her attitude…It irritated him.Finally, Marcus scoffed.“So let me get this straight,” he said mockingly. “We’re supposed to trust this guy now?”His gaze swept over Alaric with open disdain.“The same loser who got kicked out of his own family?”One of the girls hesitated.“Well… he did save us…”Marcus snapped back immedi

The four surviving students stood frozen, their eyes locked on Elena, who calmly rested the massive warhammer against the ground as if nothing unusual had happened.Alaric’s gaze shifted toward them.Up close, he recognized one of them immediately.The girl standing at the front—long dark hair, sharp features, and a composed aura even under pressure—was someone well known throughout the city.Kira White.A prodigy.And one of the most admired beauties among the younger generation.Behind her, a massive beast stood protectively.It had the head of a lion, the wings of a dragon, and the tail of a serpent.A Chimera.A Legendary Beast.Kira took a slow breath, regaining her composure.Then she stepped forward and looked at Alaric.“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “You saved us.”Alaric gave a small nod.“You’re welcome.”One of the boys behind her, still shaken, asked nervously, “Who… who are you?”Alaric answered calmly.“Alaric.”The moment his name left his mouth—The group froze.“…A

Eliana The apartment in Paris smells so much like flowers and the rain that’s been tapping the windows since morning, soft enough that you can ignore it if you want to. Victor is sitting on the other end of the sofa with his legs stretched out, a beautiful blue mug between his palms and steam wafting up and fogging his glasses for a second before he leans back. He takes his coffee black now, no sugar, and I take mine with too much milk, the way I did when we first moved here and I pretended it was because I liked it and not because French coffee kicked harder than I expected. “Careful, it’s hot,” he says without looking up, because he knows I’m going to sip too fast anyway. I do, and it burns the tip of my tongue, and I make a face, and he smiles into his mug, that small, private one he only does when he thinks I’m not watching. Our life is beautiful together. It’s quiet for a minute, the good kind of quiet where neither of us needs to disturb it. Then I hear steps running i

Damian Weeks later, we were all seated in a courtroom. It smelled like old wood and coffee gone cold, and I sat three rows back with my hands clasped too tight in my lap, my thumb pressing into the knuckle of my index finger until it hurt. Because, if I didn’t do something with my hands I’d start drumming them on the bench and Ruth would shoot me a look from the prosecutor’s table. Beside me was Mila, Victor, Eliana and all the others patiently waiting for Eliot’s downfall. Eliot stood in a suit that cost more than my car, his shoulders straight, his jaw set like he still thought he could talk his way out of it and an hour later when the judge read, “guilty on all counts offense including, laundering, possession of drugs with intent,” he didn’t flinch. He just turned his head, found me in the crowd and held my gaze for a second too long before the officers took his elbows. He had a look that said “you won this round,”and I hated that it still got under my skin but he was hop

Damian The sun was even hotter than when we left and I couldn’t feel my throat dry up as Ramirez pulled in, the car rolling past the rows of marked police cars and my knee finally still because there was nothing left to bounce for. My eyes locked on the entrance just as Martins car quickly drove in from the other side, Victor already out before the engine even stopped. His shoulders were low but his face was unreadable the way it gets when he’s empty-handed and pissed about it. We met on the steps, the heat pressing against my back, his eyes flicking over the evidence bag Ramirez was carrying which contained the bricks of hard drugs sealed in plastic and the cash still banded. I saw his jaw tighten once,the only sign I got to tell that his trip was also fruitless. “No?” I asked, even though I knew. “No sir,” he replied, his voice flat and his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “Preston knew we were coming, I don’t know how but his house was cold. No cars, no Rostella or even m

Victor Officer Martins drove with both hands in the fastest way possible, never tapping the wheel and never even checking the rearview more than once every block. It was the kind of steady that makes me trust a person even if I didn’t get to know them. I sat beside him in the passengers seat and while he drove, I kept my eyes fixed on the street signs. I wasn’t used to being in the passengers seat so despite all the chaos I was enjoying the view. My right hand stayed resting on my knee only because I needed something to stop it from curling into a fist every time I thought about the possibility of Eliot successfully leaving the country. What if we’re too late? What if he had our plans all figured out before we even began? These thoughts clung to me like a plague that would kill me. Preston’s place was tucked off in a private estate, the house behind a high hedge and a driveway that curved like it was trying to hide the house, and I already knew the shape of this stop

Damian The driver drove with his left hand on the wheel and his right thumb tapping the gear shift every time we hit a red light, the car speeding through the streets faster than I expected. I felt my knee bouncing against the door and making a soft thud until I caught myself doing it and planted both feet flat on the floor, forcing my breathing to slow. I kept my eyes on the road, but my mind kept wandering back to Xavier’s voice on the phone and I wondered if he had managed to get home safely. I hated that I was thinking about that instead of trying to remember the layout of Eliot’s house, but I couldn’t help myself. “Crestwood estate, third gate on the left,” I said when we turned onto the private road, my voice coming out tighter than I wanted and my fingers curling around the strap of my seatbelt. I was tensed, there was nothing I could do to even feel better. The driver nodded and pulled up to the mighty iron gate before turning on the siren and the flashing lights.

Damian Officer Ruth didn’t waste a second before she pressed her thumb against the intercom on the wall, her voice getting firmer with each word like our lives depended on that very moment and honestly it did. “All available units, when I say all I mean all, to front hall. Now!” She ordered, her eyes never leaving the folders splayed across the table. The sound echoed down the corridor, and I felt my stomach tighten, my fingers drumming once against the edge of the table before I forced them to stay still, trying not to look as tensed as I felt. I used to be known as the war god but it seemed like I’d fallen short of the name. I watched as she stood up and gathered the file into her arm with a quick, practiced motion, and then she jerked her chin toward the door. “You two, come with me we’ve got no time to waste.” She said and Victor and I followed immediately, my boots squeaking faintly against the floor carpet. Victor was moving in that quiet and deliberate way he always do