Novels by Samllen

The tunnel shook with another distant explosion. Dust rained from the cracked ceiling as Ethan ran back toward the estate, his mother's screams echoing behind him.“Turn back,” the Echo urged. “She's buying you time with her life. Don't waste it.”“Negative,” the Academy seal countered. “Returning guarantees host's death. Recommend immediate extraction to surface.”"Shut up!" Ethan snarled at both voices. "Both of you, just shut up!"His chest burned where the Core pulsed with frantic energy. Through the mental link Selene had created, he could feel her presence above ground, focused, deadly, efficient. She was winning her battle. His mother was losing hers.The sound of Lydia's combat grew fainter. Either she was being driven deeper into the tunnels, or…Ethan refused to finish that thought.He rounded a corner and slammed directly into an Abyssal Guard.The impact sent both of them sprawling. Ethan recovered first, his enhanced reflexes snapping him to his feet. The guard was older,

Dawn came too quickly.Ethan stood in the ruins of the Hardy Estate, watching the sun paint the devastated courtyard in shades of gold and red. Smoke still rose from collapsed buildings. The meditation gardens were churned mud and broken stone. Twenty-three bodies had been recovered, defenders who'd given their lives protecting a man they barely knew.Because of bloodline. Because of duty. Because his mother had asked."We'll rebuild," Lydia said softly, appearing beside him. She'd changed into traveling clothes, her silver hair bound back in a severe braid. "The Hardy legacy has survived worse than this.""Has it?" Ethan gestured at the destruction. "How many estates have you lost to Whitmore? How many people have died for a war I didn't even know existed until yesterday?"Lydia's expression tightened. "Forty-three estates over thirty years. Seven hundred and twelve confirmed deaths." She met his eyes. "I've kept count of every single one. Every sacrifice made to keep you hidden, to

Ethan dreamed of drowning.Cold water filled his lungs. Darkness pressed against his eyes. Vincent's hands around his throat, squeezing, squeezing.He woke up with a gasp.This time, the room was different. Smaller. Darker. And he could hear fighting in the distance, explosions, screams, the crash of buildings collapsing.“You've been asleep for four hours,” the Academy seal informed him. “The estate is under sustained assault. Third wave initiated forty-seven minutes ago.”Ethan sat up, expecting pain from his injuries. Instead, he felt... whole. His shoulder was healed. The cuts and bruises from the Juggernaut fight were gone. Even his exhaustion had faded to a manageable ache."How"“Academy medical protocols,” the seal explained. “Your body has been flooded with restorative energy while you slept. Current status: 73% combat effectiveness.”The building shuddered. Dust rained from the ceiling. Another explosion, closer this time.Ethan stood, looking around the room for his clothes

The pain stopped as suddenly as it began.Ethan gasped, his body convulsing on the bed as the Xore seal finished integrating with his Xore . Sweat drenched his skin. His vision swam with afterimages of light."Breathe," Selene commanded. "Deep breaths. Let the energies settle."Ethan sucked in air, and suddenly he could feel everything. The circulation of Xore energy through his meridians. The pulse of power in his Xore . The new pathways the seal had carved through his body like rivers of light.And voices, two of them now, speaking simultaneously in his mind.“You've made a grave mistake,” the Echo snarled. “The Academy's leash will strangle you.”“Integration complete,” the Academy seal announced in a toneless voice. “Host designated, Ethan Hardy. Bloodline confirmed, First Hardy lineage. Threat assessment, Critical. Defensive protocols active.”"What did you do to me?" Ethan pushed himself upright, staring at his hands. They glowed faintly with silver light traced through with geo

Ethan woke to the smell of incense and the sound of water.His eyes opened slowly, vision adjusting to soft lamplight. He lay on a bed more comfortable than anything he'd ever known, in a room that mixed traditional elegance with modern technology. Silk sheets. Wooden beams overhead carved with intricate patterns. And everywhere, the faint hum of astral energy.He tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. Every muscle in his body protested, burning with the aftermath of pushing beyond his limits."Don't move." The voice was cold, clinical. "Your muscles tore themselves attempting to channel power your meridians aren't developed enough to handle. You're lucky you didn't cripple yourself permanently."Ethan turned his head. The woman from the battle, Selene Arkwright sat in a chair beside his bed, reading something on a translucent screen that floated in the air before her. She didn't look at him."Where am I?" His voice came out as a croak."Hardy Estate, medical wing. You've been

The world exploded into chaos.Lydia's warriors met the Abyssal Guard at the breach, and the impact of their collision sent shockwaves rippling across the compound. Silver light clashed against corrupt yellow, the energies tearing at reality itself.Ethan stood frozen in the courtyard, watching as people fought and died to protect him. A woman he didn't know took a blade through the stomach, her scream cut short as she collapsed. A man unleashed a wave of Xore fire that immolated three attackers before a spear punched through his spine."Get him inside!" Lydia shouted, her hands weaving patterns in the air that created barriers of solid light. "Sera, protect my son!"Sera grabbed Ethan's arm, but he pulled away. "I can't just hide while people die for me!""You can and you will!" She yanked him toward the main building with surprising strength. "Your death would make their sacrifice meaningless!"An Abyssal Guard broke through the defensive line, sprinting toward them with inhuman spe