Novels by Aurora Sky

"Axel, breathe. You need to regulate your heart rate now."Zara’s voice sounded distant, muffled by the hum of static filling Axel’s ears. They had just managed to escape the arena and take cover in a hidden cabin on the outskirts of Ironwood Grove, a zone rarely visited by players due to its lack of resources.Axel leaned against the cold wooden wall, his breath coming in gasps. My nerves ... they feel like they’re burning, Zara. Liam wasn’t the only one attacking me back there. This system ... this system is trying to suppress my power."Zara immediately sat in front of Axel, opening her personal holographic interface, which was now filled with rows of messy code and pitch-black data fragments. "I recorded the data trail during the duel. Something is wrong, Axel. Very wrong.”"How much did you find?" Axel asked, trying to straighten his back despite the stinging pain still crawling along his spinal cord."More than just statistics. I found hidden logs buried beneath Eternity’s core

The roar from the stands of Aethelgard Central Arena sounded like incessant thunder. Thousands of players jostled, filling every corner of the circular stone seats, while on the digital ceiling, holographic betting boards continuously flickered with fantastic numbers."Bets are closed! Twenty-to-one odds for Liam Fury's victory!" shouted a bookie at the edge of the arena. "Come on, who else wants to throw away their coins for the low-level scrub?"Axel Steele stood in the middle of the cold arena sand, his eyes closed. He could feel his physical heartbeat in the real world pumping adrenaline throughout his nervous system. Beside him, Zara Blaze checked the remaining buff duration on her interface panel, her hands trembling slightly."Twenty seconds until the duel begins," Zara whispered. "Axel, have you checked your synchronization? Your Agility stats are in the red zone. If you force Bladed Dance more than three times, your nervous system back home could overload.""I know the risks,

"Hold your breath, Zara," Axel whispered softly.A single blink, and the data world around them exploded into fragments of white light. When Axel's vision returned to normal, the scent of moss and the cold air of the Aethelgard Ruins had been replaced by the fragrance of incense and the constant clamor of the Aethelgard Central Plaza. They stood right in the middle of the deity fountain, where thousands of players usually gathered to trade or simply show off their gear."We're in the city center?" Zara asked, panting, her hand still gripping Axel's arm. "Axel, look ahead."The plaza's noise suddenly dimmed, replaced by an unnerving silence. The crowd of players in front of them parted uniformly, as if a giant knife were slicing through the ranks. From that gap emerged an elite entourage wearing jet-black armor with blood-red accents. The symbol of a dragon's claw was clearly displayed on their chests."The Dragon Vanguard," Axel hissed.In the middle of the formation, Liam Fury walked

The golden light exploded, swallowing Axel's entire vision until only a blank white remained. The pain was indescribable, as if every single nerve fiber in his physical body was being plucked out one by one and rewoven with hot copper wire. Axel tried to scream, but his voice was trapped in his rigid throat."Axel! Hold on! Don't lose consciousness!" Zara's voice sounded faint, as if coming from behind a thick wall of water."I ... I can't ... I feel like my head is going to explode!" Axel growled. His teeth chattered violently.[NEURAL SYNCHRONIZATION : 95% ... 98% ... 100%][GILDED FUSION INITIATED]Suddenly, the pain subsided, replaced by a refreshing yet strange cold sensation. Axel opened his eyes and found himself still floating in front of the altar, but the world around him had changed. He no longer saw the texture of stone or the purple sky. He saw a data stream. Rows of golden binary code flowed through the air like an endless river."Do you see this, Zara?" Axel whispered.

"Access Denied, Intruders!" The Operator’s voice thundered, tearing through the audio frequencies within Axel's consciousness.The giant digital eye in the sky emitted a pulse of black energy that slammed into the floor of the secret chamber. Axel grabbed Zara, pulling her back as a data explosion shattered the stone table before them. Simultaneously, the roaring alarm from the VR pod in the real world grew louder, a physical danger warning that sent Axel’s adrenaline spiking to a boiling point."Axel! The connection is unstable! Someone hacked my home security protocols!" Zara screamed in panic, her hands shaking as she tried to access the force logout command. "The exit button is locked from the outside! We’re trapped!"Axel gritted his teeth, feeling the air pressure suddenly increase a thousandfold. Liam Fury. That bastard actually attacked while I was logged in."Don't force it, Zara! If you force a neural disconnect now, you could fry your brain!" Axel gripped Zara’s shoulder, h

"Right, Axel! Three Bone Wardens, two o'clock coordinates!" Zara yelled, releasing two silver arrows simultaneously."I see them," Axel replied curtly.Axel's body shifted as if gravity no longer applied to him. In the blink of an eye, he was behind the bone monster. His dagger moved so fast that the sound of its slashes resembled a bee's buzz. Within seconds, the pile of bones disintegrated into data dust."Your motor speed is up four percent from this morning's dungeon run," Zara muttered, adjusting her lens sight. "Don't your nerves feel hot?"Axel wiped the sweat dripping into his eyes. "A little. It feels like an electrical current is trying to escape through my skin pores. Crazy, right?""That's called synaptic adaptation, Axel. The Gilded System doesn't just change numbers on a screen; it forces your brain to process reality faster," Zara explained without taking her eyes off the digital map on her wrist. "One week of training like this, and I realized you truly are a monster l