Novels by A.K.AN NUR

"Caleb... are you alright?"Isabella Vane's voice trembled violently, breaking the silence in the highest tower of the Black Castle. The underworld queen took another step back. Her high heels scraped against the ice-cold stone floor. Her beautiful face went deathly pale upon seeing the drastic change in the man she loved so deeply.Caleb Thorne stood frozen near the giant window. His black suit covered his towering posture, looking like an ancient statue of the god of death. His one brown eye stared straight at Isabella. The gaze truly pierced right through Isabella's corneas, but there was no warmth left in it. Caleb's gaze was empty, mechanical, and incredibly foreign."Biologically, my body is in a fairly optimal condition, Bella," answered Caleb with a very flat baritone voice. "The remaining sulfur vapor poison has cleared from my nervous system. My breathing is stable even though my right lung is completely dead.""That is not what I meant,

"I hate you. You killed Mother."Lisa's voice weakened into a hoarse sob. The final blow from that small fist landed on Caleb's chest without any force. Lisa's eyes rolled backward. The young girl's legs gave out completely. She fainted from emotional exhaustion and trauma that shattered the limits of her consciousness.Caleb caught his sister's body. His hand, wrapped in white bandages, supported Lisa's back. His brain saw the movement, but his hand felt nothing. He didn't feel the weight of his sister's body. He didn't feel the warmth of Lisa's breath on his shirt. He was grasping dead air."Lay her down slowly, Mr. Thorne." Dr. Hans Gruber immediately stepped forward, opening his medical bag with trembling hands.Hans took out a syringe filled with clear liquid."This is a high-dose tranquilizer. She is experiencing severe hysteria and mental shock. Her brain needs total rest, or she will follow her mother into a coma," explained Hans

"Permanent coma? What do you mean Mother will never wake up again, Doctor?"The trembling voice shattered the silence of the room that smelled of antiseptic and thick blood. In the doorway of the shattered teak wood door, Lisa Thorne stood frozen. The young girl had apparently ignored the strict order to remain hidden inside the underground bunker. She had secretly followed Dr. Hans through the cold castle hallway.Hans swallowed hard. He turned to the girl with a deathly pale face, the small medical penlight still gripped in his shaking hand."Miss Lisa. I asked you very clearly to stay downstairs with the security system," said Hans nervously."Answer my question, Hans!" shrieked Lisa. Tears instantly flooded her face, which was dirty from the rubble dust. "Mother just got her sight back to see me again. She hugged me a few hours ago very tightly. Don't you dare spout nonsense about a coma to me tonight!""Her brain nerves are severely

"Caleb, open your eyes. Please, breathe for me."Isabella Vane's voice sounded violently trembling, breaking the sudden silence that enveloped the Black Castle. The woman cradled Caleb Thorne's head on the carpet stained with black blood. Her trembling hand stroked the emperor's face, ignoring the thick liquid staining her tactical dress.Outside the bedroom door, the sound of heavy metal crashing to the marble floor landed with a loud thud."Queen, these junk items are dead. Everything has stopped moving," reported Viktor Krum from the hallway.The Russian giant leaned weakly against the ruined doorframe. He spat a clump of fresh blood onto the floor. His left arm was severely torn from rusted sword slashes, and the steel mask on his face was filled with long scratches. The astral rebellion had truly ended in the blink of an eye.On Isabella's lap, Caleb's body jerked slightly.The God of Death's breathing sounded once more. It

"A very brave offer, Butcher's Son. We accept this offering with absolute hunger."Subject Zero's voice echoed simultaneously from dozens of unseen mouths across all corners of the room. The skinless ghost pulled its shadow claws roughly out of Martha Thorne's chest. The old woman immediately coughed violently. She grabbed for air greedily, her eyes rolling upwards, then fell unconscious onto her pillow.Before Caleb had the chance to breathe a sigh of relief, the astral claw that had just been released shot straight forward like an arrow. The shadow hand pierced Caleb's chest without the slightest physical hindrance."Aaarrrghhh!"Caleb's scream broke uncontrollably in the real world. His large body instantly convulsed violently. He was thrown backward, hitting the wooden floor of the room very hard. Pitch-black blood spurted heavily from his blind left eye, followed by thick streams forcibly expelled from his nose and both ears."Caleb!

"Are you truly willing to bear the blood sin of your father, Caleb Thorne?"Subject Zero's voice echoed inside the freezing bedroom. The skinless ghost twisted its ruined neck. The smile curving on its lipless face looked incredibly horrifying."I said it very clearly," Caleb panted heavily. His numb hands were still clenched at his sides. "Take your dirty hands off my mother's heart. Torture me instead.""A fair deal," whispered Subject Zero.The shadow claws were suddenly pulled cleanly from Martha Thorne's chest. The old woman immediately coughed violently, grasping for fresh air. However, before Caleb could breathe a sigh of relief, space and time around him shattered into pieces.The bedroom walls, Isabella's body, and Viktor's groans faded into gray, then shattered like glass hit by a sledgehammer. Caleb's consciousness was forcibly pulled out of his biological vessel at the speed of light. He felt the sensation of free-falling into an endless abyss of darkness.Thud.Caleb's as