Novels by Shuaib Balikis

The people who teach you how to survive are often the ones who know exactly how to destroy you."Mother! Father!" Ethan shouted, his usual calm completely shattering as he broke into a frantic sprint across the damp, cold stone floor of the subterranean chamber, his heavy iron sword drawn."Ethan, wait!" Valerie screamed, lunging forward and reaching out desperately to grab the edge of his linen vest. "Do not rush in blindly! The energy readings around that central platform are completely unstable! You cannot just charge at a high-tier containment matrix without a plan!"Ethan did not listen to her warning. The sight of his parents suspended in the air over that horrific apparatus wiped away every ounce of his calculated discipline. He leaped aggressively toward the iron machine, raising his blunt blade with both hands to sever the heavy metal chains binding his parents to the draining mechanism. Before the sharp edge of his sword could even graze the rusted links, a blinding wall of

Gravity becomes a terrifying executioner when the earth beneath your feet decides to swallow you whole."Grab my hand!" Valerie screamed above the deafening roar of the crumbling stadium, her voice carrying a sharp note of pure panic as the entire structure groaned. Her fingers dug desperately into the tough leather strap of her traveling pack, her boots slipping on the slick dust while the massive stone tier she was standing on sheared completely off, tilting precariously into the vast, unfolding darkness below.Ethan did not waste precious seconds attempting to pull her backward toward the collapsing surface of the arena. Instead, he lunged forward with explosive speed, caught her trembling wrist in a grip like solid iron, and looked directly down into the violently swirling purple vortex that had completely replaced the sand floor."The central energy well is pulling absolutely everything toward the very bottom," Ethan said, his voice remaining remarkably steady despite the chaotic

A stadium full of cheering people is just a slaughterhouse waiting for the blade to drop.Ethan walked back out onto the blood-stained arena sand, his grip loose on a simple wooden practice sword he had snatched from the armory rack. The roar of twenty thousand spectators shook the massive stone columns of the stadium, completely unaware of the doom hanging over their heads."You are insane for stepping back out there," Valerie whispered from the edge of the dark entrance tunnel, her hands shaking as she adjusted her leather pack. "The trap is set. The old man said they are going to sacrifice everyone. We should be searching for the prison entrance, not playing their game.""If I do not stand here, Kael will send the guards to hunt us down before we even reach the palace gates," Ethan said, keeping his eyes fixed on the royal viewing box. "He wants a show. I will give him one that breaks his stage.""Just do not die," Valerie muttered. "I cannot navigate the lower levels without you."

A teacher's weapon always feels twice as cold when it is pointed at your heart."Lower the staff, Master," Valerie said, her voice shaking but her feet remaining firmly planted on the stone floor. "I saw the internal receipts. I saw the map. You helped them design the artificial circles that destroyed my hometown. You knew my family was there."The Chief Alchemist did not lower his weapon. His face remained completely emotionless in the dim light of the archive room. "Individual sacrifices are necessary to fuel the grand barrier of the capital, Valerie. Your brother refused to understand that basic equation, and now you are making the exact same mistake.""You murdered him," Valerie said, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her hidden acid flask. "You covered it up and called it an accident.""We did what had to be done for the greater good," the old man replied smoothly, his silver staff gathering a bright, dangerous electrical charge at the tip. "And now, I am afraid your rese

A thousand spectators froze in absolute silence as the roaring wall of fire split perfectly in half around two bare fingers."That is impossible," a nobleman in the front row whispered, his wine glass slipping from his hand and shattering on the stone floor. "He did not even use a shield."The massive crimson blast did not simply vanish. Under the precise guidance of Ethan's hand, the redirected energy swirled into a tight, spinning vortex and shot directly upward, screaming toward the sky before slamming hard into the reinforced glass of the royal viewing box. The magical barrier shielding the elite rulers cracked with a sharp, ringing sound, showering the velvet seats inside with bright sparks.Down in the sand, the champion Robert fell to his knees, his obsidian broadsword turning to cold, gray ash in his hands. "What kind of sorcery is this? Who are you?"Ethan did not answer. He simply sheathed his simple practice sword and looked up toward the royal box, where a tall man with lo

A flashing silver beacon pointed directly at a man's skull is an excellent way to start a manhunt."We need to run right now," Valerie whispered, her face completely white as she grabbed Ethan's sleeve. "The astrology tower has not reacted like that since the last high king was crowned. The entire central guard is going to drop on this plaza in less than sixty seconds.""Running makes you look guilty," Ethan said, his voice remaining perfectly calm as he watched the glowing silver beam dance across his clothes. "Besides, the main gates just closed behind us. Look."A massive iron portcullis slammed down behind them with a deafening crash, sealing the city entrance. High up on the city walls, horn blasts echoed through the morning air, signaling a maximum security lockdown."Attention all citizens!" a booming, magically amplified voice roared from the central tower. "An unidentified intruder has bypassed the spiritual perimeter! The high priests have declared a state of emergency! All