Novels by Syanova

The shop groaned under the weight of the encroaching shadows. Arga didn’t look back at the commander’s gaping mouth or the soldiers frozen in the doorway. He tapped the glowing map on his vest, and the floorboards surged, a tidal wave of wood and linoleum bucking upward to swallow the space between him and the back exit.“Arga! What are you doing? The perimeter is failing!” Mira screamed, her voice cracking as the shop’s foundations shrieked.“I’m doing exactly what a bad clerk does—closing early!” Arga shouted back, not stopping.“You can’t just walk out there!” Elias yelled, scrambling after him. “The Tide is at the doorstep!”“Then stay inside and be the snack!” Arga didn't look over his shoulder. He shoved through the back door, the violet smog pressing against his lungs like a suffocating shroud.“He’s going to get himself killed,” the commander snarled, stepping into the fray. “Grab him! That map is military property!”“Touch him, and I’ll bury you all in the foundation,” Mira w

The white shield hummed, a dying star trapped in the frame of a convenience store. Outside, the screeching of the monsters began to fade into a frustrated, rhythmic scraping. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of ozone and the heavy sweat of soldiers who had just stared into the abyss.Arga didn’t wait. He slammed his fist onto the register. "Alright, that’s it! Barrier’s holding, but you guys are eating up my power reserve like a buffet! You’re all off-duty until you pay up!"The commander, still breathing hard, ripped off his helmet. His eyes were wild. "Pay up? We just gave you a perimeter defense, Merchant! We aren't here for snacks!""Then you’re here for the hospitality?" Arga gestured to the empty shelves, where only a few dusty ramen cups remained. "Look around, Commander. I’m out of stock, my power is flickering, and I’ve got three civilians behind me who haven't eaten a real meal in twenty-four hours. My ‘hospitality’ is closed.""You’re serious?" The commander glared,

The dust settled in swirling, grey plumes, coating the linoleum in a fine layer of grit. Arga wiped his eyes, his lungs burning. Outside, the black-armored soldiers stood in a perfect semi-circle, their rifles leveled at his chest. The megaphone crackled again, its sound metallic and cold.“Merchant. Step away from the register. Now.”Arga took a shaky breath, his hand hovering over the interface. He looked at Mira, who was pale as a ghost, and Ben, who had his gun drawn but his hands trembling.“Surrender, Arga?” Mira whispered, her voice barely audible over the ringing in his ears. “They aren’t asking. They’re executing.”“They aren't looking to kill me yet,” Arga muttered, his voice cold. “If they wanted to atomize me, they wouldn’t be using a megaphone.”He stepped forward, his boots crunching on broken glass. He stood in the jagged, ruined doorway, hands raised—not in surrender, but in a gesture of ‘hold on.’“Hey! You!” Arga shouted, his voice cracking but firm. “You’re making a

The serrated claw gouged through the reinforced frame, metal screeching like a dying bird. Arga braced his shoulder against the door, his heart hammering against his ribs."Elias, the secondary bolt! Use the industrial kit!" Arga shouted, his voice tight."It’s not holding! The steel is turning into dust!" Elias yelled back, his hands shaking.Suddenly, a blinding flash of cerulean light erupted from the street. A thunderous crack echoed through the shop, followed by a wet, heavy thud against the pavement. The claw retracted instantly, pulling back into the violet smog. Silence reclaimed the ruins, save for the rhythmic humming of the shop’s barrier.Arga staggered back, gasping. "What was that? Did it just... quit?"Mira peeked through the curtain. "No. Look."A man in tattered, high-tech tactical gear stood outside, his rifle smoking. He kicked the severed claw away and gestured toward the glass with a gloved hand. He didn't look like a scavenger; he looked like a soldier.Arga exha

The hundred-eyed customer leaned down, its multiple joints clicking like a symphony of breaking dry branches. A smell like ancient dust and cold copper filled the store, drowning out the scent of spicy ramen.“Arga, don’t move,” Mira hissed from behind the cigarette rack, her voice thin enough to snap. “Whatever that thing is, it’s not human.”“No kidding, Mira,” Arga muttered, his grip on the counter so tight his knuckles were deathly white. “Hey, big guy. When you say ‘satisfaction,’ are we talking about a specific flavor or, like… my soul? Because the menu is still being updated.”“The Essence,” the creature vibrated. Its voice didn’t come from a mouth; it came from the air itself. “The shards of the shattered moon are drifting in the sector nearby. Fetch them, Merchant. My coin is heavy, but my patience is thin.”A massive, obsidian-like coin slammed onto the counter. It didn’t make a sound. It partially sank into the wood, pulsing with a sick, gravity-defying rhythm.[System Aler

The brass door handle rattled one last time, then fell silent. Arga leaned his forehead against the cool counter, the Warp-Key heavy in his palm.“You’re really not going to let them in?” the woman whispered, her voice trembling. “They have thermal cutters, Arga. They’ll melt the hinges.”Arga didn’t look up. “Let them try. The barrier isn’t tied to the hinges. It’s tied to the concept of a ‘door.’ If they melt it, the barrier just becomes a solid wall.”“I think they’re starting to realize that,” the man with the wounded shoulder grunted, gesturing toward the glass.Outside, the gang leader was pacing, his face a grotesque mask of crimson in the flashing alarm lights. He slammed his fist against the invisible wall, the impact silent but visible through the ripples in the air.“Hey, Merchant!” the leader screamed, his voice muffled by the field. “I know you can hear me! When this thing fails—and it will—I’m going to make you eat that register piece by piece!”Arga finally stood up, hi