Novels by Natiwana

Kian watched the dust settle in the hollowed-out metro entrance until Mei Ling’s silhouette finally vanished into the haze of flashlights and emergency responders. His legs felt like they were made of cooling wax, ready to snap if he shifted his weight too fast."Great," Kian whispered, his voice hitching in his throat. "No pressure. Just survive. Easy to say when your veins aren't currently hosting a bonfire."[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS AT 88%][ADVICE: PROCEED TO TARGET DESTINATION IMMEDIATELY.]"I'm going, I'm going," he muttered, turning away from the chaos.He kept to the narrowest gutters of the transit district, where the streetlights hummed with an uneven, dying rhythm. His mind was a scramble of two lives—one where he was a college kid worried about a mid-term, and the other where he was a man who enjoyed the sound of a roaring updraft. Every time he closed his eyes, the orange sparks behind his lids got brighter.He remembered the rumors from the hospital win

The ground didn’t just rumble; it gave way with a sound like a thousand windows shattering at once. The asphalt under Kian’s boots turned into a dark, yawning hungry mouth."Look out!" Kian screamed, his hand instinctively reaching out toward the woman who, seconds ago, had been threatening to end his life.Mei Ling’s eyes flashed with a cold, momentary panic as she lunged toward him, not to strike, but because the fissure had claimed the entire width of the alley. "Don’t let go of the pipe!""The pipe?" Kian barked as gravity took them. "I’m worried about my neck!"The descent was short but violent. They slammed through a layer of old ductwork and ceiling tiles, crashing onto a concrete platform thick with the smell of old iron and stale sweat. Dust filled Kian’s lungs, and he rolled, his hospital-gown-clad legs scraping against the debris."Where... where are we?" Kian groaned, coughing out a cloud of gray grit."The Metro tunnel," Mei Ling replied, already back on her feet with an

Kian pressed his back into the damp, cold brick until the mortar bit into his spine. He looked at the woman’s red heel, then up the length of her sleek, tailored trousers to the sharp, glowing tip of a spear that was suddenly hovering inches from his bridge of his nose."Who are you?" Kian stammered, his voice jumping an octave. "I’m just... I was in a crash. I'm literally nobody.""A nobody who just triggered a high-priority anomaly alert in three different sectors?" Mei Ling tilted her head, her dark hair catching a sliver of neon from the street above. "Try again. You have about five seconds before I decide your presence down here is an active threat to the public.""I told you! I'm Kian!" he yelled, his hands held up in a defensive posture. "The convenience store... it was a mistake! The system wouldn't let me pay!""Your system ID flagged you as 'unassigned,' yet your mana signature is bleeding psycho-residue like a cracked battery," Mei Ling said, her voice dropping into a dange

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: IDENTITY SYNCHRONIZATION PAUSED AT 47%][REASON: EXTERNAL STIMULUS REQUIRED FOR FULL MERGER]Kian slammed his hand onto the desk, extinguishing the spark between his fingers with a sharp hiss of pain. "No... no way. I'm not doing it. I’m not burning anything down.""It’s just a little heat, Kian," the voice in his mind purred, sounding like the crackle of a dry log. "What’s the harm in a warm room? You’re so cold. You’re shivering, kid.""I said shut up!" Kian groaned, stumbling away from the curtains. He grabbed his shredded hospital gown, trying to pull the ragged fabric closer around his chest. "I need to get out of here. I need food. I need real clothes. I need to look normal."He grabbed the chipped key card and practically threw himself out of the room. As he hit the fourth-floor landing, his knees buckled, but he caught himself on the railing."You okay there, firestarter?"Kian looked up. A woman in a greasy mechanics coverall was leaning against her door

"Stay back!" Kian yelled, his voice cracking as the red-eyed mechanical scavengers edged closer. "I’m warning you! I’ve got nothing left to lose!"The larger of the two scrap-hounds let out a series of rhythmic clicks, its metal joints groaning as it lowered its head. It didn’t care about his warnings. It smelled the copper tang of fresh blood on his gown and the residual mana clinging to his skin."Fine. You want a piece of this?" Kian shoved his hand forward, his fingers trembling. "Eat this! Embers... whatever! Burn!"A pathetic sputter of orange sparks jumped from his knuckles. It was barely enough to light a candle, but the sudden heat made the lead scavenger recoil. Its optical sensors whirred as it recalibrated."That’s right!" Kian gasped, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. "I’ll cook you both! Come on! Who’s first?"[SYSTEM ALERT: EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY DETECTED][SKILL 'EMBERS OF THE MADMAN' IS REACTING TO AGGRESSION]"I know it's reacting!" Kian screamed

The Lesser Offender didn’t give Kian a moment to breathe. The creature—because Kian couldn’t see him as a man anymore—lunged with a rasping, wet cough that sounded like dry leaves dragging over pavement."Wait! Wait, back off!" Kian scrambled backward, his bare heels catching on a crack in the sidewalk. "Are you even listening to me? I don't have anything you want!"The man’s lips peeled back, revealing gums blackened by soot. "Hot... so hot inside. Need to let it out. Need to see it move."Kian’s vision flickered. Small, glowing red outlines began to shimmer across his field of vision.[COWARD’S INSIGHT: SCANNING...]"Scanning? Scanning what?" Kian gasped, his chest tightening. "Come on, give me a weapon or something!"[OBJECT IDENTIFIED: MODEL 44 PRESSURIZED HYDRANT][WEAKNESS: CORRODED SAFETY VALVE][RECOMMENDATION: RUN THERE, YOU IDIOT.]"Hey! Did the system just call me an idiot?" Kian rolled to his feet, barely dodging a swipe of the man’s claws. "I’m working on it!"The Lesser