Novels by Florish Kay

The auction room on the second floor was packed. Bright lights shone on the stage. Rich men and women in expensive clothes filled every seat. The air smelled of perfume and money.Ethan stood near the side wall, heart beating fast. Mr. Jacob Smith had kept his word. The nine remaining pills sat in a clear glass case under a spotlight. A large screen behind the stage showed a close-up of the pale gold pills with their orange rings.Maya stood at the back, arms crossed, face still angry. Ava and Ryan sat in the third row, whispering to each other. Every time they looked at Ethan, their eyes were cold.The auctioneer raised his wooden hammer.“Ladies and gentlemen, we begin with a once-in-a-lifetime item. Nine Tier-One Strength and Healing Pills, created by young alchemist Ethan Rivers. Mr. Jacob Smith himself has already tested one and stands before you fully recovered. Starting bid: one hundred thousand dollars.”A hand went up immediately.“One hundred and fifty thousand.”“Two hundre

Ethan stood frozen against the wall. Angry voices filled the lobby. Rich people pointed at him like he was a criminal. Maya’s face was red with rage. Ava and Ryan watched with cold smiles, waiting for him to fall.Then Mr. Jacob Smith’s eyes fluttered open.The room went silent.Smith sat up slowly on the sofa. Color returned to his face. He took a deep breath, then another, like a man who had been drowning and finally reached air. He looked around, confused at first, then his gaze locked on Ethan.“You,” he said, voice stronger than anyone expected. “What did you put in my mouth?”Ethan stepped forward, heart pounding so hard it hurt. “A healing pill. Tier-one strength and recovery. I made it myself.”Maya opened her mouth to shout again, but Smith raised one hand. The entire lobby fell quiet.“I felt my heart stop,” Smith said slowly. “Everything went black. Then something warm spread through my chest. The pain is gone. Completely gone.” He flexed his fingers, then stood up without

The crowd’s mood hardened fast in Maya’s favor.An older man with a walking stick shook his head. “Young people these days will do anything for attention. Stop this nonsense before you ruin yourself.”Someone else laughed. “He looks like a street punk and claims he can make ancient medicine? Whatever’s in that bottle is probably garbage.”Ethan kept silent, jaw tight. The million-dollar reward still sat in the back of his mind, but belief was getting harder to hold. Sophie’s hospital bills would not wait. Every day without that money made her recovery harder.Then a familiar voice cut through the lobby.Ava walked in on Ryan’s arm, expensive bag swinging on purpose, eyes already scanning the noise. The moment she recognized Ethan her face lit with cruel delight.“Ethan? Still alive, I see. I thought you’d be in bed—or worse. Look at you. You smell like you’ve been living in a ditch.” She opened the bag, pulled out a cheap perfume, and sprayed it hard in his direction. “There. Maybe th

Ethan walked into the big glass building of Oldies and Goldies. The air inside smelled clean and expensive, like new leather and polished wood. Rich people moved around with quiet confidence. Collectors. Brokers. People who never looked at price tags.Ethan felt out of place the second he stepped through the door. His clothes were still stained from the ravine. He had not showered in two days. Dirt and dried blood clung to him. The faint smell of earth and herbs followed him.At the customer service desk stood a young woman named Maya Chen. Twenty-five years old. Tall. Carefully dressed. Heavy eye makeup and long bangs half-hid her face. She had worked here for two years and still had not gotten the promotion she wanted. Most of her “luxury” things were fakes bought from the underground market. Her phone wallpaper was a pale K-pop idol she called “husband” in secret.The moment she saw Ethan, her face closed.“Leave,” she said, voice sharp. “We don’t accept beggars. Security—”“I’m no

Ethan opened his eyes to a soft, steady beep.Sunlight pushed through the leaves high above. The air felt cool even though it was midday. Trees and thick plants kept the bottom of the ravine shaded. Every muscle ached, but the pain already felt distant, like it was fading fast.Memory crashed back in sharp pieces. Ava’s voice. Ryan’s fists. The long fall wrapped in a thick blanket.“They meant to kill me,” Ethan whispered. His heart raced. This isolated drop had not been an accident. They had thrown him here on purpose.The system screen was already open in front of him.[Mission accomplished.][Primary emotional bond permanently severed.][Profession unlocked: Grand Alchemist & Healer.][Please check Inbox for rewards.]Ethan’s pulse quickened. He opened the mailbox with a shaky thought.[Nine Heavenly Path Technique Manual – AI Integration available.][Accept or Postpone?]For a second he hesitated. Then Sophie’s pale face flashed in his mind. The hospital bills that would keep comi

Ethan paced under the old streetlamp outside Ava’s building. His phone felt cold in his hand. Every call went unanswered. The system’s three-hour window was almost gone.Messages from Ava over the past months had already been short. I’m busy. Don’t call for a while. Tonight the silence felt final.He kept thinking about Sophie. The surgery deposit was paid, but the hospital bills kept coming. Medicine. Extra care. Days of recovery. He needed the system’s power. He needed the Grand Alchemist path. Without it, how was he supposed to keep helping her?A low, expensive engine growled around the corner. A sleek black sports car slid to a stop under the same yellow light. The passenger window was cracked open just enough for voices to spill out.Ava’s voice, soft and breathless: “Tomorrow we’ll do it all over again, baby. What you just did… it was so good.”A deeper male laugh answered. The words that followed made Ethan’s ears burn. He stepped closer without thinking, face almost touching

The boat moved slowly down the river under heavy rain. Kael held Theo close. The boy had stopped shaking, but his small hands still gripped Kael’s shirt tightly.Seren kept the motor low. Rook watched the banks with his gun ready.“She marked him,” Kael said. His voice was quiet. “Veyra can feel where Theo is for the next twelve hours.”Seren nodded once. “Then we cannot stay on the water long. High-level Hollow hosts do not lose a mark easily.”Kael looked at the three rings in his pocket. Two keys. One lock. His father’s letter and notebook were still dry inside his jacket.The system spoke.[Time remaining on Veyra’s mark: 11 hours, 42 minutes.][New mission available.][Mission: Reach the old clock tower before the mark fully activates her hunting sense.][Reward: One short burst of speed for both you and Theo.][Cost: One memory of teaching Theo how to ride a bicycle will be erased.]Kael closed his eyes. He could still see the wobbly first ride, Theo’s proud smile, the way the b

The van moved fast through the early morning streets. Rain still fell. Kael sat in the back with Theo against his side and the three rings in his pocket. The notebook from the vault lay open on his knee.Seren turned from the front seat. “We have less than three hours. The high-level host will find us before that if we stay in the open.”Kael turned a page in the notebook. His father’s handwriting listed names, places, and short notes. One line was underlined twice.“North bridge warehouse. Circle storage. Guarded by a Hollow named Veyra. Do not face her alone.”Kael looked up. “There is a name here. Veyra. My father marked her as dangerous.”Rook glanced in the mirror. “Never heard of her. But if your father wrote it twice, we should listen.”The system spoke.[High-level Hollow signature confirmed.][Name: Veyra.][Distance: Closing fast.][New mission available.][Mission: Reach the river safe house before Veyra arrives.][Reward: One short-range tracking block.][Cost: One memory

The van stopped on a quiet street just before dawn.Kael looked out the window. The house at the end of the road was only a black shell. Burned walls. No roof. Weeds growing through the cracked steps. He had not seen it since he was a boy.Theo sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Where are we, Daddy?”“A place I used to know,” Kael said. “Stay close to me.”Seren checked the street. “No Circle cars yet. We move now.”They left the van and walked through the broken gate. Ash still covered parts of the ground even after so many years. Kael led them to the back of the house where the kitchen used to be. He knelt and brushed away dirt and burned wood until he found a flat stone with a faint mark in the center.Seren spoke quietly. “Only Elzeus blood can open it. Your father made sure of that.”Kael took the two silver rings from his pocket and pressed them against the mark. Nothing happened. He looked at his own hand, then at Theo’s.“Theo. Give me your hand.”The boy placed his small hand over th

The metal door shook under the first heavy blow.Kael stood in front of Theo with both hands free. The temporary shield felt like thin glass over his skin and the boy’s. He could still move, but he knew it would only last ten minutes.Seren pulled a short blade from her coat. Rook checked his gun and shook his head. “Too many on the other side. We cannot win a straight fight.”Kael looked at the old maps on the wall. One showed a second exit that led to the river tunnels.“There,” he said. “We go that way.”Another blow hit the door. The metal bent inward. A blue glow leaked through the cracks.Dariac’s voice came clear and cold. “Time is up, nephew.”The door exploded open. Three figures stepped through the smoke. Dariac stood in the middle. The two others had the same empty eyes as Lila. Hollow System hosts.Kael moved first.He grabbed Theo and ran toward the side tunnel. Seren and Rook covered them. Rook fired twice. One Hollow host staggered but did not fall. The blue light aroun

Kael sat on the cold warehouse floor with Theo asleep against his chest. The boy’s breathing was steady. Kael kept one hand on his back and stared at the two dull silver rings lying on the stone circle.Seren crouched nearby, checking a small device in her hand. Rook stood by the broken door, watching the rain and the empty street.“How long do we have?” Kael asked.Seren looked at him. “The system said forty-eight hours. That means the next one will come before the second sunrise.”Kael nodded once. He felt tired in a way that sleep could not fix. The empty space where the memory of adopting Theo used to be still ached. He knew the boy was his son. He just could no longer see the first day.The system spoke quietly.[New mission issued.][Mission: Reach the underground station beneath the old train yard before the next enemy arrives.][Reward: One permanent resistance to mental attacks.][Cost: One memory of Theo’s laughter will be erased.]Kael closed his eyes. He could still hear T

Kael pushed the van door open and stepped out into the rain.Lila stood under the broken streetlight. The third ring on her finger glowed with a soft blue light. Her face looked the same, but her eyes did not. They were empty, like glass.Theo pressed against Kael’s side. “Mommy?”Kael put one hand on the boy’s shoulder and kept him behind his leg.“Stay back,” he said quietly.Seren and Rook got out of the van. Seren’s voice was low. “That is not the Lila you knew. Her system is different. It does not take memories. It only takes other people.”Lila smiled. The smile did not reach her eyes.“Hello, Kael. You look surprised. Did you really think you were the only one who came back?”Kael’s hands curled into fists. “What did they do to you?”“They gave me a better deal,” Lila said. “No more poverty. No more weak husband. No more useless child. In this life I get to keep everything I want.”The Truth Echo skill rang hard in Kael’s ears. Every word she spoke carried a false note, but the