Novels by Joseph Louis

Because they had.The hallway ended at a set of double doors. These were different from all the others they'd passed. Larger. Made of dark wood that looked ancient, with silver hinges and handles that gleamed even in the dim corridor light.A plaque beside the door read: EMPRESS - SOVEREIGN RULER OF THE DRAGON NATION.Kael stopped in front of the doors. He turned to face Asta and Jabber, his expression serious."Listen carefully." He said, his voice low. "Answer her questions honestly. Don't try to hide anything or make excuses. The Empress values truth above all else. Understood?"Both boys nodded."Good." Kael reached for the handles. "And for the love of all that's holy, try not to piss her off."He pulled the doors open.The office beyond was massive. Easily three times the size of any classroom Asta had ever been in. The ceiling soared overhead, painted with a mural of dragons flying through clouds. Bookshelves lined one wall from floor to ceiling, packed with volumes that lo

Old man Kael stood in the doorway like he'd materialized out of thin air. His white beard caught the afternoon light streaming through the windows, making him look almost ethereal for a moment.Then he spoke, and the illusion shattered."Oh. Good. You're both out of bed." His eyes swept over them,Asta standing beside Jabber's bed, Jabber sitting up with tears still wet on his cheeks. "So you two. Come with me."Neither of them moved for a second. Just stared at him."Now?" Asta asked."Yes, now." Kael's tone left no room for argument. "The Empress doesn't like to be kept waiting."That got them moving.Asta's hand fell from Jabber's shoulder. Jabber swung his legs over the side of his bed, his bare feet hitting the cold wooden floor. Both of them were still in the thin cotton clothes the healers had changed them into,simple pants and loose shirts that were easier to work with for medical treatment.They glanced at each other. Some unspoken communication passed between them in tha

Jabber started.But Asta was already moving. One step. Two. Each one sent jolts of pain through his body, but he kept going. Crossed the space between their beds in five careful steps.He stopped beside Jabber's bed, standing there for a moment. Trying to find the right words. Trying to figure out how to say what needed to be said.Then he just gave up on words and reached out.His hand settled on Jabber's shoulder. Warm. Solid. Real.Jabber's eyes went wide. His whole body went rigid with surprise. Slowly,so slowly,his head turned. His gaze traveled up from the floor, past Asta's hand on his shoulder, up to his face.Asta was smiling.Not a forced smile. Not a pitying smile. Just... a genuine, warm smile that reached his eyes."You're not weak." Asta said quietly.Jabber's breath hitched."You're one of the strongest people I know."The tears that had been building in Jabber's eyes finally spilled over. They ran down his cheeks in twin tracks, dripping off his jaw onto the blanket

Asta's voice cut through the silence. Not loud, but firm enough to demand attention.Jabber didn't move. His eyes stayed locked on that same spot on the floor, his whole body rigid."Jabber." Asta repeated, leaning forward despite the pain shooting through his ribs. "Why did you take the talisman?"The question hung there. Waiting.Jabber's lips parted slightly. His throat worked like he was trying to swallow something too big to go down. His fingers dug deeper into the blanket covering his legs.‘Should I tell him the truth?’The thought whispered through Jabber's mind. His jaw clenched. Unclenched. Clenched again.‘He's going to think I'm weak. Pathetic. He's going to look at me differently.’But what was the alternative? Keep lying? Pretend it didn't happen? Act like the dragon had just randomly taken control for no reason?Jabber took a shaky breath.‘I don't need to lie.’ His hands stopped gripping the blanket quite so hard. ‘I just have to face his thoughts on what I did. W

He gestured vaguely at his chest. Even that small movement made him wince.Flora's expression softened into something like relief. Then it shifted again, becoming more business-like. She straightened up, releasing her grip on the bed frame."Good." She said firmly. "Because that's actually what I came here to tell you two."Both Asta and Jabber looked at her,though Jabber's attention was clearly reluctant, his gaze still mostly on the floor."You two need to rest. Proper rest. While Mira and I…" She gestured to her companion."...go and train."Mira let out a groan that sounded more theatrical than genuine. "Do we have to? We just got here."Flora whipped around to face her, hands going to her hips. "Stop whining.""I'm not whining…""You are absolutely whining." Flora's tone was sharp but fond, the kind of exasperation that came from long familiarity. "And you know exactly why we need to train right now."She turned back to Asta, and there was something almost challenging in h

Asta hesitated, his fingers gripping the edge of the blanket covering his legs. "She told you I awakened the flame.""She did." Kael's eyes hadn't left his face."The thing is..." Asta paused, choosing his words carefully. "The flame isn't actually mine, though."Old man Kael's eyebrow rose. Just one. The gesture somehow made him look even more intimidating despite his grandfatherly appearance."But you used it, didn't you?"The question wasn't accusatory. Just... direct. Matter-of-fact.Asta met his gaze. "Yeah. I did.""Then it's yours." Kael leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking under his weight. "Doesn't matter if it originally belonged to the Emperor Dragon sealed inside you. The moment you channeled it, controlled it, wielded it,it became yours too."He stroked his beard thoughtfully."That's how dragon flames work, kid. They don't just get borrowed. They bond. The fact that you could use the Emperor Dragon's salamander flame without burning yourself to ash from the

The beam from Mr Henderson’s staff struck her, but the mirror seemed to absorb the energy, reflecting it back at him with such force that the air itself vibrated.Stiles stumbled back, shielding his eyes from the intensity of the light, feeling the ground beneath him rumble. His father recoiled as if the light burned him, the staff slipping from his grasp as if the power within it had turned against him. Mr Henderson's hands shot up, trying to shield himself, but it was no use."You don't control the darkness, Father.”Stiles muttered, his voice shaky but defiant.The princess stepped forward, her expression resolute as the mirror's light intensified.Mr Henderson's face twisted in pain and rage as the light enveloped him, the dark tendrils of power that had once flowed through him now flickering and dying. For a moment, the man that Stiles had known, the father he’d trusted ,seemed to return, his eyes filled with guilt and regret. But it was fleeting. The darkness clung to him like a

The beam from Mr Henderson’s staff struck her, but the mirror seemed to absorb the energy, reflecting it back at him with such force that the air itself vibrated.Stiles stumbled back, shielding his eyes from the intensity of the light, feeling the ground beneath him rumble. His father recoiled as if the light burned him, the staff slipping from his grasp as if the power within it had turned against him. Mr Henderson's hands shot up, trying to shield himself, but it was no use."You don't control the darkness, Father.”Stiles muttered, his voice shaky but defiant.The princess stepped forward, her expression resolute as the mirror's light intensified.Mr Henderson's face twisted in pain and rage as the light enveloped him, the dark tendrils of power that had once flowed through him now flickering and dying. For a moment, the man that Stiles had known, the father he’d trusted ,seemed to return, his eyes filled with guilt and regret. But it was fleeting. The darkness clung to him like a

He barely registered Miss Laura's presence as he shoved past her, heading straight for the garage door. The cold metal felt like a barricade to the truth, and he needed answers,now.His heart hammered in his chest, every step more frantic than the last. He reached the door, and before he could push it open, Mr Jonathan caught up to him, grabbing his arm."Stiles, slow down. We need to think this through." His voice was calm, controlled, but the anxiety in his eyes betrayed him."I can’t.I have to find my father.”Stiles replied, his voice tight with urgency.The door creaked as Stiles swung it open, his breath catching in his throat. The garage was dark, the air stale with the scent of oil and dust. His eyes scanned the room, but it was empty, save for a few parked cars and scattered tools. No sign of his father."Where is he?.”Stiles muttered to himself, stepping further into the room, his hand grazing the cold metal of a car door."Stiles, we don’t even know if he’s in here,this i

“You’re the one who did this?You set me up, Sophia? You know how much I care about Raya, and you…”Stiles’ voice broke through the silence, the accusation sharp and raw.His words faltered for a second as if the betrayal was too much for him to fully articulate, but the anger in his voice made it clear how deeply this hurt him.Sophia’s gaze flickered, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face before she masked it with a thin, victorious smile. “I did what I had to do, Stiles. You wouldn’t have learned your lesson any other way. She deserves better than someone like you.”“What, Sophia I can't believe you are being all this shit.”Raya spoke as she gazed at her scornfully.“Cousin, I did it for the betterment of your future.”Sophia spoke as she grabbed Raya's hand.“My BETTERMENT, or do you mean the betterment of the THOMAS’S FAMILY, yes Sophia, I know about everything you guys have been doing, you guys have been trying to take me out from the exclusive contract that was g

Raya finally turned her head, meeting his gaze. Her eyes were hollow, distant, like she was looking through him rather than at him. “Explain? What is there to explain, Stiles? You don’t get to just walk in here like everything’s fine. Not after what you did.”Stiles’s heart clenched at the weight in her voice. She was breaking, but the walls around her were solid as ever.“I didn’t…” His voice faltered. He didn’t know how to make her see. How to make her believe him when every word she’d heard painted him as the villain.“I didn’t mean for it to happen. I never wanted to hurt you, Raya. I swear, I…”“Enough,I don’t want to hear it. You made your choices. You made your bed. Now lie in it.”Raya cut him off, her voice quiet but firm.Her words were like a slap, and they stung worse than anything she could have thrown at him. His chest tightened as if all the air had been sucked from the world, leaving him with nothing but his own failures.The silence that followed felt heavier than b

Mrs Lisa’s gaze softened slightly, but her voice was sharp. “You’re not telling us everything. What did you do, Sophia?.”Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “I told her. Everything. About Stiles kissing a random girl in a restaurant I even sent her a picture of the both of them. She’ll never trust him again. And once that trust is gone, everything falls apart.”Mrs Lisa Thomas face was marked with a smile as she turned and gazed at Mr Thomas, whose face was also marked with a smile.“No wonder why she has not come out of her room since today.”Mrs Lisa spoke.“ I should go and check up on her, you know, for family reasons.”Sophia spoke as she stood up from the couch and walked towards the stairs.“Sophia!”Mr Thomas called out her name.“Yes, uncle.”She replied as she stood halfway up the stairs.“Tell her to get ready for the Henderson Global Conglomerate company Anniversary, which should start in a few minutes, he said he his going to introduce his long lost son to all Oxford valley.”Mr J