Novels by Joseph Louis

Slowly, his head turned. His gaze drifted away from Jabber in the ring, traveling across the intervening space, moving upward to the third row of benches where…Asta was standing at the edge of the seating area, gripping the railing in front of him, his whole body leaning forward as he stared down at the ring with an expression of intense worry and confusion. His brown eyes were wide, his face were pale, his knuckles white where they clutched the wooden rail.And he wasn't reacting. Not with recognition, not with understanding, not with the kind of dawning horror that should accompany witnessing his friend's possession by an ancient dragon's flame. Just... worry. Normal worry, the kind any friend would feel watching another friend in distress.Kael studied Asta's face for a long moment, his old eyes sharp despite their cloudiness, reading every microexpression, every subtle shift in body language, every indicator that might tell him what was going on inside that boy's head.Nothing. N

High in the official seating area, Roderick,the higher official sitting beside Old Man Kael,was leaning forward in his seat, his knuckles white where they gripped the armrest. His voice came out strained with barely controlled panic, each word pitched with rising curiosity that was really just fear wearing a different mask."What is happening?" He demanded, his eyes fixed on the ring where Jabber stood with those burning purple eyes and that too-wide smile. "Why are Jabber's eyes flaming up with purple fire? Is it... is it some kind of hidden flame technique from the Sun Arising Clan? Something they don't teach publicly? Some secret manifestation that only appears under extreme stress?"His voice was getting faster, higher, the questions tumbling out as his mind tried desperately to find a rational explanation for what he was seeing. "I've studied flame manifestations for twenty years,every clan, every technique, every variation. The Sun Arising Clan's flame is golden-orange, some

But then the smoke began to clear.Not naturally,not dispersing gradually like smoke usually did. It was being pulled away, sucked back like something was drawing it in, revealing the ring beneath.And as the smoke cleared, shapes became visible.Two figures, standing close together.One was Brick, his massive frame still wreathed in flames, his right fist extended forward in the follow-through of his devastating punch.The other was Jabber, still standing in the same position as before, head down, smoke rising from his body.And Jabber's hand,his left hand,was wrapped around Brick's extended fist, holding it. Stopping it. The flaming punch that should have demolished him was caught in Jabber's grip, held completely still like it had hit an immovable object.The crowd's noise cut off like someone had physically severed it. Total, absolute silence as hundreds of people processed what they were seeing, their minds refusing to accept it because it was impossible, it couldn't be real, it

A pause, and then: "Are you sure about that?"The tone was thick with curiosity,genuine curiosity, like he was asking a legitimate question rather than making a statement. Like he honestly wanted to know if Brick really believed he'd won.High in the official seating area, Old Man Kael had been sitting relatively relaxed until now. But at Jabber's words, at that changed tone, he suddenly leaned forward in his seat. His cloudy, nearly blind eyes had gone wide,wider than Asta had ever seen them and he was staring down at the ring with an intensity that suggested he was seeing something that terrified him.His gaze was fixed on the smoke rising from Jabber's body. That thick, dark, wrong smoke that was getting denser, more pronounced, spreading around Jabber like a living thing."That smoke." Kael muttered to himself, his weathered hands gripping his walking stick so hard his knuckles had gone white. "I know that smoke. I've seen it before. But where? When?"His mind was racing, flip

In the ring, the referee was turning away from Jabber's prone form, walking toward where Brick stood. The big man had moved to the center of the ring, no longer wrapped in flames, just standing there with his hands on his knees, breathing hard. The fight had clearly taken a lot out of him despite his victory.The referee stopped beside Brick and raised one arm, preparing to make the official announcement. His voice rang out across the training yard:"The winner is…""Winner?"The single word cut through the air like a knife, stopping the referee mid-sentence. It was Jabber's voice,Jabber's voice, coming from Jabber's supposedly unconscious body.But the tone was wrong. It wasn't weak or painful or trembling. It was normal. Conversational. Almost curious."But I haven't quit." The voice continued, still in that same unsettlingly normal tone. Blood was running freely from Jabber's nose, dripping onto the dirt beneath him, but his voice didn't reflect any pain or distress. "Or been de

"Yes."The figure said softly, almost gently. "And then you were sent to the labor section. And your father wrote you that letter. Three sentences. 'We are disappointed. We expected better. Don't write again until you have something worth reporting.' The letter that made you realize your family had given up on you. That made you stop hoping someone would save you."The figure stood, looking down at Jabber's crying, broken form. "And now here you are. Age twenty. Still can't control your flame. Still getting beaten up. Still failing. Still disappointing everyone who ever believed in you. Still weak.""I just..." Jabber's voice cracked completely, sobs wracking his body. "I just want to be a son my family and clan can be proud of. I don't want to be a disappointment anymore. I don't want to be the one everyone whispers about, the failure with the prestigious flame who can't use it. I just want... I just want to be enough."The dark space fell silent except for Jabber's crying. He kn

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