Novels by Chinaza Matilda

Killian didn’t press further, and for that, Noah was grateful. He wasn’t sure he had the strength to put everything into words just yet.The fire had long since burned out, leaving only glowing embers between them, and for a moment, the world felt still. But Noah knew better than to trust stillness. The Darklands had a way of lulling travelers into a false sense of security before striking when they least expected it.“I don’t sleep much either,” Killian admitted after a moment, breaking the silence. His voice was quieter than usual, almost contemplative. “Too many things in my head. Too many things I’ve done that won’t let me rest.”Noah glanced at him, surprised. Killian wasn’t the type to talk about himself. He had always been the steady one, the fighter who never seemed to flinch, the man who never hesitated. But now, sitting in the dim light, he seemed… human. Tired.Noah hesitated before speaking. “What did you do?”Killian sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “You ever make a

Noah sat by the dying embers of the campfire, his mind drifting to a time before the Darklands, before the Abyss had marked him. The others had settled in for the night, their breathing slow and steady, but sleep eluded him.His father’s voice echoed in his mind, sharp and unforgiving. "You were never meant to lead, Noah. You hesitate. You doubt. That’s what makes you weak."Noah had always struggled under the weight of his father’s expectations. The man had been a force of nature—unyielding, disciplined, and entirely without mercy. He had trained Noah from the time he could walk, pushing him beyond his limits, testing his resolve at every turn. But no matter how hard he tried, it had never been enough."A leader doesn’t second-guess himself," his father had said, after watching Noah hesitate before striking an opponent in one of their countless sparring matches. "A leader commands."Noah had never wanted to command. He had wanted freedom, choices that were his own. But fate had other

The fire crackled softly, its warmth a stark contrast to the cold weight settling in Noah’s chest. The others had drifted into restless sleep, exhaustion finally catching up to them after the ordeal in the Darklands. But Noah couldn’t close his eyes. Not yet.He stared into the embers, lost in thought. The hooded woman’s words echoed in his mind: You didn’t just restrain it. You claimed dominion over it.A bitter chuckle escaped him. He hadn’t sought power. He never had. But power had a way of finding him, twisting itself into his life whether he wanted it or not.The memory came unbidden—his father’s voice, sharp and full of disappointment.“You hesitate, Noah. You always hesitate. And that is why you will never be strong enough.”He had been a child then, no older than ten, standing in the courtyard of their old estate. His hands trembled around the hilt of the wooden practice sword, his opponent a boy two years older, taller, stronger. The clash of training blades echoed around the

The air grew heavier, thick with a presence unseen but deeply felt. Each step forward sent a ripple through the Darklands, as though Noah’s very existence unsettled the slumbering force beneath them. The terrain twisted, shifting like a living thing reacting to their intrusion.Vance walked beside him, his daggers drawn but loose in his grip, his gaze darting to the shifting landscape. "You feel that, don’t you? It’s like the ground’s... breathing."Killian exhaled sharply. "More like watching. I don’t like it."The hooded woman kept her eyes forward, her posture rigid. "It knows you now, Noah. And it’s testing you."Noah tightened his fists, the mark on his wrist pulsing in time with his heartbeat. He could feel the connection deepening, the abyssal power within him stirring in response to the land’s awakening. The knowledge unsettled him—but fear would do him no good. He had already chosen this path.Then, without warning, the ground ahead of them cracked open.A deep, guttural soun

The silence was deafening. The darkness no longer writhed, no longer reached for him with insatiable hunger. Yet Noah could still feel its presence, distant but lingering, like an ember smoldering beneath the ash.He exhaled sharply, his muscles trembling from the effort of binding the creature. His mind swam with exhaustion, yet the weight of the moment kept him grounded.Killian staggered to his feet, dusting himself off. His usual smirk was absent, replaced by something almost wary. “So… does this mean it’s over?”Vance shot him a look, sheathing his daggers. “You really think something like that goes down without consequences?”Noah flexed his fingers, staring at the mark on his wrist. The pain had subsided, but an odd sensation remained—like a tether stretching into the void.The hooded woman stepped closer, her gaze sharp. “You’ve done what no one else could. But this is only the beginning.”Noah frowned, his heart still racing. “What do you mean?”She hesitated for the first ti

The path ahead was a winding, narrow trail, barely visible under the creeping darkness that seemed to grow thicker with each passing moment. The trees loomed over them like towering giants, their twisted limbs blocking out any semblance of light. The further they went, the more Noah felt as though the land itself was closing in on them, as though the very earth were conspiring to keep them in this oppressive shadow. Noah’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. The mark on his wrist had not stopped pulsing, and the more he tried to ignore it, the more it seemed to demand his attention. It wasn’t just the mark, though—it was the whole of this place. The air felt heavy with something ancient, something old and powerful. It was the weight of forgotten things, of lost memories that no one wanted to remember. He glanced over at Killian, who was still tense and alert, his eyes darting to every shadow, every flicker of movement in the periphery. Even Vance, who usually carried himself with a s

11:15 AM – Carter TowerAmber stared at the security feed on her screen. One of the elevators had stopped responding. Floor 47. A floor that wasn’t supposed to exist.Felix entered quickly. “We have a breach.”Amber asked, “Is it Jason and Nova?”“No. Someone else. Masked. Came in as a cleaner. He bypassed every scanner. It’s him.”Amber’s heart skipped. “The Mirror?”Felix nodded. “He’s already inside.”---11:20 AM – Emergency Comm LineNova's voice buzzed through static. “We’re under attack. The Vault’s gone. The Mirror knows we were there.”Amber replied, “He’s already here. Inside the Tower.”Jason grabbed the comm. “Don’t trust anyone. Not even your closest team. He can become anyone.”Nova added, “We’ll land in 20 minutes. Hold the council together.”---Meanwhile – Floor 47, Carter TowerA man dressed like one of the kitchen staff stood alone in the hallway. He stared at a mirror bolted to the wall. Then, he reached out and touched the glass. His face flickered, changing shape

We all stood around the screen.Frozen.Watching Amos’s blueprint of Caleb’s weapon: The Cleanser.It looked simple.Just lines.Circles.Blocks of code.But it was more dangerous than anything I had seen in my life.Nova zoomed in on the core file.“It’s built to rewrite history,” she whispered. “Delete records. Flip news. Replace birth names. Fake crimes. Create deaths that never happened.”Felix said, “This is more than hacking.”Deek finished the thought:> “It’s a digital genocide.”---The CountdownAmos stepped forward.“He started the countdown the day I refused to help him.”I turned to him. “You said we have four days.”He nodded.“Once it’s triggered, it’ll spread across the internet. Like a virus. Quiet. Unstoppable. Everyone will see false stories. False faces. And no one will know it’s not real.”Amber asked the only question left:> “Where’s the trigger?”Amos replied,> “I don’t know. But he’s smart. He’ll hide it where truth still exists.”---The Library of TruthWe

Nova sat in the dark.Hands tied.Blindfold still on.The room smelled of smoke and old paint.No windows. No air.Only a fan buzzing in the corner and a camera on the wall.She had not eaten in one day.No one had spoken to her since the last video.But she wasn’t crying.She wasn’t begging.She was counting.Every second. Every footstep. Every breath the guard outside took.And in her head?She was building a map.Because Nova wasn’t just a hacker.She was a survivor.---Back at Carter Tower – 5:10 AMI sat at the control desk, reading her last message.> “Always.”Felix stood beside me, arms crossed.“You think it’s really her?”I nodded.“She used the shift code only she and I knew. Nobody else could fake it.”Amber leaned in.“She’s in. That means she can help.”Deek, still resting but awake, added, “Let’s be sure she’s safe. We can’t use her like a tool.”“I’m not,” I said. “She reached out to me.”Felix asked, “So what now?”I looked at them all.“Now we bring Caleb into the o

I just sat in my dark office with the city lights glowing outside, thinking.My hands were shaking, but not from fear.From confusion.From pain.From truth.> Caleb Carter.> My brother.> A name I had never heard until last night.But now, that name wouldn’t leave my mind.---Earlier That Night – The RevealHis face was clear.Same eyes as mine.Same jawline.Same stare.We both stood under the broken lights of that warehouse, one holding a gun, the other holding a memory.> “He trained you to build,” Caleb had said.“He trained me to destroy.”He told me that before our father died, he split his secrets into two sons.One would be the public leader. That was me.The other would walk in the shadows. That was him.But why?Why split us?Why never tell me?And more than that — why was Caleb trying to tear me down now?---Carter Tower – Present MomentAmber walked in with a flask of hot tea.She placed it quietly on my desk.No words.She didn’t need to speak.She knew.Everything ha

3:17 AM — Carter Tower, Private OfficeI couldn’t sleep.My mind was burning.Not with fear.Not with sadness.With rage.The black box was a trick. The Shadow Table had baited us and destroyed half our system. Our name was dirt again. But this time… it wasn’t just the enemies outside.It was someone close.Someone who smiled in meetings.A voice I trusted.A shadow I didn’t see.---That Morning — 7:00 AMI called a closed meeting.Only five people.Felix. Nova. Amber. K-Six. Deek.I entered the room slowly.Said nothing for the first full minute.Then I placed my phone on the table and pressed a button.> “This room is now locked and silent. No one outside can hear us. Not even Nova’s AI.”Everyone looked nervous.Even Felix.Even K-Six.I looked each of them in the eyes.Then I said it:> “One of you is the snake.”---Silence.No one moved.No one blinked.Amber spoke first. “Jason, are you sure?”“Yes.”Deek leaned back, lips tight. “You think we’d betray you after everything?”“

Jason couldn’t sleep.Not because he was afraid…But because he finally understood something:> The world he thought he had won was just the first floor.The real power?It lived underneath.In places with no lights.In rooms where no cameras could enter.---5:45 AM – Carter Tower, Top FloorJason stood in front of a huge glass wall, watching the city wake up.Abuja looked peaceful.But now, peace made him nervous.Amber walked in, holding a tablet.“We got something,” she said quietly.Jason turned to her. “Go on.”Amber showed him a list of five names.They weren’t public leaders. Not on Forbes. Not in politics.But their companies were behind the biggest banks, weapons, and oil movements in the world.One of them owned the satellites that watched half of Africa.Another funded “research groups” that had shut down Jason’s early schools years ago.And one?Owned the server the warning message came from.Jason stared at the list.“This is the Shadow Table,” Amber said. “They’ve staye