The dark forest was perfectly quiet. Commander Oliver walked through the dead, black trees. The poisonous purple fog rolled over his heavy boots. He was completely alone. He was walking toward the massive, dark Wraithborn Spire in the distance.His right hand and arm were made of smooth, black metal. Glowing purple lines pulsed under the alien steel. The dark magic from the alien coin had eaten his human flesh. It had given him the strength of a monster.In his left hand, Oliver held his silent sniper rifle. In his hidden belt pocket, the alien coin, the Key of Echoes, beat like a dark heart. Thump. Thump. Thump.Suddenly, the radio in Oliver’s helmet crackled with loud, violent static."Oliver!" Captain Iris screamed through the radio. Her voice was full of pure terror. "Oliver, do you hear me?!"Oliver stopped walking. He did not panic. He tapped his radio with his black metal hand."I hear you, Captain Iris," Oliver said. His voice was completely flat and calm. "Report your stat

The thousands of civilians poured out of the dark hole and ran toward the hovering ship. Ramps lowered from the cargo bays. The people scrambled up the ramps. They were crying with joy.Oliver watched the green dots safely enter the ship. But suddenly, the entire blue holographic map in his mind flashed a violent, blinding red.BZZZZZT!A massive wave of dark magic slammed into Oliver’s brain. The pain was so intense that Oliver actually stopped walking. He dropped to one knee in the dead dirt of the Black Forest."Did you think I would let them leave?" the ancient, terrifying voice of the Overlord boomed inside Oliver’s head.The Overlord was not using monsters this time. The Overlord was using the planet itself.On the map, Oliver saw a massive, localized gravity well forming directly under Ship Twenty. The Overlord was turning the ground into a giant magnet. He was going to pull the flying ship out of the sky and crush it against the concrete."Oliver!" Billy screamed over the rad

The soldiers stared at his right arm. It was a monstrous, heavy thing made of solid black alien metal. It pulsed with an evil purple light. And when Oliver looked at them, they saw his eyes.His left eye was human, cold and gray. But his right eye was glowing with a faint, burning red fire. The dark magic from the alien coin had crawled up his neck and reached his face. He looked like half a man and half a Wraithborn god."By the stars," Miller whispered. He slowly lowered his machine gun. "Commander... what happened to you?"Oliver walked smoothly toward the barricade. He did not limp. He did not show weakness."I updated my operating system, Sergeant," Oliver said flatly. His voice sounded different. It was deeper, with a faint metallic echo. "The mission was a success. The Overlord’s avatar was destroyed. The vanguard is buried. The planet is secure."Ren ran forward. She did not care about the scary metal arm. She was just glad her leader was alive."Commander!" Ren said. "The ci

The heavy steel door above them was locked forever. Commander Oliver stood in the dark. He was far below the surface of the planet Sigma-12. He was completely cut off from the human army, the civilian bunkers, and the light of the sun. He was entirely alone. He stood at the entrance of a massive, ancient, underground tunnel.This was not a rough dirt cave. It was a perfect, smooth hallway made of dark gray stone. The walls were covered in strange, glowing blue symbols. The symbols looked like strange letters. They blinked softly in the dark.Oliver did not step into the tunnel right away. He stood perfectly still. His cold, gray human eye and his burning, red Wraithborn eye scanned the dark. He looked down at his right arm.From his fingertips to his shoulder, his arm was made of smooth, pitch-black metal. Glowing purple veins pushed under the alien steel. The dark magic from the alien coin had eaten his human flesh. It had turned his arm into a weapon. The metal felt cold, but it

Oliver did not answer. He was completely focused. He lifted his heavy left boot. He moved it forward exactly fourteen inches. He lowered it slowly. He stepped completely over a glowing yellow wire on his map. His boot missed the invisible tripwire by half an inch.He leaned his upper body backward at a thirty-degree angle. A glowing yellow wire passed less than an inch from his dark visor."Two steps complete," Oliver whispered to himself.He moved like a machine. He twisted his hips. He bent his knees. He ducked his head. He calculated the exact dimensions of his own body and the heavy armor he wore.He moved through the invisible laser maze with cold, perfect grace. It took him ten minutes to walk twenty yards.He was halfway through the trapped hallway. Sweat dripped down his human face, pooling in his helmet. The mental focus required to watch the map and control every single muscle was immense.Suddenly, the black coin on his hip flared violently.THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!The purple