The flashing red lights bathed the laboratory in the color of blood. The loud alarm sirens screamed.Quinn stood in the center of the room. His pitch-black aura burned like a wild fire. He breathed heavily.Suddenly, the massive blast doors at the end of the hallway opened again."Do not let them leave!" a loud voice roared.The tall Guard Captain marched into the room. Behind him were fifty heavily armed Royal Knights. They held thick metal shields and glowing electric spears.Walking right beside the Captain was Doctor Aris. The scientist wiped the blood from his nose. His thin silver glasses were cracked, but his eyes were full of pure madness."You broke my machine!" Doctor Aris shrieked at Quinn. "You ruined my life's work! I will crush you into a tiny ball of meat!"Doctor Aris raised both of his hands. His eyes glowed bright purple."Absolute Gravity!" Aris screamed.A massive, invisible wave of psychic energy slammed into the room. It was not just aimed at Quinn. It was aimed

CLANG!Quinn, Darius, Luna, and Felix lay on the hard stone floor. They were breathing heavily. Their chests moved up and down very fast. Behind the thick steel door, they could hear the deadly red lasers buzzing. But they were safe."Lock it!" Quinn wheezed. He coughed violently, holding his chest. "Lock it right now!"Felix scrambled to his feet. He looked at the door handle. There was no scanner on this side. There was only a heavy iron wheel. Felix grabbed the wheel and spun it as hard as he could. Thick metal bolts slid into the stone walls with a loud crack."It is locked!" Felix panted. He leaned his back against the cold steel door and slid down to the floor. "We are safe. The lasers cannot get us."Quinn closed his eyes. His dark eyes were bloodshot. His body was completely exhausted.Darius started to laugh. He lay on his back and stared at the dark ceiling. His green eyes glowed in the shadows."We did it!" Darius laughed loudly. "We beat the King's death trap! We broke the

The torchlight flickered violently in the damp, freezing air of the underground sewer. The yellow fire illuminated the slimy brick walls and reflected in the dirty water rushing past their boots. The light hit Quinn’s face, revealing his completely cold, dead eyes.The first bounty hunter stopped walking. He gasped, dropping his torch a few inches. "It is him! The anomaly! The boy with the dark magic!"The hunter opened his mouth to scream for the royal guards above, but Quinn was infinitely faster.Quinn stepped completely out of the shadows. He moved like a ghost. He reached out and grabbed the hunter directly by the throat with his heavy Star-Iron glove. He did not use his dark magic. He did not want to leave a magical trace. He used pure, brutal physical strength.Quinn squeezed the man's neck just hard enough to silence him, then slammed the back of the hunter's head directly into the hard brick wall.**Smash!**The hunter’s eyes rolled back into his skull. He dropped his torch a

The wooden floor creaked loudly under Quinn's heavy boots. He pulled his dark cloak tight over his broad shoulders. He hid his bruised face deep inside the grey hood.Darius strapped his glowing green sword to his belt. He smiled, looking completely relaxed. Luna wrapped a thick wool scarf around her neck to hide her face. Felix hugged his leather bag tightly against his chest. His hands were shaking. Bell was already hiding safely inside Quinn’s shadow, taking another nap.They walked down the stairs of the Warm Bear Tavern. The fat tavern keeper was washing a glass behind the wooden bar. He saw them coming. He immediately turned his back. He stared at the wall and pretended they were completely invisible.Quinn pushed the heavy wooden door open. The freezing winter wind hit them in the face.They stepped out into the snowy street. The sun was shining brightly, but the town was not quiet anymore.A loud brass horn blew in the distance.**"Attention all citizens! Halt exactly where yo

The massive crowd of surface explorers flooded into the grand plaza of the underground city. Heavy boots slammed against the ancient obsidian pavement, echoing loudly between the towering black spires. Shouts, curses, and the clanking of metal weapons shattered the silent, eternal peace that had protected the subterranean world for a thousand years."Look at those obsidian pillars!" a scarred human mercenary yelled, pointing his sword at a massive structure. "There's gold inlaid in the stone! That's pure wealth just sitting there!""Grab everything you can carry!" another treasure hunter shouted, rushing toward a grand stone archway.Quinn stood near the edge of the grand plaza, his dark eyes scanning the vast underground metropolis. The sheer scale of the city was staggering. Bridges of glowing blue energy spanned across bottomless canyons, connecting massive towers that reached up toward the dark cavern ceiling."They're going to destroy it in an hour," Darius said, crossing his arm