Julian’s lungs felt like they were full of broken glass. Every time he took a breath, a sharp, terrible pain stabbed his chest. He fell to one knee on the rocky ground, coughing up a mouthful of dark, red blood. All around him, the air smelled like sulfur and burning flesh. This was Demon's Maw Valley, a dead wasteland of jagged black rocks and deep canyons. Right now, it was a battlefield. Fifty feet away, a massive monster roared. It was an Abyssal Drake. The beast was the size of a two-story house, covered in thick, iron-black scales. It opened its massive jaws and fired a blast of dark, purple fire. In the center of the battlefield stood Dominic Sullivan. Dominic was the captain of the Silvermoon Vanguard, and he looked like a hero from a storybook. He wore shining silver armor and held a sword crackling with blue lightning. The Drake’s purple fire slammed directly into Dominic’s chest. The force was enough to melt steel. It should have burned Dominic alive. It should have end

The three seconds felt like a lifetime. Julian lay on the cold, sharp rocks. He could not run. He could not hide. The twelve pairs of glowing red eyes moved closer. The Abyssal Wolves stepped out of the shadows, their large paws making clicking sounds against the stone. The Alpha Wolf led the pack. It was a nightmare made of muscle and black fur. Thick, terrible scars covered its face, showing that it had survived many battles in Demon's Maw Valley. The beast opened its mouth, letting out a hot breath that smelled like rotting meat and old blood. “This is it,” Julian thought. His heart hammered in his chest like a trapped bird. “This is how my story ends.” He closed his eyes, waiting for the sharp teeth to tear into his throat. He waited for the final flash of pain. But as the seconds passed, fear slowly turned into something else. Deep inside Julian’s chest, a tiny spark of heat began to grow. It pushed past the freezing wind. It pushed past the terrible pain of his broken ribs

Julian was falling too fast. The wind roared in his ears like a furious monster. Above him, the glowing blue spatial rift snapped shut, plunging him into a dark, heavy sky. Below him, the ground was rushing up to meet him. He was thousands of feet in the air. If he hit the ground at this speed, he would be crushed into powder. "Think!" Julian shouted to himself, forcing his eyes open against the freezing wind. He reached inside his chest, searching for his new magic. His shattered Mana Core responded instantly. The black and gold energy flooded his veins. He remembered how he had transferred the heavy weight of the Drake’s tail strike into the Alpha Wolf. Weight was just a rule. Gravity was just a rule. And as a Sovereign, he could change the rules. Julian pointed his hands straight down at the rapidly approaching ground. "Command!" Julian yelled, using all his focus. "Gravity Inversion!"A massive circle of golden light appeared in the air directly below him. As Julian crashed

The morning after Julian crashed the live television broadcast, he thought the world would be on his side. He thought the truth would set him free. He was completely wrong. Julian stood in the bright, clean courtyard of the Heavenfall Guardian Academy. This was the place where young fighters went to join official Guilds. Julian stood perfectly straight, wearing a cheap but clean black jacket. In his hand, he held a wooden sign that read: “NEW GUILD RECRUITING. ALL CLASSES WELCOME.”A group of heavily armored students walked past him. They pointed at him and burst out laughing. "Look, it's the crazy guy from the TV!" one of the students, a tall boy with a fire staff, sneered. "Hey, Julian! Are you going to heal us to death?"Julian did not say a word. He just watched them walk away. Overnight, the Golden Sands Guild had used their massive wealth to completely change the story. They told the newspapers that Julian was a traumatized, broken boy who had lost his mind during the boss fi

Aria stared at Julian’s hand as if it were a poisonous snake. She was bleeding, beaten, and covered in the dirty sand of the Blood Pit. The heavy, rusty broadsword was stabbed into the ground right next to her. The gold and black chain of light connected Julian’s chest to her heart, pulsing with a strange, warm energy. "Don't do this," Aria whispered, her voice shaking with fear. She tried to crawl backward, away from him. "You don't understand my curse! The moment I pick up a weapon, my core turns on. It will pull the life right out of your veins. You will dry up like a dead leaf. I don't want to kill you!"Julian did not move his hand away. His golden eyes were completely calm. Behind Julian, the giant gladiator, Victor Kelly, was struggling. The crushing gravity magic Julian had used on him was starting to fade. Victor let out a furious roar and smashed a red magical crystal on his belt. A wave of berserker energy washed over him, breaking Julian’s spell. Victor stood up, his fa