Five days passed between Esposito’s murder and the monthly tournament. The entire school was convinced the drug trade had finally been stamped out. Everyone — except the addicts, who continued ...
2025-08-03 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View Post"Get out of there!" Johansson ordered. Judging by his voice, he was already on the move.
Esposito was dead — well and truly dead. Technically, Novak’s plan had worked. But neither I, nor ...
2025-08-01 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostI’m relaunching Lord Loxlin on Royal Road, which means Chapter 1 of Book 3 will go live on Patreon in about a month.
Right now, I’m trying to reach more readers — and this isn’t the k...
2025-07-31 07:14:33 +0000 UTC View Post"Hi, Luca," I said.
Luca Benedetti tensed immediately.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Jake Sullivan — third place in the last tournament."
Benedetti tensed even more.
"An...
2025-07-30 23:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostJohansson and I met in his office, in the central building of the Hall of Order, on the same floor where I had once spoken with Mei… Mei-What’s-Her-Name. The swordswoman — deputy head of the ...
2025-07-29 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostYes, I had to make the call, otherwise, Rene might do something stupid himself.
But to whom?
Would calling Johansson turn out to be the stupid move instead? Should I call Novak directly...
2025-07-27 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThey patched me up in under a day. I was thrown out of the capsule early in the morning, before the general wake-up. Zola wasn’t there, though I’d grown used to seeing her nearby every time I c...
2025-07-25 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostIn the next round, I was up against the female version of Dubois — Sophia Mitchell. A wide-bladed rapier and four daggers. Unlike Dubois, her weapon had a clearly defined edge. It was obvious tha...
2025-07-23 23:36:02 +0000 UTC View PostI woke up earlier than usual, and for the first time in weeks, I felt… whole. My muscles didn’t ache. My head wasn’t pounding. Moving was easy, and breathing was pleasant.
Though I wasn...
2025-07-22 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostSince early morning, I couldn't get a bite down. As luck would have it, the machine served me a bowl of my favourite ‘metallic rice’ among other things, but that wasn’t the main reason. In le...
2025-07-20 23:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostBy the end of the session with Rene, I’d run the route seven times. He only calmed down once I managed to complete it without falling three times in a row. And even then, he still didn’t look s...
2025-07-18 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostRene held individual training sessions late in the evening, after the general practice in the hall. Like I said — my evenings were busy. Though to be fair, the rest of the day wasn’t exactly fr...
2025-07-16 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe day of the tournament arrived. Cinar was competing; I wasn’t. Dubois had also declined the idea, so we were bound to face each other next time. Still, there were plenty of others I was glad t...
2025-07-15 23:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostFara Rakotoarisoa was part of the Hall of Technology. Not Medicine, as Novak had suspected, but specifically the Engraving Division of the Hall of Technology. Which made sense, though it wasn’t e...
2025-07-13 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostIt was the first time I’d seen fog through a window here. Not that there were many windows around. Even Adam and Lina’s room didn’t have a real one, just a screen that displayed the view from...
2025-07-11 23:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostKim and I never did come up with a reliable way to communicate safely. Still, he gave me the names of three addicts right away. All three were guys: two lived in our block, and I even knew one of t...
2025-07-09 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe tournament results were analysed for quite some time. And, of course, the Darro twins sparked the most discussion.
They were expelled.
Rumour had it the administration tried to hush...
2025-07-08 23:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostAnother week passed. wo, if you counted from the last tournament I fought in.
I’d signed up for the next one. So had Dubois. Last time we’d ended up in the final by chance, but this time ...
2025-07-06 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe next cultivation session went more smoothly. My stomach and wounds weren’t as painful anymore, though they still stung a little, as if the new, regenerated flesh wasn’t entirely mine and my...
2025-07-04 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostI had to skip my session with the mutual support club just to get in to see Novak.
“You suspect demons are behind the drug trade in the School?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes...
2025-07-02 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostFor some reason, Novak only ever invited me over in the evenings. But since I’d volunteered to take on two full days of duty in the block, w
For some reason, Novak only ever invited me over...
2025-07-01 23:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostAs Bulsara later explained to me, Nur’s breakdown had a very specific cause. She’d received a video message from Zola’s parents. The school’s bureaucracy had automatically notified them of ...
2025-06-29 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostI found out I’d won before the machine even took my armour off. But I didn’t get the chance to savour the moment. One of the medics injected something into my neck — and the world went dark.<...
2025-06-27 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostThis wasn’t a duel — it was a slow, stubborn dance between two broken machines, programmed to destroy each other. The formations seemed to function, but they were letting everything through. Wh...
2025-06-25 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostI stepped onto the arena. Sand again beneath my feet. Okoro’s hammers were already waiting for me — both of them, just as Kate had said. He
I stepped onto the arena. Sand again beneath my...
2025-06-24 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View Post“You’re an unbelievably lucky son of a bitch,” Kate declared as Tesfaye’s match ended. “Hey! Easy,” I said. No need to insult anyone’s paren
“You’re an unbelievably lucky so...
2025-06-22 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostI skipped the third round. Advanced automatically. My opponent, and his armour, had taken significant damage. Stepping into a fight against a fully functional enemy would've been idiocy. And he did...
2025-06-20 23:36:00 +0000 UTC View Post"That was awful," Kate told me as I reached the waiting zone, parked my armoured backside on the bench and lifted my visor.
"I won!" I disagreed.
"Your fight looked like two toddlers wr...
2025-06-18 23:36:01 +0000 UTC View PostKate thought I wasn’t ready for the tournaments — and I completely agreed with her. She even let Cinar beat the crap out of me just to prove how unready I was. The tip of his pick pierced my sh...
2025-06-17 23:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe next few chapters will focus on the weekly tournament — and I could use your input!
The first three readers to comment below can claim their own characters. After that, please identify ...
2025-06-17 08:21:50 +0000 UTC View Post