In a narrow alley of Lisbon, where the cobblestones gleamed like wet fish scales after the rain, stood a forgotten library. Its sign had long since lost its paint, and ivy crept up the façade, threading through the stonework like green veins. The locals hurried past, sparing it only glances of vague familiarity — as if it had always been there, though none could remember when it had been built.

I...

CHAPTER ONE: The Empty Space

I was the only one who noticed.

At first, it was a smudge. A faint circle of dust where the old cookie jar used to sit, surrounded by a few stray crumbs. Harmless enough. But when I leaned closer, the hairs on my neck rose.

The jar was gone.

No one else seemed to care. My cousins ran shrieking through Grandma’s living room, oblivious. Aunt Marla flicked through a ma...

The deafening roar of the crowd vibrated through the arena as lights flashed, and banners waved. The annual "Titan's Gauntlet" was the most prestigious competition in the country, drawing warriors, scholars, and performers alike. This year, it was personal.

Theo Blackwood stood at the edge of the ring, his pulse pounding like a war drum. He had fought his way through every round, every rival, unt...

The train jerks, passengers swaying in synchrony, caught in the unspoken dance of city life. A muffled announcement crackles over the speakers—something about delays, but no one listens. They’ve heard it before. The sighs, the exchanged glances, the resigned tapping of fingers against metal poles—it’s all routine.

A woman clutches her coffee like a lifeline; her lipstick imprint smudged on the ri...

Poland, 1942

The snow fell in a hush over Warsaw, muting the world in a blanket of cold white silence. Buildings wore the scars of bombings, their hollowed faces like ghosts, staring out over a city that breathed in whispers. Curfews darkened the streets early, and even whispers of rebellion traveled only in secret.

Inside the narrow kitchen of a crumbling tenement, Zofia Nowak lit the last stub...

Alternative Title: A Winter's Farewell in Summer's Arms

The winter sun shone warm and bright,

A golden dream in frozen light.

And there we stood, our hands entwined,

As love defied the fates unkind.

The frost had melted from the ground,

Yet in your eyes, my world was found.

No season’s shift, no time’s embrace,

Could steal the warmth of love’s sweet grace.

Yet summer came with b...

The old house stands in moonlight pale,

Its bones a frame of weary wood,

And through the halls, a wistful tale,

Of years gone by, misunderstood.

The floorboard sighs with every step,

A voice so frail yet firm and true,

It holds the weight, though age has crept,

Through creaking joints and splintered hue.

It once stood strong in bygone days,

When laughter spilled from every room...

Part 1: The Room

All this time I thought he was the villain, but as I watched the blood drip from my fingertips, I realised it was all a matter of perspective.

The knife clattered from my hand and spun across the wooden floor, stopping just short of the ornate rug we argued about last week. The antique grandfather clock chimed the half-hour. Thirty minutes past midnight.

He wasn’t moving.

I st...

Scene: Somewhere in the bloodstream, near the heart.

Captain Cardio (the Heart):

*Thump-thump* “All right, team, let’s keep it moving! Red, you’re behind schedule—again!”

Red (Red Blood Cell):

“Sorry, Cap! I got stuck in traffic near the alveoli. Oxygen pickup was slow today. That guy’s been slacking.”

Oxy (Oxygen Molecule, tagging along with Red):

“Hey! Not my fault the lungs took a nap mid-in...

I stood where shadows blur the line,

Where fate and choice entwine and twine—

A table carved from time and doubt,

With silence thick, and stars burned out.

A single chip clutched in my hand,

The weight of worlds I couldn't plan.

The dealer smiled with knowing eyes,

As if she'd seen all loss and lies.

This wasn't cards or dice or wheel,

But something deeper—sharp and real.

A risk of self, a dare ...