The antique vase—with a long history possessed by the last king of Persia and valued at $250,000, which was bought from an auction house—hurtled towards the wall, shattering with a resounding crash. The old butler winced, feeling a deep ache in his heart, yet he dared not utter a word. Having served Prince Nicholas since his infancy, he was intimately familiar with the prince's tempestuous moods, particularly when engulfed in fury as he was now.Chaos reigned in the prince's bedroom, with numerous possessions meeting their demise under his wrath. "How can Aurora be gone!" Prince Nicholas bellowed, hurling an antique watch against the wall with vehement force. "We have hundreds of guards and the most advanced security systems.""I truly do not know, Your Highness," the butler replied, his voice trembling as beads of sweat formed on his brow. "We found nothing on the security footage. It's as if someone tampered with it. She just vanished.""And the others? Could she be hiding in anothe
Bianca's smile was sweet and alluring, her long hair framing a face that melded sharp features with an innocent allure, stirring a deep desire within me. She leaned in, and her lips met mine in a passionate kiss, igniting a fire in my heart. My hands, driven by an intense longing, eagerly embraced her.In the midst of this heated moment, Selena, the mischievous one, slid her hand inside my towel, her warm touch exploring my manhood. It was a sensation unlike anything I'd ever experienced, overwhelming and exhilarating.‘This is the best moment of my life.’‘The pinnacle of Xander's existence. Today, I say goodbye to my virginity!" My heart pounded with excitement and anticipation.But as if fate itself conspired against me, my smartphone started ringing, with a special tune that would persist even if I put it on silent mode because it was an emergency call. I needed to answer it no matter what, or my life would be marred by another tragedy.‘Why now, of all times?’ I lamented internal
Aurora's POV.‘What would happen if you asked a taxi to take you to the most luxurious and expensive hotel in Paris?’ That was exactly what I had done, coaxing the most frugal person I knew, Xander, to experience the pinnacle of Parisian luxury. Clinging to his right arm, I felt his reluctance, while Selena, that impish girl, latched onto his left. Selena wasn't a partner in crime, but rather a cheerleader for any audacious act.‘She's the kind of girl who'd be the first to add oil to a burning fire just for the sake of amusement.’The grandeur of the hotel towered above us, and Xander, his voice tinged with desperation, pleaded, "This place is too expensive; let's search for somewhere else." However, his protest proved feeble against the force of our whims.He tried to reason, his voice quivering, but I just cut through all the bullshit, "Don't be like this, Xander. You said you loved me, now prove it. I know you're wealthy; you have nothing but money." His face contorted, a battle b
Aurora’s POV.Observing Xander, his calm demeanor, gentle smile, and consistent aura of humility captivated me. His presence had a calming effect on the turmoil within me, rendering any problems with him almost non-existent. He appeared capable of handling any situation; even when things turned sour, happiness remained within reach. As I looped my arm through his, we walked out together. His presence rendered the sneers and snickers from those around the hotel insignificant. With Xander, the ridicule from others became irrelevant, as his love accepted me just as I am.Selena, her lips curved in a playful, mischievous smile, seemed to revel in causing trouble. Even if her schemes didn't work out, she'd just shrug it off, still smiling, enjoying the disorder she had caused. Conversely, Bianca was driven by self-interest. Walking with the poise of a runway model, she was completely unconcerned with others' opinions, strutting past them with stunning grace.‘We tried, we failed, but we re
A day earlier.Lucas's POVInside the ex-factory in Oakhaven, I sat alone in the arena, my gaze fixed on the emptiness before me. Nathan, Ethan, and his gang members had been rushed to the hospital, leaving only their wet blood on the arena ground.Nadine emerged from the shadows, her presence almost ghostly. "Are you satisfied, having subdued the local alpha who dared to court her?" she asked, her voice echoing slightly in the vast space."Why are you here?" I countered, my tone a mix of weariness and confusion. My bare torso was still smeared with the blood of my enemies, and my mind was clouded, struggling to discern between right and wrong.‘Why did Aurora leave me? I won the fight. And she runs…’"Your princess is fleeing to Paris, and I must follow her," Nadine explained, moving towards a locker in the old factory to collect some of her private stuff before traveling to Paris. "Shadow troops are also being deployed there. With Prince Nicolas in Paris, it's going to be like a sce
Aurora’s POV Hesitantly, I decided to stay in the penthouse of the hotel, a decision that seemed almost surreal. The hotel provided us with a butler who graciously escorted us to our extravagant abode. Xander stayed behind to converse with the owner, urging us to explore the penthouse first. Upon entering, I was immediately struck by the luxury that surrounded us. The grandeur of the living room was beyond my wildest dreams, complete with a vast window that framed the Parisian skyline, the Eiffel Tower standing tall in the distance. The luxury was so overwhelming that it elicited a string of excited expletives from Selena, who bounded from couch to bed, her laughter echoing through the rooms. Bianca, with eyes sparkling like the chandeliers above, glided around the penthouse with a dancer's grace. Her fingers delicately brushed over each item, her curiosity piqued by the unfamiliar lavishness. I could tell, she was enamored with the place. The butler, with impeccable manners, infor
Prince Nicholas' castle, the Château de Rochefort, nestled in the serene commune of Rochefort-en-Yvelines, lay in the heart of the Île-de-France region, a mere 47 kilometers southwest of Paris.Today, eight Sherpa Lights – a fleet of 4x4 tactical and light armored vehicles crafted by the renowned French company, Renault Trucks Defense – rumbled out of the castle gates in urgent haste. Their engines roared, cutting through the tranquility of the countryside. If they maintained a speed of 60 kilometers per hour, Paris would be within their reach in under an hour."We'll arrive in an hour; keep the speed," commanded the leader, his voice firm and resolute.Approximately 30 minutes into their journey, the serene forest-lined road transformed into a sudden battleground. Without warning, an RPG missile tore through the air, its lethal trajectory ending in a fiery explosion against one of their trucks. The vehicle was launched skyward, spinning chaotically before crashing back to earth with
Nadine, sipping her red wine, chimed in with a mix of bitterness and nostalgia. "This man," she gestured towards me with a sexy pose, "is the only one I've ever been intimate with. I sold my body to him, time by time. I already lost count of how many times he hurt this body. After years together and giving him my all, he left me for a new girl.""Stop it, Nadine," I quickly countered before everyone started having their nasty, dirty thoughts. "I never bought your body; I only bought your blood every two months because you are a virgin. And yes, after meeting Aurora, I left The Cosa Nostra Company. Alex understood and rewarded my dedication with a once-used black card. I left the company on good terms.""Yet!" Nadine's anger was palpable. "You wasted your entire life savings, that black card, on a penthouse for a week! That's like killing a mouse with a nuke. You could have sold the card easily for $50 million on the black market. Many people are dying to get it. You can even get $100
I looked at the baby he was so cute, but I know I had to act. I dressed him in new clothes and wrote the prophecy about his future role in saving the world on the cloth. He was destined to return here, to build a dome for humanity and fulfill his fate—perhaps he had already completed his mission. I donned the wrist device and fashioned a smaller one for the baby, so we could travel through time together. But first, I had to ensure that the future would be free of problems. The spheres were set to manage the environment, programmed to halt their work when CO2 levels reached 0.04%. As for who would rule in the future, I chose not to decide. The people must learn to govern themselves; some were already training to use the spheres. I couldn't always be their deity; they needed to become self-sufficient. With the baby in tow, I prepared to leave this era, knowing I would never return; it wasn't my place. Together, we activated the high-frequency drive, propelling us into the fourth
On the night the baby was born, the parents was sleeping soundly, unaware of the sphere descended to take a sample of the newborn's blood.It was painless. And the sphere quickly checked the DNA.As the results flashed on the screen, it not fit my DNA. But I saw a connection between myself and this baby—a sibling, perhaps.I didn’t now if I have messed up with the future or I still unborn in this time.Two years later, the woman I believed to be my mother was expecting again, this time a daughter. It was clear then that the baby wasn’t me.All I can do was waiting.In the five years since I came here, we constructed 76,910 domes worldwide, sheltering 500 million survivors from the once 8 billion-strong human population.The disparity was stark: some domes teemed with life, while others stood empty, their ecosystems meticulously engineered and automated, home only to selected wildlife.The advent of virtual exploration allowed people to survey these domes remotely, relocating if they f
"Show me where my parents are," I commanded the sphere with excitement. After long years, I was about to meet my long-lost parents.The sphere generated a screen for me to view, revealing a young man and woman, perhaps around 20 years old, entering the Eden Dome for the first time. They appeared bewildered and lost, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and wonder."Are you sure they are my parents?" I questioned, my brow furrowed in doubt. They were even younger than me. It felt odd, almost as if I should call them little brother and sister instead of parents."Yes, Master," the sphere responded affirmatively. "Your genetic DNA matches theirs perfectly.""But," I hesitated, scrutinizing the image, my heart pounding with a strange apprehension. "Send one sphere to them; I need to ask them something."The distance seemed vast, with our dome situated half a world away, creating a chasm between us."As you wish, Master."A sphere glided toward the man and woman in the distant dome. "Excuse
"Guys, please stop it," I implored, the urgency clear in my voice. "There will be no use."The spheres that had been hovering alongside each of the gang’s leaders and their members suddenly flared into a menacing red hue. "The host is showing harmful behavior. The security protocol will be launched," it announced in a dispassionate tone.Without warning, the spheres emitted a piercing frequency that targeted all guns, weapons, and harmful items. In moments, they disintegrated into fine atom dust, which the sphere then collected and whisked away, presumably to be repurposed as building material.The bear leader's and all gang’s members face registered shock, then eyes wide with disbelief and fear."In Eden, when you make a mistake, there are two options for you to choose from," I continued, my voice steady. "One, we simply expel you back to where you came from. Or, alternatively, you can e
In the dimly lit underground city, I had just finished selling my last can of food. Eagerly, I was about to purchase more slaves, when the bear gang leader approached me with his smelly body odour.Water was precious here; people wash their body once a year.His burly frame cast a long shadow as he strode towards me, flanked by two other gang’s leaders, their footsteps echoing in the small alley.“Alex, the fish seller,” he growled, his voice deep and menacing.“That’s me!” I responded with a cheerful smile.“We want you to take us to the fish factory. Can you, do it?” His eyes, sharp and probing, seemed to pierce through me, daring me to decline.“Sure,” I replied happily. “The owner already mentioned he'd be thrilled to have you all there. He said there’s plenty of food.”“Really?” he asked, scepticism written all over his rugged face.“Yes, take as many people as you can,” I urged, sensing their disbelief.The three of them exchanged looks of shock and disbelief. “Whatever,” one of
I stood in my house, gazing at the sprawling expanse of New York City below, dreaming of transforming it into a colossal dome.However, the architectural limitations soon became apparent, leading to a revised plan of constructing a network of smaller domes, each the size of a soccer field, interconnected like a honeycomb.This design was not only efficient but also practical in case of emergencies, such as shattered glass or structural failures. It could be easily detached and repaired without causing trouble to the entire dome.As the temperature inside the dome needed to be controlled for the plants and for the humans.The first group of eighty slaves, were settled in one of the completed domes. For the time being, they shared a common sleeping area, heavily medicated to aid their recovery and adjustment to their new environment.Each person was assigned a spherical device designed to help them acclimate to this "new Eden."At the night before, I was guiding them out of the undergro
‘No, I cannot move now before I know everything about them. I may wrongly save people and cause trouble. I need to study them more,’ I thought, my mind racing with caution.“Spheres 567, stay on the underground and record everything about their activities,” I commanded, letting them delve into the shadows.Finding one of the human underground hubs, I dispatched another hundred spheres to scout the area. Because humans may concentrate in one locale, and my hunch was spot on.Humans were crafting an underground city, intertwining with the natural caves and beginning to carve out a vast space within the earth's embrace.Through the spherical eyes, I glimpsed a colossal chamber that sparked memories of the largest underground city ever discovered, Derinkuyu in Cappadocia, Turkey, capable of sheltering around 20,000 people along with their livestock and food stores.But the population here seemed to surpass 80,000, with the capacity to house over 200,000. As I used the spheres to map the e
One had to remember where he was from. I had completed my research to elevate human frequency to a higher dimension, allowing passage through space and time. This ambition was fueled by my desire to meet my parents in the future.In my study room, I carefully handled the clothes that had swaddled me as a baby, left at the orphanage door. The fabric held the mystery of my origins. Despite using the gate to the past to uncover who had placed me at the orphanage, no one appeared. The clothes and I simply materialized out of nowhere.I placed the garment on the scanning blueprint machine, aiming to record every atom and deduce the era it hailed from. This information was pivotal for my journey to that specific time.The smart device strapped to my wrist was brimming with data necessary for the impending future war. In moments, the year 2112 flashed on its screen. Was it truly 80 years into the future?Activating the smart device on my left arm, my body began to feel ethereal, as the body
AlexI brought back a child, a five-year-old girl, to my mansion when I encountered Nadine. "Can you take care of this child as you do our own?" I asked tentatively."Who is she?" Nadine inquired, her eyes narrowing slightly in confusion and curiosity.I hesitated, grappling with the truth. The thought of Nadine possibly becoming a cruel stepmother to Aurora's daughter haunted me. But the weight of the secret was too heavy. As she could find the answer by herself anytime she wants."She is Aurora's daughter," I confessed. "I killed Nicholas, and soon Aurora will vanish from this world. This child is utterly alone, bearing no fault in these tragic events.""And her name?" Nadine pressed, her demeanour softening as she gently took the child into her arms, cradling her with maternal warmth.Shaking my head, I replied, "Aurora refused to name her. She's been living like a shadow among the maids, an unwanted soul.""How heartless can one be!" Nadine exclaimed, her face contorting in anger