Share
134 - Monster Inside Him
Long Time Ago (Part 1)
YOUNG GILDEON
His fist smashed into Baltae’s face with a sharp crack, sending him skidding across the rough ground. The air stank of sulfur and ash, smoke hissing from the cracks in the earth. Around them, a group of sparring younglings had dropped their blades and formed a circle, but their shouts were just a blur in Gildeon’s ears.
His chest heaved, his heart pounding so hard it hurt. He jumped on Baltae, fists swinging again and again, each punch making his knuckles burn. Anger roared inside him, making his head throb and his arms shake, his breathing short and wild.
‘Kill him!’ the monstrous voice echoed in his head. He yelled, trying to shut it up while still swinging his fists.
Suddenly, arms wrapped around his neck from behind, squeezing tight. Paikon—smaller, but still strong enough to pull him back as Baltae scrambled to his feet.
Baltae swung, but Gildeon twisted jus
Related chapters
MAD END'S DECEPTION 135 - Only Truth You Need
Long Time Ago (Part 2)YOUNG GILDEONLarge brown eyes, each as big as his head, stared directly at him. He pulled his knife from the sheath on his leg and sliced open the dead swamp beastling’s belly, its guts spilling out in a rush. The smell hit him—rotten fish and sour mud. He scrunched his nose, trying not to gag. He had killed and cleaned beastlings plenty of times by now, but the stench still made him sick.Wincing each time his back throbbed, he sliced through the slimy membranes. He had to be careful—one wrong cut and the coresac would burst, ruining the meat and possibly hurting him. He scooped out the intestines and organs, their weight squishing in his hands, and dumped them into the bucket under the table, blood dripping down his arms.He hated this. But it was better than being stuck underground with old salamander bones and going hungry. His other hand shifted into its beast form,
MAD END'S DECEPTION 136 - She's Not Like Us
Long Time Ago (Part 3)YOUNG GILDEONOld Haemos had left for an expedition to the east, taking a whole battalion with him. Gildeon saw his chance. He packed supplies—food, water, salve, and some materials to build a shelter. He didn’t know how long he’d be gone, so he had to be well-stocked.Gildeon slipped out through a tunnel most salamanders didn’t know about. The path led into the growing jungle, but something stopped him. Someone was following. He grabbed a stone and hurled it toward the thick bushes near the rock wall.“Ow!” a small voice squeaked.Gildeon frowned. “Nalini?”The girl appeared from the bushes, rubbing her head, her wheat-colored hair shining in the daylight. “Why’d you do that?” she whined.“Why are you following me?”“I saw you take a bunch of meat from the smokehouse,” she said, coming up to him and shaking the sack on his back. “I was gonna tell the cooks, but
MAD END'S DECEPTION 137 - The New Threat
Long Time Ago (Part 4)YOUNG GILDEONThe middling beast came sooner than expected. Its stench hit him first—a rotten, sour smell rising through the trees below the cliff. His heart pounded hard in his chest, and his breaths came fast. He hated how scared he felt, but at least it had come to them—saved them the trouble of tracking it in the wild.‘Let it come,’ the voice murmured in his head.Gildeon tightened his grip on his shortsword, his other hand already shifting to claws. Nalini changed too, her tail flicking nervously behind her. He stepped closer to the cliff’s edge, peering down into the dense tangle of trees below. Something rustled again, making the branches twitch, but then everything went still. Too still.He held his breath, eyes darting from side to side. No sound. No movement. He bent down and grabbed a palm-sized stone. With a glance at Nalini, he whispered, &
MAD END'S DECEPTION 138 - Voice In My Head
Long Time Ago (Part 5)YOUNG GILDEONChunks of beast flesh fell from the dragon’s mouth as it growled, spraying fat, guts, and spit in their direction, clinging to their skin. Gildeon trembled. A pure, beastly dragon stood right in front of them—a creature he’d only seen in the seers’ drawings.A creature that wasn’t supposed to exist anymore.‘Where are you?’ he asked the voice inside his head, but there was no answer. For the first time, the monster was quiet.The fear in his chest only worsened.“Are we going to die?” Nalini whispered, her hand shaking as she held his arm.Gildeon clenched his teeth. He had to protect her. He had to make the dragon chase him so she could get away.But how? He could barely move.The dragon growled again, and Gildeon nearly wet his trousers. The creature took two heavy steps, its wings swinging, sending a gust of wind crashing into them. Cracks
MAD END'S DECEPTION 139 - When the Chaos Started
ARAHHer hair was neatly tucked under a black cap to avoid attention, which seemed to be working since her friends hadn’t noticed her yet. Cora, Tonio, and Mabel sat off in the distance. Patricia was there too, along with Nick—just the sight of him brought back those strange flashes from when they’d shaken hands. They were pieces of her memories, but they had come too fast to make sense of. Nick’s reaction to that still bothered her, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.Part of her wanted to stay close to her friends, to be there when the chaos started. But she knew they’d be safer if she kept her distance. The farther away they were when Vergilius and his brides thought about snatching her, the better.At least Stringmaster had kept her word—puppet inmates surrounded her friends, acting as protectors. That, somehow, brought Arah a sense of relief.She glanced around, trying to spot any sign of the enemy, but saw nothing. Were they hid
MAD END'S DECEPTION 140 - Began to Unfold
ARAHHer heart pounded. Had she misheard the mayor’s last words? Judging by the crowd’s stunned and confused reaction—and Roselia gasping beside her, muttering “No”—it didn’t seem like she had.Fear twisted in her stomach. “Roselia,” she whispered, nudging her. “What’s happening?” But deep down, she already knew something terrible was coming. Before she could get an answer, her gaze snapped back to the mayor, whose eyes had turned blood-red. Fangs appeared as she lowered her head toward Mr. Pili’s neck.Arah’s breath caught in her throat.Mr. Pili froze, eyes wide, lips trembling, unable to scream. A shocked silence fell over the plaza, broken only by his ragged breaths and the sickening slurp of blood through the mic. Arah’s stomach churned—and likely everyone else’s, too. She couldn’t believe this was happening. In public. Right i
MAD END'S DECEPTION 141 - Small, Cursed Chance
GILDEONIf there was one thing he had learned about witches, it was that no crucial information ever came for free. Vergilius’s next words only confirmed it.“I shall,” the vampire witch said, “once you have agreed to join hands with me instead.”A smirk pulled at Gildeon’s lips. “I thought you're stronger than Drusden,” he taunted. “Why do you need me?”“We are both well aware he has a dragon shifter at his side.” Vergilius shrugged, tipping his cane upward, then at Gildeon. “Two, if we include you.”Gildeon pressed his lips together. “How did you know?” He wondered if Drusden also knew what he truly was, but figured without seeing him in full dragon form, that man wouldn’t have a clue.“I am privy to many things, salamander.” Vergilius tapped his temple through the brim of his black hat. “Just as I know how a low mortal can—” He waved his wrinkled hand. “Transcend his own limitations.”Gildeon wasn’t sure what the v
MAD END'S DECEPTION 142 - Until the Order's Done
GILDEONVergilius vanished from his spot. Before Gildeon could turn, he felt the vampire’s presence behind him, fangs aiming for the soft spot on his neck. Instinct took over—scales crawled from his shoulder, thickening over the vulnerable hide just as the fangs struck. The tips cracked with a sharp snap, a brief vibration running through his flesh.Gildeon didn’t hesitate. He reached out, claws clamping onto the back of Vergilius’s neck. With a growl, he effortlessly hauled the vampire witch off his feet and flung him toward the church wall. But before the impact, Vergilius darted aside, landing gracefully on his feet like a cat.“I am impressed, salamander,” Vergilius said with a smirk, tracing the jagged edges of his half-broken fangs. “Or should I say, dragon? What I have learned of your kind holds true—impenetrable skin, indeed. But we shall see about that.” His fangs regrew, gleaming beneath the moonlight, thicker than before.The f
Latest chapter
MAD END'S DECEPTION 143 - We're On Our Own Now
MAD END'S DECEPTION 142 - Until the Order's Done
MAD END'S DECEPTION 141 - Small, Cursed Chance
MAD END'S DECEPTION 140 - Began to Unfold
MAD END'S DECEPTION 139 - When the Chaos Started
MAD END'S DECEPTION 138 - Voice In My Head
MAD END'S DECEPTION 137 - The New Threat
MAD END'S DECEPTION 136 - She's Not Like Us
MAD END'S DECEPTION 135 - Only Truth You Need
