Alle Kapitel von COLD STEEL, BLEEDING HEARTS : Kapitel 51 – Kapitel 60

The black hand didn’t feel like skin or bone. It felt cold and thick, like oil wrapping around Julian’s chest. As it hauled him back, the purple stars overhead spun out of control. The universe twisted into a wild whirlpool of light and shadow. Everything was going way too fast."Julian!" Maya screamed.She lunged forward, stretching herself over empty air. Her fingers brushed the rough hospital fabric on his arm. She kicked off a floating chunk of rock, putting every ounce of strength into her reach. For one brief moment, their hands connected. Julian’s skin was freezing. His eyes were wide with fear, but he wore a strange, quiet sadness."Maya, let go!" Julian had to shout to be heard over the roar of the collapsing sky. "It’s not just taking me. It’s closing the doors! If you hold on, nobody will wake up!"Pain tore through Maya’s body. Her shoulder felt like it was about to rip right off. Down below, millions of glowing doors lit up the darkness—some already slamming shut. People

The stark white glow from the computer screen wasn't just a spot—it was a wild roar that pounded in their ears. Maya felt herself stretched apart, splitting into a million bits of light. Right next to her, Julian looked almost like a ghost, made out of flickering blue energy. His hand slipped from hers. The cold, rigid grip of the man in the red suit stayed tight around Maya’s ankle. He was dragging her deeper, into some shadowy corner of the digital emptiness."You can’t have her!" Julian’s voice rang out, cracked and jagged, like a record skipping.He lunged forward, kicking at the man’s face. His foot went straight through the man's jaw, like smoke. Yet somehow, it was enough—the grip broke free. Maya felt the pressure vanish from her ankle. She spun through the white space and landed, sprawling, on a floor that seemed to be made of glowing glass.She gasped for breath, clutching at her chest. That dried lemon flower—she still held it, and now it shined with a weird, bright green l

The officer’s gun wasn't normal. When the desk lamp hit the metal, Maya saw a strange, oily glow—the same color as the magic ink. The man in uniform just stood there, completely still. His eyes were empty, blank like a fresh sheet of paper. He didn’t even seem human anymore. He looked like a soldier made of nothing but bad intentions and cold rules.“Maya, don’t move,” Julian whispered. He stepped in front of her, his tiny body shaking with fear. Even though he was only a few inches tall on the desk, he tried to protect her.The woman at the desk—the Author—froze. Her face went pale as a ghost. She glanced at her laptop, then stared at the tiny people beside her coffee cup. Her hand shook so much she almost toppled a pile of books.“I... I was just finishing the chapter,” the Woman gasped. To Maya’s small ears, her voice sounded like thunder.“The ending was not allowed,” the officer said. He didn’t blink. He stepped closer, his heavy black boots making the floorboards creak. “You tri

The iron key in Maya’s hand was icy cold, almost like she was holding a chunk of winter itself. She stood in the center of a massive stone courtroom. Her heart slammed against her ribs, trapped and frantic. Above her, thousands of people in white robes sat quietly. Their faces blurred into shadows, but their eyes—so many—shone with a faint, bluish light. Kind of like the glow from a computer screen."Julian!" Maya’s voice cracked as she screamed his name.Her shout bounced off the cold stone walls and echoed back. He didn’t appear. The red door was gone. The hotel room was gone. Even the silver locket—the one with the Author’s soul—had vanished."Peace, Maya," a man called from a high throne.He descended the stairs. He walked just like her father, Aris Rossi, wore the same glasses, had the same gentle smile. He even sported a white doctor’s coat. But the crown of golden pens on his head looked sharp, almost dangerous."You’re not my father," Maya said. She squeezed the key until her

The first shadow-spider reached the edge of the white page and jumped. It wasn’t made of skin or bone. It was just a messy pile of flickering dots and oily black ink. Maya no longer had her steam cannon. Her medical tools were gone. All she had left was the iron key. Now, the key was so hot it burned her hand.“Maya, watch out!” Julian yelled.He moved fast—like lightning. The Author had vanished, so Julian’s body was unstable. One second he looked solid, the next he was a glowing blue mist. He swung his arm, and a wave of blue energy slammed into the shadow-spider. The monster burst into a cloud of red computer code and disappeared.“They’re coming from every side!” Maya panted. She stood back-to-back with Julian.Her doctor’s clothes were ripped. Her hair was tangled and wild. A deep ache settled in her chest. Every time one of those monsters touched the page, Maya felt her memories tremble. These things weren’t just monsters. They were bugs—errors in the computer system, hungry for