Novel & Cerita A Desolation Called Peace

"Sit tight." The convertible flung the man behind us far away, until he shrank into an indistinguishable black dot. The coastal highway was wide and smooth, stretching endlessly along the shoreline. Turning on the music, the chorus of My Dearest Delusion spilled out, romantic, with a gentle hook in its lingering notes, drifting off into the seaside wind. The brilliant sunset dyed the sky red, and my white veil was lifted by the wind. My heartbeat was so loud I could hear it.

As we drove to school, I connected my phone's aux cord to the car's stereo and selected Devil Doesn't Bargain by Alec Benjamin from my playlist. "The devil doesn't bargain! He'll only break your heart again, it isn't worth it darling! He's never gonna change! He'll never be Prince Charming, he'll only do you harm again! I don't mean to meddle, but the devil doesn't settle! The devil doesn't bargain!!" We sang together at the top of our terrible voices before we started laughing at how bad we were at singing. We got to school all too soon and alighted from the car, only for me to hear Adam muttering something along the lines of "Taylor and party"

Lanie The world rematerialized as a barren wasteland before me. Canyons and pits were filled with torture devices. Cries of pain filled the air, making my whole body shudder. I could see black hooded creatures, horned demons, and tortured souls dotting the landscape. There were lava pits, spikes, and spires with bodies strapped onto them being stabbed repeatedly.

Other people in the hospital room glanced over curiously, probably thinking we were fighting. I opened my mouth to speak, but my vocal cords had already been eaten away by the decay and were too damaged to make a sound. "Your wolf was so strong. How could you get Wolf-Soul Decay syndrome? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She wept so sorrowfully she could barely catch her breath. As I reached up to wipe the tears from her face, a strange calmness settled over me. I was glad that I wasn't going to die a lonely death, after all. I had my best friend by my side.

All was silent on the other end of the call. I could imagine the looks on Conrad's and Izzy's faces right now—the panic, the anxiety, the helplessness, and maybe the mortification at having been exposed. "Jamie, let me explain…" Izzy cried out anxiously. I ended the call and turned off my phone. Outside the window, the sky had turned bright. Tomorrow should've been the happiest day of my life. Instead, I got up, went back to the apartment, and started packing my things.

That’s what the paper says, and that’s what they thought too. Keatton first exited the car. Damon looked at him. “Hey, wait for me,” he said and left the car. Keatton smiled. The tall trees, the silky shimmering white sand, the clear blue sea, and the peaceful sky with the sun radiating the vacancy made Keatton’s eye delighted. “This is paradise,” said Keatton. It was indeed a paradise. The place I beyond the word perfect. Keatton sniffed the fresh air. “Let’s go, Baby. I have a surprise for you,” said Damon as he grabbed the soft hand of Keatton. They walked for a few meters, and there, Keatton covered his mouth as he gasped.

‎Peace, I was learning, had a rhythm. ‎ ‎It wasn’t loud. It didn’t announce itself with fanfare or declarations. It moved quietly through ordinary mornings and steady evenings, settling into the corners of rooms like sunlight. ‎ ‎Two weeks had passed since everything went silent. ‎ ‎No calls. ‎ ‎No threats. ‎ ‎No names whispered like curses. ‎ ‎The world hadn’t ended. ‎ ‎It had simply continued. ‎ ‎I stood near the window of Jayden’s office, watching the city breathe below. The glass reflected my silhouette back at me—calmer than I remembered. Stronger.

And beneath it, a pressed rose — the petals blackened with ash. I don’t scream. I don’t call Luca. I only whisper to the empty corridor: “Then come take it.” Outside, thunder rolls — not from the sky, but from the docks. The windows tremble. The alarms shatter the quiet. And for the first time in months, I smile. Because peace has finally died. “Peace is the lie we tell ourselves before the next war begins.”

JOSHUA POV As soon as Joel blew the whistle, all the bikers start to fly their bike. 3rd rider was the one who was ahead of all of us. I was at last. I don’t show my potential just right at the beginning. It’s fun to let people believe that they are winning and enjoy their reaction at finishing line. While I was moving ahead, I saw the biker next to me looking like at me and passing a snarky smile. It was a smile that I couldn’t get at first but next he did was push me, trying to get me out of the race. Suddenly I was the picture of Babi and my brother together in my mind. All the anger and feeling of betrayal came rushing through my veins. I don’t know since when I started to lover this m

The news flickered on. Specials Break Peace The screen flashed below the anchor woman. Specials break peace I read to myself again. “Turn it up Micheal” I ordered. He rolled his eyes but obliged. “Peace has been held for 15 years and today an extremely dangerous special broke it. We are unaware what caused the incident to spark. Soldiers were deployed to Barker Street. Officials have not yet released the number of killed or injured, but we can tell from footage it is a large number. We are estimating at least 50”