Ash X Mallow Novels & Stories

"Where are the elixirs?" A tall shadow on the floor crossed Adeline's barely open eyes. The shadow was of a bulky man, his frame strong and sturdy, and on his hand was a whip. When his deep voice reached Adeline's faraway consciousness, the hairs at the back of her neck stood up. She clenched her fist in anger, despite losing every inch of her being. "We... don't have... such thing," Adeline replied in a hoarse voice, gritting her teeth.

I blinked hard, forced the tears down, and walked Jennifer to the door. Just before she left, she seemed to remember something. She stopped, reached into her pocket, and held out two milk candies. I froze. Then I took them from her hand. They were still warm from her body heat. For one weak, foolish second, warmth stirred in my chest. I almost told her that our son was dead. Then she said, "I bought them for Tommy, but he doesn't like them, so I threw the rest away at the hospital. I only had these two left in my pocket. Give them to Cyrus. No point wasting them."

“They know. Even if you won’t admit it.” The gate shuddered again. A second crack split through it, running from top to bottom like a lightning bolt. Light poured through the gap—not sunlight, but a sickly, grey light that made the shadows crawl. From beyond, something moved. A shape. Tall. Human, but wrong. Its skin looked like it was made of ash and stone, shifting with every step. No eyes. Just two hollows where eyes should be. “The Ash Man,” Malric whispered. His voice was almost reverent.