Ghost Empire Novels & Stories

Fifty-six minutes remained before the final sweep. He pulled his heavy black coat tighter around his massive shoulders, his face returning to that unyielding, terrifying mask of stone. He had successfully penetrated the absolute center of the empire, but as he stepped out of the gatehouse and into the freezing downpour, he knew he wasn't going back to the light unchanged. The Ghost had finally taken the throne, and the throne was made of bone.

​Rule 56: The only way to save the ghost is to let the ghost own the house. ​As I finished the signature, the Earth let out a low, tectonic hum. The "Gilded Cage" didn't just break, it expanded until it covered the entire planet. We weren't prisoners anymore, and we weren't just survivors. We were the Architects of the Second Era.

The Chairman stumbled, his composure finally breaking as he shielded his eyes. ​"What is this?" Thorne screamed over the roar of the vibration. "What did you do?" ​"I’m changing the script," Elena said, her voice rising above the din. ​The Ghost Emerges ​The Legacy Drive wasn't just a storage device; it was a gateway. The vibration had cracked the internal shielding, and for the first time in weeks, Sierra’s voice didn't come through a speaker. It came from the air itself. ​"Elena... Leo... stand together."

With a click, the clasp came undone, and the pendant fell to the floor. In a flash, Zoe’s eyes widened. She grabbed my collar like a madwoman. “Y-You… You didn’t switch fates? You lied to me?!” I looked at her in surprise. “What are you talking about?” Miles suddenly exclaimed, “Ow, Maisie. My neck feels itchy.” He pulled down his collar, exposing his collarbone, and clearly revealed who was actually wearing the demonic fate-swapping lock.

And now, when we met again, I was already bones in the ground—and she had become a powerful, influential billionaire. But Nicky was sick. And she needed me. So she came looking for me—the man she hated with every fiber of her being—and unleashed her vengeance on everyone I loved. But I was already dead. Suddenly, Adeline's cold voice cut through my thoughts, pulling me back. "If Samuel won't show himself, I'll just have to turn up the pressure." My stilled heart lurched. The next instant, Adeline gave the order. Her men swarmed my elderly father and hanged him alive—right there, in front of my grave.

I will give him more than he bargains for. I go to my new home, a plain suburban affair. It is furnished. Quickly, not breaking a sweat, I move most of the furniture into the garage. Then I retire to the master bedroom, draw all the shades, and lie down on the hard wooden floor and close my eyes. The sun has drained my strength, I tell myself. But as I doze off I know it is also the people I have met this day that have cut deep into me, where my iron blood flows like a black river over the cold dust of forgotten ages, dripping onto this green world, onto the present, like the curse of the Lord himself. I hope to dream of Krishna as I fall asleep, but I do not. The devil is there instead. Yak

POV: Rhea Mooncrest "Get your hands off me, you hollowed-out ghost! You aren't Ash, and you sure as hell aren't a god!" Rhea’s voice echoed through the crystalline tomb of the Under-Whisper, sharp enough to cut through the oppressive violet hum that now served as the world’s heartbeat. She shoved against the marble-cold chest of the entity wearing her mate’s skin, her fingers burning where they touched his translucent, bruised-violet flesh. Ash—or the thing inhabiting him—didn't move. He simply stared down at her with those terrifying, static suns of violet light, his expression as vacant as a desert sky.

The student body went into applause. “Any question?” Chloe asked “What was behind the name Empire?” Cami was the person to ask the question. Yes Cami was still in school, she was still a grade away from graduating high school. “That is a great question. Empire was the name of my late Godmother; I owe her a lot so I named everything I own after her.” Chloe replied with a smile

“I was in and out of sleep.” “Thoughts of Titanic?” He turned to face her now, and he was sitting more closely than she thought prudent. “Sometimes,” she shrugged. “Most of my ghosts reside elsewhere.” He closed his eyes and turned his head away. “I’m sorry, Meg.” “I don’t need your sympathy either,” she reminded him, though her tone was just as innocent as his had been. “I suppose not,” he admitted, turning back to face her. “But you have it just the same.”

The other two… Those were where the fun happened. I dropped into my chair, set the plate beside the keyboard, and cracked my knuckles. “All right, Ghost.” My fingers danced across the keys. “Where are you?” A dozen command windows sprang to life. Lines of code streamed down the screens faster than most people could read them. Numbers, IP addresses, encrypted tunnels, relay nodes… Beautiful. Most people looked at this and saw gibberish. I saw fingerprints. Ghost was good. Better than good. They managed to stay invisible while making half the underground think they knew where they was. That alone was impressive.