Haikus From Trials Of Apollo Novels & Stories

I think you too should listen as well and judge them, yeah? *Sigh!* Here it goes... "Ahhhh...Hmmm...Harder! Harder...ohh! Mnnn…!" "Oh my God! oh my God…! Ahhhh...!" "Oh, baby! Mmm... Meihuiiii… holy f**kkk!!"

“Time to spar. Don’t let that hair get in your way.” I laughed despite myself, brushing my braid over my shoulder. “You’ll regret calling me that when I win.” She grinned, but her eyes stayed sharp. “Don’t hesitate. Hesitation kills.” We circled each other, the ground soft beneath our feet. My movements felt sharper, faster, almost unnatural. The forest seemed to lean closer, shadows stretching. Kat lunged, and I blocked, but the impact sent a jolt through me. My vision blurred, edges darkening.

Chapter 13 - Illusions The sun broke the night sky, and mixes of oranges and purples swirled above us. Apollo and I stood outside all night. Neither one of us is speaking. The only sound was Apollo humming the same tune over and over, as much as one would think it to be an annoyance. It wasn’t. It still kept me calm time and time again. The cold air was welcomed and also needed. It reminded me that the nightmare wasn’t real. My mother was still alive, and the fire wasn’t consuming everything in its path, making the air hot and sticky.

If one should falter, one should fall, The Soulclaw shatters, burns them all. Three trials test the woven thread: Of Depth, of Silence, and of Red. Pass Depth with trust, let breath be shared; Keep Silence, hold when wrath is bared; Give Red an oath, not taken life; Choose open hand o’er easy knife. The counter-verse, the holder’s shield: Five gifts to ground what power yields Salt for truth, and ash for wrong, Wind for change, and bone for bond; A name once kept, at last set free Thus caged fire learns to breathe.”

He added quietly. “I know we are thinking the same thing.” Hermes stood and looked at Apollo. “I want you to be happy, Apollo but now is not the right time. Your actions are letting the destroyer win.” Hermes shook his head disapprovingly before he left the island. Apollo did not leave his spot even when the sun had begun setting. He thought of what Hermes had said. His groans as his head hangs low with its sudden aching. Thinking hard and deep for so long had made him dizzy up to the point he just wanted to faint to escape from the endless loop of thoughts.

But I just turned away, awaiting the signal to begin. The crowd was silent, their eyes fixed on us with a mixture of excitement and anticipation. Elder Harold stood at the forefront, his hands raised to quiet the crowd. And then, with a swift motion, he dropped his hands and declared, "The Lunar Trials begin... NOW!" With a burst of energy, the competitors took off, their eyes glowing with an unnatural intensity in the dark. Their movements were swift and agile, their senses heightened as they navigated the forest. I followed suit, my own senses on high alert as I sprinted through the trees.

"Call me **the Apostle**. I've come to tend the Seed." Veyra aims her thorn-rifle. "Tend or torture?" The Apostle smiles. "Same thing, really." --- **The Trial** He snaps his fingers. The tower walls vanish, replaced by a courtroom floating in deep space. The jury? Faceless specters robed in starlight. The judge? A black hole humming the First Hunger's dirge. ***Kelly Thompson,*** the hole intones. ***You stand accused of cosmic malpractice.*** The Apostle leans against the prosecutor's table. "She grafted a god to her soul. Unleashed its roots across realities. The multiverse *itches*."

was all I managed to say, feeling a lot drowsy already. She stood still by my side giving me a small smile. "Sleep Erika"... ******* I was standing on top of a building, don't know how I got there though. ~erika~ ~erika~ ~ erika~ As I tried to find who was calling me, thick fog covered the area making unable to see. ~erika~ ~erika...~ Sundenly the air felt so tight that it became hard to breathe,it was chocking me so hard that I began to struggle.

I could die right now and it would still be less humiliating. Apollo said nothing at first. Then finally, his voice came, laced with warning. “That is enough.” Genesis feigned innocence, her tone sweet. “Enough? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Apollo leaned back in his chair. From beneath the desk, I caught a brief glimpse of his hazel eyes flicking down at me. It was only a flash, but enough to make my stomach twist, I could have sworn something dangerous burned there. “Stop playing games,” he rasped. “I only have so much patience to hold myself back.”