Rhythm Zero Novels & Stories

She rubbed my hair and pulled me into her arms. I grabbed her clothes and cried until I could barely breathe. Like a fragile child with no sense of safety. "Ruby..." "It is all right. I'm here." Ruby's voice also choked. Ruby was the kind of girl adults called trouble. She dropped out of middle school and worked security at internet cafes and pool halls. When I was young, I was afraid of her too. Whenever I ran into her on the street, I kept my head down and did not dare look at her.

*vrr vrr vrr* I stop my typing on my computer and take the call swinging the chair and turning it to face the window Is it done? Sir, there’s nobody here What did you just say? There’s nobody here sir, the place is abandoned, we asked the neighbour and she said they moved out days ago for the children’s schooling Ha! It seems I’ve underestimated my opponent, alright get out of there before you draw any more attention to yourselves Yes boss

[RANK 1: SQUAD ZERO - WRAITH, TANK, JINX. [TOTAL RAID SCORE: 99.8% EFFICIENCY.] They were untouchable. The digital gap between them and the second-place guild was so massive it was mathematically impossible for anyone to catch up this season. They had beaten the system. The soft hum of the master bedroom doors sliding open drew Ren’s attention.

A drummer dropping a stick. I tried to stop and failed. My jaw loosened; the flavor surged up to meet me; I sealed my mouth again with a small, helpless noise I pretended belonged to her. The old, careful part of me sank like a stone. The animal kept drinking. She convulsed, heels digging into the dirt, breath trying to climb past my mouth. A tiny, wet sound came out of her throat. The wildness in me wanted to swallow it too. I lifted my head a fraction, enough to hear the rhythm without feeling it. One-two-three—pause—one-two—pause—one. The cadence of a body running out.

Nymeris teased. She and Thorne exchanged amused glances, but before I could say anything more, the deep beating of drums echoed through the air. A powerful vibration rippled through the ground, stirring excitement across the camp. Faces lit up, children jumped in place, and the atmosphere grew dazzlingly alive. The melody that followed was soft and celestial, carried by gentle strings that seemed to whisper to the soul. Each note resonated beautifully, weaving through the night air like a magical incantation. Gradually, the music swelled, rich, layered, and increasingly intoxicating. The drums pressed deeper, thunderous and mesmerizing, gripping the hearts of everyone present.

He leaned down until his lips hovered mere inches from her ear, sending a shiver of raw panic down her spine. "It is far more than a simple prop to fool the press, Maren," Gideon whispered against her skin with a dark, possessive edge that made her blood run cold. He watched her eyes widen in fear as he tightened his hold on her trapped hand to ensure she understood the gravity of his confession. "The band contains a microscopic military grade tracker, so no matter where you try to run, I will always find you."

We have to run the company while hunting down the remaining splinter cells of Evelyn’s network. And we have to figure out what to do with Zero, I added. As if on cue, the door to the study opened. Zero stood there. She was wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. She looked like a college student, if not for the unnerving stillness of her posture. "Elias," she said. "What is it, Zero?" "I am hungry again," she said. "And... I hear a hum." "A hum?" "In my head. Like a radio frequency. It is faint. But it is there."

I clock out and leave my apron in my locker before leaving. It’s been one week…one miserable week without Nova. Truthfully, even if their cock is as big as their sister’s hand gestures were, which I doubt, I would prefer figuring out what to do with it over another minute without MY Nova. My set is a combination of love songs and heartbreak…”Never Not”by Lauv and “Closing the Door on Us” by Dexter in the newsagent are my news additions to the list. I am working on learning “Move together”by James Bay and will most likely be able to use it in my Sunday set. After my set I go to Sid’s table. Immediately I notice that only a few friends are still here. “What The Fuck, Aldo? You and Nova were pe

The crowd lit up. Then suddenly, a shift. The pounding beat turned sparse, cold, eerie. Like a storm on the horizon—an omen of disaster. The rhythm descended into chaos, echoing destruction. Every beat felt like the death knell of the world. Then—silence. Half a minute passed. Ria gently tapped out a soft, slow rhythm. It was the whisper of rain, the hush of spring wind, the trembling of green sprouts breaking through soil. It was rebirth. The music ended abruptly, clean and final.

Literally. ​The sound turned into a black, oily smoke in his palm. ​"Your music is a child’s toy," Zero said. He struck the deck with his foot, and a wave of "Negative-Resonance" slammed into the Bloom-Soldiers, their ironwood armor instantly turning to grey ash. ​Kael stepped forward, closing his eyes. He didn't use the song. He used the Friction. ​He reached into the "Muted" parts of his own memory—the eighty years of suffering, the loneliness of the war, the hunger of the Shallows. He didn't try to make it beautiful. He made it Heavy.