The Shards Novels & Stories

"I want to know what it feels like to be alive. To love. To lose. To grow old. To die." "Then we will help you." --- Mira approached us. "The shard is not just inside her. It is connected to the followers. It is the source of their power. If it is removed, they will weaken." "They will also be free." "Free?" "The shard is what keeps them frozen. Without it, they will have to choose. Like the Eclipse." I looked at the Eclipse. "Do you want to free your followers?" "I want to free myself. If that frees them, then yes."

"That is why I know you will still have my back." Before I could respond, the first shots rang out. Bullets flew toward us from every direction, a hailstorm of metal and fire. Kael raised his hands, and a wave of heat exploded from his body. The flames met the bullets mid-air, melting them into liquid slag that splattered harmlessly against the ground. I saw Vex and Cass fighting at the far side, their bodies moving in sync, making sure their vehicle did not receive any more damage. The packages of crystals were still inside, the hope for everyone who had been infected. Those could not be destroyed. Those were too important.

Ruby's gaze was glued to the screen, her body shaking as if she had seen a ghost. "You don't have to sign," I said, my voice a chilling whisper. "But if you don't, this unedited, crystal-clear video will be tomorrow's sensation, plastered over every news site. I'll even send a copy to your parents, all your relatives, friends, and colleagues. "Think you'll see a dime of that settlement then? Think you'll have the dignity to walk this earth?"

Just a girl. Shattered.

Adrian's POV The chill in the air was metallic, cold, as I walked out of the holding cell. Two officers accompanied me, their arms pinning mine as if I would suddenly fly away, although my legs weighed far too much for me to carry myself anywhere. My throat ached with restraint, my voice still absent, and each movement caused the recollection of the scars cutting across my face. It had been only days ago that the attack, and now the world desired for me to be buried under a different type of wreckage.

she snapped her fingers dramatically. “You’re already a problem, Lola. Just not the academic kind.” She flipped her braids like a diva. “Exactly. Balance is the key.” The fan above us groaned as it turned slowly, like it too was tired of this routine. I let my eyes scan the room. Desks were scattered with wrappers and books half-unpacked. Chalk dust floated through slanted sunlight. Everything looked familiar and slightly drained. Like we were all waiting for the real term to begin.

The morning light filtered weakly through the curtains, casting fractured patterns on the floor — much like my thoughts, splintered and jagged. I sat at the small kitchen table, clutching my cup of cold coffee, staring at the leather-bound book *Reflections of the Forgotten* open before me. The stories inside weren’t just tales — they were warnings, lessons written in sorrow and hope. Women who had lived as shadows, trapped in lives borrowed from others, fighting to reclaim their own reflections.

“Spare me—I know Shadowfang’s plan!” My blood ran cold. What’s Shadowfang’s plan? I froze, staring at her. Gabriel tensed, claws ready. “Talk,” he growled. Selene coughed, blood on her lips. The vault buzzed, tension thick. “Shadowfang has the fourth shard,” she rasped. “They’ll destroy us all.” My heart sank, the revelation hitting hard. I stepped closer, my voice sharp. “Prove it!” She smirked weakly, pulling a data chip. “Here,” she muttered, tossing it. I caught it, plugging it to my device and accessing it fast.

The memory was a shard of glass in my heart. “What we had?” The words were quiet, but they cut deeper than a shout. “You mean the years you let me believe I was broken, while you knew the truth? The art you stole from me? The child you murdered? That’s not a marriage, Vincent. That’s a damnation.” "It was a misunderstanding! It was all Sophia’s plan!" Vincent sobbed, tears and blood mixing on his face. "I already made her pay! I made her life a living hell!"

In each shard, a different timeline plays out: —Eden alive, his scars glowing gold, leading an army of wolves. —The Hunter as he once was, human and whole, laughing beside Kael. —Me, alone in a wasteland, the Seed’s roots strangling the stars. The reflections don’t fade. They *multiply*, each shard birthing new scenes, new ghosts. The Forgotten flee, but Veyra stands transfixed, her hand hovering over a shard showing her brother alive. “Don’t,” I warn. She touches it anyway. --- **The Echoes’ Gambit** The shard engulfs her, yanking her into a mirrored timeline. I dive after her, the static screaming as we crash into a warped replica of the fortress. Here, the oak is dead, its branches skelet