Upon The Tainted Sorrow Book Novels & Stories

My palms press into the carpet, clawing for stability, wishing for this to be a dream. The cemetery blurs. My father's hand hovers near my shoulder, trembling as much as mine, but I shake him off. If he touches me, I'll break. If anyone touches me, I'll shatter into dust and blow away. So I stay cemented in place, heaving and choking on my tears, until everything around me falls hushed. And the shock on everyone's face falls away into darkness. The darkness that welcomes me. The darkness that is now my home.

Epilogue 【Darren’s POV】 The bullet tore through my chest. Blood poured from the wound, staining the floor red. I collapsed onto the cold concrete, my consciousness fading. But in a strange way, I felt a moment of perfect clarity. All the fog had lifted. I finally saw the truth. Scarlett had never betrayed me. The letters, the photos, they were all Angelina's tricks. And I was the biggest fool in the world. I remembered Scarlett when she was pregnant.

He didn’t reply right away but enclosed me in his arms. “Can we now start all over again?” he asked, smiling through his tears. I nodded and smiled. And at that moment, I also sent a quick prayer for Zed that he could also move on and start over. THE END Author's note: Thank you so much for reading Book 1 and 2. Book 3 will follow and it will be a standalone story of Zed. We also want him to be happy, right? And if you like the story, please reward this author with a review. I wish to know your thoughts on the characters' journey. See you on their next journey.

I gulped down hard as my heart thudded in my ribs, but I wasn't going to let him see I was scared. The first man sobbed uncontrollably, falling to his knees. “Please, sir! I have a wife! She's pregnant with our first child! Don't do this!” His smirk vanished, replaced by cold disregard. “You should've thought about that before you stole from me.” Stole from you? I knew he wasn't doing this because they raped the girl. Fucking pervert. His finger hovered over the buttons before he pressed one. I froze as the man's body convulsed violently as the electric current surged through him. His screams echoed through the hall until his lifeless collapse with a sickening thud.

Her mind was a jumble of anxiety so she did her best to focus on the music and dance her way through the towering shelves while she looked for the books on her list. Everywhere she went it felt like there were eyes on her. Every tiny hair on her body was standing straight up. She found herself looking around more than she was looking at the books. The feeling wouldn’t relent. It twisted her stomach and made her want to go back to the office. When two hands wrapped around her shoulders Zira spun around and swung the heavy leather-bound book she was holding. Taylor’s eyes grew wide as she narrowly missed his face. Kady rushed forward and pulled her earbuds out of her ears. The music blared int

The Edge of Shadows The bitter wind howled through the ruined valley, carrying with it the scent of ash and despair. Saraphina tightened her grip on John’s trembling hand, feeling the coldness seeping through his skin. The chasm beneath them pulsed with an eerie blue flame that danced like restless spirits trapped between worlds. Around them, the remnants of a once-majestic temple lay in shattered ruin, broken pillars and scorched stone telling silent stories of betrayal and bloodshed.

I turned and slipped away, my thoughts still in turmoil. The library. I needed answers, and I knew exactly where to look. The noise of the festival faded behind me as I entered the vast room of books. Making my way to the shelf where Sage had retrieved the book before, I carefully pulled it out and opened it. My breath caught in my throat as the words on the aged pages sent a chill down my spine. “The wielder of this power should find their strength tied to the emotions of those around them. Their voice, an instrument of devastation. When charged with sorrow, rage, or despair, the echoes of their cry shall lay waste to all in their path.”

She was holding the heavy, red-bound book that Adelaide had saved: the Red Ledger. "The code isn't a string of numbers, Xander," Selene said, her voice a ragged, beautiful sound. "And it’s not something he can take. It’s a Sacrifice Play. Adelaide didn't die for a book. She died to show us how to close the ledger." The boy’s face shifted. For the first time, I saw an emotion that looked like frustration—or perhaps, a glitch. "The Parity is corrupted. You should have been deleted." "I was," Selene smiled, and it was the most terrifyingly joyful thing I had ever seen. "I’m a ghost, kid. And ghosts don't have heartbeats for you to sync."

And she shattered Not with a scream With peace --- I fell forward, sobbing once Only once Because that was all she ever asked of me One breath of grief One moment to be seen And when I stood again My back no longer burned Because the mark was whole No longer split between burden and power Only balance The world resumed Lucian rushed to me, arms pulling me into him Soren wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist Ewen knelt quietly beside the ruined altar, whispering something to the earth We didn’t speak There was nothing left to say I had faced myself And come back --- But peace never lasts That night, under a sky finally calm, a raven landed on the altar Not black Not feathered But smoke It

In my palm, they found a small piece of a candy wrapper soaked in blood. On the back of the wrapper, a few crooked words had been scratched out in blood. I had carved them with my fingernail, bit by bit. The officer held up the evidence bag and read the words aloud for everyone to hear. "Mom, I wish you had never had me." The moment those words came out, the air seemed to freeze. Mom looked like someone had ripped out her spine. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted completely. Liam stared at my body covered by the white sheet. He clawed at the floor like a madman, making horrible scraping sounds.