When The World Stood Still Novels & Stories

​The Adirondack air had a crisp, crystalline quality that morning, as if the world had been scrubbed clean by the previous day’s rain. At the Fortress, the tension of the looming shadow felt, for a fleeting moment, like a distant memory. Roman had ordered a temporary stand-down for the inner circle. He knew better than anyone that a bow kept under constant tension eventually snaps. They needed a reason to remember why they were fighting—not just what they were fighting against.

There were only two seats left at the company dinner. One was in the corner, and the other was beside my secret boyfriend of three years, Julian Locke. I had barely taken a step forward when Julian called out to my best friend, Capri Leigh. "Capri, sit here." My coworkers immediately squealed with excitement. The group chat went wild too. "They look so good together. Just seeing them sitting next to each other is a treat!" "Has Mr. Locke ever asked someone to sit with him before?" "I bet he's got a thing for Capri. I don't care. I'm shipping them anyway!" Throughout the dinner, Julian avoided even looking at me to keep people from getting suspicious. Even when a server burned my ha

He didn't even look at me, less talking to me. Then my mind drifted again, this time to the days we were trapped in the snow. ************ The first morning in Japan was magical, as I had woken up to white all around me. Thick, endless white that made my heart shutter. According to him, our flights had been canceled, and the roads blocked. “It looks like we’re trapped,” he had said that morning, standing by the window. “Trapped, how?” I had asked innocently. He turned to face me, toward me and foolish me, for the first time since our wedding, he smiled...a very soft and genuine smile.

Maybe we were never meant to last forever. I just looked at Gianna coldly and said, "Gianna, whatever we had is in the same state as these photos now. It can never be restored to how it was." Then, I shook her off and left the cafe. Ingrid was waiting for me at the door. We exchanged looks and smiled at each other. The cold fall wind began to blow, and the smell of pumpkin spice filled the air with a sweet, spicy scent. It was a beautiful day, and I believed that my future was going to be just as beautiful.

Each inhale felt like a struggle. Each exhale… heavier than the last. The world around me dimmed even more, the shadows stretching and swallowing everything in sight. I couldn’t hear anything clearly anymore. Not the house. Not footsteps. Not even my own breathing. Just silence. Thick. Heavy. Endless. My eyes flickered again, trying to stay open. Trying to hold on— Just a little longer. But my strength was gone. Completely gone. And still— She stood there. Unmoved.

My pulse quickened. "Said what?" The man's face had become completely pale. "He said..." The guard swallowed. Then repeated the words exactly. "'Bring me the Keeper.'" The world stopped. Not metaphorically. Literally. For one impossible second, everything froze. The wind. The fires. The marching dead. Even the distant clouds. All motion ceased. Absolute stillness covered the kingdom. Every survivor noticed. Every refugee. Every soldier. Every living thing. Silence consumed reality. Then a new voice spoke.

Not to panic. I turned the handle. The door opened. And everything stopped. Sound disappeared. Time slowed. The room was bathed in soft, golden light from the afternoon sun. I froze where I stood. My breath caught. My heart slammed so hard it hurt. I couldn’t move. The door slipped from my hand, closing quietly behind me. And in that moment, the world tilted and nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter 20 – The Still World The morning did not move. It stood, perfectly frozen, as if the world itself had taken a breath and forgotten how to exhale. Clara stood on the ridge overlooking the river. The light that spilled across the ruined bridge looked soft at first then she realized it wasn’t light at all, but something suspended, hanging midair like spilled mercury caught in time. Wind tugged at her hair but made no sound. Leaves on nearby trees trembled without falling.

Kiara The world ends. It stood still, staring right into my soul in silence. Not in a way that is jolly or kind, but in a manner that steals the sound from your throat and leaves you hollow. One moment, I am standing in the clearing with the wind against my face; the next, everything goes white. And when the light fades, I am on my knees, cradling him. Begging him to fight even harder.

Eve's pov "Wow", that's the first thing that came to my mind after I saw the person I collided with. And not to forget the fact that I'm still on the floor and she is standing there in front of me with a beautiful frown on her face. Beautiful frown! Seriously! "Hey im sorry, are you okay?" She waved her hand in front of me and that's when I realised that she was now kneeling in front of me. "I- I - im fine." I stuttered. This is the first time I stuttered in front of a girl cause I was so engrossed by her beauty that I failed to form a sentence.