Eldgrimm

In the neon-drenched dystopia of Neo-Babylon, a war rages between warring factions, but Kai Stroud, a rogue operator, has no allegiance—just a mission to survive. When a routine job goes south, Kai stumbles upon a secret tied to his missing family: encrypted data locked inside his own brain—a digital blueprint for something powerful enough to shift the balance of the entire war.

Now, every faction wants a piece of him.

Hunted by corporate enforcers, anarchist hackers, cyber-cultists, and mercenary warlords, Kai is forced into a deadly game of survival. Along the way, he forms uneasy alliances with six formidable women, each with their own reasons for chasing him down:

Selene Voss, the cold and ruthless Corporate Enforcer sent to capture him, who begins to question her orders.

Rox Callahan, the Rebel Hacker who sees him as a rival and ally in equal measure.

Nyx-7, the enigmatic AI Worshipper drawn to the secrets within his mind.

Valeria Kane, the fearless Cyberpunk Gangster who respects power—and Kai’s unpredictability intrigues her.

Mira Sorelli, the Idealistic Officer torn between duty and what’s right.

Raven Locke, the Drifter Mercenary who prefers watching from the sidelines—until Kai forces her to care.


As Kai and his growing crew unravel the truth, they uncover a hidden organization manipulating the war from the shadows—a faction that believes humanity is obsolete and seeks to replace it with a new cybernetic species.

At the heart of it all? A rogue AI with a god complex, an army of machine-controlled soldiers, and a plan to erase organic life entirely.

With Neo-Babylon on the brink of destruction, Kai and his team must fight, outsmart, and outlast their enemies to bring down the true puppet masters. But the closer they get to victory, the more Kai’s past, his family’s fate, and the truth about his own existence come into question.

And with his six rivals-turned-allies all falling for him in their own ways, his personal life is just as explosive as the war itself.

In the end, Kai must make the ultimate choice:

Save the world—or disappear into the shadows.

Destroy the enemy—or become something new.

Choose a side—or carve his own path.


Because in Neo-Babylon, loyalty is a lie, survival is war, and love is the deadliest battlefield of all.

Shadow Circuit: War of the Lost A Cyberpunk War Epic

Kai tensed, instincts kicking in as the new arrival stepped into the dim light.

She was tall, lean, and dangerously confident. Neon-blue tattoos ran along her arms, pulsing faintly like a living circuit board. A mischievous smirk tugged at her lips as she sized them up, arms crossed.

Nova's fingers twitched toward her pistol. "Who the hell are you?"

The woman grinned. "Relax, sweetheart. I'm not here to kill you."

Kai groaned. "Why do people always say that right before trying to kill me?"

But something told him this woman already knew.

Her grin widened. "Yeah, I know. You're all over the Veil's watchlist, pretty boy."

Nova scowled. "Ashen Veil? You're one of those cyber-anarchist lunatics?"

Kai exhaled. "Alright, so why are you here? To turn me in? Blackmail me? Mock my haircut?"

Cipher snickered. "Tempting. But no. I want to know what's in your head."

Cipher's smirk never wavered. "Relax. I don't work for Titan. Or Echo. Or any of those control freaks. I just want the truth."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "And if I say no?"

Cipher shrugged. "Then I'll just hack into your brain and take a peek myself."

The moment Cipher spoke, Kai's cyberdeck flashed a warning.

Kai cursed. She was already hacking him!

Nova raised her gun. "Back the hell off—"

Kai threw out a hand. "No, wait—"

Cipher flicked her wrist, and Nova's gun locked up, screen flashing: WEAPON SYSTEM OVERRIDDEN.

Nova's rage was instant. "Oh, you LITTLE—"

Kai's focus snapped back to his deck. Cipher had launched a deep probe attack, slipping through his firewalls like a digital ghost.

He redirected power, setting up false trails, scrambling his own data to bait her into dead zones.

Cipher chuckled. "Oh, you ARE fun."

Kai grinned. "And you are TOO DAMN FAST."

Cipher's virus shut down his HUD for half a second.

Kai retaliated, injecting a counter-script to loop her own code back at her.

Cipher grinned. "Too bad I'm better."

Cipher leaned in, grinning. "So. Ready to talk?"

Cipher winked. "You'll get used to it."

Cipher sat cross-legged on a rusted console, spinning a neon data drive between her fingers.

Kai slumped against the wall, rubbing his face. "Alright, fine. You win. What do you want to know?"

Cipher grinned. "For starters? What's in your head."

Cipher's grin vanished. "Excuse me?"

Nova nodded. "He's not lying. Whatever's in his brain, it's locked up tight."

Cipher stared at Kai. "You have no idea what kind of data you're carrying?"

Kai shook his head. "Only that a lot of dangerous people want it."

Cipher tapped her chin. "That's... concerning."

Kai snorted. "Welcome to my life."

Cipher tilted her head. "And your family?"

Cipher's smirk faded completely. For the first time, she looked... thoughtful.

"That's why you're in this mess, huh?"

Cipher exhaled. "Alright. I'll help you."

Nova glared. "Why the sudden generosity?"

Cipher smirked. "Because I don't like mysteries. And because screwing over Titan sounds fun."

Kai studied her. She wasn't lying.

Nova muttered, "I still don't trust her."

Cipher tossed him the data drive. "Then let's start digging."

He had an ally inside the digital war.

Chapter 7: Hacked, Trapped, and One-Upped