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the truth, they uncover a hidden organization manipulating the war from the shadows—a faction that believes humanity is obsolete and seeks to replace it with a new cybernetic species.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 sat in a dimly lit safehouse, fingers flying across his cyberdeck. Lines of code scrolled across his visor.

Decrypting Titan data... 92% complete.

Nova leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You realize she's still hunting you, right?"

Kai smirked. "Yeah, but now I know why."

The decrypted data revealed Project Synapse. Titan Industries had been experimenting on AI-human integration. His family had worked at the lab, and their disappearance wasn't an accident.

Cipher leaned over, stealing a glance. "So... any juicy corporate secrets? Maybe some blackmail material?"

Kai shot her a look. "Focus, Cipher."

Cipher grinned. "I am focused. Focused on survival. And fun. Mostly fun."

Suddenly, Kai's cyberdeck flashed red.

Cipher's smile vanished. "Oh, that's bad."

Nova's eyes narrowed. "Can you stop it?"

Kai's fingers flew over his keyboard. He had firewalls, decoy networks, ghost protocols. But whoever this was?

Then, a message popped up on his screen.

// NICE TRY, STRYDER. LET'S PLAY FOR REAL. //

Nova leaned in. "Who the hell is that?"

Cipher grinned. "Ohhh, I know who that is."

Kai groaned. "Let me guess... The Rebel Hacker?"

They found her in a neon-drenched nightclub, a hotspot for the Ashen Veil rebels. The walls pulsed with music, bodies swayed to the beat, and in the VIP lounge sat the hacker who just wrecked Kai's system.

A woman with violet-tinted cybernetic eyes, wild silver hair, and a cocky smirk.

She leaned back, tossing a holo-chip between her fingers.

Cipher nudged Kai. "That's your hacker girl."

Kai exhaled. "She's going to be a pain, isn't she?"

Cipher waved. "Hey, Zero! Still breaking into people's systems for fun?"

The woman—Zero—grinned. "Only when they're worth my time." Her gaze landed on Kai. "And you? You were very worth my time."

Kai slid into the seat across from her. "You fried my system. I'd say we're past flirting."

Zero chuckled. "That depends. Do you like your foreplay aggressive?"

Nova choked on her drink. Cipher laughed.

Kai ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. Why'd you attack me?"

Zero tapped the holo-chip against the table. "Titan wants you dead. That makes you very interesting."

Zero leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "And... I like interesting people."

Cipher elbowed Nova. "He's doomed."

Kai kept his tone even. "You work for Ashen Veil. Why help me?"

Zero shrugged. "Titan Industries is a problem. You're a problem for Titan Industries. That makes you my problem."

Kai raised a brow. "You like problems?"

Zero smirked. "I like solving them."

Kai leaned back. "So what now? You turn me in? Use me as a bargaining chip?"

Zero twirled the holo-chip between her fingers. "Hmm. Tempting. But nah. I wanna see what you do next."

Kai frowned. "You're playing a dangerous game."

Zero's smirk widened. "Oh, sweetheart, I am the game."

Cipher whispered to Nova, "Yup. He's so doomed."

Nova sighed. "One day, I hope a woman talks to me like that."

Cipher snorted. "We're criminals, Nova. You gotta aim lower."

Kai exhaled. "Fine. What do you want?"

Zero grinned. "Information trade. I hacked you. You try to hack me. If you win, I help you get deeper into Titan's network. If I win..."

Kai arched a brow. "And what do you get?"

Zero's eyes gleamed. "I'll think of something fun."

Cipher groaned. "Kai, just let her win. It'll be more fun for you too."

Nova shook her head. "This is getting ridiculous."

The battle wasn't over. It had just begun.

Chapter 10: The Rebel Hacker