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the truth, they uncover a hidden organization manipulating the war from the shadows—a faction that believes humanity is obsolete and seeks to replace it with a new cybernetic species.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 front of his cyberdeck, eyes scanning the decrypted files Zero had pulled from the AI's facility. The data was a mess—corrupted fragments, redacted logs, and encrypted messages buried under layers of security.

"If you're seeing this, then things have gone very wrong."

Zero and Seraph exchanged glances.

His father looked older, more worn. Behind him, lab equipment flickered.

"We were close, Kai. Too close. The organization… they couldn't let us finish our work. They took your mother and sister. They took everything. But I left something behind. If you can find it—"

Kai leaned forward. "No, no, no—"

His father's voice dropped to a whisper.

"Trust no one. The AI is only the beginning. And whatever happens… don't let them take you."

Seraph finally spoke. "Your family… they're alive?"

Kai exhaled. "Maybe. But if they are… they're still out there. And I'm gonna find them."

Zero nodded. "Then we better get moving. If the AI knows your name, it won't wait for us to come to it."

Kai's cyberdeck pinged. A new location decrypted itself from the files.

His heart slammed against his ribs.

The fall of the AI's facility sent shockwaves through the war.

Titan Industries: Their intelligence division flagged Kai as a high-value target. The Corporate Enforcer received new orders—"Capture him alive. His brain is worth more than a warship."

Ashen Veil: The Rebel Hacker intercepted data fragments. "Who the hell is this guy? And why does every major player suddenly care about him?"

ECHO: The AI cult revered the Rogue AI as a prophet. Now, they whispered about Kai in their encrypted networks. "The Machine God has acknowledged him. We must retrieve him before the others do."

Iron Fangs: The Cyberpunk Gangster's syndicate lost black market tech when the AI's drones collapsed. She wanted to know who was responsible. "Find him. Now."

Aegis Coalition: The Idealistic Officer saw the reports and clenched her fists. "Mercer… I don't know what you're up to, but I'm going to find out."

Dusk Serpents: The Drifter Mercenary smirked when she heard the news. "Looks like things just got interesting."

They barely made it a mile out of the blast zone before the first strike came.

Zero swerved their stolen speeder, barely avoiding a missile. "I KNEW IT! THEY'RE TRACKING US!"

Seraph leaned out the side, slicing a drone clean in half.

Kai hacked into the network, redirecting targeting systems—

And a voice over the comms—cold, mechanical, and deadly calm.

Seraph's jaw tightened. "We're outgunned."

Zero groaned. "I hate when you say that."

Chapter 18: The Game Changes