Adetoye_Eniola

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In a world where technology and mysticism intertwine, Dante Kieran wakes up to a reality altered beyond recognition. A mysterious artifact has bonded with him, rewriting his destiny and unlocking powers beyond human comprehension.

Hunted by secret organizations, feared by the elite, and drawn into a battle older than time itself, Dante must navigate a treacherous path of betrayal, ambition, and forbidden knowledge. Alongside three breathtakingly powerful women—each harboring secrets of their own—he will uncover the truth behind the artifact, his past, and the cosmic forces at play.

But power comes with a price, and as the line between hero and villain blurs, Dante must decide: Will he be humanity’s savior or its destruction?

The Genesis has begun.


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ROUGE GENESIS

Chapter 19: The Shadowborn's Secret

Dante sat up straighter, his golden eyes locked onto Lyra. Shadowborn. The word felt ancient, like something pulled from the depths of a forgotten past.

"What are they?" he asked, voice steady.

Lyra hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "The Shadowborn aren't just Revenants. They're something else—something beyond this world. They exist in the space between life and death, between light and darkness."

Cain raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a bad horror story."

Lyra shot him a sharp look. "They were here before us. Before the Revenants, before the war. Some say they were the first."

Dante's pulse quickened. "The first what?"

Lyra's voice dropped lower. "The first weapons."

Dante's fingers clenched into fists. "And you think I'm one of them."

Lyra met his gaze. "I don't think." A pause. "I know."

The words hit Dante like a blow. His mind reeled, images flashing too fast to hold onto. The pain. The experiments. The whispers in the dark.

Cain sat up, intrigued. "Okay, so Goldie here is part-shadow monster. That's cool and all, but what does that actually mean?"

Lyra folded her arms. "It means he's more than just human. The Revenants were designed to hunt and kill, but the Shadowborn? They were created to do something worse."

Dante's throat tightened. "Which is?"

Lyra's next words were barely a whisper.

Dante shook his head. "No. That's not—"

But the memory surfaced before he could push it away.

The fight. The energy. That moment when the Shadowborn had looked at him—not as an enemy, but as something familiar.

And the way his power had reacted.

Cain let out a low whistle. "Damn. So what, if Goldie loses control, he just eats everything around him?"

Lyra's face was grim. "Worse. If he loses control, he becomes something even the Revenants fear."

Dante leaned forward, gripping his temples. He felt suffocated. Like the walls were closing in on him.

He had spent so long fighting to survive, to break free from the experiments that turned him into this. But now…

Cain stretched, breaking the silence. "Welp. That's a lot to process. But since you're not turning into a soul-sucking void creature yet, can we focus on not dying first?"

Lyra nodded. "We need to move. If the Shadowborn are aware of Dante, they won't stop. And if the higher-ups know what he really is…" She trailed off.

Dante finished her thought. "They'll come for me."

And this time, it wouldn't be to experiment.

Dante stood, forcing the fear down. He couldn't afford to be afraid. Not now.

"No more running." His voice was steady. "If they want me, they can come find me."

Cain grinned. "That's the spirit."

Lyra's expression softened, just a little. "Then let's make sure you're ready."

THE SHADOWBORN SECRET.