Jackim_Ochieng

Eighteen-year-old Aiden Sterling, once a spoiled rich student living lavishly among elites, falls into ruin after a brutal betrayal leaves him mocked, heartbroken, and penniless. Amid the wreckage of his former life — filled with wild school parties, lust, jealousy, and cutthroat competition — he discovers a mysterious device that assigns him dangerous tasks promising rewards beyond imagination. In a ruthless world ruled by corruption, favoritism, obsession with beauty, and digital fame, Aiden fights to rebuild himself. Battling heartbreaks, betrayals, societal collapse, and his own demons, he walks a razor-thin line between revenge and redemption, in a brutal, raw, and deeply emotional journey of pain, survival, and power.

SHATTERED CROWNS:RISE FROM THE ASHES

The blade gleamed in the dim light as it swung through the air, a blur of deadly precision.

Aiden barely managed to duck, feeling the chill of Cassian's sword cut through the space where his neck had just been. He could hear the sharp whoosh of it slicing the air above him.

Aiden rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the next strike, the tip of the blood sword grazing his shoulder. He gasped, the searing pain lancing through him, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Cassian's movements were fluid, almost graceful — a dance with death. His footwork was perfect, every strike coming with a confidence that only someone who had fought hundreds of battles could possess. The sword sang as it cut through the air, anticipating Aiden's every move, almost as if it was alive.

Aiden staggered backward, barely keeping pace. He needed distance — he needed a plan.

"Running away won't save you," Cassian sneered, his voice taunting, mocking.

Aiden's hand trembled, his fingers closing around the jagged piece of glass he'd picked up from the floor. It was sharp, but not enough to fight with.

He could feel the weight of the trial bearing down on him, the stakes more than just his life. He had to survive. He had no choice.

Cassian lunged, his sword aimed for Aiden's heart.

In that moment, everything slowed.

Aiden's mind sharpened. He could see the trajectory of the sword in his peripheral vision. He sidestepped, dropping low and kicking Cassian's legs from under him. Cassian fell back, the sword slipping from his grip, but he was already rolling, recovering in an instant.

Aiden's heart hammered in his chest as he dove for the blood sword.

Cassian was on him before he could even grip it.

A punch landed in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and before he could catch his breath, Cassian was back on top of him, pinning him down.

"You're too slow," Cassian whispered in his ear, the tip of his sword hovering just above Aiden's chest. "Your body is telling you that. You don't have what it takes to survive the Sanctum."

Aiden's mind raced. His body was weak from the constant near-misses, but there was one thing he still had — his will to fight.

Cassian's grip was tight, his dominance clear, but it was too easy for him to forget one thing.

Aiden reached up, grabbing the hilt of the sword with all the force he could muster, twisting it out of Cassian's grip and into his own.

For a moment, Cassian's eyes widened — disbelief, confusion.

Then Aiden's fist collided with his jaw, sending him flying backward.

For a brief second, time seemed to stop. The room was eerily silent, save for the soft hiss of the sword in Aiden's grip.

Cassian stood, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but the grin never left his face.

"You're stronger than I gave you credit for," he said, wiping the blood away. "But it's not enough."

Aiden raised the sword, ready to face him once again.

Chapter 5: Dance of Death