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 corridors beyond the Sanctum twisted like a labyrinth, carved by hands long dead. Aiden ran, the sound of their footsteps echoing against the ancient stone. Behind them, the rumble grew louder—a terrible reminder that the Broken Covenant was drawing closer.

Talia led the way, her cloak billowing as she pushed deeper into the darkness. Cassian stayed at Aiden's side, his sword drawn, eyes scanning every shadow. Jax took the rear, a dagger spinning restlessly between his fingers.

"You need to focus," Cassian said to Aiden, his voice sharp. "The blood in you—it's not just power. It's instinct. It'll guide you if you let it."

"I don't even know how!" Aiden hissed.

"You will," Talia said without looking back. "Or you'll die."

Suddenly, the corridor widened into a massive underground hall. Pillars of black marble soared into darkness, and along the walls, carvings of ancient battles flickered in the light of their torches.

And standing in the center of the hall—waiting—were figures cloaked in tattered gray robes.

Their faces were hidden, but their hands, pale and etched with crimson symbols, clutched twisted weapons—curved blades, staffs, chains. They moved like puppets on unseen strings, twitching and jerking with a sickening rhythm.

Cassian cursed under his breath. "Too late."

The Marked Ones began to chant—a hollow, broken sound that made the air thicken and the ground tremble.

Aiden froze as the nearest one turned toward him. Beneath the hood, a glimpse of its face: hollow eyes, mouth sewn shut with black thread.

Fear clawed at him, but something deeper stirred in his chest. A slow, burning heat.

"They want you alive," Jax said, stepping in front of Aiden, his dagger flashing. "Which means we can kill them without holding back."

Without warning, the Marked Ones attacked, rushing forward with inhuman speed.

Cassian met the first one with a brutal strike of his sword, cleaving the creature in two. Talia unleashed a pulse of violet energy from her staff, blasting three into the air.

Aiden stood frozen—until one of the Marked Ones lunged at him, chain whipping toward his throat.

He ducked and thrust out his hand—and the Marked One exploded into ash.

Aiden staggered back, staring at his own hand in horror.

"Your blood answered," Talia said, firing another blast. "Now use it!"

The battle raged, brutal and chaotic. Aiden moved without thinking, his body responding to threats before he could even register them. Every strike, every dodge, every surge of energy felt natural—terrifyingly natural.

The last of the Marked Ones fell with a shriek that echoed through the hall.

Silence returned, broken only by the heavy sound of their breathing.

Aiden dropped to his knees, overwhelmed.

Cassian sheathed his sword. "You're waking up faster than expected."

"That's not necessarily a good thing," Jax muttered, wiping blood from his dagger.

Talia knelt beside Aiden. "You survived. That's what matters."

"But for how long?" Aiden whispered.

Talia's gaze was steady. "Long enough to change everything."

Far above them, the earth shook again. The Broken Covenant wasn't done. And neither was the fate that bound Aiden's blood to the destiny of a world on the edge of collapse.

Chapter 11: The Marked Ones