Axle has known magic his whole life. Not the kind of magic from stage acts and swindlers on the streets, the kind that was used in secret, under the cover of lies and facades. Magic that, when found out by regular non-magic civilians, will be mercilessly sought out and destroyed if they weren't able to use it for themselves. This was his father's warning. But even when kept a secret, danger lurks ever so closely and Axle had to find a way to stop it all on his own... Or did he? Elaine knew she wasn't the only one. She had this feeling that there were others in her high school that did what she could do: real magic. Just when she was mustering up the courage to ask someone else that she thought was like her, danger strikes her school. A danger that she felt was related to her magic. She knew she had to do something about it. Should she deal with the threat alone like she usually faced everything else in her life? Or will she finally confront her suspicions about a certain boy from her school that she was sure had magic like her? ------------------------------------------------------- Huuuge thank you to the user @rainhither for creating this beautiful cover. You're the best!! This is an original story by me. The characters from this work are part of a different, but same universe, original novel I am currently writing. However, the main story of this universe will not be published here (at least that's my decision for now.) since I plan to publish/self-publish that work. Thanks for reading all the way to the end and I hope you like it!

The year is 2212. Humankind brushed their fingertips upon divinity. Capable of being programmed to remove cancer, heal Alzheimer's, and even cure old age, nanomachines are the heralds of a new age for mankind. But in their eagerness to improve beyond what was necessary, they made a tragic mistake. Now the "Rust" sweeps over the land, changing anything and everything in its path into hellish landscapes of flesh, spare parts, and human organs. A young girl wanders the empty streets of what used to be a bustling metropolis. At night, her dreams take her beyond: To an icy settlement trying to brave the colds of Antarctica amidst dwindling supplies. To an offshore rig colony tossed by the seas while trying to fend off pirates. To an underground dictatorship trying to maintain control over a panicking populace. The girl tries to survive, find meaning and hope in the face of a slowly encroaching wave of terror.

🥉 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 #𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 How does it feel to witness history unfold before your very eyes? To live a thousand years more and watch nations change all around you? * * * * * * * * * * * * * Maalik Seti, a troubled father living in the 4th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, suffers from his own blind anger. Losing control of reality, he finds himself lashing out at the world in rage despite only ever wanting to be the definition of a good man. But when tragedy strikes, Maalik stares into the face of death as his life is permanently changed. He becomes cursed with the power of immortality. He can still bleed and perish, continuing to die as he becomes reborn each time. Never aging, never permanently resting. Will he accept this curse as he lives on for thousands of years? When nations turn to war and events change the course of human history altogether; Maalik will experience it all. Thousands of years worth of history await him as he continues to live for an eternity. And through it all, his curse lingers. His sanity diminishes and his bloodlust awakens as he battles himself when his wrath attempts to take control. Is Maalik the hero he's always wanted to be, or is he the villain of his own story? * * * * * * * * * * * * * This is BOOK ONE of the Evolution of Time Franchise, following Maalik's path. The story contains extreme violence, gore, mature language/themes, suicide, minor romance #8 in Cinematic tag #33 in Wrath tag #64 in Evolution tag #141 in CharacterDevelopment tag #270 in Medieval tag {150K+ word count}