⚠️Warning: I had to change Chapter 1 and 2 because I didn't like how they turned out. Without further ado, enjoy the novel 😁.
A heavy drizzle began to fall as a prisoner counted drop by drop, but in his hand he held a homemade bomb that he activated instantly.
—Boom!
A great explosion shook the place. The guards arrived quickly, armed to the teeth, but Nova was no longer there: he had escaped.
—Are you idiots!? Go find him, failures! —shouted the commander.
The guards began to search for him but couldn't find him. Meanwhile, Nova had slipped into some ancient ruins, where he was looking for the Ring of Eternal Night, an artifact that would grant him unimaginable power.
Before entering, he stopped to reflect... remembering why he had been imprisoned.
An old memory surfaces where Nova is betrayed by his best friend Jack, who turns him over to the empire in exchange for money.
The Galactic Empire was ruled by humans, however, due to bad decisions, they lost everything and were now limited to living in the solar system where it all began.
And the real reason the empire was after him was because of his father, Kael, a fugitive who was accused of trying to assassinate the leader of the empire: Maxius, and that's why Nova was also accused.
Now calmer, Nova entered the ruins. These led to a labyrinth with three levels:
The first tested brute strength.
The second tested intelligence.
And the third was more dangerous: overcoming your worst fear...
Nova would begin the first test, which consisted of lifting a heavy rock with a rope, and Nova, with cleverness, managed to lift it. The second test was to stop two dogs from fighting, which was easy since he gave each of them a piece of meat. But Nova thought these tests were not just easy, but absurd. However, just before entering the third, a strange mist surrounded him and he fell unconscious.
Nova entered the world of nightmares, where he relived painful moments from his past.
Nova saw a crowd of people celebrating the execution of a woman… his mother!
Nova became agitated at the sight, but soon, Nova began to burn in flames. In front of him, his father was pointing a weapon at him. Desperate, he shouted:
—This isn't real, this isn't real, enough already!
But that's when he understood how to pass the test: accept the loss.
Nova hugged the false image of his mother. The illusion vanished. He had passed the test.
In front of him appeared the Ring of Eternal Night.
He climbed some stairs, and upon touching the ring, a dark and powerful energy overwhelmed him.
But before he could celebrate, soldiers of the empire stormed the place. Nova was forced to flee. The gunfire didn't stop, but invoking a spell, he summoned to his hand the Sword of True Night, capable of deflecting bullets, invoking darkness, altering people with fear, etc.
In the distance, he saw an exit and ran toward it. He crossed it, but as he did, he brought down the exit.
What he didn't know was that outside, the Devourers awaited him—creatures three meters tall and weighing more than 300 kg.
With his sword, he managed to defeat them… but then, everything went dark.
A demon had entered his mind.
The strange part: a female voice was speaking to him, which confused him since demons had no gender. But ignoring that, he prepared for anything.
The demoness introduced herself and demanded he hand over the ring. Nova refused. Enraged, she tried to attack him, but he managed to touch her and block the attack with his sword and told her he would end her, period.
—Impossible! A human can't touch a demon!
—Oh, really? —said Nova, cutting off her arm—. I warned you I'd finish you.
—Surrender! You can't defeat me.
—Last words?
—Ha, ha, ha!
—What's so funny?
—Nothing, just that you're dumb! Soon more enemies will come to finish you, but first, you'll die with me!
A devastating explosion threw Nova through the air, falling unconscious.
Hours later, he woke up but couldn't move his legs. Something—or someone—was sleeping on them.
—What…? Ah! I can't feel my legs!
It was the demoness… but now she looked young and small… almost human.
—What are you doing? —Nova asked.
—My name is Lia —she answered, smiling—. And from now on… you'll be my big brother.
[And Nova was left confused and in shock...]