Hive Knight: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (Trinity of the Hive Book 1) by Grayson Sinclair (black authors fiction txt) 📕

A wisp of green smoke entered my bloodstream. It slithered through my body, bringing a burning pain with it as it crept toward my heart.

The magic that had control knew it too, and it was furious. It lashed out, digging its frost-ridden fingers into my heart, nearly stopping it from beating.

The new smoke smothered itself over my heart and wormed its way through every crevice it could find to pump my heart full of its viridescent tendrils. I screamed as smoke and ice shattered my heart as they waged war.

A clash of wills battled for supremacy. The two opposing sides colliding over and over again as they fought. My heart fell to pieces, obliterated to a pulp while the two sides fought over the scraps. The smoke was stronger, but the black magic was crafty and elusive. It never allowed itself to be pinned down long enough and would strike back with precision and savagery.

They became too much for me to bear, and my body began shutting down. My heart no longer beat, and I was dying. I couldn’t even muster the strength to scream.

The dual magics collided one last time, but this time they didn’t separate, not entirely. They absorbed one another, each one still fighting for control, but neither side could best the other. With one final tug, they tried to separate, but failed and became one.

Something grew from them, something greater than the sum of the two halves.

This new magic settled over what little remained of my heart and thrived.

Stretching out, it gathered each broken shred of my heart and began rebuilding it, forming a brand-new core for me. One that wasn’t entirely mine any longer.

A process that topped my personal best in terms of pain. My torment didn’t increase, nor did it fade. Not by one iota. At some point, my mind couldn’t handle it anymore, and I shut down, falling into blissful unconsciousness.

Chapter 12 - Hive Knight

Though it wasn’t the way I’d planned, I slept deeply, and my whole body was stiff when I awoke. My nerves were shot from the pain I’d endured, and my skin was hypersensitive; goosebumps welled from the gentle breeze blowing through the curtains.

I wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but I had to get up. The clock in my interface read almost eight in the morning. Ugh, last thing I want to deal with is a fucking meeting.

 Panic set in when I noticed Eris wasn’t in bed next to me, but it settled the moment the door to the bathroom opened.

Her hair was damp, and she was wearing one of my gray cotton tunics; it was several sizes too big and came down to mid-thigh on her. It would have been an adorable look, if not for one thing. Her face held an emotion I couldn’t place.

She seemed more reserved now, like there was a wall between us. She knows what she did last night.

Eris went over to the edge of the bed and sat down the furthest she could away from me and still be on the bed, refusing to look at me. Instead, she stared down at her hands, fidgeting absentmindedly with the hem of the shirt. She feels responsible for whatever the hell that was.

“What happened last night?” I asked.

She gave me a look filled with sadness and confusion. ”I...I don’t know,” she finally spoke, looking back at the ground. “I was awake and aware, but I couldn’t speak or control my actions.”

I moved closer to her on the bed and placed my hand on her thigh, squeezing. “Obviously, I know it wasn’t your fault, but I still need to know what happened.”

She took my hand in hers, still not looking at me. “I changed you, in a way I don’t fully understand.”

I remembered the utter misery she’d unwittingly submitted me to. That kind of pain worries me deeply. It was by far the worst experience I’d had since coming here. And whatever had taken Eris over wouldn’t have inflicted that upon me for no reason. I’ve interjected myself into a much bigger game, it seems. That’s what Not-Eris told me anyway.

She leaned over and touched a finger to my temple, closing her eyes. An indescribable rush of something washed over me, and an itch formed in the back of my mind. “Do you feel that in your head?" Eris asked.

I nodded in response.

“That’s me. I can feel your consciousness within me.”

What? Is she in my head? Eris, can you hear me? I didn’t receive an answer, so I had to voice my concerns. “Can you read my thoughts?” I asked with trepidation.

“No. I can feel a general sense of your emotional state, but right now, it’s weak, and your emotions seem to be all over the place.”

I ran a hand through my hair. It’s better than having her read my mind, I guess. But I still didn’t like it. My mind was my sanctuary, and I didn’t like the thought of it being invaded, even a little. Doubt I can do anything about it right now, though. Better table that for the time and focus on the elephant in the room. The question I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer to.

“You said you changed me. How so?”

Her face held a look of pained discomfort. “I am not sure how,” she whispered. ”But I don’t think you’re entirely human anymore.”

Fear, anger, panic, and a slew of other emotions hit me like a sledgehammer. I couldn’t speak, and cold panic chilled me to the bone. I shakily pulled up my notifications to find an ocean of them waiting for me.

Warning! Outside interference detected!

Warning! Forceful race change in progress…

Warning! Forceful class change in progress…

Warning! Abnormal brain-wave spike detected!

Warning! Brain-wave activity exceeding danger