What you think does matter

The Hidden Monster Wars Chapter Four The sanctuary had fallen quiet, but the silence felt heavy, like the moments after a thunderstorm when the air is still charged. The soft hum of the repaired barrier echoed faintly, the glowing runes on the trees shining steadily now. It was almost peaceful, but the smell of burnt ash lingered in the air, a grim reminder of what had just happened. I stared down at the sword in my hand. Its glow had dimmed to a faint shimmer, and it felt oddly warm, like it had its own heartbeat. My arms trembled under its weight, though I couldn’t tell if it was the sword or the adrenaline crash. “Sam?” Mia’s voice broke through my thoughts, soft and tentative. She knelt beside me, her hand brushing my shoulder. “Are you okay?” I looked at her, my vision blurry from unshed tears. “I—I think so. But that…that was insane. I didn’t even know I could do that.” Her face was pale, smudged with dirt and streaked with sweat, but her eyes held something I hadn’t seen before:...

I stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the creaks and groans of our old house. I wasn’t scared—no, not scared—because monsters weren’t real. That’s what my dad always said. “Big boys aren’t afraid of the dark, Simon. There’s nothing there.” But tonight, the shadows seemed different, deeper somehow. My bed felt smaller, like the darkness was closing in around me. My parents had gone to an important dinner, leaving me with Sarah, a quiet girl who barely said two words since they’d left. She sat glued to the TV downstairs while I was stuck up here, alone. The clock on my nightstand blinked 9:47 PM in glowing red numbers. I rolled over, squeezing my eyes shut, when I heard it. Eeee-creeeeak. The door. My door. Slowly opening. I sat up, my heart hammering in my chest. The hallway outside was empty—at least, that’s what it looked like. “Sarah?” I called, my voice shaking. No answer. The door, which I had closed tightly, now hung ajar, its hinges whining like something had pushed it open....