Heartforge

Heartforge

Sumbo Olabode · Ongoing · 51.4k Words

884
Hot
884
Views
0
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

A soul forged in fire. A city built on secrets. A bloodline that should never have awakened.

In the neon-shadowed city of Aurevia, where technology hums above buried veins of ancient magic, Seren Ardent wants only one thing to save her comatose twin brother. But when a burned corpse whispers her name during a late-night shift at the morgue, Seren’s world ignites. Flames crawl beneath her skin. Her blood sings with the heartbeat of something older than humanity itself.

Hunted by the zealots of the Ember Covenant, a cult that worships fire as salvation, Seren is forced to confront the truth about her lineage she is the last descendant of the Solar Wyrm, a dragon whose heart once forged the balance between worlds. Now, the Covenant intends to use her blood to awaken the Crimson Wyrm buried beneath the city and reduce the world to cinders.

To save her brother, Seren must master Vein Cultivation, an ancient art that fuses soul and flame. Guided by a blind sage and shadowed by Kaien Vale, a cursed swordsman sworn to kill her, she descends into a realm of molten magic and impossible choices. Each heartbeat brings her closer to power… and further from her humanity.

When the city’s final forge ignites, Seren must decide:
Will she burn the world to save one life or forge herself into its salvation?

Chapter 1

The city never slept.

It only flickered.

From the high windows of the Aurevia City Morgue, the skyline pulsed in fractured neon blue veins running through black towers, a pulse that matched the quiet hum of the refrigeration units below. Rain hissed against the glass. Somewhere far above, a mag-train screamed past, trailing light like a comet.

Seren Ardent didn’t look up.

She hadn’t looked up in months.

Her gloves snapped against her wrists as she bent over the examination table. The smell of antiseptic couldn’t hide the faint trace of burned flesh that clung to the room like a ghost. The body on the slab was charred beyond recognition another victim from the chemical plant explosion on the east end. Another casualty the city would mark as “industrial error.”

Seren knew better.

Explosions didn’t whisper names.

She pressed her fingers to the scanner, logging the hour: 2:17 a.m. Her reflection flickered across the steel storm-grey eyes ringed with exhaustion, a single braid of dark hair falling against her cheek. She was twenty-three, too young to feel this old. Too tired to care that the morgue’s lights kept dimming in time with her heartbeat.

“Rowan,” she murmured softly, glancing at the clock. “You’d tell me I need sleep.”

Her twin brother’s photo sat on the counter a smiling face, eyes just like hers. It was two years old, taken before the explosion that had left him comatose. Before everything quieted inside her.

She forced herself back to work. The body’s ribs were exposed where fire had eaten through cloth and skin. She guided the scalpel carefully, tracing the incision line.

Then the corpse twitched.

Seren froze.

Her first instinct was rational rigor relaxation, residual muscle discharge, postmortem reflex. She’d seen it before. But the second twitch wasn’t random. The body’s hand curled inward, nails scraping against the metal tray.

A low, crackling sound filled the air.

And then

“Seren.”

The voice was raw, like heat made audible.

Her scalpel clattered to the floor. She stumbled back, pulse hammering in her ears. The lights flickered once, twice and then everything flared gold. Veins of light rippled beneath her skin, crawling up her arms like molten glass. The corpse’s eyes snapped open, hollow sockets glowing faintly amber.

“Seren Ardent,” it rasped. “The heart…forged…awaits.”

Her scream died in her throat. The body convulsed once, then went still.

The light beneath her skin faded, leaving only the echo of warmth. Her breath came in ragged bursts. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. Maybe she’d fallen asleep at the table, maybe the exhaustion had finally fractured her mind.

Then the security alarm blared.

Three red dots danced across the wall. Laser sights.

She ducked instinctively as the morgue door slammed open. Figures in ember-marked robes swept inside five of them, their faces obscured by soot-black masks etched with glowing runes. One raised a palm and a wave of heat shimmered through the air.

“Seize the vessel,” the leader commanded.

Seren bolted. Scalpel forgotten, she snatched the first thing within reach a tray of instruments and flung it at the lights. Sparks burst as a bulb shattered, plunging the room into shadow. The intruders shouted, fumbling for visibility. She slammed her fist against the backup panel.

Nothing. The power was dead.

Her body moved before thought caught up. She crashed through the back exit, boots slipping on wet tile, heart punching against her ribs. The sound of pursuit echoed behind her footsteps, the hiss of igniting magic.

A burst of orange fire streaked past her shoulder, scorching the wall. The heat grazed her cheek, searing the air. She stumbled into the autopsy hall, grabbed a metal tray as another blast came metal met flame and the world exploded in light.

But it wasn’t the intruder’s fire.

It was hers.

Flames burst from her palms, wild and golden, coiling through the air like living things. The heat was alive, pulsing with purpose. Her body felt both weightless and anchored to something vast a heartbeat not her own thundering through her veins. The attackers stopped short, shielding their faces.

“What is she?” one gasped.

The leader stared. “The bloodline awakens.”

The lights blew out completely.

When they flickered back, the intruders were gone only scorch marks remained, smoldering across the tile in strange, circular patterns. Seren stood in the center of the room, trembling, her gloves burned away to reveal skin faintly glowing beneath the soot.

Then came the sound of distant sirens.

She ran.

By dawn, the morgue was sealed off. Police drones circled overhead. Seren watched from the shadows of a half-collapsed alley, shivering inside her soot-stained jacket. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking not from fear, but from the memory of heat.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that corpse’s face. Heard it say her name.

She needed answers.

She thought of one person who might know something Elder Nyros. Her mother’s journals had mentioned him, a hermit who “studied the Veins beneath Aurevia.” At the time, Seren had assumed it meant some old folklore about magic currents under the city. Now… she wasn’t so sure.

She hailed a hover tram, paid in cash, and kept her head down.

The tram hissed through the city’s veins past light markets, under bridges where graffiti glowed with residual ley energy. Aurevia was built on contradictions: progress over ruins, neon over ashes. Nobody looked at anyone for too long.

Nyros lived at the edge of the city, where towers gave way to abandoned ironworks and fractured concrete. Seren followed the cracked path toward a rusted gate covered in charms and paper wards. Each one shimmered faintly as she passed.

The door opened before she could knock.

An old man stood framed in the light of a hundred candles. His eyes were clouded white, but he turned toward her with uncanny precision. His coat shimmered like it was woven from scales, catching and reflecting each flame.

“I’ve been expecting you, child of fire,” he said softly.

Seren froze. “You know my name?”

“I know your blood.” His voice carried the weight of centuries. “The Covenant has awakened, and so must you.”

She hesitated, fists clenched. “Who are they? Those people who attacked me they called me a vessel.”

Nyros motioned for her to follow. “The Ember Covenant worships destruction. They seek the rebirth of the Crimson Wyrm an ancient dragon that devoured worlds before the first cities rose. And you, Seren Ardent, are the spark they need to light the pyre.”

She stared at him. “That’s insane.”

He smiled faintly. “So is the truth, most days.”

He guided her through a labyrinth of corridors lined with relics bones shaped like crystals, molten orbs humming with faint energy, scrolls that whispered when touched.

“Your lineage runs deep,” he continued. “Once, dragons walked this world not as beasts but as conduits of creation. When the Wyrm fell, its heart shattered into countless fragments. Your family carries one of those fragments still.”

Seren shook her head. “I’m not whatever you think I am. I’m human.”

Nyros tilted his head. “Then explain the fire that obeys you.”

She opened her mouth but found no words.

He stopped before a basin filled with molten gold. “Touch the forge,” he said. “And remember.”

The liquid shimmered, its surface reflecting not her face, but a vast sky streaked with flame. A dragon’s silhouette roared across it majestic, endless, eyes like burning suns.

When she reached out, pain lanced through her veins then vision.

She stood in a wasteland of glass, surrounded by fire. A voice echoed through her skull, low and ancient.

Hearts are not born. They are forged.

Seren gasped and staggered back. The vision shattered. She was on her knees, breathing hard. Nyros watched quietly.

“The mark on your collarbone,” he said. “It is no scar. It is your Gate. The first of seven. You can open it or let them open it for you.”

She clutched at her chest, feeling the faint warmth beneath her skin. “And my brother? Rowan—he’s all I care about. They said his coma was caused by that explosion. Was that them?”

Nyros’s expression softened. “Yes. The Covenant tried to forge the Heart two years ago. The blast awakened your blood but consumed his. He lives only because his soul clings to yours.”

The words struck like blows. “Then tell me how to save him.”

The old man’s eyes gleamed faintly. “To save him, you must master your flame before it devours you. That means learning the art of Vein Cultivation the ancient craft of aligning your soul’s fire with the world’s.”

Seren hesitated. “And if I refuse?”

“Then the Covenant will find you,” he said simply, “and forge your heart for themselves.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Rain began to fall, sizzling into steam as it hit the wards.

Seren turned toward the door, pulse quickening. The city beyond burned faintly in the horizon’s reflection. Somewhere out there, her brother lay silent beneath cold machines. Somewhere, the people who did this were waiting.

She looked back at Nyros. “Then teach me.”

For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he nodded, almost sadly. “So it begins.”

He dipped his hands into the molten basin. Flames curled around his wrists like living threads, weaving patterns in the air. The forge roared to life, golden light spilling across the walls.

“Your first lesson,” he said, voice like distant thunder. “A flame remembers its source. Do you?”

Seren stepped forward, fire already stirring beneath her skin. The mark on her collarbone glowed faintly, beating like a second heart.

She met his gaze and whispered,

“I will.”

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Omega Bound

Omega Bound

1.3m Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life. 

Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
The Prison Project

The Prison Project

920.9k Views · Ongoing · Bethany Donaghy
The government's newest experiment in criminal rehabilitation - sending thousands of young women to live alongside some of the most dangerous men held behind bars...

Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?

Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.

Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.

Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...

At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…

Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?

Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?

What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…

A temperamental romance novel.
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

1.1m Views · Completed · Hannah Moore
For three years, Sable loved Alpha Darrell with everything she had, spending her salary to support their household while being called an orphan and gold-digger. But just as Darrell was about to mark her as his Luna, his ex-girlfriend returned, texting: "I'm not wearing underwear. My plane lands soon—pick me up and fuck me immediately."

Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.

Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.

In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?

From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Surrendering to Destiny

Surrendering to Destiny

622.8k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
Catherine is not only a rogue half-breed, she is also the result of mate-bond infidelity, was abandoned as a baby and, to top it off, she can only shift during the full moon. When Catherine left the only pack she'd ever known in order to escape the new alpha, the last thing she expected was to find her mate... let alone for him to be the mouth-watering, heavily tattooed, lead warrior of the most feared lycan pack on the continent.

Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.

From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.

Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
The Human Among  Wolves

The Human Among Wolves

372.2k Views · Ongoing · ZWrites
"You actually thought I cared about you?" His smirk was sharp, almost cruel.
My stomach twisted, but he wasn’t finished.
"You're just a pathetic little human," Zayn said, his words deliberate, each one hitting like a slap. "Spreading your legs for the first guy who bothers to notice you."
Heat rushed to my face, burning with humiliation. My chest ached — not from his words alone, but from the sick realization that I had trusted him. That I had let myself believe he was different.
I was so, so stupid.
——————————————————
When eigteen-year-old Aurora Wells moves to a sleepy town with her parents, the last thing she expects is to be enrolled in a secret academy for werewolves.
Moonbound Academy is no ordinary school. It's here young Lycans, Betas and Alphas train in shifting, elemental magic, and ancient pack laws. But Aurora? She's just...human. a mistake. The new receptionist forgot to check her species - and now she's surrounded by predators who sense she doesn't belong.
Determined to stay under the radar, Aurora plans to survive the year unnoticed. But when she catches the attention of Zayn, a brooding and infuriatingly powerful Lycan prince, her life gets a lot more complicated. Zayn already has a mate. He already has enemies. And he definitely doesn't want anything to do with a clueless human.
But secrets run deeper than bloodlines at Moonbound. as Aurora unravels the truth about the academy - and herself - she begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Including the reason she was brought here at all.
Enemies will rise. Loyalties will shift. And the girl with no place in their world...might be the key to saving it.
The mafia princess return

The mafia princess return

655.3k Views · Completed · Tonje Unosen
Talia have been living with her mother, stepsister and Stepfather for years. One day she finally get away from them. Suddenly she learn she have more family out there and she have many people that actually love her, something she have never felt before! At least not as she can remember. She have to learn to trust others, get her new brothers to accept her for who she is!
Invisible To Her Bully

Invisible To Her Bully

320.8k Views · Ongoing · sunsationaldee
Unlike her twin brother, Jackson, Jessa struggled with her weight and very few friends. Jackson was an athlete and the epitome of popularity, while Jessa felt invisible. Noah was the quintessential “It” guy at school—charismatic, well-liked, and undeniably handsome. To make matters worse, he was Jackson’s best friend and Jessa’s biggest bully. During their senior year, Jessa decides it was time for her to gain some self-confidence, find her true beauty and not be the invisible twin. As Jessa transformed, she begins to catch the eye of everyone around her, especially Noah. Noah, initially blinded by his perception of Jessa as merely Jackson’s sister, started to see her in a new light. How did she become the captivating woman invading his thoughts? When did she become the object of his fantasies? Join Jessa on her journey from being the class joke to a confident, desirable young woman, surprising even Noah as she reveals the incredible person she has always been inside.
King of the Underworld

King of the Underworld

114.1k Views · Completed · RJ Kane
In my life as a waitress, I, Sephie - an ordinary person - endured the icy glares and insults of customers while trying to earn a living. I believed that this would be my fate forever.

However, one fateful day, the King of the Underworld appeared before me and rescued me from the clutches of the most powerful Mafia boss's son. With his deep blue eyes fixed on mine, he spoke softly: "Sephie... short for Persephone... Queen of the Underworld. At last, I have found you." Confused by his words, I stammered out a question, “P..pardon? What does that mean?”

But he simply smiled at me and brushed my hair away from my face with gentle fingers: "You are safe now.”


Sephie, named for the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, she's quickly finding out how she's destined to fulfill her namesake's role. Adrik is the King of the Underworld, the boss of all bosses in the city he runs.

She was a seemingly normal girl, with a normal job until it all changed one night when he walked through the front door and her life changed abruptly. Now, she finds herself on the wrong side of powerful men, but under the protection of the most powerful among them.
Shattered Girl

Shattered Girl

783.7k Views · Completed · Brandi Rae
Jake's fingers danced across my nipples, squeezing gently and making me groan in pleasure. He lifted my shirt and stared at my hardened nipples through my bra. I tensed, and Jake sat up and moved back on the bed, giving me some space.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Was that too much?” I could see the worry in his eyes as I took a deep breath.

“I just didn’t want you to see all my scars,” I whispered, feeling ashamed of my marked body.


Emmy Nichols is used to surviving. She survived her abusive father for years until he beat her so severely, she ended up in the hospital, and her father was finally arrested. Now, Emmy is thrown into a life she never expected. Now she has a mother

who doesn't want her, a politically motivated stepfather with ties to the Irish mob, four older stepbrothers, and their best friend who swear to love and protect her. Then, one night, everything shatters, and Emmy feels her only option is to run.

When her stepbrothers and their best friend finally find her, will they pick up the pieces and convince Emmy that they will keep her safe and their love will hold them together?
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

1.8m Views · Ongoing · Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

417.4k Views · Completed · Jessica C. Dolan
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé.
Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?
Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.
Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.
Enter him.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.
It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.
Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

146.2k Views · Completed · Xena Kessler
An original story by Xena Kessler
My back hit the desk. Pain exploded through my skull.
"Girls like you don't get to dream about guys like Kai." Bella's breath was hot on my face. "You don't get to write pathetic love letters."
She shoved me again. Harder.
"Maybe if you weren't such a desperate little—"
I fell. My head cracked against the corner.
Warmth trickled down my neck. Blood.
Their laughter turned to gasps.
The door slammed.
I tried to stand. Couldn't. The room was spinning, fading to black.
Someone... please...
Angelina, the most powerful Alpha who conquered forty-nine packs, dies in a yacht explosion—only to wake up as Aria Sterling, a fifteen-year-old Omega's daughter who just died from bullying.
The original Aria's life was a nightmare. Humiliated when golden boy Kai Matthews posted her love letter online, then shoved to death by his girlfriend Bella Morrison. But that's not all her family faces:
"You got until Monday," the tattooed gangster sneered at Aria's mother. "Ten grand cash. Or I'm taking collateral—your kids' organs fetch top dollar. That pretty daughter of yours? She could make us money another way too."
Now Angelina's lethal combat skills awaken in this fragile body. No more hiding. No more fear.
Armed with an Alpha's ruthlessness and a mysterious blood-red pendant, she'll dismantle everyone who hurt this family—one calculated move at a time.