Mirzayael and Zyneth take up positions at opposite sides of the ring, drawing spear and blades. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them pushed it a little too far and hurt the other, but we at least have healers on standby. And, truth be told, if anyone is going to take it too far, I suspect it will be Mirzayael. But what I know, and she doesn’t, is that Mirzayael is level 34, while Zyneth i...
2025-11-18 13:00:14 +0000 UTC View Post“I don’t think I can watch this.” I bury my face in my hands as Álvaro faces off against Verity.
Quell pats me on the shoulder. “I’m sure it will be fine! After all, it’s a hero’s tournament. The fight has to be heroic.”
“Yeah,” Liz pops in. “She won’t kill him or anything. Maybe just cut off a finger or two, but—”
“Not helping, Li...
2025-11-13 13:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostAs Mirzayael dashes toward Kanin, he splits in two.
Or at least, the void all around him splits in two. One half of the shadowy, inky blob shoots off to the right, leaving the ring. The other half rears up in front of Mirzayael.
She pivots to the side as the void seems to unfold like a rippling, black cloth. Before she’s able to reach Kanin, however, the sheet of void ...
2025-11-11 13:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostÁlvaro grinned, lifting his head toward the crowd as the stadium roared around him. He and the other candidates were standing on a raised circle of stone at the center of the arena as a disembodied voice thundered out each of their names to varying levels of cheers. It was clear some competitors were already favored, but Álvaro didn’t care; he’d show all of them.
Especially Ny...
2025-11-06 13:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostI wake up near dawn and find my mind churning too fast to fall back asleep. I can’t have gotten more than a few hours of sleep, but now that I’m up, I’ll have to make do. Perhaps I’ll be able to catch up tomorrow night.
I grab some coffee from the kitchen, where a handful of cooks are already prepping ingredients for breakfast, then I make my way up to one of the palace’s highes...
2025-11-04 13:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostPerhaps because I’m dreading it, the next two weeks pass far too quickly. Constance doesn’t reach out again, but whenever our gazes happen to meet, I can see the question in them: Are you ready?
I don’t tell Quell about the meeting. A big part of me wants to, but every time I try to make myself bring it up, the words get stuck in my throat. Constance was right about one thing: Quell...
2025-10-30 12:00:13 +0000 UTC View Post“Remnants created the gods?” Kanin asks after a moment of stunned silence.
Mirzayael and I are still grappling with our emotions over this revelation. I can feel her mind withdraw, trying to keep certain thoughts from me—but I have a guess as to what they are.
“No!” Lisari cries. “Well, technically yes. Something like the remnants. But much bigger, unfathomably pow...
2025-10-28 12:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostObviously, I’m going to tell Quell. And leave the Crimson Aegis—what, does he think I’m an idiot?
I watch Constance with a critical eye for the rest of the morning, from the social event in the throne room, to an excessively fancy dinner. He continues to drift through every interaction, only speaking when spoken to, but otherwise fading into the backdrop. He’s a shadow of th...
2025-10-23 12:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostUpon Shirasil’s dramatic appearance, I experience a strange combination of irritation and relief. It’s only Shirasil. Not Lorata or any potentially hostile gods. Yet, the timing of his arrival can’t be a coincidence. Has he found a way to spy on us without setting off the Fortress’s alarm system? The spell only triggered moments before his appearance, but I wonder how much more of the c...
2025-10-21 12:00:19 +0000 UTC View PostBy the time the Duneshade regents arrive, I’ve nearly recovered from my encounter with the Moonfall ones. Every time my gaze lands on King Merit, my stomach threatens to start churning all over again. The Bloodlust left the memories of my fight in the Oasis warped and fractured. Which guard had been the king’s friend? I can’t remember any of their faces. I can’t even remember how many I...
2025-10-16 12:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostWhen we depart for the night, I give Zyneth a quick hug, taking the opportunity to activate a Psionic Touch.
“Mirzayael will send a message when it’s safe to visit,” I tell him. I can feel him freeze as my voice enters his mind, but he betrays no other outward sign of surprise. “Meet us back in the room where we first spoke this morning.”
When I pul...
2025-10-14 12:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostI spend the entire day before the Duneshade royalty arrives tossing and turning, but never quite able to fall asleep. I’d feel bad about keeping Quell awake, but he seems to be just as restless. A few hours before sunset, we both give up and start to prep for the day.
And by prep, I mean call for servants who bathe and dress us. The whole process makes me really uncomfortable, but...
2025-10-09 12:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostAs I lead our procession up to the Loft, I reach out to Sandro through our Contact interface.
[Fyre: Good evening, Sandro. I’ll be stopping by shortly with some guests if that’s alright.]
It takes a minute for him to respond.
[Sandro: oh, sure! I’m just getting the wyverns settled in for the night]
The boy has taken to his new profession with surprising...
2025-10-07 12:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostWhen I’d leveled up to twenty, I gained access to three different class evolution options. These included Sanguine Watcher, Blood Crafter, and of course Stained Guardian. The first two hadn’t been bad options.
Sanguine Watcher would have given me blood-based dousing abilities, allowing me to track and reveal the location of things. Quell theorized that I had been given that opti...
2025-10-02 12:00:13 +0000 UTC View Post[1 Week Prior]
The remnant tears through our void.
We scream, silently, in our own mind, as our essence is hooked by the remnant, clawing at our mind and dragging us in. We fight, we try to rip ourself away, even as we start to fall through the portal.
But it’s like trying to breathe underwater. It’s like trying to claw your way out of quicksand. It’s like nothing we’v...
2025-10-01 12:00:24 +0000 UTC View PostAfter sharing his story, Kanin seems far more open and at ease with me. We continue to wander the Fortress and idly chat for a while longer, and Kanin even implies that he has a plan for finding more Travelers. Wisely, he doesn’t elaborate on this idea aloud; while Blair claims to want to introduce me to more Travelers, I have a feeling that she only wants this to occur at her discretion. I...
2025-09-30 12:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostOkay, so, it’s a lot more stressful than I originally thought. But hey, no one hates me, so I got that going for me, which is nice.
A couple of the Travelers had Roles that activated right away, which was its own special kind of hell. One of them was pretty easy to handle; his Role was Tailor and Fyre set him up to apprentice with one of the city’s weavers. But the other two were tric...
2025-09-29 12:00:17 +0000 UTC View Post[Planar Linkage spell ended.]
The tear in space collapses onto itself, crumbling into nothing as the air stitches itself back shut.
We try to pull ourself together. We can’t afford to wait for the pain to abate—we don’t have time.
“Lorata,” we say. She must have only been a second or two behind us. Which means we have minutes, at most, to prepare for her. We struggle...
2025-09-26 12:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostAs with many of my dreams as of late, I’m plagued by hateful shadows. They chase me through the streets of the Lifespring Oasis, always just behind each of my fleeing steps. They call to me, and I’m overcome by fear.
The street starts to melt like taffy, and my boots sink into the cobblestones. I manage to wrench them free and keep stumbling forward, but ever step is harder than the l...
2025-09-25 12:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostThe little dragon isn’t fast; it takes time to build up speed, and its attack against Lorata is obvious. She doesn’t even stop her pursuit of the Travelers, instead raising a hand toward Ollie in a dismissive gesture. A wave of light strikes the dragon—and breaks, like a wave crashing against the rocks. The next moment, he strikes Lorata in her chest.
We’ve never been good at math...
2025-09-24 12:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostAs Kanin’s mind blooms into existence inside my head, I’m immediately aware that we are not alone. A second presence appears alongside the one that is so distinctly Kanin, but this other mind feels less solid, more ethereal—though its feelings of distaste for me are clear enough.
Not to mention, its strength.
The Dungeon Core is strong—I’ve grappled with its in...
2025-09-23 12:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostRinviu’s companion is not subtle. Every inch of her skin emits a soft, glowing light. Her eyes are a solid white, and her clothes are likewise bleached of all color. She carries no weapons, but we know better than to think she’s unarmed.
Several Travelers let out a startled yelp at the appearance of the gods. Rinviu looks their way, apparently surprised to see a group of people sudden...
2025-09-22 12:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostHalf of our void goes in my Inventory. We remove it almost instantly—an inch away from my fingers, on the other side of the barrier.
[You have been subjected to a Time Dilation spell.]
Pressure immediately presses at my mind. I’ve split my attention multiple ways before with Ink to help, but this is different. It feels like something has grabbed my mind from either side and is s...
2025-09-19 12:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's Note: Surprise! I've got a Nye chapter for you all as well. I'll be posting 1 Nyte chapter per week, at least until Kanin Fyre completes, at which point I may increase the post schedule. Enjoy!
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Quell chews on his bottom lip, nervously adjusting his glasses. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Of course it’s a good idea,” I growl. I mentally poke...
2025-09-18 16:26:07 +0000 UTC View PostWe can’t hide here. If they find us, they’ll find Noli, too.
But where else can we go? As long as we can sense them, they can sense us.
Can we fight them? No chance. Out run them? Definitely not. We might be able to evade them for a time with Displace—but all our void is in here with us, and eventually, we’d run out of mana.
Crap. There has to be a way. There has to be...
2025-09-17 12:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note: Surprise! Here's the first chapter of Wild Fyre. I will be posting 1 ch per week each Tuesday going forward, at least until I finish posting Kanin Fyre, then I may increase the post rate. For those reading both books, you can reread this scene from Kanin's PoV here.
And with that, let's get to it!...
2025-09-16 16:29:07 +0000 UTC View PostHello all! I'm excited to announce that Nyte in Shining Armor has launched on Amazon today! As with all my books, it's also free on KU. If interested, you can grab it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FGGH17R8
Probably many of you have already read it, so I'm not asking anyone to go buy the book, however if anyo...
2025-09-15 16:24:19 +0000 UTC View PostFor a moment, the barrier seems to resist me. When I’d been standing at the edge of the portal to Earth, I’d been able to hear birds, see trees; it had all looked so close I could have reached out and touched it. But this is the first time I’ve actually tried to go through the other end of the Planar Linkage spell, and it’s different from what I expected.
The air feels el...
2025-09-15 12:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostI cast one last look around the circle. Fyre is speaking with Dizzi and Ollie in urgent tones. Shirasil is waiting for me expectantly. Noli is at my back, frowning with equal parts concern and awe at the portal to the Heavens. It seems she’s always got my back.
I begin to step forward, and she catches my shoulder.
“Wait,” she signs. “I’m coming with you.”
“What?...
2025-09-12 12:00:28 +0000 UTC View PostWe hope we’re not going to regret this.
“You’re lucky I was on this side when you called,” Shirasil’s voice echoes from the black. We’re able to pinpoint his location from that unsettling draw we feel toward the gods and remnants—it’s even stronger when our minds are merged like this—but we still can’t see anything. “But you’ll need to move quickly. Lorata herself ...
2025-09-10 12:00:15 +0000 UTC View Post