The clouds dissipate, revealing the valley. Chatter subsides.
Lucinda sighs and clasps her hands behind her back. “And so it begins.” We’ve been speaking about Remorse affinity for the ...
2022-08-20 02:50:46 +0000 UTC View PostAscendant Red
The contestants are held underground in a squat, rectangular room with minimal lighting.
I lean up against the dirt wall, my dark clothing–unsurprisingly, black...
2022-08-13 21:05:54 +0000 UTC View PostEuryphel regarded the world with every ounce of concentration he could muster. Being unable to use his Regret affinity as he pleased severely tested his patience. Normally, he could make nearly unl...
2022-08-07 21:04:56 +0000 UTC View PostEuryphel inspects the guest room. “Why does this chamber look like it was blasted out by a bomb, rather than shaped with earth elementalism?” He points to the roughhewn rock walls.
I’d ...
2022-08-03 03:20:04 +0000 UTC View PostAscendant Crimson Teeth
“Can you please bring the drink closer?” Ebon Pearl asks.
“You can’t even taste it,” I point out, raising the two-beverage h...
2022-07-31 22:57:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe moment of truth eventually comes. At Cursory’s prompting, Holiday sends the recording to Achemiss. He passes it back to me.
“We can’t find any traces of your recording,” ...
2022-07-31 01:14:14 +0000 UTC View PostCursory enters the plane alone, returning a minute later with his arms crossed over his chest. He smiles pleasantly at me. “The recorder is ready for you, Ancient Black.”
He’s just ...
2022-07-26 04:19:23 +0000 UTC View PostAscendant Crimson Teeth
I expected interesting things to happen at the competition. Interesting is a generic term–a catch-all for the chaos that occurs whenever ascendants congrega...
2022-07-25 16:25:50 +0000 UTC View PostThe tent takes up an entire row all on its own, though it’s mostly unoccupied. A Light illusion casts the tent in shades of black and vermillion. Rather than giving the impression of doom and des...
2022-07-22 14:47:49 +0000 UTC View Post“This is it,” Red thinks. “Whatever you do, don’t let your mental barrier collapse.”
“Have I done so once over this entire trip?”
“No, but...
2022-07-18 02:31:07 +0000 UTC View Post[ happy independence day to folks in the usa!
i feel like i'm the worst at pacing -- too much show, not enough tell (ironically). hopefully the last few chaps haven't felt too slow. i think t...
2022-07-04 21:53:30 +0000 UTC View Post[ make sure you read 276 first, which i released ~1 hr ago ]
In the end, the ascendant with Regret affinity chosen to accompany me is a willowy, square-jawed man named Red Griffith...
2022-07-02 05:24:16 +0000 UTC View Post“They say I need a Regret practitioner,” I state, sighing.
Euryphel is currently signing a series of documents that need the highest level of approval from his glosscomp, his eyes narrowe...
2022-07-02 03:36:52 +0000 UTC View Post[ thanks for reading! ]
Using the ring of flesh shift and my dagger artifact, I’ve created a sufficiently different appearance. I thought the onlookers’ confidence would grow, ...
2022-06-28 02:15:31 +0000 UTC View Post“Karanos, we need to talk about accelerating our plans. It’s time to go after Achemiss.”
“You’ve been back for thirty minutes,” the ascendant says, frowning. “You have two new a...
2022-06-24 23:46:18 +0000 UTC View Post[ thanks for reading! :3 ]
Isid’ra Druni was holed up in a dim cave. Moonlight reflected off the wall and onto the small puddles by the entrance.
She waved her hand and the...
2022-06-17 23:28:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe final weeks pass slowly. I feel like I’m trudging through a swamp, or back in the loop, spinning my wheels. I’m tired of the grind. I want to leave this plane and never return. I want to se...
2022-06-15 04:46:58 +0000 UTC View PostI have no idea how Ash discerned that the six embers over my head would react to souls. Before I had Beginning affinity, I would have written it off as inexplicable black magic and taken Ash’s co...
2022-06-13 00:16:46 +0000 UTC View Post[ thanks for reading everyone! :3 ]
We find meditating Ash in the Beginning geode, hovering perfectly in the center of the crystals. When we get close enough to converse, he somers...
2022-06-04 18:56:29 +0000 UTC View PostI use my hand as a visor to peer up the cliff side. I fly back up to the top, walk over to the mirror that Ash propped up against a small boulder, and stare at the crown of fire that hangs above my...
2022-06-04 17:42:06 +0000 UTC View PostMy stomach drops. If Ash wants the dagger, there’s nothing we can do to stop him. But he doesn’t make any move for it.
“If even I want it, then Achemiss will, too,” Ash reasons. “I ...
2022-05-31 04:03:04 +0000 UTC View Post[ hi -- i've been working on a 10k short story for a litrpg anthology, which is due at the end of month, which is why my chaps have been scant lmao. i think it actually turned out pretty good. if a...
2022-05-27 14:23:30 +0000 UTC View PostMaria gasped out of instinct, even though she had no need of oxygen. She leaned forward, supporting herself on her knees. Ash didn’t say anything. He simply watched as she fumbled with Ian’s vo...
2022-05-23 22:13:15 +0000 UTC View Post[ hi. might not be another chapter today for this past week, since i'm trying to finish up lots of stuff in preparation for a long flight to hawaii tomorrow morning for work. will be working on the...
2022-05-15 18:05:49 +0000 UTC View Post[ the second chap for the past week. thanks for reading! ]
Maria hissed between clenched teeth as Ian wrung the energy of Beginning out of her for what felt like the millionth time...
2022-05-09 07:00:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe world beyond me is static. Before, crystallized Beginning burned my fingers with caustic, chemical heat. The burning is gone, but the Beginning–a kind of frozen sap–still flummoxes my sense...
2022-05-08 22:42:22 +0000 UTC View Post[ big feels please give feedback thank you ]
She sat on the edge of the canyon wall, her legs dangling from the overlook. To better soak up the power of the false ethereal sun, she...
2022-05-03 23:18:58 +0000 UTC View Post[ thanks for reading! ]
Maria’s cold arms embrace me from behind. What happened?
Limp and drained, I take a moment to collect my thoughts. Since Ash separated us, ...
2022-04-29 17:21:56 +0000 UTC View Post[ make sure you read chapter 260 first, which was posted a few mins ago.
all aboard the angst train for this chap, choo-choo~ ]
When Ian visited Euryphel a week later, it was...
2022-04-23 22:46:47 +0000 UTC View Post[ playing a bit of catch up; releasing the next chap in a minute ]
Ash’s pale eyelashes are almost transparent in the glow of the ethereal skylights. “Maria, do you feel your S...
2022-04-23 22:40:07 +0000 UTC View Post