KrazeKode

Patreon Changes — Last post of 2021

Hello! It's been a while. I'd just like to thank everyone here who's stuck around for an entire two months with me. I really appreciate it. Now, I've had almost a month to think over things, plan, write however much I could and work on the rewrite. And I've decided on a few things on how I'll be continuing Truth Seeker.

First of all. Truth Seeker will be coming back on Jan 1st, 2022. I'll be posting the 15 chapters that I have written currently in the rewrite. The ETA for completing Book 1's rewrite is End of February as of now. I really underestimated how much work it'd be, but things will be changing a lot as well.

On that note. Patreon billing will begin from January 1st. And before that happened, I'd like to inform you what the changes to patreon are.

As this is pretty much a complete restart, and one can almost say, a loop. (Heh). I've made some changes to how I've setup my patreon chapters as well.

The tiers will be providing access accordingly as such:

Bronze tier ($3) — 3 chapters
Silver tier ($5) — 5 chapters
Gold tier ($10) — 10+ chapters (currently 15)

Important Note

Now, another important thing to note is that. Truth Seeker will NOT be posted to Royal Road, until I have around 35 or so chapters. Which, I'm expecting to have by the start of February or close to that.

As such, the bronze and silver tier will only have access up till chapter 3 and chapter 5 in the rewrite, until the serialization of the book begins again. I gave it a lot of thought, and have found this the best method to continue with for me personally.

Gold tier will have access to the entire rewrite, and all of my backlog. Once again, a big thank you to everyone who has decided to stay for such a long time. I'll be curious to hear opinions on the rewrite and I hope you like it as much as I am liking it, because I'm really really glad I decided to rewrite the story. There is a lot more depth and potential to explore, and a substantial amount of changes happening, hopefully for the better.

That is all, I wish you a happy oncoming new year of 2022 and I will see you on January 1st.

I'm Alive! — Truth Seeker Progress Update

I live! Hello, it's been a while. I have some news and things to share. So, first of all, the billing cycle is paused for December as well, so you won't be charged any money. 

Now, for Truth Seeker, there have been a few changes in my plans. The edit for the first Book 1 has turned into a rewrite. The overarching plot is still roughly the same, but there are a lot of structural changes, events happen differently, some scenes are missing, other new scenes and entire new chapters are there. I think you get the idea.   

So, due to that. I've decided to post the rewrite on Royal Road as a separate new fiction entry. I don't see any other way to really post the rewrite outside of this, and the changes are significant enough that they warrant a read in my opinion. It would have been about 2 months since the last chapter so a good way to catch up and refresh as well.  

I'll be coming back with the rewrite of the Book 1 by January. Though I can't say if the entire book will be re-written by then, but that is the goal at the very least. I'll be posting all the rewritten chapters on patreon as well, while I post some of the chapters on Royal Road at the same time, depending on how far I've progressed.   

I have my semester finals in this month, almost throughout the entire month so that adds in a factor of uncertainty on the progress but I've already got a decent amount of chapters rewritten so it should be alright.   

Alongside that, for the publishing of the story I've got a book cover as well! The cover is still a Work in Progress but I decided to slap a title on it for now because I couldn't wait. The end result should be even better, hopefully.

That's about it, I'll be back with chapters and another note on Jan 1 2022. Thanks for sticking around and being awesome readers!

Break — Poll

Apologies on the double post.

I've been jumping around, here and there, and I've been trying to manage and keep going, but I think I underestimated how much work tests, and writing two stories at once would be.  

So after a lot of thinking, I decided to take a break on Truth Seeker, to prepare the first book for publishing, which got pushed back heavily, and I've been unhappy with the current three chapters present in Book 2 as well, so those will be getting a second look over as well.    

Here are some of the options.

53 — An Old Flower

Right out of the hot word docs comes a chapter!! Managed this one somehow, phew. I have no idea what I wrote, but it should be something. Also, the chapter is exactly 2,222 words and I really don't want to edit it and ruin that now

❖❖❖

“What’s wrong lass? What’d you see?” Jennifer heard her master speak as the message began to fade.

Jennifer paused, pursing her lips as she stared at her master. The glow of the appraisal ring had faded leaving only the description on her mark in front of her eyes.

“I think I hear a voice,” she said, feeling slightly unsure. “A voice with a system message accompanying it. It said… Beware my Chosen. The trial awaits.”

<Xar heard a voice too, it told Xar of the not-voice from the Dungeon and something about a new path!> Xar exclaimed cheerfully.

“The spell worked, I saw the appraisal come up, with some new stuff mixed in there with Xar and my Mark’s fusion but then, it also sent a message. And I heard someone speak,” she told her master.

“A message, from the mark itself ye say? Beware my chosen… the mark’s chosen. The calamity in the dungeon, the invasion and the dungeon break. Why’d the appraisal ring get a response from both yer marks though?” Her master asked, as he mulled over what’d happened.

“The appraisal mentions the Old Order of Truth in it. And from what I recall, Viel had said, the aim of the Delve had been the library of Truth as well. There’s also the soul of Alphion that it mentions. Says it holds the soul of Alphion. Do you think…?” Jennifer turned towards her master, trailing off. A trapped soul within a magically bound mark would be delving deep into the territory of forbidden magic.

“I can’t say lass, perhaps there’s a soul in yer mark, alongside yer friend’s as well, if we are to go by what he heard. The magic in there’s untouchable by me. I doubt even a level 50 mage might not be capable of breaching it. Time itself being undone, it's the magic of legends, put right in front of our eyes,” her master said, breathing out. She could feel the tense anticipation emanating from him.

“I know someone who’s likely to know more Master, I think you do too,”  Jennifer said, as her master nodded.

“The prince eh? I’ll be straight with you, I don’t trust the Royals. Too many masks, and ye can never tell what’s real and what ain’t. But the lad’s your only real way of gaining more knowledge, as far as I can tell.”

Jennifer nodded. With her soul crack, their fused marks, the calamity and the blood ritual all around Lienmont, she needed someone who could actually move people if need be.

“Do you think I should head to the guild once more?” Jennifer asked her master. Perhaps with Xar, she could avoid or even try to find who the Demon was hiding as.

“And get yerself killed for good? Did ye really learn nothing lass? The demon can clearly capture ye and do damage directly to yer soul. We don’t know what happened to it with the last invasion either,” her master replied, shaking his head.

“Ye need strength lass. I’ll be setting some gear up for ye here, and looking into things on my own. Head on to yer academy and reach out to Nathaniel, we’ll meet up and see if  there’s anything to be done,” her master said, and Jennifer nodded in acknowledgement.

<Academy! Xar wants to go too!> Xar exclaimed cheerfully and Jennifer smiled.

“Well, I don’t see a point in waiting. Should probably just head on there and try to find Nathaniel,” Jennifer replied.

“Aye lass, take care. I need to look into yer skills, make an armor, check for soul magic… by Elphion’s twisted name, you sure brought a lot of work around. I wonder who’s the master here sometimes,” her master said with a chuckle waving her away.

Jennifer shook her head at her master’s words, amused.

“I’ll be preparing some things for yer skills as well. There’s a lot more to yer glass than ye realise. And [Resonant Mana Runes] is a skill I’m deeply familiar with. It’s about time I taught ye some of the more complicated stuff,” her master said.

“Now get going lass, yer late!” he shouted at her, and Jennifer laughed as she began to head outside.

<I’ll let you know like this, if I need your help> She sent back, with Xar’s assistance. She’d be able to contact her master if need be.

Just one more place to visit before I do that.

❖❖❖

<Hello! My name/call/sound is Xardhviladrothic! The greatest spider from dungeon-home!> Xar exclaimed to the surprise of a red haired girl who’d calmly been sitting in her shop.

Jennifer laughed as she saw Rumina jump in surprise, her eyes narrowing instantly as a small dagger came out in her hands. The girl’s posture relaxed considerably as she saw Jennifer, before her eyes widened once more.

“Jennifer! Wh-what happened to your hair? And what was that sound?” Rumina asked. As her eyes darted around, trying to find something.

“That’s the first thing you say when you see me?” Jennifer asked with a mock hurt expression and she saw Rumina stare at her in confusion.

“Wha- By Sera I- Congrats Jennifer on getting accepted!” the girl said, jumping as she hugged her and spun her around in circles.

<Xar feels dizzy>

Xar exclaimed, and she could sense he was tempted to knock Rumina back to have her stop. Jennifer smiled as she hugged her friend back.

“Thank you Rumina, there’s a lot that I have to tell you. About the hair, but much more than that as well,” Jennifer said, her mind drifting to the form of her friend, standing above her in a dark room, as her soul tore itself apart.

“Oh, did you get selected as the new [Archmage of Amazing] as well?” Rumina asked cheerfully and Jennifer smiled.

Maybe that’d be less surprising.

“I’ll tell you, but not here. I need something to dye my hair back though. Can we go to your home?” Jennifer asked, as she nudged Xar to have a look around the shop. She sensed no demons nearby, but a pair of ravens sat outside the building, and Jennifer wondered if her suspicions were true afterall.

“You sound serious, did something go wrong?” Rumina asked, as the jovial tone from her voice started to fade.

“No, yes, well, let’s go to your place first,” Jennifer said, and Rumina nodded.

“Fine, alright. I do have something we can use to dye your hair with, it’s in back in my room so that works out I guess,” Rumina said, as she took out a small slip of paper/

She scribbled something on it, and left a note for the shop owner and a message as the two began to head towards her friend’s home.

Xar kept an eye out for any strange presence lurking nearby and Jennifer kept her [Enhanced Mana Sense] sharpened as they made their way, and Jennifer soon spotted the familiar home of her friend.

“Sister! You’re back already? Oh,” Sophie paused as her eyes shifted towards Jennifer.

“Jennifer?” she asked, and Jenn smiled.

“Hey Sophie, it’s been a while,” Jennifer said to the little girl.

“But you were here last week?” the little girl asked, confused.

I feel like I’ve had this conversation before.

<Xar remembers from shared memories. Jennifer had this conversation when she escaped from her room to meet her friend> Xar added helpfully.

“Anyways, head on Sophie, I have something important to talk about with Jenn, don’t cause too much trouble okay?” Rumina said, as Sophie ran back inside her home.

“Anyways, come on in. Mom should be out today so Sophie’s been home alone, I think it’s good that I got an excuse to come back early for her,” Rumina said, and Jennifer nodded.

“My room then?” Rumina asked, closing the door behind her.

“Your room, yeah,” Jennifer said, looking around her friend’s home. It’d been months, months in the time since she’d gained her mark. It felt strange to be here after all this time. The two walked up, and into Rumina’s room, Jennifer following behind her friend.

“Okay, what is it? You’re making me nervous with that expression Jenn!” Rumina exclaimed, punching her shoulder lightly.

“Alright, alright. So, well, first of all, this is Xar,” Jennifer said, holding her hand out as Xar walked down from her shoulder and onto her palm.

<Hello! I’m Xar!> Xar sent to Rumina as the girl stared blankly at the little spider.

<You’ll see something now Rumina, don’t panic> Jennifer sent to her friend and she cued Xar to share their memories.

A wave poured forth from their marks as Jennifer closed her eyes, going through the many many memories of the last five months.

Their marks pulsed as one, as she sensed Rumina’s mind, next to her, and reached out for it, taking it through the months she’d lived through.

A few moments passed, as Jennifer felt a quiet pulse of pain run through her soul, as she paused at her encounters with the Demon. The crack serving as a reminder of her carelessness and of the ever present enemy she had to fight.

“Jennifer- I- I can’t,” she heard of her friend mutter and Jennifer rushed ahead, grabbing Rumina as the link cut off, her friend falling.

“What was… that. What was all of that. That feeling. Those eyes. Me? I was there, and you. It burned so much and I-” Rumina muttered, and Jennifer hugged her friend.

Maybe I over did this. Not everyone can handle things as well as Master did.

“I’m sorry Rumina. I seem to have rushed it. That was me. All of that was me. Months. I’ve been living that hell for months now, and it’s finally starting to get better. I wanted to show you this for so long. It burns inside me, all this time, all these memories. You didn’t remember any of it.”

Jennifer felt her voice tense, the memories hounding her as she lived through them once more. “Is that… what dying is like? That was… dark. Empty. Cold. It was… horrible. I- how are you so okay? I can’t—” her friend’s voice broke, and Jennifer sat Rumina down on the nearby bed, sitting next to her.

“You get used to it. When things worse than death happen, dying becomes the easier alternative. If I can save people like that, then it was an easy choice to make,” Jennifer muttered.

<Jennifer is strong> Xar spoke up on her behalf, and she sensed pride coming from him.

“I died as well didn’t I? That demon… It was me. I was there. I stabbed you,” Rumina said, her voice numb.

“No it wasn’t. None of it was you. It wore your skin to hide the monster it was. You have nothing to blame yourself for. I-I should’ve been stronger. I lost you Rumina. I lost you that day, I lost you that month. And I just- I’m sorry,” Jennifer muttered as she saw tears pool in her friend’s eyes.

“But it’s alright now. And now you know. We need to save everyone, Rumina. Everyone. Me you, master, everyone in the city. The end is far worse than anyone had ever thought. I need to be stronger,” Jennifer said, her voice resolved.

<Xar will help>

She saw Rumina’s eyes shift to Xar, who’d climbed back on her shoulder.

Jennifer stared at her friend, as a question began to rise in her mind. The words of the demon playing in her mind.

“Do you still have the flower Rumina?” Jennifer asked and she saw her friend pause, before she returned a quiet nod.

“I do. It’s in one of my drawers,” Rumina replied, as she got up. Her friend walked over, opening a dusty closet in one corner of the room, as she pulled out a small flower, preserved by a rudimentary and basic enchantment.

“It’s been a while since I renewed the enchantment on this,” Rumina said, handing Jennifer the flower.

Jennifer saw the fragile enchantment, made ages ago by herself, when she’d barely gained her [Enchanter] class.

Jennifer brushed the flower, repairing and improving the enchantment on the little thing. The petals had slowly but surely wrinkled up over time, as the flower barely hung on to it’s form now.

Jennifer reached out to her Mark, feeling her new ability from within. Closing her eyes, she reached for the voice that had called her from within her mark, and tried to gather the magic from within.

A fickle flow spread from her mark, as her soul strained, sending a pulse of pain. Jennifer pushed on, as faint motes of mana spread through the flower. She saw Rumina’s eyes widen as the almost dying flower began to brighten up, it’s petals refreshing itself, as time began to turn back.

Jennifer felt her magic snap, the link fading as she quickly set another enchantment in place, on the little flower.

“Did you just… reverse time?” Rumina asked, and Jennifer opened her eyes, as she stared at the flower in her hand.

“I think… so. It felt right. I’m not sure how I did it, it just felt right,” Jennifer said, staring at the white petals as they shone with a blue lustre from her spell.

Jennifer turned towards Rumina. A long needed talk with a friend awaited her.

Announcement — Exams... Again

Well, I have exam week again, so things will be rough, all the more so since I now have two stories. So updates will probably be a bit unstable this week. I'm not taking a break, so I do plan to keep updating. But plans have a habit of not working out, especially when there are too many things to do.

Things will return to  normal from 31st and onwards, but till then, I can't really say how many chapters I'll be able to post in this week.

52 — The Next Step

Metal struck metal, ringing out in a mesmerising sound. Jennifer could hear the faint ring of her master's working even through the many wards present in his shop.

Jennifer went around the store, entering the store from a side alley. She felt the tingle of mana pass over her skin as she walked in, pouring from the smithy down where her Master continued working.

<Master/Work-Home? Xar can feel magic. Lots of it.> Xar sent and Jennifer smiled.

“Yeah, master has quite a few items that have mana in them. Not surprising, he’s a [Runesmith] after all. The best one around,” Jennifer said with a smile.

<False. Jennifer knows crafting guild head Valencia is better.> Xar said and Jennifer gave him a mental shove with her telepathy. Which did nothing as he shoved her back instead, easily beating her weak abilities.

<So unfair> Jennifer sent back, and she felt a smug happiness come from Xar.

<Jennifer needs to just get good> Xar replied, and she snorted.

Jennifer went to her chamber, taking out her little chalk, and inscribing stone for enchanting. She paused when she noticed how she’d stopped relying on written inscriptions for a while, with her enchantments.

<Different magic style. Faster. But weaker.> Xar said.

Jennifer nodded, manifesting a shard of glass. “[Twofold Enchantment]” she voiced her skill as she felt [Resonant Mana Runes] activate. Waves of mana pulsed through her glass, as the glass began to glow a bright light before she cut off the inscription.

“I have a lot of skills I haven’t paid enough attention to don’t I?” Jennifer muttered out loud.

Perhaps I can go to Nathaniel and have him actually train me. I’ll need to reach out to him in regards to my soul anyways. I have a feeling the damage along with the fusion’s effects won’t just be limited to a simple change in hair color.

“Is that you lass? Come on down here!” her master called out from below. Jennifer let her glass shatter, fading into motes of mana before she began to head down.

“Grab me the mithril ingot—” Her master paused as he stared at her. “What happened to your hair?”

Jennifer smiled awkwardly. It never got any less strange to go through this so many times. She didn’t have to do anything, as Xar spoke up on his own.

<Hello! My name/call/sound is Xardhviladrothic! Nice to meet you, Jennifer’s master!>

Jennifer stifled a laugh as she saw her master’s eyes bulge in surprise, as he stared at her. She could sense him turning wary, and decided to interject before things got any worse.

“It’s my friend master. Come on out Xar,” Jennifer said as Xar walked down her shoulder and onto her hand.

“This is Xardhviladrothic, master. Xar for short. He’s my friend,” She said, and she saw her master stare at Xar, as he raised one of his legs, waving them as she’d told him people did when greeting others.

“You may want to take a seat before I start,” Jennifer said, and she saw her master’s confused face go up from Xar, and towards her.

“Aye, lass, think I might need a drink or two as well, to meet your new… friend,” her master said, and Jennifer closed her eyes.

<You’re ready?> she asked Xar.

<Xar is always ready!> Xar exclaimed and Jennifer nodded. Their marks hummed as one as magic flowed, and a link formed between them and her master.

<This is me master. Jennifer. You’ll see some things now. Don’t be too surprised.>

Her memories of the past five months began to flow through the link.

❖❖❖

Jennifer exhaled loudly. Forming a link with her mind, even with Xar’s help had drained her, she could feel her Master’s mind as a mess of complex thoughts as her memories flooded him. She hadn’t shown him the entirety of her past. The events far too many to properly explain. But she’d shown him most things that she felt had been important.

She’d relied on him before, to be there when she’d been falling apart. Yet, a part of her had always felt that he didn’t understand. A part of her couldn’t help but wish he’d remembered things. And now he did. Now she could show him, and Jennifer felt a strange sense of relief fill her at that.

“Lass, I… This has happened before. I know. I remember it. I saw it. But— Give me a moment Jennifer. I just need a moment,” her master said and Jennifer smiled.

“It’s intense isn’t it? I get it. Well. I don’t actually. I’ve been living through this for a while now, so I’m somewhat used to it now,” Jennifer replied.

<Together now. Will win.> She heard Xar speak to her.

“Aye lass… I’m still inclined to believe the spider has taken over ye mind somehow and this is some kind of twisted abomination sitting on yer shoulders,” her master said, turning to look at Xar.

<Rude!> Xar exclaimed, and Jennifer pet him gently. She knew he wasn’t really offended, but instead pleased to be found intimidating, and that amused Jennifer immensely.

“You know that’s not true. If you don’t trust me then-”

“No, I do. I trust ye lass. I know. It’s just a lot to take in. Even yer magic is different now. Yer aura, all of it. It’s different. There’s something more to it now, something that hadn’t been there the last time ye’d shown this to me. I’d ask how yer blade is doing, but I suppose I already know that. It saved yer life and that’s all that matters. It’ll be back soon,” her master said, getting up from his chair.

Jennifer raised her eyebrows as he walked closer. “I know we’ve got a lot to talk about, lass. But, come here for a second.”

Jennifer stared at him for a moment, before he got up, walking closer. Her eyes widened in surprise a bit as her master hugged her, patting her back gently.

“This ain’t like me I know. But for a moment, I saw the demon’s face. And I saw you there. Dying. And I felt like I’d lost you lass. I’m sorry you have to bear so much. I’m sorry the world has been put on your shoulders child. But thank you. Thank you for coming back,”  Her master replied, his voice quavering at the end.

Jennifer tried to laugh, but her voice got stuck in her throat, as her master hugged her tighter. She felt Xar send a comforting emotion through their bond and she felt something wet travelling down her cheeks.

“This is so unfair…” Jennifer said, in a quavering voice. “I always end up crying to you don’t I? I wasn’t even planning on it… I have Xar back. I have you. And you know this time. For five months, no one knew. No one but Xar. But now you know. You remember. And I… why am I so weak in front of you,” Jennifer replied, her voice breaking as tears flowed freely from her eyes and she felt her master’s warm hands gently pat her back.

“It’s alright to cry lass. All of us need to cry sometimes. It’s alright to be afraid, and worried. Ye wouldn’t be human if ye didn’t cry lass. I’m here this time. I’ll be there for ye lass. We can do this,” her master said, and Jennifer buried her face in her master’s shoulders, as silent tears flowed freely from her eyes.

<Together. Allies. Will win. Strong.> Xar sent, and she sensed his resolve.

Jennifer sniffed, wiping her tears as she pulled away, smiling shyly. “Thank you master. Thank you for always being there,” Jennifer said.

“What can I say lass, I always knew ye were a bit of a troublesome apprentice, have to keep an eye on ye, ye know?” Her master replied as Jennifer smiled.

“Well, enough of that now,” Haireth said, stepping away awkwardly. “Let’s talk about how to save the damn city.”

❖❖❖

“A crack in your soul, right,” Haireth said, frowning. Jennifer nodded. A lot of the talks had proceeded smoothly due to Xar’s mark, as they’d navigated through the various memories.

Jennifer had to pause at the raw fury she’d felt when they’d gone through her first death with the [Sand Mage] and then with the Demon mark. She could sense a lot of reprimands her master was about to send her way, but had held back.

“That’s a concern. It’s clear that yer mark works with the soul somehow. Seeing how it’s engraved in there all neatlike. But soul magic… is taboo for many reasons. Ye saw the result of what happens when it’s used when the dragon woke up.”,” Haireth said, taking a sip from a mug filled with Dark Ale.

“We need yer prince to interfere, most likely. Ye really are far too impulsive lass. Running head on into yer problems all the time. Like throwing a brick at a wall, hoping it’d break down,” he said, staring at her.

<Jennifer was stupid, Xar agrees> Xar spoke up, using a mix of telepathy and mind magic to speak to both of them. Something he’d picked up on just now, allowing him to talk as if he was speaking with a mouth.

“Can ye sense the Demon now? With yer spider friend’s mark?” her master asked and Jennifer turned towards Xar, who gave her a shrug. Jennifer paused, surprised at how he’d mentally communicate such a physical gesture, before she shook her head.

“We can check, yes. But for that, I’ll need to be close to the demon, which is fairly problematic. I suspect the demon may remember some things as well. Alongside who I am. My mark wasn’t able to remove Rumina’s form that it’d taken, and it was capable of using Soul Magic.”

Her master hummed for a moment, thinking. “Well, if the monster knows, then we need to get yer fixed up quick. And… Sera damn me, I can’t believe I’m saying this lass. I’ll see how to make a safer way to reset for ye.” Her master said, breathing out, and Jennifer nodded.

“Show me [Eternity] lass, lemme see how it’s holding up.”

Jennifer called her blade from, summoning [Eternity]. A pang of pain ran through her soul as the hilt of the blade manifested above her hand. The blade was cracked, broken right through the middle with the upper half of it missing. She could see the magic swirling through the blood glass in the blade.

“Healing. Good. It’s my best blade lass, ye better take care of it,” Haireth said, pride filling his voice.

“How long do you think it’ll take to be back?” Jennifer asked, curious. A part of her felt like it was missing, when [Eternity] wasn’t around.

“Can’t say lass. Yer skill isn’t normal to say the least. People don’t normally pour their souls into things.” Haireth said, snorting. “Ye know anything about Artifact skills? Or colored skills?” he asked, and Jennifer paused, shaking her head.

“Very well. Never thought I’d see ye get not one but two of them. And a title to boot. Yer an insane girl. Anyways. Skills that the system provides, ye don’t see any colors when the voice tells ye about the skill normally do ye?” Hareith asked, and Jennifer shook her head once more.

“Ye, that’s cuz they signify something. Yer prince’s skill. [Sanctuary of Fate], it’s a skill that burns with a golden fire, isn't it? That’s a lineage skill there. The secret behind the royalty, and the strength of Royal classes. These skills are exclusive to Royals, [Lords] and [Nobles] have weaker versions of these. But gold signifies a [King], it carries the weight of a kingdom behind it. Some of the world’s most powerful skills are Lineage skills. Only the rightful heir can use them. A skill not formed by a person, but a kingdom. Elphion damn me, yer prince can probably see the future with how wide his skill runs. The fate of kingdoms… it touches the realms of gods,” Haireth said, swearing something in dwarven as he took another gulp of his drink, before roughly putting it back on the table.

“Irwys’s boon, back when the first invasion happened had also mentioned Anvyrin,” Jennifer replied and got a nod from her master.

“Aye lass, Anvyrin’s involved with that boy. The goddess of Fates, she and both her sisters are probably keeping an eye on ye lass. I’d need to meet yer prince to be able to say more. Anyways, Artifact skills are rare. But when an artifact is in-tune with its user, it can develop a skill sometimes. It’s rare but it can happen. The blue color though… let me tell you a story first.” her master took a deep breath in, and Jennifer sat straighter. She could feel Xar’s excitement as well.

“In the murk, we’ve got [Murk Crafters], another name for [Geomancers] but they form Earth Golems to fight monster tides from the deep murk. One such [Murk Crafter] that was later shunned was [Archmage] Orceiol.” Haireth said, taking another sip. Jennifer could sense the drink slowly but surely start to have an effect on her master. She wondered just how strong the alcohol was.

“He was a genius. But he wasn’t born to the true stones, and so he’d been pushed down by the Old timers. They wanted to preserve their magic within their blood. They still do. So Orceiol went and learned magic from the humans and he was better. Better than anything, the old dwarves could throw at him. He was shunned eventually, but before he left, Orceiol had created something that lives even now, down beneath in the Murk. Guarding the deep downs.”

“He’d touched on the magic to form a Sentient Golem, and created the first levelling artifact and golem. [Sentia]”

Jennifer let out a breath, feeling her hair rise as something within her pulsed from the word. She could feel [Eternity] pulling towards the name.

“Kinda like Xar over there. Monsters shouldn’t be levelling either, but there he is, sitting on yer shoulder as if it ain’t just breaking what we know about the world itself,” Her master said, and she felt a strange pride well up in Xar.

<Xar is just that good! The greatest spider around!>

“Might not even be a false claim, with how strong ye are, for yer tiny size. Wouldn’t even see ya, before ye can just twist someone’s head in a snap.” Her master said.

<Grow/Evolve strong!>

“Aye, anyways. Sentia still lives in the old down under, centuries later. One of the highest levelled creatures in the entire world, surpassing even her creator. It was then that [Sentia] was created that Orceiol shared something with the dwarves. Something we’d not been aware of. Her name  shone blue. It was a Unique skill.” Haireth said, and Jennifer felt a strange sense of awe building up in her.

Her master stared at her, and she felt his aura flare for a moment. “Yer skill lass, is the first one in the world. It’s yours and only yours. Few ever see a colored skill, much less a unique skill. It signifies a new path unknown to the system itself.” Haireth breathed out and Jennifer gulped.

“[A Moment of Eternity]” she said out loud, and felt something in her soul stir. It was dormant right now, recovering like [Eternity], but she could feel herself reflected in the skill.

“As for yer other skill… I’ll be honest. I’ve never even heard of a green skill. I’ve heard of dark magic skills being bloor red, and Sera’s boon shines with her light, but never a green skill. It may be related to the Calamities. Or the Death of Dragons, Meiphor.” Haireth said, and Jennifer nodded.

“I’ll have to look more into that. And how to prevent the blood ritual. Nathaniel will probably help, but, it’d be ideal if we could find the demon mark in the guild, and involve the guild itself,” Jennifer said.

“Don’t play with fire lass. Stick to the allies ye know ye can trust. I don’t want you around the guild. Ye know the demon can do lasting damage, and ye don’t even have yer blade. Don’t be foolish, no. We need to train ye first, and find a way to fix yer soul. Focus on that, and filling in yer allies. They’ll handle part of the word for ye,” her master said and she sensed Xar’s agree.

Jennifer sighed, conceding the point to her master. She was impulsive, there was no point in denying that.

“Anyways, lass, while we were talking, I had a thing brewing up,”  her master said and Jennifer looked up curiously, surprised he’d been doing that all this time without her noticing.

“Hold out yer hand,” her master said and she did. She saw a bracelet form on her hand, a familiar bracelet. Her master set it at her hand, as it shrinked, fitting snugly at her wrist.

“I set the Tier to Five, and improved the Appraisal spell, so it won’t be blowing up like before. Also added a [Danger Sense] skill to the bracelet, and a [Force Ward], though the ward will need to be recharged. Now go on, run the appraisal skill,” Her master said, and Jennifer stared at the bracelet, before she took a breath in and sent a pulse of mana, activating the Appraisal ring.

The bracelet began to glow, and a system prompt appeared in front of her eyes.

Mark of Time and Psyche

Bonds: Fate

Tier: Undefined

Chronomancy/Mind Magic/Arcane

A fused mark of Psyche and Time, combining two souls into one. Made by ______ for the Old Order of Truth.

It holds two of the twelve keys needed to restore the Library of Truth.

A mark given to the chosen of time, it contains the soul of Alphion. To select the candidate for the role of the Seeker. The Guardian of the _______

A voice rang in Jennifer’s head, as something whispered from within her Mark, reaching out and another system prompt opened in front of her and she heard a voice call out from her Mark.

The End of an Endless cycle. Not even Time can delay it.
Beware your destiny my Chosen.

The Trial awaits.

Announcement — New Story

So, I have a few announcements to make. I have a second story now. Posted from an alt (because it was mostly a joke/side fun story) but it's just now reached 5,000 followers on Royal Road. So yeah. It's pretty big.

It's called The 3rd Law of cultivation: Qi=MC^2. Some of you already know about it, and that the story is mine.

Anyways, so, after much much thought, and deliberation, I've decided to stick to a two chapter per week posting schedule for Truth Seeker. Same will be happening for QiMC2, with which, I'll be trying to build a backlog, because I have none there.

I'm not sure how sustainable it is, as the new story is like an unwanted, unexpected child, screaming for attention. Really should've thought twice before doing the deed.

But the deed is done, and the story is out. I've thought multiple times about stopping that story, but that'd be unfair on a lot of people. And I know I can keep writing it. So, I'll keep trying for now.

If anyone would like to have a look at the story, feel free to. I'll be announcing this on Royal Road on both stories as well really soon.

Thanks as always for being amazing readers, I should have a new chapter out by Thursday.

51 — New Beginnings

Book 2 has started!!! I just wrote this chapter today, and I only have the half dead corpse of an outline so some edits may be happening, but I'm HYPE! Fun stuff to come in the future, lots of new abilities, and training thingies and uhh. I'll just let you read. (Also, as in true procrastination fashion, I haven't gotten to edit this chapter. Typo spotting is appreciated!)

❖❖❖

The clanks of spoons and forks cutting through food filled the otherwise quiet room. Jennifer stared at her family, as they celebrated her entrance into the academy. For the fifth time. Perhaps the sixth. She didn’t remember.

A feast lay in front of her, food she loved. And her family sat around her, celebrating the success of their daughter. Unaware of everything that had occurred.

Jennifer shook her head, trying to pull her mind off the future. She’d seen the invasion. Twice now. The end that awaited her if she sat around doing nothing and let fate take its course.

“Why’re you frowning dear? Don’t like the food?” her mother asked as her jovial expression started to turn into a frown.

“No, the food’s good. I’m just a bit tired,” Jennifer replied, lifting a forkful of diced yeshek to her mouth and attempting to force a smile.

“Nervous about your entrance? Your dad won’t say it but he’s been extremely nervous too, maybe even more so than you. See? He even has his book out during dinner. You think he hasn’t read that a hundred times by now?” Her mother said, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Not a hundred yet,” her father replied. But Jenn could see the quiet smile, despite how he tried to put on his stoic face.

“Hey hey, Jenn! Can you show me some magic?” Keith asked excitedly, the savoury gravy from the yeshek covering his face in a mess. Jennifer smiled quietly as she extended her hand, and called for her magic. Her soul ached, but the pain was subdued, as if covered beneath a thick blanket. A small shard of glass formed over her hand as she worked past the pain. She let it float and shatter into sprinkling dust that swirled in a beautiful pattern.

Jennifer smiled. She had to admit, no matter how many times she repeated it, this never got old. She felt a bit of her anxiety fade. Only a bit. The rest lurked deep in her soul, as much a part of her as the cracks rippling through her power. Steel-bright determination to face the future and find some way to make real change.

Not to mention, she had Xar now too-

The thought had Jennifer freeze. Xar? Where was he? Jennifer tried to sense for him, but found the link empty. A dark presence crept in through their bond, gushing forth.

She stood up, slamming her chair rocking when she felt an arm pat her shoulder, setting her down in her chair.

“What’s wrong Jennifer?” Rumina asked, smiling gently. “Why do you look so pale?”

“I-I was, I can’t find… him. Xar. I can’t find Xar,” Jennifer whispered, feeling unease building in her mind. Her gaze shifted in front of her, and she found her parents gone, an empty room awaiting her.

“There’s no Xar, Jennifer. Stop daydreaming. I’m the only one here,” Rumina whispered in her ear as a spell manifested beneath her feet.

Her soul began to pull on itself, the crack spreading unspeakable agony through her being as Jennifer collapsed once again.

Clawed hands clutched her throat. Rumina’s face stared into her eyes, starting to shift. The cold green eyes of the [Sand mage] stared at her, as sand began to leech her dry. A merciless death all that awaited her within them.

“Why… How… did you... “Jennifer groaned, unable to speak as her throat was crushed underneath the pulsating arm.

The world erupted in white fire as a dragon replaced the mage. She heard her father scream, his voice soon overpowered by the sound of slicing flesh. Jennifer squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could block the world out. She heard her mothers scream next, her voice broken and hollow before it too was silenced abruptly.

Tears poured down her eyes as the monster’s face blurred, the agony in her soul the only thing she felt anymore.

“You are alone Jennifer,” The monster growled in its distorted voice, clutching harder at her throat. “All alone, and slowly dying. There’s no one here but you and me. Stop lying to yourself and Wake up.”

The word turned white, as fire consumed her whole.

❖❖❖

<Dream/Nightmare. Wake up>

Jennifer gasped as she felt hairy legs crawl across her face. She jerked, abruptly sitting in her bed as Xar spoke in her mind. Her heart thundered wildly and she could feel the cold sticky sweat clinging to her back.

A Nightmare. It was just a bad dream.

<Gone. Awake now. Good morning> Xar sent, climbing onto her arm and up to her shoulder.

Jennifer took a few moments to calm down as she ran her hand through her hair, trying to remember what had happened. She found her memories a jumble, and she struggled to differentiate her dream from the actual events. She wasn't sure which ones were worse.

She felt Xar’s mark pulse as their Marks worked as one. Her memories began to sort themselves as she finally remembered the events of the prior night.

The dinner had been real. I had the dinner with mom and dad as usual and then I went to get Xar from the dungeon. Rumina was home too and I couldn’t sense any demon activities or magic spells being activated.

<Tired/Sleep after coming back to Jennifer’s Home. Xar was worried Jennifer was sick>

Xar added and she smiled apologetically. She had been pretty exhausted after everything, crashing as soon as she’d snuck back into her room. Which was a lot easier when she could use some Telekinesis.

Jennifer brushed her messy hair to the side, tugging at her shirt. Her clothes were drenched from sweat, and she’d need to change out of them before heading out. She grabbed her hair, freeing it from the clinging sweat at her neck as she tried to get it sorted.

“Ouch,” Jennifer exclaimed as a couple strands broke off. She frowned as she looked at her hand, finding several strands of dark brown hair in her hand.

That's not… This is… my hair?

She brushed her hair to the front, finding her light brown hair had taken on a darker shade. Jennifer stared at the bundle of hair peeking from over her shoulder, wondering when the change had happened and how she’d managed to miss something so pronounced.

<Xar’s fur changed too!> Xar exclaimed, jumping onto her hand. She saw his white fur, and found the black mark on his back had changed shape. Three curving crescents ran out from a central diamond with little lines cutting into the shape, connecting them together.

Which drew her attention to her own arm, finding her own Mark’s shape changed as well. Jagged lines ran through her mark, as her crescents had shifted, the one holding Xar’s bond now spread across her mark evenly.

Jennifer got off her bed, walking towards the mirror. She stared at herself, ignoring her disheveled and tired state. Her eyes shone with a semi-translucent sheen, and she saw little streaks of black running through her now darker hair.

“Why… did my hair change color?” Jennifer muttered out loud, staring at her image. She felt Xar’s confusion at her question through their link.

<Mark bond merge? Change in Soul-Essence-Being?> Xar sent.

Jennifer continued to stare. If there was a better explanation, then she couldn't think of one. “How am I gonna explain this to mom… or dad…” Jennifer muttered, frowning as she continued to play with her hair.

I’ll sort the mess out first. And come up with an explanation later.

Absent-mindedly she reached for her brush as it floated towards her. Jennifer started to brush her hair into a more orderly state, pausing mid-stroke when she realised what she’d just done.

<Shared powers. You can do what Xar does now too!> Xar exclaimed, clicking his jaws excitedly. Jennifer stared at the brush in her hand for a moment.

Then her eyes lifted as she cast them about the room. She focused on the schedule on the edge of her desk, the one telling her what to expect at the academy. There was a new, strange sense to it. To everything she looked at. If she wanted, she could pull and push on any of them. As if an invisible and far reaching limb extended from her in all directions all at once.

Even...

“I’m not as strong as you,” Jennifer muttered, as her attempt to grab Xar with her telekinesis was easily deflected.

<And Xar cannot go back in time> Xar sent back in reply.

“We don’t know that yet,” Jennifer said before she understood the implications and paused. “We won’t be testing that either.”

Xar sent an acknowledgement to her, before his thought process shifted. <New skills, strengths, powers for Jenn. For Xar too. Xar kept the not voice this time> Xar replied.

“You kept your… levels?” she muttered.

<Let me show you! Xar is more magnificent than ever!> Jenn barely had time to nod as the skills floated to her one after the other, alongside the description of his class.

A level 5 [Telepath]. Not a surprise, although I’d expected the description to be mind mage. I wonder if there’s a difference between the two. Three skills [Mind Perception], [Natural Telepathy] and…

“[Witness of the End]” Jennifer muttered the skill out loud, its color a dark green. She shared the skill with Xar. And the title. The first she’d ever seen.

Jennifer tried to reach out for her own skill, yet found it dormant. The skill didn’t react in any way, refusing to respond to her thoughts whatsoever.

“Strange… a green skill. A title nonetheless. And one that Xar got too,” Jennifer muttered out loud. She felt for her other skill, one that burned with a blue color.

“[A Moment of Eternity]” Jennifer said out loud, feeling the gap in her soul where [Eternity] continued to rebuild itself.

The skill felt different. It felt like her. It felt as if a part of her had been poured into the world, to form the skill. She could feel the strength in this skill, the ability to stop all around her, to stop time itself, and to build an eternal moment. It was a powerful skill. More powerful than any she’d seen before. Yet as all power, it too came with a cost.

Jennifer felt a quiet ache in her soul. It wasn't a skill she could use lightly. She wasn’t sure if [Eternity] would survive the brunt of the skill either. Or how often she was going to bring her blade back.

<Power/Growth. Jennifer has grown. Soul damaged. But will heal. With time and help,> Xar sent, his words reassuring her.

A knock at her door interrupted her response. “Jenn, are you awake?” her mother’s voice came from outside the door.

She broke out of her thoughts, realising her hair had changed colors and she had no feasible explanation to give to her mother. In a panic, she reached out to her mind, creating her voice from down stairs with her telepathy.

“Mom, I'm down here!” her voice came from downstairs and she sensed her mom hesitate for a few moments before she turned and began to walk downstairs.

Jennifer puller her clothes out using telekinesis, a part of her joyfully enjoying her new abilities while the other panicked. She changed out of her clothes, straightening her hair while, without having to prompt Xar, he opened the window.

Smiling, Jennifer climbed onto her window before jumping out. Xar slowed her descent as she cast agile wind, cutting down on her fall as she landed in a flashy show of swirling debris before shooting off. Her magic moved with a dull ache in her core, yet one that she could easily ignore.

<Where is Jennifer going?> Xar asked, grabbing tightly onto her shoulder.

Jennifer smiled as she raced through the city. <I need to get my hair fixed. Reach out to Laiken and Nathaniel now that I, sorry, we can detect the Demon Mark. But before all of that, I plan to introduce you to my master.>

She sensed a wary hesitation from Xar as Jennifer sent him every memory she had of her master. Xar chose to focus on the times he was being strict on her, with increasing alarm and she laughed silently as she raced through the city.

It was time to call on her allies.

Truth Seeker Book 1 is complete!

I've just finished writing Truth Seeker Book 1, and I'm very exhausted. Wait, that's a weird start. Cough. Anyways.

I'd like to thank everyone who's supported me in writing this book. It has been a journey. I feel like I've grown a lot as an author and well, like I said, I'm tired, the whole speech thing is not working out too well.

I'll cut things short. Thank you, to all you amazing people, for supporting me and reading my story. It keeps me going.

And now, as Book 1 concludes (with a hopefully decent ending) I'm going to be taking 2 weeks off. I'm kinda sorta maybe burnt out, and in desperate need of a break because I'm falling apart somewhat.

Not good stuff, but life goes on. I'll be back around 17th October, with the start of Book 2, which I'm pretty darn excited about. Fun things are starting to happen, as originally Book 2 and Book 1 were one single book, so tensions were going to rise up in this part, and now it's an entire book. Which I'm sure won't be causing me problems. Nope.

So yeah, I'll be editing Book 1 (The start needs help, like, seriously, it needs help) and outlining Book 2, but most of all, just taking some time off, catching up on life, college, my art commissions, and all of that.

Once again a massive thank you to everyone here. Have cookies to show I mean it 🍪

I'll see you in two weeks.