The city passed by in a wash of color and spelllight, but I barely registered its movement. I sat alone in the back of my private carriage, my gaze fixed on the flickering feed of my communicator. I wasn’t nervous; I was simply… anticipating the encounter.
The dev...
2025-07-26 14:01:44 +0000 UTC View Posthttps://www.royalroad.com/fiction/126149/threads-of-fire-and-starlight-rewritten
2025-07-24 23:57:10 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel
The moment Master Lan Huai’s voice faded, Daniel hit pause.
The soulglass interface dimmed to amber and there was a long silence that filled the lab.
“That guy is… freaking awesome,” Daniel said.
Ethan’s voice stirred inside his mind, dry as dust. 2025-07-23 04:42:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Master Lan Huai
It seemed like the lecture chamber hadn’t been used in years. Honestly, he hadn't lectured for years and wouldn't be back here if General Li had not specifically asked him.
The room had high windows and let in only slanted morning light. The du...
2025-07-22 04:31:41 +0000 UTC View PostThey lost their parents. Now he’s raising two siblings, hiding his power, and doing everything he can to stay off the radar.
Zane Myles was never supposed to matter. Crestless. Unbound. Just another nameless face in the lower districts of New Liora—until a Rift opened i...
2025-07-21 13:58:19 +0000 UTC View PostThis is where I am going to post to Royal Road once this books first round of edits are done
Aurelia
I closed the classroom door behind me, my posture calm and my expression carefully neutral. On the surface, nothing seemed amiss, despite the way my classmates subtly avoided my gaze...
2025-07-20 19:41:24 +0000 UTC View PostZane.
It had been several days since the semester began, several days deep into the rhythm of academy life, and this persistent scrutiny certainly was not what I had intended for my time here. So much for keeping a low profile.
Only three days and I am already stepping in to tea...
2025-07-20 15:31:46 +0000 UTC View PostA Quick Favor, Friends
Hey everyone, if you’ve been enjoying Foundation of Smoke and Steel on Royal Road, I’d be incredibly grateful if you could take a moment to leave a review:
Ethan Zhou The space was not his. It had once been something closer to a personal sanctum—disciplined, sealed, spiritual in form. A place f
Ethan Zhou
The space was not his.
It had once been something closer to a personal sanctum—disciplined, sealed, spiritual in form...
2025-07-19 04:57:30 +0000 UTC View PostAurelia
I stood motionless as the crowd thinned, enchanted sunlight catching in the silver strands of my hair. Voices buzzed nearby, reverent, stunned, giddy, but none of it touched me.
My gaze was locked on the space where he’d stood.
The way he moved. That particular stance....
2025-07-18 20:23:48 +0000 UTC View PostAurelia
I was trying to ignore Swordwannabe. I was successufl for the most part during the first few days of classes. I wasn’t trying to be cruel or anything. Its just that I’m damn near a princess—I couldn’t come across as too eager. That wouldn’t be very noble-like.
But I ...
2025-07-18 20:22:28 +0000 UTC View PostZane
My friends and I slowly made our way through the line of the Arcane Emporium. There was a palpable ruckus, a clamor of excitement as people received unique class designations and potential build paths for their future. It was all smoke and mirrors, though; while almost anyone could le...
2025-07-18 20:11:00 +0000 UTC View PostZane
I looked down at my message crystal.
Princess Flyer.
I wondered if she was going to argue with the decision to keep things separate. She definitely struck me as the type.
I didn’t know her personally, but she was obviously from one of the noble houses...
2025-07-18 02:25:59 +0000 UTC View PostAurelia Vael Taranis
I set the Message Interface (MIF) down harder than I meant to. What a jerk!
The MIF pulsed once—dim and innocent on the lacquered edge of the floating study desk—before going quiet. I was in one of the upper-class lounges. It was actually my private l...
2025-07-17 15:39:02 +0000 UTC View PostZane
“I am a normal college student. Normal college student. I am not going to stand out. I am not going to stand out.”
My thoughts hiccuped as I walked through the grounds of the Academy. What a manifgnact place. And this was just the landing area, where kids got droppe...
2025-07-17 15:37:10 +0000 UTC View PostZane
The morning sun cast a pale glow over the worn rooftops of the Lower Verge, where the city's hum was a constant backdrop to daily life. I stepped out of our modest apartment, the door creaking softly behind me. The scent of brewed herbs and toasted bread wafted from the neighboring win...
2025-07-17 14:22:53 +0000 UTC View Post"Zane Myles," I muttered, the words barely audible over the frantic drumbeat of my heart. I wasn't entirely sure what I was thinking when I told Lila and Jordan to run. It wasn't like we really had anywhere to go, and it wasn't like I could face an adventurer of Anya Kael's cal...
2025-07-17 14:20:56 +0000 UTC View PostAs you’ve probably noticed, I’m currently neck-deep in the full-scale rewrite of Threads of Fire and Starlight. I even took the entire week off to focus solely on this project. For those of you who’ve been with the series since the beginning… you know it’s grown a lot. And let...
2025-07-15 22:48:34 +0000 UTC View PostHe pointed a knife at me, his mana flaring with raw, untamed emotion. "You conniving little bastard!" Anya Kael snarled, his face a mask of pure rage. The blade glinted, aimed straight for my chest, promising a quick, ugly death. I felt Lila and Jordan behind me, small, terrifi...
2025-07-15 22:02:21 +0000 UTC View PostThe July 4th promtion was so great I wanted to do it again with some modificaitons.
As a special thank-you—and to help you explore more of my work—I’m offering a limited-time bundle featuring the first book in every series I’ve written.
This one
Bonus chapters coming; thank you everyone.
2025-07-10 18:55:48 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel
Daniel shut the lab door and turned the latch with a solid click. He set the simple seal on the space he’d poured himself.
No one else entered here. Not General Li. Not the aides who brought food and stopped asking questions. Not even the scribes who u...
2025-07-10 18:14:56 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel By the time Daniel made it back to the Li estate, the sun was already up, and he felt like he’d been hit by a truck. Scratch that—he
Daniel
By the time Daniel made it back to the Li estate, the sun was already up, and he felt like he’d been hit by a truck...
2025-07-10 18:03:31 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel So Daniel couldn’t exactly say that his first Gala was a success. “Maybe you shouldn’t be so coy next time.” Ethan offered the amusem
Daniel
So Daniel couldn’t exactly say that his first Gala was a success.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be so coy...
2025-07-10 17:34:15 +0000 UTC View PostSophie Sophie Virelyn yanked the veil from her head with enough force to tear the silk and probably chunks of her golden blonde hair. It bun
Sophie
Sophie Virelyn yanked the veil from her head with enough force to tear the silk and probably chunks of her golden blonde...
2025-07-10 15:47:22 +0000 UTC View PostAll right, friends—I think I need your help.
I didn’t realize people get so worked up about AI, and now I’m wondering if I should add an AI-assisted tag. A lot of you have noticed some of the stylistic quirks in Foundation of Smoke and Steel, and I figured I should give some context.<...
2025-07-10 14:51:42 +0000 UTC View PostVivian The recording stone lay warm in her palm, though she had not touched the activation glyph in several minutes. It was unnecessary. The
Vivian
The recording stone lay warm in her palm, though she had not touched the activation glyph in several minutes. It was unn...
2025-07-10 13:16:01 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel “Break her engagement?” Ethan said, bewildered. “Why would you want to break her engagement? It’s no secret that Dathan is a broken,
Daniel
“Break her engagement?” Ethan said, bewildered. “Why would you want to break h...
2025-07-10 12:26:59 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel There was a theory Daniel had once heard—half joke, half metaphysical assertion—that the universe didn't punish arrogance. It punishe
Daniel
There was a theory Daniel had once heard—half joke, half metaphysical assertion—that the universe didn't punish arrogance.
...
2025-07-10 11:50:19 +0000 UTC View Post