M.S. Davidson

65. Do You Know Who I Am?

AUTHORS NOTE: This chapter was voted on in the original release.

Some officials ushered us into a room that belonged in a palace, not a tournament waiting area. At least a hundred people clustered in expensive-looking groups, chatting on luxurious sofas or standing near run...

64. The Bridge

"Onytax!" Malcolm shouted just before three monsters charged.

Cass wasted no time. She exploded forward to meet the creatures head-on while Malcolm and I bolted after her as fast as our legs could carry us.

Too fast. Cass was way too fast.

She met the lead Onytax with a...

63. Make Some Magic Happen

It wasn't just Gary in the room. Chas sat casually on a couch against the far wall, taking a deep puff from a comically oversized pipe. He glanced up and met our eyes with his usual infuriating grin—like he hadn't completely abandoned us earlier.

"Gary!" I said, deliberately ignoring Chas...

62. Playing Both Sides

"Theadora."

Lana stood in the doorway like a predator sizing up prey, goggles firmly over her eyes. Several Gaian officials flanked her, their robes marking them as staff—or executioners.

"Lanavelle." Thea rose from her chair, Darla snorting beside her. "Thing wasn't supposed to sta...

61. One of Those Days

While the lobby of Sylvarus had been insane, the room we were staying in was downright criminal. It felt like the fantasy equivalent of a presidential suite—the kind of place where world leaders signed treaties or billionaires laundered money. Two plush couches faced each other in parlor-style ...

60. The Godsdammed Problem

Henrik woke up not long after Cass had scooped him off the floor, blinking like he'd been hit by a truck. All of us loomed over him—a wall of concerned faces that probably looked terrifying from his angle.

"Ow," he said simply, pushing himself upright.

"The fuck are you doing here, ...

59. This Sounds Political

Darla, it turned out, was a pig. And honestly, I wasn't sure what else I'd expected—it tracked perfectly with everything else about this place.

She was pink with delicate floral tattoos scattered across her skin, wearing a gold necklace adorned with matching flowers and an actual pair of ...

58. Sylvarus

It was a collaborative effort, but by the time we finished, everyone was sitting around with steaming cups of coffee. People used whatever they had on hand—mugs, flasks, even metal canteens—but nearly everyone had a cup and was chatting in good spirits.

Even Red was lying under our tabl...

EXTRA: Foundations of Academic Brutality

AUTHORS NOTE: This has been unlocked on Royal Road in a few weeks, so it is posting as part of the regular posts.

The Uncatalogued Stacks of Sylvarus Academy's library carried that particular stillness found only in forgotten corners of the world. Here, the air hung thick w...

57. Just a Dog

The rest of the morning was pure chaos. The first wave of boats heading for Sylvarus was leaving at noon, and half the city seemed determined to be on them.

Elena pulled me aside with a serious expression, which meant bad news. She wouldn't be able to watch the tournament—she and the Hunt...

56. Dainty Hands

The next two tests—Perception and Grace—were a total buzzkill.

Perception trapped me in a pitch-black tent that felt like sensory deprivation hell. Dense rings of lantern orbs surrounded me, and when one flashed red, I had maybe a heartbeat to touch it. Points for speed. Points for accu...

55. Registration

I woke up in my bed, in my house—on another world.

For the first time in a while, everything felt surreal as I stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Red had sprawled across the other side of the admittedly massive bed, completely uninterested in consciousness and making little dog-dream noi...

Interlude 2 - Marco

Marco Graves prided himself on making the right decisions when faced with uncertainty. When Archon Aldertree vanished into the Empire, he did what any self-respecting man would do.

He seized power.

But when she returned—dragging a dangerous Terran along for the ride—everything sna...

54. Housewarming Gifts

Two days blurred together like a fever dream of progress and pain.

Mornings belonged to Jeremy, who'd transformed into a completely different person after our courtyard match. Gone was the hesitant instructor—replaced by someone who pushed me to my absolute limits. He had me practicing sh...

53. Hit em With That End

Valor burned inside me like liquid fire as I stepped into the circle with the golem. I narrowed my aura, focusing solely on the stone construct until everything else faded away. I'd never properly tested this level of focus with my Seal before—the difference was immediate and intoxicating.

52. Something More Deliberate

The armor was impossibly light—nothing like the suffocating black leather I'd been trapped in. This was liquid silk with steel bones, flexing with every breath while mana trickled back into my reserves. Not the flood I would feel after removing the armor, but with the Emberseed around my neck, ...

51. Proper Mentoring

Diana led me through winding streets I'd never seen before, well away from the familiar parts of La-Roc I'd been exploring all week. The building she stopped at looked like nothing special from the outside—weathered stone, modest windows, a place you'd walk past without a second glance.

"...

50. The Morning After

I jolted awake on the floor of Doreen's, hazy memories of last night's celebration already dissolving like smoke. Morning light stabbed through the window like an accusation, and my mouth tasted like I'd been gargling with boot leather.

The curtain draped over me as a makeshift blanket reek...

49. Stronger Together

I felt the stone steps as I sat overlooking the chaos below—sticky residue from the morning's adventure still clinging to my clothes despite my best efforts. The citadel loomed behind me as the clouds cast a shadow over the Courtyard, but the real show was down at the harbor, where Maris's behe...

48. Have you Met Ted?

My eyes shot open as I jolted upright in the tub, heart hammering against my ribs like a caged animal. Arryava stood silhouetted against the balcony, her eyes wide with shock. The air rippled around me like heat waves, though I felt no warmth—just raw, overwhelming power.

For the first ti...

47. The First Step

White light exploded behind my eyes, then faded into the familiar stone and sky of my soul's courtyard. But something was wrong—or maybe finally right. The flagstones beneath my feet felt solid as bedrock. I couldn't sense my physical body at all, like the connection had been severed completely...

46. Proving a Point

Red's snoring shattered the silence like a chainsaw through silk. I jerked awake, heart hammering, then glared at the furry culprit sprawled across half my bed. His paws twitched as he chased dream rabbits, completely oblivious to my suffering.

Of course.

A soft knock froze u...

45. Returning the Favor

My mana moved like it was thinking ahead of me. Like a reflex requiring only a whisper of intention. With a twitch of my fingers, the energy was already there, coiled and ready to strike.

Sitting in meditation, I could feel the changes from the tea settling into permanence. My pathways look...

44. A Calculation of Hammers

The golem lumbered forward like a drunk bulldozer, each grinding step echoing through the chamber with the enthusiasm of wet concrete. My heart hammered against my ribs as it gripped its hammer in both hands, raising it for what had to be the most telegraphed horizontal swing I had ever seen.

43. First in Line

Stepping through the portal felt like being electrocuted by a curious cat.

Static electricity swarmed across my skin—tiny, vindictive needles that found every gap in my armor and threw a party there. My face burned like I'd stuck it in an impression board, uncomfortable but not quite cros...

42. Breaking Some Rules

Chas strode ahead of me through the tower's endless hallways, pausing at each intersection to squint at wall markers like they were ancient hieroglyphics. Identical corridors stretched in every direction, and I'd lost sight of the atrium approximately three geological ages ago.

"Are you sur...

Acolytes and Aspirants! Timelines and Other General Chaos Within

Fuck me, we’re about to start daily chapters for book 1, so time for some perks!

So, let's talk beta reading, because apparently, I'm about to become one of those authors who asks people to read unfinished drafts and then nervously hovers over their shoulder asking, "do y...

41. What's Next?

Chas shook out his hand like he'd just punched a brick wall, but his stance didn't shift an inch. "Damn, she's got a lot more mana than I expected," he muttered, then turned to me with that trademark grin. "Hey, kid! I hear you've had a busy week. Oh, hold on—"

The courtyard wall exploded...

State of the Realms: August 2025

Holy crap, it's been a wild month.

I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to even start this update because honestly August has felt like someone compressed an entire year's worth of chaos into thirty days and then hit the fast-forward button. If you'd told me at the beginning of the mon...

40. The Queen of Pirates

The warm glow of a desk lamp carved battle-lines through the chaos—empty beer cans and crumpled chip bags scattered like casualties around the worn D&D grid map. I leaned back in my chair, smugness radiating from every pore as I tapped the laminated character sheet.

"Paladin." The wor...