Nar stumbled out the hall following after the other apprentices.
Every inch of his body throbbed in tune with his exhausted heartbeat. Every step was an agony that laced up from the soles of his feet all the way to the back of his head.
After spending the entire afternoon running and ...
2024-12-27 11:30:02 +0000 UTC View PostNar was pushed and jostled around by the other confused apprentices as they were shouted into forming lines. Slowly and orderly, the apprentices in front of Nar retrieved something from a large box that had appeared by the door of the hall.
When it was finally Nar’s turn, he got handed fo...
2024-12-26 11:30:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe Blades Hall looked similar to the Aura Hall. It was smaller, and instead of green circles it had several shapes in various colors painted across its floors. Above their heads, in the center of the ceiling, shone a bright red depiction of a blade instead of a gray circle.
Nar found himse...
2024-12-25 11:31:01 +0000 UTC View PostNar jumped to his feet and looked around the dull, solid green wall of light around him in startled confusion.
Did I just…
“In your pod controls, look for the open/close door,” the master spoke again, with a hint of amusement. “It should be a simple affair.”
...
2024-12-25 11:30:00 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone,
I just wanted to wish a very Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and a joyful holiday season to everyone!
Thank you so much for your incredible support, feedback, comments, and advice—you are all absolutely amazing! Many edits have already been made to Book 1, a...
2024-12-24 15:06:25 +0000 UTC View PostNar tutted internally as he was separated from the others, and forced to look further and further back, until finally, he found an empty circle just two rows away from the back wall of the hall.
He took a seat within the circle, and looked over the rows of heads that spread from him, all th...
2024-12-24 11:30:03 +0000 UTC View Post“Keep going. Just sit down on the floor!”
“Wow…” Tuk breathed.
“Is this all of us?” Viy asked, taking in the sheer amount of apprentices gathered in the room already.
They had arrived at the location for their night and first proper aura class, and now found themse...
2024-12-23 11:31:01 +0000 UTC View Post“What was that?”
Nar startled in his bed and opened the curtains to look out. Across from him, Mul was looking at their room’s door through bleary eyes.
Before either of them could say anything, the sound of raised voices filtered through from beyond the closed door.
“Ma...
2024-12-23 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostOpening his notifications, he decided to leave the Tsurmirel: Probational Apprenticeship Contract for another time, though he should really take some time to read through it and make sure there weren’t any nasty surprises in it. For now, however, his eyes zeroed in on the notifica...
2024-12-22 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostIt was a much quieter crowd that gathered for the evening meal back at their canteen. Whether stunned, shocked by the consequence of the aura powering their classes, or in awe of the heights that they could potentially achieve, conversations were far more subdued.
“Oh! I remember you!” ...
2024-12-21 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostBy the time they reached their next destination, the same auditorium they had been in that morning for the Nexus 101 lecture, Cen was still bombarding Nar with questions.
She only stopped when, from above, they laid eyes on the austere looking woman that stood on the podium below. She had a...
2024-12-20 11:31:01 +0000 UTC View PostNar stared at the floor in a daze. At his side, Kur was similarly quiet.
The two of them were the last on the male side of the party to go through the quartermaster, who had set up a series of straight, soundproof, muted green barriers to divide a blank room of light gray floor and walls in...
2024-12-20 11:30:03 +0000 UTC View Post“Right. Who wants to go next?” Lut asked, drawing their attention back to the assessment.
There was a moment of hesitation, then Tuk stepped forward. “I-I will.”
Lut nodded. “Hands on the orb then.”
Tuk licked his lips and approached the machine with a shaky exhale. ...
2024-12-19 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostAfter lunch, which was another feast and celebration of the marvels of the outside world, and which saw them introduced to a dish called stew with mash, bread rolls, colorful things called fruits and many more glasses of water all around, the party now found themselves seated in a much smaller ro...
2024-12-18 11:31:01 +0000 UTC View Post“So, we were discussing the Infinite Nexus, which is, of course, the cube in the center of the image before you,” Professor Thim continued. “Now, when we say the Nexus is infinite, there is, in fact, an end to it. But you could walk in a straight line from one edge of one of its faces, and ...
2024-12-18 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe professor crosses his arms behind his back and regarded his rapt audience.
“In the Nexus, we count time in eras, years, months, weeks and days,” the Professor said. “An era consists of one hundred thousand years. A year consists of fourteen months, a month of five weeks, and each ...
2024-12-17 11:38:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe door of the lift slid closed, shutting out the sound of the nervous chatter that filled the corridor behind.
Within the lift, the eight of them squeezed together in a pensive silence. People, either crew members or faculty they didn’t know, had stormed into the canteen, ushering them ...
2024-12-16 11:31:01 +0000 UTC View PostA klaxon sounded and Nar bolted upwards.
His forehead exploded in pain as he hit the short ceiling above his head.
“Ah! Crystal dammit!” Kur cursed from below him, having clearly suffered the same fate.
Nar opened his curtains and found that the room was a lot brighter now.<...
2024-12-16 11:30:02 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone!
I hope everyone is having/had a great Sunday!
As I mentioned on my last post, we're going into a new release schedule starting today.
Releases will now go out as follows:
Mon, Wed and Friday -> 2 chapters
Tue, Thur, Sat and Sun -> 1 chapter
<... 2024-12-15 11:53:56 +0000 UTC View PostNar didn’t know how long he stayed there, looking out the window, but eventually he noticed the white arrows that he was following had, at some point, started flashing with urgency. Not knowing if he was about to be in trouble for not having arrived at his room yet, he reluctantly abandoned the...
2024-12-15 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe air was heavy with the clatter of metallic legs. And with the sounds of the dying.
“Help!”
“Please… No!”
The tide of spiders was unstoppable, mowing Climbers with impunity as it steadily advanced.
Around him, the faceless Climbers cried and panicked, trying t...
2024-12-14 11:31:00 +0000 UTC View PostThey distracted themselves by staring at the displays overhead. Tys called them screens.
“Bah! It’s just ads. Though I suppose for you guys they look entertaining,” she said, smiling. “Just wait till you get your hands on the good stuff. I won’t spoil you, though!”
Spo...
2024-12-14 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostTys rushed them down the stairs at a dizzying speed, much faster than Nar thought himself capable of going at, given his current state.
He wondered if she was using her [Presence] to make them move faster.
What is [Presence] anyway? Nar wondered.
How could an attribute ...
2024-12-13 11:31:01 +0000 UTC View PostThose still able bodied reacted in the same way as Nar.
Though no weapons appeared in their hands, Tun and Gad stepped forward to block the path of the massive, yellow man.
“What do you want here?” Hyz snarled at him. “Get out!”
Then she stumbled backwards.
Nar bli...
2024-12-13 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostThere were more people shouting for them to keep going, and soon enough, they reached the wall at the other end. Here, queues of Climbers were formed in front of another massive gate, as well as dozens of smaller doors around it.
“If you are critically injured, at death’s door, call her...
2024-12-12 11:31:01 +0000 UTC View PostPart 1 - Foundations
“Coming out of that gate… We weren’t ready for it. For none of it. And sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice. In not going…” - Anonymous security contractor, thranil, ex-Climber, heading home from work, aboard the AetherLines
Excerpt...
2024-12-12 11:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone,
The end of Book 1 is here!
Thank you everyone that has joined the Patreon and has read, or is reading, all the way towards the ending! I'm really grateful for your support, likes and comments! Seriously, thank you so much!
I figured that it wouldn't make sense to...
Somewhere very, very far away , in a very dark, dark place, a subroutine was triggered.
It received a report, analyzed it, and passed it along. Then, it deleted its memory of ever having seen or handled such information.
In a blindingly fast chain of triggers, routines and subroutines...
2024-12-11 11:37:22 +0000 UTC View PostEach step propelled Nar forward, and he quickly devoured the distance between him and Kur and Rel.
He passed by Gad, who carried Mul, and Cen.
Gad and Cen watched him go, their mouths dropped open.
Next, he passed by Tuk and Viy.
Tuk had his back turned to him and Viy in h...
2024-12-11 11:36:47 +0000 UTC View PostGad was jostled left and right.
It was a struggle to keep going, and she kept tripping on her own two damned feet.
Like the slow, clumsy shit that I am!
“Gad, are you okay? Maybe you should let me down!” Cen said.
“No! In this mess, they’re going to trampl...
2024-12-11 11:31:01 +0000 UTC View Post