Chapter Ninety-One: Named + End of Event

Hi everyone!

Our first event has officially come to an end! And while I will save the results for the end of this chapter for anyone who wants the dramatic reveal, I hope you all like the outcome! (You could obviously go check the poll on the previous post too, but that seems like less fun!)

I just want say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who participated. It was really fun to see the whole community come together to help choose Serena's new sentinel name! And while I wish I could pick every option, it ultimately has to come down to just one. However, if your option didn't win, don't you worry. We will have more similar events in the future that will give you more chances.

Welp, that's all I have for the event! I have one other thing to discuss, but I won't hold it against you if you want to move on to the chapter now. For everyone else, keep on reading.

Now, some of you may have noticed that some of the chapter lengths in the recent chapters have been a touch shorter than my usual. This one is included in that, with only 2.6k words instead of my normal 3+. I'm sorry to say that a lot of that has come about from a few health issues I've had recently.

Between getting sick again, trying to keep up with work, and having surgery on Tuesday. I've been having a bit of trouble keeping up in recent times. This brings me to what I wanted to talk about in this section.

I'm expecting things to get easier these next couple of months, but I have another surgery near the start of 2026 that I'm told will hit me hard. I should be fine, but I'll be down for the count for around a month. I'm really not sure how well I'll be able to write during that time, so I want to make sure to prepare something before hand.

Since you all are the ones I'll be preparing for, I wanted to get your opinions. Please let me know what you'd be most interested in!

1: I can just post extra chapters faster then the usual schedule here on Patreon. Royal Road would continue as scheduled, but there would be a Patreon drought during the month I'm in recovery. I don't particularly love this option, because it makes me feel like I'm leaving you all with nothing for a month while Royal Road is the one getting business as usual content.

2: I've started plotting out a small short story that would be Patreon exclusive. This story, tentatively called A Sky Full of Stars, would follow Audrey's beginnings as a sentinel — as told to Serena by Audrey herself. With this option, I would be releasing the start of this short story while I'm in recovery in place of normal content. I would then periodically release updates to this short story until completion next year. I don't mind this, as you are getting new and unique content while Royal Road will be the one stalling for a month. Ideally I'll be able to start writing the main story again fairly quickly, but at least you all will have something to read during that away time.

Anyway, those are just the things spinning around in my head right now. Just let me know what you think! Oh, and enjoy the chapter!

Love you guys!

— Alusion

Chapter Ninety-One: Named

“A local GDF Representative confirmed this morning that the strange mists now occupying Shinara’s streets were entirely caused by one sentinel. Indeed, it is the same sentinel whose naming ceremony will be televised this afternoon.”

“Despite the sudden nature of this development. Several residents we interviewed noted the mist as being much preferred to the usual smog, with one even stating that his lungs have never felt better.”

“Much is still unknown about the strange, healing properties of the glowing cloud, and the rays of light it seems to call down upon the city at random. However, as all its effects appear encouraging, we are tentatively positive about this development. Although you may want to look into purchasing some blackout blinds if you live on one of the lower floors.”

“For more news about what is being called the Dawn Cloud by GDF Representatives, please tune in later today, where we hope to get an interview with the sentinel in question. Now, for the developments on the Northern Front last night, GDF and Sentinel forces were pushed back to-”

As the screen swaps to showing images of streets that belong in a dystopian movie, I reach for the remote and click off the display. The ultra-wide TV darkens to a black mirror showing me in my pajamas with a steaming cup of coffee clutched in my hands. Somehow, I feel as if I seem even smaller than usual.

I take a sip of my coffee, using the sweetness of the overabundant creamer to chase away the lingering darkness in my mind. My hands loosen around the cup as I close my eyes and savor the liquid perfection within. Some mornings, coffee really does make life worth living. Even if the caffeine doesn’t really affect me much anymore — damn magical body.

“You know,” Akari says, flowing from one yoga pose to another on her mat beside the couch, “you really should be getting dressed.”

Adorably, Liora and Celeste follow Akari through her stretches, their little paws alternatively reaching for the sun and flowing to the sides at angles I really don’t think they should be able to manage. I suppose their bodies are more magical constructs than flesh and muscle, though.

I smile as I watch the scene, imagining Akari as some media influencer before things got really bad. I bet she can make a lot of money just from recording some of her morning stretches.

“Probably,” I agree, setting my cup aside and standing from the couch to stretch out my own back. “I’m still a bit wrung out from last night, though. That was a lot of magic to channel.”

Akari laughs, moving into an impossibly deep backbend. “You should have heard Nightsong. She was pissed. Although it was mostly about being forced to get out of bed to figure out what in the stars you were up to. Her friend Dancer seems nice, though.”

Sighing, I turn to make my way up to my room. “Well, I suppose I’d better actually start getting ready. I’m going to be on TV today after all.”

“Have fun,” my girlfriend says, briefly interrupting her yoga to return my coffee cup — forgotten on the side table — to my hands. Oops.

Smiling sheepishly, I stand on tiptoes to give her a quick thank-you kiss and head toward the stairs. I walk up a level, before heading past the various room entrances to mine — the master suite. The best efforts of a high-end interior decorator made my room as soft and cozy as possible, all with blue-themed décor. Everything is blue, white, and gold, made with designs meant to invoke swirling mist and open skies. Beyond sapphire curtains and floor-to-ceiling windows is a stunning view of Shinara and the sea beyond.

Every now and again, a brief beam of golden light will fall from the sky down to the mist flowing in and around the entire city. Dawn’s Second Light is doing the work of healing the people now that my mist is in place to support it.

For a moment, I simply stand before the window, looking down at my home. I feel a surreal sense of pride and protectiveness for the city spread out below me. A part of me still feels that I should be down there living amongst them. Walking the same streets and stepping over the same filth. Who am I to deserve all this, when they are down there struggling to survive in a world turned to hell?

And yet… I am not ashamed of my power. I worked hard to stand where I am today and suffered greatly. There is no illusion in my mind that another could have done the same in my place. I’ve benefited from a great many advantages, after all. Despite that… I like to think I’ve done alright.

A long time ago, I stood in a much smaller room looking out over a city choked with smog. That girl had a poster of Stardust Angel on her wall and a belief that her hero would somehow save the day. Now… now I need to stand beside her. I am no warrior to combat on the frontlines. But someone has to hold this place, these people, in their heart. Someone has to be the light that banishes the darkness from this city. Why shouldn’t it be me?

My soul pulses, and a new, yet familiar weight settles on my back. Dawnlight Manifestation, a new ability allowing me to mimic the sentinel power I’ve long envied most. I shift my new, golden wings, feeling the muscles flex and move within my construct of light. Wings, just like those of my hero turned mentor. Yet, unlike her, I intend to solve my problems with a healing hand rather than an arrow.

With a soft smile, I allow the wings to dissolve into light once more. I have no idea whether I will actually be able to fly with them, but it’s a cool idea. So long as it isn’t too big, I can theoretically craft nearly anything from my power. I’ll definitely need to meet with Audrey on all the potential use cases for that at some point.

For now, though… It’s time to get ready to receive my name.

***

I stand, clothed in an elegant sapphire dress that likely costs more than my old apartment. For this occasion, however, I can’t bring myself to care. For now, all I care about is how it sets off the blue and gold tinges in my hair, having bled through to appear even outside my assault state.

Things feeling surreal seems to be the order of the day, as the hub is more packed than I've ever seen it. We arrived late, as instructed, and it’s clear that today’s events will be something to remember. Reporters and camera crews crowd the large open space around the rapidly constructed stage, and brightly clothed sentinels and flashing familiars crowd in around them. Luckily, most of the reporters aren’t stupid enough to try and get early interviews with some of the sentinels… mostly. I do see more than one reporting running away with their tail between their legs after getting a bit too chummy with some of the GDF’s more reclusive members.

My team members crowd around me as we approach the gathering, Akari keeping an arm tightly around my waist.

Like me, my team dressed up for the occasion, with sharp suits for Akari, Baylee, and Haruto, and dresses for the rest of the women. Although the dress Claire wears gives me warrior princess vibes rather than an elegant ball gown with its armored pauldrons and steel-scaled skirt.

“What do you think it will be?” Claire asks, eyes wide with electric joy. She practically bounces around the group, her eyes flitting from the stage to me. “What if it’s something lame!? Like… Mist Lady!”

I roll my eyes, although a small smile creeps onto my face. “I’d take it if it gets me off of that stage as fast as possible,” I say, watching the figures standing above the rest. A good amount of the A Rank Council seems to be in attendance, and the power radiating off of them feels like a bomb in a constant state of going off.

The power in my soul threatens to rise up in challenge. But as spread thin as my point of power abilities are at the moment, I highly doubt I’d win a power contest against any one of them.

As we approach the stage, any thoughts of ever winning a power contest against these individuals vanish as a tall man with pale hair locks slate gray eyes directly on me, and silence falls over the hub as his power spikes.

I freeze, my heart rate kicking up as magic rises and sputters in my chest. Electric tingles race along my skin, and every hair on my body stands on end in the same moment. That man… that man can hardly be called a sentinel. The power within him… he’s more like a monster. So, this is Ashen Specter. The most powerful sentinel alive, bar none. Looking at him, I have no doubt that he could level all of Shinara with a wave of his hand. Is… is he even an A Rank? Or… something beyond…

As if the gaze of the Ashen Specter alone is a spoken command, all reporters, sentinels, and camera crews rush to clear a path between me and him. Even my teammates stand frozen, hands trembling. And yet, they stand around me, nonetheless.

Slowly, the pale man dips his head in my direction. Suddenly, it’s like I can breathe again, and I nearly fall to my knees. From the fear-stricken faces of those around me, I can see that he lifted his mountain of pressure from me and me alone.

Knowing what he wants me to do, I give Akari one final squeeze of reassurance and start to cross the space between me and the stage. As I walk, I allow my soul to pulse, shining power of the dawn rising up to join Ashen Specter’s. I feel in my heart of hearts that now is far from the time to show weakness. I don’t shove my power against his, but instead allow it to intertwine, sharing the space around the stage.

Ashen Specter’s power is like an unstoppable tide, the penultimate ultimate decree of death. Atop it, my power feels like… hope. The renewal of something broken, the dawn of a new day. Tiny and dwindling it might be when placed beside such an overwhelming force, but it’s mine and mine alone. I push outward, allowing everyone present to feel the power within my soul. Then, with a smile, I allow the golden wings I practiced earlier to form on my back and give them one powerful flap as I jump up onto the stage.

Only the subtle wind manipulation of one of the A Rankers on stage — I can’t tell which one — keeps my leap looking elegant and stops me from faceplanting. Note to self… flying is hard. Especially when you don’t have power built specifically for it.

Still, the effect is worth it, as Ashen Specter’s pale features quirk up into just a hint of a smile as I land beside him.

“Keep burning bright, little spark,” he says, his voice surprisingly warm.

Slowly, Ashen Specter withdraws his overwhelming presence back into himself, allowing my power to take the forefront in dominating the space. Frail my power might be in comparison, but everyone seems visibly more comfortable as that decree of death is lifted from the space. No one speaks, although people quickly move to refill the space I passed to get to the stage.

“Today,” Ashen Specter says, his voice hardening to stone. “We welcome a new named sentinel to our ranks.”

For a moment, he simply pauses, allowing his eyes to pass over everyone present. It’s almost like he’s looking to see if any one of them will challenge his authority. Wisely, no one does.

Akari flinches from where she watches from the side as Ashen Specter lays a pale hand on my shoulder. I tense, ever so slightly, and am able to read her expression. This man touching me could end my life with little more than a thought.

I force a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” I send through our connection. My mental connection to Akari is still new, and we’re very much still getting used to it. However, my words do seem to calm my girlfriend, if just a little.

Ashen Specter continues, his voice ringing out over the silent spectators and watching camera lenses.

“In just a few months, Serena Solace has proven to me and the people of the world that she has what it takes to be a sentinel. And she hasn’t done so just once, but again and again. And now it is up to me to decide. What do we call a blue sentinel who kills a B Rank Volcora within days of receiving her powers? What do we call the first sentinel to successfully treat Stygian Mana corruption in a human? What do we call a sentinel who has not only brought hope and healing to so many but also returned our fallen from death!?”

Ashen Specter pauses, hard eyes scanning the crowd as if he expects one of them to answer his question. Of course, no one dares speak up.

“Well,” he says after a moment, “I might call her a legend, but we have more than one legendary sentinel standing here today already. And so, I will give her a name all her own. An homage to her teacher, Stardust Angel.”

The pale man pauses, releasing my shoulder from his grip and stalking around my glowing form. I swallow, forcing myself to remain calm. This man… he is like a predator, always waiting to pounce. You can always feel that invisible pressure from him, that tingling knowledge that he could snap your fragile neck in an instant, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

Ashen Specter stops beside me once more, gray eyes as cold as the tomb. He looks me dead in the eyes, and an involuntary shiver runs through my entire body.

“I name you, Sentinel Serena Solace,” he says, voice quiet and yet easy to hear in the absolute silence of the hub. The absence of sound is so absolute that I’m certain that some kind of magic must be behind it.

“In the name of your mentor, in the name of all those you have saved, and in the name of all those you will save still. A name all your own, that will act as your cloak in the night, your rallying cry, your claim to power, and so much more. From this day forth, you shall be known to the GDF and the public by the name: Daybreak Seraph.”

I shiver again, the name settling over me like a mantle. And, one by one, each member of the A Rank Council moves to stand in a line behind me. Nightsong, with her muscular frame and dark hair. Felix, with his vulpine ears and slightly amused expression. Dancer, with her serene calm. And more still that are unknown to me.

Ashen Specter stands by my side, and the A Rank Council stands at my back. At that moment, looking out over the crowd of spectators, I understand what it really means to be a named sentinel.

And so, I flare my light, letting mist swirl wildly around me as I display my power, not as Serena Solace, but as Daybreak Seraph. I let the whole world see my power and show them how I will save my city.