Kalden opened his eyes as beams of sunlight streamed in through the blinds. He normally woke up well before the sun, but he’d been distracted last night and forgot to set his alarm.
Akari breathed softly in the bed beside him. Her face was half-buried in her pillow, but the citrusy scent of her hair filled his nostrils, and her skin was warm where their bodies touched. She looked so small and peaceful while she slept. Nothing like the dangerous Apprentice he’d fought.
Nothing ...
2022-12-24 15:53:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
The match ended soon after Kalden destroyed the power plant. Unlike the qualifier rounds, which kept going until the last group of survivors, this exam focused more on the major objectives. Now that Kalden had blown up the plant, it was impossible for any faction to win.
Moon Army had been tasked with maintaining the status quo, which was obviously impossible. And Sun Army couldn’t detonate their bomb without the plant’s mana source. As for Blood Army, they’d been tasked with disa...
2022-12-21 12:33:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
Kalden crept down the hallway, searching for his hidden opponent. The plant lay eerily quiet, even as the distant sounds of battle approached from outside. A few more specialized Artists had probably gotten inside, but his map showed most of Blood Army fighting for key positions around the city.
Rough stone slabs made up the floor, and the bulbs flickered from the suspended lights above. These level designers certainly liked their grungy ambiance.
Three blades orbited his body as ...
2022-12-14 13:17:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
Nimble dropped his Invisibility Cloak and scurried away from his spot on the catwalk. Operation Crusher was a total failure, and it showed on his pale face.
“They dodged it,” he said as he rejoined the group on the concrete platform.
“Awesome,” Sadie whispered. “Now we’ve got two pissed-off Blade Artists who know we’re here.”
“We could retreat,” Nico said. “Find another way down to the control room?”
Akari brought her flask to her lips and took ...
2022-12-11 13:27:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
Akari surveyed the arena, taking in the abandoned city streets. The shops and restaurants were all closed, with no lights shining behind their glass windows. Apartment buildings loomed above them, and the sky was dark with storm clouds.
Her teammates stood in a loose half-circle, fidgeting with their new bracelet devices. Only Nico had a communication headset, though. The rest of them were ranked too low for such luxuries.
Then again, who would Nico talk to with the rest of his te...
2022-12-09 02:17:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Seatbelts on,” Camila Warder said from the front of the airship’s cabin. “We’re descending in two minutes.”
Kalden closed his theoretical aspects textbook, returned it to his backpack, and then secured his seatbelt in place. A hundred other students did the same all around the cabin. This airship wasn’t a luxury vessel like the one they’d borrowed from Relia’s parents. No … this was more like a flying bus, with long rows of benches on either side of the central aisl...
2022-12-04 02:20:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
Akari’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she waited for her team’s next duel. She and the others sprawled out in a corner of the training hall, and her job was to crack the generators’ updated security.
“How much longer?” she asked the group.
“Boznak and Windstrider are still fighting,” Nico said. “Should give us at least five minutes.”
Talek. That was cutting it way too close.
Four weeks had passed since the first day of class, and true t...
2022-11-27 13:45:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
Kalden paced through the Darklight’s estate, waiting for the results of his soulscan.
He’d met with Irina that afternoon, right after his lunch with Sozen. He’d asked her for a scan, but he’d secretly hoped she would laugh the idea away, followed by some smug comment like, “Your brother is quite obviously mistaken, Mr. Trengsen. I can read your soul like an open book, and I would have noticed if you were still a Blade Artist.”
Kalden had played that scenario through hi...
2022-11-21 12:53:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Kalden stared at a ghost from across the green lawn. He’d already seen his brother in his dreams, the same way he’d seen his father. But this was different. Elend’s dreams had felt like reality, but they were still dreams. For all their detail and immersive power, they could still shatter with one stray thought.
But this was the real Sozen Trengsen, standing in front of him, solid and true.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Tori said from Kalden’s left. Her voice sound...
2022-11-19 15:21:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
Here's a preview from Chapter 2 of the upcoming TLR audiobook! (I chose a spot near the end of the chapter because it had more dialog and action.)
The audiobook is narrated by Suzy Jackson, who I think did a great job overall. She was my #1 choice for a narrator because I was a huge fan of her work in Brandon Sanderson's Skyward series. So special thanks to her for choosing to narrate this project, and to everyone at Podium for making it work!
The full audiobook is coming...
2022-11-13 13:03:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
Akari had a free hour after lunch, so she headed to the Mana Arts and Sciences building to find Elend. She pulled open a heavy wooden door and found a room that resembled a small theater. Seats rose in tiered semicircles around a raised stage where Elend paced back and forth, amplifying his voice with dream mana.
“Now then, who can tell me the difference between Mana Artists and Aeons?” He extended a finger, searching for a victim. Finally, he settled on a girl who’d been staring ...
2022-11-13 12:47:52 +0000 UTC
View Post
Kalden stood with his peers while Grandmaster Raizen covered the day’s obvious lesson.
“There were a thousand paths to victory, and you should never underestimate your opponents.”
He mentioned Akari by name, along with Arturo Kazalla, and two other students who’d supposedly hacked their generators. Elise Moonfire hadn’t made the list, which proved one of her friends had done the work for her.
“Mr. Kazalla saved his best trick for last. He majored in Sigilcraft be...
2022-11-06 17:44:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi everyone,
As a quick refresher, all the names in this series start with "Web." So far, we have:
Book 1: Web of Secrets
Book 2: Web of Dreams
Book 3: Web of Knowledge
With many more to come.
But I'm having second thoughts about the first book, "Web of Secrets." I'd originally thought it was clever for its multiple meanings within the story. But since I started writing this, I've constantly noticed the phrase used in other book titles, or even as a common ...
2022-11-02 21:01:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Prepare,” Sen’s voice said from the invisible speaker.
Akari stood in an abandoned neighborhood, facing a man beneath a misty gray sky. The pairings had all followed a pattern until now, and she’d researched her potential opponents beforehand.
Nico Talez was a Fire Artist from New Cadria. Apparently, he’d opened his own dojo at fifteen, and he’d helped dozens of local kids learn basic Mana Arts. So far, so good. She’d take an ambitious entrepreneur over a c...
2022-11-01 12:11:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
The dreamscape faded around Akari, replacing the stone ruins with the arena’s simple brown walls and a padded floor. She felt suddenly naked without her armor, and her hands still vibrated from the machine gun.
"What the hell was that?" Landon blurted out from across the ring.
Akari shrugged as the lanky Wind Artist stomped over. "Fifty caliber HK9 with mana-enhanced bullets."
"You know what I meant." He rounded on Camila, who'd been overseeing their fight. "She messed wit...
2022-10-29 12:10:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
Akari strode out of the locker room and joined the waiting crowd. Combat Arts 120 took place in a domed chamber, big enough to park two airships side by side. Four regulation dueling rings filled the space below, with various catwalks for spectators. Each circle had a band of sigils around it, just like the arenas in Last Haven.
Unlike her other teachers, Grandmaster Raizen had given them no books or syllabus. Instead, he'd sent them each a single note:
"Arena Block One. 7:30 ...
2022-10-21 22:53:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
The following morning, Relia pulled her blue Ethereal into a free parking spot by the pier. She unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her Jumpstart cup, and stepped outside into the salty morning breeze.
Relia had never been a morning person. Sure, she could wake up early if she had to, but she’d never choose morning workouts like her friends. Koreldon mornings were always so cold, and no amount of clothing or coffee would make that go away.
But she had to admit, it was cool to see th...
2022-10-16 18:07:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
They left for the party at around nine o’clock that evening. Akari wore the outfit she’d bought from Warder’s—a red patterned skirt and a leather vest over a bright red top that showed off her missing belly button. Kalden’s eyes lingered on her as they left, and she gave herself a mental high-five.
The Kazalla estate was technically just five doors down, but Grandmasters liked their massive yards. That meant they had to walk at least half a mile, crossing several rivers that d...
2022-10-15 23:11:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
Kalden and his friends were eating lunch when Elend strode into the kitchen, waving a pair of white envelopes over his head. “Gather ‘round, everyone. I bring tidings of your fate.”
Across the table, Akari froze with her soup spoon halfway to her mouth. Then it splashed back into the bowl as she processed his words. “Did we get in?”
“I won’t spoil the ending.” Elend placed the envelopes on the wooden table and slid them over. “Read on. It’s all part of the expe...
2022-10-11 00:58:52 +0000 UTC
View Post
Akari Zeller had never been one for swaggering. More often than not, the girl shuffled around with her eyes on her shoes. Unless she was angry or desperate, then she’d stomp her feet and glare at you.
Today, she strolled into the dojo like she owned the place. And while the others had all been stiff and serious, Akari looked like someone had pulled her out of bed and dragged her here against her will. A few loose strands of hair covered her left eye. and … was she chewing gum? He’...
2022-10-08 12:30:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
The next few weeks passed in a blur of training, and exam day finally came. Akari sat in the front seat of Relia’s bright blue Ethereal, watching the wipers slide back and forth against the slick windshield. The sun had actually shown its face this morning, but the rain still fell in a steady stream from the storm clouds above. It made the whole scene look fake, as if a special effects team had stamped a dark sky against a bright urban landscape.
Relia tried making small talk as they ...
2022-10-02 18:05:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Kalden stepped out of the poolhouse into the light of the evening sun. His route took him along the edge of the pool where his friends reclined on inflatable rafts. Relia wore a red bikini that matched her hair, while Akari’s a was dark chocolate brown. Did they coordinate that on purpose, or was it a coincidence?
Kalden tried not to stare as he strolled past them toward his usual training spot. But of course, Relia didn’t make that easy.
“You should come in!” She dipped h...
2022-09-23 12:13:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
If resting every night wasn’t bad enough, Elend also made them take a full recovery day once every weekend. As in, a whole twenty-four hours with no serious studying or training.
His exact rules were vague. But if Akari thought she could sneak in training on these days off, then Relia had other plans. Every weekend, her friend would drag her on some new excursion outside the Darklight’s estate. One day, they took a tour of Koreldon City, following the trains all the way from Uptown ...
2022-09-17 20:31:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
Akari stretched out her arms and formed a full-body shield. Relia struck the shield with a barrage of pure Missiles, threatening to shatter it like a glass plate. Akari’s body shook as she cycled harder, packing the Construct with more mana.
Until now, she’d focused on her shaping skills, but Elend had advised against that.
“Shaping is the most versatile skill for this test,” he’d told her a few days before. “But raw power matters too, especially on the Construct and C...
2022-09-13 01:08:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
"Just Kalden?" Akari said as she marched into the gym. The room was massive, taking up more than half the Darklight's basement. Navy blue mats covered the wooden floor, and the walls had twice as many mirrors as the rooms upstairs.
Elend turned around to face her. “Beg pardon?"
"You said Kalden would get into the Artegium this year. What about me?"
"We talked about this." He walked over to the weight rack and grabbed a pair of dumbbells. The discs were barely bigger than h...
2022-09-05 20:33:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Hey!” Glim said. “You’re in the wrong place.”
“What?” Akari turned to face the blue mana spirit in the mirror. “They said to meet in the dining room.” She gestured back to her surroundings with the tile floor and the long wooden table. “Looks like a dining room to me.”
“No, no.” Glim’s blue hair swished back and forth as she shook her head. “The formal dining room.”
Akari gave her a flat look, then she glanced down the hall toward th...
2022-09-02 00:35:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
PRESENT DAY
Akari leapt forward, shooting a Missile from her palm to intercept the manaball. The ball bounced and spun around the court, striking the glass walls and ceiling. Her eyes tracked its path, and her muscles vibrated as she cycled, ready to unleash more techniques at a second’s notice.
A disc of floating protection mana cut the court in two, eighteen feet in diameter, with four-foot gaps on every side. Holes filled the disc like a giant slice of cheese, and those holes...
2022-08-28 12:14:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
Relia followed her master down the winding mountain path. They’d walked for over four miles that morning, and the older woman had barely said a word. The only sounds were the birds chirping in the trees, and their leather boots crunching against the dirt.
Despite the dim light, her master treaded effortlessly over tree roots, trenches, and fallen branches. Relia kept a close eye on the path as she followed, all too aware that her condition could send her stumbling at the wrong moment....
2022-08-24 00:03:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
Here's a more detailed map of Espiria and Cadria, as promised! (I left out Shoken because I've done the least worldbuilding work over there)
As a reminder, Web of Secrets took place mostly in Last Haven Archipelago. Web of Dreams took place in Creta, Cadria. And Web of Knowledge will take place mostly in Koreldon, Espiria.
Anyway, I finished a full scene outline for WoK, and the prologue is 90% done. That should be up on Patreon this week!
2022-08-23 00:04:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi everyone,
Just checking in with a quick progress update.
First of all, I commissioned a cover for the second Aeonica book (The Justicar's Heir) and you can see that here:
https://davidmusk.com/books/aeonica-the-justicars-heir
Or full screen: https://davidmusk.com/uploads/aeonic...
2022-08-17 00:39:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
