Clearmadness

Apologies

This whole covid nineteen situation has put me under so much stress that I've been unable to get writing done. I've kept putting things off. I sit down to write every day, but it doesn't happen. 

My health has also been bad, although I don't have the virus yet. Instead several other problems like a rotten tooth have crept up now that everything is closed.... 

Anyway, I'm trying to get this all sorted and back on track as soon as possible. 

Trial and Tribulation 7 (New Name)

"Incredible! What is this place?” Verus asked reverently. “I had no idea anything like this existed on Evera.”

The wall in front of him depicted a bulky humanoid figure tearing a mountain in half. The figure loomed over him, over thirty feet tall, and its rough outline didn’t look quite human. Was it made of stone? It also had no mouth or nose, only two menacing eyes. 

Looking around, saw many smaller figures standing on spheres scattered around the background as well...

The First Trial 6

There was a thoughtful expression on Escora’s face she walked away from the sandpit where they’d been ambushed by the giant scorpion. “Your idea to use spiritual scans from multiple directions could still work on an actual weak spirit that was in hiding, but there’s just no way to distinguish such a spirit from a powerful predator trying to fool us.” 

Verus walked alongside her. “So, what do we do? You’re from a Telhri tribe. You must have a technique or something for...

Explanation for Delays

Most of you have probably noticed that I haven’t been putting out regular chapters lately, and there has been various reasons for that. Such as real life issues and some writing block. Rest assured though, I remain dedicated to writing this story. 

However, a while back, I started feeling a little unsatisfied with the quality of Though the Heavens Should Fall. It has its good points but it’s simply not reaching its full potential. Thus, found it difficult to mo...

The First Trial 5

Taken aback, Verus could only stare at Escora with wide eyes. Why was she suddenly asking him about his long-term plans and inner thoughts? Usually she was more than happy to maintain their usual respectful distance. That was what he wanted, right?

“You have to tell someone what you’re thinking,” Escora told him as she waited patiently for him to reply. “There’s no way anyone from the sect can listen in to us now, even if some of the elders can overhear everything that happens...

The First Trial 4

After defeating the golem, Verus was called by one of the imperial officials in grey and hurried over to talk to him. He’d become the center of attention after damaging the golem’s body slightly, and that made him uncomfortable, so he wanted to leave as soon as possible. 

The official handed Verus a small bag and explained its contents to him before dismissing him. Verus took the bag and then quickly moved to leave. Almost everyone had found something else to gawk at by now, bu...

TtHSF58 – The First Trial 3

Butterflies fluttered nervously in Verus’s stomach the next morning, but he presented a calm face as he walked to the meeting spot for the sect’s participants in the tournament. It was a courtyard off by one of the main temple’s side gates. The gardens there were interesting to look at, but Verus’s attention was caught by the people present. It seemed he was one of the last to arrive, so many of the other contestants from his sect were already here. Highcloud was present, with several...

TtHSF57 – The First Trial 2

Verus launched himself sideways. He moved with incredible speed and grace as his feet danced across the stone of the training ground. Void ki cycled through his channels, which he used to boost himself and make several quick disorienting turns. He seemed to bounce effortlessly around, almost as if he was nothing but an illusion. This was a property of the void ki he was using, although it took concentration and skill to display. It allowed him to imitate nothingness and thus disturb the world...

TtHSF56 – The First Trial 1

A loud bang echoed through the small room as Verus’s fist slammed into the wooden golem’s side, where the ribs would be on a human. The human form combat construct was knocked slightly back, and a glowing symbol briefly flashed were it had been struck. 

However, the golem was incredibly sturdy, and so after a brief pause, it spun around and swung an arm at its human foe. Verus ducked under the blow and retreated. He was panting heavily after such a long fight, and his core was ...

Prologue: The Oracle of the Divine Flame

A warm summer breeze blew from the south, rustling the leaves of the cherry trees that lined the sides of the pathway. They were in full spectacular bloom, so pink petals were torn from branches and sent fluttering through the air, giving off an invigorating floral scent. 

The perfectly straight pathway lined by the cherry trees ended at the doors of a massive palace complex. There was nothing else but greenery in sight. The resplendent gardens that surrounded the palace and the ro...

TtHSF54 – He Who Conquers 7

Although Verus was still wounded, the complex internal healing technique he was using on himself had restored him to peak fighting condition. The pain was also easy to ignore. He might not remember his past, but he remembered the pain and the fire. It had scarred his soul. This was nothing to that. 

Verus’s apparent complete recovery from injury and the change in his behaviour put Fortex on guard. He took a defense stance and then pointed two fingers at Verus. Ki began to gather ...

TtHSF53 – He Who Conquers 6

Eyes shut, Verus stumbled out of the explosion of fiery light. The exposed skin of his arms and the side of his head flared with pain, and he knew he’d been burned. Worse than the pain was the panic, its intensity scattered his thoughts and resolve. He was blind and wounded, alone in a fighting ring with a powerful opponent, and the next blow could come from anywhere at any time. Worse, Fortex was more than powerful enough to finish him off with one good attack, which would cause him to fai...

TtHSF52 – He Who Conquers 5

As he left Fang and Escora behind, Verus grumbled to himself. They were seriously misunderstanding him. Unlike them, he wasn’t some sort of battle-manic or tribal hunter. He was an ascetic! The peaceful contemplation of enlightenment was his goal. It was just that the flawed nature of existence always led him to stife. That was unavoidable. He certainly didn’t enjoy violence. Wrath was a worldly desire and a distraction…  

Before Verus got to the arena, he was intercepted onc...

TtHSF51 – He Who Conquers 4

The ten outer disciples that held amulets were the elite of the elite. Not only had their talent gotten them invited to the main temple of the Great Wind Sect, but they’d proven themselves the strongest among all their peers there. They were thus the young geniuses the sect was most interested in supporting, so they were lavished with extra resources to support their cultivation, on top of the support they got form their families. Highcloud and Fang’s mistress, Selesta were both amulet ho...

TtHSF50 – He Who Conquers 3

Escora was more than happy to start sparring again. Despite the remaining awkwardness between them, she needed the practice and was wary of showing her moves and skills off to anyone else. There were other disciples competing with her for the water using elder’s patronage, and they’d undermine her any way they could. 

“So, how hard to you want to go? Going all out right away when I’m at a higher Realm,” Escora asked. They were at one of the outer sect’s training areas.&...

TtHSF49 – He Who Conquers 2

After the parade marking the official arrival of the imperial princess was over, the elders of the Great Wind Sect led the disciples back to the temple and then disappeared. Idly, Verus wandered away from the chattering crowds and went to his favourite training ground. Instead of actually practicing anything though, he simply stared off into the distance. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about the imperial princess. The image of her face and the feeling of her golden aura haunted him. ...

TtHSF48 – He Who Conquers 1

Let tribulation fall upon those that deem themselves worthy, so that they may know the truth of it and become better still. And let those that fall know that they are not deserted. Never that. For every true child of the Archon may yet rise again.  – The Path of Illumination 1:3

Now that he’d resumed a normal schedule, the content of Verus’s lectures were usually interesting, but classes and homework weren’t his focus. He’d been given a task b...

TtHSF47 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 11

“Are mutations somehow related to demi-humans?” Verus asked his new master as he studied the mysterious tattoos around his wrists. They had briefly stopped their walk through the sect. 

Elder Caligo chuckled darkly. He apparently did that a lot, and it was already getting very annoying. “Worried about losing your humanity, little disciple? There was no danger of that from such a small mutation, although twisted flesh would have marked you as a social outcast in the empire. So...

TtHSF46 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 10

Verus slumped forward in exhaustion as his core finally calmed down. It no longer hummed with uncontrollable power and overwhelming insight. He’d been overwhelmed by his ascension and completely lost track of both time and his surroundings, but now his thoughts were coming together. Had something happened? He felt both powerful and like he’d been kicked in the chest by a horse. 

Opening his eyes, Verus looked up and glanced around. He was still in the stone ritual room under th...

TtHSF45 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 9

“Remember, young one. You must use the ki you seize to touch the eternal plane and draw out a deeper insight into void ki,” Lady Nightclaw explained. “Simply absorbing it won’t be enough. Once it is yours, hold the ki away from you and reach through it for insight as long as you can. It won’t be a comfortable process, but the longer you hold out, the deeper your understanding of void ki will grow and the more advanced your cultivation technique will become.”

Verus nodded in ...

TtHSF44 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 8

Verus flinched back as the tentacles reached for his face, but then the attacking void spirit spasmed and froze in place as if something invisible had grabbed it tight.

“I have it. Close your eyes and focus on your task,” Lady Nightclaw told him in a cold commanding voice as the cultivation chamber began to fill with void ki that had been gathered from the Heaven and Earth Array. 

It took a moment for Verus to calm down enough to obey, but after giving the spirit above hi...

TtHSF43 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 7

As Verus stared uneasily at the ritual chamber in front of him, Elder Caligo waited behind him and the white-haired crone whose mansion he was in stepped past him and into the room.

“Come in now. Don’t make me wait,” she told him snappishly. 

Unsure, Verus decided to try to get some assurances. Events were moving a little too fast for him, but he needed to be both smart and polite abut it. The slightest mistake could upset the great elder and bring her wrath down on him...

TtHSF42 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 6

Verus nodded at the elder in acknowledgement as he increased his pace so that he was right behind the man as they walked through the doorway. There was a long hall with a high ceiling before them, and it was stuffed full of artifacts and other strange objects. It seemed to be some sort of vast collection, and the sight of several of the artifacts took Verus’s breath away. There was everything from full suits of gleaming armor to the preserved skeletons of giant animals that were so huge tha...

TtHSF41 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 5

When Verus awoke the next morning, he opened his eyes to see the familiar sight of his room. Then, he took a moment to assess his own state of mind. He felt like himself. Nothing too dramatic had changed. He was the same young temple ward as always. Yep, there were no eldritch whispers telling him to murder and maim.

That was slightly surprising considering all the things that had happened to him yesterday, but it was also quite the relief. 

He did remember being assailed by ...

TtHSF40 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 4

The white spherical pill sat on the dirty cobblestones of the street and shimmered with subtle light as Verus’s fingers closed around it. Unaware, the nearby criminals continued their battle. The pill was cool to the touch at first, but it quickly warmed up. With his prize in hand, Verus then quickly tried to scramble back out of sight behind the barrels. However, the pill continued to grow hotter until it was actually painful, causing him to wince. Surprised, he opened his fingers to stare...

TtHSF39 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 3

Buildings flashed by. Running madly and dodging people and carts, Verus soon found himself in a part of the city he’d never been before. He was at a loss over what to do next, so he nervously stopped to look around. He didn’t hear or see the smiling spirit anymore, so he began catching his breath. 

Where was he? The street here was much narrower, and everything was grimier. There also wasn’t anyone out walking here. It looked like a poor residential area, with squat square ho...

TtHSF38 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 2

As much as he wanted to wallow in his misery, Verus knew he couldn’t stay strewn across the stairs in front of the devotary. Eventually someone like a guard would come over to check and see if he was okay and get him out of other people’s way. He was already getting looks from citizens walking by. 

Picking himself up off the stairs, Verus glanced up at it devotary before him. It was quite similar looking to all the other devotaries he’d seen, but still impressive looking in a...

TtHSF37 – Doubt Brings the Whirlwind 1

Words mean nothing. Supplication is for the weak and the unworthy. Chaos accepts no oaths and expects no loyalty. It is worshipped through action and sacrifice. It frees instead of binds. Seize that which you desire and cast aside that which holds you back. Let it burn. Let it die. Then, chaos will aid you. Then, chaos will know you.  – The ravings of a madman about to be put to death for murder.

Verus awoke with a start. Soft blanket...

Worldshift: Virtual Revolution is now out!

 My latest book, Worldshift: Virtual Revolution, is now available to purchase at Amazon. Rejoice! It's an action-packed tale that combines the best of litrpg and sci-fi. Those of you patrons involved in the beta reading probably know all about it, but for those of you who haven't heard of it before, here's the blurb: 

Ethan is young and unemployed. One of the many who fail to find a job...