Bainin

Chapter 138: Viv

Viv let out a plaintive meow as she emerged from the shadows, rushing toward Alistair's outstretched arms and leaping into them. He held her tight, kissing the top of her head.

"Hey, baby, it's okay. I'm sorry I was gone," Alistair said softly, holding back tears of relief as he stroked her fur.

Viv purred and meowed incessantly, louder than he had ever heard before. The small black cat had changed little, aside from her yellow eyes now having a more golden hue. She was still the ...

Chapter 137: Back on Earth

Once they had spent the last of their points and said their goodbyes, they prepared to leave the soulscape. Alistair embraced Riseth and kissed her again.

"I swear, if I reappear on Earth and you’re standing next to me again, I will—" Before he could finish, she pulled him in closer and kissed him once more, giving him a cheeky smile before disappearing from the room. He worried she had actually spent the precious points to appear directly on Earth.

"Don't worry. She knows she...

Paths of Akashic 2: End of Trials released!

Small Announcement! Book 2 is now available on Kindle and KU! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRSWYSHJ. 

Thank you, everyone, for supporting me, and I hope you have a great start to the new year!

In a universe on the brink of transformation, destiny favors the strong and prepared. 

With their loved ones found and their Clan established, Alistair and Riseth push themselves...

Chapter 228: Viv's Concept

Alistair had long sensed their approach before their arrival and had already made his way to the door when he heard his mother knock at the door.

Opening the door, he was greeted by his mother, sister, and Fluffy, with Teddy excitedly wagging his tail.

After embracing his mother and sister and exchanging pleasantries, he roughhoused the large Bernese who pressed himself into Alistair excitedly.

"So, where is Viv?" Melissa asked, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer. 2025-01-14 22:38:44 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 227: Loss of Normalcy

Alistair let out a deep sigh, his eyes fixed on the blood soaking into the carpet. The enchantments woven into it flickered to life, tirelessly cleansing the mess as quickly as it spilled.

Viv, immensely pleased with herself, shifted seamlessly back to her usual size. Once settled, she began licking her bloodied paws, her bright eyes locked on him expectantly.

"I know she’s precious to you," Riseth began, her tone measured, aware of the delicate nature of the subject. "And for n...

Chapter 226: Sketchy

Alistair glanced up from his hand, letting the warm sensation of the scale wash over him before fixing his gaze on the crystalline treasure. Its twisted, shriveled form seemed... off, subtly different in a way he couldn’t quite define. Hesitant, he studied it, trying to pinpoint the change, but the moment his focus shifted, the crystal seemed to subtly warp again.

It twisted and contorted, moving as if it only dared to shift when unwatched—eerily reminiscent of the Hirsin. Even so, ...

Chapter 225: Trapped within

Alistair stared in disbelief as their energies poured relentlessly into the crystal, which strained under the immense pressure. The precarious balance they maintained in the battle felt as though even the smallest mistake could lead to unthinkable consequences.

Without hesitation, he teleported above the fray, gathering all of his accumulated kinetic energy and drawing deep on his own reserves. Determined to tip the scales, he unleashed the most kinetically charged Kinetic Strike he had...

Chapter 224: Tug of War

Riseth planted her feet firmly on King’s plated, scaled body, using her arms as focal points to redirect the Z’egreh’s relentless mental assault on their minds. The creature’s tendrils lashed out wildly, writhing with malicious intent. King maneuvered through the ever-growing mass of black, writhing tentacles, his cursed flames proving agonizingly effective against the eldritch monstrosity.

The Z’egreh screeched in agony, its grotesque eyeballs bursting in eruptions of white i...

Chapter 223: Overreach

"These damn realms and dungeons sure love treating summons like second-rate individuals," King growled, clearly displeased by the fact that he hadn’t received any scales.

Fluffy let out a low hiss in agreement, still lounging lazily on Riseth’s shoulder.

Alistair chuckled before conjuring some of the scales from his soulscape, planning to offer them to King to test whether they could be shared or traded.

But as soon as the scales appeared, he felt an unnatural pull towar...

Chapter 222: Challenge Complete?

Two more Skoc dropped from above onto the sandbank as King managed to kill and shake off the last ones that had grappled him. He flew over the skirmish, his breath attack and Cursefeather Cascade deterring more of the Skoc from joining the fight. Instead, they began hurling rocks and branches at him.

What might have been laughable under normal circumstances became deadly in this realm, where the rocks and branches were heavily reinforced by the intense ambient magic satura...

Paths of Akashic 2 End of Trials

Small Announcement, everyone!

Paths of Akashic 2 End of Trials will be published as an e-book on January 15th, and its audiobook version will likely be released in February/March 2025.

This means the story will be stubbed on January 5th on Royal Road and Patreon.

I put a lot of effort into editing to give you the best version possible, catching up to my current style and giving it some additional polish with Tim Marquitz doing the copy editing.

I hope you check ...

Chapter 221: Braving the Storm

Alistair glanced at the spot where Sotarr had stood mere moments ago, shaking his head.

"He seemed more involved than usual," Alistair mused.

Riseth tilted her head thoughtfully. "I’m surprised he shared as much as he did. Perhaps something has changed on his side."

Alistair shrugged, turning back to the realm and his family members, who were finishing their analysis. "It doesn’t really matter as long as it works to our benefit."

"It will take time for things to se...

Chapter 220: Revelations of a Master

Alistair exchanged a glance with Riseth, who raised an eyebrow as they watched Sotarr approach King. Sotarr had so far refused to interact with King in particular. He had been reluctant to help with their summons in general, often saying the time wasn’t right to teach them, but he hadn’t offered any input at all when it came to King.

King held his head high as he met Sotarr’s eyes, their humanoid forms standing equal in height. Alistair couldn’t help but wonder if that was a sub...

Chapter 219: Realm Anchorage

Alistair and Riseth were among the very last to leave, with only a few individuals skilled in magic still lingering within the compound. They had waited until everyone else was ready to depart, not knowing how long the Realm Catcher would last once it began containing Nivareth.

Alistair focused his full attention on the Realm Catcher as he withdrew the small, fragile-looking cube, using telekinesis to hover it in front of him. The cube turned idly on its axis, its metallic...

Chapter 218: Mission Accomplished

Mekhan stared at Alistair wordlessly before turning to leave. As he stepped out of sight, his form began to shift and disperse, growing less substantial with each passing moment. Eventually, he faded entirely, blending seamlessly with the swirling magic that continued to churn through the room. Despite his apparent disappearance, Alistair was certain Mekhan hadn’t truly left, likely observing everything from beyond their physical perception.

Before Alistair could comment, two more spe...

Chapter 217: Nivareth

Alistair and Riseth hovered in stunned silence at the breathtaking sight before them. Below lay an immense lotus flower formed entirely of the mana-dense, stone-like material they had seen earlier. It floated as the calm eye of an immense, raging storm surrounding the lotus, the serenity of the formation sharply contrasting with the chaos beyond. Flashes of lightning illuminated fleeting glimpses of islands, creatures, and structures within the swirling storm, only for them to vanish as the l...

Chapter 216: Situational Update

“Any chance we can pull another Platijum Lily and steal this realm without using up the Realm Catcher?” Alistair asked, though he already suspected the answer.

“Not a chance,” Riseth said, shaking her head. “I did read up on this, and the Lily was a special case—not just because it had an entrance in the form of a high-tech door, but because it was situated on a flying island. While the island itself wasn’t crucial, the door was anchored quite firmly to the surrounding lan...

Chapter 215: Ekhar the Unchained

Alistair grimaced, still feeling the sensation of where the chain had grasped him as frost covered his arm, having tried to permeate his flesh. Fortunately, it failed to penetrate his augmented skin. He was now certain that Ekhar's concept had to be with chains or binding, as it would have otherwise stood no chance of tying him down due to his Freedom of Movement skill, indicating a frankly ridiculous amount of affinity for the concept and magical proficiency.

The Gat...

Chapter 214: Maelstrom of Violence

Alistair dashed forward, his gaze briefly catching on Syca’s new black combat suit, which seemed to distort focus, making it difficult to keep one’s eyes on her. She moved with precision, swiftly driving a dagger into the neck of a hyena-like beastkin. Alistair couldn’t afford to linger, however, as he clashed with a sea-monster-like beastkin wielding twin axes. His opponent combined ferocious melee strikes with earth-themed attacks, sharp shards of rock orbiting around him and firing i...

Chapter 213: Assaulting the Compound

Alistair tapped his foot nervously, watching as the Ethos Inquisitors and Beshin Clan forces made planetfall, while their own fleet struggled to catch up. He and Riseth, flying ahead of the main fleet on the Artemis, were still just behind their allies. The Ethos fleet had taken an early lead, and the Beshin ships were simply much faster than their own.

“It seems at least some of the Syndicate members have either chosen to hide on the planet or make a last stand. The Inquisit...

Chapter 212: Rocky Start

Alistair watched as the Beshin clan’s fleet aligned with theirs and the Norgard fleet of the Ethos Crusade. The three fleets couldn’t have looked more different. The Ryser ships were practical and efficient, with unpainted adamend alloy giving them a dark green sheen, minimal decoration, and no decals to speak of. In contrast, the Ethos Crusade’s ships had a gothic look; their armored fronts were often shaped into skulls, bird heads, or other monster heads and weaponized to the teeth. A...

Chapter 211: The Ripper

Alistair stepped into the sprawling workshop that Denodia had claimed for herself. Massive vats lined the walls, each filled with a shimmering, mana-saturated liquid. Inside them, dragon bones soaked, glowing faintly as the liquid cycled and pulsed with magical energy. Every piece of the dragons had been harvested with precision: the meats and organs were preserved, while the bones were treated in a complex magical process that both strengthened and aged them. Simply letting the bones lie aro...

Chapter 210: Dragon Hearts and Minds

After wrapping up their discussions and catching up on some of the minor events that had happened during their absence. Alistair spent the next few days working on his Body Cultivation alongside Riseth. They both made great strides—Riseth finally succeeded in forming a suitable pattern for her regeneration marrow augment, while Alistair advanced past the first stage in his Dragon Heart Augmentation, feeling himself level up and putting all of his new stat points into the control statistic. ...

Chapter 209: The Ethos Crusaders

Alistair leaned back while reading the provided doccie, glancing at the projections displaying their banner alongside those of the Ethos Crusaders and the Beshin Clan. His gaze lingered on the banner of the Crusaders.

Their banner, featuring a golden cross surrounded by intricate gothic symbols, reflected the Ethos Crusaders’ deeply religious and unified society, which included humans and multiple other species. They had fully embraced the identity of crusaders—not just as a symbol ...

Chapter 208: Preparations

The trio watched Zarrias and the dragons depart before Alistair turned to Nessyra. “Any pressing matters now that we’re back?”

Nessyra shook her head. “Nothing urgent, but there are several matters I’d rather not discuss over the Coalition network. We’ve also received updates on the raids—they’re getting closer. That said, I’d estimate we still have a few days, maybe even weeks.”

Riseth looked mildly irritated. "So, essentially, the same estimate as when we lef...

Rise of the Void Herald

I thought it would be time to make another update and vote for my Patreon.

I have been trying my hands on a few additional stories besides Paths of Akashic over the last year, though due to POA being my main focus the progress has been quite slow as I already struggle to maintain my backlog. However, sometimes you can't think of how to progress a story smoothly or how to get to the story beads you have planned, which takes time. During those times, I found the occasional inspiration fo...

Chapter 207: Are we there yet?

Zephi was an incredible bundle of energy and a great distraction as Alistair's senses picked up the occasional loud noises from the back of the ship until he put up a privacy sphere to isolate the cockpit, something he and Riseth did when they weren't alone on the ship.

“They seem to be… enjoying themselves,” Riseth observed over the Akashic Link as Alistair guided Zephi through the displays, showing her how to scan nearby planets and systems.

After finishing his explanation...

Chapter 206: Two Copper Make a Silver

Alistair sensed more dragons approaching, but he remained unbothered. With the sheer power within their small group, they could easily escape if things went south, and most of the dragons around seemed keenly aware of this fact.

"What do you wish to discuss with our leaders?" Garrosh asked, his tone cautious but not overtly hostile.

Alistair inclined his head slightly, maintaining a respectful yet confident stance. "We seek to establish an alliance with your flight," he replied. "...

Chapter 205: Red Matrirach

King slowly approached the red dragoness, black flames licking across his claws, causing the ground beneath him to melt with each step. He circled around her, inspecting her closely. Rovari stood firm, her posture unwavering, eyes fixed on him as he moved, never turning her head. Finally, King stopped a few meters in front of her, flaring his nostrils before speaking.

"Your offer is intriguing, but I do not plan to stay or abandon my first brood to a matriarch I hardly know. You may lea...

Chapter 204: Dragon Pride

Alistair and Riseth exchanged surprised glances. The dragoness, Rovari, immediately commanded attention. She was larger than the other dragons and demonstrated a keen awareness that set her apart from her kin. What truly stood out, however, was her lack of arrogance—an unusual trait for a red dragon, known as one of the most prideful dragon species.

Rovari’s appearance adhered closely to the traits of her flight: scarlet scales that shimmered like molten metal, leathery wings, and a...