Vowron Prime

Ashborn 472: Wrath of God (Part Two)

NOTE: Hi everyone. Getting real close to the end of the book now. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that I'm going to be adding a couple of retroactive chapters during Vir's mindscape to show the world progressing while he's in there. I'm thinking two new chapters, one showing Maiya's training in the Ash + Ira's progress rebuilding her trust with the rebels, and another showing Andros' budding alliance with the Altani. Right now, it feels like both of those are a little underbaked.
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Soulweaver 187: The Imperfect Run

I raced away from the cliff, away from the army and the monster that wanted to kill me. That said, I couldn’t exactly take my time. 

It didn’t take a genius to realize the system was testing me. Measuring my performance, gauging how I handled this trial. Which meant a solid showing wasn’t enough. I had to excel. My Blessing’s evolution might even hinge on it. If that was true, then anything less than the best was simply unacceptable.

Which meant my preference for stal...

Ashborn 471: Wrath of God (Part One)

Prince Kyren Kin'jal gazed upon the vast army of a hundred thousand elites that marched before him, unable to recall a time when this many souls had been fielded.

Moreover, these were no o grunts. They were the finest of this newly-formed allied army. It had taken a full year of slogging, but his family had managed this unthinkable feat. Never could Kyren have dreamed that his father’s strategy would be so successful.

The previously unassailable enemy had been brought to their k...

Soulweaver 186: Trial by Fire

The dark tunnel wasn’t dark for very long, with the proverbial light at the end very much present. 

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I reached that light. Monsters, mostly. Some epic challenge involving combat, danger, and a liberal use of my powers. The usual. 

In hindsight, it should’ve been obvious.

Featureless, devoid of walls, floor, or a ceiling, and as white as can be. 

The same room that was always there at the end of every ...

Ashborn 470: Return

NOTE: And we're back to the land of the living! What did you all feel about that mindscape sequence? The chapters were a bit shorter mostly because I wanted to keep the prose tight and visceral. We're now through the climax of Book 5 and into the denouement. Only a few chapters left in this book!

Ashborn will take a break of a few weeks while I cleanup my outline for book 6. The story has deviated quite significantly from my original outline (Maiya's story in particular had a lot more ...

Ashborn 469: Transcendence

Vir reached out to his body—his real, physical body, not the one stuck inside this mindscape. The one that no doubt rested on a comfortable bed somewhere. 

He felt the pulse of his heart, the flow of his blood, the slow cycling of his prana. A body at rest, in a deep slumber from which he could not wake.

 Vir hesitated, entirely unsure of what he was about to do.

He was no stranger to controlling the blood that coursed through his body. It felt like a lifetime ag...

Soulweaver 185: Forced Ascension

I didn’t dare venture into the depths of the compound until Aerion had recovered. If the elves had stopped here not because it was sacred ground but because there were monsters inside, then I wanted every ounce of firepower we could muster.

The top of the closest ziggurat structure seemed like a good compromise. High above another several flights of stairs—smaller stairs that would hamper the enemy—with plenty of options to jump off if I had to escape. Well, not for a nor...

Ashborn 468: The Crown

Vir felt the effects of the Crown in a way that no other Chakra ever had. The aura was more  than just a suppression field. Vir’s existence felt heavier, more grounded, more solid than it had ever before. Something about him had suddenly become more real in a way he could not describe. 

It wasn’t a change with his body, as was the case with Aspect of the Demon God or of his mind, but something deeper. Something tied to his soul.

What’s more, his m...

Soulweaver 184: Reaver Riot

Any doubts I had as to whether the Sylvan Reavers possessed the same ability as Aerion, vanished in about a second when half a dozen Reaving elves swarmed me, attacking with a level of speed and power that I had genuinely not been expecting.

This wasn’t Aerion under the effects of [Reave]. It was a whole helluva lot more.

So much so that I barely even had the chance to bring Light of the Fearless up before the first blow struck, sending vibrations up my...

Ashborn 467: The Deity

Vir stood atop a high bough of a Godhollow at the edge of the forest, gazing into the nebulous distance for must have been the thousandth time. Details became faint at the periphery of the landscape, and while he could vaguely make out what looked like the outer buildings of the village of Bridge, he still could not set foot there. Would he ever?

Vir wondered what it would be like to return to the place of his childhood—even if it was a mere construction in his head. He wondered what ...

Ashborn 466: Chakra Mastery

Worrying about time felt like a fool’s errand in a place with no days and no nights, let alone a realm as broken as Vir’s mindscape. And so, he didn’t, casting the very concept of time out of his mind to throw himself into relentless meditation, broken only by the infrequent need to clear his thoughts. Not even sleep interrupted him. He required little even normally, and in this place, such basic needs as sleep, food, and water were entirely absent. It was, after all, a construct of his...

Soulweaver 183: How To Grow Your Phoenix

Hope everyone who celebrates it had a restful & fun Labor Day weekend! DragonCon was incredible. Sold a bunch of books and I got to meet my good friends JM Clark, Nicoli Gonnella, Melas, Xkarnation, and Slifer, to name a few of the many many author friends there. It's really amazing how supportive this community is.

Without further ado, here's today's chapter! We'll be back on Monday.

Aerion was more lost in her thoughts than usual over the next several days, but that was...

Ashborn 465: Shattered

Hello everyone, just a heads-up that the next several chapters that lead into the climax of the book (can you believe we're almost done?) are a bit on the shorter side. That's just how they ended up, rather than any conscious decision on my part, and I felt preserving the raw nature of these scenes was more important than padding wordcount.

If you do feel like anything's confusing or would like to see more detail added in places though, definitely let me know!

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Maiya do...

Soulweaver 182: Family Matters

Even Galia sensed the tension, and with what I assumed was a subconscious gesture on Cosmo’s part, the bar patrons all went silent—all staring at Aerion. It’d be kinda creepy if it wasn’t for the looks of shock and surprise on their faces. Rather than creepy, it was kinda comical.

I didn’t dare laugh, though. Aerion was giving Cosmo a death glare I’d rarely ever seen outside of her Reave state.

“Aerion,” I whispered. “I don’t know if this is the time…”

Ashborn 464: To The Death

Prana cycling. 

Aspect of the Demon God. 

Haste.

The pillars of Vir’s abilities did more than simply enhance them. They augmented each other, working with such perfect synergy, Vir had wondered if they’d been designed as such.

Prana Cycling laid the foundation, enhancing Aspect of the Demon God.

Growing in height and sprouting horns from his demonic helmet, Vir’s jet-black armor billowed black prana, so...

Soulweaver 181: Divine Intervention

NOTE: It's DragonCon this week in Atlanta! As such, there will be no chapter on Monday of next week (which is also Labor Day). We'll return a week from Wednesday's chapter.

What do you do when an unstoppable elf meets an immovable god?

You stick the elf in the inventory before she can destroy the forest, of course.

“Did you have to do that?” I asked, belatedly realizing Galia had been stored as well. Either the System considered her not quite fully conscious, or...

Ashborn 463: Ultimatum

“The allied army,” Vir said, aghast. “I told you to ensure they fled, not capture them!”

Raoul smiled wryly. “Be at ease, Akh Nara. For we’ve captured only the Chitran half. Their Aindri ‘allies’ were only too happy to abandon them to their fate. I suppose true loyalty cannot be purchased, mmm?”

Sweet words, coming from your lips, Vir thought, unsure whether to kill Raoul for his actions or thank him.

“It is easy to bluff,” Annas repli...

Ashborn 462: Fire With Fire

Vir arrived at the audience chamber to find a room on the brink of all-out war. Though Annas sat leisurely on his throne, smirking down at the room, the death glares Vir’s forces were throwing him spoke volumes.

“Oh, our Akh Nara is here. How good of you to join us,” Annas said theatrically. “Come, kneel before me and I will hear your terms.”

Ignoring the kothi, Vir pulled Maiya aside. “What’s going on?”

“He’s threatening to explode the wrist tattoos he p...

Soulweaver 180: Untimely Guests

Either spontaneous fires were common around here, or the elven tenders of the Sylvan Guard were just unreasonably prepared for all eventualities, because hardly anyone batted an eye when the fire broke out, worrying more about the health of our little friend than any collateral damage.

In just seconds, a Boonworthy—a water-specialized one—had arrived and doused the flames, allowing our tenders to check up on Galia, who’d been thoroughly doused, and was currently sneezing an...

Ashborn 461: Victories and Defeats

Vir watched Saunak’s automaton trundle out of the forest, crushing trees beneath the enormous white sphere it used as a leg.

This was the largest of his Automaton arsenal, chosen specifically for its enormous size. They’d had to lie it flat in the forest to hide it, and even then, Vir was worried the enemy might’ve spotted it.

While that particular worry had not come to pass, Vir did wonder if he had just made a terrible mistake. 

He’d discussed leveraging the a...

Soulweaver 179: Galia

I had to admit, the Sylvan Guard had a pretty incredible animal nursery near the bottom of the tree, where they raised everything from horses to messenger birds to strange kangaroo-like magical creatures they apparently used as scouts and trap detectors.

Each type of animal was segregated, with little pens full of animals of the same age, where they could play and work off their boundless energy. They even had a small grazing area for the young horses.

I felt prett...

Schedule Update & Housekeeping

Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well!

Starting next week, Ashborn Primordial will return to serializing 3x a week. Soulweaver, however, will stay at 2x for the foreseeable future and may get a small break between the conclusion of book three and the start of book four. Unfortunately, book two has not even recouped my production costs and probably never will. Which means three and four will not either.

As stated before, I will finish the series, but it's going to continue at ...

Ashborn 460: Shifting Winds

“Impossible,” Vir and Cirayus said at the same time.

Jagath was one thing, but the Aindri at large?

“Your clan has never succeeded in taming Ash Beasts!” Cirayus cried.

“Had never succeeded,” Jagath said with pride. “I’m afraid your information is out of date, Ravager.”

“No,” Cirayus replied with a shake of his head. “I would have heard of something like this. This is a recent development. Related to your most recent foray into the Ash,...

Soulweaver 178: A Rocky Hatching

The next days passed in a frenetic blur. Our life became a literal training montage. From dawn to dusk and well past, Aerion and I trained relentlessly with Syrril.

Duels, retrospectives, meditation, introspection. Rinse and repeat, over and over again.

We’d usually fight together, but sometimes, Syrril fought us one on one while the other observed and gave their feedback after.

Though my rate of development wasn't quite as meteoric as it had been at the start—fur...

Ashborn 459: Might of Guile

When fighting a powerful foe, use a distraction. When one distraction wasn’t enough—use two.  Annas was no fool. As much as he utterly loath

When fighting a powerful foe, use a distraction. When one distraction wasn’t enough—use two. 

Annas was no fool. As much as he utterly loathed that child who called himself the Akh Nara, Annas had seen the boy’s power firsthand. Had watched him destroy Matiman, whose belief in the superiority of his Ultimate Bloodline Arts...

Ashborn 458: Fire Fighters

“Why?” Maiya whispered,  staring down at the goddess’ feet. “Why am I so weak?”

The nearby wolf’s judging eyes only doubled her guilt.

“You are not weak, Maiya,” Ashani replied gently, crouching down to hold Maiya’s head against her chest. “It is simply that they are too strong.”

“No,” Maiya said, pulling away to wipe the tears that welled up in her eyes. “If you knew how hard I trained, how hard I fought to be here… I thought I’d finally...

Soulweaver 176: Leveling Up

Syrril must have seen what I felt, because what followed was nothing short of brutal, relentless training that stretched so late into the night that even the most dedicated of our peanut gallery had left hours ago.

Amber lights glowed within the arena, and we had the place to ourselves as Syrril attacked me over and over, forcing me to defend with magic, skill, and my new soul weight. 

I always lost, even with my upgrade, though I didn’t always black out anymore. Whe...

Soulweaver 177: Forest Magic

“Don’t call me that!” Aerion snapped, turning her head away. “That life is gone.”

“Doesn’t have to be,” I replied. She acted tough, but those red ears gave her away.

Still, I didn’t press the issue. It would be some time before I was strong enough to deliver on that promise, but it wasn’t an empty one either. As Order’s Champion, I doubted there was much people could do to stop me once I’d ranked up to Ascendance—especially if they weren’t backed...

Ashborn 457: Human vs Demon

As a storm of ice and cold manifested around Maiya, she realized she might have been better off following her own advice of not fighting unless absolutely necessary. But if she fled now, the fire would only continue to consume the city, and maybe she could kill two shrikes with one freezing ice storm.

She had expected—hoped—to surprise her foes. And she did. Just not nearly as much as she would have in the human realm. Back there, people would have recognized Blizzard 2025-08-05 18:53:21 +0000 UTC View Post