Sage of the Forlorn Path

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 9

Final Match

Noah got up early the next day and set himself up in Valon’s room. The final match of the tournament would take place in the evening, so he had all day to train his magic and craft new tools. He was particularly interested in the dark gray crystal he had received the night before. It was another meruleum gem with unique properties. He split it in half, using a mix of alchemy and some magic tools, then set one...

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 10

Deaf Ears

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 11

The Path Back

Noah awoke the next morning to find Shannon clinging to him tightly. After everything that had happened during Knight’s Day, her shaken heart drove her to seek Noah and Valia’s comfort. They spent the night immersed in passion, helping alleviate her anxiety. Rather than getting up, Noah stayed there for a few minutes, holding her close and stroking her hair, with his gentle affection causing her to stir l...

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 12

Upheaval

The sounds of footsteps and swishing fabric moved through the royal bedroom, reaching Galvin’s ears as he slowly awoke. He sat up in bed, looking at his hands as though he hadn’t seen them in months. His mind was racing, like his thoughts were trying to make up for lost time. Seeing him rise, the maid rushed over. Young, pretty, and sweet, she spoke with concern.

“Your Majesty, you’ve finally awoken!...

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 13

Faith

Noah and his group rode ceaselessly across the Utheric countryside, heading northwest towards Rorik and Lumestada. The land was infested with ravenous creatures and bandits, but none could stand a chance against the five travelers, each a capable fighter in their own right. Shannon’s strength and skill with a blade had grown by leaps and bounds since her days with her tribe, thanks to Noah and Valia’s teachings. ...

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 14

In Pursuit

Days passed, and supplies were getting even lower. There was plenty of meat and edible plants, but not everything they needed could be hunted and gathered. They made another detour to a village further down the line, hoping that this time, they wouldn’t arrive in the middle of a human sacrifice. Unfortunately, there was no one left to throw onto an altar. The entire place had been leveled, every building smash...

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 15

Resistance

Galvin woke up the way he always did, with a smug sense of satisfaction. Many days had passed since Knight’s Day, and he was enjoying being king. Rather, he enjoyed the perks and ignored the responsibilities. His father would get up early to meet with delegates and discuss the day’s business, but Galvin left them to their busywork while he slept in. Why would he waste his invaluable time on such petty issues...

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 16

Pattern Type Blue

Noah and the group rode through the night, trying to escape from Scyler and his minions. On the plus side, Valia’s slash seemed to have inflicted some lasting damage because he wasn’t pursuing them on foot like he was before, and he was keeping his distance as though fearful of another attack. Perhaps his regeneration wasn’t working, or it was slowed. Either way, it gave them some breathing room. Ho...

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 17

The Tyrant

“I can’t thank you enough for taking us in, Jurt. You’ve truly saved us,” said Cyrilo, sitting at her fellow brothel owner’s counter. With their arrival, business was suspended to keep their presence a secret.

The bearded man shook his head. “Don’t you dare thank me, Cyrilo. You’ve saved me from plenty of trouble over the years. Helping you now isn’t some exceptional act; it is the bare m...

Across Eternity: Book 6 - Chapter 18

Settling the Score

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 1

Refraction

The carriage rolled down the open street, flanked on all sides by bronze knights and leading several soldiers. Three silver knights sat in the interior, surrounding their lord.

“Your Highness, we’ve almost arrived,” said one of the knights, a bearded man named Paulman.

“We’ve almost reached our destination, but are we any closer to our actual goal? That is what con...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 2

Across the Plains

The day of Noah and Valia’s departure had arrived, but they were delayed due to the weather. A tumultuous summer storm, perhaps the last of the season, was bathing Sylphtoria with warm, heavy drops. Up in the palace, Noah and Elisandra sat in a window, she leaning against him with his arms around her. Elisandra once spoke of her love for summer storms, so they decided to enjoy it.

The...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 3

Chains and Swords

“Noah!” Noah was shaken awake and instinctively pulled out his dagger to attack the unknown foe. Instead, he felt Valia grab his wrist. “It’s me, come on,” she said in the pitch blackness.

“What’s going on?” he asked, trying to shake off the lingering grip of slumber. Nearby, Panma and Shannon were awoken by the commotion and asked the same question.

�...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 4

City of Beasts

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 5

Methodology

It was the middle of the day, and the tavern was lively, with men and women alike indulging in spirits. Tails of all different kinds hung out of the backs of chairs and stools, whether furry, scaly, or feathered. Most of the light came from the front windows, but candles still burned in dark corners. Friends and coworkers talked amongst themselves, sharing complaints and jokes, but most of it was the former, al...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 6

Ensnared

Given a heading by the imprisoned Pack members, Noah, Valia, and Shannon departed from Welindar, heading northeast on horseback, though Shannon preferred to gallop on her own hooves. With the Pack all but vanquished in the city and the poison arrows ready and waiting, now was as good a time as any to go out and search for the kidnapped horse tribe. Heading northeast, they dove back into the wilderness, crossing pl...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 7

The Threads That Bind

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 8

Blood Splatter

Prince Lupin was facing the biggest challenge of his military and political career. It felt like a thousand years ago, he had begun his siege on Welindar, facing those impenetrable gates, and now, living within the palace, his authority as ruler was about to be truly tested. The challenge before him? The insurmountable mountain? Welindar’s fall festival.

The citizens had been hard at wor...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 9

Animal Kingdom

With the loss of Carthace’s prison, the Profane menace should have been decimated, but the danger had only increased for Noah, Valia, and Shannon. Countless fiends were slain in the liberation battle, while the rest were scattered to the winds. Left to their own devices, they either rampaged on their own or joined back up with the rest of the Pack. After leaving the prison, the battles the trio faced were ...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 10

Lovesick

The voices of the arguing men could be heard outside the closed room and through the corridor. They sat at a long table, dressed in either elegant noble garb or modest working attire, these squabbling captains of industry. They were the heads of the various business guilds in Colbrand, from blacksmiths to textile workers, all thinking they deserved the biggest piece of the pie and projected it by bickering over re...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 11

Rabbit Hunt

The morning after Bella’s transformation, an emergency summons was called for every knight in Colbrand, and Alexis, Sophia, and Cyrilo could imagine why. Alexis, in her battle dress, and Sophia, in her white vestments, made the journey to the palace with Cyrilo in tow. They walked the busy streets, taking no time to sample the smells and sounds of the city waking up.

“I knew I should have...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 12

He Who Wears the Crown

Once again, things were peaceful in Welindar. Lupin had successfully won over the city, leaving the Pack high and dry, and Noah was putting his experience to good use and helping Lupin improve the quality of life for the people and develop new sources of economic wealth. There were numerous untapped resources, and he was implementing measures to harvest them without destructive industrialization or c...

Across Eternity: Book 5 - Chapter 13

Legion

Noah tackled Shannon, forcing her to the ground as the gargantuan mass that was Kaisen exploded. Mana surged out in all directions like flames, and black blood flooded the streets of Welindar, washing over buildings, people, and fiends. The entire city was saturated with malevolence. Noah and Shannon ran for cover while holding their breath. The mana burned their skin and made them feel sick. They ducked into the pa...

Across Eternity: Book 4 - Chapter 1

Homefront

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Across Eternity: Book 4 - Chapter 2

Fugitives

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Across Eternity: Book 4 - Chapter 3

Within the Trees

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Across Eternity: Book 4 - Chapter 4

Fever

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Elisandra slept soundly in her bed, bathed in the starlight passing through the open windows of her palace. Her mattress was huge for a single occupant, but she was not alone tonight. The feeling of movement on the bed caused her to stir, and she rolled onto her back. Two hands were pressing down beside her, and she felt legs intertwine with her own.

“Sir Noah,” she whispered as she opened her eyes, ga...

Across Eternity: Book 4 - Chapter 5

Precedent

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Across Eternity: Book 4 - Chapter 6

On the Horizon

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“You look tired,” Valia said as she and Noah ate breakfast.

“Well you do tend to wring me out like a washcloth at night.”

“I’m serious, you look like you barely slept.”

“I’ve been racking my brain, trying to remember drugs and compounds from past lives. I’ve memorized plenty of useful recipes over the millennia, but it’s been a long time since I needed them like t...

Across Eternity: Book 4 - Chapter 7

The Wandering Spirit

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Deeper and deeper, Noah delved into the sea of his memories, losing all sense of identity and time. Random moments from his experience in the multiverse flashed across his mind’s eye with crystal clarity, hypnotizing his senses with experiences of thousands of years in the past. Pleasure, pain, laughter, tears, exhilaration, fear, intoxication, love, loss, they washed over him, with moments stre...