DEADALUS author of AETHERBORN

CHAPTER 136

Thorne staggered up the grand staircase, every step a battle against the crushing fatigue that pulled at his limbs like lead weights. His entire body ached with a deep, bone-deep weariness, his muscles trembling as if they had been shredded and stitched back together, raw and burning with every movement. His skin prickled with a thousand invisible needles, and every breath felt like it...

CHAPTER 135

Thorne’s heart hammered in his chest, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. He could feel the aether thrumming beneath his skin, wild and untamed, a dark, dangerous force that threatened to consume him. But he didn’t care. There was no one left to hide from, no one left to protect. It was just him and them.  

And he was done holding back. 

The assass...

CHAPTER 134

Can anything go right tonight?  

He shoved Thornfield behind him, his own body tense and coiled, every muscle ready to spring into action. 

The assassins in front of them didn’t waste any time. They lunged, their blades already raised. Thorne’s daggers were in his hands before he even registered moving, his body reacting on instinct.  

CHAPTER 133

Thorne’s grip on his dagger tightened, his gaze fixed on the two remaining assassins as he calculated his next move. The fake maid was the bigger threat; her level and the way she carried herself indicated that she was more skilled and experienced. He needed to take her out first, but the second assassin was too close to Lord Thornfield, and Thorne couldn't risk leaving him unguarded...

CHAPTER 132

The blade glinted in the dim candlelight, death speeding toward Lord Thornfield. Thorne’s instincts screamed at him, and he barely had time to react. His hand shot up, the Invisible Threads of his skill grasping at the knife in midair, yanking it off its lethal course. The dagger embedded itself into the wall behind Thornfield with a heavy thud, the hilt vibrating from t...

CHAPTER 131

Thorne stared at the letter in Uncle’s outstretched hand, his confusion barely concealed behind a carefully neutral expression. “You want me to deliver this?” His voice was measured, but the unspoken question hung between them. Why him? 

Uncle leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly as he steepled his fingers under his chin. The candlelight pl...

CHAPTER 130

Thorne and Dalen sparred in the courtyard, their swords clashing in a rhythm that spoke of long hours of practice. Dalen was putting up a decent fight, but Thorne was only half-invested, his mind still turning over the events of the previous night. He parried Dalen’s strike with ease, letting his body move on instinct while his thoughts drifted. 

“Come on, yo...

CHAPTER 129

Thorne leaned back against the wall, his eyes scanning the room as pandemonium erupted. Gasps and cries of outrage filled the air, the scandalous declaration sending shockwaves through the gathered nobles. Conversations erupted in hushed, urgent whispers as the ramifications of the challenge began to settle in. 

Thorne’s mind raced, dissecting the possible outc...

CHAPTER 128

Kellan Thornfield was a bastard. 

Thorne’s gaze shifted to Lord Thornfield, who was still gripping his wife’s hair, his face twisted with rage. The man was a fool, a drunken fool who couldn’t see past his own nose, who was so blinded by his own anger and jealousy that he was willing to throw everything away, even the precarious hold he had on his own house....

CHAPTER 127

The air in the grand hall was thick with tension as the nobles of Alvar chose their sides. Thorne could almost see the line forming between the two factions: on one side, the Thornfields, and on the other, the Ravencourts. He surveyed the room, noting with dismay how the majority of the nobles gravitated toward the Ravencourts, their animated conversations and laughter indi...

CHAPTER 126

Thorne was surprised by the effort put into the party. Banners bearing the sigil of House Lockridge—a helmet adorned with a long spike on top—fluttered gently above the guests, casting long shadows on the marble floor. Garlands of autumnal leaves draped from the vaulted ceiling, their warm hues adding a splash of color to the otherwise austere hall. The music of a strin...

CHAPTER 125

Thorne stood in the center of his room, arms stretched out as a small army of servants buzzed around him like a hive of bees. One smoothed the sleeves of his midnight-blue coat, while another carefully strapped a sheathed dagger to his forearm, hidden under layers of fine fabric. A third hovered near his head, combing and tying his hair back into a neat, elegant style. A fo...

CHAPTER 124

Thorne stood in his room, the dim light from the lamp casting long shadows across the walls. The mansion was quiet around him, the kind of quiet that felt heavy with anticipation.  

On his bed lay the coat Uncle had given him—a deep blue, almost black, with silver embroidery tracing elegant patterns along the collar and cuffs. He ran his fingers over the f...

CHAPTER 123

The courtyard echoed with the sound of clashing blades. Thorne moved with effortless grace, his muscles shifting fluidly under his sweat-soaked shirt as he danced around the two guards. His twin daggers flashed in the early morning light, blocking and parrying the wild strikes of his opponents. They were strong, well-trained, but they were no match for him. 

“C...

CHAPTER 122

Thorne lay sprawled on his bed in Uncle’s estate, staring at the ceiling. His fingers absentmindedly fiddled with his mother’s pendant, feeling the familiar warmth of the aether as it pulsed faintly beneath the surface. He toyed with the flow of it, restricting and widening the aether, feeling subtle changes ripple through his body as the intensity fluctuated. 

BONUS CHAPTER: An Advanced Guide to Unlocking Awesome Skills [part 2]

Eliza followed the handler through the winding corridors of the guild’s underground stronghold, her boots making almost no sound against the stone. She had expected to be summoned tonight, she just hadn’t expected it to be so soon after eating. Not that it mattered. 

The handler, Rennik, was a man of few words, and she had no intention of making small talk. H...

CHAPTER 121

Thorne lay sprawled on the ground, trapped beneath a crushing weight. The midday sun burned down from above, a searing light that blurred the edges of his vision. His chest felt tight, as though the air itself pressed down on him. His body wouldn’t move—each limb heavy, too weak to lift even a finger. 

A shadow passed over him. 

She was there. 

Rhea�...

CHAPTER 120

Thorne’s eyes fluttered open, a wave of pain crashing over him like a tidal wave. His body felt like it had been shattered from the inside out—everything hurt. His vision blurred as he tried to focus, his mind a foggy mess. The world around him slowly came into focus, and he struggled to move, his muscles screaming in protest. 

With a groan, Thorne push...

CHAPTER 119

The golem stumbled, its massive foot catching on the uneven cobblestones, and half-fell into a nearby shop, destroying it in a cascade of splintered wood and shattered stone. The crash sent debris flying in every direction, chunks of masonry pelting the street and anyone unfortunate enough to be too close.  

Thorne raised his arms just in time, shieldi...

CHAPTER 118

Thorne stood alone in the dark alley, his back pressed against the cold stone wall, mind swirling with conflicting emotions. Part of him felt relieved that Rielle had left—gone from his sight, and out of his thoughts. But another part of him ached, as though it wanted to chase after her, to stop her, to say something that might change the course of things. He clenched his...

CHAPTER 117

Thorne wandered aimlessly alongside Jonah, the cobbled streets of Alvar’s noble quarter echoing under their footsteps. The morning light filtered through the tall, stately buildings, casting long shadows across the half-empty streets. But even the beauty of the noble quarter couldn’t lift the weight of failure that pressed down on his chest. His first outing as a foreig...

UPDATE

Hi everyone!

I wanted to give you a quick update.

I’ve finally finished Book 2 of Aetherborn—and with it, the Alvar arc! 🎉

The ending turned out to be quite the challenge, as I had to weave together every loose story thread into something both compelling and satisfying. What I hadn’t anticipated, though, was just how many battle-heavy chapters I’d have to write thanks to all the antagonists I threw i...

CHAPTER 116

Thorne and Jonah walked side by side down the cobbled streets of Alvar’s noble quarter, their footsteps echoing in the cool morning air. The sun was just beginning to rise higher, casting long shadows from the tall, imposing buildings that lined the streets.  

Each mansion they passed was grander than the last, their façades gleaming in the light, but no...

CHAPTER 115

Thorne stood still, arms outstretched, as the servant worked on the last fastenings of his jacket. The servant—a young, nervous man—moved with deliberate care, his hands shaking ever so slightly as he fumbled with the intricate silver clasps on Thorne’s cuffs. Thorne glanced down, catching sight of the young man’s furrowed brow and darting eyes. The servant was clea...

CHAPTER 114

Thorne had entered the mansion expecting someone, anyone, to greet him. The servants, ever-present and diligent, usually appeared the moment he stepped through the door. But tonight, the grand hall was empty, silent. It was peculiar, but given the chaos in the city, it wasn’t much of a surprise. The aether wave had shaken everything, including the well-oiled machine that ...

CHAPTER 113

Thorne lay sprawled out on the attic floor, too tired and in too much pain to keep standing. His body ached from the brutal events in the forest, and though his Lunar Regeneration had helped, the moment he stepped inside, the healing had stopped, leaving him to deal with the full brunt of his injuries. He winced, shifting slightly to find a less painful positi...

CHAPTER 112

Thorne moved slowly through the forest, each step weighted with the aftermath of the cataclysm he had unleashed. The destruction around him was staggering. Trees had been split, their trunks shattered and scattered across the ground like broken bones, while others leaned precariously, barely held up by splintered roots. The ground was torn and gouged in strange patterns, as...

CHAPTER 111

Thorne blinked at the notifications, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. He lay there, surrounded by the wreckage of the forest, his body aching from the battle and the explosion, but the words before him were pulling his attention in an entirely different direction. 

New traits? 

He wasn’t unfamiliar with power surging throug...

CHAPTER 110

Thorne gasped awake. 

The forest floor was cold beneath him, but it felt distant—like his body wasn’t truly there. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, each one an effort. His fingers twitched against the earth, but the familiar strength that once surged through them was gone, replaced by a hollow emptiness. The ground beneath him felt wro...

CHAPTER 109

Thorne stood frozen, his breath shallow, eyes locked onto the intricate shapes of aether floating above the dead panther’s body. The formations were unlike anything he had ever seen—interconnected symbols, shifting patterns that pulsed with an ancient, unearthly light. They moved with a purpose, not randomly, but like a story unfolding before him, a story so old it made him feel lik...