Cynus

Thank you so much! I appreciate your words and your perspective, and thank you for sharing that quote as well. I have similar feelings regarding tragedy, and it's my favorite tool to use in my literary toolbox.

Definitely true.

I am lost without myself. This is as true for me as you. Not so much the my, but the self is always true. Are you? What self would cheat and lie, look destruction in the eye and spit in face of all creation? Surely not I, nor mine? But I lie, And I cheat, and I spit as I stare into the chaos, swirling chaos in the distance . . . The path of most resistance. Where the cyclone tears asunder, every careful dream and wonder, every hope and madness that I could 'er achieve.

I'm sorry it didn't work for you.

I was doing something different with this series. This is all about the psychology of one specific character. That's what the entire story has been about since the beginning, really. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the series is structured to alternate between present and past. Book 3 will return us to where we left off in Book 1, but Book 2 is meant to give understanding and perspective.

I'm working on chapter 17 of book 3 right now, and I just wanted to let y'all know, you guys are in for a crazy ride once we get there.

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll check out more of my work while we wait.

Glad they helped!

I've been there, unfortunately. I've released ahead of being finished twice, and both times it stressed me out immensely. Not only because I wanted to finish the damn story, but also because I felt I was letting down my readers.

Yeah, unfortunately it will be awhile before book 3 is ready. I'm not finished with it yet, and I don't like to start posting before the book is finished.

He is not, but that would be epic, wouldn't it? It was Vinh's mentor in the order, who would've been the Grandmaster before Valkean. If I ever construct a Wiki for this world, I'll be sure to add that little detail. If you have the time, I'd love if you could review the story as well. I appreciate you reading it and offering feedback! I'd love if you would write a review of the story as a whole, if you have the time or inclination. That is a beautiful observation, @Atheugorei. Drawing parallels between Salidar and Grim... Oooh, you've made my day with that one! Grim would probably stare at you for a moment, nod in acceptance, and go on with his life. Salidar would laugh outright and figure out how he could use that knowledge to manipulate Grim. I like your view on the metaphor with Jan/Grim, too. Thank you. I'd love to see your thoughts on a review as well, if you have the time. Vinh is one of the few characters I've written whom I never second-guessed. I always knew exactly what I wanted to say with him, and his parables surprised the hell out of me. I am so happy that you're able to see the youth of Prism and Grim in their adult selves. That was something I knew I had to get right, and if your comment is any indication, it looks like I hit my mark. Janlynd did what she could. I'm not sure where the line is, but Ghayle indicates that the Trial could've been prevented even after it began if the world had started learning its lesson, and that Janlynd helped swing things back in that direction, it just wasn't enough. At least, that's what I TRIED to write, but I might've failed on that one. We do indeed return to Styx and company! But, there will be some other familiar faces as well, and plenty of new. Get ready for it, because it's going to be a good one. If you have an opportunity to review the book as a whole, I'd love to see it. Thank you to all you wonderful people for reading this book! I'll see you at the next one. I'm not sure when it will start posting. It's not finished yet, and I don't want to start posting it here until it's done. If you'd like to start reading it, however, feel free to check out my Patreon!

@Nancer has it correct. And I'm so glad you like Kaeral! I adored writing him. He was in the original script for this story back when I first started planning it, so I'm glad he kept his place. Thank you! I love this comment so much. This was a concept I wanted people to think about when comparing Ghayle's perspective against Prism's, not to mention to motivations of all the other characters. The motivations are what I really wanted this book to be centered around. Why did Ghayle do what she did? Was it justifiable? What about Prism and his oaths? Grim and his cultural identity? Veil and hers? Kaeral and his family and friends? These questions all come down to the same thing. Perspective, as @drpaladin mentions here. How does it look from the outside, compared to being inside their heads? What decisions would we make when faced with similar situations? Are we the gods laughing, or the ones being laughed at, or are we both at once?

Prism and Grim walked into the training grounds for the first time since Prism's failed execution. Master Vinh had requested their presence at the apple tree before they left the Temple. Despite the dark memories they shared about the location, they'd reluctantly agreed to the Master's terms. When they reached the tree, Master Vinh sat among the branches, leaning against the trunk. He had an apple in his hand, but it remained unbitten as he rolled it between his fingers. When he saw them,

Grim stared at the closed gate of the Temple, longing for his sister beyond the wall. It had taken a day to leave, despite their best efforts to the contrary. Due to the deaths of several men—one killed by Grim and two by Kaeral—the Masters were forced to conduct an investigation. Some had witnessed the final moments of the situation, but in the end, Veil's testimony had freed them from responsibility. The Masters agreed that Grim, Prism, and Kaeral should leave for their own safety, and s

I'm glad. There's still a few more books to read, after all. And write, for that matter. *glances at calendar* I better get to work. Exactly. I'm glad you followed that. I never know if I managed to present all the information I wanted in a way that is easily understood, and I'm happy to see that this time it looks like I hit the mark. I'm glad you're excited! Makes me excited to write the rest of the series.

It is always interesting to put yourself in their shoes though, isn't it? Even as the author, I can't be 100% certain what was going through Veil's head at the time. Was she acting purely from a standpoint of tradition, or did she treat Grim this way to preserve her people? In a way, by exiling Grim from the Fedain way of life, she believes she is helping her people maintain a pacifistic path. Her logic is flawed, of course, but she believes she is doing the right thing. That, at least, is worth something. An excellent question. One well worth exploring in future parts of this series. Perhaps you'll get an answer in the future? I honestly didn't know how this trial was going to go until I wrote it. I let the characters run free, and this is how they chose to solve their problems. Veil surprised me here, the Masters behaved in the rational manner I always expected them to, but with Veil's help they were able to give Prism the benefit of that rationality. I think you are right about the Duke. Selfaeth had some flaws, but loving his children above all else was an integral part of him. He would've held Grim and cried for him, knowing the Grim must be in immeasurable pain for taking a life. He would've stood by him as Fedain law tore Grim apart, and despite the risk to his position would've continued to support him through everything. If he'd been alive, Veil would've followed his example. But instead, she was a new leader, dealing with the loss of her entire way of life, had seen so much killing and the results of it. Prism didn't mean enough to her that she could justify another death in his name, and certainly not by her brother's hand. She is confused by the nature of love, as @Wesley8890 pointed out, and as you point out here, she's also hiding in tradition. What will happen in the future between them? I think, in the moment, Grim acted on instinct. Instinct told him the surest way to finish this was to make the crowd see what he could do if they didn't release Prism. Good observation at the beginning there. In Shadow Honor, she speaks as if she'd seen Grim recently enough that you know she must have at least somewhat changed her perspective. Kaeral is a smart guy, isn't he? Veil was written to be the exemplar of Fedain culture in this book. Well . . . that's not true, really. Janlynd was, but Veil is trying to live up to her legacy and that of her father's. She doesn't entirely see what that means, however. I don't know how Master Janlynd would've handled Grim in this case, but I'm certain it would've been different. As for the reason behind Fedain rules? You're probably right. Aika, the oldest Fedain in the story, certainly has a different perspective about life in general than the rest of the Fedain do. There's a reason she's bonded with a predatory cat, after all. A brilliant observation indeed. I love how much you wonderful people are getting into this. What an interesting hypothesis! You have said exactly what I needed to hear. You let me know your thoughts, and I appreciate that so much. Thank you!

Prism left the memory behind him with wracking sobs, his whole body shuddering under the weight of Grim's nearly unfathomable pain. Despite the link they shared, he hadn't realized how deep the sadness went, how the events of that day had broken Grim. To his surprise, Ghayle held him, cradling him like a mother would a son. His head rested against her naked breasts, and his tears wetted her dark flesh, mingling with the white veins which pulsed and thrummed across her skin. Eventuall

"I had no idea they'd even spoken during that time," Prism said, slipping away from Ghayle's hand to consider what he'd just witnessed. "No wonder they became such good friends." "It must be interesting seeing them interact like that for the first time, without you serving as a medium," Ghayle said. "I remember the first time I introduced Tagren to Aika. They hated each other, but eventually became friends without my interference." Prism nodded, still processing what Kaeral had said,

Ghayle has to live in a world of justification, giving her position. She has to make decisions no one else has to make, and that means she needs to analyze every single move in an effort to be sure of herself. As for Veil... well, she has her reasons for things, too. They may not be good ones, but she is still the product of her upbringing. Kaeral... he was the fourth guaranteed character in this story. I knew I would have Prism, Grim, and Veil, but Kaeral came next. Ghayle ended up being a method for me to tell the story, and I knew I'd be bringing in a monk mentor but didn't know what form he would take. There ended up being two, in Valkean and Vinh. Kaeral, however, fulfilled the exact role I had always envisioned for him. He was to be Prism's cherished friend. I like to think that Grim's talent with healing is a little better than most, because he's studied what Master Jan has done and so he understands the intricacies of the cell. I also like to think it has something to do with the wound being fresh. The way I see the two of them, Grim is the better healer in terms of speed. If he gets to it quickly, he can do amazing things. Veil in the better healer in terms of technique, and can do things no other Fedain can. Sharis is a bastard, and I would rather I left him too. Unfortunately, the muse demanded he be there for the plot. Frickin' muse. That's the kind of thing I like to hear! I'm hoping it's an invested and can't wait to read the next chapter kind of speechless. Ghayle is supposed to be a knowing mother figure, so I'm going to take that as a sign that I've written her correctly, LMAO. Sharis can go die in a fire. Not that I'm trying to force you in that direction, but if you check out the Patreon link above, you'll find that for as little as $1/month you can read the rest of this story AND the first 8 chapters of the next one. Just in case anyone missed it, I like to remind people the option is available. I'm glad you're enjoying the book, and I hope to see more comments from you! Thanks for reading!

I delayed responding to this based upon what happens in the next chapter. Veil certianly has her reasons for her actions no matter what happens to Grim, however, and she certainly does want he son to live.

"No!" Prism pushed Ghayle away from him and screamed in her face, his eyes filled with wrath and anguish. "How many times must you make me watch him in pain?" "You already know the outcome. Why does this affect you so much?" Ghayle asked. "All the pain changed him," Prism said. "He lost himself in the wake of his father's death. He lost himself when he tried to end his own life. He lost himself when Khalis stole part of him." "That is part of life," Ghayle said. "We kill and di

Agreed. It was the symbolism I was going for over anything else. We'll be returning to Prism in the next chapter, and it shall be an interesting one.

It's not the castration itself which represents stillness, it's the castration of Grim specifically. The concept here was that abstinence is a form of stillness. I'm sure if I took a stance on the morality of abstinence, I'd end up in five debates before the day was done, so that's not by goal here before i begin. The goal is to talk about abstinence and how it affects this story. For the entirety of this story, Grim has been sexually attracted to Prism at a heightened level. We know that he's biologically wired a bit differently, and that as soon as he fell for Prism he fell hard and fast. He craves Prism at nearly every step along the way, and, of course, the problem arises when Prism takes his oaths. Prism's oaths--or rather, his strict adherence to them--prevent any form of acting on their mutual sexual attraction. Grim knows this and honors it to the best of his ability, but he struggles the entire time with it. Here, he doesn't. Here, Prism approaches him and offers, and Grim says 'no'. He would live in the stillness between them which transcended physicality, not giving in to the hopelessness which threatened the world. This is about Grim, and I realize reading it now that the pronouns are vague enough it could imply Prism, and that's a fault in my writing, I apologize. In the midst of Grim's despair, he sees this hope in the stillness between him and Prism. Prism has remained honorable (in Grim's eyes, anyway), he is a foundation for Grim to build upon, a lifeline for Grim to hold onto in all of this despair he's drowning in. Despite the pain it has caused Grim, Prism's abstinence now shines as an example of his integrity. And the purity comes in when Grim decides that Prism's continued integrity is more important than fulfilling his sexual desires. Again, I'm not arguing the morality of this decision, only the purity of it. Grim suppresses his sexual energy in order to keep Prism honorable to his oath of abstinence. In that moment, to Khalis' senses, Grim's sexual organs become symbolic of the Purity of Stillness. This is how I saw it while writing it. I hope it's an adequate enough explanation.

Glad it was exciting! Right? When the discussion happened last chapter, I was thinking about this one. I promise there's a lot of good things to come . . . though definitely some bad stuff too. The world is falling apart rapidly when it was already on the brink of self-destruction. Will this be the straw that breaks the demon's back? You're right to be worried about where the world heads from here. Oligan should not be trusted to sit idly by. The coming chapters should answer your Kaeral questions. Most of them, anyway. CROWDED PRUDITY: HOW DO SO MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN ONE SMALL SPACE WITHOUT SEX? FIND OUT TONIGHT ON THIS SPECIAL REPORT. I'm glad. I must have done something right.

Prism stepped away from Ghayle, slapping her hand away and fighting against the delirium of the memory. "I don't want to do this, Ghayle. These were the worst days of all of them. Worse than all the demons, worse than death." "You have to go through it, Prism." Ghayle kept her hands lowered, but the weight of her gaze lingered on Prism's face all the same. "You've blocked it out. You refuse to see the state of the world. You've drawn up blinders created from the good times, thereby prevent