Cynus

I wasn't specifically trying to conceal it, but I did want there to be some question of it for awhile.

Thank you for the comment! I really appreciate knowing what people enjoy specifically. And I try to make my magic as realistic (LOL) as I can. Or at least consistent, heh.

I always planned on Neredos being like this. And yes, I was going for an asexual vibe. I've been wanting to explore that a little more often in my works, as I tend toward asexuality myself.

Thank you for your comment. I did my best to imagine who they were as children. I like to wonder who they might've become if this hadn't happened, or the Demon War.

Indeed! I hope it's an enjoyable ride.

Veil missed her brother. Both brothers. It had been two years since Seldorym had died, almost to the day. She mourned him still, in her own way, though she had accepted his absence. At least the war was no longer going full force, and the shaky cease-fire seemed to be firming more with each passing day. Perhaps they would soon see a day where fewer pointless deaths had to happen. The cease-fire had come about as a result of the terrorist attacks that happened on the same day that Seldorym an

I'm grateful for this comment, @jt15136. I know the structure to this story is a bit... abnormal, so I'm glad that it's working for at least a few people, heh. Thank you so much for reading and letting me know what you think! As for the end, there's still one more book after this one.

"Did you hear the news, Neredos?" Alazyn said as she burst through the door of Neredos' one room apartment in Thalom proper. She had been living here for over a month now, sleeping on a pile of cushions in the antechamber. She hadn't complained once about the accommodations, much to Neredos' surprise, and treated the place like home. That meant bursting in with excitement whenever she had something to tell him. He didn't mind this behavior so much, unless he was studying for something import

There are five books in this series and a ton of characters, but I hope it'll be a rewarding read for you nonetheless. I'm grateful for you taking your time to go through all those comments and then posting here! Thank you so much!

The way things change and don't change over time is a major component of this story, but I promise it comes together.

Kobinaru's Grand Theater was as grand as Veil had remembered. It had been several months since she'd attended a performance there, but she still remembered playing games with Grim among the columns. They would hide and try to find each other, or simply run around and try to catch each other. But those were the games of seven-year-olds, and they were eight now. Her father, Duke Selfaeth of Kobinaru had told her many times over the past few weeks that it was time for her to start acting like a

Snow fell in sheets outside the library window, reminding Neredos of how cold it was outside. In the moments it took him to contemplate the flakes, he instinctively reached for the cup of drael sitting next to his books. It was at his lips in a second, a single sip of the steaming hot stimulant sliding down his throat. Drael was new to this region of Oligan, one of the few pleasant byproducts of the civil war in Lodan. Many Lodani refugees had crossed the border into southern Oligan over the

"Tragic Genius" is the fourth and penultimate book in "The Trial", a series beginning with "Shadow Honor". In this book, we follow the early days of the Demon War, and focus on the stories of Neredos and Veil predominantly, but with many other familiar faces as well. What does it take to make a leader, and how do the horrors of war twist a person's mind? How do we fight for good, life, and peace in a world full of evil, death, and pain? This is the heart of what The Trial means.

Thank you for your comments, and I appreciate your questions. I hope I will answer them adequately as the rest of the story unfolds. I promise there will be plenty more to come, and I believe it will be filled with excitement and intrigue. I hope to see you there!

Thank you all for reading this story. I appreciate all the feedback that has been given, and the comments have always made me smile. I apologize that it has taken me so long to respond to some of them. Personal matters interfered with my ability to mentally handle responding to people. Those situations are resolved for the time being, and hopefully permanently. I'm grateful for your patience with me. "Lonely Pride" is now complete, but "The Trial" continues. There will be two more books, and the next book should begin posting within the next few weeks. I'm still waiting on a few things to come together before it gets its public release. If you'd like to continue the series immediately, it is available for my patrons on Patreon (Link in my profile or chapter end notes). The next book is already available to read there, and we're halfway through the last book as well. Otherwise, the story will continue here shortly, so stay tuned! Thank you again!

Emotional decisions can make some compelling mistakes. There are two more. The next one will begin posting soon. Both of them are shorter than Lonely Pride by a few chapters. (Book 4 is available on my Patreon for my patrons, and Book 5 is just past the halfway mark there as well) Good points all around. There's also something else going on here, which will be explored at some future point in the story, though the hint is here now. As for whether Veil is Chosen. -shrug-

All the right questions to be asking, but our boys are also facing whatever comes with the faith Prism placed in them guiding them forward. There's a lot more to come.

I absolutely adore these observations, thank you! Drawing the connection between this and Bradeth's hunt is amazing, and I never thought of it that way. You're amazing, and thank you so much! I'm glad to have sated your gambling urges today, heh. XD

It is amazing how one man's single choice can completely alter the course of history. Destroying the Everbright City so violently was something that I was inspired to do in the moment. As soon as I did it, however, it felt correct, and the rest of the story was determined as a result. I struggled more with this book than I did with any other in the series, it was because I didn't know how to resolve this particular situation. Hount was my answer, and I love him for it.

@drpaladin - I appreciate the summaries you give in your comments. They help me look back and consider whether or not I have included everything I want to include in a given chapter.I like the way you've analyzed the situation at hand, and I look forward to your reaction when you find out whether or not your analysis is proven correct. @Geoffrey257 - You ask some marvelous questions, and I'm really glad to see them. They help me see if I've laid the foundation I want to for things to come. I promise there is a lot more information on a lot of these points that we'll see in the future. @Sweetlion - This is also an excellent perspective, and I look forward to seeing what you think as more of this information is made available. We have a lot more ground to cover, and I hope to see you there.

Prism couldn't believe the sights he'd seen. First the death of Neredos, and then Veil. He'd thought both might live through the end of the demons at the rate things had been going. Yet even the mightiest of his friends were now laid to dust. And the world would know demons again, in far greater numbers than they could handle. Many people would soon die, more than already had from the explosion, the plague, and the battle between the rebels and the Knights. It was all starting again. He

Veil healed Drake the moment he was laid before her. She left his missing arm alone, knowing Grim's words to Maxthane to be perfectly true. To artificially heal a missing limb meant creating something alien to its owner. It could turn against its master; could fail at the worst time. Sometimes it was better to accept loss. Sometimes . . . she glanced upward, staring at the hole leading to Pentalus. Loss. Everything she had built was now gone, and it itched like a missing limb, phantom pains

Despite everything happening around him, Kirra drifted off to sleep. The pain had finally taken him, driving him into much-needed rest. Or, at least, it was an attempt at rest. Styx's comforting touch at his side wasn't enough to ward against the forces waging inside his mind. His dreams were filled with a thousand haunting images. It started with the blast, the horrible explosion that had sent him careening from the rooftop to the edge of the abyss. He'd crawl off the rock, his body aching,

Maxthane pulled away from Bradeth as soon as they arrived on the teleportation circle in The Shade. He blinked into the darkness around them, wondering at the strange sensations in his body. He could feel the clamminess on his skin; the dampness that permeated The Shade. It was so different from the air in Pentalus, and the abrupt shift sent a shiver down his spine. "Wow . . ." he said, "that was like nothing I've ever experienced. Teleportation is something I never thought I'd see, much les

The explosion left a ringing in Kirra's ears. They twitched wildly, as much from pain as from the residual magical energy in the air. He looked up from the rubble, dazed and confused, trying to piece together the last few seconds. It had begun when he noticed the golem started moving again, and he shouted out an alarm. To those watching on the rooftop, their alarm had quickly become confusion as the golem moved in the opposite direction, running away from them through Pentalus. Seconds later