ValentineDavis21

Ghor did not sleep that night. While he was no longer close to death, he did not feel well. Aethan's words had done more damage than any attack in the arena, words that burrowed into his brain like hot needles. They haunted him, echoing in his mind even as he slipped into a semi doze, sitting on the sand dune in front of the ship, the vigil he had claimed. He no longer thought the ship was a deity whose sole intent was to make his life miserable. It was just a ship, mysterious and dangerous, but

Thank you so much. This is a very helpful detail. The funny thing is I looked it up as well before writing the part where Aethan calls Bhal-Ghor a masochist. A thought that also crosses mind for when I do an edit is that I wish I knew another word to use. These characters are aliens with a different culture and language from ours so they might not use the word "sadist", because isn't that based on Satan? A couple of things: I know the last several chapters have been tense and miserable, but they get better after this...for a time. I will also say that things in the story, particularly after the Kharon-IV arc, things will not always be this intense, but I'm also developing a romantic relationship that spans a 1000 years and this is kind of the prequel to the main story. If my plans work right, this chronicle will be a 5-6 act story (split into shorter arcs) with the first 2 serving as set up for Aethan's Reign and Aethan and Bhal Ghor's marriage. I hope that's not too spoilery. Also it might be a few days before I publish another chapter. I have Chapter 3.22 done and am approaching the halfway mark of 3.23.er I have a final due on the 29th that I need to start working on, so I apologize for the wait. Also I know this has been a long arc with longer chapters, but I have to say this has been a blast to write. I don't mean that in terms of skill or anything like that, but kind of like Stephen King said "The story writes itself" and gayauthors for better or worse has always been my writing pad. Still I hope the pacing has been alright, that the reveals have felt earned and that the story at least feels like I at least have some idea of where this is going. Thanks for reading.

By the time Bhal-Ghor stumbled into Aethan's tent, the Cathesan was resting in bed, his head propped up on a stack of pillows. His face was drained of color and the lids of his eyes were bruised. Ghor had never seen him look so close to death. He hovered in the doorway of the tent, unable to move, tormented by emotions for which he had no name. It felt as if time within the boundaries of the tent had slowed, dilated much like time within the ship, unreality spreading through him waves. Tar

For the expedition team they had only been on the ship for a few hours. In the camp time ran differently. For Bhal-Ghor it took them over a week to return. For the first three days he sat avidly in front of the ship, watching it, hardly blinking, hardly remembering to eat or drink unless his body told him it was absolutely imperative. He had no idea of how long he would have to wait, only that he must. Even if it meant they never returned. Eventually the way would open again, hopefully before he

A face appeared on the screen, out of focus at first, blotted out by a dancing field of static that quickly faded as the camera adjusted. Aethan recognized the large bulbous head and the hard chassis of its jawline. While it was not the face of the cleric who stared back at him, it was of a similar make. The face of a Vrevil, what had once been the native species of this planet. This Vrevil was not as broad in the forehead or cheeks, did not possess the air of wisdom and mysticism that his cleri

For his part Aethan did not hear Bhal-Ghor call his name, did not know that the Ghrul had gone through such efforts to reach him. Once again he was back under the spell of the ship, traveling towards a distant point that had only made vague gestures in revealing itself. The answers were still waiting for them on the ship, had been waiting for them this whole time. Waiting for us to make the discoveries and uncover the truth, he thought. It did not cross his mind to think that he had given up hop

Time from that moment seemed to turn to liquid spreading around him. One could easily think that the time dilation effects surrounding the ship might have spread throughout the camp. It was really the oily transition of sliding from sleep into wakefulness and back again, forcing strength back into a body that had been pushed to the point of overload. There are consequences to sharing your mind and body with an alien priest, he thought. He would surface long enough to swallow a few gulps of water

For a moment he was so tiny he was like a tear traveling through a tear duct. One moment he was airless, catching his first subliminal glimpse of the universe, so far in the back of his mind that it would be a long time before he remembered seeing it. A twinge of the first sign of Transcendence, the twitch of a muscle, the first true sign of an interstellar deity kicking while in an embryonic state. He wouldn't remember seeing the domes of coin-sized pockets of light in a sea of dark, a cluster

Ghor had hoped that the ringing of blood in his ears would have abated as he marched across the camp, kicking sand in every direction, Aethan still cradled in his arms, but it did not. It only seemed to grow louder, building into a screaming pitch, the need to strike at something and spill blood tensing his muscles. He barely noticed that the sun had begun to make its descent towards night, the shadows lengthening. A part of him fought for control, a small voice reminding that he had a duty to p

Oh good Lord this story is so old. I was in my early early 20s when I wrote it. Please don't read lol

Yes, they definitely like each other, but Aethan is a lot more reserved about it. While he has his own difficulties expressing these emotions, they come from a different place. Ghor feels attraction but doesn't even know what the word 'attraction' is or the concept of what it means to truly develop a relationship with someone. Aethan is defined by the political pressures he experienced on his home planet. He's already had his ideas about himself deconstructed (like wondering if Vash truly cared about him or was just saying he did). In the past Ghor has said some things to him that has added to this emotional turmoil like when he said that Vash had basically been a slave in the second arc. And then there is the "I'm attracted to him, but I really shouldn't be, he's such a brute angle." I will tell you that there is about to be another major change. There is a sort of revelation that comes up that is quite brutal. I hope I didn't take too sharp of a left turn but sometimes scenes just write themselves and I had to see where this one would go. That's all I will say on that. As always than you for your comments.

Though they were only a quarter of a mile away from the camp or so, the journey seemed to cover twice the distance. A tense and heavy silence had fallen between them, an anathema to the passionate moment they had shared just a moment ago. Aethan was still reeling from that moment, unable to get the sharp musk of the felid out of his head, or the rough feel of Ghor's tongue as it scraped lightly over his flesh, licking away the tears. He despaired at the tension between them and found himself won

"Three days..." Tarkhon swivelled around in his chair, making a clicking sound deep in his throat. Both pairs of his eyes were wide with a mixture of amazement and disbelief. "I've been looking at the time stamps since I got up this morning, doing the math in my head, going over every theory I can think of and I still can't understand it." "Maybe you're not supposed to," Aethan said, while Xera circled around his chair for what had to be the fifth or sixth time, the screen of the data pad

Thank you, as always any comment is helpful and helps motivate to keep me going. I do want to give you a heads up that I will be posting chapters for the rest of the month but then plan to take a brief break with posting to catch up on some material. I do have a temporary stopping point in mind and will comment on that more in the next chapter.

For a few moments they were surrounded by darkness again with only the lights from Tarkhons and Kera's helmets to provide luminance. The squeal of ancient gears turning and the hum outside the doors once more reminded Aethan of the lift from the prison. He did not feel a wave for a home sickness for the industrial facility, for which the Threnbody had condemned him to a life sentence. As Ghor had told him once, he had never felt more free since arriving to Kharon-IV. After a minute or two

The shadows wrapped around the expedition team, swallowing them whole. The lights in the helmets of the protective suits cast domes of white luminance on the moss-covered walls, the walls glistening with moisture. Aethan could hear the echo of dripping water as it pattered against the stone floor. He walked slowly, his steps measured and cautious. He did not move with the same dreamy stolidness as he had the night before but it was a close thing. His eyes were fixed on the walls, his heart ticki

The tea was hot and refreshing, a balm to his sore throat, his raging thirst. It took all of his will not to down the rest in one gulp lest it scald the inside of his mouth. He could feel Xera watching him from across the tent, his four eyes filled with speculation and concern. Ghor also watched him, stationed in his usual corner of the tent, his arms crossed over his chest. Only the rapid tapping of his tail against the canvas wall and the ceaseless racing of his thoughts gave clue to the fact

When Aethan opened his eyes he was still enclosed in the arms of the felid. Ghor had not loosened his hold or shifted even a little. He rested on his side, facing the Cathesan, the cool front of his snout resting against the back of the Crown Prince’s neck. He could feel something else pressing against him as well = something hard and warm and only separated from his flesh by a thin piece of fabric. Aethan didn’t dare let his mind think about what it was. The Ghrul snored with such force that hi

The feet were massive, comparable in size to Bhal-Ghor’s hind paws, wide and rectangular shape with two long prongs that served as toes. Since there were only two feet Aethan could surmise that the creature had been bipedal; and judging from the size of it he could also guess that the creature was tall. Maybe as tall if not taller than the felid standing beside him, but probably not as tall as Gromm - but again that was only a guess. He whirled around, searching the shadows while Ghor rema

Aethan sat in the stillness, in the silence, and listened to the war waging inside his own mind. A wind blew across the flat expanse of desert floor, making the tent walls flutter and flap, a desolate sound that reminded him once more of how alone the expedition team was out here; and yet the wind was a gentle breeze compared to the tidal wave of sand and brutal force that he had experienced earlier. It was because of the object that they were safe. Though he could not see it, he could sense it

“A ship,” Tarkhon said. He sounded doubtful at first, tilting his head in Aethan’s direction but not taking his eyes off the object. They were all staring at it, transfixed. Then the Kaldari repeated himself again and this time he did not sound doubtful but fascinated. “Yes,” he said. “But if it is a ship it’s not of Threnbody design. It’s not like any design I’ve seen before.” Aethan listened, not sure what he was hoping to hear. He knew that the object let out a signal that could interfer

The journey through the desert was slow and agonizing. For every ten steps it seemed that Aethan only made five, having to pull his boots free from the ground and shake the sand off before setting them back down again. At first the adrenaline in his system and the need to preserve his own life had given him strength, filling him with a sort of buoyancy - and the keen concentration that came with having a problem to fix. But as the expedition team journeyed deeper into the desert, his strength be

He could only see the other rover because of the light reflected off the hull. It was impossible to tell how exactly far away it was, but it couldn’t have been more than fifty feet. In the storm it might as well have been a mile or two. And a mile or two could be a long distance when you could barely see your own hand in front of your face; a mile or two in treacherous weather could easily stretch to ten. He looked over his shoulder, wanting to duck back into the safety of the rover. With only t

I can't tell you how happy that makes me. And no worries on the lengths of the comments, just know that any feedback is appreciated. Particularly on character development, relationship dynamics, any insight you could provide. Even if there's something you don't like. I also just paid for a commission to have a working cover done so you will get to see what the characters are supposed to look like. Over time I will have more commissions done (I would like each arc to have a title card, but that will take time and money.) The next chapter is scheduled to post on the 31st. Thanks again for reading.

I appreciate your comments. There will be some rocky/tense moments ahead in future arcs, but the worst is behind them. I'm trying to go from enemies, to friends, to lovers. They're working on the friendship stage. Let me ask this: I know things were intense but did things feel realistic in terms of their conflict? Did the transition from fighting to communication feel too quick or was there a satisfying buildup to it? Or was it almost too triggering to read? Just curious for when I do an edit in the future.