Cane23

I actually agree with a lot of what you’re saying, especially that Luka’s choice shouldn’t be treated as “easy” simply because it was immediate. The speed of his yes only shows how completely Devin already outweighed his own survival in Luka’s mind. I just think Mezenga’s dilemma became larger than “I want Enzo near me.” Mister D deliberately reframed it into an impossible moral equation - Enzo’s ordinary human future versus the annihilation of every soul stored in the Tree. That’s what makes Mezenga’s hesitation so tragic to me. Luka never weighed options because, emotionally, his choice was already absolute. Mezenga did weigh them - love, guilt, survival, oblivion, thousands of souls...and that conflict is exactly what makes his eventual sacrifice meaningful. Which is why I find the ending with the Tree so beautiful. After centuries of harvesting, the first thing it chooses to preserve voluntarily is love freely given. Almost as if Mezenga’s world itself was changed by it.

It wasn’t quite like that… Mezenga, too, very quickly decided that Enzo’s future - not a spectacular one, but an ordinary human life - was worth his own death. But the price turned out to be much higher - disintegration of all the souls stored within the Tree. On the other hand, there is Luka. His “yes” came so fast that my heart skipped for a moment while reading it. Yes, it was immediate because of the enormous love he feels for Devin and his readiness to sacrifice himself for him. But compared to Mezenga, wasn’t Luka’s actually the “easy” choice? Wasn’t Mezenga’s decision closer to a true “Sophie’s Choice”? Paradoxically, Mezenga spent thousands of years harvesting souls with little guilt, yet when faced with the possibility of eternal damnation, he chose to save those souls and sacrifice his love instead by choosing to live. Which brings me to another thought - is what’s happening now the final acknowledgment of Mezenga’s sacrifice? By saving those souls, did he earn redemption through the love of the two boys, eternally carved into his Tree — and therefore into himself? After all, Mr. D said it himself: love is dangerous. It “sticks.”

I was wondering the same thing... but I suppose animals only sense physical characteristics such as appearance, smell, and voice. After all, even within their closest circle, only Julian noticed immediately. Most of the camp didn’t have a clue, even when Wylan/Ishan went full Ninja on them!

I've read the chapter - now I'm off to make a good, strong Turkish coffee... I'll comment again after the ritual is done! 😁

Free will doesn’t mean absence of influence or consequences. It means the ability to choose between possible actions within the limits of reality.

Give humans both free will and weakness, and the highway to hell builds itself

Bastien is one person when he is with Lawrence and a completely different one when he is surrounded by his friends. It is not easy for Lawrence to recognize his true face, to understand what Bastien really thinks, and what is merely self-defense.

What fascinates me about @CasualWanderer82's work is that no matter the setting or genre, the same central obsession always returns - hunger. Not just physical hunger, but emotional, psychological, spiritual, even metaphysical hunger. In The Malady of Hunger, hunger becomes desire so intense it starts consuming identity itself - the need to be seen, loved, possessed, transformed, saved. Characters devour each other emotionally long before anything supernatural appears. Even The Bad Education circles the same core idea in a different form - people starving for meaning, intimacy, recognition, escape from themselves. Different stories, different aesthetics, but always the same underlying wound. And now, with Mezenga, @CasualWanderer82 pushes that idea into literal occult territory. The vampire element doesn’t feel random or decorative. It feels like the ultimate manifestation of themes that were already there from the beginning - powerful people feeding on beauty, youth, longing, loneliness, and the desperate human wish to matter to someone extraordinary. Mezenga doesn’t just consume bodies; he consumes light, vitality, possibility - the very thing that makes Devin “Devin.” That’s why the supernatural in this story works for me. It doesn’t replace the psychological themes - it externalizes them. The horror was already present long before Luka discovered the ritual chamber.

Or perhaps he was sent by Mr. D... Though I can see the point of betrayal as the ultimate sin - the very one Dante placed in the Ninth Circle. So yes, Alexios may well have his own eternity of hell to endure.

It seems to me they’re the kind of people who avoid fighting for power and ruling over others... but I don’t think they would ignore the death and suffering of innocent people. Then again, their first goal is to save themselves, so no suicidal missions, I suppose...

Did I miss something, or was Alexios actually spared from revenge? 🤔

Great start...I like it's a present day story, not the old wild west... 😁

I was checking a bit about Walo on Wikipedia (I know, I know… not the most reliable source, but it was the fastest one I could find). Is it a coincidence, or was it deliberate that you published this chapter today? The text says that Walo was killed by the Turks during the Siege of Antioch on 20 May 1098… and today is May 21st. Although, of course, there’s also the difference between calendars to consider.

Classic English dark humor for a good morning! ☕️ Nothing pairs better with a read like this than a steaming, dark cup of Turkish coffee.

I’m glad Azula and Raith were able to have a sincere and open conversation without falling into anger or frustration. Many things are much clearer now, and I hope the letters from both emperors will help the Sura clan make wise decisions regarding the island’s future.

The siege of Antioch is slowly coming to its end. I was reading a little about it to see whether it was a bloody massacre, mainly because I’m interested to find out whether Darien will be able to keep his promise. It seems that these historical events are overshadowed by the later conquest of Jerusalem and the bloody outburst of violence that followed. That is going to be a real temptation for Darien and his group… and probably a harsh disillusionment as well. I remember the excerpt you shared with us - Wylan and Darien’s conversation about the future and, I suppose, the possibility of Darien eventually rising to the throne. From history, we already know who is going to become King of Jerusalem (sadly) and, with the hints you’ve given us, we also have some idea about our heroes’ return home.

If Luka only knew how close and simple the answer truly is… It is not hidden in books, dungeons, or photographs. It is not found in escape. It lies in an embrace, a kiss, and the final union of two bodies. Luka does not need to defeat Mezenga; he needs to conquer himself.

You think the body might be the prey, not the soul… or maybe both. After all, despite my expectations, Devin did feel unusually refreshed and well-rested the next day.

I remembered a line from Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie: “—and that is the end of poor, foolish, beautiful Arlena Marshall...” This chapter carries the spirit @CasualWanderer82's best works - devastatingly beautiful, heartbreaking, and deeply unsettling. First comes the feast, with Devin as the main course, because “some transactions cost more than others” ... A boy who dreamed of a house with a window facing something green... So unbearably sad. It makes me wonder... was it inevitable? If Luka had only opened his heart that morning... if he could have given Devin what Devin believed he was finding in Mezenga... could he have prevented this “soul harvest”? And still the question remains - how is Mezenga planning to break Luka...? Above all, my romantic soul keeps wandering - is @CasualWanderer82 writing a fantasy with elements of a fairytale? Is recovery possible? Can soul and body ever be united again... or am I only dreaming of an illusion?

Actually, this was a very entertaining chapter, I really enjoyed reading about those three squires learning to fight! I know it’s not the same civilization (maybe an idea for another novel), but Ishan reminded me of a samurai.

Okay, we can tolerate his hesitation because he didn’t have such great tutors.

Nathan is still hesitating, which is understandable considering he’s been straight all his life. Still, he needs to overcome the obstacles that exist mostly in his own head (the big head 😁). A BJ shouldn’t be treated as just a “job” when it’s actually something pleasurable that both partners should give and receive.

That’s classic Hugill humor. 😂🤣

Strange things are happening... curse, magic, illusion... Theodor’s comment that Vince and Jack are wearing “weird” clothes means the past is much older than I originally thought. That raises so many questions about Theo arriving in the city, growing up, and becoming rich and powerful in the human world. Even if they break the curse, will time continue flowing from that particular moment in the past, or, like in “Sleeping Beauty,” will they all wake up from a years-long dream and continue in the present?

Darien's tent is slowly turning into a medieval “Fire Island.” 😂