[Ikusa] Original Novel

Not sure if this'll reach many people but I figure it's worth a shot. Hi! I know that a long, loooooong time ago, I was sharing some details on my game project. It started here, but continued in different ways and for different topics.

Well, after some feedback for Beta 2, and considering how little feedback I actually got, I decided to change tack and adapt the story into a novel

Ultimately, I just want to share a few links down below. But before I do, I'll share a little context and lore for those who want to know.

•After considering the story I had versus the story I want to tell, some major changes came down in the form of which character to follow. So book one, Innocence, will serve as the backstory of the character who will ultimately change the world in books two and beyond - and the change will not necessarily be a kind one.
•I've figured out which character will be at the center of everything, and the answer is the same as I expected. A woman of power who goes against her very nature in order to learn what it's like to be human. It may be Kagai who changes the world, but it is Morianna who allows it to change.
•Pulling on everything I've learned from writing fanfics for the last fifteen years or so, I am pleased to share that some of the 'scrap sessions' I've had have resulted in wonderful dialogue interactions, tense fight scenes, and even a page or two of worldbuilding.
•And finally, while I don't mind sharing some excerpts and scraps, I am not going to repeat the same mistakes as before. I promise only to work on this book project and take steps to bring me closer to a full first draft. Deadlines are non-existent until I feel I can make them. This promise is more for me than anyone else; I can trust myself to write what I want. That is a supremely liberating feeling.

So! For anyone who wants to sample what I've worked on in the past year, here are a few to enjoy:

→The longest sample I'm prepared to share, here's an excerpt from chapter two of book one. At this point, the main character Kagai has become a student to Ark Crucile, and they are traveling with some of Kagai's classmates to a spot deep in the woods beyond their home city. This serves as the first real example of magic-based combat, and shows just one of the dangerous creatures the unprepared adventurer can encounter.
→The next sample involves a critical meeting between Kagai and the woman known as Morianna. Less focus on combat and more on Kagai's thought process, this shows how much he's willing to trust someone who orders him around out of the blue.
→The next sample picks up in book two, as the main characters team up with Morianna to undo Kagai's terrible work. But instead of attacking and mistrust, this one shows the growing relationship between two characters as they reflect on what they've seen and what they can do now.
→The final sample I wish to share is the 'final push' sequence in book two. The main characters have banded together to face the demon army that's come to lay waste to the human's capital city. Although there are armies behind them and beyond them, the group has their own goal - bring Morianna safely to highlord Xilian, the demon monster from her past who is launching this attack. This is also the most recent scrap session I've had in recent days.

In keeping with the spirit of the now-defunct game project, the story remains in a fantasy land filled with magic and monsters. But now, rather than fill a game with quests, animations, and choice trees, I work to fill a book with character, conflict, and the lessons I have learned over the last several years. And yes, despite my better judgement, I do still intent to have five books of this beast. Hey, it's no Song of Ice and Fire, but maybe it can be a decent Mistborn or Kingkiller. I can only hope!

~Leo