Prologue
People always talk about thin lines. There’s a very thin line between love and hate. Between being a ruler and a despot. Between genius and insanity. Between being a hero…or a villain. That good and evil are dependent on perspective.
On Earth, people talked about how the real monsters are human. In Andara, the actual monsters were ONCE human. But it makes you think–just how thin is that line? The mesmer are essentially this world’s version of a cogent zombie. The vantyr are some horrible version of vampires. Sylfae and pyrfae are the nightmares of fairies. Dopplegangers are the skin stealers. Dragons are arrogant shapeshifters. And yet…all of them can appear human. According to lore, they were before the gods cursed them.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
But they’re not even the worst monsters. High above them all sits this so-called ‘Dark One.’ The big bad evil pulling strings in the background. The most powerful of all…and it makes me wonder. If they’re the best of the monsters…am I the equivalent best of the humans? They keep asking me to join them, and I can’t help but think of the possibilities.
Travelers don’t always appear in the best places. They’re not always protected. What if the worst happened because the gods tried to bring over the best? What if they were once the same as me? I’m not perfect. The question is just how much it takes to twist a traveler? After all, every villain is the protagonist of their own story…
Day One – Wednesday. Includes chapters 1-8 of Siphon, New-Rumors
Jade arrives at The Green Dragon, siphons healing magic from Mike, is called a Zombie by Tina, encounters Lucas at the library, and faces down Raphael.
Day Two – Thursday. Includes chapters 9-15 of Siphon, Protein-Drained
Jade has a midnight snack, meets the Dracona interviewers, gets access to the library, and lights up her first glass sculpture, as well as her study room.
Day Three – Friday. Includes chapters 16-25 of Siphon, Analysis-Overload
Jade meets the royal family, decides on her school schedule, goes shopping with Camille and Tisha, sets up her workshop at Dracona, and meets a bunch of professors.
Day Four – Saturday. Includes chapters 26-31 of Siphon, Consequences-Bogeyman
Jade nearly dies from lack of energy, explains away her powers to a close group, signs a contract with Damian, reads in the library, is attacked by a mesmer and has a breakdown.
Day Five – Sunday. Includes chapters 32-36 of Siphon, Happy-Path
Jade goes to the East Gate, points out a doppelganger, creates plans for a trap, explores the church and learns of the creation myth, and ponders her new path as she researches travelers.
Day Six – Monday. Includes chapters 1-15 of Adapt, Virtue and Sin-Death
Jade starts school, has a run in with the guards, heals, receives tutoring in archery and small blades, is attacked by Brodie in fire, bonds fellacai in contractual magic, attends business, and heals Duke Vincent in the art gallery. She is attacked by the mesmer on the roof at The Green Dragon, and Frank is mesmer taken.
Day Seven – Tuesday. Includes chapters 16-33 of Adapt, Flight-Improvements
Jade learns to fly, visits the gate to heal guards, call a hunt, and participate in the orc attack. She heals students, attempts to create a light sword, and has tutoring in nature magic. After setting a contract with Brodie, she attended geography, water magic, and took over light magic. Offered to heal Kevin.
Day Eight – Wednesday. Includes chapters 33-45 of Adapt, Improvements-Mirrors
Jade sets a new record in the intermediate obstacle course, heals, attends tutoring for archery and small blades, attends lightning, illusion, and dark classes. She creates a communication network.
Day Nine – Thursday. Includes chapters 46-61 of Adapt, Secrets-Message
Kaylee and Jessica learn of her true ability. She visits the portals, interrogates a doppelganger, learns how to manipulate spatial magic, has private tutoring from Ashanna, makes crystals and enlists her friends to start her business, attended metal and wind classes, healed Kevin Elliot. Returned to find another mesmer attack underway, moving up the hunt. Tisha, Hayden, Hunter, and six others are mesmer taken.
Day Ten – Friday. Includes chapters 1-7 of Sense, Sense and Sensibility-Motives
Jade overdraws with siphoning again, says her goodbyes rescues a child in the crowds to the gate. She journeys to Basaigh Woods with guards and meets up with the scouts. She scouts ahead and locates the nests above the treetops using their taint, then builds a bunker. She fights oreither, beithiche, and a group of mesmer. Jade interrogates several mesmer to learn where the captives are held before they return to the bunker.
Day Eleven – Saturday. Includes chapters 8-16 of Sense, Truth-Responsibility
Jade leaves alone to rescue the captives. She kills another group of mesmer and learns that they were once human. She invades the main nest and sets it on fire, killing many mesmer. She’s stabbed by Tisha, heals the captives, and takes the mesmer Tevon prisoner. They head for the plains and ask for backup. The rescue party and shelter are both attacked by tialon. Jade’s captures beann on their way to rendezvous with the rescue party. In the city, they talk to Tevon before attempting to reverse the process, which fails.
Day Twelve – Sunday. Includes chapters 17-27 of Sense, Insight-Help
Jade has breakfast with her friends. She goes to church disguised as Jessica. She goes to the library and starts funeral arrangements for Christoper before reading. She goes to the castle for lunch, dance lessons, etiquette lessons, clothes fitting, and Christopher’s body preparation. They fly to the cemetery for Tevon and Christopher’s funeral. Jade collects branches, visits the slaughteryard, and has dinner with Allison’s family.
Day Thirteen – Monday. Includes chapters 28-39 of Sense, Unstoppable-Stories
Jade breaks the floor, then experiences rain before flying to the gate and getting struck by lightning. They greet three arriving delegations. Jade goes to Dracona, heals Jeremy, enchants and tests rings. She goes back to the castle for tea with the Saibreh delegation, where she confronts them about their tea. The party breaks up and the royal family conference. She creates a contract, they Saibreh agree and she binds them with magic. They have dinner with the Resaigh delegation and Jade shows images of Earth. She goes on a flight to the walls where she helps fend off an orc attack. She returns to the castle and Ashanna explains how they failed the travelers in the past.
Day Fourteen – Tuesday. Includes chapters 40-46 of Sense, Burn-Celebrate. Chapters 1-5 of Insight, Monsters-Guards
Tisha starts the day with burns. Jade learns how her fellacai were captured. They fly to Dracona for the arena challenges. Jade is challenged and overwhelms her opponent. She takes part in the great feast afterwards, then meets Eamonn and the Earth Guard to actualize her zoo project. She returns to the slaughteryard to pick up her order before going to the castle to get ready for the ball. At the ball, she realizes Frank isn’t doing well before she is made a duchess in an announcement from the king. News comes of an attack, and she takes a group to the gate before going through and securing the area from monster attacks.
Jade fights monsters before challenging the entire city to draw them to her. After a massive showdown, she discovers baby dragons. She retreats to an outpost at the wall to sleep and keep them separate from the populace.
Day Fifteen – Wednesday. Includes chapters 6-22 of Insight, Marked-Two
Jade gets marked by dragon sigils, then takes them on a tour of the city as she cleans up the streets looking for answers and collecting bodies. She discovers the husk of a burned library and sets them to help. Exploring, she finds and closes the gate of the Dark One and is implanted with the seed of darkness. She greets the dragons’ older brother Briar, and he heals her, restarting her biological system as well. She talks to the citizens and blesses a baby. A mass funeral is held for the city, and she catches seven doppelgangers and listens to the messages of the dead before growing a giant rainbow basaigh in memorial. An orator suggests she leave her queens behind to handle the new swarms of fellacai, and she leaves with Briar to sleep at the top of the Basaigh, ignoring all calls.
Day Sixteen – Thursday. Includes chapters 23-44 of Insight, Hashimoto’s-Family
Jade uses creation magic to convert 21 strong fellacai into queens. They descend and are invited to the Whitby estate for a morning logistics meeting. She offers to bond the queens to those she interviews and is given a room to use. She begins to meet potential bonds while experimenting with magic and learns she has a spiritual wound. She accidentally creates a mana bomb and turns back time to undo the damage. They retreat to the garden for fresh air and she thins out the prospects before growing a peach tree. She has a small altercation with the dragons when their parents show up. Xuxianara attacks her and Jade passes out. A showdown happens between her friends and the dragons before they finally allow the mother to ‘heal’ her spirit. They threaten her and she tells them to leave after a conversation with Tadashi. She holds a last meeting and bonds the remaining fellacai, before holding a small garden party for their families. After, she opens a portal back to Caoi and finds the royal family in her room to welcome her back before going to sleep.
