Kalinor blinked his eyes open and looked around. He was in Vythin’s bedroom, a woman he didn’t recognize sitting next to him.

  "Who are you?" He asked.

  The woman looked up from her book and gasped, "You’re awake! I must send for Lord Goldenscales."

  "Do you mean Vythin?" Kalinor asked as she left the room. Strange, he thought as he lifted his arm. He paused and stared at the raised limb. I can move? I can talk! Kalinor laughed to himself and moved his arms and legs. I hope that never happens again. That was horrible. Like being a prisoner in my own body. I'd forgotten the feeling. He heard a knock at the open door and saw the dryad, Yvilli, standing there...but she looked different, more of a glowing green spirit and not a plant-based creature.

  "May I come in?" She asked

  Kalinor nodded as his stomach growled loudly, "I must have been asleep for quite some time. What happened?"

  Yvilli sat next to him and handed him a small grass-woven basket of berries. Kalinor took it and scarfed them down. "You’ve been sleeping for three Seasons." The flavors of the fruit surprised him; they were more pronounced and he could taste the exact notes of sweetness and tartness.

  Kalinor swallowed, "That’s a long time. Got any water?" Yvilli shook her head. "Who was that woman earlier?" he asked.

  "One of the new arrivals. She is a…well, I’m not really sure. I've not been around for a while..."

  Kalinor sat up all the way and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, "What happened?" he asked as he looked down. Instead of seeing himself atrophied, as one would expect from weeks sleeping, he was instead well-muscled and toned. He felt lithe and full of vigor.

  "It’s better if you wait until-" She was interrupted as Vythin ran into the room as he slammed the door shut behind him.

  "Hey there, handsome. Everything okay?" Kalinor asked.

  Vythin ran over and hugged Kalinor, his chest heaving with exertion, "You’re okay! You can move!"

  Kalinor pulled Vythin onto the bed next to him as Yvilli dissipated into nothingness, a faint smile on her lips.

  "Yes, I can move. What happened? Where’d Yvilli go?"

  Vythin laughed and cupped Kalinor’s chin, "You’re a god now."

  Kalinor tried to remember before his sleep, but things were hazy; his dreams nonexistent in that time of quiet solace. "How’d that happen?" he asked. "The last thing I remember was a bright white light."

  "You were completely helpless. Your soul was tainted. Lux and Slate barged in and cut you open, put a shard in you, and healed you." Vythin ran a hand through Kalinor's hair, "I have to tell you...it was Umbra. Slate worked out that she possessed you when you were at the Shadow Isle. She used you to hurt me and then pulled her power away from you. It returned you to what you were before she adopted you."

  Kalinor felt sorrow and anger, "She just threw me away like that? I was never really a worshipper of hers, but I always felt...special, because of how her priests treated me." Kalinor felt sorrow well up in him, like a chasm that yearned to be filled. “She adopted me? And…just used me?”

  Vythin hugged him close to his chest, "I’m sorry you found out this way. But she’s...evil. There’s no other word for it."

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  Kalinor hugged him back, "I...need time to process all this...but I have you." He looked up at Vythin, "I love you, Vythin. I don’t want to leave you, ever."

  Vythin looked down into his eyes, "I know."

  There was a knock at the door and Vythin groaned, "Who is it? Can it wait?"

  The door slammed open and a robed, hooded figure walked in; a large book suspended from his belt and a small glass orb floating next to him, filled with swirling silver sand. A staff made of bronze in his other hand, the figure swept his hood back and smiled; "It could wait, I suppose. But I’d rather not. Time is a fickle mistress."

  Vythin released Kalinor, "It’s good to see you. Did you find out how to stop The Void?"

  The unknown Ayshor shook his head and closed the door, sitting down in the chair next to the bed, "No. But, I have an idea. There’s a place in The Void...somewhere. I’m on the verge of figuring out how to get there." He looked at Kalinor and smiled, "Congratulations on becoming a god! How does it feel?"

  Kalinor looked at Vythin then back at the mage, "Amazing. But who are you?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

  "This is Zohkah. He’s from the future," Vythin said.

  Kalinor chuckled, "The future? You’re joking."

  Zohkah smiled, "Vythin can fill you in later. For now, I’m curious about what type of god you are. Care to find out?"

  Kalinor nodded and Vythin stood up, standing near Zohkah, "It’s going to be that sand thing isn’t it?" Vythin asked.

  Zohkah nodded, "Yes. Lay down, Kalinor. This will take a few minutes, and you will feel some warmth," Zohkah instructed.

  "And close your mouth," Vythin added.

  Kalinor followed the instructions and Zohkah began to intone some spell, weaving creation to his will. Kalinor recognized some of the phrases being uttered, but others were completely foreign that he had never heard before, not even among the spell theorists at the Archrune College. Maybe he really is from the future. The orb full of sand began to swirl above him, and a fine powdery layer of the substance sprinkled over the New God. Zohkah spoke a final phrase and the sand lifted from Kalinor’s body, forming words in the air above him.

  Shadow. Stars. Void

  Zohkah froze in place for a few moments before looking through the book on his hip, "That can’t be right..."

  Kalinor spit out a few specks of sand that fell in his mouth, "Am I still a mage?" he asked, suddenly panicking and unsure if he still had access to his Quintessence, but unable to try since he did not have his staff.

  Zohkah nodded and put his book away, bewilderment on his face. "Yes, you can still draw upon your body’s Quintessence to use spells. You are a god now, also, so you have heat you can use to perform miracles. Perhaps even using it to fuel your spells in an emergency." Zohkah paced around the room and muttered to himself, his face screwed up in deep thought. "Hmm...Shadow is good. Stars is esoteric but not unheard of, so some control over souls….Void, however…" Zohkah threw his hands up and sighed in frustration, looking at Kalinor, "I don’t know what to make of that. I thought that The Void... It shouldn’t be an element of creation if it corrupts creation...hmmm…"

  Kalinor frowned, "Do you think it will corrupt me in some way?" he asked as he felt trepidation and fear rise in his gut.

  Zohkah shook his head, "No, I don’t think so…I would err on the side of caution and carefully experiment with your godly powers. Maybe even restrict yourself from using them. I'll do some research and get back to you.” He walked to the door and opened it, "I’ll return. From my count we’re missing two gods out of the six that are supposed to be based out of this city. If my future is to come to exist...I’m going to find them." Zohkah smiled gently, "Enjoy your time together. With how busy things look around here, you are going to need to take advantage of every second together." The mage from the future left with a wink. The door closed softly behind him of its own volition.

  Kalinor laid back on the bed and sighed, "A god...That’s going to take some getting used to." He felt overwhelmed, but good. A surge of emotions swirled in him. It was almost too much.

  Vythin laid on the bed next to him, curling an arm around him, "I know what you mean. But I’ll teach you...Being bound to The Void in some way is concerning, but I promise you that I’ll do anything to keep you safe."

  The man's presence was a warm comfort and dashed the feelings of being overwhelmed, replacing them with a placid acceptance. Kalinor chuckled and rolled onto his side, nestling into Vythin, "Thank you." He looked up and into Vythin’s golden eyes feeling very content, the aching emptiness from the revelation about his adopted mother filled with passion and sheer joy at being in this embrace. "I love you."

  Vythin kissed Kalinor, "I love you, too."

  Kalinor wrapped an arm around Vythin’s body, "You know, I’ve been asleep for a long time, and...well..."

  Vythin seemed to get the hint as he pinned Kalinor down and kissed him passionately, lightly growling in his ear, "You’re mine...and I’m yours."

  And thus, Book 1 comes to a close! Thank you for reading Shards of a Shattered Throne! I have all of Book 2 plotted out but it is only about 1/8 done. The game plan is to work on Book 2, Scorn of a Sanctified Throne sometime this summer...if I have time.

  I'm a busy author and a full-time teacher! I have several stories that are ongoing. , which has Book 1 on Kindle Unlimited, needs to keep getting its 5 chapters a week (10k words on average). needs to keep getting its 3 chapters a week (6k words on average).

  In other words, this story will be marked as Completed until I finish Book 2. When I have written Book 2, it will get daily chapter drops until it is fully posted (just like this first Book had).

  This is a duology and so Book 2 would bring it to a final close. But Book 2 is plotted out to be twice the length (200k words). And as I have contracts with publishers for my two other stories above...this novel's sequel is on the back burner. Meeting my contractual obligations is more important to me than finishing a partially completed story.

  I do want to finish this story, because it is near and dear to my heart. So! To give you a bit of info on what Book 2 will entail, please click the Spoilers box below for a very basic overview.

  Make sure you leave an Advanced Review / Review / Rating! Give your honest feedback and opinions! Keep the story on "Follow" so you get notified when Book 2 begins to do its daily-chapters-run!

  Regards,

  SerasStreams / Alex Econome

  Scorn of a Sanctified Throne) will have 6 rotating POVs. Vythin, Isaac, Slate, Kalinor, and two more gods who were mentioned in this story already:

  It will focus on the conflict with Umbra, along with figuring out the mystery of where Caelum went to, and deal with defeating The Void. And, you will learn more about why Zohkah is doing what he is doing.

  If you are liking this story, here's the full list of what I've written or am writing! Go check them out!

  Ruinous Return is a Dark Fantasy, OPMC, Isekai Empire Builder! [Amazon Link]

  Dark Matter Ascension is a Fantasy/Sci-Fi LitRPG Adventure! [Amazon Link]

  Last Lord of the Fey is a Progression Fantasy! [Royal Road Link]

  Echo's Evolution is a Grimdark, Isekai, LitRPG! [Amazon Link] - This one is also a sequel to this series, taking places some 300 years after. So, possible spoilers for Scorn of a Sanctified Throne (Book 2 of this story).

  Imbued is a Modern Superhero story! [Royal Road Link]

  Dark Type Ascension is a Pokémon FanFic, doing a Dark Fantasy take! [Royal Road Link]