Duskbound - Chapter 23

Facing bankruptcy, a beekeeper crosses over into a magical fantasy world, gaining the ability to control bee swarms. Leveraging magic, he cultivates diverse mutant bee species: efficient honey-collecting bees, formidable combat bees, and entirely new bee species with extraordinary abilities.He explores this fantastical world, bringing back various nectar-bearing flora for cultivation, creating magical honey imbued with enchanting effects, and distributing it to all corners of both worlds. While he becomes renowned as the Honey King of his original world and an elite beekeeper, his fame also spreads in the magical world, where he’s known as the Bee Whisperer of the Black Forest.The latest edition of the “Black Forest Adventure Guide” specifically warns: “Never attempt to provoke him, or his bee swarms will not spare you! Don’t ask me how I know!”

I, a mere con artist, was unjustly imprisoned in Tantalus, the Abyssal Prison meant for the most nefarious of criminals, where I met a regressor.

But when I used my ability to read her mind, I found out that I was fated to die in a year…

and that the world would end 10 years later.

Sienna Monroe and Caleb Sinclair have been in a relationship for three years and married for three years. They were as close as could be.Until one day, a strange text message informed her that Caleb Sinclair had cheated.She originally thought it was a prank, but she didn't expect to witness him embracing another woman and kissing her passionately.At that moment, the years of happiness and joy collapsed in her heart, completely sinking into an abyss.Later, guided by the text message, she successfully obtained evidence of Caleb's infidelity and the gifts of villas, bags, and jewelry he gave to the mistress. She then entrusted Sebastian Prescott, the top lawyer in Imperial City, to handle this divorce lawsuit.When the truth came out, Caleb Sinclair, with reddened eyes, begged pitifully, “Sienna, I was wrong. I really love you. Please give me another chance.”Sienna Monroe's heart was already filled with disappointment, “Your love is too filthy, I don't need it.”Everyone in The Capital Circle knows that in the legal world, Sebastian Prescott is noble and aloof, an untouchable and unattainable figure.Sienna Monroe thought the same, but it was precisely such a person who said to her, “I can help you heal, would you consider it?”

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)