NOVEL NEXT Author's Note: End Of Book Two
Alright, before I start my spree of nonsense, imagine I'm standing in front of you, maybe in front of a window or something, with my hands behind my back.
Well, well, well… It seems you have made it to the end of Book 2. I didn't think you would make it this far and, believe it or not, I also didn't think I would make it this far! It hasn't been a year since I started Spiritbound, but we're closing in on it pretty fast. The story launched in December 2024. Only a few more months and we'll reach our one-year anniversary. How should we celebrate? Maybe with some apple juice on the rocks? Please, it'll be on me.
Or perhaps with a new sister story? Hm… I haven't decided, but it'll be something fun, perhaps a bonus chapter or more? I've been busy at work, writing a regression story that's set in the same world. It has a bit of a twist that I'm not sure people would like, but we're keeping it under wraps for now.
But let's run through our yearly checklist first.
- Write 500k words? (Only 100k left)
- Live a healthier life. (Still hitting the gym, gotta build some muscle and cut some fat)
- Build a backlog to launch Patreon (Insert awkward laughing emoji here)
- Read more books. (Done and done)
- Perhaps fight a kangaroo (or befriend?). (We lost this one, but we'll get them next time)
It looks pretty good so far, besides the third point, but we don't talk about that. As for the story, the new cover for book three is now uploaded. I try to keep these close to the nature of what the book entails. Some of you are a bit too sharp, for my liking. Maybe you should do some detective work. I recommend L.A. Noire for you fine fellas, cause even with the most subtle hints, you guys somehow take that for a mile. It's pretty funny; maybe I should try to hide it even more. There's a lot I want to talk about for the story so far, but let's just set some background knowledge out of the way first.
Aura System in a Nutshell:
One star: Awakening
Two Star: Flow/Manifestation
Three Star: Refining Control
Four Star: Properties (Provides a unique property that is attached with aura itself)
Five Star: Domain (Subspace battles under a unique set of laws)
Six Star: Applying Properties Of The Domain To The World (An efficient way to bring those laws into the world)
Seven Star: Presence (A crushing pressure that filters out those who are too weak)
Eight Star: Soul refinement (TBD)
Magic System in a Nutshell (You'll learn more in book three):
First Circle: Controlling Mana
Second Circle: Manifesting Basic Spells
Third Circle: Dual spell-casting
Fifth Circle: Seamless spell chaining (Chaining spells one after another, amount depends on skill)
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Sixth Circle: Bending The Foundations Of The World (You'll see in book three)
Alright, that's basically the gist of it and what's been revealed in bits so far on a high level. The general premise of aura is refinement of one's self and their soul. In contrast, magic leans more towards understanding the world and its truths. Divinity is its own category, but that's something that probably won't be tackled for a long time. Perhaps not even the third book.
Once we're in Book Three, it'll follow more of the first book's format without Tucker being an arrogant and crazy rookie. I sold his role a bit too hard still, because to this day I keep getting reviews about how shitty he is, but that was the point (at least that's what I tell myself), and you get to see his growth in the second book. He's far more seasoned now, aging almost like fine wine.
Those sons of bitches in the Emerald Tower are gonna get what's coming to them in the next book, and I hope you'll enjoy the tale. We'll learn Elder Pyron's motives and what is going on with the Empire. As you know, this may be the final addition to Spiritbound. I haven't decided yet cause I have a lingering attachment. It's like your first love, always hard to forget. I might decrease the schedule to one chapter a week after the third book, if I continue writing it.
There are many moments in the second book that I personally enjoy. I enjoyed writing the tavern scene and more of the slice-of-life chapters because, after all that hardship. After all the suffering and perseverance, it's great to have more heartwarming moments. What are some of your favorite scenes?
Spoilers Below If You Haven't Read To The End Don't Open:
I'll be honest; it was so hard to write the death scenes for all the characters. I had a bit of foreshadowing with Nemo dying, with him being the only one that wasn't grounded after the attack on the walls, and Luka with his trauma of survivor's guilt. Poor Alfred didn't get as much love, and the only reason I did that was because I didn't want everyone to expect other characters to die as well. It felt rewarding when I read some of your comments and saw how you teared up or had to stop. Those reactions meant I was doing something right.
It's been a wild ride. Didn't expect to write so much this year, but damn is it rewarding. There were times I wondered if Spiritbound was going in the right direction, but so far, everything has been pretty clear-cut. We know who the villains are, we know what's at stake. Now it's just a matter of taking them down.
Well, we're reaching the end of my ramble. Our time together has come, and I will now lie low for a while. I could go on about a lot of things. But instead, I figured it would be best to just allow you, the readers, to do a little Q&A session with me. If you have any questions you'd like to ask, feel free; I'll be happy to answer them.
I planned to do a poll of everyone's favorite characters, but that got ridiculously long. So instead, just drop their names down so I know who'll get a bit more screen time.
Thank you, my readers, for joining me on this journey, and I hope to see you when I return. I've enjoyed reading your comments and the support you've shown for the story. Since we've reached the end of book two, feel free to let me know your thoughts. Maybe follow, favorite, rate, or even leave a review? It would mean a lot to me.
Honourable mentions to those who've constantly shown support for my story (If you want your name removed, just let me know): Araujoson, Kamran1, Harls2, Happy Shark, RojetStar, StupidMinotaur1, Lynx83, Harimane, Kimosabae, CodexCleric, Hammerarm, MrFriendly, CharlyHa, Mocchi, Caine@73, Abexus, SoaringMoon, and many others.
That being said, I'm gone for a month, not two weeks. I lied before, hahaha. See ya in the next one~