Credits:

Story by Xcaliburnt.

Cover Art by @Bervolart.

Magick, the power to bend the laws of reality. All because of a mystical substance known as mana.

Mages follow the Paths to achieve power, for there is no more addictive chase. Each Path winds and twists, forcing mages through the flames of adversity and challenge. Though the operative word is "path", the reality is far less straightforward. Instead of a road, Paths are like the branches of world trees, erupting into the heavens, intertwining, and ending in sharp snaps. Only the strongest reach the sky. There are several Paths, and many Ways to walk them—variations of the same Path, and like the stars, they are endless.

Magick is the sacred flame that scours the fat, rendering the truest self. Superfluous flesh melting away to show the skeleton of one's being. A chance for ascension—apotheosis. Though not every mage works to godhood, if they survive long enough, It is inescapable.

Witness the lives of those that tread the knife's edge of self-destruction. Each one intertwined in their search for answers, revenge, and, most of all: power.

These individuals have all lost something precious—irreplaceable—and In search of filling the void left behind, they have taken up the mantle of a mage.

Per aspera ad astra.

Ad mortem vel divinitatis.

(Through adversity to the stars. To death or divinity.)

There is no consistent release schedule except my consistent inconsistency. Besides, there's like a thousand pages worth of content, how can—you already read it? Goddamn.

Oh, and there is a very long hiatus between volumes as I intend to edit and rewrite a lot.

What to Expect:

This story is progression fantasy, so expect a healthy dose of training. It's also heavy on slice of life, and it isn't entirely overarching-plot-driven. Expect characters to live their lives, and not always be on some quest to save the world.

There's a lot of magic theory and discussion about it in the story. So, if you don't like impromptu lessons on sorcerous theory by traveling monster slayers, this might not be for you. But if you do like it, rejoice! For there is a lot of it.

This is also heavy on prose, purple as a bruised eye. I use outdated, uneccesarily collegiate-level terms and play around with the writing style just for the heck of it. I find it fun to wax and wane poetic, and that might grate on you—I don't plan to change this aspect of the Paths much if at all.

Onto the viewer discretion is advised parts:

This is grim-dark/ grim-heart. Take the tags seriously.

There will be combat scenes that are brutal and horrifying. Fights to the death tend to be. This is a tale about medieval mercenaries (quite literal killers for hire), man-eating monsters, and eldritch gods beyond the material plane.

Beside that, there will be traumatic events that are best left unread. I do not detail certain acts I find heinous enough, instead leaving some parts unwritten but still alludded to if not outright stated; there is simply no graphic narration thereof.

This is not for the faint of heart.