Hey all! Just a small update: The final book of Edge Cases is now officially on Amazon. Here's a full set of links to all books in the series:

Book 1, The Fabric of Reality: Amazon/Audible

Book 2, The Nature of Magic: Amazon/Audible

Book 3, The Meaning of Life: Amazon/Audible

Book 4, The Heart of Divinity: Amazon/Audible

If you like the series, please tell others about it. There isn't much more I can do to try to promote this series, and as much as I hate to say it, I think a part of me has more or less given up trying to market it for now. A big part of it is that I don't know how to market it. This story is too many things to me, haha. I thought I'd give it one last hurrah as far as marketing goes, but uh, you know. Emotional energy is unpredictable.

I wish I had a longer message to accompany this, but honestly the past month or two have been a lot. I haven't been able to do most of the things I've wanted to do. I don't want to turn this into a vent, though! Ultimately this is a celebration that I completed a book series, and I'm excited and proud of that. I'm also excited to keep going. I want to write stories about fighting in the face of oppression, about friendship, about the complexities of the relationships we carry with us.

That's kind of what I'm bringing with me (and also the entire purpose of this penname). Even if I want to explore more tragic themes one day, it won't be under this name. This name is for stories that carry that spark of hope, that belief that things can be better. It's what I desperately needed back during COVID, and frankly, it's what I still need now.

There are a lot of things I'd do differently if given the chance, I think. Like, if I got the chance to rewrite this whole series one day, I probably would. There's some stuff I overcomplicated and other things I didn't give enough time; there are aspects of progression & litrpg I didn't understand when I was writing this that I do now.

That's a long way away, though. Here's hoping.

Still, in celebration of this final book launch, let's see how the cast is doing, shall we? I promised I'd do little vignettes, and to be quite honest I haven't had the time. I'm writing this release message two days late! Quite frankly, this is going to be unedited and spontaneous.

But I mean, I'm revisiting comfort characters and a comfort story, so hey. Goal's just to have fun. Whether it's canon or not is up to you (or me, if I ever decide to write more). The start of this is just saccharine Derivan/Vex stuff, so if you don't like that, I don't know, I guess scroll down more?

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Derivan sat focused on the forest floor.

There wasn't much that could disturb him. A gentle breeze blew through his armor, creating a hollow, echoing sound that Vex had once described as music. Blades of grass tickled as they brushed against him, more sensitive on his renewed arm than on his original one. He shifted slightly, trying to focus.

The warm weight in his lap was proving very, very distracting, though.

"Vex," Derivan said. There was a note of fond exasperation in his voice. "You are moving too much."

"You're moving too little," Vex said, sticking his tongue out.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"That does not make any sense. We were told we need to be still for this process."

"It works better for me if I'm moving," Vex complained. He pulled himself out of Derivan's lap, nearly smacking the armor in the face with his tail as he did; Derivan simply swayed on the spot to avoid the blow, amusement flickering in his eyes. He'd done this enough times now to know when to dodge. "Can't we just do more magic research?"

"It was your decision to do qi research," Derivan said, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. Vex was a natural for the forces of magic and mana; that talent, it seemed, did not transfer to the realm of cultivation. His poor husband was still upset about that. Every week or so he'd drag Derivan out into the forest so they could try their hand at cultivation once again. "Perhaps you should simply do it your way? That has always worked for you before."

"I've tried that," Vex whined. He huffed and plopped himself into the grass beside Derivan, and the suit of armor reached out, automatically intertwining their fingers. It still fascinated him to see that juxtaposition of armor and scale—Vex's hand was so much smaller than his own. "It doesn't work either way. I think I'm just not cut out for cultivation."

"Or," Derivan suggested, "you simply haven't found the right method for you yet."

Vex's response was simply to lean against Derivan's shoulder. He was silent for a long moment, but when he looked up at Derivan, it was with that smile Derivan had grown to recognize was reserved just for him. "You always have so much faith in me."

"You have given me much reason to have that faith," Derivan replied simply.

The air above them rustled, interrupting the moment. Derivan glanced up, entirely unsurprised—he'd sensed Sev and Misa on their way minutes ago. The enormous flying sword they stood on came to a sudden stop, and Sev yelped as he started to go flying, only for Misa to immediately grab him by the collar.

"Thanks," Sev said, dangling from a hand. Misa grinned at him, then turned her gaze to the other two.

"I heard you two were trying to cultivate again!" she said. "Came to watch. Unless we're getting in the way of your private time. Then we'll leave again."

"Any chance we can do it not via flying sword?" Sev asked. "I still hate heights, you know."

"How else are you going to get used to it?" Misa leapt off the sword, landing on the ground with a ripple of energy; Sev let out a groan that spoke of motion sickness and lethargy. Derivan just watched on in amusement.

Both Sev and Misa had adapted to this new energy with surprising ease. Misa was somehow the best among them—she had an affinity for it, apparently. According to her, the process of gathering and compressing qi was "like wrestling, which she'd gotten a lot of practice with recently".

Derivan had chosen not to question it.

Sev was further behind, but not by much. For the most part, they still relied on their conventional powers, granted by the system, but, well...

Misa really liked that flying sword.

"You aren't getting in the way of anything," Vex piped up. "I've missed you guys."

"It has been a while since we watched the stars together," Derivan said.

It had. There was always so much to do. They were rebuilding a world, after all, and the more they rebuilt the more they found evidence that others had been here once—others that were now gone, as far as they could tell. But they'd left behind treasures and dangers both, and the four Anchors were almost always occupied dealing with one disaster or another.

That didn't mean they didn't still find time for one another, though. They stole moments like these when they could. In the middle of nowhere, away from the troubles of rebuilding society, where the stars still shone through the trees...

Derivan looked up at the stars.

"A different universe entirely," he murmured. "And the stars still feel the same."

They'd fought for this sky together. For the gleaming possibility that hung in a million million stars, each blazing with life and potential. An adventure contained in every one. They hadn't even scratched the surface yet. Derivan remembered recreating the night sky for his makeshift family, remembered countless nights looking up at the emptiness that should have been more.

This was a different universe, it was true. The stars were different. The constellations were different. But the feeling he had, looking up at the stars?

That was the same.

And he didn't need to look around to know the others all felt the same way.

"We're gonna see the stars one day," Sev said. "I'm going to rebuild the Arc for it."

"We aren't even done exploring this planet," Misa said, snorting. She couldn't hide the gleam of excitement in her eyes, though. Sev shrugged.

"Yeah, it's going to take a while," he admitted. "But one day, I want to go out there."

A small pause, and then a more tentative question. "Think you guys will come, when that day comes?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Misa grinned.

"I do not know what the future holds," Derivan said. He squeezed his hand around Vex's, felt the lizardkin squeeze back. "But I cannot imagine that future without all of you."

The three of them looked at Vex, who blinked.

"...What?" he asked. "Of course I want to go to space. Are you kidding? If I'm in space, I'm not just gonna be a wizard."

His eyes flashed. "I'm gonna be a space wizard."

The laughter that followed echoed through the forest. Derivan could only shake his head and pull his husband close.

"I will be sure to get you a medal," he told Vex fondly.