Heya, Just know that these first chapters have glaring formatting inconsistencies on purpose. However, do know that these  first 10 chapters don't reflect the quality of the rest of the work. This has been a long 2 years of work on this, so the beginning is, unfortunately, worse than the current chapters. I recommend reading all of the chapters, even the beginning ones where we developed the world because those do contain relevant plot points. But if you don't want to, skip to 6. Return of the Brand. You are Nova. In a world of titanic floating trees the size of mountains and giant, majestic birds that wheel in the sky, you lead a quiet and peaceful life in your little world—a world of safety and solitude among your neighbors on one such Titan Tree. But, everything is not as it seems. You are suddenly contacted by a creature, an Aarkiel, who calls himself Tyrr'olni'nel'mul. He harkens a Storm, a great and terrible Calamity. However, he offers you the power to save yourself and those you love from it in exchange for your soul being his to observe. Strange dreams, a mysterious grinning face, and alien, sacrificial magic tear you from your home to become a Branded One, a person who is in the patronage of the magical beings known as Aarkiel. Do you take up the mantle, who you are, or throw it away in exchange for blissful ignorance? A shorter high fantasy novel without any super common Royal Road tropes from what I can tell. DISCLAIMER: The beginning of this story was written with the help of Novel AI. NAI had no part in any of the major developments, all plot points were created by myself and the readers. I stopped using NAI to assist the progression very early, around chapter 20, as the quality took a significant hit, and efficiency was at an all-time low, so the story is only slightly assisted.  Thank you for reading!