Fantasy

RAVEN'S GAMBIT. Content Warning.
Lira Valesong’s boots slapped the stone as she ran, breath heaving, hair whipping around her shoulders. Behind her, mist thickened like a storm cloud mid-howl.
By W.S. Klass8 months ago in Chapters
The Secret Drawer
Growing up, there was one rule in our house I never dared to break: Don’t touch the drawer in Dad’s study. It was an ordinary drawer in an old wooden desk — scratched, dusty, the handle barely hanging on. But to me, it might as well have been a vault. Dad’s tone made it clear — that drawer was off-limits.
By Straylight8 months ago in Chapters
The Ember and the Crown - Part 5
The false Queen's body hadn’t yet cooled when the first birdsong of dawn touched the cracked windows of the throne hall. The scent of sorcery, ozone, blood, scorched vellum, still clung to the air like a storm that refused to pass. Light broke through fractured glass high above, casting shards of gold and red across the ruined marble floor, where Elira knelt with her fingers brushing the ashes of the broken glamour sigil.
By Richard Bailey8 months ago in Chapters
The Untold Struggle Behind Robert Downey Jr.’s Comeback
In 2008, Robert Downey Jr. became Iron Man — a role that would not only launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also redefine his career and legacy. The face of a billion-dollar franchise, Downey is now one of the most recognizable and beloved actors in the world. But what many people don’t realize is how close the world came to never seeing that version of him at all.
By mike8 months ago in Chapters
The Ember and the Crown - Part 4
Rain traced silver rivers down the glasswork spires of Drevril’s upper court, the storm cloaking the palace in a veil of soft thunder and distant lightning. Below, within the East Gildhall, laughter spilled through stained crystal like wine from an overfilled goblet—fragrant, rich, and sharp with something spoiled beneath.
By Richard Bailey8 months ago in Chapters
The Day I Stopped Apologizing for Existing
The Day I Stopped Apologizing for Existing I’ve always been the type of person who apologizes to chairs. You know, the ones you bump into and go, “Oh sorry,” as if the chair might file a complaint for emotional damage.
By shittu adeola8 months ago in Chapters
How I Failed Miserably at Being a Morning Person
I once believed that becoming a morning person would magically fix my life. Instagram told me so. There were thousands of beautiful people sipping green smoothies at 5:00 a.m., journaling about gratitude, and greeting the sun like they’d just won the lottery of life. I wanted that. I wanted to be that person.
By shittu adeola8 months ago in Chapters
The Ember and the Crown - Part 3
The wind howled through Arlavorn’s spire district like a beast in mourning, clawing at the bone-white towers and rattling the glasswork domes that crowned the palace rooftops. Dust lifted in swirling eddies across the marbled streets as if the city itself were trying to breathe out the corruption settling in its lungs.
By Richard Bailey8 months ago in Chapters
Dimmed Sunlight. Top Story - June 2025.
I keep her pictures in what Generation Alpha would see as a vintage box but I know it is from Old Navy; and holds that smells of old chapstick and age. Photos on all four sides of the box of memories on developed Polaroids slipped in. Lift the top and there she is, frozen at thirty-eight, laughing like a brass bell in a summer parade. In every shot her shoulders are square, spine fluid like a proud river, hands mid-air as though the punchline has just landed and she’s gifting the air back to the world. She looks at the camera the way sunflowers look at the sun with a guaranteed certainty that it will rise again.
By Cadma8 months ago in Chapters
RAVEN'S GAMBIT. Content Warning.
The air was heavy with silence as the survivors of the splintered expedition emerged from the mountain. Every step they took back to camp was a quiet tribute to the fallen—Sir Cedric Lightbringer, Zel Dorne, Fox-Eyes, Jorek, Evelyn… and the others. Some were carried. Others were only bags of belongings and broken gear, cradled in solemn arms.
By W.S. Klass8 months ago in Chapters
RAVEN'S GAMBIT. Content Warning.
The room fell silent again, save for the slow dripping of water and the fading whisper of the shadows retreating into the stone. The last spells flickered out around the exhausted united bands. Breaths were short, magic reserves gone.
By W.S. Klass8 months ago in Chapters
RAVEN'S GAMBIT. Content Warning.
The rusted spiral staircase groaned beneath the weight of the united group as they descended, torchlight flickering across the slick, fungus-lined walls of the flooded corridors below. The air was thick with moisture and the scent of rot. Sir Cedric Lightbringer led the way, his armor wet to the knees, Zel Dorne close at his side, silent and observant.
By W.S. Klass8 months ago in Chapters