Lost Chapter - World Sneak Peak

As we approached Solmerein, the earth grew pale and sickly beneath our feet, and the trees stood brittle and bare, like skeletons forgotten by time. With every step forward, it felt as if the land itself recoiled—poisoned, starved of life. A pit formed deep in my core and it widened with every step closer.

The road straightened as they crested the final hill, and there it was—the capital. It rose from the valley floor like a toy built by someone with too much time and too little imagination. Perfectly symmetrical spires pierced the sky, each one identical to the last, capped in gold that gleamed unnaturally in the sunlight. The city walls were whitewashed to a blinding shine, not a single stone out of place. Even the flags fluttered in unison, as if afraid to offend the rhythm of the wind.

Beneath them, the streets arranged themselves in a grid so precise it made Evrenna’s skin itch. It was too clean, too quiet. Rows of hedges trimmed into perfect squares lined the outer courtyards. Topiaries shaped like knights, lions, and obedient peasants dotted the grounds like decorations in a child’s dollhouse. And the gates—oh, the gates—stood tall and polished, manned by guards in spotless armor, their expressions blank as if carved from marble.

“Something about this place feels wrong,” Caelum muttered, eyeing the rigid lines and soulless order.

“It’s like someone tried to build a kingdom out of a rulebook and forgot to leave space for actual people,” Evrenna replied.

From this distance, there was no noise—no market chatter, no children’s laughter, nothing. Just a sterile silence that stretched for miles. A place built to impress, not to live in. And behind all that gleam and symmetry, something darker pulsed—hidden in the neatness, buried in the precision.

As they approached, a voice echoed around them yet the streets were empty.

"We gather not to mourn, but to cleanse."

Cae and I exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"These children have been marked. Touched by the rot that gnaws at our holy order. A rot that whispers, writhes, and corrupts beneath the skin."

He paused but a faint electric crackling filled the silence dulling the echoing sounds of our horses hooves on stone.

"Magic.”

"Not light, not a gift. Not ‘power’ as the old books once claimed. No—magic is hunger. It takes. It grows teeth. And in the quiet, it feeds."

"But the Crown is not quiet."

"The King, in his wisdom, saw the signs. And though the unholy tried to hide, His eyes are many. His will is long. His blade is patient."

"There are no gods left to welcome you heretics.” His voice lowered, taunting. “Only the dark, and the silence it brings. You will not be remembered. Your death is a hymn. Your blood, an offering. Your end—holy."

I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, letting out a sigh in the silence that followed. Cae was scanning the streets for signs of the voice’s owner, his shoulders rigid.

"Blessed is the bloodless. Holy is the hollow."

“How are we hearing that?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” His face was calm but he stood taller, more alert.

Cae dismounted and reached to help me slide off of mine. Not a stable in sight, so Cae tied our horses to a lamp post up the street from the square's gates.

Thank you for reading!

Thank you for reading this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the earliest form of the book I'm working on.

So much has changed since this version—but sharing it feels like honoring where the story started. I loved the ambiance of a spookier setting, voices that came from nowhere and a castle arranged in sickening gray perfection. But after considering further, I felt the environment needed to feel a little more warmth.... maybe even a little more deception.

If you enjoyed it, let me know! I’d love to hear what stood out to you or what questions it left you with.

This isn’t the final version—but it’s part of the journey.

Here is an inspo pic I saved of what I hope to portray this country to look in my final version:

Solmerein: