MTL - The World of the Pirate Consort - Chapter 1

After years of exile, Marcus is coming back home. A powerful mage with few equals, Marcus lives in a world full of monsters and powerful adepts, many of which have bad histories with him. But he has not come back to pursue vengeance or start a fight. All Marcus wants to do is reconnect with old friends, build himself a house, and maybe train a successor or two.Alas, the world didn’t stop just because Marcus went into exile, and not everyone is content to let go of old grievances. Strange things are happening in the world at large, too, hinting at a looming disaster of unknown nature. Still, where there is a will, there is a way.If nothing else, Marcus has a lot of magical power to throw at problems.+++Zenith of Sorcery is set in its own original setting and isn’t related to Mother of Learning… beyond being written by the same person, of course. This is a more classical fantasy story than my previous one, with a lower level of technology and stuff like elves and dwarves, but it has a lot of worldbuilding effort put into it and its own complex magical system. The story has significant xianxia influences, but isn’t meant to be a xianxia story.For those of you not familiar with my previous work, I write relatively slowly. I intend to publish chapters at the rate of one chapter every three or four weeks, subject to further delays as life intervenes.

A smug smile appeared on her step sister's lips when she finally revealed she was actually pregnant with her mate's child.Her father's futile attempt to apologize, for ignoring her all this time, because he had his own reasons and asked her to understand.A plea of forgiveness from her mate as he begged her not to reject him, claiming it was just a stupid mistake that he shouldn't have made.And to top it off, a cursed alpha from the north, to whom her step sister was actually promised, is here to collect his debt, so she has to take her place as the sacrifice now.Darn!

I possessed a third-rate villain who died in every route of my favorite game.

But I want to live.

How long will it take for a murdered thief to distill into something monstrous? In this story the darkness only grows stronger, and its reach only grows wider as it expands by devouring the life that surrounds it. This is a dark fantasy where evil is a where, not just a who that focuses on slow progression, undeath, and atmospheric storytelling.