by Cael-is
From birth a star already knows how it will die. And there's nothing it can do to change that.Arda is no star, but when he awakens as a Binary, a mage twice blessed by magic, Fate shows him a way out of the golden cage his parents built around him. The only thing he wanted was to shed the dutiful exterior of a noble’s life and chase a dream full of magic, swords, and adventures. And now, at long last, the cage is open.As Arda finds out when he gets sucked into something larger than himself, real adventures are rarely like fairy tales, even the ones of promising mages. In a world where mages, heroes, and saints uphold a fragile peace, the monsters lurking in the shadows aren't the only things you should fear.Conspiracies, rebellions, slaughters, and betrayals will mark Arda's journey through the dark past of his lands, and beyond, forcing him to question his choices and the purpose of the power he's been bestowed.Because even Binaries, like stars, are never truly exempt from the bidding of Fate. Every good story starts with once upon a time. This one starts with what. Commissioned cover art realized by the amazing NoomuAz Special thanks to GraceBMorgan for the help she gave me with the graphics! What to expect: - Action and adventure, political intrigue and conspiracies (especially later on the story), mysteries and ancient powerful creatures. - Male MC. Arda will start off weak and will be forced to slowly try to climb to the very top.  He has talents, perhaps more than he himself realizes, but it will take time to properly cultivate them.   - MC begins the story as a 12 year old boy, so expect relationships, behaviors and reactions appropriate for the stage of life he's in. Expect eventual teenage drama progressing into more adult relationships (but both won't be explicit nor sexual). Romance is not, however, the main focus of the story. - Oh, yeah, no Harem  - Expect both humor and moments of darkness.  - The first few chapters are slow-ish burn, but things will progressively speed up.  - As per the tags, Umbra Solis is an action-fantasy novel, but it won't be back to back action. I've grown to cherish heartfelt/SoL moments that aim to expand both the personality of characters and the world around them.   - Actions scenes may include the use of violence. I do not exclude the use of gory description, should the context need it. Update schedule: Episodes are published each Wednesday and Friday at 13.00 PT. For the moment, Royal Road is the only place where I'm publishing. My chapters are usually divided into 2 to 4 episodes of variable length (about 1.5k words each) to keep my posting schedule consistent. I'm planning to release whole chapters a week later on, but for the time being you'll have to bear it with me :) Hope you'll enjoy the story I'm creating!
