
by Lianne Vail
She’s half American, half Kirathi. He’s full “chosen-one magical sort-of-priest.” Now she's hiding him from assassins in her mom's guestroom while he taste tests tacos. Trina just wanted to avoid telling her mom she quit her job at a San Diego tourist-trap restaurant. Instead, her quick escape through the family portal to her dad’s world lands her a new job: hide the glowing priest-slash-public servant he just rescued from assassins. The catch? Her dad wants her to do it back on Earth, which is ridiculous. But also… since when were magical civil servants cute boys her age? Now assassins are slipping through portals to San Diego, and Trina still has to teach her new roommate how to use a microwave. Perfect recipe for disaster. Or love. For fans of Howl’s Moving Castle and Stardust, with the voicey humor of Percy Jackson, this is a heartfelt romantic adventure about magic, family, and finding home between worlds. Schedule:📅 Updates Mondays Status:📖 Book 1: Between Light and Shadow - COMPLETE📖 Book 2: The Light in Chains - CURRENTLY POSTING🖊️ Three Planned Volumes ✨ Who You’ll Meet: 👟 Trina – a college student who grew up across worlds and absolutely does not know what to do with her feelings 🔥 Syrin – a glowing magical civil servant with the soul of a paladin and exactly zero training for Earth’s nonsense ☕ Mom – a competent, unflappable ex-portal adventurer who refuses to be sidelined 🗡️ Dad – the Kirathi adventurer who did not think through the consequences of marrying a girl from California 🌑 Shadow-things & assassins – because magic problems don’t respect international borders (or interdimensional ones) 🐼 A panda who does absolutely nothing… which Syrin takes extremely personally 🌟 What to Expect:- A warm, emotional portal fantasy- Lots of humor, lots of heart- Slow-burn romance rooted in empathy- Bright, emotion-tied magic + dark consequences- Grief, healing, and quiet moments of care- Family shenanigans & culture-clash chaos- Safe, cozy scenes… punctuated by “for the love of all things holy NOT NOW” explosions * Winner of the Royal Road Nov 2025 Writathon challenge *
| # | Title | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Once Upon a Divorce 9 months ago | 0 |
| 2 | 1: Exit Interview (Via Magic Portal) 9 months ago | 0 |
| 3 | 2: Family Reunion, Featuring Assassins 9 months ago | 0 |
| 4 | 3: Parental Guilt Trip (And Gelato) 9 months ago | 0 |
| 5 | 4: Glowing Anxiety Disorder 8 months ago |
| 0 |
| 6 | 5: Magic Defaults to Tacos 8 months ago | 0 |
| 7 | 6: First Contact (with Public Transit) 8 months ago | 0 |
| 8 | 7: Bean Juice Diplomacy 8 months ago | 0 |
| 9 | 8: The Great Tea Incident 8 months ago | 0 |
| 10 | 9: Cultural Exchange: Aisle 12 8 months ago | 0 |
| 11 | 10: Controlled Burn (Mostly) 8 months ago | 0 |
| 12 | 11: The Sacred Rite of Morning Dessert 8 months ago | 0 |
| 13 | 12: A Cruel Kindness 8 months ago | 0 |
| 14 | 13: When in Doubt, Grab a Frying Pan 8 months ago | 0 |
| 15 | 14: Nightmares and Other Inconveniences 8 months ago | 0 |
| 16 | 15: Emotional Support Hoodie 8 months ago | 0 |
| 17 | 16: The Water Cow Is a Demon 8 months ago | 0 |
| 18 | 17: Pandas Are a Scam and So Are My Feelings 8 months ago | 0 |
| 19 | 18: The Zoo Gets a Light Show (Not the Fun Kind) 8 months ago | 0 |
| 20 | 19: Shadow Wolves Are Not Zoo-Approved 8 months ago | 0 |
| 21 | 20: People Herding Is Somehow Worse 8 months ago | 0 |
| 22 | 21: We Are Definitely Not Getting Arrested (Probably) 8 months ago | 0 |
| 23 | 22: We’re Not Running Off Together (Mom Said No) 8 months ago | 0 |
| 24 | 23: Trial Partnership, Earth Edition 8 months ago | 0 |
| 25 | 24: Mom Walks In on Literally Everything 7 months ago | 0 |
| 26 | 25: I Accidentally Spy on the Government 7 months ago | 0 |
| 27 | 26: Hair Dye, Our Version of Normalcy 7 months ago | 0 |
| 28 | 27: Apparently Joy Is a Warning Sign 7 months ago | 0 |
| 29 | 2.1: Once Upon a Magical Emergency 6 months ago | 0 |
| 30 | Interlude 1: Nina 6 months ago | 0 |
| 31 | 2.2: Our Living Room Becomes a Metallic Hazard 6 months ago | 0 |
| 32 | 2.3: I Learn Where Chains Belong 6 months ago | 0 |
| 33 | 2.4: I Get Locked in a Room with My Worst Fear 6 months ago | 0 |
| 34 | 2.5: Everyone Agrees This Is a Terrible Place to Nap 6 months ago | 0 |
| 35 | 2.6: The Game Where No One Wins 6 months ago | 0 |
| 36 | Glossary: Names and Places 5 months ago | 0 |
| 37 | Trina’s (Probably Incomplete) Guide to Syrin’s Glowing 5 months ago | 0 |
| 38 | 2.7: The Light Is Not OSHA Compliant 5 months ago | 0 |
| 39 | 2.8: How Not to Burn Down the Tower 5 months ago | 0 |
| 40 | 2.9: Extremely Normal Behavior 5 months ago | 0 |
| 41 | 2.10: I Am Accused of Being a National Security Asset 5 months ago | 0 |
| 42 | 2.11: We Attempt to Have a Normal Evening 4 months ago | 0 |
| 43 | 2.12: We Develop a System (I Object) 4 months ago | 0 |
| 44 | Interlude 2: Alisto 4 months ago | 0 |
| 45 | 2.13: Subtlety—Newly Supported! (No Substitutions or Refunds) 4 months ago | 0 |
| 46 | 2.14: Babysitting a Magical Disaster 4 months ago | 0 |
| 47 | 2.15: Fault Is Assigned (Incorrectly) 4 months ago | 0 |
| 48 | 2.16: A Perfectly Reasonable Debate with a Homicidal Force 3 months ago | 0 |
| 49 | 2.17: Containment Strategies for a Walking Disaster 3 months ago | 0 |
| 50 | 2.18: Baked Goods and Questionable Life Choices 3 months ago | 0 |
| 51 | 2.19: How to Weaponize a Speech in Under Ten Minutes 3 months ago | 0 |
| 52 | 2.20: This Is For Public Safety 2 months ago | 0 |
| 53 | 2.21: I Invent a Magical Doorstop 2 months ago | 0 |
| 54 | 2.22: Holding Hands Definitely Doesn’t Look Suspicious 2 months ago | 0 |
| 55 | 2.23: Mom Abandons Us to Our Fate 2 months ago | 0 |
| 56 | 2.24: I Lose an Argument to a Crying Infant 1 month ago | 0 |
| 57 | 2.25: We Schedule a Miracle 1 month ago | 0 |
| 58 | 2.26: I Still Don't Understand the Broom 1 month ago | 0 |
| 59 | [BONUS] Deleted Scene 28 days ago | 0 |
| 60 | 2.27: I Fail to Read a Single Page 20 days ago | 0 |
| 61 | 2.28: I Discover My Mind Has Terrible Security 5 days ago | 0 |
| 62 | Interlude 3: Kernor 7 minutes ago | 0 |