Crucible

Alter-humans were made to fight a war humans started — but couldn’t survive themselves. In the thirteenth century, the War has ended. Peace reigns across the unified Solar System. Alter-humans have long since been discarded. But peace is not enough to ensure humanity’s survival. Three spaceships are preparing for departure — leaving a collapsing Solar System, bound for a distant world. A new home. A new hope for humankind. But beneath Operation Eden, something else lurks: Kept in cryo-stasis, one hundred and eight Alter-humans have been hidden aboard the warship Parvus. When UN.SY. technician Alba Fauster discovers that Adam Zweihander is among them, she does what she does best: Something illogical. Follow the journey of Crucible’s characters as they discover that the new world is not what they were promised — and that an ancient plot, older than their journey, has followed them across the galaxy. If you prefer my own words instead of tags: Crucible is a long-form, slow-burn dark fantasy novel with sci-fi elements (starts in space — continues in high-fantasy world) told through multiple POVs. What to expect from the novel:  -The novel is predominantly dark fantasy: the sci-fi elements are more present at the beginning, but as the characters merge with the new world, technology shifts into the background — acting more like a “magic system.” -Action, fights, war — just not every five minutes. -Travel and exploration. -Moral greyness: heavy themes are explored through character perspective. Some condemn, some justify, some don’t even understand the difference between good and evil.-Romance and character psychology: emotions often drive decisions. -Social and political themes from both the old world and the new are part of the novel’s lore. One last thing: There are a few ugly lines at the end of the prologue. They’re not the whole point of the book — but they’ve survived every draft for a reason. They represent one of the core themes of this story: The price of being human versus the price of being something else. 3 weekly updates. (More on first and last chapter of an arc.) Note: This novel uses AI assistance for Latin/Greek translations and for developing fictional languages.