The Inkless Bane of Oziel

All she wants is a place to belong, where people will accept her the way she is. A feat that proves difficult when feared and mistrusted on sight. She had it, briefly. An old human woman, unafraid, took her in and they lived peacefully in her cottage for several years. But it was taken away by the harsh realities of mortality. Now she must begin her search anew. Follow nine year-old Elkie, an unusual Dark Elf deemed an abomination and exiled at birth by her mother, as she navigates the Surface with learned human values running counter to her instincts and searches for a new home and family among those who would fear her; with the help of power bestowed upon her by the glory of the Oziel Protocol. A power she never should have received in the first place. What to expect: - Alternating parallel and connected storylines between two Planes (starting with Elkie's)- Told in Alternating Third-Person Limited, Past Tense - Power distribution system created by an Icon to empower Mortals- Light magic (aka cantrips) by non-system users - Mortal Races: Humans, Dark Elves (Elves mentioned)- Immortal Races (generally form fully "grown" to look like Humans, Elves etc.; ageless but may be killed):       - Icons (powerful beings who rule over different aspects of the Spheres of Power attempting to ascend to godhood)       - Entities (normal residents of the Iconic plane, can be created by Icons, may or may not be powerful)- Different planes of existence- Traditional fantasy world with some modern miracles like indoor plumbing etc. (mortal plane)- Iconic plane is more akin to a modern world (and the Oziel Protocol is run a bit like a corporate office) Updates Monday to Friday. Chapter Length: generally 2000-3500 words [Participant and winner of the April 2026 Royal Road Writathon Challenge] This is a first draft in progress. Chapters are posted as I write them and are not significantly edited; one pass before posting, selecting for typos and odd sentences. However errors may still exist and plot points may be adjusted in future revisions.  I started writing this idea I've had for a while for the April 2026 Writathon, thus it is not fully formed, but I have many ideas about where to take it. I have a loose outline of where things are headed but I am letting it take me where it will. As such, I will adjust the blurb and tags when needed. Copyright © RubyZephyr, 2026All rights reserved.Cover design and illustration by RubyZephyr.Posted only on Royal Road.