Page 1 of The Ascended
Prologue
In the beginning,there were only the Primordials. Beings whose thoughts shaped reality itself, who breathed life into nothingness and painted existence across the Abyss.
From their dreams came oceans and forests, mountains and stars. From their whispers came mortals. From their pride came the Aesymar, divine children who carried fragments of their makers’ power.
But power breeds ambition.
Among the Aesymar, twelve rose above the rest. Their desires reached further, their hungers grew deeper, and they gazed upon Elaren, the mortal realm, not as shepherds but as rulers waiting for their crowns.
What followed is spoken of only in fragments. A rebellion whispered in half-remembered hymns, a war too vast for mortal minds to understand. Some claim the creators simply withered, exhausted by the act of shaping reality. Still others say they sleep, sealed beyond reach, waiting to return.
Whatever the truth, the Primordials were long gone.
In their absence, Olinthar, mightiest of the Twelve, claimed thehighest throne as King of Gods. Under his dominion, a new order was born, with the Twelve at the apex, the remaining Aesymar beneath them, and in time, the divine-born children of their unions.
Yet creation had been scarred. Divine power bled into the mortal world like a wound, seeping into flesh and bone. Some mortals changed, touched by sparks too great for ordinary lives. They became dangerous, unpredictable, and precious.
Thus came the Trials of Ascension, a crucible where the power-touched could prove themselves worthy. Those who endured joined the pantheon’s lowest tier, honored as Legends. Those who failed were cast aside, their names left to dust.
And so, for millennia, the order has stood.
Primordials
The first beings, creators of existence and the Aesymarean & mortal races. Extinct.
The Twelve
The most powerful of the Aesymar, now the rulers of the Divine and Mortal realms (Voldaris and Elaren).
The Aesymar
The rest of the original Aesymarean pantheon.
Legends
Those born of the original Aesymarean bloodlines AS WELL AS the blessed mortals who ascended to godhood through the trials.
(All Legends are Aesymar, but not all Aesymar are Legends.)
Blessed Mortals
Mortals who developed gifts or powers.
Mortals
The inhabitants of Elaren, the Mortal realm.
Chapter 1
Salt and Stars
The oyster knifeslipped in my hand, slicing into my thumb instead of between the stubborn shell. "Shit," I muttered, watching blood well up from the cut. My head pounded with the special kind of agony that came from too much ale and too little sleep.
"Thatcher, you absolute ass," I whispered to the empty shed, sucking the blood from my thumb. The metallic taste mingled with the stench of low tide—rotting seaweed, briny muck, and the sharp smell of fish left too long in the sun. It was the kind of smell that would send most people retching.
But the oyster beds waited for no one, not even for those of us suffering the consequences of last night's poor decisions. My twin was undoubtedly still in some bed with company, nursing the same hangover but without the responsibility.
I winced as salt water from the next oyster stung my cut. When had I become the responsible one? It certainly wasn't my natural inclination. The night before flashed through my mind. Dancing on tables at Sandbar, the only tavern in our tiny village. Leading the crowd in bawdy sailing songs so filthy they'd make a captain blush. Challenging three fishermen to a drinking contest and winningwhile Thatcher cheered and collected bets. I'd matched them drink for drink, slamming down my final cup to thunderous applause while maintaining perfect balance. And somehow, I'd still managed to drag myself out of bed at dawn while my brother slept off his excesses.
