Lester Yong & Rosa Fontelera-Yong

CoESC Book 5-21.2: Flow

The Songstress of Heartfelt Desire was but one of many currently swimming in the Chaos Sea. There were dozens of Chaos Lords at the Baron level, with a couple of Viscounts to serve as backup in case things didn’t go as planned. They were in the pure Chaos now, untainted by the dreams and desires of humankind.

She reveled in her freedom and hummed beneath her breath. The Chaos rippled around her, subtle waves that gave her strength and comfort. They had lingered in this particular part...

CoESC Book 5-21.1: Flow

Finan loved conversation and he was pretty good at it too, even if he did say so himself. He was quite observant and had an open mind. He tried not to make assumptions about the other person and to listen with his whole attention rather than with just half an ear. People often gave away more than they realised: by their choice of words, by the minute movements they made while speaking or even listening. More than that, he enjoyed figuring people out. What made them tick, what he could do to p...

CoESC Book 5-20.3: Candidates

Miya managed to get Yuriko into a rather flimsy sundress which she got from an attendant that came with a personal landcrafter, which ferried them about in the city. A gaggle of boys from school followed behind the two of them in another landcrafter. Well truthfully, it actually looked more like a light hauler than anything else. Scratch that, it was a light hauler with the majority of the boys perched on the cargo bay at the back.

Yuriko was bewildered and confused. Where were they goi...

CoESC Book 5-20.2: Candidates

Yuriko carefully put on sparring gear in the changing room. She didn't have her own training gear so the masters provided her with spares. For the weapons test, she wore a padded jacket, leggings and comfortable boots. She was supposed to wear a helmet, too, but her hair bunched up too much and wouldn’t fit into the one sized for her head. The bigger helms were too loose to bother with.

She walked back into the arena bareheaded and carrying training weapons, a side-blade, a spear, a g...

CoESC Book 5-20.1: Candidates

The Acadia Arena in the Agaza part of the campus was a square building with several floors. Each floor had its own combat arena with different features to simulate varied terrains. It was, in many ways, a miniature version of the Avos’belli Arena in the Palace, where spectators numbering in dozens of thousands could watch a match between two Knights, a battle royale between a dozen warriors, or the annual war games between the home legions.

Acadia was much more modest, of course, with...

CoESC Book 5-19.3: A Bit of Fun

From above, it was quite apparent that the Imperial Capital was a thoroughly tamed plane. There was no wilderness, no old jungle or forest growths, no wild rivers, and deadly snow-capped mountains. Not as far as Yuriko could see anyway, but from how everything in sight was carefully curated, it was an easy assumption to make of the area.

Even the river beneath them had banks with artful curves, and the water was crystal clear. The river stones formed an undulating wave and the colours s...

CoESC Book 5-19.2: A Bit of Fun

The next day, Yuriko woke up just before dawn. For a moment, she stared up at the unfamiliar canopy in wonder. The wide, four-poster bed could have fit four of her side by side. The curtains were closed, though the fabric was so sheer that it would have provided a mere modicum of privacy, at most.

The foot of the bed faced wide windows which, in turn, faced the sunrise. The morning light would have shone right on her face come true dawn. Not that she ever slept in anymore. With a yawn, ...

Adult Content: Yay or Nah?

Although Yuriko's story is far from being a romantic tale, as a human being, having romantic involvements are a natural part of a life's journey.

We didn't create these stories just for fun. They actually are a part of the characters' journeys and have been in the character notes from the beginning. These are sequences that, in the flow of the main story, will be the "fade to black" sequences. The expansion of these stories will be posted separately and can be skipped if you so desire. ...

More art and an apology

First, here's the artwork for Yuriko's best friend, Krystal Zorin, done by the lovely Galaxy RinRin (check out her Facebook Page here). We ran a poll last year on whose art we should commission next and Krystal won the polls. Any guesses on the next featured characters?

Second, the weekend wasn't quite as restful as desired and I've been rather under the weather. :( This week's chapters will be posted tomorrow...

CoESC Book 5-19.1: A Bit of Fun

The two who neither bowed nor curtsied turned out to be members of the Mishala clan, too. One was a young woman, probably Yuriko’s age, though judging by how her Mum looked, she could very well be five to ten times older than she. Anyway, the young woman had wavy golden hair that curled around her shoulders and fell in waves down to her waist. She was clad in a light blue dress that fluttered with the breeze.

Beside her was another woman, a bit taller but with shorter, tawny hair. She...

CoESC Book 5-18.3: Aerule Garden

It was a long two weeks for Reinhardt. For one thing, he agonised over his decision to give crucial intelligence to the Empire regarding his country. He also had some intelligence about Chelda Principality and the Farholm plane but he hadn’t decided yet if he would offer it up.

Traitor.

The stain of such a title would haunt him for the rest of his life, but is it treason if the ruler he swore to had been, himself, betrayed?

He’d already made his decision days ago, but he...

CoESC Book 5-18.2: Aerule Garden

“After Founding 2999

90th Day of Water

Ms. Krystal Farrow Zorin

The Golden Willow,

Rumiga City, Rumiga

Dear Krystal,

It’s been several Seasons, nearly two years since we’ve last seen each other, or even talked. The last time I saw you was still back in the Golden Willow and I was on my way to Fort Aegermonth. No doubt you’ve heard of my disappearance. Rest assured that I am quite safe, and completely unharmed in body, though perhaps not so much in t...

CoESC Book 5-18.1: Aerule Garden

The Mishala Clan’s domain was in Aerule Garden, a district in Realmheart quite close to the Imperial City, but far enough away that one would need to take a Commuter Tram, and about a day’s travel if one had to crawl through the ground, to get there. Of course, it only took an hour’s flight using either battlewings, or the Jade Circle spell, Cirrus Skiff Dancing Through the Clouds.

The Amaryllis Manor was located at the base of a Great Tree at the very centre of the district. Well...

CoESC Book 5-17.3: The Journey Home

Reinhardt counted his blessings that at least, he hadn’t been thrown in the brig. Thank the Great Spirits that he was alive and relatively safe, even if the ship was headed to the last place he really wanted to go.

The Eternal Empire of the Righteous Order was vilified in most of the nations comprising the Coalition of Independent Planes, and with good reason. The Coalition would not have formed without external pressure. Why would each independent plane bother to band together otherw...

CoESC Book 5-17.2: The Journey Home

Layla took a sip from her cup, savouring the sweet and bitter notes of her wine. It was an unfamiliar vintage but delicious all the same. Still, she preferred ale or beer since that one, she can keep tossing down her gullet without feeling guilty.

Wine was for fancy dinners or nightcaps when nothing even fancier was available. Still, it was an excellent enough drink that she briefly activated Enhanced Senses to get the full measure of the bouquet and the undertones.

“...I’m wo...

CoESC Book 5-17.1: The Journey Home

Aidan yawned into his hand while he leaned back against the chair, causing it to rock back on two legs. He pushed against the table’s footrest to keep his balance then stretched out behind him. The remnants of his dinner, a sumptuous meal of grilled Ganeran beef medallions, buttered peas, roasted potatoes, and a cream soup, were only a few crumbs that he was half tempted to lick off the plate. His mug was still half full of lager but he wasn’t much of a drinker.

Riley, on the other ...

CoESC Book 5-16.3: Aboard and Escape

‘Great, more things that make people want to kill me,’ was the first thought Yuriko had upon Mum’s revelation. It wasn’t as if that was anything new, so she just shrugged.

Both Sadeen and Kiyo seemed a bit taken aback at her nonchalance, so she explained, “I’ve also got Fri’Avgi with me.”

“Ah, yes. But, baby, a bound artefact is quite different from a vial of Ambrosia. One cannot be taken unless unbound, while the other only needs a light enough hand.” Sadeen s...

CoESC Book 5-16.2: Aboard and Escape

“My baby’s so big now!” Sadeen gushed as she whirled Yuriko around.

“Seventy inches tall,” Kiyo remarked. “About your height now, coz.”

“Ehehehehe!” Mum kept spinning her around and Yuriko was starting to get dizzy.

“Mum!” she gasped, but that was a mistake since Sadeen kept squeezing and now, Yuriko couldn’t catch her breath. Thankfully, Mum finished squeeing over her and put her back down.

Yuriko clung to Sadeen, gasping for breath. But more t...

CoESC Book 5-16.1: Aboard and Escape

Sadeen watched the Silver Tiger out of the corner of her eye and paid for the distraction in blood. The minor manifestation of Katharos managed to wrest its limb from her Lightning Cage and clawed at her. Only her Jade Skin, and her defensive artefacts saved her from a fatal mauling.

She only gave her full attention to the behemoth once her wayward daughter entered the Chaos ship. That had been surprising, honestly. She hadn’t expected baby Yuri to be able to resist her command like t...

CoESC Book 5-15.3: Deliverance

A single lumen swam in Yuriko’s reserve and it was the only thing keeping her conscious. Despite her initial resolve, she couldn’t help it. She had to use Fri’Avgi as using her sunblade or Animus blades weren't enough to fight the shrunken Lignoculi.

Fighting that rotter, knocking him back and cutting his body in half, had been satisfying. Doing the same to the other two had been a matter of course, and when they finished them all off, she thought that it would be easy to get to t...

CoESC Book 5-15.2: Deliverance

The battle progressed as Captain Esha Tavalik expected. The Verdanian Chaos ship Ebon Horizon had been damaged in its entry into the Pure Lands and they were unable to complete their repairs.

Still, destroying the ship completely hadn’t been advisable, not if they wanted to recover that artefact that the Holy Yabranth wanted. Ah, and the Plasma Carronades were too deadly. Shuddered at the blow that knocked down the Bloody Dragon. The glacier ship was tough, but even Chaos reinforced i...

CoESC Book 5-15.1: Deliverance

At almost the exact moment Yuriko leapt to attack, Aidan grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her back. Attempted.

She had considered both of them to be in the same general fitness level, having both completed Strengthen Physique. But she was in mid-leap. So what happened was that she dragged Aidan off his feet and she stumbled and they both landed in a heap. Fri’Avgi dropped from her hand and bounced off the ground with loud clangs.

“Why’d you do that?” she yelled as she...

CoESC Book 5-14.3: Cornered

Yuriko struggled during the run along the path to the plateau. It wasn’t that she wasn’t fast enough, but that she was too fast. Of the eight of them, only Aidan could match her pace and when she ran full tilt, he rebuked her for her haste.

Everyone else ran at a respectable clip, but Yuriko thought even Krystal could run faster than Reinhardt and Shara. The prince and his attendant suffered the exercise with ill grace. Reinhardt’s face was soon dripping in sweat as if he had dump...

CoESC Book 5-14.2: Cornered

Layla didn’t have time to be annoyed. Or irritated, or pissed off, or any other negative emotion directed at the runescript engine, the Second Runeer, or Captain Mitchell. She certainly didn’t have time to be annoyed with the plane in general.

This wasn’t really a proper plane, she knew. It was too deep in the Chaos Sea and any plane should be capable of bearing life. Here, with the fluctuating ambient Chaos, with the density and the pressure, any newborn would be snuffed directly...

Happy 2022!

Well, this week marks the end of our shortened posting schedule and we'll be back to regular posting next week.

We hope that you and yours have been keeping well!

- L and R

CoESC Book 5-14.1: Cornered

Captain Esha Tavalik of the Storm’s Deceit nibbled her lip in annoyance. The tendrils that connected around her head writhed in reaction to her mood and the floating island shuddered in response.

She tapped the armrest of her throne, soothing the Core with her gesture. The control orb under her fingers shuddered in pleasure as she delicately stroked the glass. Years of being bonded to the Deceit’s animating spirit had made her as familiar with its quirks and needs nearly as well as ...

CoESC Book 5-13.3: Dangerous Names

Their footsteps echoed as they ran up the short hill. This close to the mountain settlements, the plains had long given way to valleys and hills. It was just that the valley, the road that led to the settlement Yuriko and the others had been headed to was relatively flat.

“We can lose them after we go over the ridges,” Riley grunted even as he kept his Plasma Caster at the ready, though the muzzle was aimed at the ground.

“You don’t want to fight?” Yuriko asked idly.

CoESC Book 5-13.2: Dangerous Names

‘Wait! What did you mean, I want to jump Reinhardt’s bones?’ Yuriko furiously thought to Damien. ‘Damien!’

What? You aren’t thinking about it? Why else would you be so flirty and touchy with him?

‘What do you mean flirty?’

Not only did you let him carry you in his arms but you also willingly got on his back and took a nap. A supreme gesture of trust, especially towards someone you just recently met. Hie hie. I pity your other boyfriends.

CoESC Book 5-13.1: Dangerous Names

It took only a blink of an eye for Yuriko to realise that Reinhardt was running while carrying her. He had her pressed against his chest, with his arms under her shoulders and knees. There was sweat dripping down his face, which went down his narrow chin and landed on her dougi.

She shifted when she woke and that had been enough for him to notice. He looked down at her and Yuriko was struck by the sheer desperation and fear in his eyes. Though both faded when their eyes met.

“Yo...

CoESC Book 5-12.3: The Blood Moon

For a single moment, Yuriko thought that she was in a nightmare.

She was sleeping in the Ebon Horizon and any moment now, she would wake. Or even better, the past year had been nothing but a lucid dream and she would wake back in Fort Aegermonth, or in her room in the Golden Willow.

She could see and feel it. Her memories, her thoughts, focusing on home. She wanted to return there and wanted to embrace her brothers, not the pale imitation cousins and aunt that she’d never seen b...