Lester Yong & Rosa Fontelera-Yong

CoESC Book 1-9.3: At the Watchtower

For the next six days, Yuriko and the other cadets were kept too busy and exhausted to do anything other than training and attending their lessons. Well, that and crawling back into their bunk beds after a gruelling day.

Their days began before dawn. All fifteen of them were brought to the grounds between the perimeter walls and the base of the tower then, accompanied by Leader Yoran and Armsmaster Byrne, they ran along the walls thrice. The total distance was about six longstrides and ...

CoESC Book 1-9.2: At the Watchtower

The food at the mess hall left a lot to be desired even by Yuriko’s modest standards. For one thing, the meat was overcooked, tough, and chewy, and the sauce for it had too much pepper. The roasted potatoes and green vegetables were mushy and, worst of all, the dessert was a sad-looking bar of what appeared to be cake but it was dry and not at all sweet.

Yuriko barely finished her serving and despite her body wanting more, she refrained. Krystal ate expressionlessly while Mikel just k...

CoESC Book 1-9.1: At the Watchtower

The next day, Yuriko was up bright and early though she wasn’t preparing for her morning exercise routines. Instead, she was finalizing her packing. The backpack she prepared was already stuffed with her clothes, mostly underwear and casual attire. She hesitated to pack her forceweave clothing since Armsmaster Byrne said that they would be given protective gear.

Beside her pack were her side-blade and her Plasma Caster. The rifle was about forty inches long, just a bit over a pace, wh...

Almost there!

We're almost completely caught up with the schedule. It's been tough given both our connectivity and technical issues these past weeks but just a bit more of a push and we'll finally be on track with the proper posting schedule here on Patreon.

Meantime, here's a cute picture of Yuriko! Done by our awesome artist friend, Galaxy Rinrin. :D She's working on the official book cover now so do watch out for that. We've seen the mock-up and we're already in love.

Cheers, everyone, and h...

CoESC Book 1-8.3: Dealings

It was just after lunch and the show wouldn’t start until a few hours later, but Krystal barged into her house and demanded access to Yuriko’s closet. Once again, Krystal found herself frustrated, frowning and growling as she went through Yuriko’s closet.

“Can’t I just wear my usual clothes?” Yuriko whined.

“No.”

“But why?”

“First, attending a theatrical performance is a formal affair. Second, didn’t uncle take you to a show previously?”

CoESC Book 1-8.2: Dealings

Trevor Byrne got off the Circuit Tram at the Town Center, carrying with him a document bag filled with an assortment of papers. The council meeting was scheduled for that morning and, as one of the handful of Knights in Faron’s Crossing, he was nominally part of it even if his duties had nothing to do with governance.

The Town Hall was right next to the Temple of Ascendance, an unassuming building with a beautiful facade of white stone. Across the Town Center, the Mighty Art Players w...

CoESC Book 1-8.1: Dealings

The next day, Yuriko sought out Krystal after her morning routine. Her friend was, unsurprisingly, at the Olde Sweet Shoppe’s al fresco area, enjoying sweet tea and a parfait while reading a paperback book.

“Krys!” Yuriko said as she sat across her.

“Yuri!” Krystal plopped her book on the table, “this is unusual.”

“What is?”

“You aren’t training.”

“Someone told me to have a break.” Yuriko rolled her eyes.

“So here you are at a ...

CoESC Book 1-7.3: Hunted

Yuriko had a scant few days to inlay her Facet before the beginning of training camp and she intended to make the most of it. Like Mikel, the pattern she had to inlay to access her Facet was a big unknown and navigating the bewildering maze inside her head would take time.

The very first order of business was to split and control two strands of Animus at the same time, a feat that most Novices, those fresh from the Atavism Ritual, have trouble doing. For Yuriko, it was incredibly simple...

CoESC Book 1-7.2: Hunted

“Chaos and the Fallen Sun!” someone cursed behind Virgil and he couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment.

The crescent moon was high in the sky, shedding only a little bit of light. The swarmlings weren’t moving, most likely at rest. Some of the ones they could see still had glimmering carapaces that slowly changed shape: a clear sign of newly materialized Wyldlings from beyond the Tidelands. Low, guttural grunts and high-pitched keening could be faintly heard.

Virgil st...

CoESC Book 1-7.1: Hunted

For the next few days, Yuriko stuck to her routine. Running a league around Faron’s Crossing in the morning, flexibility, agility, or strength training right afterwards, then meditation to inlay her Facet. Lunch at home, then a class in the training hall, then maybe spend some time with Krystal and Mikel before heading home for dinner. She practised other Animus techniques after dinner until bedtime. She missed her Da, especially in the mornings; his constant presence was a fortres...

Christmas Holidays!

Celebrating this so much because this means it will be so much easier now to get the posting set up, especially after those little annoying roadblocks.

The story will continue posting just that we probably won't be too active on social media--we're still figuring out what other treats we can give our followers anyway. :D

With our kids' Christmas parties done, we're buckling down and catching up on the posts that should have been set up as early as last week, yay!

- Rosa

CoESC Book 1-6.3: Tranquil Days

Colin Foster eased his way across Town Square. The Season of Fire had truly begun and he somewhat regretted wearing a jacket on his errand. With his nephews out of the way, he had the rest of the afternoon to finish his work and he planned to do so as quickly as possible so he could relax and spend the rest of the day smoking his pipe.

At this hour, past noon, the streets were deserted, most people having the sense to stay out of the sun. Alas, this was probably the only time he had to ...

CoESC Book 1-6.2: Tranquil Days

Heron Muryh hastily donned his clothes. He had spent too much time shaving off the pathetic whiskers that had started growing on his upper lip and chin. He also spent too much time waxing and styling his hair so that it fell perfectly somewhere between dishevelled and tidy.

He chose his clothes carefully: a white shirt with red highlights, tan cut-off pants, and white sneakers. He dabbed a bit of cologne on his neck, hoping it would be enough to mask the inevitable sweat in the Season o...

CoESC Book 1-6.1: Tranquil Days

The days after Virgil left for the Hunt were equal parts peaceful and dull. Yuriko spent most of her time training her body, mastering the Animus techniques taught by her father and Armsmaster Byrne and futilely trying to inlay her Facet.

The only highlight to her day was the time she spent at the hall sparring with her peers. New students had arrived in Faron’s Crossing to attend the town’s training camp and she met them in the sparring ring. She hadn’t expected much fro...

Chronicles of the Exalted Sun Child

Well, it's the second week of the story releases for CoESC and we're working on getting things together to make things a little more fun.

For now, we have these. Except for the series posts, we'll be taking a break from social media to enjoy the holidays. We'll be coming back in 2021, though, and hopefully with more treats!

CoESC Book 1-5.3: Crossroads

Virgil Soren Davar, Knight-Captain and head of Faron’s Crossing’s militia, scratched the back of his head when he saw the team Inquisitor Gorlyn put together.

“This is practically a reunion,” he finally said. They were in the Watchtower, in a conference room where Sarra Gorlyn sat at the head of the table. Spread across the table was a map of the Tidelands. A wildly inaccurate map by now, judging by the date sigil in one corner.

Two men and a woman were already with Inquis...

CoESC Book 1-5.2: Crossroads

Orrin Foster looked out at the golden fields as their family’s landcraft trundled along the road to Faron’s Crossing. The landcraft, stripped down to its basics, was a wood and metal box with six wooden wheels driven by solar panels and their uncle’s Animus. The metal framing was etched with runescript and, even though he had seen it hundreds of times, it never failed to evoke a feeling of awe at how such a delicate thing was enough to move the landcraft and protect it from the elements...

CoESC Book 1-5.1: Crossroads

With a parfait in front of her, a steamy romance pocketbook, and a chilled glass of lavan juice, Krystal settled down for a lovely afternoon at the Olde Sweet Shoppe. She was alone in the al fresco dining area this time; most of the other kids her age were probably at the training hall.

She should have been there but a girl needed a break every now and then. She had spent the last couple of days running for her life every morning, followed by whatever tortures Yuri chose to put herself ...

CoESC Book 1-4.3: Pride

Trevor Byrne kept his arms folded across his chest as he watched the newest batch of budding soldiers try to learn a basic Animus technique. As expected, Knight-Captain Davar’s child was just as much of a prodigy as the man himself.

It wasn’t a bad thing that the girl didn’t inherit the Davar Heritage; he expected she’d received something from the Mishala line. He suppressed a shudder when his thoughts dwelt on that particular clan. She had inherited her mother’s look...

CoESC Book 1-4.2: Pride

The next morning, Yuriko was up just before the sun rose. She had tried to wait for her father to come home but sleep had overtaken her before her arrived. Now, she could hear his loud snoring through the closed door of his bedroom as she walked past.

With Kato in charge of breakfast, Yuriko had time to spare for stretching her taut muscles. Only her thighs were spared from muscle fatigue; her calves, feet, and sides stung. Her Animus reserves were full, however, thanks to having a good...

Working Things Out

It's our second week!

We're still working out some kinks we're encountering here on Patreon but, fingers crossed, we'll be running things more smoothly by the end of the year.

So far, we've only got the chapters we're pushing out for our patrons but we're also working on additional treats so patrons have something more to look forward to. :)

We hope you're enjoying the story so far!

- Lester and Rosa

CoESC Book 1-4.1: Pride

Yuriko gave a start at the raised voices. Ishika, who had been listening just as intently to the Armsmaster as Yuriko, turned to look in the direction of the boys. Armsmaster Byrne frowned at the interruption and stopped mid-word.

Although she’d already heard nearly the same lecture from her father, the Armsmaster’s experience gave her new insight. Virgil Davar was a marksman after all; Trevor Byrne usually found himself fighting up close and personal with the Wyldlings.

Yurik...

CoESC Book 1-3.2: Decisions and Consequences

“Captain.”

The sentry saluted to Virgil when he arrived at the command centre.

Virgil returned the salute and strode inside to his office. He was so preoccupied with Yuriko’s Heritage that he almost didn’t notice Inquisitor Gorlyn sorting through the pile of reports on his desk.

“Inquisitor.”

Sarra Gorlyn was a short woman; relative to Virgil, most people were short, but Sarra was just a bit below the Imperial average. Her grey hair was held in a tight bun,...

CoESC Book 1-3.1: Decisions and Consequences

When Yuriko returned downstairs, her eyes were puffy and swollen but her composure had returned and she felt ready to face the revelations of her Atavism. If she only knew exactly what it did, then it would be much easier to plan.

The aroma of lunch drew her to the kitchen where Virgil was carrying a rasher of bacon. A plate full of fried potatoes and a pitcher of lavan juice was already at the table, along with a woeful Rami, throwing hurt glances at his elder sister.

Yu...

CoESC Book 1-2.2: Heritage

The next thing Yuriko knew, she was in a field of darkness. From what Kato had told her, she may experience dreams or visions. This didn’t quite seem like a dream.

The immediate area surrounding her brightened and she could see herself floating and shifting with the ethereal winds. Around her, she could see the other children floating as she did. There was Krystal with her smooth dark hair, her green eyes lively as she stared into the distance. She seemed to see Yuriko, raising a hand...

CoESC Book 1-2.1: Heritage

The dying light of the sun shone through the stained-glass windows near the top of the hallway. Sunset was only a few minutes away and Yuriko wondered what would illuminate the Temple then since she couldn’t see any light panels or bulbs.

Krystal and Mikel walked beside her while the other kids walked in twos and threes around them with the Celebrant leading the way, his off-white robes fluttering behind him. It was strange; Elder Ramus seemed to walk slowly but no matter how much Yur...

CoESC Book 1-1: Atavism Ritual

Yuriko bolted upright as the morning sun hit her eyes. She rolled off her bed, barely sleeping a wink the night before. Despite knowing the Ritual would only happen at dusk, excitement filled her as she bounded to the bathroom to get ready.

“Chaos!” she cursed, sucking her breath in sharply when she stubbed her toe on her desk.

She hobbled to the sink to wash the night’s sweat off her face. Thankfully, she had long since moved out of the children’s bedroom or her brothers ...

Posting Soon!

I've almost always refused to collaborate with my husband, James (Lester to close family and friends), since we prefer reading and writing

very different genres.

We've been bouncing ideas off each other more often, though, so why not properly collaborate, yes?

- Rosa