Reading this part of my prep will get into a ton of spoilers for the story. If you want to wait and read the story with a fresh perspective then you shouldn't read anything past this point. I am posting this for those that would like to take this creative journey with me. If you'd like, you can see the process of writing this novel as it unfolds. From the sketches, ideas, thoughts and scraps to the (hopefully) final novel at the end of Novemeber.
Jacob Miller lives a quiet life with his mother, Heather, in their village near Listama. His peaceful existence is shattered when his magic awakens. Objects move on their own, and strange energies course through him. This mysterious power draws the attention of a mystical force, hinting at a larger destiny. But this also puts him at risk since the Techies will kill mages.
In Listama, Xania Verenth saves the life of Enero, son of the Techie king, during an assassination attempt. Mortally wounded in the process, the Life Drive within her activates, awakening the dormant magic from the Life Seed. Her life is saved, but her future is forever changed.
Dipak, an ancient being of magic, arrives in Jacob's village, sensing his awakening. He warns Heather that Jacob’s magic has drawn dangerous attention from the Techies. He insists they must leave the village to protect Jacob. Heather is reluctant, but Dipak's urgency convinces her to consider.
After the Life Drive saving Xania, Enero is torn between his loyalty to his father, King Carner, and his growing concern for Xania. He fears that his father will use her awakened powers as a weapon in the war against magic. Despite his conflicted feelings, Enero decides to help her escape.
Techies, drawn to Jacob’s magical disturbance, send a reconnaissance group to his village. Their orders are to eliminate anyone connected to uncontrolled magic. The soldiers begin to search the village, threatening Jacob’s safety.
With Enero’s assistance, Xania escapes from the Techie kingdom of Listama. She finds refuge with Derrex, a Lodi agent, who helps her begin to understand her powers. Xania learns she is part of a greater struggle, and she must seek out the Life Tree.
Just as Jacob and his mother prepare to flee, Techie soldiers mistake Dipak for the awakened mage and shoot him with a poisoned bullet meant for Jacob. Heather rushes to heal Dipak but is also poisoned. Both die, leaving Jacob devastated and alone, with his magic spiraling out of control.
Now free from the Techies' control, Xania sets out to uncover the secrets of her identity and power. She learns about her connection to the Life Seed and begins her journey toward Enaid, where she hopes to find answers and safety.
Orphaned and overwhelmed by his uncontrolled magic, Jacob mourns the loss of his mother and Dipak. His grief causes his magic to spiral further out of control, drawing even more dangerous attention from the Techies.
Xania discovers that she is a clone fused with advanced AI and the Life Seed, created as part of an experiment. The truth shakes her, but it also deepens her resolve to understand her role in the larger conflict.
As Jacob succumbs to despair, the Fey take him to Enaid to learn control over his magic. With no other options and a heart full of grief, Jacob agrees to leave the world he knows.
Xania begins to gather allies as she moves closer to Enaid. She meets the Dragon of the Void, who offers her a powerful alliance. Xania grows stronger in her magic, but she is haunted by visions of the coming war and the child she discovers she is carrying.
Jacob arrives in the mystical realm of Enaid, where he meets new allies and begins his magical training. He is told of his connection to the Life Tree and his potential to summon the Verdant. His journey toward mastery begins under the harsh guidance of a reborn, wrathful Dipak.
As Xania journeys toward Enaid, she has a vision of the world consumed by darkness if the Life Tree dies. The vision pushes her to act with even more urgency, even though it fills her with fear about the future for her unborn child.
The Techies, now aware of Xania's full potential, engage in war efforts to capture her. They expand their technological reach, tightening their control over the magical world and further endangering Jacob and the Life Tree.
Xania solidifies her alliance with the Dragon of the Void and prepares the Drake armies to march to Enaid. She understands the gravity of the war she is about to enter, and the stakes grow higher as she grapples with the danger to her unborn child.
With Dipak’s brutal training methods, Jacob attempts to summon the Verdant for the first time. Though he fails, his potential is clear. The failed summoning sends a shockwave throughout Aer, alerting Xania and others to his growing power. This draws magical allies to Enaid to protect the Life Tree while it alerts their enemies that the Life Tree is weakening.
Xania continues her journey, absorbing power from Life Drives she encounters. She becomes more attuned to her abilities and the responsibilities she must face. With the Drake armies at her back, she prepares to face the Techie forces head-on.
Jacob realizes the true stakes of the conflict when Dipak reveals the full extent of the Techies’ plan to destroy the Life Tree and control all magic. Despite his doubts about Dipak’s increasingly dark nature, Jacob commits fully to his role as the one who must summon the Verdant.
As Xania nears Enaid, she is confronted by memories of her creation and the experiments that were conducted on her. She faces deep fears about her purpose and the moral choices she will need to make in the battle to come.
The Techies attack the village where Jacob was raised and a Lesser Tree there dies, causing the land to weaken and signaling that time is running out. Jacob’s task becomes more urgent as the decay of the land worsens. The impending doom forces him to push himself to new limits in his training.
Xania’s allies, particularly the Drakes, grow uneasy as the stakes become clearer. Xania must convince them to stay the course, even as the likelihood of success seems slimmer by the day. Her determination keeps them moving toward Enaid.
Jacob’s struggle with Dipak reaches a boiling point. Her secretive methods and dark transformation into the Aspect of Wrath push Jacob to question whether he can trust her. Despite his doubts, Jacob knows he needs her knowledge to fulfill his destiny.
Xania absorbs more power from the Life Drives, but with each gain, she feels the weight of responsibility grow. She is torn between her desire to protect her unborn child and her duty to protect the world. Derrex, does her best to reassure her that these responsibilities are actually the same. If the Life Tree dies, then there will be no world for their child to be born into. Yet, he struggles with the risks that his family must take.
As Enaid continues to decay, Jacob prepares for the final attempt to summon the Verdant. His allies rally around him, though doubt still lingers about Dipak’s true intentions and the danger of unleashing such powerful magic.
Xania leads the Drake armies to Enaid, ready for the final confrontation with the Techies. She knows the battle will determine the fate of the world, but she also grapples with the personal cost of what is to come.
The Techies launch their assault on Enaid, using advanced technology to destroy the land’s defenses. Jacob and his allies prepare to fight back, but the odds are stacked against them as Enaid begins to collapse under the strain of the conflict.
Xania and the Drakes arrive in Enaid just in time to join the battle. Their powerful forces help turn the tide, but the Techies’ advanced technology still gives them the upper hand. Xania must rally her forces for one last push.
Jacob makes his final attempt to summon the Verdant. With Dipak’s guidance, he succeeds in bringing forth the powerful force, but it appears to again fail to connect with the Verdant. The Verdant summoning causes chaos on the battlefield, shifting the balance of power. The mages are drawn into the conflict and the Lodi struggle to maintain Enaid's defense.
As the battle rages, Gytha is killed and Dipak succumbs to the power of Wrath. Xania realizes that Dipak’s transformation into Wrath threatens to destroy everything. She faces Dipak in a climactic confrontation, knowing that her only choice is to kill her ally to save the world.
Xania battles and kills Enero, resulting in the Lodi army again gaining the upper hand. Without leadership, the techie army falls into chaos and begins to attack all magical beings. This leads to the mages shifting their focus to defending themselves from the Techie army rather then making a push for Enaid. This allows the Drakes and Fey to win the battle.
In the aftermath of the battle, Jacob plants the Life Seed, becoming the new Life Tree. This act severs his bond with Dipak, and he becomes the guardian of life and magic, setting the stage for a new beginning in Aer. Dipak is devastated by this and looses himself to the Time Sickness.
Jacob removes the Life Spark from Dipak, making him mortal and connecting him to the Life Stream. As he is no longer immortal, the Time Sickness causes him to die a final death and allows him to slip into the Life Stream. Xania, now the bearer of the Life Spark, accepts her new role as protector of magic and prepares for the birth of her child. She knows the future is uncertain, but she faces it with determination and resolve.
Xania and Derrek are in the new Fey grove, watching their child play with Fey children. The story ends with the understanding that the cycle of life, magic, and struggle will continue. Jacob, Xania, and Dipak’s legacies are forever intertwined with the fate of the world, but the future remains unwritten.
• Note: with 34 scenes, each needs to be around 1500 words to meet the 50,000 word goal.
