About Sooted Star

And now, I introduce a story I've been working on for close to 20 years.

 

"Kind of insane, if you ask me..."

 

Originally inspired by Clive Barker's Abarat, it started off as an "isekai;" a story trope in which a person is whisked away into another world, either by transportation or reincarnation. This was about Kiri, a relatively normal girl who was accidentally transported to the world of "Sooted Star." She met a dragon called Zxero (who's been a character popping up throughout all of my writings since my childhood), and the two were meant to adventure. I also had some offshoots that took place in the world of Sooted Star, but I didn't have much of a story for any of my ideas.

 

And so, I've decided to change that. Here's the synopsis as it's written, now:

A story about love and identity. What becomes of them when we lose ourselves to forces larger than us—even when our power lets us shatter worlds, yet we’re still not enough?

A conglomerate of planets called the Sooted Star Planet Network is stained with a history of stark inequality and bloodshed between a humanity split in half. When technology finally leveled the playing field between the half of humanity with superpowers and the half without, the two great sectors, Rokon and Risenen, could finally maintain a tepid peace. But when well-meaning labs began developing technology that could open gateways into the Wavelength Realm, promising a truly equalizing force for all of humanity, the hunger for power stirred once again. Now, factions in Rokon, Risenen, and even neutral zones strive to be first to harness the Wavelength Realm. Will it be a salvation or an unfathomable entity we die for, barely scratching the surface of its mystery?

As for the first book: 

Lonely small-town girl Kiri wakes up in a new world after a college party dare has her camping out in the grassy plains. Apparently, a new portal had accidentally opened between her world and a realm called Sooted Star. Or was it really an accident?

Eberkerson, an inventor of breakthrough wavelength technology, may find the trail he needs to lead him to the true reason behind his high school lover’s death. That trail starts with the portal that Kiri came through. However, his genius comes at a price—one that has powerful political entities striving for his invention, which could finally let humanity harness the power of the Wavelength Realm.

Eberkerson’s closest friends, Sage and Zeijien, generously help Kiri adapt to her new life until she can return home. However, Rokon’s impending military draft threatens their everyday stability. Sage and Zeijien are among the few remaining voices staunchly opposed to Rokon’s threat of war against Risenen. But what will they do when Zeijien’s former Risenen immigrant pupil gets involved in shady terrorist organizations? When Sage’s own sibling is starting to become the one thing Rokonians fear?

What will they choose, and who will they become once inevitable forces drive them into a changing world?

And now you know. 

"Well, what of the contents of this mysterious story you've been dabbling in for two decades?" you may ask. "Surely, you have something to show for it if you're choosing to announce it so publicly."

And to that, I say, "Take a look here!" as I point to a sleek little site I made just for my novel. "It has my WIP novel, art, and a world-building concepts." 

Ten Years Passed, And Then...

Nothing. Or at least, seemingly.

Within a span of ten years, the mind can crush everything into nothing. Thoughts and memories can become unequal particles, some more resilient than the rest, as a year turns into a month turns into a week turns into a single day. The stronger particles are the pillars- the reminders amounting to some semblance of meaning within one's life- like what we did mattered. We can point to it and say, "Hey! That sure was a pivotal moment that I will remember years to come."

Is there a point to it all? I wouldn't know. I may dread the mind's tendency to crush a year into nothing but fine stardust, but in the end, all that matters is the future I can build. And that is the pillar of accepting the inevitable tide of time.

Ten years I've had to wander, and I return yet again to this little old blog that has stuck with me since my childhood. There's truly a terrifying power about nostalgia. By no means was this a popular blog, but it meant a lot to me. And so, if for no other reason than to continue cultivating that meaning, whatever it may be, I return and bid you all a warm welcome once again.

What will I post? Will it be a more "authentic" version of myself than I've, arguably, posted on other social media sites I've acquired? Is it even "myself" in the first place? Who knows. All I know is that writing continues to be a pursuit I don't put down. All I know is that the journey from then until now entices me. I'm sure it will entice me in the decades to come, should I see them. Maybe I just want to look back and see that journey all neatly archived- packaged and tied in a nice little bow in a niche that doesn't take up physical space.

All that said, I'm back again. May all the best come to you, fellow wanderers.

 

"The Decision," scene from Sooted Star, Digital, Jaecadin

 

 

 

de-gut spacetime

De-gut spacetime

what it has to do with me

Well, I will standby

Until some latent unknown is set free

Will it ever get beyond our mind

Take any sign,

confirm with it one time 

and we have it trapped

but only for now

Before presented with

A new type of blind

Sage and Riki - The Second Meeting

"Ack." Sage slammed down her mug of beer and wiped her mouth. She leaned forward onto the bar table and showed a crooked smile.
          Aberkerson was sitting across from her on one of the bar stools, his forearms rested on the table. He was expressionless.
          "So?" Aberkerson said. "What are you going to do about it?"
          "Y'know what, Aronai? You're really gonna get it next time. If I lay my hands on father's money, I'm gonna hire some special-trained fighter to kick your ass."
          "You still owe me," Aberkerson replied, holding out his hand, curling and uncurling his fingers at her.
          "Pay you? The already rich-as-hell, cold-hearted genius who got nothin' else to do but gain more money with your endless talent? You're shittin' me," Sage said, waving him off. "Don't get your hopes up. Geniuses like you die early."
          "Is that so?" Aberkerson lowered his eyelids and smiled faintly. "And if I live? What if I'm poor by the end of my life and don't have enough money to live? Gonna let me starve?"
          "You'll probably learn how to survive in the wild so quick. Probably don't even need training."
          Aberkerson laughed.
          Sage scowled and rolled her eyes.
          "Anyways, why are you even here?" she asked, turning around and organizing a few glasses onto the shelves. "Shouldn't you be working? Modeling or whatever?"
          "I'm meeting with someone I've been consulting with online," Aberkerson said, tapping on a small rectangular a hologram that appeared in front of him. "Besides, I've quit modeling. Striking poses for a camera isn't my thing."
          "Oh? I didn't know Aberkerson was a quitter."
          "You said yesterday you weren't my friend, so why are you calling me by my first name?"
          "Don't you get a joke?"
          "I know when you joke. I'm messing with you."
          "Damn. Should've known." Sage clicked her tongue.
          Aberkerson widened the hologram with two fingers, then typed into it. After a few short seconds, he pressed a button on his wristwatch and the hologram disappeared. "Anyways, Riki should be here in a few minutes. Better keep a low profile. Don't want to give him the wrong impression."
          "What? Is he that dangerous?" Sage asked. After that, she mumbled, "geez all these weird people you get involved with. And that name sounds familiar for some reason."
          Aberkerson stood up and walked towards the open entrance of the bar without saying anything. Sage followed him with her eyes, squinting. She saw him lean against the door frame and fold his arms. He remained in that position for a while until another figure appeared at the entrance. Sage leaned over the counter to get a better view of the person. She saw that he was shorter than Aberkerson; maybe he was about her height. He had short brown hair, hazel eyes, and pale skin--probably mixed-ethnicity. He wore rectangular glasses, a grey sweater and faded green cargo pants. He did not smile even once. For some reason, she recognized him. But she could not quite place where or what situation she had been in when she had met him. She found it odd that she would recognize him because he seemed so plain.
          Riki and Aberkerson walked into the bar and approached the counter. Both of them sat down on the stools. Sage eyed Riki multiple times. As Riki adjusted himself on the stool, he finally glanced up at Sage for a brief moment before looking at Aberkerson.
          "Sage, this is Riki. Riki, this is Sage," Aberkerson introduced.
          "Nice to meet you," Sage said politely, offering her hand.
          Riki turned his eyes to her again. "Likewise," Riki returned quietly, still not smiling. His voice was quite deep. Sage was surprised.
          When Riki reached out and grabbed her hand, she held her breath for a moment. A little flash of memory appeared in her mind. In the memory, she saw a little boy with brown hair, hazel eyes and rectangle glasses shaking her hand.
          "We--we met before I think," Sage said.
          "Oh," Riki said, the same tone as he used last time. He said nothing else.
          They let go of each other. Sage tightened her lips into a straight line.
          "So... Do you remember me? I think we met when I was six and we got lost in downtown Rokon," she said.
          "Why would I remember?" Riki said in a monotone voice. He became distracted. He pressed a button on his pen-like device and a rectangular hologram appeared in front of him. He began to tap on it.
          "Tsk, well you're sociable," Sage murmured. She placed her hands on her hips and turned to Aberkerson. "What kind of friends are you making Abbot-babbot? They're so antisocial."
          "Did I not mention the 'low profile'?" he said. "And I would argue that my friends are fairly diverse in the social regard." He was smiling, which irritated Sage even more.
          "As if I would ever dream of doing such a thing," she said. She turned back to Riki who was now looking at Aberkerson with a raised brow as if to ask the same kind of question Sage had asked. She slammed both her hands on the table, startling him. "Oy, look here gloomy boy. I remember you. Don't just wave me off. I'm surprised you have the gall to ignore a person who is talking to you."
          "I'm surprised you would be so forward," Riki said. He did not smile.
          "You serious, kid?"
          "Remember, I'm three years older than you."
          "So you do remember me?"
          Riki stood up. "I'm going to the restroom."
          "What the actual hell?" Sage blurted. She looked at Aberkerson with an expression of disbelief. "You hear that kid? Is he joking?"
          "I'll leave you to determine that," Aberkerson said. "But you had the choice to keep a low profile. None of this would have happened if you had."
          "Hey, well you're the one who introduced us."
          "I was doing the 'polite' thing. It is your own fault you remembered him from before and therefore decided to pester him about it."
          "So you're saying that trying to make simple conversation with him is not what I'm supposed to do?"
          "You got what you got. I warned you."
          Sage groaned and slapped her forehead. "You knew his personality, didn't you."
          "I guess I could've warned you more," Aberkerson said and shrugged.
          "You troll."
          Riki returned to the table during an awkward silence a few minutes after their conversation concluded. He sat down on the stool. He was calm. He looked at his watch. Sage glanced at him and bit her lip. Aberkerson glanced at both of them.
          "So you found the website. You hacked into it, right?" Riki asked.
          "Didn't feel like it. I'll do it later," Aberkerson replied. "You understand it's high profile, right?"
          "Apparently I'm being stalked. That's why I asked you to look into it."
          Aberkerson lifted an eyebrow. Sage looked at him and tilted her head questioningly. Riki tightened his lips into a straight line and looked down at the table.
          "Who could possibly be stalking you?" Aberkerson laughed.
          "I know, huh," Riki replied, leaning onto his forearms rested on the table. "Literally all I do is draw. I'm not involved with the Rokon government in any way."
          Aberkerson leaned back on the stool, folding his arms over his stomach and looking up at the ceiling. "I wonder," he said, then trailed off for some seconds. "How long have I been talking to you?"
          "About a month?" Riki said in almost a questioning manner. He looked at Aberkerson and inclined his head slightly.
          Aberkerson smiled. "I see. And how long was it since you first noticed someone was stalking you?"
          "Probably about a month ago."
          "Remember when you used my account for a video chat?"
          "Yeah, why?"
          "RGO probably traced my profile to that account. I'm surprised it took them that long, considering I infiltrated their security system two years ago."
          "What do you mean?"
          Aberkerson leaned forward with a small uneven smile on his face. "Whoever is 'stalking' you thinks you are me. They are probably now going by what your face looks like to track you."
          "But couldn't they simply trace your account to your email account and so on, then find out that way?"
          "I was able to hack the website and make an account separate from all other accounts except my fake email, which I used as a bait site when I infiltrated the security system. And then I never actually used that video chat account, so you're the first one who used it, hence they think you are me. That was my mistake."
          "And now I am taking the punishment," Riki said and groaned.
          "Who knew they were trying to track me."
          "You probably knew in the back of your mind."
          "Yup. You're right."
          "Damn you."
          Aberkerson laughed a little bit, then patted Riki's shoulder. "Don't worry about too much. I'll make sure they can't trace you. I just need your computer and the names of all possible accounts you have created on the internet." He leaned back and pointed his index finger to the ceiling. "Oh, and also other electronics you may have since the RGO Intelligence has the ability to hack into basically anything these days. As for preventing them from tracking you using your facial profile, I'll probably tamper with your identity a bit."
          "And who exactly is this 'RGO Intelligence'?" Sage inserted.
          "Risenen Government Officials. "
          In unison, Riki and Sage both perked up and blurted, "What?"
          "Surprisingly," Aberkerson said. "It took me a long time to figure it out. They are rather liberal in their scrutinization of Rokon. Usually, you would think of Risenen people as all technology haters, but some of them got the bright idea to utilize Rokon technology to help their cause."
          "What the--oh my god," Sage said shaking her head and lifting her hands. "That's really surprising. And no one in Rokon knows about this?"
          "The Rokon government is aware, and they are also looking into it," Aberkerson replied.
          "How about the Risenen government? Didn't it ban all use of technology?" Riki asked.
          "It may seem so because the royals decreed that and it was all over Rokon news. But the other side of the government, the true decision makers, are going the other direction without the royals' knowledge."
          Riki shook his head and tightened his lips. Sage folded her arms over her stomach and screwed her lips to one side of her face.
          A few customers walked into the bar talking loudly.
          Taking that as a queue to leave, Aberkerson stood up and patted down his pants and coat. "Anyways, we shouldn't have this conversation anymore." He looked at Riki. "I'll fulfill your wish to not be stalked. You don't actually need to give me all your account names. I'll figure it out. Sit back and relax."
          "Uh huh," Riki said.
          "Trust him," Sage said almost irritatedly. "Use his genius while he's still alive."
          For the first time, Riki smiled. It was a very small smile, but it prompted Sage to bring her hands to her mouth and squeal. "Look, he smiled!" she exclaimed.
          Riki rolled his eyes. "Wow, didn't know I could do that," he said.
          Instead of letting his sarcasm offend her, Sage laughed. "Well, well. See you cats later. Maybe not the dull one, but definitely the eccentric one."
          "Laters," Aberkerson said and waved back at Sage without facing her.
          Riki slid down from the bench and followed Aberkerson. "Bye," he said.
          The two of them disappeared through the bar exit, leaving Sage with a kinked smile. "I'd better see the dull one again and fix that attitude of his," she said, laughing to herself.


Aberswyth N.T.

It's Poetry Month -- "Fleeting"

The risk you take is looking back and 

the pain in the core of the chest striking you 

so softly 

that it rips every vein apart. 

Grasping at every image with a child’s hands, 

every cell a small dimension that will live and die

And yet still managing to smile, you 

pick yourself up, 

the night managing to drag on

Your hand, 

now seven years later, 

all cells replaced, and 

none remain that your past has touched

This is when the years become weeks, 

and days turn to particles, 

such a convenience for the human mind--

Compiling and organizing, 

squashing everything together like the machines 

crush piles and piles of trash into small boxes  

Trying to remember that one moment and 

the frustration wildly aflame, 

and that question:

Then what was the point?

-Aberswyth

Miraki: Chapter 1

Miraki’s hand went limp. It was because of a sudden numbness—it coursed through zeir veins and tantalized zem. From zeir hand, the phone fell to the floor. 

     “Miraki?” a crackled voice said from the phone. The voice sounded worried. “Miraki! My dear girl, where are you?”

     Miraki stared into the empty space of zeir mind for a moment until the words registered. As they did, zeir face slowly twisted into disgust and ferocity. 

     “Don’t call me girl,” zei whispered under boiling breath. Slowly, zeir hands clenched into fists. 

     “Miraki,” the voice said again. “Please answer me. I’m truly sorry to bring this news.”

     Miraki sat dumbfounded for a while longer. Zei opened zeir mouth as if to speak, but no words would come. Zeir face turned mildly red. Zeir jaws were clenched tight. 

     “I—,” zei started quietly, downturning zeir head and letting zeir short black hair fall in front of zeir thin, pale face. 

     “Miraki, please!”

     Annoyed and almost to the point of tears, zei suddenly bent over and grabbed the phone, pressing the end button immediately. The crackle of the phone disappeared. Everything went silent.

Wordless

what happens when 

we run out of 

questions?

when words are rendered 

oblivious

pulled under miles of

layers of

unexplained?

gazing, probing

through stars gleaming in

our eyes

far away

in the cold

you took my hand

barely grazed a sentence 

and 

was that the end?

combinations of letters only

the length of our arms

as you reached 

out to me

and i to you

a sudden draft of wind

that we’ve been afraid of

pulling

us 

away from each other

since the first time we learned

words are so limited.

don’t say

anything.

no more

reaching.

you place your lips 

to my eyelid

gently

and seal the 26 Roman letters

the thousand characters

the lines, curves, dots

the insufficient variations— 

and when you leave me behind

any form of good bye

is not enough

-Aberswyth