“Thank you, Orin.” Braph accepted the vial of blood and fit it into his device.

  He sat back in the chair and waited for his son’s blood to mingle with his own.

  Orin slid from his own chair and set about exploring the room.

  Braph gasped as the Immortal blood met his. From his stump, up his arm, across his chest. Pow! His heart felt like he’d just run forty miles and could keep going. Elation. That’s what you could call it. He felt healthy, he felt strong, he felt unstoppable. He felt more powerful than he ever had.

  He watched his son taking an interest in his crystal-making machine. He had no use of that, yet. Not until he modified his new device. Then he would talk to his son about donating more power. Power Orin couldn’t use yet. Oh, he could heal, which was useful to any child. But the full measure of his power had yet to manifest. It was how the Immortals had been defeated the last time. The children were weak, easily targeted. But with his device, Braph could use his son’s power now. His son, an Immortal son of a Karan and a Syaenuk, with the added power of another Immortal. No one alive contained more power.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Only one thing might, and Braph was keen to find out.

  That tree back in Taither most definitely pulsed with a pink and blue fluorescence. The one in Turhmos had not. Jonas had mentioned a twin. It taxed Braph’s brain little to connect the dots.

  That tree could provide an endless supply of power.

  Or perhaps it would just take one strike with a Syakaran blade in the hands of an Immortal.

  Braph looked down at the knife across his lap. Aris’s blade.

  Orin had picked up one of the mechanical, blood-draining spiders and was turning it over in his hands. He wore Jonas’s knife strapped to his hip. A gladly accepted gift from his father.

  By the door, Joelin and Orinia played with a wind-up, four-legged version of the spiders. He giggled as the critter hopped and jumped over the hard floor, and Orinia smiled, delighted by the child’s glee.

  Braph slid down in his chair, savoring the sensation of immense power as it coursed through his blood.

  A happy family and incredible power.

  What more could a man desire?

  End of Warrior's Touch

  The story continues in Magician's Touch.

  napped) on the scene now, plus work commitments, etc, then add in various bouts of self-doubt that have led to periods of no writing or extensive re-writing, then reinstating the earlier, better version, then doubting it again, so on and so forth, progress on MT has been slow. But it does continue. I haven't finished it, yet (as at 19th September 2023, but I manage to add 100s-1000s of words each week, with the occasional backward step in wordcount because that's how writing works for me. MT currently sits at 87,056 97,366 (8th December 2023) 110,800 (26th June 2024) 117,974 (27 September 2024) reasonably acceptable words, with at least one major detail to be edited, but it shouldn't change things too much, so shouldn't take too long to fix, and I am already sharing it in a few places.

  Magician's Touch. I'm going to savour it for a little while and then figure out how and when is the best way to go about sharing it. It's beautiful (IMO).

  Magician's Touch on Royal Road, eventually. After I have a cover for it, which we're working on right now (Likely going to be a 2025 announcement … It is in the works, though).

  Ko-Fi.

  Ana?s and Ekon's turn … (after a bunch of homework and worldbuilding).