Afterword - Book 1 - Chapter 4 (Patreon)

Chapter 4: Awkward Repercussions

(original chapter title: N/A)

So the OG version of this chapter was... hilariously long. This chapter was part of the last, and I didn't even expand it much except to add clarifications here and there and actually show their argument instead of summarize it (my explanation of Pallos' class and level up points just fit in so beautifully there).

Ranthia saving Hexara's life? That whole exchange was nearly unchanged, and I still love it. Poor Ranthia, with her head buried in her own troubles and mysteries, stuck trying to provide grief counseling with zero experience or knowledge. She fails until she succeeds, effectively, which is something I've always adored in storytelling. It speaks to me on a personal level.

...Possibly because I too fail at most things! Where's my sudden success? ...Oh right, it's this (I HOPE!). Ahem!

There was a BRIEF period of time that I considered a Ornithocheirus attack for the caravan (hence the uncovered wagons), when I was rushing forward with writing. In this version of events, Ranthia would have been the sole survivor. I never figured out how I would have handled an 8 year old Light [Mage] on her own in the middle of nowhere and, ultimately, I'm glad that I discarded that path. What I did instead worked SO much better.

And the world has plenty of stories of orphans who lost everything in a single blood-soaked moment.