Of the seven hills of the Roman capital, Mons Palatinus sat at the very center of it all. It wasn’t simply the oldest portion of the whole empire, but it was also its absolute center of power. There were a series of massive interconnected palaces that sat atop it, with the entire thing overlooking the Circus Maximus towards the south.It was there that Claire, Freya, and Lucifer found themselves one fine morning. They walked up its grand pathways towards the main palatial area, accompanied and escorted by the two praetorians who bore witness to the assassination attempt only a day ago.There were numerous people scattered in small groups around the palace grounds, from visiting dignitaries to stoic praetorians to extremely wealthy landowners and merchants. Freya noted that there were also a handful of pl

A handful of mirrors across Dendrus IV shifted their reflections back onto Thanatos. There, Godeater peered at the massive void that used to be a ship. It went down every passageway and room, through every module and system, into every weapon and chitin plate, and into the bridge.All was dark and covered in its shadow, and had long since been converted. What they were no longer existed.It confirmed that there were no signs of life aboard, digitally or biologically or anything in between.Regardless, there Freya was, like a flame amidst the darkness. Defiant and radiating.“You are persistent,” said Godeater.Its voice boomed all around and within, and bathed its sweeping darkness ubiquitously across the galaxy.

Darkness swept across the entire galaxy, and shadow overtook every particle that existed, everywhere. No stone was left unturned, and no corner was left untouched. The void had completely taken over everything.In one moment, everything was nothing.And in the next, everything was back in place.Azrael’s eyes were firmly shut tight after experiencing such absolute pain. But it had somehow passed, and she once again felt Kali’s beating heart next to hers. The wild thumping struck her chest hard, and told her that they were, in fact, alive.She reluctantly opened her eyes and saw that the athletic hall was still around them. Whichever soldiers were there at the end were still there as well, along with all thei

This chapter occurs in the middle of Arc 8, between chapters 330 and 331. I meant to write it back then, but completely forgot. Whoops! Here it is now, as a bonus. Please enjoy!~@~Night had finally fallen on the beautiful de Jardin sanctuary planet. The wind was even, the skies were clear, and the weather was temperate and calm. The Corvus Republic was midway through its weeklong celebration and discussion regarding the formation of their Constitution, the Articles of their Republic.It was a process that gave each of them a greater sense of solidarity, certainly more than they had ever experienced in their lives prior to joining the fleet. It was something that gave them stability and strength, as well a communal goal for them to strive towards.For many, it was a mom

Hello Wonderful Readers! First things first, I want to give big, huge thanks to each and every one of you who read Ravens of Eternity. Whether you read just a handful of chapters or every single one - I appreciate your support greatly. Extra thanks and shoutouts and hugs to those who directly support me as patrons. Without you all, I might have stopped halfway through the novel itself. Been working on this novel for just about two years straight with a few breaks here and there. Writing the novel energized me greatly, mainly because I’ve had a ton of humanist themes I’ve wanted to explore through writing. You know, like most good science fiction and space opera stories. =) Ravens of Eternity in particular has so many themes about power, corruption, identity, purpose, and togetherness. I tried my best to weave all of these into the narrative through a myriad of characters, and I hope I was able to accomplish it well. I’m sure many of you saw the numerous references to all kinds of