Garden of Severed Wills is an action fantasy, with a lil bit of everything else inside. It's set in the real world (so not a high fantasy). I started writing this during the pandemic, which was also when I graduated and was feeling at a loss. Since I had always been interested in writing since I was a kid, I decided to start and came up with the first concept for the novel.
It took at least ten iterations from the first draft until I was satisfied. It then took another two to three years of procrastination, chickening out and tons of encouragement to post. From the time I started writing to the time I started publishing, I have obtained a university degree.
The series explores themes of loss, love, and power, as well as the emotional journey of a reluctant hero. I dare not say it's the most unique thing out there, but if I had to identify something that makes it a tad special, it is that the main character shares the same nationality as I do (making some themes a bit more personal). There are also plenty of interactions between characters, as I love character building and writing interactions. Everyone has flaws, motivations (or none at all)
Here are some quotes (published and unpublished) that might interest you guys! If you are interested, I humbly request that you read until Chapter 4: The Twelve Flower Months of Remembrance to get a gist of the themes, the world and the power system.
Snippets from Season 1:
From Chapter 0:
Their beginnings, I had written.
Their ends, I am writing.
And you shall bear witness.
A bit of comedy from Chapter 3:
Ace yelped as Felix grabbed him by the collar. In the next instant, he was dangling over the stairwell. The bag with his camera and equipment slipped out of his grasp and fell into the darkness. MY CAMERA! Ace wanted to scream as he heard it land.
“That’s fine, Leonhart can fix it!” Felix declared.
The creature stumbled back and crushed the bag.
“Err… Did you get a receipt for that? Insurance?” Felix asked.
“No!”
Quotes from Season 2 (coming soon):
Quote 1:
"Almost is still nothing."
Quote 2:
“So you see, everyone started from somewhere. Everyone’s a work in progress, but…” Lady Meng sighed wistfully as she lay down on the grass. There was a long silence before she completed her sentence.
“... a complete work is different from a concluded one. Remember that.”
Quote 3:
Eyes of grief, when will they know reprieve?
So yeah, check it out and let me know what you think in the comments! (btw I only started publishing less than a month ago and didn't really promote it until I had enough content)
Synopsis:
“Clothes maketh man, as do memories a lived man. Memories are the companions of man's soul; as such, together they begin, grow and flourish. And later, together, they fall.”
Phantoms are as natural as the shadows humans cast.
But the people who eradicate them are not.
Ace finds himself at the beginning of many crossroads of the adult world after graduating from junior college. He unknowingly opens himself up to an enigmatic being, Origin, who grants him powers that set the wheels of fate in motion.
Already an outcast even before he steps into the Tokyo Sanctum, one of the last sorcery institutions in the world, Ace is thrust into a world of phantoms and sorcerers, burdened with a mysterious Will he cannot recall, one that demands he bring an end to sorcery.
