Chapter 10-300: Family Matters (1/2)

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Before we begin....

Hello, it's been another 100 chapters and three months you've been with me, so, It's time for me to put things out there again!

I can use the help!

Crazy as it may seem, writing is actually one of my methods of support, and perhaps unsurprisingly, COVID hit it pretty hard. A year and a half ago when I started, I had plans for including fan art by being able to pay decent artists for work here, as well as paying my rent on time.

But people have been having at least as tough of times as I have, so there's that, and life has gone on.

I've had some very good, very serious supporters on my Patreon, and I thank them loads for it. They've really been a help to me.

But I want to do more with my stories, and for that I simply need more support.

I post a chapter every day. On top of that, I'm 144 days AHEAD of the public chapters on the writing, meaning that if I'm laid up or can't write, there's still five months of chapters there waiting to be uploaded.

Every chapter is about 2000 words, or 7-8 pages, which works out to about 240 pages a month, or a complete novel.

I am consistent, reliable, dependable, and if you've been here for 300 chapters, hopefully you like my stories! :)

So, I can use some support and help. Writing takes time and effort, and I'd like to do more with the story so I can afford to pay people what they are worth and add to it. My Patreon links are up above, and even if you only want to send a one-off my way for publishing 2 million words of content... I'm not proud, I'll buy gas with it.

Also, send more readers my way! In the top forty stories on Royal Road, I have the lowest number of followers! I would like to see more readers enjoying the stories, how they interlink, and the metaworld behind them. More readers is more supporters!

The original stories still need to get out there, another thing taking time. With more support, more things become possible, and I'd love to do it all.

So, be it the first time you've supported someone, or adding me to your short list, I can use all the support you give me. It's not extra money... I'll use it all.

Thanks for your help, and now we continue with the story, and Traveler's conversation with her acquired half-sister!

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-She’s here, My Lady.-

“Come, Azaia.”

I had no need to stay inside to be protected from the climate, and, like so many others, this was not a day to stay inside.

The sun was out, and it was shining down.

People had been warned over and over and over again that staring at the sun would burn out their eyes without glasses. A LOT of sunglasses had mysteriously come into existence and been ready for sale, simple flexible wraparound things snatched up by the literal millions, and people were outside, not bothering to sit inside at computers or books under artificial lighting.

The sun was out! The sun was out!

Over a thousand people who had been children when they last saw the sun had died today with smiles on their faces. There were people coming here from all over the country, driving day and night to get here while the sun was out, the stars were out, and they could see the moon.

There were no places to stay, but a lot of parking lots and parking spaces were full for dozens of miles around, cars parked along sides of the road, and fields bearing nothing but snow had snow tents and clusters of people in them, farmers opening barns for shelter, and similar things.

The sun was out...

This was what the world should look like, full of life and light and color. There was no doubt whatsoever that North Americans would do whatever it took to bring back the sun forever.

Those at the edge of the effect could see the Haze writhing, black and swirling, hate lightning crackling here and there in red-black anger, but held back by gentle whorls of holy light and power. For now, it could do nothing.

I didn’t tell them that I could probably Cast a similar spell every day, and keep this hole in the sky constant. The Shroud would eventually work up resistance and start pushing it back, cutting the duration down to a mere twelve hours tops... but that would just mean Casting twice a day, which I totally could do.

No, this was just to give them and the world a taste of what it meant to be under the sun once more, which so few humans, only the older Powered and the dwarves, elves, and gnomes, remembered clearly.

It was time more of them did so. It was time the children pointed at the screen and not cartoons, and said, “I want to see the sun!” when they saw others playing now, in real time, real color, and their parents looked at it and wanted the same thing.

I Have Seen the Sun was the music of the day. Everybody listened to country music today.

There would be no chance of stopping the deaths of the Shroudzones. It might be tempered and paced, but it would not be stopped. The people would once again see the sky that was their birthright, and even if it meant things from outside the world would be coming down, they would fight for it.

They would never take the sky for granted again. Maybe in a couple generations, those would be born who had always seen the sun... but then, there would be a place they could go to fight that which had sought to take this world, and was still out there... and could come back.

Thus, I was outside, under the sun; the meditative park behind the temple to Sylune was washed in color like it had never been, even if those were mostly whites, creams, and blues, given the nature of things.

Azaia Morningwind came into the clear area, saw me floating there, and hesitated only a moment before coming over. I rose to meet her calmly.