“Before there were wands, there were names. Before there were spells, there was blood. And before there was Hogwarts, there was the silence between trees—the kind of silence that listens.”

There is a magic that predates the sorting hat. That predates even the Four who built their names into stone and legend.

They do not speak of it in books. But it remembers you.

They call it The Old Ways.

A spell can be a cup of tea, a whisper at a crossroad, the tying of a ribbon soaked in breath and belief. Magic doesn’t come from Latin syllables—it rises from memory, salt, grief, and blood. A grandmother brushing your hair under the new moon. A child burying their name beneath a stone after lying. A drop of your blood on bone dust that belonged to someone who once held you. That is power.

The Old Ways are not clean. They are not taught. They are inherited. Remembered. Sometimes even feared.

You cannot master them. You can only pay their price.

Core Pillars: ☽ Blood – Memory, sacrifice, inheritance ☽ Bone – Death, finality, endurance ☽ Name – Identity, truth, dominion ☽ Shadow – Secrets, the unseen, silence

The Ministry pretends they never existed. Hogwarts forgot them on purpose. But some families remember—Potter. Black. Peverell. And others, nameless in the books but etched in salt and fire.

Titles with a checkmark next to them are things that are ready to post, dashes are in the editing stage, x’s are in the writing stage

Story posts

1. A first meeting ✓

2. Freedom by half measure ✓

3. Trouble on the road ✓

4. How to deal with a brat ✓

5. Another one?! ✓

6. Lessons ✓

7. Oh fuck this guy ✓

8. Team assembled ✓

9. Wujing and his thoughts ✓

10. Lessons Again(skippable cutscene) ✓

11. Banishment(pt.1) ✓

12. Banishment(pt.2) ✓

13. Without a King ✓

14. Return home ✓

15. Memories ✓

16. Healing x

Lore posts

1. Magic Types ✓

2. Names ✓

3. Marriage rituals ✓

4. Huaguo Damage ✓

5. Birth rites of Huaguo ✓

6. Stone Eggs ✓

7. Family trees -

Stone Kingdom Au Story post #1: A First Meeting

Fuzziness clings to the edges of the world, calm and content, the sun is warm and cascading through the trees canopy onto her golden fur. Sihua sighs and leans further into the mossy boulder she and her beloved Haoyu had carved their vows into just barely a year ago. The words deep and still shining visibly with the shadowy bronze of their combined magics, guaranteed to last their long lifetime before erosion was allowed to touch the surface.

Speaking of her beloved, Sihua looks down to see the white furred monkey nuzzle further into her chest. He had been out almost the entire night preparing something or another for their first anniversary just as she had spent the previous afternoon ensuring they would have the day to themselves away from their duties. She carded a clawed hand carefully along his scalp just to pull from him those soft chitters only she would ever hear… well, she and their future cubs.

Before the thought of cubs could draw any more of her attention Sihua’s claw caught on a knot. Haoyu grumbled something in a daze, tail flailing in the air and fist gathering some of the deep blue and green hanfu Sihua was wearing. A compliment to the fern green tunic and blue pants he had chosen that morning. It took no time at all for him to settle down again after he’d realized what had happened and dragged himself up just enough to press a kiss onto Sihuas lips.

“Morning sunshine~” Haoyu’s eyes were half closed and his mouth stretched with his lovesick grin. The same lovesick grin that no doubt crept onto the golden monkeys own face as she giggled.

“It’s afternoon my moonlight,” her fingers started the familiar work of grooming her husband’s mane, “sorry for waking you.”

Haoyu tilted his head, looking to the shadows around them and saw almost nothing of their familiar darkness. Huffing at having missed so much of the day with his king.

“Well… have you eaten?”

“Not since this mornings plum,” Sihua shifted to be sitting next to her beloved consort as the gears in his head turned, “what are you plotting~”

—

Sihua woke to darkness with the memory of a smile and longing for the warmth of her tortuously kind dream.

What kind of King was she. Trapped under this damned mountain. Powers constantly drained just to keep the cubs in her womb alive and frozen in time. Resorting to damned contract magic to keep herself alive.

It was pathetic.

If only she could even see the sun. Or move her tail. Or do anything but sleep fitfully, pinned as she was. Her wrist had long since returned to numbness as it let her hand dangle limp to the left of her head.

She probably shouldn’t have moved it so much when Guanyin had appeared.

There was an itching around her skull as the insidious golden circlet dug itself deeper, tendrils of power burrowing to latch onto the bone. Something told Sihua that if she had a mirror she would be able to see the damned thing attach to her magic core.

At least it would never touch her cubs. At least once she completed the task the circlet represented for that monk she would be free. Free to return to mount Huaguo. To rejoin her kingdom with the good news. She’d finally see her Haoyu and hold the cubs they’d raise together in the safety of their home.

She’d almost fallen asleep again by the time there was a noise ahead of her. Sihua looked up and saw before her a scared man, barely out of boyhood. Head shaven and shakujō in hand, this was the pilgrim monk she was meant to protect. Tripitaka. Accompanied by a burly hunter, if the furs along his back were any indication.

Tripitaka shook as he stepped forward against the better judgment of the hunter that followed him in. “You are- are you the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?”

Ah. It had been a while since she thought of that empty title the golden star convinced the court to placate her with. “Yes, and you’re the monk Tripitaka?” There was no point in asking but it seemed to make him happy. Good, she would need him happy with her for this to go smoothly.

“Oh! Yes, please call me by my name, Tang Xuanzang. Now…” the monk looked around the small cave as he faltered. “How do I free you?”

Stars and comets, there were people who hadn’t heard heaven brag over land and sea about how they’d captured her those hundreds of years ago? “Climb to the top of the mountain and tear the seal you find there in two, I will be able to free myself once that’s done.” Maybe then she might also find something to sooth her throat that had started to burn after so long disused.

Xuanzang seemed to light up and rushed to have the hunter guide him up. They left without much fanfare before the monk rushed back in just enough to call back. “We will have you free soon Sun Wukong! Just, uh, wait right there-“

Sihua almost laughed at the boy, because he really wasn’t a man yet, and how he reminded her of the older cubs she had watched from time to time. Always awkwardly looking for how to help the village or kingdom at large… would her own cubs be like that one day?

A question for a different year. There would be time once she was free. When she was home.

All magic is the utilization of existing arcane energy. Common classifications are the most likely to appear and can be utilized by lower level arcane thresholds. These common classifications I'm listing do not include subclassifications, but the main category. *I'm working on the names of what these magic users would be called per classification. I would love suggestions! Anything marked with * is open for name suggestions.

—

Alteration - Transmutation

Called Fabricators Altering the properties of creatures, objects, or materials. Ex. Using arcane anergy to change hair color and texture. Ex. Having the ability to spin straw into gold.

Restoration - Remedial

*Called Curatives The ability to heal and protect through magical means. Ex. Using arcane energy to stop bleeding. Ex. Channeling arcane energy to create a magical shield

*Terromancy - Nature Magic

*I do not know what I want to call these yet Manipulating natural elements to serve different purposes. Ex. Manipulating water as a weapon or turning it to ice. Ex. Infusing plants with arcane energy to speed up growth.

Enhancement - Amplification

*Called Infusers Infusing items, oneself, or someone else with arcane energy to achieve an ability — often temporarily. Ex. A spell casted to enhance strength. Ex. Infusing a staff with arcane energy to cast a spell when used.

—

The World

The world of The Everlands is one that is ripe with magic. The world pulses with it, from every tree, animal, even the minerals in the ground itself.

For many centuries, there was no control nor limitations on magic. With magic power, people could do whatever they wanted. While some used their magic power to benefit others, most used it to benefit themselves. Many wars and conflicts were fought for this very reason. Even when someone has unlimited power, they will always want more.

The Everlands was a violent and chaotic place. Wild magic ran amuck. Then four kings from around The Everlands decided enough was enough. They joined together and waged one final war, The War of Order. The goal of the War of Order was not to claim more land or power, but to establish laws and oversight on the use of magic.

After their victory, the four kings created the Magic Council, a delegation of powerful wizards, to oversee the use of magic. But one group of overseers was not enough to control magic use across the whole of The Everlands. So the Magic Council began to establish Guilds, places of employment for wizards overseen by the Council.

Guilds served as "police stations" if you will. The wizards employed by the Guild could take any job they wanted as long as it helped the people and restored order to the world. In addition, the Magic Council could call on the Guild wizards if needed to maintain that order. Any wizard can file to establish a Guild under the Magic Council.

However, control over wild magic was not the four kings' or the Magic Council's only goal. They know a secret that could change the fate of The Everlands forever. The centuries of untamed magic use, has begun to drain The Everlands dry. Magic is diminishing, though The Magic Council has yet to discover the exact reason why or how. This secret is kept from the majority of the public, and even Guilds, in order to avoid widespread panic.

However, there is a prophecy. One that is as old as The Everlands itself. A wizard that will have the power to save the world or destroy it. They are known as the "Foretold". The Magic Council hopes to find this prophesied wizard and use them to restore the magic that was lost.

The Characters

The story of The Everlands mainly follows the wizards of one particular guild, Wanderholme.

It has been about 25 years since the end of the War of Order and the establishment of the Magic Council. Guilds are now a part of everyday life, but still remain fairly uncommon across much of The Everlands. However, they have been gaining in numbers and popularity in recent years.

The Wanderholme guild is a small guild employing only about 30 to 40 wizards. (Small comparatively as some of the first guilds have a few hundred wizards in their employ).

The Guildmaster of the Wanderholme guild is a wizard known as Sakura Pytha, or informally, just Pytha. Intimating at first glance with his tall stature, long pink hair, and hat that shades his eyes, Pytha is actually an incredibly unserious man who loves drinking, practical jokes, and large hats. Nobody is actually sure what kind of magic Pytha uses, only that you don't ever want to go up against him in a fight.

Sakura Pytha's second in command is a man named Yok. Yok is the guild's healer and he is quite skilled at his job. His ice cold sense of humor and lack of tolerance for anything that could be deemed a "shenanigan" is legendary. Despite being Wanderholme's healer, Yok hates to be inconvenienced and he views healing as the most inconvenient task of all. Yok doesn't use his own magic to heal, instead his type of magic is actually transportation magic such as making magic doorways and stairs.

The "main" characters are three younger (18-20 ish age range) members of the Wanderholme Guild: Wendyll Arkos, Breeze Zephyr, and Casey Farfalla.

Wendyll, or just Wen, just so happens to be the "Foretold". He has known his whole life that he is destined to either save or destroy the world. The Magic Council has yet to learn what Wen is and Pytha hopes to keep it that way, at least until Wen gets a bit older.

Wen's personality is pretty much just "protagonist". He is very loyal to his friends, stubborn, optimistic, and self sacrificing to a fault. He trusts others way too easily and wants to see the best in everybody.

Wendyll's magic is very special and unique to him. When he's around certain special people, his magic gets stronger. Nobody is sure how the "special friends" get picked, if it were up to Wen, everybody would be his "special friend". So far he only has two "special friends", Breeze and Casey, but he is on a journey to find more so he can get stronger.

Breeze Zephyr is Wen's best friend and one of the "special" people that increases Wendyll's magic. As his name suggests, Breeze is a master of wind magic. He is very intelligent and very dense. Breeze wouldn't understand sarcasm if it punched him in the face (he's an autistic king lol).

He holds very staunchly to a strange brand of pacifism. Breeze refuses to deal harm directly to another person with his magic, however, he will just throw people off cliffs or similar if needed. As far as he's concerned, what happens to a person after they've left contact with his wind magic is neither his fault or concern. He'll also use his wind magic to lend support to Wen or Casey when they're in a fight.

Last but not least is Casey Farfalla. Casey is the newest member of Wanderholme and really didn't even want to join a wizard's guild in the first place. Unfortunately, when she happened to meet Wen and Breeze, Wen's magic decided she was a "special friend" and now she's kinda stuck with the both of them.

okay so first off

basics, circle, letters, symbol key. kay? got it? great

so basically i accidentally made a code,,,,,,,,,,, when y’know magic. uh. (i’m really bad at explaining things bare with me),,,

the actual system itself is self explanatory because y’know i made images bUT actual world building time,

Celdos reveal, your grace.

Our thoughts return to the Cycle Wheel as we approach the final element. The Green, Body, and Mind we have already covered. Now, meditate upon the Grey, the magic of the Cosmic Infinity.

Mind brings into the world thought and ideals. These carry power with them, but neither are they real in the way that a blade of grass is real. Justice is a force so great that tyrants might be brought low by them – but grind the world to dust and put it through a sieve and you would not find a single grain of justice. So it is, with all other ideas that echo across reality. Hope. Mercy. Hatred. Greed.

The Grey is the magic of power in its truest incarnation. Untethered and unrestricted. It is a wild element, and many things are possible through Grey that are otherwise beyond mortal means. Of all the elements, the powers it grants are the most eclectic and paradigm-shifting of them all. And yet, it also the most dangerous of all to wield.

Note well that on the Cycle Wheel – the Grey touches Mind and Spirit, but not Body or the Green. It is a dangerous element for the body, and an element poorly understood at that. The Grey Elves, the Ulkan, have long hidden themselves – and their wisdom – away from the world at large. The other great practitioners, the Dwarves, likewise keep their own council in the deep dark.

It is common to find a focus through which one can channel the Grey and minimize contact with the physical form. Wands, staves, trinkets – in Telent, it is known that their mages even bind themselves to Grey spirits that then filter the magic on their behalf.

Positive Grey deals with altering and bending the World Bones, the laws of the world. The most well-known of its powers are the Grey Step, crossing great distances in a single stride. Levitation, the conjuring of light, and the folding of space are all encompassed in the Positive Grey.

Negative Grey is the work of conjurers. It deals with shaping elemental force into physical form, though temporarily. More famously, however, it is through negative Grey that one contacts, binds, and bargains with Grey spirits.

'Grey spirits' is a nebulous term – and for good cause. Any mortal action that evokes powerful emotion can create a Grey spirit. The most powerful of their number are the gods themselves, who embody entire concepts. Perhaps in later lessons we will discuss them fully – for now, suffice to say that they might be handled through the craft of a Grey mage.

The two counters of the Grey are Body and the Green. It is no coincidence that these, the most physical of the elements, react so poorly to the Grey.

As to Body – “Grass Outweighs Gods.” Body is dense and hard to shift, even by skilled mages. It resists the raw but unmoored power of the Grey, like waves crashing against the cliff. The Grey expends itself long before the Body wears away.

As to the Green – “Angels Dance Upon the Head of a Pin.” For all its versatility and adaptability, the Green is fundamentally bound by the laws of nature. The Grey has no such restrictions. It is a problem beyond the Green’s understanding, beyond its ability to adapt to.

Dwarves use the Grey to animate golems. Royal heralds wrap themselves in it to carry messages far further than by foot alone. Peasants call on the Grey to push back the shadows of night.

Of all the elements, the Grey has the fewest practitioners. Dwarves, especially those of Maldrun Hall, are the foremost experts on the craft while the Elves of Ulkan remain hidden. Inras Cital forges a great Grey network, binding together distant cities.

So ends our lesson for today. Meditate upon what you have learned here, and carry it with you.

Celdos guide you.

i’ve made it my goal in 2025 to write a novel, and i figured that i could maybe post about it here whenever i get the mood, maybe document my progress. you can thank @steadfastsaturnsrings for me posting this bc i wasn’t going to, but they convinced me to. every post i’ll do a previous word count vs current word count. idk how frequently i’ll post, but with any luck, it’ll be consistent. lmao. fingers crossed.

my goal for 2025 is to write at least 250 words per day, or spend 1 hr working on plot/world building/character development/etc per day. on good days, hopefully both!

this scene is between the main character, Cedar Atinson and his childhood best friend, Blythe Griffin, and it takes place in the very beginning :) the word count is NOT how many words i’ve posted. this snippet is probably 300-500 words

prev wc: 0

current wc: 1,441

“Is that Cedar I see?”

Cedar turns towards the voice, a smile brightening his features considerably. “Blythe,” he breathes, rushing the last few paces separating them.

“And to what does the Upper owe the pleasure?” Blythe asks, as though he has no idea that tonight will determine the rest of Cedar’s life. Cedar knows that isn’t the point of the question. They catch eyes for a moment, brown meeting blue.

“I’m on my way to Verda to get Crossroads markings,” Cedar answers, gesturing towards where the older witch lives, although she was still a good ten minute walk from where the two stood. “I’m looking forward to finding balance again.” he answers the other question belatedly, sliding his gaze away from the intense blue of Blythe’s eyes.

Blythe nods, eyes tracking him carefully. Cedar worries for a moment that the other boy will press the issue, but thankfully he lets it rest. “Hm, yes, I remember that feeling all to well. It’ll pass,” he reassures with a warm smile. Cedar smiles at him in return, just as the sun bursts through the clouds.

Blythe reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small brown package, holding it out to Cedar to take. Without hesitating, Cedar grabs it and tears into it. “You didn’t have to get me anything, Blythe,” he says out of obligation, secretly preening at the prospect.

“I knew your parents wouldn’t, and I wanted to make sure you got something. In case Ramsey couldn’t get you a gift,” Blythe rambles, “and I saw this in the market and knew you’d need it.”

Once the paper is completely torn away, Cedar opens the box and blinks in surprise at the sight of what appeared to be a garnet pendant. He carefully lifts it out of the box and stares in awe at it.

“It’s for protection,” Blythe says, grabbing it from Cedar to lift it over his head. “No matter which way the Crossroads take you, you’ll be protected, at least some.”

“Thank you,” he breathes, flushing as Blythe steps close enough to put the corded pendant around Cedar’s neck for him. He holds his breath, staring up at the slightly taller boy, who’s pointedly not looking Cedar in the eyes. This close he can see the spattering of freckles across Blythe’s face, although they almost blend in as the blond’s cheeks turn pink.

“You’re welcome,” Blythe says, finally letting their eyes meet for a moment before he steps back. Cedar can’t remember the last time the two of them were that close. They used to be inseperable, never able to see one without the other. Never touching, that wasn’t allowed, but orbiting each other like the moons that danced through their skies. Once Blythe completed the Crossroads Dance it was like a switch flipped, he was always being called away from their time together for one reason or another, until he just stopped showing up.

Cedar wonders if Blythe’s bag is still packed away under his bed.

“I better be off,” Blythe says, and Cedar feels his face fall before he can do anything to hide it.

He quickly bows his head, putting his right fist over his heart. “I’m sure you must,” he says, the words feeling like cotton in his mouth. Before Blythe can do anything, Cedar turns and starts walking down the street away from the other boy.

It feels like good bye, but he hopes it isn’t.

let me know what you think! things are still a bit vague bc there’s not really context, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maybe i’ll post more about this if there’s interest.

umm i know that @sunflower-eddiediaz said to tag them in everything (i think, lmk),,, idk if anyone else would want, lmk!