the saint's gamble

c h a r a c t e r s :

caeleste. name is a combination of the latin word caelum (meaning sky) + celeste (spanish word for sky blue/light blue but also celestial). pronounced like cah-eh-less-teh. unlocks agarophobia as soon as she enters the valley. raised for this, fed for this, indoctrinated for this.

hidra. caeleste's she-dog and the only living being allowed to enter the valley with her. scruffy and long-legged, almost like a maned wolf in appearance but she's got more of a dusty-grey-black colour. partial to water, that's why her name is hidra.

la eídola. from the word εἴδωλον. eidola is plural but in this case the use of -a is meant to signal that she is female and the accent marker is just for the sake of directing readers on how to pronounce it. a winged creature that's like a cross between a griffin and a wyvern. caeleste's mode of transportation around the valley.

e x c e r p t !

✹ from chapter one ✹

a e s t h e t i c : pareidolia making you see eyes on mountains and the sky, the burn of the sun on the crown of your head, overgrown ruins, the sheer cry of birds overhead, the vast emptiness of a clear blue sky, prey animal fear, mismatched body parts stitched together, megalophobia, the whisper of the wind through the grass, rain and sunshine, muted screaming, a blade unblemished by the elements, tapetum lucidum, butterflies gathering around a festering wound, the blood-like stains of fresh fruit, gigantic bones taking over the landscape, intricately forged iron spikes, the danger signaling of vibrant colours, massive architecture, a mirror-like still lake, bruised clouds

✹ recipe: shadow of the colossus, the last guardian, ico, the tombs of atuan, haibane renmei

✹ realised i have free will and i can put all my favourite fantasy concepts in a blender to create my ideal fantasy book, i love putting a small cast in a location and watching them go insane, the vibe visually is so eclectic but i'm loving that, all characters are either sexless or female

SUMMARY.

When an officer knocks on his door one morning and tells him the Shepherd’s Flock, the cult he was raised in, has been disbanded, Hayel gets only a fleeting moment of freedom. Though the group is dead, Eiki is not, and has his sights fully set on Hayel. As the Flock’s Lamb, Eiki had been vicious, controlling, and violent. As the Flock’s Butcher, Hayel had been tasked with killing Eiki when the time arrived. Hayel has built a life without Eiki, despite their past codependence: those roles are supposed to be behind them. But with Eiki staying in his house and the Lambslaughter growing closer, Hayel’s new life begins to crumble. wonders if he will ever escape his past. Eiki remains convinced that his death will bring about the world’s redemption. Hayel tries not to think that Eiki’s death may bring about his own peace. Has he truly managed to escape his past, or will he always be the Butcher, Eiki’s killer to-be?

MEET THE CHARACTERS.

HAYEL (he/him) / THE BUTCHER is a twenty-six year old young Jordanian man who was raised by the cult, The Shepherd's Flock, from the age of five after his father died. Given the title of the Butcher, he was raised with the knowledge he would be the one to kill Eiki and save the world. A year prior to the dissolution of the Flock, he fled and started up a new life for himself. Kind, distrusting of himself and those around him, and devastatingly codependent, Hayel's new life unravels with the unexpected forced arrival of Eiki. His adoration and fear of Eiki causes his mental health to once again fall apart, as he struggles with the violent thoughts inflicted on him by the Flock.