RISEN || The Keepers of Astraela #2

GLOSSARY & VISION SYNOPSIS

Welcome to the rough draft of Risen! Since this is the second book in the Keepers of Astraela series, and there is a chance that not everyone has bought and readVision, I wanted to do a brief synopsis of book one for anyone who wants to begin with Risen!

Just another reminder that all chapters posted here are rough drafts and will contain plot holes, spelling/grammar errors...the works! All of that will be corrected and multiple rewrites/revisions done before Risen is published for the world to see. I hope you enjoy the ride nonetheless! Feel free to let me know your thoughts as you go! There are plenty of plot twists and cliffhangers for you. ;)

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VISION SYNOPSIS:

Eva Hayle is an average author. Working full time as the Havenwood librarian and with a coworker fueling her caffeine addiction, she lives the dream with four self-published novels under her belt: the Keepers of Astraela series. Her books follow Thana (a necromancer with the "Reaper's Touch" that kills anyone through skin-to-skin contact) and Emrys (a Phoenix harnessing the power of Hellfire) in their journey to rid the land of Astraela from the Darkness that Corrupts their land... until Eva's dreams stop, leaving her with no conclusion to the series.

When undead beasts prowl the streets of Havenwood, she finds herself saved by her coworker, Jensen Hawthorn. He reveals himself to be Emrys, who came to Earth hidden by a secondary form to protect her, and that Eva's books (written entirely about her vivid dreams) are the product of her abilities as a Visionary. Her visions are tied to Thana via dreams, which they enlisted their friend, Amaya, to alter so that Eva never knew the entire truth of their whereabouts.

But Emrys tells Eva the real reason her dreams stopped: Thana was killed by the same Guild that has murdered hordes of necromancers in their world. However, Eva's visions continue, seemingly through Thana's eyes, and they aren't convinced she is truly dead. After a Corrupted squirrel attacks them in Bobbi's kitchen, Emrys makes the decision to return to Astraela for answers as to why the Darkness is invading Earth, and why Thana is reaching out from beyond the grave.

When they are attacked by Kali, a former friend of Eva's who reveals herself as an Astraelan demigoddess, Emrys and Eva flee to Astraela. Once they arrive, Emrys collapses and his arm turns the sickly shade of ash. He confides in Eva that his powers have weakened and he's dying after he carried Thana to her burial site. They seek refuge with Emrys' half-goblin, half-elf friend, Mystia, who runs an underground haven for necromancers inside her tavern, the Elysian Lily.

When Eva wakes up from a vision with physical marks, Mystia heads to the home of another Visionary—Faeran Morfare—in search of answers. Despite warning her companions to stay put until Emrys is strong enough to travel, Emrys and Eva sneak out to find Thana's grave and ensure her body is still within—but not without being captured by one of Mystia's necromantic beasts.

Reunited with a very angry Mystia, the three travel to Faeran's home together, where it is revealed that Eva is "possessed" by a Dark force that nearly kills Emrys as he enters a vision with her. They attempt to keep Eva from falling asleep until they find the Darkness' source.

On Earth, Bobbi is attacked by a Corrupted monstrosity and uses a Soulbound Runestone from Emrys to call upon him for help. He and Mystia rush to Earth and bring her back to Astraela with them, but Mystia is wounded by Emrys' Hellfire on their return trip.

Meanwhile, Kali finds Eva within the tavern and attempts to kill her, but Eva is possessed once again, and the Dark force claims to be Thana herself. Thana sends Kali away and forces Eva to find and assassinate Faeran after he uses a vision to guide her to a new destination: a mausoleum in the decimated village of Shrew Hollow.