15 parts Complete [Entry for the 2021 Open Novella Contest with prompts 1 and 20!]
"Truth is, there are no innocent people in this world. Never has been, never will be."
Jude was born on the day when Alucinatio, the Star of Blood, lit up the night sky. Following the prophecy of the star, he was raised to become the great saviour of the sorcerer kingdom Mendax. And Jude became exactly that, honing his magical powers and challenging the reign of the Empire of Dorobo like a mere walk in the park. Despite having this popularity and praise, though, the empty Jude still desires something more than fighting the same enemies and saving the same people every damned time.
And then everything changes after meeting Prema, a young lady of the Hantri tribe. Upon getting to know her, Jude becomes conflicted; Prema is nothing like the savages in the stories he's been told. In fact, Jude starts losing the ability to hold on to his beliefs. Should he trust his friends and family? Should he listen to his enemies? Through magical scuffles and internal struggles, Jude strives to figure out who he's truly meant to be, who the "good guys" of this world are. With rising tension between civilizations, however, such a task is way harder than it sounds.
But then he learns the truth. The truth about the kingdom, the empire, and the tribe. The truth about magic in this nation. The truth about people.
