Chapter Preview: A New Beginning
Hey everyone,
First and foremost, I owe you all an apology. It's been a long while since I last updated, and I can only imagine how frustrating it must've been to wait. Life, as it often does, took some unexpected turns for me. Between school picking up speed, the relentless hunt for more work, and just trying to keep everything together, my creative energy was spread thinner than I ever expected. It's been a crazy ride, but I'm back now, and I'm ready to make up for the time I've lost.
I know some of you were invested in my other books, and I regret having to leave them hanging. But trust me, it wasn't intentional. Life simply had other plans, and I had to recalibrate. But here's the good news: I'm back, and I'm more driven than ever to carry this fandom on my back. I've been working on something new, and I can't wait to share it with all of you.
This next chapter, and the ones after, are going to be different from what you've seen before. I've been honing my craft, and I'm returning with a focused mind and a fire that's been reignited. No distractions, no unnecessary subplots—just a single, passionate journey of a man who knows what he wants and isn't going to stop until he gets it.
This story is about dedication. It's about a man of focus, someone whose passion drives him forward, no matter what the world throws at him. There's no harem, no convoluted side romances—just one man, doing what he does best. It's raw, it's real, and I'm pouring everything I've got into making sure this next chapter (and all the ones to come) will be worth the wait.
I appreciate every single one of you who has stuck around, and for those just joining, welcome. It's going to be a hell of a ride, and I'm beyond excited to take it with you.
Let's get back to the adventure and enjoy the preview.
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I woke up to the smell of old wood and dust. Sunlight slipped through cracks in the thin curtains, illuminating the barebones cabin. The air was stale, like it hadn't been lived in for years. And yet, it was mine. My mother's handwriting on the will had said as much. A cabin on the outskirts of Mystic Falls was left to me, along with a few boxes of her old things.
Malcolm Selwyn. Mal. That's who I am now, but the name feels foreign. I'm not just Mal though. The memories of another life linger beneath the surface, fragmented and disjointed. I remember late nights studying, city lights, and a relatively mundane existence. But now, there's something else, something deeper. An awareness that hums beneath my skin.
Accepting this reality was unsettlingly easy. Maybe it was the weight of grief that dulled the edges. Dad died when I was little, and now Mom's gone too. There's no one left. Just this cabin and whatever secrets she had left behind.
The cabin was old but sturdy. It had one bedroom, a small kitchen, and a dusty living room cluttered with forgotten memories. The only modern thing was the refrigerator, which groaned in protest every time I opened it. I unpacked slowly, finding places for the bare essentials: clothes, a couple of framed photos, and some books.
Four of them. Leather-bound, worn from years of use. They didn't look special at first, but a spark ran through my fingertips when I touched the covers. Not pain, though more like recognition.
I ran my fingers over the ebony-embossed symbols. The words were in northern Haitian Creole. Being fluent in multiple dialects definitely helps"thank you past me".
I flipped through the worn pages, the faded ink barely legible in some spots.
Spells, incantations, things I barely understood but felt in my being to some extent. And then it hit me. The way the lights flickered when I got angry. How I always knew when someone was lying, even when they swore up and down they weren't. The strange, restless energy that had been building since I woke up in this town. It wasn't just grief messing with my head.
She was a witch.
And if the pounding in my chest and the way the air around me seemed to hum were anything to go by, so am I, and if not, I really need to go see a doctor..