The Riven Circle — 23rd Arcana

Riven had not expected that he would undergo the Alteration on his first day on Eden and be whisked away to the Dream Realm, not even a week after the periodic Call that repeated every three weeks — neither did the Whisper, that all-seeing voice in his head.

Now, he is a subject of scrutiny for the Whisper... a specimen unaccounted for... an anomaly.

Seventeen years surviving Earth's scrapyards taught Riven a few things: information is the only currency that matters. Trust is scarce. Everything must be cataloged.

But nothing prepared him for the Alteration and a power that works against him as often as it works for him.

His Primary Concept, Null, has saved his life by accident as often as it has threated to unmake him.

Faced with insurmountable odds, impossible Nightmares, and caught between unseen forces, Riven struggles to survive, grow stronger, and uncover the profane mysteries of the hellish pit of the Dream Realm that he was dropped into.

The Whisper finds his struggle delightful. Riven finds it a living hell.

If he wants to survive, he won't just have to conquer the Dream Realm — he will have to outwit the godlike entity watching his every move...

My thoughts & what you should expect from this novel:

[1 chapter/weekday, or 5 chapters/week. I'll keep this updated if that ever changes]

I'll keep this as short as I can while addressing a few important things. Phew, here we go:

1.The hook: This is cosmic horror wearing progression fantasy's clothes. There's a power system. There's an interface. And, most importantly, there's growth (not just in powers). But Riven's Primary Concept, Null, doesn't like to play fair (for now); it's saved his life by accident more than by design, and it's just as likely to work against him as for him. If you're here for a clean, predictable power climb, boy will I have to disappoint you. Well, at least this path has a better payoff with a lot of surprises.

The majority of the novel will take place in the Dream Realm, but there also be important arcs in the Physical Realm —  be it Eden, the corporate paradise, or Earth, the wasteland that Riven came from, or somewhere else entirely...

2. Riven: He is a pragmatic survivor of a ruined Earth with a haunting past. He's smart and analytical. His judgement is never rushed, and his composure is impeccable... at least on the outside. In reality! He is someone who makes light of grave situations with sardonic comments and jokes. He has a personality and a sense of humour that doesn't make him boring!

3. Power system: It's not the most complicated, but it might seem a bit ambiguous at the start. But that is just not the case! The progression past a certain stage is a mystery for Riven and friends to solve, but other than that, it is rather easy to follow, with a solid foundation and mechanics (Other than just the Primary Concept)

And, since we're already here, I might as well address this: Riven will, at some point in the story, seem like he's overpowered — but that does not mean that he just one-shots his enemies, although his powers may seem to say otherwise. Every fight, especially in the Dream Realm, keeps up with his growing strength such that he cannot rely only on pure strength.

And, no. No one will be "courting death"...or will they? Relax, I'm just kidding :)

4. Romance: Yeah, there will be a female-lead among other enjoyable characters. There will be highs and lows, uncomfortable scenarios, yes — but don't expect me to write cliche scenes purely for the sake of filling the word count. The romance will be there, and I will do my best to make it feel real.

And, no! There shall be no harem!

-Violence

-Cosmic horror & Body horror

-Psychological & Mystery

-Slow-burn Romance

-System with no stats, only provides information about Dream components, Ranks, Tiers, and Anchor status.

-Starts slow, but with visible stakes, and picks up the pace quickly.

[Warning: There is violence, some gore, some body horror, dark psychological content, and sometimes, a little bit of mind-fuck. Nothing crazy, but it's there]

And that's all! ...Hopefully.

If you have any questions about the book, I hope I can find them in the comments!