Like ‘fuck.” I love the word “fuck.” I’m adding it to the sex scenes. Do you think it’s funny?
- Sibsil Creed, Stories of Shurwinn, (2766)
“You know, I think this is good enough to serve in a restaurant,” Lirin said.
We were eating my favorite curry I’d brought for dinner: mushrooms and peas and a creamy tomato gravy.
“I like it, but I think it misses the rice,” I told her. "I’m not sure anyone would want to eat it this way.”
I'd used chopped zucchini squash in place of rice which gave it some bulk, but it wasn’t as good as the original dish.
“Well,” she nodded, spooning another bite. “I agree with you about the rice. But for people who need to make dietary changes, I think this is a delicious substitution.”
“I like it too. Have you considered sharing this recipe with people—the general public?” Denten asked.
“What, like start a restaurant?” I said with disbelieving eyes.
“Or a cookbook. Ah, an uncook book?” he chuckled.
I laughed and said in a theatrical voice, “A Medica’s Guide to Uncooking Curry.”
Lirin sniggered, “You were saying you're looking for what to do long term. . .”
“True,” I nodded. “What kind of options are there in Shurwinn outside of the monastery and gardening? I mean, do I just go to a Recruiter and say, ‘What kind of job can I get?’”
“Well, you could do that,” Lirin suggested. “Are there things that interest you? You have a lot of experience, Ryst.”
“Yeah, I have a lot of knowledge about business from my family. You know Novaceuticals, right? The cosmetics corporation?”
They both nodded, so I kept going. “That’s my business background, then there’s my medica training and research. But none of that really feels quite right. There’s something out there that I can sense on the horizon, but I can’t see it yet. Like when the sun is dawning. And you can see large blobs around you, but there’s not enough light yet to be able to illuminate their shapes clearly. It’s a vague thing… just out of reach.”
“What's the favorite thing you've done in your past careers?” Denten asked, picking up his water glass.
I didn’t hesitate. “Research. I really like patient care, and I like educating. Educating medica students, and educating patients. I like teaching people about what is going on with their bodies and solving problems. But research is the most exciting way to discover new ways to help people.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Well, if that is what excites you the most, then maybe that's a direction for you,” he suggested.
I shook my head, setting down my fork. “No, research is too complicated, and I don’t really want to go back to my medica life."
“This way of eating is something innovative. Maybe an uncook book would interest people? There must be others who have dietary needs like yours,” Lirin said.
There was something there, just out of sight. Something niggled at me, but I couldn’t tell what.
“Maybe that’s something to think about, Lirin. And that chocolate you made was so good. It was practically a health food, not a dessert. Maybe that’s a direction?” I wondered.
Lirin nodded enthusiastically, pushing back her chair and standing up. “We’ve owned our own business for decades, and I can tell you, it's very rewarding.”
I followed her to the door, carrying my empty curry bowl.
“Yes, it is hard at times,” Lirin continued, “And it’s not without challenges, just like every job. But Ryst, we have a lot of knowledge and connections, and we want to support you. If there’s anyone you’d like to talk to about opportunities, we’ll help.”
“Thank you,” I told her, accepting her good-bye hug. “I’m sure I’ll need to take you up on that, but first, I have some thinking to do. Once I have a direction to go in, I am sure I’ll need a lot of help. I loved this dinner; it was so good to see you, Lirin. Thanks, Denten!"
He waved and wished me sunshine on every shore as I headed into the cool night.
A cookbook—or uncook book—didn’t seem like something I was ready for yet. But, really, how much information was there out there on the dietary plan I’d been using?
Was there more I could learn about it? Maybe that was where I could begin my research.
You asked me to tell my story since I was there when it all started. But where do I begin the story of how everything changed?
Did it start in the dining commons when I stood at the window watching her eating lunch outside and alone, and decided to ask her if she disliked soup?
Or did it start when I asked her to dance?
And what of the moment that I asked her to be an acolyte? Is that when it all began?
But what of the times long before she landed on Shurwinn sandstone? When she was born on a sphere that showed her too little kindness?
Perhaps it all really changed the day she didn’t show up to the dojo.
I didn’t find her that day or the next. Sorchen was the only one I could ask to help because she'd been the one to get Ryst to eat lunch in the dining commons.
I hoped she could help Ryst with whatever questions she had about The Art and Practice, but as I cleaned tables near them, I only heard something about Paulo and nuns.
I never really liked Sorchen before that. Sly Sorchen with her cunning look that said she knew something no one else knew. She fell short of arrogance.
It was cavalier; yes, “cavalier” was the right word for her. As though she knew she was surrounded by small-mindedness and had decided not to care.
But it was Sorchen who'd broken past that Ryst barrier. Her aura of intellectualism and mystique had been just what Ryst needed to open up.
So when Sorchen said Ryst needed a refrigerator and juice, I got the cooler. Glorian, Rillan, and the others who liked working in the kitchen gave me bottles to fill it, and I took it to Ryst’s room.
Gone was the warrior. She was a wilted version of herself. I turned away because I knew Sorchen wasn’t the only prideful woman there, and Ryst would not like me to see her weak and pitiful.
But my glance caught something that speared me right through.
It wasn’t pride in Sorchen’s face.
The way her hand pushed sweaty hair off forehead was mothering. This was a side of Sorchen we no longer saw, for she no longer had someone to mother.
I left the room soundlessly and closed the door.
It wasn’t the first time I wondered how to get Lirin to Ryst, but it wasn’t until much later that I realized Lirin wasn’t the best choice for Ryst then.
She needed Sorchen to soften her gently. With intellect first, and kindness next.
She needed Lirin later. To fully welcome her home.
- Sibsil Creed, Stories of Shurwinn, (2857)
Ashes burn the flesh. Tears the heart.
An anime-flavored urban fantasy about survival, guilt, and the fire that refuses to die.
Ashen’s Tears is a story of scars and defiance. Of found families and broken promises. Of rage that becomes tenderness—and the fragile hope that maybe surviving isn’t the same as living.
What to expect...
- ? ♀? Female Protagonist — Feralynn Blackwood: haunted, defiant, and learning how to live after surviving.
- ? ?? Academy — A sanctuary that feels like a cage; rivalry, grief, and power simmer beneath polished halls.
- ? ?? Found Family — Wounded souls forming fragile bonds strong enough to fight fate.
- ? ?? Trauma — The fire left marks; survival isn’t healing. Every scar has a voice.
- ? ?? Slowburn — Intimacy forged through conflict, vulnerability, and trust that burns slow but true.
- ? ?? Urban Fantasy — Modern cities haunted by ancient forces, neon, prophecy, and blood in the gutters.
Ashen’s Tears — Season 1