Duskwritten

Zavian Callister once had a home filled with warmth—his mother’s cooking, his brother’s laughter, and a future he believed in. But that life shattered long ago. Now, he lives in a house that reeks of alcohol, trapped with a father lost to his own demons. To protect himself, he blends in with the wrong crowd, pretending to be someone he’s not.

Then, there’s Sia Raventhorn. The girl who unknowingly held his heart before he even understood love. The girl who, without realizing it, became his reason to fight.

But love isn’t simple. Not for a boy like him.

Determined to change his fate, Zavian chooses a path that will make or break him—a path that demands blood, sweat, and sacrifice. What he doesn’t realize is that destiny is already weaving a story far beyond his control.

Because Sia has a past of her own. A past that connects to his in ways neither of them ever saw coming.

And when the truth is finally revealed, Zavian will have to face the one thing he has feared the most.

Not war.
Not loss.
But her hatred.

Because sometimes, the greatest battles aren’t fought on the battlefield—but in the heart.


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Crowned by Swords

I never thought love had a sound until I heard her laughter.

It wasn't the kind of laughter that echoed through the streets, loud and carefree. No, Sia's laughter was soft, like a whisper against the wind, like the first raindrop that hits the dry earth before the storm. It was the kind of sound that wrapped itself around my ribs and refused to let go.

I first noticed it that day in the village market. The sky had turned golden, swallowing the last traces of daylight, and the streets were alive with people—merchants yelling prices, children chasing one another barefoot, women balancing baskets on their heads with practiced ease.

I was there, standing in the midst of it all, surrounded by the town boys I had grown to pretend were my friends.

And then, there was her.

She wasn't doing anything extraordinary. Just standing there, her dark braid falling over her shoulder as she handed coins to an old vendor selling honey cakes. But something about the way she smiled at the vendor, the way her eyes softened, made my chest tighten.

just a second, I forgot where I was. Forgot the boys next to me, the rough laughter in my ears, the pressure to belong .

And I knew then—I was in trouble.

I didn't expect it to happen so soon.

I thought it was something that crept up on you slowly, something you barely noticed until it was too late. But with Sia, it was different. It was sudden, like a wound I hadn't seen coming.

Maybe it started that night I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying that moment in the market over and over again. Maybe it started when I realized how my eyes searched for her without me telling them to. Maybe it started years ago, when we were just children, and I had simply been too blind to see it.

Whatever it was, it was there now, clawing at my ribs, demanding to be felt.

But I wasn't supposed to love her.

Not when my life smelled of alcohol and regret.

Not when my father was drowning himself in poison every night, while I sat in the corner, pretending I didn't hear the sounds of bottles shattering against the walls. Not when I had forced myself to walk beside boys who carved their cruelty into the weak just so I wouldn't be the next target.

The next few days, I found myself noticing things I hadn't before. The way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear when she was deep in thought. The way she bit her lip when she was about to say something sarcastic. The way she walked—like she belonged to herself and no one else.

Hated how I was too much of a coward to do anything more than watch. Hated how I stood with the wrong people, laughed at the wrong jokes, while she walked past me without a second glance.

Because if Sia ever saw me for who I truly was, she would walk away.

Chapter 2 A Flicker in the Darkness