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When scales of justice will release? Any updates of that?

Hi!

Scales of Justice is currently under revision. I'm planning on editing Chapter 3 as the very last thing - I dislike how unpolished the first chapters are in comparison to the later ones. Afterwards, it will be submitted to Hosted Games, who - upon approval - will give us a date!!

Chapter 3 will hopefully be finished by the end of this month. I had to slow down due to my university workload, but I am almost done now. I'm very sorry it is taking me a bit to finish off! I want to present you with something I am proud of, and something I believe worthy of getting an official publication.

Fingers crossed!

Thank you so much for the ask xx

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SHORT HIATUS NOTICE

Hello lovely readers,

I hope spring is treating you well, and you're enjoying the bloom of flowers and the heat of sun. To those of you working, don't forget to get your deserved rests; To those of you who are approaching exam season, good luck!

I'm sadly part of the latter group, as you might have noticed by the slow progress of my work. With deadlines looming close, I will be absent until the 8th of May, when my last essay is due. Until then, I will not publish Torn Page unless I get a free moment, and even then, I think I might priorisite Scales of Justice, as I'm very close to the end of my revision. This doesn't mean I won't keep an eye on this page - if you want to comment, ask, or discuss anything, feel free to message me, anonymously or otherwise! You would be a very welcomed distraction from my university workload.

I will see you very soon, hopefully, with big updates. Until then, take care and please, forgive your silly author, who appreciates your patience and support!!

Lots of love,

Julia

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TORN PAGE P.33 - POLL

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A TUMBLR STORY: TORN PAGE (p.33)

PREVIOUS RESULT: "Of course not," you lied. Only M would know.

M stared at you, at first, a little doubtful, then, a little curious. They didn’t interfere nor tried to claim their truth; they simply listened.

“Then, why did it move?” insisted Amani, ceaseless. Looking at her, taking your time to answer, you wondered if her brain and heart were coated by a thicker layer, just like Laefen’s skin resembled bark.

“Most likely, there was still some residual magic left in that arm. When I tried to analyse the golem, it reacted against my energy and tried to activate the guard again. However, there was so little left that it died before anything major could happen,” you explained, arms behind your back.

Amani glanced at Ashna and Hibiscus. The former nodded, finding the lie plausible; the latter frowned but kept it to herself. With a scoff, your leader stared you down again. You didn’t look away.

“So, you are telling me that you almost activated the protocols again, with our fighter down?”

“I was gathering data on the abnormal construct.”

“You could have killed us.”

“I was fulfilling my role as a scholar. It is not my responsibility to monitor our safety.”

You saw the anger in her fiery eyes get suffocated, for you were correct. Fists clenched, your leader took a deep breath.

“Be more careful next time. Laefen is hurt.”

You nodded, watching her return to help your fighter up. The elf looked a little pale but overall, alive, nothing he couldn’t heal in a few days of rest. Catching your gaze, he grinned, playing tough.

“Isn’t this a harder job than we thought?” he even managed to chuckle with a playful wink.

“There are some unexpected factors in play,” you agreed, coming a little closer. Ashna occupied a place beside you; their worried wince made the rogue sigh.

“Calm down, this is not my first stab,” Laefen reached out to pat Ashna’s head. “I’m here to be a beating sack, you know that.”

“You’re here to protect us…” mumbled your dear friend.

“Same thing.”

“What if something attacks while you recover?”

“Amani will make sure our journey remains safe until then,” you asserted.

Ashna’s eyes delved into yours, searching for a lie within that confidence. You smiled, watching them relax; their trust felt intoxicating.

“Let’s go.”

Amani’s order wasn’t a surprise. There was so much more to be discovered in that dungeon – however, your fighter was wounded, and the moving guard inspired doubts as to your safety. Your goal was far from here, so, you had no reason to risk it all on secondary exploration. There would be a team sent to discover the wall’s secrets. Someone else.

While sunset’s light was dim and stained orange, it was still blinding when you first emerged from the dark maze. Pausing at the entrance, you got enthralled by the dozy view, a field that you had walked before now feeling different. You saw it breathing, like the earth had become Goddess once again and you stood on Her lungs. A horrifying thought after the war; however, it didn’t scare you. It was alive, yes, but no divine lay asleep under your feet: it was a myriad of smaller, insignificant souls, connected by green strings that sparkled here and there like precious gems.

“You changed,” next to you, Hibiscus stopped, too, admiring the same landscape. Her deep, old eyes scrutinised your lost expression, and by the time you noticed her presence, she had already learned all that she wished to know. So, you simply nodded. You had changed indeed.

The camp was built not too far from the walls, utilising its imposing presence to enjoy a peaceful night. No animals would dare approach the place so soon after, and no sentients travelled in the dark so close to the eerie ruins. Customs would take time to change, and for now, you were the only ones who knew. Tonight was safe.

Amani sat in her tent, writing a report on your most recent discovery. This one would be sent out sooner, using magic, straight to Nainrhani. There, a new expedition would be formed, and the secrets that the wall had stored would finally find ears and mouths to recount their story. The wall would come alive again.

Hibiscus and M shared space before the fire, reading. Occasionally, you caught glimpses thrown towards you; yet they remained on place, attempting nothing. Laefen lay nearby, warmed by the flames – while his wounds healed quicker than your average creature, he still needed time and strength, and so, sleep was in order. You doubted that he was asleep already, he seemed like the nervous kind; however, it was better than him wondering the fields around you, dripping blood.

“Hey,” a familiar voice called you. You didn’t have to turn to know who sat by your side, your shoulders slightly brushing. A smile immediately curved your lips, your gaze hijacked by sparkling stars that brought you warmth and joy. You could stare into them until the end of times, forgetting everything else. A horrifying thought for an elf; however, you didn’t notice. Perhaps, you didn’t care.

“I brought you something,” Ashna’s playful smile made your heart rush. It took you a second to realise they held something in their hands, wrapped in a piece of cloth meant to be used as bandages.

“What is it?” you asked, curious, taking it.  

“See it for yourself.”

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FINAL DAY!!

TORN PAGE P.32 - POLL

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TORN PAGE P.32 - POLL

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A TUMBLR STORY: TORN PAGE (p.32)

PREVIOUS RESULT: Control them? Well, perhaps... perhaps you could try...

At first, you disagreed. It was far too ambitious to think that you could take over machinery created by some ancient mastermind. It was far too complex; it would require years and multiple scholars, with its research far outside your field. You knew some names that could take over – you remembered their work to be efficient, their academic biography to be impeccable, and their minds to be obsessed enough to make it their magnum opus…

However, you did not speak out a single thought of those. All these rational suggestions died like a dream you chose to forget, as your eyes settled on the sleeping golem. Controlling them. How ambitious, how stupid, and yet M’s voice thundered in your head like a broken spell, cursing you to listen. Could you control it? Only a few days ago, you would label the human insane, possibly, engaging in debate with Ashna later in the evening. They would argue that you should have at least tried; you would reasonably conclude that it was not your place.

But the Dragon’s knowledge resonated with the guard’s core, and deep inside, you knew you were the only one to fully understand, to know. Hibiscus didn’t know – she felt it, an irrational assumption taken by a species far too caring for what is ‘alive’. M didn’t know – they simply questioned, in that way humans like to run their imaginations wild. Amani, Laefen, Ashna, they didn’t know – they were elves, and as elves, there was just so much they knew about one thing. They knew a lot about it, but it was just one. You, however, knew more.

M watched you press your palm against metal once more, eyes half-closed as you battled a mage’s custom to go blind to the material world. No, this magic was different, it required of you to see and know where Life and Death existed in your plane. They were part of it, its essence. Your lips went dry; for the third time, you called upon the power sealed in every breath. Emerald came to you even quicker than before, becoming a familiar presence – perhaps, recognising you as a familiar face. A smile curved your lips, placid. You felt your own energy wrap around you as a long, crawling reptile of rejuvenating fangs.   

Avoiding the corrupted core, you decided to test your theory with one of the golem’s arms. A string, a bit too thick, badly woven, nonetheless jumped off your fingers at your clumsy command, climbing up the guard’s plated chest and to its side, past the armpit. Keeping its end in a tight grip, you noticed how, underneath its armoured skin, there were other mechanisms of gentler sort, more refined, covered by runes you could not understand. Could not understand but used, for the moment your emerald slid over them they lit up. Your essence was a trigger – in it, you attempted to write a short command, one word to make it simple.

RAISE.

“Huh…” you heard M’s slow exhale come with a dye of wonder, almost a surprise. You, too, lost your speech, unable to let out a breath as you watched the big arm raise, slow and tired, toward the high ceiling. It worked; you did it. You could control it.

Cold hit you barely a few seconds later. It was that terrifying sensation, that slow caress that made your body shiver in despair. Your instincts screamed not to let it slip onto your skin; the green snake hissed, alarmed by its sibling’s presence. It was not your time to go, you felt it tell you. You had to cut it short, let the spell fall.

In horror, you watched the long string up the guard’s arm begin to dissipate into a shadow, not one left by the dancing fire but one closer to a dusted void, a hungry oblivion. It wasn’t threatening the world’s existence; no, it’s menace came from how natural it was, an engulfing presence meant to take away those who walked upon dead rock, swam the soulless waters, or flew into the empty sky. Emerald fought it but oh so faintly, its threads torn into pieces only to rebuild into dark silk, chaotic, barely holding together away from its opposite.

Cut it, you felt the snake scream.

Leave it be, let it go.

You will die.

With your nails, you shredded the green end within your hand, letting the string fall. Like a hound, darkness followed it, devouring it in seconds. You dropped onto your knees, your breath failing, your skin covered by a cold sweat. Somewhere afar, you heard Ashna’s voice, blurred into a muzzling, white noise that took over your ears.

“Hey, hey, are you okay…?!” a minute passed, or maybe more, or maybe less, before you heard the elf that shook you gently by the shoulders. Ashna stared at you, kneeled beside your heavy body. Their eyes were full of fear again; again, it was because you did something foolish. When did your roles reverse…?

“They’ll be fine,” above, M shrugged as Amani tried to burn them down to ashes with one glance.

“What have you done,” her tone was permanently set to disappointed.

“They can use it,” M pointed at the golem, unbothered by Amani’s wrath. “They made it move.”

Silence took over the room, all the present eyes turned to see the guard. Nothing changed; it remained still, submerged in slumber. Nothing but an arm that now pointed upwards.

“…Is that true?” the Team Leader addressed you. Despite Ashna’s protest, you stood up, to level with her fiery eyes. Somehow… they bore less danger than before.

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TORN PAGE P.31 - TIE!!

We have a tie!! 24h, let's go!!

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TORN PAGE P.31 - A POLL

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A TUMBLR STORY: TORN PAGE (p. 31)

PREVIOUS RESULT: Hibiscus said they're alive... inspect the guards, see if you can feel anything.

You let the others take care of Laefen. Surely, your Leader brought someone with knowledge in first aid, so you would only interfere again. You had already done too much outside your role – now, it was time to fulfil your duties.

The guards stood silent. If it wasn’t for your vivid memory of their swings and slashes, you could mistake them for two statues, guards of nothing but the tunnel’s beauty. As you got closer, you became hesitant, fearful that they’ll suddenly wake up and slay you before anyone can save you, before M can shatter the remaining spear or Laefen can block it with his daggers. Irrational, you told yourself, knowing well of the impossibility of such outcome. You stopped them personally, feeling their engines shut down, ordering their core to die. Yet fear is always irrational – you were well acquainted with its power in the twilight of an old dungeon. It didn’t stop you, never did, but it slowed you down.

Your hand felt the cold touch of metal, lifeless, as all metal is. It had no heartbeat pulsing through its wrist, dressed in a glove forged to be its skin. The core, high above your head, had barely any magic left to it: it got dispersed by your command, fragile from years of frozen wait.   

Fragile, magic?

You frowned. You were an expert mage, knowledgeable in the preserved ways of the arcana, and even possessor of a few hidden tricks you found while roaming through the maze. You knew for certain that magical seals, artefacts, and guards were the best safety measure; unlike gears or living things, they rarely decayed. Done well, you had a static source of power, caged by the laws of the material realm. Without leaks, it would remain the same for centuries, awaiting activation.

You walked around the guard, inspecting it from all sides. This wasn’t sloppy work – someone of high skill crafted every part, paired with a talented mage who imbued it with strength. It was done well: there were no cracks, no leaks. Only a few wounds left by Laefen’s daggers, but even those were superficial – Hibiscus stopped him before he could threaten the construct’s life. It’s life… could it be alive? It couldn’t, Laefen was right. And yet, something within you urged you to believe the contrary.

Why would a satyr claim it to be living? A satyr follows Nature – all what’s alive is Her creation, and all what’s made by sentient hands is frowned upon, thought to be a futile fight against natural order. A satyr should despise a construct; yet she saved one.

Feel it.

The dragon’s voice echoed through your mind. It was a remnant of a memory They gave you, no conscious dialogue but an evocation of their wisdom. You felt your heart resonate with the words, alive in their own way. So many things were now alive, in ways you struggled to describe. You felt them.

Yes, you felt them.

Eyes closed, you pressed your palm against the metal of a sculpted leg, taking a deep breath. You weren’t sure of what you sought. First, you decided to discard all that you knew already. Your senses went away first: speech, hearing, smell, vision, touch. You forgot how the world was and threw away the notion of reality. Then, you cut all what was arcane, the magic that still floated in the air. You purged it from your dimension as an alien dust obscuring your perception, uninterested in its enticing willingness to mould to your will. When all was gone, you delved into the void, an oblivion of nothing but eternity…

Only then, you saw it again. That faint, dancing green, the one that coloured the world when They first spoke to you. The emerald you tried to show Ashna, it was there, in the guard’s core, and it was dying.

Dying?

Your lips dried out, another feeling quickly taking over. A ripping force, darker than the void, a nothingness that morphed into a hungry snake. It was chaotic, just like Life; like Life, it lived within your world, ruling over every being. It wasn’t the absence of Life but it’s natural end; it was its opposite, its sister, the Lady that waited on the other side.

Death.

NEVER LET IT TOUCH YOU.

The dragon’s warning screamed within you. All your instincts cried out loud, afraid, no, terrified. You pulled back, eyes open wide, all blood drained from your face.

“Something interesting?”

A voice greeted you back; for an instant, you believed it to be the Lady’s voice, until you saw M’s eyes glare into your own. They seemed unbothered by your shaken state, uninterested in Laefen’s condition. Hands behind their back and chin up, their gaze freed you from its grip to look at the sleeping guard.

“I wonder if we could control them.”

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TORN PAGE P. 30 - TIE

Aaaand we have a tie again!! 24h, what will you do?!

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SOJ CHAPTER 2 REVISED - BOOK UPDATE

Hello again, it's me, your slightly stressed author!! I'm here to tell you all that Chapter 2 for SoJ has now been updated with a fresh, polished version in the public DEMO.

I'm very sorry for how long it has been since my last SoJ update: truly, this chapter took my joy and tears to edit... but it's now done, hurrah! And hopefully, Chapter 3 will take me way less time, given how my university workload is now relatively low.

This update is mostly focused on polishing my writing style. There is some tweaking here and there of some descriptions to be more lore-accurate, and some minor changes to stats that shouldn't be noticeable to the audience. If you have time and a sudden desire to replay this game, please, feel free to reach out to me if you discover any remaining mistakes of any sort, I would greatly appreciate it!!

Tomorrow I'm beginning to work on Chapter 3. With luck on my side, I hope to be able to finish it quickly - you have no idea how excited I am to be finally done with this project, and proudly announce to all of you that it has been submitted.

Wish me luck, my dear reader, and do not hesitate to reach out to me with any thoughts, questions, or ideas that you might have. Your input is my best motivation!!

See you soon,

Julia xx

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TORN PAGE P.30 - A POLL

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A TUMBLR STORY: TORN PAGE (p.30)

PREVIOUS RESULT: Yes, help Hibiscus.

Speaking was pointless: she understood the shades within your eyes better than any word.

“I’ll create the path – walk it.”

You watched the panpipe touch her lips again, her big eyes closed. You marvelled at the change: her previous casting played with the natural flow of magic in your plane, and she required her eyes to see what Nature had to offer. You wondered why. Perhaps, Ashna could explain.

Laefen managed to escape the spears, a sentinel’s back at his mercy once again. His blades reflected the red flames of fire creeping through the walls, his eyes, stuck on the core that shimmered in the guard’s robust chest. Next to you, M’s hands sparkled with golden light, shadows sowed into magic in a dance you’ve never seen before. It looked powerful, unknown, deadly. Both human and elf exchanged a glance, then, choosing their targets.

Don’t kill them.

Hibiscus didn’t talk, but you all heard her voice. Frozen on spot, Laefen blinked, shocked at the intrusion in his mind a little less than at the lunacy she just commanded. A flash caressed his locks; eyes like two plates, the elf saw metal shatter right by his sturdy skin. The sentinel’s spear, aimed directly at his neck, exploded like a fragile glass, struck by golden lightning. It fell around Laefen like cold rain. M sighed, the runes around them fading.

As the room fell silent, the brief moments of peace that you gained got hijacked by a new, unsettling sensation. The magic flowing through the salon changed: its natural flow got twisted, altered by a ghostly hand, and shivers ran down your spine from the discomfort of its alien presence. Threads wove a new pattern for the room, changing the feeling of its very being.

Now.

The satyr’s plan suddenly struck you as if it was always there, in your bright mind. Dropping the Shield, you followed the new way the river flowed, biting your lip at its upsetting waters. Your spell, torn to be resowed into a foreign web, sailed clumsily amidst the waves that suffocated real magic. For a moment, brief but painfully eternal, the illusion of control took over everything; with it, the cores containing the guard’s essence got exposed.

RETREAT.

You gave the orders in arcana, a language different to every mage but universal in its meaning. Severed from their initial commands, the sentinels, paused for the instants that satyrian sorcery overwrote reality, took your words as dogma. Their spears lowered. Slowly, the old soldiers stepped towards their place of rest, their heavy movements tired and reluctant. Where once the columns stood, both occupied their respective spots, arms crossed, their cores dimming into a dance of will-o'-the-wisps. The dust began to settle, the room falling into silence.

“…WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!”

The scream belonged to Laefen, of all sentients. You were surprised that he was first; his eyes, luckily, were not on you but on Hibiscus.

“I saved them,” answered the satyr, bagging her panpipe. There was a shade of silver to her hair, a few new wrinkles present to her skin. She looked exhausted, but still firm.

“Save whom, a bunch of metal?! You almost killed me, thank you very much, I thought I’m a goner!”

“M had your back, didn’t they?”

“Oh yes, barely so!” groaned Laefen, eyeing the human that approached what shatters the exploded spear left, picking them up. “Good that they have a quick reaction, but what if not? You’re not the combat leader here!”

“I’m no elf to follow roles,” scoffed the woman. “You are my equal.”

“I was almost your first kill for that…” the elf slapped himself on the forefront, sighing. “Why, why would you scare me like that? They’re not even alive!”

“But they are.”

“No, they’re not! Alive things are born, you of all sentients should know that! You… ugh, Amani, please?” his begging eyes turned towards your Leader. You refused to turn. You felt her gaze still on your back; you had much to lose as soon as she spoke up.

“I’m afraid this team has shown several demonstrations of insubordination,” and indeed, once Amani’s voice cut through the room’s dense air, it felt like arrows pierced you through the chest. “You, Laefen, have just as much of it as Hibiscus. Except she’s a satyr, and you’re an elf.”

“As if there’s a difference…” mumbled M, finishing their little task. You didn’t quite see where they stored all those fragments: when they stood up, they looked not a pound heavier.  

“She means elves have a very strict sense of hierarchy,” Hibiscus shrugged her shoulders. “So, he’s at fault more than me, who see you all my match.”

She wasn’t wrong. Travelling with other species surely had Amani expecting loose behaviour, a more flexible approach to work; however, from the party present, two elves were who gave her the most headaches.

Laefen silent, her eyes turned towards you. The burning anger you saw glimpses of last time was now a wildfire, threatening to burn you down to ashes. “Explain,” she ordered, voice as cold as ice.

“I’m a mage. Maze combat is known to me,” you attempted to dismiss the topic as a non-issue. Half-truth, half-lie, you hoped it would get you off the hook; however, this time was different.

“I hired you as a scholar, not a fighter. If a fight begins, you must hide and watch, not engage,” the Leader’s tone hammered each word into your skull, hoping for it to get engraved onto the surface of your brain.

“But they won…!” Ashna’s protest got silenced by a raised hand, the female elf taking none of it.

“Be quiet. You are what they should be – they should watch and learn.”

Ashna’s grim gaze didn’t obscure the relief you felt. You kept them safe; you kept them normal. While you took the fall, you were happy they remained a figure trusted by your team’s commander. It was worth it.

A sudden gasp broke off the conversation. With his adrenaline now gone, the bloodied rogue fell on his knees, grabbing his hurt arm with the fierceness of a wounded beast. Teeth clenched, he hissed, wincing in pain, trying to stay awake.

“Hibiscus, get the kit,” ordered Amani, immediately forgetting her complains, squatting near the elf. “Laefen, stay awake.”

“Yes, chief, don’t fret…” chuckled the man with a weak smirk. He had already lasted longer than your average elf. Perks of his tough specialisation.  

Ashna was second to sit near him, followed by Hibiscus. As the satyr dug through her potions, your dear friend ripped off part of their tunic, covering the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding better than the shivering hand the rogue struggled to keep in place. Their smile was warm and supportive, if faint.

“You’ll be okay, it’s just a scratch…” they murmured with a big sigh.

You watched them, as M roamed amidst the rubble. It was not your place to interfere.

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TORN PAGE P.29 - TIE BREAK

We have a tie! There will now be an additional 24h to break it - choose your favourite option!!

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HALF A DAY TO GO!! Don't forget to vote!

TORN PAGE P.29 - A POLL

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TORN PAGE P.29 - A POLL

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