Focal Point

Chapter 1 Falling           It was in the waning hours of the day that spelt an end to a battle that had raged on for days on end. He staggered up a small hill, as the sounds of brutalised men sounded behind his back, and looked over the Kingdom of Shigu Siuna. For days, he had led his men against the plucky little villagers of the Tamers in a fierce confrontation against those numerous, unskilled but incredibly spirited warriors and was losing his legions, and indeed himself, to their unyielding endurance. His men had been reduced to a handful of soldiers cowering behind rocks and and on trees, spears sticking out of them like a malicious growth, arrows tearing through their hearts like love gone sour. It was not a lost battle of course, but it looked no closer to victory, and with the spear burning a hole through his heart and throwing out blood in violent fits and jets, defeat needed not to be the death of those Tamers.   ...

In a childhood rife with adversity, I figured that things couldn't possibly get any worse.  Indeed, my teenage years, despite their unique offer of misfortune, were the best years of my life to this day , and I felt that they were a clairvoyance of what I was to expect from life.  Fast forward to university and life frowned upon me like I had taken away its toy. Caught between conflicting philosophies, disappointing realities, and unfulfilled, and indeed unfulfilling fantasies, I took a pause...or rather,  life forced me to take a pause and recalibrate. I would soon realise that, it was hard - very hard in fact, almost impossible tbh - to pursue one's dream, and that the only guarantee in life is death, because even with taxes, you can evade... Book cover design concept by Joy Alunga