I’m excited to announce an upcoming fantasy romance story that I’ve been working on: The Last Respite.

Within the lands of the Hye people, there is a haunted wood known as the Crawling Forest. Few travelers dare to brave the darkness within unless they seek treasure and glory.

Just outside of this dangerous expanse, on an old worn-down road, lies the Last Respite; an inn that caters to the adventurers that come from afar to test themselves in the Crawling Forest. Run by a mysterious innkeeper that is rumored to be a powerful witch, the Last Respite is the final beacon of civilization for those who risk the dangers of the Crawling Forest.

When a magical accident sends Gunnar to the Hye lands, the young man quickly finds himself with nowhere to turn for help and no easy way to return home. His road leads him to the Last Respite, where he must carve out a new home for himself with the aid of Sangmi, the innkeeper. Despite the shadow of the haunted forest, this corner of the world may yet be the shelter these two drifting souls have sought.

The Last Respite is a fantasy romance story featuring two major viewpoint characters: Gunnar, a young man who has yet to find a direction in life, and Sangmi, an innkeeper and “witch” who is familiar with societal judgement. While these two are wise enough to recognize the danger of the Crawling Forest and its curse, the actions of those who explore the haunted woods threaten to bring the danger closer to home.

This story is set in a universe that is tentatively named Tarishu, a fantasy world that currently has an Early Modern (approximately 1600s) technology level while having a similar degree of magic to Kigenishi, with spirits from another realm and semi-divine mortal beings that are sometimes worshipped as gods. Unlike Kigenishi, it is more likely for mortals to be capable of magic without assistance in Tarishu. (I may do a post introducing the setting like I did with Kigenishi, but it may not be as complete since many of the details might spoil potential stories being considered for the setting.)

There is no set release date yet, though I would like to release the story sometime this year. Depending on how the revisions go, I would like to try to release this spring or summer. I hope everyone is excited to see Sangmi and Gunnar’s story!