Rick Scott
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Path of the Berserker 5 - Epilogue
🕑 Added 2025-12-04 03:45:39 +0000 UTCPrincess Lunalah wept.
The bitterness in her heart gave way to anguish and longing and then harsh bitterness again. She cursed the planet Luxor as it grew tiny in the viewport of the starship, all the hatred and venom for the council mixing with her loathing for Silver Light and Ling Wei.
There were so many people to hate.
So many who had betrayed her.
So many who now openly and brazenly despised her.
She sobbed again as the incomprehension hit her.
How?
How could the Iron Bull turn against her so?
What lies did Ling Wei feed him to poison his love?
And how did she manage to keep Silver Light alive?
So many questions.
So many to blame.
Even now she could hear their mocking laughs. The jeers of her elders and peers. Even that haughty bitch at the High Council had the nerve to chastise her. And now to have lost her planet as well?
“We must do something mother,” she said. “This cannot stand. We must appeal to father.”
Empress Revenah soothed her with a patting of her head. “Don’t you worry dear. We will do something. In time.”
She sobbed again, the ache in her heart returning.
Those harsh words that shattered her soul.
‘I never loved you…’
She balled and wailed.
It couldn’t be true.
He couldn’t mean that.
But then slowly the venom crept in again.
The loathing and hatred.
She perhaps should listen to that vile old councilwoman.
She needed to learn.
To learn how to be as crafty as Ling Wei. As cold as Lady Silver Tear.
Perhaps she had been a fool in trusting the Iron Bull. To believe that anything good could have come from that Qi-less, useless world.
“He can have it,” she spat, as the darkness consumed her heart. “It and all the misery it will bring. I hope he chokes on it.”
“What?” her mother asked confused.
She then laughed.
She could barely explain it herself.
But the sentiment was clear.
The Iron Bull would pay.
Pay for hurting her.
For not loving her.
“I want to return to Terra,” she said. “I must see to leaving the planet.”
“Lunalah, you have an entire year to see to that. You need not think of such things now.”
“No!” she shouted, slamming her fist against the hull. “I will leave now and leave all those traitors behind. When the Iron Bull returns, he shall have what is left of his planet.”
“Lunalah,” her mother said sharply. “Don’t do anything rash. An Imperial Arbitrator will be observing.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, as a smile parted her lips. “I won’t. The Iron Bull may have taken my planet, but the Golden Cities…belong to me.”
*
It seethed still.
The sting of defeat.
It should not care.
The Husk was but moral and such was far below It now.
Yet such was the way of mortal flesh.
To yearn, to want, to despise.
But it would not stoop to the station of a thrall again. Such was not becoming of a god.
It opened its Eyes and saw, the cosmos expanding before it.
It had communed with the Greater Will and responded to its call.
It was an ancient and patience thing. Far more ancient than It.
It had waited.
And now it had given the command to act.
It sought out every rock and planet, every moon and star.
It was constrained by the limitations of the chainmaiden before, but no longer.
It exuded its Influence directly now.
Every moon it did now see.
And in time.
Every moon would turn red.
Comments
Shaq Fu
Really have been enjoying this a lot more than other cultivation novels. Just the set up, the world, the mix of cultivation and emperial rule court politics is more enjoyable than the run of the mill cultivation, the romance is top top notch, I love Fia and want to see more of her, and I really want to see the higher real, or ascended realm, and the adventures there, I hope we get to see that in the future, as its one of my favorite tropes, a new start at the bottom but with power and experience and a larger scale world. Hoping for a lot more, and I cant wait for Streams next adventure.
Andrew G.
Also, you should pitch this as manga, maybe license your rights though I don’t have any idea if that’s feasible. But I’m wholly sure the Japanese would eat this up. If it was an anime, it would break the internet. Imagine Max fighting to Godsmack!
Andrew G.
Having finished the book, I have to say you never let me down. There’s a reason why you’re my favorite author and this is my favorite series in the progression genre, and I’ve read dozens and dozens of series at this point. That said, I feel like there’s a phantom hanging over the end of this novel, and I’m not sure that’s intentional. That is the emperor. I don’t think your “appeal to father” line is enough. To me, it seems bizarre that the council should be allowed to grant royal titles and the status coequalling the titan monsters who took over Earth in the first book. It also seems bizarre they would have the balls to not only allow an emperor’s daughter to not only be struck but to then also publicly chastise her as well. I think some setup about the emperor’s behaviors when it comes to governing and his children earlier in the book could clear up some of this. Like back in the early chapters discussing titles with the Empress. For example, when introducing stepdad, you can say that he is one of the true rulers of the empire, as a member of the high council, and the emperor rarely bothers to concern himself with governing. You could also say that he is indifferent or apathetic to his children. Of course, that’s assuming this golden orb hanging in the literal sky above isn’t intentional on your part. And that you have plans for the emperor as a character these things could contradict. Again though, love the book! I recommend this series to everyone who asks and everyone I’ve recommended it to came back to me loving the shit out of it. Praying for your success so you can write full time!
