LOCATION: UNDERWORLD | HALL OF ECHOES
SUBJECT 467,338,713,285,020
“We’re all evil, a standard set by morals of the weakest. The gods set our nature, and we toil in the dirt as less than them.”

Alright, we’re back for another peek at Volume VII. I promised updates every ten thousand words, so—as Obi-Wan once said—“That’s why I’m here.”

To be fair, a big chunk of that word count this time around came from lore digging. I’ve got pages and pages of notes. So yes, while it technically bumped me over the threshold, most of it will be stripped from the draft later. Once that happens, I expect the total to drop by a solid ten thousand.

Where are we at?

Prologue: 1 / 1Chapters: 49Epilogues: 2 / ??Current Word Count: 262,756Starting Word Count: 174,900 (includes extras like front matter and notes)Main POVs: 4 — DoneMinor POVs: 4 / 5Estimated Completion: ~80% (based on POVs, not word count)

I’ve nearly finished another side character. He has one chapter left, but I’m holding off. I want to finish all POVs to the same level before I close that final loop. That way, I can see the novel as one cohesive block before the last push.

I still have one more side character to write, though I don’t expect their chapters to be many. The purpose of this POV is to show what’s happening while the “main” character is away. Once that character returns, the thread dovetails back into the primary narrative.

What’s stood out most in this book is that it’s not about creating new storylines—it’s about continuing the threads from Volume VI and earlier. It’s about following them to their natural conclusions—or in this case, a long-awaited pause point.

Looking ahead to Volume VIII, nearly everything will be about closure. Every thread gets tied off—except one new character arc. The rest is resolution. Decades in the making. And I think the long break I took from this series was the best thing that could’ve happened. It gave me perspective. It brought me here—with this story, this structure, and this mythos—into something that feels… unique. Fresh. Which isn’t easy to say when the world feels starved of original ideas.

What might happen: I may reach the end of this draft and realize there’s still more story to tell. These side tangents—these earlier threads that faded into the background—they might need to rise again. Not for word count. Not for extra screen time. But because the foundation of the story demands it. Without those elements, the tower wobbles. Or worse, rings hollow.

So that’s something I’ll keep in mind when the first draft is “done.” Volume VII might end up shorter than VI—or it might grow. Either way, it’s not the word count that matters. It’s the story. And the echo it leaves behind.

The draft tightens, and threads are pulled. Some stories echo, but this one’s nearly ready to speak. 

Explore the Dire Universe: Amazon | Goodreads | Patreon | Website | Blog | X | Instagram
Oblus ina’ti Sepan Eti — Live and die by the sword.