The Eighth Gate

Before becoming a mage, Chris Castilla thought he was nothing more than an utterly ordinary third prince. When it came to succession, the throne of the Norsia Empire would go to his eldest brother, Yevgeny. As for ability, everyone praised his second brother, Dmitry, for his “iron-fisted rule.”

He was merely an inconspicuous, disliked figure, even prophesied to be “the bringer of calamity.” Whatever the outcome, he seemed destined to occupy little space in Norsia’s history: the emperor’s third son.

That is, if magic did not exist in this world.

After his childhood friend Anrik secretly taught him the principles of magic, he discovered that their world was far more complicated than he had thought.

War, plague… calamity crept in alongside the watchful gaze of evil. Awakened old gods once again bestowed their favor upon this land, as a new generation of gods rose and twilight drew near. The sins of the past were ripped open, raw and bleeding.

Atop an ancient tower, the First One, silver-haired and blue-eyed, looked down upon him.

They called him “the turning point,” “the incarnation of the Eye of Ultimate Evil,” “the last Hiperpoli of the apocalypse,” “the successor to the Lord of the Tower”… They prophesied that at dusk, after the sevenfold apocalypse, he would at last don the crown of thorns and become the final beacon of light for all life on earth.

A beacon, a new emperor, a tyrant, or a “god”…

Chris thought he didn’t care about any of it. He was just an utterly ordinary, inconspicuous third prince of Norsia. In fact, rather than face those sacrifices, he would rather remain forever the ordinary, inconspicuous third prince of Norsia. Perhaps the people of this world didn’t need those capricious, brutal gods so much as they needed three filling meals a day and a good night’s sleep.

And so did he.

*

Old blurb:

Far out in the North Sea, beyond Norsia’s borders, lay a scattering of islands inhabited by exiles who worshipped the evil god Koralon.

Wrapped in long robes, they wandered the wilderness like figures lost in mist.

They praised their lord as “the Beginning of the Broken Order, the Supreme Savior,” and wrote an ancient prophecy in nameless blood on the opening page of their lord’s holy scripture.

They filled it with blasphemous, presumptuous words, completing their lord’s frenzied divine revelation.

“Gods do not save the world. The gods must die.”

*Please read before starting (disclaimer):

1. This is not a wish-fulfillment story, there is no group of people doting on the protagonist, the plotting is not ingenious, the prose is not polished, the protagonist is imperfect, and the slow burn may never catch fire. Please read this statement carefully to avoid wasting your time, energy, or even money on a work that isn’t worth it.

2. The setting is fictional. Please don’t map the geography, customs, climate, calendar, or other concepts in the story onto the real world. The pantheon mainly draws on Egyptian, Norse, Greek, and Cthulhu Mythos, with the first three playing a smaller role and the Cthulhu Mythos playing a larger one, though it is highly unorthodox. The whole thing is made up, with Schrödinger’s logic.

3. This is expected to be a very long story. I firmly refuse to cut the outline short. The author’s ability is on display in the free chapters, and more details can be found in the story announcements.

5. Although this is Western fantasy, it does not use traditional translated-fiction phrasing. Since the wording in European novels in translation depends to some extent on the translator’s style (see the differences between the Luo and Zhang translations of The Red and the Black), I believe there’s nothing wrong with occasionally using traditional Chinese syntax or Chinese idioms that aren’t allusions in a fictional Western fantasy setting. If this bothers you, please think carefully before starting.

6. I wish everyone who has read this far a smooth life, good health, and peace. Enjoy reading, or enjoy dropping the story. Thank you for crossing paths with me. May ■■■■ bless you.

7. Early on, the author occasionally used characters with the person radical in place of words for occupations from the period. This was only because the original terms could easily trigger strict content review, and was meant to avoid setting off the moderators’ sensitive filters. I probably won’t use this method in future works. I don’t accept suggestions to change wording or characters, or criticism comparing the gender balance of the cast. I like adding discursive passages because I have a mild literary affectation, nothing more.

8. There is no item four in this statement. If you see an item four, immediately turn off all electronic devices and try to enter a deep sleep. Do not respond to its call.

[Blurb updated 2024.9.8]

[Reader’s guide updated 2024.8.24]

Theme: Better to rely on yourself than on the gods.