Confluence Saga - Affinity for Expansion [Romantasy/Slice of Life]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Trauma brought them together, time will make it something real. Sebastian was a normal guy until 3 months ago when he Awakened, finding out that there was a whole other world hidden in plain sight. Princess Lysanya never fit in at court, even the tiniest deviation reason for judgment and criticism, even hatred. Her hair wasn't blonde, her eyes weren't blue, and worst of all in their minds, she was the heir. Six months ago she convinced her mother to let her live on her own in the Shallows among the Unawakened. A chance encounter brought them together. The subsequent attack by a contemptuous elite guard forces them into a situation neither was ready for. Now injured and unable to maintain the expected courtly appearance, Lysanya is forced to return home to report the assault and explain the death of the higher level guard. Forced to live in close quarters while awaiting the verdict, emotions sparked by the trauma of the assault start to blossom. Every day brings them closer, every new challenge strengthens their growing bond. Levels, raw power and motivation might be enough for Awakened hierarchy, but self-acceptance, trust, and found family will make it all worthwhile. Release Schedule- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with possible bonus chapters on Saturdays What to expect- Male & Female MCs- Dual PoV with occasional interlude chapters.- Flirting and implication around Fade-to-Black- Slice of Life- Psychological trauma and subplots.- No Harem.- Minimal system screens (LitRPG-lite) Copyright © J.L. Penname, 2025-2026. RoyalRoad/Patreon exclusive You do not have my permission to feed this story and its contents into a large language model. All characters and events in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: J.L. Penname

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 532
Views: 125,270

What readers say about Confluence Saga - Affinity for Expansion [Romantasy/Slice of Life]

“These characters don't ever feel like cardboard cut-outs; they behave and speak authentically. The banter is fun, and the developing relationship is sweet to watch unfold. You can see where the two main characters have knowledge and experience that cover fo…”
KennyTheAwkwardDonutRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Slice of Live with wholesome Romance in a Fantasy / Adventure Setting.Stumbled per chance over it and was immidiatly hooked. Especally the wholesome stil of interaction between the MC's. Next to a wide array of good written side characters, the world is liv…”
DaraichRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(7)

KennyTheAwkwardDonutRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
These characters don't ever feel like cardboard cut-outs; they behave and speak authentically. The banter is fun, and the developing relationship is sweet to watch unfold. You can see where the two main characters have knowledge and experience that cover for each of the other’s gaps. Even just in the way they see the world, the two characters feel very real.The world is interesting with unique mechanics to the magic system, and a political environment where those who play things smart can manage to come out on top, even in unfortunate situations.The way the story has gone, from what I’ve read so far, has done well to set up the potential future that might come into play with dungeon delving and experience/level grinding.There are magical items, their pairings, and abilities that can be used in conjunction with each other to allow for new possibilities. Really neatly done.Minor spoilers from here.Anya’s relationship with her mother felt like such a realistic thing. The way she has a hard time seeing the purpose and love in her mom’s actions and behaviors, honestly mirrors some of the things I’ve seen in a couple of the younger people in my own family. Well done.
DaraichRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Slice of Live with wholesome Romance in a Fantasy / Adventure Setting.Stumbled per chance over it and was immidiatly hooked. Especally the wholesome stil of interaction between the MC's. Next to a wide array of good written side characters, the world is lively and full of charm. All in all, a really good story.
DododudeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I don't have much to say that doesn't reiterate what the other reviews have already said. This is a really good story with a unique (to my knowledge) world setup.Reminiscent of xianxia elements in that most of Earth's populace doesn't know of the existence of these higher powers, but much better thought out than most xianxia stories, i.e. there are logical reasons for this divide to happen and to not yet have broken down. There are people with abilities that could enforce/maintian this lack of knowledge as long as they contain it quickly enough. Plus, would you believe somebody on the internet that said they saw two blurs fighting in the street?Besides, in many of the other worlds, this divide appears to have been broken already, with the consequent differences in general culture making logical sense. Thus the author implicitly acknowledges that the same could potentially happen on Earth as well, and shows the main characters taking the steps expected of them to prevent the secret from spreading. It's all quite well thought out.The powers and progression are really interesting so far (and the synergies - oh boy), and paced pretty well so that it's really difficult to be bored, especially with the well-placed timeskips.I realized now i had more to say than i thought, so i guess this is becoming an advanced review 😅Grammar is okay but not perfect; nothing a little proofreading wouldn't fix, but occasionally pulling me out of the story a little. Admittedly I am a grammar nerd, so yeah... mostly its/it's confusion and minor punctuation misuse or non-use that confuse the meaning of a sentence at first glance. "Let's eat Grandpa".Characters are great so far; the villians so far are a little bitstereotypically evil, but at least they have in-universe motivations for acting that way, and we get to see that their logic makes sense from their perspective. Main characters are great, very strong without being ridiculous and without their strength being unexplained. Lucky, yes,
BrockMRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is definitely one of the best stories I’ve read this year. So far all three main characters are well crafted and are very likable. The world info/ character diaries/ exposition at the beginnings of the chapter are a brilliant addition that allows the story to both have a depth of world and a fast moving story. This allows the plot to continue at a good pace without compromising world building like other stories. I love that there are time skips that allow for the skipping of what would be repetitive. I think that this story has a lot of potential and is definitely worth a read.
Malcolm ChambersRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
OverallThis story starts as a traditional slice-of-life. As the story moves beyond the introduction of the protagonists, the theme and subthemes begin to branch out as new characters enter. All the common threads are present, but they highlight the story in non-traditional ways. I have bindgd this over a couple of days. As long as you persist past the introductory chapters, you are going to be well rewarded by this story.StoryI have reached chapter 90 in multiple sittings, but ignoring everything else, I am reading with only a few exceptions when those stories were left on a cliffhanger. In affect one long reading across several days. That should make it clear just how engaging the story is. The characters are not cardboard cutouts. Each one has a back story that is only hinted at. Motivations are a little obvious at times. The principal enemy is a little bit too exposed, but then, when you are around any psychopath, it is not that hard to realise the motivations. Everything in this story loops back to Family, what makes a family and how they grow.GrammerNot perfect, nothing a proofreader would not catch. But it is still good enough not to pull you out of the story, wondering "did that sentance actual mean that" more than once or twice.StyleI am not sure how to comment on the style. Slice of life is not a theme I often read, but I got hooked, wondering how it would move from a short story format into something with legs to carry it forward across multiple plots and themes. The author has done a great job.Character and story arcsI am not going to comment here much as I want to leave the reader with the joy of discovery.
dermidRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The vast intergalactic and multi-universe setting is quietly understated. There are so many ways that this story can develop. The Awakened culture and politics seem to fit effectively and are being revealed with appropriate timing.The characters are relatable. The main characters are likeable. Anya's strength and protectiveness with Seb's inquisitiveness and charm balance well. They both tease and flirt while being intensely loyal to friends and each other. It is easy to care about what happens to them.Of course the story needs conflict. There are wealthy, politically powerful forces opposed to our dear, but relatively weak MCs, Anya and Seb. The MCs survived the first few minor clashes but the villains are investigating, planning, and determined.The story progression is nicely balanced so far. There is moderate romance and monster fighting that does not overwhelm the character and plot development. The pacing is comfortable, not too cozy, not exhausting with constant cliff hangers.This is good, solid story telling in a bold new setting. I am eagerly waiting to learn more about the Awakened worlds, Anya & Seb, their friends, and their enemies.Grammar is generally good with a few minor typos and glitches. The author's rapid feedback/correction cycle is quickly resolving these.My only reservation is that the story is ongoing, not complete. I hope the author continues to have the time, energy, and creativity to keep this story going to a satisfactory conclusion.Reviewed after 68 chapters
PrometheanBullRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I'm really enjoying this story the world building is quite different from its contemporaries which is a huge hook for me.The style is pretty great, there is a lot of information that you need to pick up on from context while reading, some may not enjoy this but I really do, didn't give it 5 stars because I would appreciate a little more info about some things but overall still really great.The story is good, though focused almost entirely on the characters. There is very little in the way of combat that is actively described. Mostly we are told of it happening "off screen" so to speak. The only other thing that I feel should be mentioned is that there is a lot of time skipping. This is not a negative necessarily as many stories like this don't skip enough but just something to be aware of. I am a fan of the use of time skips to keep the pacing up.Grammar is mostly fine but could use some adjusting in my opinion. For example the characters have a bond that allows them to use a band to communicate. It would have been better to pick different words for one of those things as it is easy to misread, especially as they are so closely related.Characters are pretty much all great. This is the shining star of the story so far.