[Dropped, See V2] Days Gone [Cryptids - Drama - Low Fantasy - Progression]

Version 2: the better one! https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/160309/days-gone-v2-cryptids-urban-fantasy-psychological

The world made a pact it couldn’t refuse—the final salvation for a species on the edge. In exchange for survival, history fractured, reality bent, and a new age of gods, monsters, and ancient forces swept away the old world. Civilization now clings to safety behind towering walls in isolated Bastions like Eerie’s Respite, where fear of the unknown lingers just beneath the surface. A rare few cryptids walk openly among humans—viewed as protectors, deities, or necessary evils—but most still inspire dread. Revered or reviled, they are never trusted.

Within this uneasy truce walks Daegon, a reclusive man with ash-gray hair and more ghosts in his past than friends in his life. Bound to an ancient will that whispers through his blood, he navigates a world reshaped by power and secrecy. The beings drawn to him defy logic, morality, and often reality itself—pulling him deeper into a conflict where choice is illusion and survival has teeth.

This is not a world of heroes.It’s a slow-burn descent into survival, identity, and control—where even love leaves scars, and every bond is a blade.

What to expect:

Average Chapter Length: ~5,980 words (~ 18-32 minutes reading)[as of chapter 23]

AI-Assisted:The AI used in this book is less than 1% wording(Generally to cut down on phrases and words I've used excessively), and has primarily been used for feedback such as: Language Variety, Pacing, Noting lack of sensory details, and density/complexity.

Release Schedule:None. I'll be honest, Ilovethis book and its story too much.But this story isextremely hardon my mental due to the thoughts/feelings tied to it. Iwillfinish this, but uploads will be sporadic.

[Completed Royal Road Writathon challenge April 2025,55,555 words challenge]