Last Command of the Witheld Arc 1: Rebirth

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In the tranquil town of Bernouse, NH, Griffin Tucker and Sarah Avery’s engagement celebration takes an unexpected turn into the realm of the extraordinary. On the day they plan to share their future, Griffin learns that his mother, Cerise, is not only battling a terminal illness but concealing her true nature as a godlike entity from another world.

Alongside her ancient and sinister companion, August Vasilias, Cerise had once confined a monstrous entity, the Herald of the Void, within the moon's core. Now, with their powers dwindling on a magic-starved Earth, the Herald's strength grows, threatening imminent destruction.

As the world teeters on the brink, August acts swiftly to save Griffin and Sarah from the ensuing apocalypse. He transforms them into Reborn—beings imbued with potent magic, not as warriors against the chaos, but as refugees meant to live on in the enchanted land of his birth: Nolm.

Thrust through a portal to August’s mystical homeworld just moments before Earth’s end, Griffin and Sarah must navigate a new world filled with wonders and dangers, their new powers a final gift from Griffin's mother and her ally, ensuring her love endures beyond the calamities of their former world.

Arc 1 takes our heroes from Rebirth to Stone Rank, beginning their first steps on the path to Ascension in the dangerous and magical world of Nolm. This story is not a romance and it contains no sex scenes. There are graphic descriptions of relatively realistic injuries so if that's not appealing to you, you were warned here!

New chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12:00 PM EST.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: aaronfrangos

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 423
Views: 92,093

Chapters(114 total)

What readers say about Last Command of the Witheld Arc 1: Rebirth

“So, I had totally missed the fact that this fiction was a LitRPG on reading the first initial chapters - and sure, there was a lot of science fiction elements, a lot of discussion of powers and such, but for whatever reason I wasn't considering it a LitRPG.…”
gliglithRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“The first thing that I have to say, is that this story has some serious legs on it. I am incredibly interested to see where this is all going to go, and I think that the writer has laid some astounding ground work here at the start. Style: The writer has a…”
C. Sebastian NuttRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

gliglithRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So, I had totally missed the fact that this fiction was a LitRPG on reading the first initial chapters - and sure, there was a lot of science fiction elements, a lot of discussion of powers and such, but for whatever reason I wasn't considering it a LitRPG. However, near the end the of the first arc it feels like this really starts popping off.
Multiple characters get systems. There are very cleanly formatted blue boxes. There are system messages that look like command prompts. It's great.
That is to say, the story - while jam packed with action and character growth, settings and scenery that seem to take you all over the world, and out of the world - seems to be slowly building up to the point wherein some of the characters experience a bona-fide, well, let me wrap it in a spoiler.
It was like suddenly realizing you were reading a system apocalypse story, and I did actually check to see whether I was missing something obvious or if indeed it was just foreshadowing, but yes - essentially it is like a literary interpretation of a system apocalypse.
Okay, outside my spoilers again now. The whole work is very literary - tightly written, lots of detail, heavy emphasis on well-formed prose. While there are times wherein this prose veers into almost flowery territory, and I am a bit of a fan of that myself, overall it feels very intentional. If you told me this had been edited for print, I'd believe you - that is to say I noticed nothing wrong with any grammar, any structural integrity, anything of that sort in any which way. The only thing I really found myself having a bit of trouble with, was correctly keeping track of the characters and their motivations, and somewhat feeling a bit removed from them emotionally for whatever personal reason, although once again later in the story we get more information in that regard, so later in the book this might become a higher character score. Regardless, altogether excellently written piece that may require a bit more attention
C. Sebastian NuttRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The first thing that I have to say, is that this story has some serious legs on it. I am incredibly interested to see where this is all going to go, and I think that the writer has laid some astounding ground work here at the start.
Style: The writer has a very expiative style, favoring complex-compound sentences, but it is pulled off excellently, something that can be a pitfall for many with similar styles. There is also a core of adding allusion to pop-culture that put me off a bit, but it is used sparingly and only for a single perspective. A good design.
Story: The story, I think, is the strongest component of this piece. Splitting a story like this into multiple perspectives was a great decision, and while I have only read two perspectives so far, that freedom is always there to add more later. The back and forth between the everyman and this immortal being that has been on the planet for millennia is intriguing and caught my attention as soon as I saw the location for the second chapter. I do kind of wish chapter two and three were combined, but this is an extremely minor gripe.
Character: The author has a clear intention of selling the reader on the visuals of the people in this story, a great move. One of the greatest complications of splitting perspectives is that characterization suffers somewhat, but we were given adequate introductions to the character to have a concrete enough idea of who they are prior to these switches. I am interested to see where their individual stories go.
L.R. Monroe (Emrys)Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I am a huge fan of LitRPG and progressive fantasy, this seems to be a mixture of both.
First of all, every nerd ever is going to appreciate the first chapter of this book. It's just really well written and Larping is awesome. There's even a D&D mention.
The writing is pretty flawless when it comes to the grammar. I say this about very few novels on RR, including my own, but it feels like something that is already published professionally. It is that solid.
The style is obviously great, with a mix of Sci-Fi, Progression Fantasy and LitTPG. I really appreciate the world so far. Up to where I read the author is still building it, but I like that not all of the information about the world is just dropped on you all at once.
The characters are great. Each is distinct, the dialogue is really well done. It doesn't feel bland or generic at all.
There is an introduction of a couple of characters that are really interesting and you want to keep reading to find out more.
It is clear that the author knows what he's doing. This story is well crafted from a writing craft stand point. It isn't just thrown together.
The story earned a follow from me. I really appreciated getting to read it and you will as well.
Mani FisherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I really enjoyed reading this story. I'm a sucker for power couples and the blurb promised one. I didn't get there yet, but I look forward to it.
The themes of an ancient god from another world forced to live on earth as the demon he bound in the center of the moor waits for the god to break the prison is awesom. The way he lies to himself and is willing to stoop to things he wont admit he enjoys is really fun as well.
My only complaint is that the descriptions from an ancient time felt a little wordy and I wanted to get more time with the main characters. Some kind of save the cat moment or part of their dreams. The proposal did a great job though, so I was able to suspend them in that state as I see the moral fall of the god.
I would honestly recommend this story to anyone who likes the theme of ancient threats and fallen gods, power couple nerds, and unique opening paragraphs.
Five stars does not mean perfect to me, but no one would have five stars if that was the case. I give it to those that balance their stories as much as can be expected for their genres. Way to go, I have high hopes for you.
MotherofogresRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I don’t have a lot of free time but for this I make time. It’s such a fun and interesting read. Characters are relatable and I want to know what happens next. Based on the author’s stellar descriptions I can visualize the book’s landscape. I am looking forward to following this adventure!
RumtwistRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Hello everyone just a quick shout out.
Okay the good points, the world building and concepts are stellar. I find myself looking forward to each chapter wondering what will happen next. As of this post, I can honestly say I've not seen anything that screams another author's work which is incredible.
The bad, holy RNGesus, if you do not like multiple points of view and multiple plot lines going at once this story is not for you.
The ugly, the multiple points of view. Its incredible for show casing the world and system however jumping form pov to pov is jarring. As an older reader I wonder if reducing the povs or running several chapters (5-10) under one pov would be a better idea.
That all said, I still find myself coming back for more which is truly the sign of a great story. Best of luck to the author, my fellow readers check this out. The world building of this author is a hidden gem if that is something you search for in stories.
SRadioactiveRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I enjoy this work immensely. It reminds me of the first fantasy books I ever read. There is a lot of depth to both the story and the characters, and it is introduced slowly enough that it doesn’t feel overwhelming in its details. The Big Bad looms over it, but then you realize maybe there is a bigger bad, and maybe the world is much bigger than we originally thought. Very well done!
The style is outstanding. The flow of the story is unique in that it doesn’t give you a full stop when the POV changes. It is well done to tell two different stories at the same time, and keeps you guessing as to how they are connected. I have my theories, but I’ll keep them to myself for the sake of new readers.
This is a large scale story taking place across thousands of years with both mortal and immortal characters. Even ten chapters into it, you see the conflict rising and two immortals colliding throughout their years trapped. It feels very natural like an epic should. One thing that truly stands out to me is the magic system. It is simple enough for a reader to understand if they are only beginning to get into fantasy, but has the potential to be incredibly complex - something we see through the introduction of later characters. It is difficult to cite my sources without any spoilers, but it is pleasant to see that they are not completely omnipotent beings and there are rules and limitations to how power is used.
There was nothing notably distracting about the grammar. It is very well written.
I truly appreciate the two stories introduced to us simultaneously. Griffin and Sarah have such a cute relationship. It is very down-to-earth and believable, with very small-scale stakes (was he late to dinner? Did his mom set up her voicemail?) And these chapters lull you into a sense of normality and comfort. This perspective immediately switches when you are introduced to August and Cerise, whose very business-like relationship is set against a background of grandiose and otherworldly eve
Scialytic KnightRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is one of those novels that you can feel from the first few chapters that it's going to be a long journey--an epic, sprawling tale--and it's going to be oh so worth it. I wish my brain could read faster, because I already need to know how it's all going to go down!
Style: The writing style here is on a professional level. You will be hard pressed to find better quality writing on RR--this belongs up there with the top tier novels and will satisfy people looking for less minimalist prose and slow burn storytelling. The only critique I can find here is the paragraphs can get a little long in places, especially for phone reading.
Grammar: Nearly flawless.
Story: The story is good. Really good. You can tell the author spent a lot of time thinking through the plot and doing research to make every aspect realistic, which is quite impressive. It's a unique take on the isekai subgenre with a ton of build up that ratchets the tension up constantly. There are two primary POVs so far. Both are immensely enjoyable to ready, but I do wish we spent a little more time in the early chapters with the one who (presumably) will be the main protagonist of the story.
Character: Probably the most incredible part of this is how different it feels reading the two POV characters. There's a palpable shift in the tone and descriptions between the two. That's how you know you are reading through the character's eyes. Every character feels unique and has clear motivations, desires, and personality.
Overall, I can't say enough good things about this novel. It immerses you into the world and doesn't let you go. Definitely one I'll continue reading through to the end. Can't wait to see what happens next!
UngrimmarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have been really enjoying the characters and writing style so far and I'll be following this one as more chapters are published. The intro is a great base for a wild adventure and I can't wait to see how these threads come together! If you're reading this, go ahead and subscribe to this one, you won't regret it!
Eli'sPencilRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Last Command of the Witheld is one of the best written novels you will find on any amateur website. In fact, calling it amateur would be disrespectful.
Characters: There’s a good amount of characters shown at the start, many of which have their own distinct personalities that set them apart from one another. I read the first five chapters and so far, I can say they are very realistically written. Many of them aren’t very memorable so far but as I said, I’ve only read the first 5 chapters so that’s unfair to really say.
Grammar: absolutely perfect. There’s nothing else to say about that aspect.
Style: This is where the novel truly shines. The author’s writing style is something you would see from an actual published piece. It’s reminiscent of Tolkien yet it’s the author’s own unique style simultaneously. The style alone could carry this story for me, but I’m glad to say it doesn’t need to as the other aspects are stellar as well.
Story: There is A LOT thrown at the reader very early on. I personally struggle with lore dumps because of my attention span, but I can still tell that the way the information is given is masterfully done. It’s hard to say if it would’ve been better toned down, but I’m certain as things are revealed and explained, the issues I have with the lore being thrown at you without much explanation may wane. That said, I think it’s unfair to give the story a lower rating just because I am a bit confused. As I said, it’s mostly a me thing. Theres no glaring issues with the story or how it’s delivered. In fact, I am enjoying it so far despite some things being unclear for me.
I welcome anyone to take the plunge into this wonderfully crafted world that completely consumed you with its incredible style. My only advice I have for the author is to slow down the chapter release to just one a day. It looks like you have it set to 2-3 a day. It’ll be better for the algorithm if you slow down how many you choose to upload and it will be beneficial to the story