THE AETHERBORN

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Book One ofAetherbornis out now on Kindle and Audible!

Thorne’s life shatters when he discovers the truth about his heritage, he isAetherborn, bound to a power others would kill to control. Forced into hiding, he must survive in a world of ruthless guilds, dangerous factions, and constant betrayal, relying on wit, manipulation, and raw aetheric power.

Strength alone isn’t enough. To live, Thorne must play political games, outmaneuver enemies behind friendly smiles, and resist the growing power within him, one that threatens to consume him as much as it protects him.

What to Expect:

Dark fantasy with intense action and deadly intrigue

Assassin guilds, political scheming, and backstabbing allies

Ancient aetheric powers and dangerous progression

A morally gray protagonist shaped by survival

Chapters range from2,000–3,500 words.Support me onPatreonfor up to20 chapters early access.

Note:Book One of Aetherborn is now out onKindleandAudible! Go check it out!

Information

Status
Ongoing
Year
2026
Author
deadalus

Tags

LITRPGACTIONFANTASYADVENTUREANTI-HERO LEADDRAMAMALE LEADPROGRESSION

Royal Road Stats

Rating
4.4/ 5.0
Followers
1,909
Views
53,176

Chapters(61 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

  • ReaderIsMeRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    Well written, compelling characters and a truely unique exploration into a lite RPG mechanic in a brutal way. I can't say I've seen such an interesting way the skills almost communicate to the MC anywhere else :)
    Extremely invested and its still early days for this story. Can't wait to see where it goes from here.
    Keep up the good work.
  • Bern2070Royal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    I gave it 5* cause it's well written, some authors I struggle to understand what's exactly happening during an action scene, but thats not the case here.
    The biggest issue that takes me out of the story is the MC's age. It would be much better if he was at least 13 when the story starts, otherwise it has the same issue that a lot of the other reviews mentioned around plot armor.
    But aside from that I think MC's decisions are logical given the circumstances.
  • ZoracRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    The story starts out and our Mc is gets hunted pretty quickly for the power in his blood.
    There are so many twists and schemes going on that it makes you wonder who is going to betray our Mc next.
    The characters are well written and have distinct personalities.
    The style is good, keeping you engaged and wanting more.
    Each chapter leaves you wanting to know what is coming next.
  • GinkgoRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    Your writing style has done a superlative job of getting me to empathize with Thorne. Keep up the good work!
    that was most of what I wanted to say so I am just typing some extra words to fill out the requirements hope you are enjoying your writing journey so far
  • Rai nisemonohanaRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    It is strange story, as at 123 chapters, we still have not finished writing... the backstory.
    That is highly bizarre, but it is somewhat unique. I am not sure if there ever be anything except background, as there already was "background for the background" twice. Why I call it background?
    Well... Main reason is "Nothing happened" feeling.
    Many pieces are placed all over the board... But none was removed and that sets the tone. With how dark the story pretends to be.
    I expect it start to resolve soon, but as i have already said - I was already fooled twice, so it is quite possible what waits us is even more background.
    Now, something to say about actually plot.
    it is good. It is a very very generic, but solid assassin story.
    It is not what I have expected form the title at all, but it is not that surprising.
    I saw here some critics for his actions... But actually Mc written almost perfectly, he has an annoying tendency to let anger to get the best of him. But it is a fine quality that is annoying but is now a flaw of the writhing.
    As good MC is, as bad is everyone else.
    Most characters exist as a declaration card, few at least have a carboard cut-out.
    Despite that they still somehow evolve in background, so I assume Author himself understands them pretty well, It is just the focal point of mc is so focused that we can't see them much.
    Well that, and a bit of repetitive writing.
    Now two biggest flaw I see - I  give it with spoiler as it is large events happening in around 100 chapter
    as I said, reaction of mc is understandable. He is very, very tired.
    And therefor angry. betrayal of the companion - I still half think it is paranoia and delusions rather then actual betrayal. But because of the timeskip skipping whole romance between redheaded girl,  reasons why their relationships became so strained and more.
    So looking at it I can't make head or tails for actions of the said redhead girl.
    Mainly because "Please trust me" is very strange.
    At that point if we take is as
  • George Long CoalRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    TL;DR: Good, but holy shit get that boy some therapy for his trauma, control issues, and just in general.
    First of all, context. I saw this stubbing book one soon, I didn't know where was the end of book 1, and just read 400 chapters in like a week.
    It is fun
    MC becomes of an irrarional bastard as it goes on, but you see the progression, the slippery slope, the trauma, the pent up frustration and hatred, all piled up...
    Yeah, the lad has issues. And power. Lots of power. Yet not enough freedom/control.
    I'd say give it a read and be ready for the MC's moral declining as time goes on.
    Also, fair warning, despite the name Aetherborn, it takes a while before he delves into the aether powers? Even longer for him to delve into magic. For a long while and even now, he is a rogue/assassin that can do a few magic things.
  • OverGoatRoyal Road
    ★★★★ 4.0
    There are some small issues when it comes to How strong the char feels in the early chapters in comparison to his fellow recruits who are unpowered. But thats a small critue Some of the side cast are just dressing which kinda sucks but overall its a good read and yall should give it a try.
  • Doge102Royal Road
    ★★★ 3.0
    Honestly, I really loved the introduction, and the loss of Thorne's family had me very invested.. The first arc was pretty good, too, as he navigated the city and navigated the underlying threat of his race. Over time, the story became more generic, though, and gradually moved away from the initial concept. After many different random-- and frankly unnecessary-- events, his race has become secondary, and isn't even really mentioned anymore..
    Overall, it's a pretty decent assassin novel, but it just feels like it's lost its way.. From discussing how Aether itself bent it's will to him due to his lineage, his unique appearance, and the danger of who he is.. To being an assassin.. There's also a lot of plot holes and poor power scaling. From his Elder appearance changing and the aura of intimidation-- and maybe wrongness, that instilled his father and sister with fear-- changing to charm for convenience, and the irrelevance of him getting additional stat points per level.. For example, he gets stomped by an "aether golem" that appears out of nowhere plot-wise, despite it being 6 levels lower.
    Plot is also very random at times, like the author decided to make additions and changes without buildup abruptly.
    TLDR: Great writing, and I honestly like the characters,  but the plot just isn't consistent at all, and it feels like it's lost its way from its initially good concept. There is no threat from being Aetherborn, and it isn't explored beyond the start.
  • marchex007Royal Road
    ★★★ 3.0
    It has a good beginning. Thorne's life as a street urchin was interesting to read, it's written well enough, but glaring plot holes, where Thorne is way over leveled, and none of the people training him seems to notice his physical feats. It nags me and takes me out of the story constantly.
    The most recent chapter I read, also soured me to the story.  I don't understand where the Uncle got the idea, of wasting trained kids in such a casual manner. It feels gratuitous. And that the mc, instead of running away, stayed by his Uncles side even tho, he knew that he was evil and was just using him as a tool. It made me unhappy that he continues to live such a life.
  • celerRoyal Road
    ★★ 2.0
    Did not finish. Events happened because the author needed them to happen for the plot, not because the characters had organic reasons that made sense. Minor characters, like the rest of Jonah's gang, appear or disappear as needed. Character has hated enemies in the city, absolutely no respect for law or morality...and heads into the forest to kill, rather than target his foes. Just a series of unfortunate events.