THE DEVOURER'S PATH
Erik Voller never wanted to be a hero. Power was all he sought, strength beyond any mortal—enough to carve his own path, free from kings and Gods alike.
Yet when a hunt for forbidden strength leads him to the heart of something far greater, he finds himself standing at the edge of another war.
I never planned to write a sequel to Fate of the Marked, but the story refused to let me go. My mind kept circling back to it, the characters wouldn’t stay quiet, and before I knew it, The Devourer’s Path was born—a continuation that demanded to exist.
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At one point, I almost turned Erik into a full-on Sung Jin-Woo copycat—yes, Solo Leveling was that much of an influence (and seriously, go watch it). The similarities were too close at first. Shadow powers, brooding presence, that overwhelming strength... But thankfully, I pulled back and made a deliberate shift. And I'm glad I did. Erik grew into something else entirely—one of the most distinct characters in the Heroes of the Realm universe. Not just in terms of power, but in personality, path, and purpose.
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This book marked a major turning point. If Fate of the Marked lit the match, The Devourer’s Path was the explosion. New characters. New threats. A whole new direction. It pivoted the series from a self-contained tale to something far more ambitious.
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That said, I’ll be the first to admit—it’s rougher around the edges. Compared to its predecessor, the worldbuilding feels thinner, the pacing a bit rushed. I was in a hurry to get it out, and that haste came at a cost. Even now, when I reread it, I find myself thinking, “Damn, I should’ve added this. Or expanded that.” It’s a lesson I took to heart for the books that followed.
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Note to self: Don’t rush things, kid.
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Favorite Scene?
That battle. You know the one. I was watching Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End while working on it, and the emotion, intensity, and quiet brilliance of that anime bled into the fight choreography. It inspired not only that moment in this book but laid the foundation for what's to come in its sequel. Still one of my favorite things I’ve written.