The Burden of the Crown
Not all crowns are worn. Some are carried as burdens that grow heavier with every step. Some shatter under the weight of their own legacy. And some... some crowns are forged from the fragments of kingdoms that should have stayed broken.
"When the old laws crumble and the foundations of order are destroyed, three paths will appear. One leads to power. One leads to sacrifice. One leads to a truth so terrible that even the gods look away."
— Ancient inscription found at Walnut Canyon
The Story
🏚️ A World in Ruins
The kingdoms that once stood as pillars of civilization have fallen. The old laws that governed magic, power, and succession have been shattered. In the aftermath of the War of the Gods, those who survive must decide: rebuild what was lost, or forge something entirely new?
Fractured Crown follows those who dare to pick up the pieces—knowing that every fragment of power they claim cuts their hands, and every crown they place upon their head grows heavier with the blood of those who wore it before.
⚡ The Three Paths ⚡
At the heart of every choice in Fractured Crown lies an ancient truth, carved in stone at sacred sites across the realms:
The Path of Power: Seize what you desire. Take the crown by force. Rule through strength and fear. This path promises dominion but demands you sacrifice everything that makes you human.
The Path of Sacrifice: Accept the burden willingly. Become what others need, even if it destroys what you wanted to be. This path promises legacy but demands you give up your freedom, your happiness, perhaps your life.
The Path of Truth: Reject both power and martyrdom. Seek understanding over control. This path promises wisdom but offers no guarantees—you may discover truths that shatter everything you believed.
Most who come to the three paths believe they are choosing their destiny. Only later do they realize the paths were choosing them.
Key Characters
Athelia • The Seeker
A scholar who discovered that the ancient texts from multiple civilizations—Greek, Norse, Celtic, Ancestral Puebloan—all describe the same system of power and succession. She thought she was researching history. She was actually reading prophecy about herself.
When she touches the barrier at Walnut Canyon and chooses her path, she awakens as something she never asked to be: a Guardian Queen, bound to examine and judge those who seek power. The download fills her with knowledge of old laws, but strips away her certainty about who she was before.
Severen • The Dragon's Son
A being with sapphire eyes who appears to those on the threshold of transformation. Some call him guide. Others call him tempter. He offers counsel to those about to cross barriers they cannot uncross, to make choices they cannot unmake.
His true nature remains mysterious. Is he helping Athelia, or has he been waiting for someone like her to arrive? And why do his eyes reflect the same sorrow as the wolf king's?
The Wolf King • The Bound
An ancient king transformed into something between man and beast, bound by magic to serve as an eternal test. He submits to Guardian Queens not out of weakness, but because his submission is the trial. Will they accept his bond? Will they use his power wisely? Or will they become tyrants who see him only as a weapon?
Every Guardian Queen who has taken his bond has faced the same question: If you hold absolute power over a being who cannot refuse you, what does that reveal about who you truly are?
The Central Mystery
Fractured Crown is not just about who claims power—it's about whether power can ever be claimed justly. The series asks:
Can a broken system be redeemed, or must it be completely destroyed?
If you inherit a legacy of violence and corruption, are you obligated to carry it forward, or can you forge a new path?
When you're given power you never asked for, does accepting that burden make you noble or complicit?
"The crown is fractured because it was never meant to be whole. Every ruler who tries to mend it discovers too late that the cracks are not flaws—they are warnings. The crown breaks whoever wears it. The only question is whether you break into pieces that can be reassembled, or pieces that can never be whole again."
Themes
Fractured Crown explores power through the lens of those who inherit it unwillingly. It examines the cost of leadership when the foundations you're building on are soaked in blood. It questions whether justice can exist in a world where the rules were written by conquerors.
What do you become when you're forced to choose between the person you wanted to be and the person the world needs you to be?
Where It Fits
Fractured Crown is Series 6 in the Chronicles of Apocalyptica, set after the War of the Gods has reshaped reality. While the gods fought over cosmic principles, mortals were left to pick up the pieces of shattered kingdoms, broken magical systems, and fractured succession laws.
This is the story of those who survive apocalypse and must decide what comes next.
✨ Coming Soon
The full Fractured Crown series is in development. The world is being built. The characters are finding their voices. The crowns are waiting to be claimed—or rejected.
Some stories demand to be told. This is one of them.