This is one of my more recent stories. This was an attempt to write a something with a steampunk setting. There's not a lot of notes in this, but I have a document dedicated to this story in my computer.

Here's a summary of it as if it was written in the back of the book:

Five hundred years ago, a war began between two enemy islands: Cruxia and Quintus. For five hundred years, the war raged on. People have perished, families have been torn apart. An age of crime has risen as an attempt to survive the apocalyptic world. The balance has been destroyed. How does one survive in times of war?

The Merith has been one of the most respected criminals of war. Unbeknownst to the rest of Cruxia, The Merith is just a girl trying to find her way to a prosperous life. Killing and stealing never resulted in her satisfaction, wondering how her parents find tranquil to lash out on her. Being a fugitive has its perks, like being so good at avoiding her own simple life.

The Harlin, the number one ranking thief, is nowhere to be seen and is criticized for running away. Apparently he is just a boy who changed his mind in taking part in this criminal world. He has to admit, he was a coward to hide behind those who are powerful to protect him. He wanted to restart his life to atone for his sins, but every time he tried to avoid it, he realized crime wants him back.

The Royal Viscount has been killed. His daughter wants to find the truth about his alleged murder and wants to bring him to justice. At the same time, someone went after the research that her mother wrote and is left dead, leaving her all alone. Enraged, she vows to prove the buried truth that her mother found about the warring lands, even if it means losing her life in the process.

The Killer of Kiro was last seen in the docks. No one understood why anyone would want to kill an innocent and respected viscount. A sailor was doing his duty until a drunkard came up and tried to drown him because he was a slave. He didn't want to take part in it, yet he was pulled in by the current of the criminal undertow.

Knowing the truth has its price. Four fates intertwine, brought into the bloody mess their kingdom has made. There is no more time to run away, no more time to hide, to grieve, and to pretend. In this criminal world, there is no time for mistakes. There is only time to move forward.

I've made an outline of the story, but I don't really want to publish the sequencing events because it's really messy and very incomplete so yeah, but maybe I should.... Eh.

I really like to get a good grasp of my characters so I usally write profiles. So here ya go:

Name: Elida "Merith" Merin
Age: 17
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Silvery blue
Elida is a merchant's daughter. However, her parents are abusive and are having financial problems, which led her to steal just to make them happy. As a thief, she is known as the Merith, which in Quintira means 'slip'. In the steampunk land of Cruxia, it is easy to steal for parts to make and sell something even better, for she is known as a master of disguise and acting. The only mistake she made is when she steals from—

Name: Soldun "Harlin" Corell
Age: 20
Hair Color: Chocolate brown
Eye Color: Hazel
Soldun (called Sol by his family and friends) is an apprentice of the bartender Jethro in the bar "Haven Witch" which is located at the heart of the city. He was part of the crime syndicate "Aurumvir", who hunts for gold. He was kicked out for good when he refused to kill a man just to steal. After he was out, he vowed to never steal again. Because he was part of that stealing gang, he knew all of the tactics. Then he catches the Merith.

Name: Runa Cerantha
Age: 18
Hair Color: Golden red
Eye Color: Amber
Runa is the daughter of the wealthy viscount Kiro and his wife, Tamira who is the one who discovered the Midnight Pendulum, an artifact of their ancestors. She gets sick and tired of the royal household and starts hanging out with stable men and engineers. So, she had a high knowledge of Quintux Conspiracy Theory (theory that Quintus and Cruxia were of the same family) and was able to invent a lot of things through improvisation. To get the parts she needs, she buys stolen gears from the Merith and pays her large amounts of money.

Name: Uriah Pontus
Age: 21
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown with silver flecks
Uriah is a slave sailor who always had a dream of sailing to Quintus, his homeland, or anywhere out of Crux. He accidentally killed a man—Kiro Cerantha—as self-defense for Kiro was drunk. He is a wanted fugitive, so he is later known by his last name, which is Pontus, for everyone in Crux only knows his first name. Because of this, Runa is determined to catch him and assassinate him. She doesn't know who exactly is Uriah but is fond of Pontus.

Yeet, that's all. I don't really have anything for the plot ✌️