The Journey for Joy
Full Book Synopsis
The open road awaits…
Ever since he was a child, Ezra Petras has always dreamed of traveling the world. Fueled by his mother’s stories of years spent as a wandering merchant, Ezra wants nothing more than to do the same… Until she abruptly disappears without a trace and leaves his life in shambles.
In the three years since his mother Vivian’s disappearance, Ezra’s wanderlust has only grown stronger. He yearns to leave his home behind and find four great treasures said to bring infinite joy, his dream one of the only traces he has left of his mother. Using the folktale Vivian left him as a guide, Ezra sets out on an adventure to find the treasures of joy to finally bring his family peace and perhaps even bring his mother home.
Along the way, Ezra makes friends with seven others bound to the road on journeys of their own. Each of them has a story to tell, and Ezra vows to help them as much as they promise to help him. With his new friends at his back, Ezra is determined to find the four treasures, restore peace to his family, and track down the mother he spent his years idolizing, no matter how great the danger becomes.
And so, the journey for joy begins…
Chapter Synopses
Chapter One: Edge of Adventure
The Tale of Ezra Petras, Part One
Ezra Petras has spent his entire life in the poor slums of Harmon City, a town starkly divided by those with wealth and those without it. However, he has spent his entire life dreaming of something greater: following in the footsteps of a legend his mother told him as a child. The story tells the tale of the merchant god Pinith and the Four Treasures of Joy he brought down to the world. Ezra was always determined to be the first one to find them…
Until his mother disappeared, leaving both him and his father in shambles. Ezra aims to support his father however he can, but it becomes clear that there is only so much he can do… So Ezra decides to take matters into his own hands. The Four Treasures of Joy can bring happiness to anyone, and so, Ezra vows to find them even if he is without the mother who guided him to this path so many years ago.
Chapter Two: In Love’s Name
The Tale of Evyn Thrinn, Part One
For years, Evyn Thrinn has sailed the open seas alongside their partner in love and life, Aether. They thought they could never be happier than when they were by their beloved’s side… Until Aether fell sick with a mysterious sickness that rots away their body and soul. Suddenly, Evyn is missing the light they spent so many years enjoying, and they know they will never find true peace again until Aether has recovered.
Evyn docks in the port town of Brightbay, determined to find a healer there who can help Aether to recover from their sickness. However, Evyn stumbles into a far greater plot by a truly wicked individual, and their search for a cure is put on pause in favor of stopping such heinous deeds… But at the end of it all, Evyn is forced to face a horrific truth about Aether and the future they always planned to share…
Chapter Three: Greatness Waiting Beyond
The Tale of Raphal Hodoshima, Part One
Raphal Hodoshima has spent his entire life training to be an apothecary beneath his father, Hanael. The entire Hodoshima family has been apothecaries for generations, and Raphal is expected to continue the legacy. However, he has little passion for healing the sick, and his bitter disposition leaves him lonely. Raphal has almost given up on ever leaving behind his hometown of Sandsage.
Until the daughter of the noble family ruling over the town falls sick with a deadly disease. Her parents promise a great fortune to anyone who manages to cure her, so Raphal devises a plan to escape his father and his expectations forever: cure the noblewoman of her disease, claim the reward money, and move somewhere he can start over. And so, Raphal begins his journey to find a new life far from his stifling home...
Chapter Four: Hidden Amid Flowers
The Tale of Tatiana Olwen, Part One
Tatiana Olwen is the star performer of the Freyorian Bouquet, a traveling troupe of singers and dancers. Her shows put smiles on the faces of everyone she meets, and she has everything a person could ever want… Or so it seems. Beneath it all, Tatiana is hiding a dark secret, one she knows will change the way others view her forever. She runs from the past out of the hope that no one will ever discover it.
When one of the Bouquet’s shows is sabotaged, Tatiana recognizes the culprit as someone from her horrific history she had hoped she would never see again. In the name of defending her friends, Tatiana rushes into action to lay the past to rest once and for all… But this is one battle she will never be able to undo, and its consequences are set to change the course of her life–and her role within the theatre troupe she calls home–forever…
Chapter Five: Truth in Blood
The Tale of Rana Celestia, Part One
Rana Celestia is the star of the world-renowned Abyss Hollow Academy. They are the youngest student to ever graduate from the magical studies program, and their research has put their entire family on the map. Rana feels as if they should be happy, but they simply are not, unable to shake off traces of burnout. Their parents have high expectations for them, and Rana feels as if they can never quite live up to them.
When Rana learns of a plot to steal a valuable book from the academy’s archives, they sneak out to intercept the thieves. However, the battle reveals a few horrific truths about Rana’s life and their place at the Abyss Hollow Academy. In an attempt to create something new, they set out on a journey to learn the truth behind the theft… And ideally, find something to live for before their downward spiral kills them.
Chapter Six: Punishment for Sorrow
The Tale of Veon Ogma, Part One
Veon Ogma is the youngest member of the Castus Crusaders, a group of assassins from the dense woodlands of Freyoria’s eastern continent. Alongside the rest of his family, Veon has seen to the deaths of countless corrupt individuals. Since the downfall of their hometown, the Crusaders have wandered the world, seeking to execute those who they believe are abusing their power with the hope of killing the man responsible for their tragedy one day.
When a mission goes wrong, Veon begins to doubt if the Crusaders’ path of vengeance is truly the right one to follow. His faith shaken, Veon decides it it time for him to choose his own path. He resolves to reunite with his scattered team and force them to atone for all of the sins they have committed in the last five years. With his faithful hunting partner, a kiwi bird named Pudding, by his side, Veon sets out on a journey for atonement.
Chapter Seven: Remorse in Remembrance
The Tale of Lenore Argyros, Part One
Lenore Argyros awakens in the side of a mountain with no memories of how she got there. She was buried within a coffin that marks the date of her death as ten years prior, a confusing revelation for a woman who is very much alive. Lenore stumbles her way down the mountain and into the nearby village of Stonepass Valley. There, she finds herself suspected of kidnapping townsfolk over the last few weeks.
Lenore vows to get to the bottom of the mystery and clear their name, but in the process, they uncover a dark plot constructed by an unknown figure. The only trace of truth they can find is a single word: “Moonlight.” With no other clues as to their missing memories, Lenore leaves Stonepass Valley to learn more about “Moonlight” and how it ties in with the past they no longer remember.
Chapter Eight: Of Recognition and Reprisal
The Tale of Anguis Tushar, Part One
Anguis Tushar is a member of a traveling mercenary company. Her commander, Einar, took her in after years spent wandering alone, giving her a new life. Anguis is happy with her new friends, thinking of them as a family and happily doting on all of them. Together, they arrive in the snowy town of Flame’s Keep to fulfill a mission given to them by a local lord: protect his estate during an important dinner party.
That night at the party, Anguis catches a glimpse of a man she knew years prior… One of the men who ruined her life and took all that she ever held dear. With vengeance in her heart, Anguis chases after him, determined to ensure he remembers everything he did to her. Once the battle is over, Anguis sees only one choice for herself: pursue the others responsible for the destruction of her old life and eliminate their cruelty from the world once and for all.