Falius... a vibrant world with a troubled past. Its myths speak of an enigmatic figure. The tales and legends speak of a hero who will save the people from tragedy and in the same breath, condemn them to suffering. Others speak of an idiot and a savant, a savior and a tyrant. The stories are many, and they are filled with contradictions. Few believe such folklore these days.

However, a strange being has appeared near Lorix's Eye, an ancient evil stirs at his presence. Foreboding weather phenomena are appearing all across the land. Some believe this stranger may be the Paradox. He shows all the signs. But he believes himself to be a "human" from some place called "Earth. He thinks their world is nothing more than a delusion caused by a madness called "schizophrenia", so he refuses to participate in their prophecies.

Cover art by Intricatevision

A schizophrenic getting sucked into a fantasy world is an idea I've had since at least 2007-ish. It popped into my head while I was mowing the lawn (go figure...) and has never left. But I also take inspiration from many fantasies that came out between 1970-1990 (Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Neverending Story, etc). I am also inspired by the works of Stephen R. Donaldson (Thomas Covenant in particular), and by my secret affection for boy-befriends-monster/alien stories.

I wanted to weave a dark psychological narrative into an 80s era fantasy, basically. I want to invoke the same child-like wonder I had when I watched Neverending Story while also creating a philosophical narrative that (I hope) will stay in peoples' heads.

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I added the "disturbing content" tag because this story does deal with mental illness.