Would you disobey the most powerful maji to stop a war? When Origon Cyrysi receives word of the genocide on the homeworld of the Pixies, he decides he must help them, even if he has to disobey the Council of the Maji. But there is a good reason the Council stays out of homeworld politics. Origon may have stepped into more than he can handle, and it could cost him his life. Download this novelette for an introduction to the Dissolutionverse, and after you’re done, check the details inside to get another short story. Discover the Dissolutionverse today!

Change one note and the universe changes with the Symphony. One apprentice will become a full majus today. The other will wait months for another suitable challenger. Rilan Ayama is skilled in using her song to change the Grand Symphony of the universe, but her opponent, Vethis, is crafty, and not above a little simple bribery. Though Rilan is counting on the support of her closest friend Origon, he remains absent. She has only a cryptic note saying important matters of his family take precedence, and he needs her help. The mystery pulls Rilan's attention away from the most important test of her life. Maji create portals to between the far flung planets of the Great Assembly of Species, but many places still remain out of easy reach. A search for Origon's brother leads Rilan and her friend across the wilds of one of the ten homeworlds. There, Rilan's fledgling skills are pushed to their limits as they investigate a secret that could bring down all six houses of the maji.

An old war machine and a revolutionary space capsule will change relations among the ten species forever. Last Delivery: Prot, Amra, and crew sell goods across the ten homeworlds in a refitted war transport, saving up to buy a shop. But after fees to travel between worlds, their profits always fall short. Their newest customers are the xenophobic Sureriaj. But when a protest over offworlder trading shuts down all business, the crew's only hope is to leave the planet delivering emergency medical supplies. The contract is for too much money, the seller is using a false name, and the cargo is magically sealed. Nothing could go wrong. The First Majus in Space: The ten species are in awe of the first space capsule. But when the majus piloting it is assassinated, Origon Cyrysi is the only one able to complete the mission. Too late, he finds the spacecraft may cost him his abilities. And even if Origon returns from space, the escaped assassin might still trigger an interstellar war. Either way, the fuel is burning.

On a bright August day, the sun disappears. Sam van Oen barely escapes freezing to death in his house, as his watch stops and fire ceases to burn. He is pulled into the Nether—a nexus between ten alien cultures—where he meets Rilan and Origon, two maji who can control the musical foundation of the universe. While coping with anxiety attacks prompted by his new surroundings, Sam must learn to hear and change the Symphony, and thus reality, in order to discover what happened to his home. But more freezing voids like the one that started his journey are appearing, and Sam’s chances of getting back are fading. The Assembly of Species is threatening to dissolve and the maji are being attacked by those they protect, while rumors grow of an ancient, shape-changing species of assassins, returning to wage war. The Dissolution is coming.

Murder, Mystery, and Magic! Mandamon Feldo is scheduled to meet a high-profile diplomat to present his newest invention, but instead finds the diplomat dead in a pool of blood on the floor of his office. Even worse, the diplomat had been holding a list of the members of The Society of Two Houses, a secret organization existing inside the maji. An organization to which Mandamon belongs. If the list gets out, the Society—which brings innovation and new technology to the Nether—may crumble under the weight of the secrets it holds. Often, the ends are seen to justify the means when developing new ideas, and the Society has done its share of cleaning up ‘accidents.’ Before the murderer releases the information, Mandamon must figure out who would kill the diplomat and betray The Society of Two Houses.

Climb the Unclimbable! Natina grew up studying the artifacts found by her mother, the famous explorer Morvu Francita Januti. Now, her mother has discovered an ancient machine able to drill into the previously impenetrable mineral of the Nether, and is leading an expedition to climb its incredibly high walls for the very first time. She wants Natina to be part of the expedition, but Natina is more comfortable helping her parents research at home—if only her mother were home more often. The Nether's walls are smooth like crystal, any fall will mean certain death, and no one knows what, or who, may lurk above the clouds. There are even rumors of another team of explorers following them, trying to steal their glory. It could be the chance of a lifetime for Natina, and a good way to learn how her mother became the most famous explorer of the ten species—if they survive.

The Dissolution approaches. Sam has saved the Assembly of Species, but at a terrible cost. Locked in his apartment, his memories gone and his best friend abducted, he is once again crippled with anxiety. Meanwhile, Enos struggles to free her brother from imprisonment, alone for the first time in her life. Her true species has been revealed, and there are hints the deadliest of her kind survived an ancient war. But the Nether contains more secrets. A musical chime disrupts daily life, signaling changes to its very fabric. To solve this mystery, Sam must face his anxiety and confront truths about his memories and unique abilities. Only then can he save his friends from the machinations of the Life Coalition, by understanding the reality behind the Facets of the Nether.

The Dissolution has begun. Sam is finally reunited with Enos and Inas, only to see his new home under siege by beings that dissolve reality at a single touch. Even as they battle their personal demons, the three apprentices must also fight to save their home. Enos lashes out at those she loves, plagued by voices she’s consumed, and Inas must risk his sanity to access ancient memories of the Nether. Sam must learn how he uniquely affects the Symphony, but there is little time to master what usually takes a lifetime. The Nether is leaderless and the Assembly is in chaos. The three apprentices must counter an invasion by aliens who rip the Symphony, and the very universe, apart. Ancient antagonists will resurface, a battle must be fought, and the secrets of the Nether and the universe will be laid bare in this final book of the Dissolution Cycle.