What if the Nyrote stones have the spirits of the previous hero's that can speak with the hero's of today. Kinda like how the Avatar can speak with the previous Avatars. of course, this ability wont be known to Skye untill Soul brings it up to her.
the story starts with Soul learning about the return of Kallepros.
Instead of killing the monster at the end (which would imply that fear of not being accepted by society would dissapear upon acceptance, which is rarely the case. Instead, have the monster be severely weakened or imprisoned, which would symbolise the fear persevering, but lessening the more you accept yourself.
Soul betrays Skye somewhere in the middle of the story and later they make up, potentially due to an argument. One could get manipulated by (storm?) to (switch sides?) Soul originally wanted to steal the scythe, but grows to trust Skye over the course of the first half of the story. Skye then gets manipulated by Storm into betraying Storm.
Soul is a tad uncomfortable with the fact that he has the stone of Destruction, since he is the character who fixes everything, but his amulet destroys everything
The only thing that can damage the monster are the weapons that contain the power of the stones. The power of the stones needs to be channeled into a weapon.
Soul's great grandfather reached out to Soul to inform him about the monster. Soul tries to explain this to Hemlocke, but he does not listen
When Storm tries to look for his ancestors in one of the stones, he instead sees Verdantshade
If there indeed are 4 heroes that have to defeat the monster (that represents the fear of being rejected by society), have those 4 heroes represent a person who helped you IRL
Storm could be introduced in chapter 2 as a way of getting in between Skye and Soul, seeing who can get their hands on the Archmulite first. this dynamic could also be used in chapter 4, having already convinced Nova and Dawn that Storm is actually the good person. This could be more interesting to write/read as the story wouldnt just be plain this way.
An interesting way to connect the time gap between Nova joining the team and the final battle would be that Storm succesfully steals Grace by manipulating Skye. Throughout the story, she refuses to believe that people can be bad, which is - however unfortunate - unrealistic. Her losing the scythe due to this naivity would then shatter her worldview that everyone is a good person at heart, which would be a turning point for her character. Afterwards, she could run away from the group for a moment, whereafter another character (most likely Soul) finds her sitting alone all sad. She then says to him something like: "I don't know who to trust anymore :(((", whereafter Soul, who throughout their journey learnt to open up to other people and accept that not all people are bad, then could say something like: "Well, you can always trust me/us". Afterwards, they could have a moment, whereafter they split up, with Skye (due to her being the one that lost the Scythe) and Benji (who is still very scared of fighting) then go after Storm, while Soul and Nova then prepare the area for the monster invasion. (Small rant but usually in a story when I can expect events to happen in a certain order, it infuriates me when the writer then throws in another thing the characters need to do before the big climax and I don't want the reader to feel this frustration so having both events happen at the same time would probably avoid this frustration) ALSO, this could lead to a really cool "entering a battle" scene for Skye (like Thor joining the fight in Wakanda in Infinity War)
Also gang we might should probably think about the "but" of the resolution. Basically, in most stories, the victory (or loss) is usually not without its complications. In Avengers: Endgame, for example, the heroes won, but Tony died. Or, in Monsters University, they pull off the largest scare in the history of the school, but they get expelled. This is not required, but it could make a nice addition to the story.
Also, for Storms character, we definitely need to add more relevance. Right now, he kinda shows up, leaves, then takes the scythe and screws off afterwards. Since he is the main antagonist (while the monster is the real main threat), we could draw inspiration from - for example - the incredibles. Syndrome - the main antagonist - ultimately isn't the one the heroes ultimately fight and defeat: it's his omnidroid. Hence, we could look at what worked there, and apply it in our story, since it's at least slightly similar.
This is definitely just an idea, but I think it could be interesting nonetheless. Since the hero usually has to make a sacrifice to achieve the good ending (as per the aforementioned "but" idea), we could have something like Skye wasn't allowed to join the armed forces, due to her being a girl. So, she "low key pulled a Mulan fr fr" and disguised herself as a man, so she was allowed to join. Then, when she leaves Cloudmore with Soul to get the other stones, she could take off her disguise (since no-one would recognise her outside of there). Then, at the climax, they defeat the monster, but she had to reveal that she was in fact a woman. I don't know how much I personally like this idea, but it might also fit with the whole "revealing that you are trans" stuff, since she would literally reveal to everyone that she was not a guy, but a gal.
We also gotta give Akane a reason to exist in the story. Right now, they have none, which is rather unfortunate. I definitely think they should hold mystical powers, able to detect things that no amount of engineering or magic could achieve. This ability could also align with the theme of the book, to make the whole feel more cohesive. One of the (conceptual) themes is the question: "How can you be yourself if the world hates you for it", so maybe Akane could feel/read someone's true identity, so that they could see who they truly are on the inside, despite how that person acts. This is cool, but pretty useless if it's just that, so there has to be a reason for why you would want to do that. Maybe it's the only way to get somewhere, like the magic place? We have it mapped out right now, but I think it could be cool if the whole "magic society" is hidden from the rest of the island, and that only witches, wizards and - what a coincidence - kitsunes could get there. That could make the journey to the magic place more interesting, as well as add more importance to Akane's character, as well as patch a plothole with the whole "engineers and magicians coexisting" thing. I can already think of a few good scenes with this interpretation, like Storm tries to get to the magic place through Akane, but when they read his character, they are just horrified at what they see. Or, potentially, they each have to personally "open up" to Akane to be allowed to travel there (I am assuming something like an instant warp, but you can have your own interpretations), and Soul and Benji do not pass at first (Soul because he sees himself at least partially as a failure, and Benji being too scared to even try at first due to how scared he is of anyone finding out that he would rather be more feminine rather than masculine). And while Skye is roaming around the magic place looking for Nova, Soul and Benji could have a heart-to-heart about why they didn't pass. They could open up to each other, talk some things out, and then be let through anyway. Potentially, Akane could also have knowledge about where everything is at a given moment, including a little nerd who stole a priceless weapon required to save the world. So, after Grace got stolen by Storm, Skye and Benji could go to Akane to find out where he is through them.
I would actually like to add something to this. I also want Verdantshade to play a slight role in this. Who commands Akane to let Skye pass, even though she isnt supposed to be, which can obviously cause problems for poor Skye.
Also I think a funny and stupid scene could have Akane trying to flirt with Benji (due to both being foxes-ish), but either Benji is just completely oblivious to it, or he shuts her down with a simple: "I'm gay".
Also remember: ideas are cheap. Not everything that I've listed or mentioned needs to be included. Far from it, actually. I ultimately am not the one in charge of writing the story (unless you really want me to i suppose), and even if I was, I wouldn't include EVERYTHING i've mentioned. I do also notice (first of that I use the word also hella often but also) that I have made a lot of contributions in brainstorming, possibly more than I should have done. If you think this influx of influence by me is of detriment to the story that YOU want to tell, then dismiss them.
If fail: everyone: dies
Skye: Skye is very naive. This means that she believes everyone is/has the capacity of being a good person. She is also very kind and brave. The combination of these leads her to treat everyone else like royalty. Everyone deserves the best treatment they can get from her. ...except herself. She often overlooks herself when naively helping others, leading to her oftentimes being exploited, sometimes unknowingly, sometimes justifying their rude actions as something they "had to do for reasons unknown to her". Since she is a very experienced soldier and is the best fighter of the 4, she takes all the responsibility upon herself to save the world. But deep down, she is terrified of the prospect of letting everyone down. This worsens her problem of overlooking her own needs, and causes her to exhaust herself preparing for the fight. All of these factors, being her naivite, her kindness, her fear of letting everyone down and her exhaustion eventually cause her to lose the scythe to Storm. This causes her to have a (small) breakdown, as she was just the cause for (potentially) causing the end of the world, because she feels this overbearing feeling of responsibility, as well as having her worldview shattered that everyone is a good person. As the result of this, she almost swings in the opposite direction, looking at the world more like Storm (I.e. people are not to be trusted). She explains to Soul that she "doesn't know who to trust anymore", but her talk afterwards with him finally puts her in the "best" mindset (I.e. Not all people are to be trusted, but most have some good in them).
The way this is related to, well, the whole reason this book is being written, is that having to carry such a secret about yourself is also kind of putting all the responsibility of dealing with those emotions in your hands. This is also bad (although in another way than losing an essential part of saving the world). Also, yes, this might be a bit far-fetched, but I'm sure Rob Roos would be salivating at even just the thought of Skye's feeling of responsibility and doing it all alone being a metaphor for your feelings of responsibility for carrying your secret alone.
Soul: Soul has struggled with the fact that he is the only one (score Skye, Benji & Nova) that knows that the monster is coming back. It would probably make him feel lonely being the only one that knows this fact. He is also very distrusting of people, especially humans. He thinks humans are pure evil, so must be avoided at all costs. His internal struggle could be this worldview being deconstructed. Also, most people not taking him seriously, combined with him looking up to his great-grandfather could be combined into feeling stuck in his shadow, and wanting to prove himself. He would also almost certainly feel thoroughly frustrated with the fact that one of the heroes, even being the first one he meets, is a human, someone who he believes is bad to the bone. He wants to prove himself, and his risk is that he fails, and would always be seen as a failure (along with, well, dying).
Soul struggles with the fact that no-one believes him about the monster returning. He also is constantly compared to his brothers, looks up to his great-grandfather, and is often not taken seriously due to his age. These all combine to him feeling like he is living in, well, everyones shadow. His grandfather's, as he defeated the monster the first time, his father's, since he is the king and an authoritative figure in his life, and his brothers, since he is constantly compared. More specifically, one brother is quite smart, one of them is able to perform a bit of magic, and worst of all, one of them is strong, brave and capable. His grandfather had all of these traits, being smart, strong and even knowing a bit of magic. Soul has none of those, or at the very least not nearly in the same capacity. This isn't helped by his more timid, quiet nature. Because of that, he sneaks out with the Volianite stone to prove to everyone that not only is he right (so that he should be taken seriously), but also that he is capable of defeating the monster as well (so that he no longer feels like he is living in his brothers', father's and great-grandfather's shadows). He basically puts all his self-worth into being capable enough to defeat it. So, failure in this field would not only result in everyone dying of course, but also would make him feel like he WASN'T capable, and that he SHOULDN'T be taken seriously. Since the elves see humans as pure evil (tbf kinda understandable just look at what humans have done in history), upon learning that not just is one of the other heroes a human, but she is also mighty strong and capable, he feels a constant fear that even if they DO win, that he still wouldn't be seen as capable or to be taken seriously. At first, seeing that Skye is already strong and brave, he feels like he should prove that he is smart (making use of his logical thinking). However, when Benji joins the team, his academic talent quickly overshines anything Soul could ever get to. So, he tries to learn magic. However, since he is not quite the study type, he struggles with it. When Nova then joins the team, he feels as if there is nothing he can prove himself in. However, after he and Skye had that talk after Grace got stolen, he realises that not all humans are bad. IM STILL WORKING ON THIS ONE
Benji: I thought it might be cool if the root cause of his cowardice stemmed from a fear of being himself. More specifically, he's quite a feminine character (while still supposedly masculine). He was bullied for that when he was young, and he essentially "hides" all expressions of femininity. He continued to be bullied until Skye came along and chased the bullies away. He felt a little better, but her saving him was more a symptom than addressing the root cause. Then, when he's told he has to fight that monster, he's terrified. Not only because he's risking his life, but also because he risks everyone discovering the "real him." That everyone discovers he's not masculine at all, for example, because his fighting style is more feminine, or because he plays a supportive role. That really scares him, and that's why he absolutely refuses to fight. Of course, he gets the initial push from his predecessor, and over the course of the story, he learns to accept this side of himself more from Skye, Soul, and Nova. He doesn't fight at the beginning of the battle, but when it looks like someone is going to die low-key, or that they're losing the fight, then he springs into action and actually fights.
I (yes, Bench. Hello!) think a good theme for the book could be "How can you be yourself if the world hates you for it?", since it's a question that queer folk encounter every day (which the book is kind of written by). Soul, Benji (and potentially Nova too when we finally learn more about her character) already struggle with this problem, since Soul being himself isn't respectable in the eyes of his family, and Benji stows any semblance of himself that is "too personal" away, so he is at least accepted. Skye, however, is slightly different. She is brave enough to live as herself in spite of what others think. This could make her character an anchor for the other characters to latch onto, and grow to accept themselves more for who they are. Then, when Skye gets betrayed, she sees it as the biggest rejection of who she is up to that point, which besides from just shattering her entire worldview, also makes her think that everyone hates her for being like her. But because the other characters were able to get more comfortable being themselves, they are able to lift Skye up again, take the scythe back, kick behinds and save the world.
Another theme could be about trust. I haven't thought this one through all too much, but it would fit the characters, since Skye puts too much trust in everyone, while Soul, Benji and Nova have the exact opposite.
Chapter 1: Soul (MC) introduction, Hemlocke introduction
Chapter 2: Skye introduction and joins the team
Chapter 3: Nimue introduction as the protector of the Archmulite
Chapter 4: Benji introduction and joins the team
Chapter 6: Nova introduction and Dawn introduction, Nova joins the team
Chapter 8: Akane introduction
Chapter 9: Kallepros introduction
Chapter 10: Verdantshade introduction
unknown: Storm and Fern
The story starts in the castle in the elf city. He is in the storage room looking for items about his grandparents, until he stumbles upon the amulet. Upon touching the Amulet, Soul enters a dream-like state which allows him to talk to his ancestors. His great-grandfather then warns him of the monster that is coming up. Soul tries to explain this to Hemlocke, but he does not listen. Since the only way to defeat the monster is by using the weapons that channel the stones' power, Soul sets out to find the other 3 stones.
chapter 1: Skye finds Soul, thereby investigates cave and finds Grace, talks to predecessor, then talks to Soul about what she saw.
chapter 2: (written from Souls perspective at the start) Soul and Skye head towards Copper Bay. We meet Storm along the way, and we change to Skye's perspective. Storm tries to drive a wedge between Skye and Soul, while Skye is oblivious to what Storm and Soul are trying to do. Storm doesnt trust Soul and the other way around. the relationship between Soul and Storm is similair to Dexter and Doakes. Then they arrive in Copper Bay late at night so they go to a hotel.
chapter 3: The next morning, they meet Nimue protecting the Archumulite stone, and she doesnt want Soul and Skye to have it. Mentions another person trying to get the stone the night before obviously refering to Storm. They get the stone and find out it belongs to Benji, and go towards Ayra <arr> (like how a pirate says it except no)
chapter 4: They arrive in Ayra, they go to Benji's place. They traumatize Benji with the Nyrote stone and he joins the gang after being convinced by the Gerson lookalike within the stone.
chapter 5:
chapter 6:
chapter 7:
chapter 8:
chapter 9:
chapter 10:
chapter 4: They arrive in Ayra, they go to Benji's place. They traumatize Benji with the Nyrote stone and he joins the gang after being convinced by the Gerson lookalike within the stone.
chapter 5: The 3 move to Nova's place, so she gets recruited
chapter 6: They go to the destroyed city, some worldbuilding about the nyrote stones, as well as the 4 practicing with their weapons. Skye gets betrayed by Storm, Scythe gets stolen, Skye has a mental breakdown, the other 3 (predominantly Soul and Benji, not so much Nova) support her, they crew splits up with Skye and Benji getting Grace back from Storm, while Soul and Nova prepare for the fight.
chapter 7: Skye and Benji retrieving the Scythe from Storm, ending on a cliffhanger to be resolved in Chapter 9
chapter 8: Soul and Nova rushing to get as many people evacuated from the site
chapter 9: The main battle, Skye and Benji join slightly after it started.
chapter 10: Battle aftermath, Skye talks to Verdantshade
Soul first meets up with Skye, then both of them go to Copper Bay. Nimue stops them from getting to the stone and Storm is also there. After they get the stone, they notice the stone has chosen Benji, so they go up to Ayre. They then recruit Benji, and then go to the destroyed village, where Benji will test out his weapon while Skye and Soul fight. Then they move to Zanika to meet Nova and Dawn. Finally, the whole gang take on the monster in Cloudmore.
This part starts at the end of the bossfight. Soul is severely wounded. Storm fled together with Kallepros, while Skye followed them into the portal with only Akane noticing this. The portal closed and Soul looks around it him at the damage the fight causes, before noting that Skye isn't there anymore. Akane tells Soul what they saw, and that given some time they can open a portal themselves. Soul waits patiently and thinks back to everything that happened that lead up to that point, untill Akane is able to open the portal. Soul and Akane step through, and see Skye talking with someone in the distance. The location where they are is similair to the horizon of existance from hsr. Akane tells Soul to approach, while they stay behind to keep the portal open. Soul slowly approaches and sees Skye stand there ready to fight, what seems to be a molten person with a green flaming head. Soul overhears that the creatures name is Verdantshade, and that she is the creator of Thiorus. She tells Skye the reason she created Thiorus was to fulfill her wish, to be a woman, and that Skye was the closest thing she had to fulfill that wish. (i can fully write this ending, honestly this part can already be written as only the core 4 and Verdantshade are needed for this scene. so if necesarry i could already write this ending where my secret is told)