Realms Beyond

When clumsy and shy Rico and his friends are unwittingly thrust into a mystical realm teeming with fantastical creatures and ancient guardians, they quickly discover the stakes are far higher than simply finding their way home. Torn between evading a ruthless sorcerer—rumoured to be the Corruptor of Souls—and rescuing their loved ones, the kids must unlock powers they never knew they had and confront death's inevitability. With the enigmatic Gifu and the battle-hardened warrior Wyrun as their allies, Rico and his friends must unravel long-concealed mysteries woven into the very fabric of faith. As their beliefs shatter and their enemy grows ever more formidable, one question remains: will they find their way home, or is this struggle merely the prelude to an apocalyptic battle for humanity’s very soul? Mystical, action-packed, and unrelenting, this tale thrusts readers into a world where courage is tested, friendships are forged in death, and even the most unlikely heroes may hold the key to saving everything.

Extract

The tension and fear in the hut were almost more than Rico could bear. The children whimpered, and their parents did their best to keep them calm. The others sat at the far end of the hut, as far from the door as they could get. Rico sat with his mother, who was weeping into a blanket one of the Eldur had given her. Rico felt like crying himself. He’d seen enough fantasy movies to know what an Orc raid would consist of. He feared they would not get out alive—only the lead characters and heroes ever did. Rico assumed Wyrun was one of those types of heroes. But what was he? A simple geeky student from Costa Rica. He was Orc fodder, and he knew it.