Hermynix / Timeline / Scenes

Scenes

In-depth moments from the saga. See the Timeline for the full chronological overview.

Book IEarth

Crash

The opening of Book I. A montage of Ross's mundane life at the boarding school — an orphan smiling through the pain of monotony, navigating hardships with the other kids and teachers. Then Ross goes to his spot in the woods to find peace — or so it seems. He's actually there to end his life. Just as he's about to commit, a roaring engine tears through the silence. Haley comes crashing through the trees in a blue car, fleeing toward a portal she had prearranged with Athena. She smashes through branches and dead wood before slamming to a stop, knocked unconscious. Ross pulls her from the wreck and checks on her. Then the portal opens nearby. He feels an eerie connection to it — something pulling him toward it. From his perspective, he was seconds away from death. The portal is the most interesting thing that could happen to someone in that mental state. The ontological shock overrides everything. He carries Haley's limp body through. Haley never sees the color of the portal.

SignificanceThis is the inciting event of the entire saga — and the opening chapter. Ross's decision to step through the portal only makes sense because of where his head was — he had nothing left to lose. The scene also establishes that Ross and Haley's arrival in the parallel world is not planned or heroic. It's desperate, accidental, and raw. Attentive readers may notice details in this scene that gain new meaning as the saga unfolds.
Book IAil — Underground Bunker

The Suitcase

Snap opens the suitcase
Snap opens the suitcase

Snap has been hunted for her book of secrets — the complete record of her detective work investigating Ail's magic. She arranges a meeting with a group of significant enemies in an underground bunker, telling them she's finally ready to hand it over. They gather underground, expecting the prize. Snap opens the suitcase. It's not the book. It's a bomb. She seals them in and detonates it, killing herself and the enemies trapped inside.

SignificanceSnap's sacrifice removes a major group of antagonists from the board in a single stroke and happens roughly 75% through Book I. It redefines the stakes — this is a world where allies will die permanently for the cause. Her book of secrets, the accumulated knowledge of Ail's magic, outlives her and becomes a critical piece of the saga's puzzle.
Book IIIEarth

The Baby Food Throw

Ross and Komarza are both dead. Ross's last words were asking Tayzh to get the baby. Now on Earth, Tayzh is caring for Phoebe — still an infant. She throws food at him and it hits him dead center in the face. He wipes it off. She does it again — same spot, perfect aim. Tayzh begins to realize something extraordinary about this child. There is no magic on Earth, so whatever this is, it isn't a spell. It's something else entirely.

SignificanceThe opening of Book III and the first moment Tayzh recognizes Phoebe's Synchronicity — her perfect, innate attunement with the universe. It also establishes the emotional weight of the new era: Ross is gone, his dying wish was for Tayzh to protect his daughter, and now Tayzh is discovering that this child carries something unprecedented. This scene sets up the thematic shift away from magic toward more grounded, cosmic powers.
Book IIIEarth

The Return

Tayzh greets Haley at the crash site
Tayzh greets Haley at the crash site
After Tayzh tells her about Ross
After Tayzh tells her about Ross

Haley makes the jump from Ail to Earth and crash-lands. Tayzh — now in law enforcement and leveraging intel from Snap's book of secrets — has been anticipating her arrival and is there to meet her. He greets her, but the reunion is bittersweet. Tayzh has to tell her the news: Ross is dead. The last time Haley saw Ross, he carried her unconscious body through a portal. Now she's returned to a world where he no longer exists.

SignificanceThis scene connects the opening of the saga back to its third act. Haley left Earth in Book I through the portal with Ross. She returns to Earth in Book III to find everything changed. It forces the weight of Ross's death onto a character who last knew him at the very beginning, creating an emotional bridge across the entire saga. Tayzh's presence as a law enforcement officer using Snap's research shows how the legacy of Book I's characters continues to shape the world.