About this ebook
What if survival meant learning to speak in two tongues—and forgetting who you were in either?
In a gilded city where power is measured in drops and loyalty is rewarded with poison, one young disciple discovers that the most dangerous weapon is not the Water Dragon's toxic gift, but the silence between words. Trapped within the ancient walls of the Old City, where citizens dare not venture beyond the gates for fear of a mysterious Master, a teenager with an impossible affinity for the deadly Water Spirit becomes the unwitting center of a conspiracy that could destroy everything.
The elders have lived for centuries, sustained by the very poison that should have killed them. The tombs of fallen masters whisper secrets. And five hundred drops of the precious Water Dragon's essence—enough to make even the strongest kneel—has just been handed to a boy who cannot use it.
As enemies close in and allies reveal their true faces, the line between experiment and execution blurs. In a world where suitability determines survival and a single drop can mean life or death, the only question that matters is: who is truly the student, and who is the master?
A dual-language narrative that moves between English and German like breath between two lungs, Everyday FluentForge is a haunting exploration of power, memory, and the terrifying courage required to forget in order to survive another hour.
About the author
Mark Howell is a writer fascinated by the spaces between languages, the fractures between worlds, and the stories that emerge when we stop pretending we understand everything.
Drawing from the stark traditions of folktale and gothic bureaucracy, Howell crafts narratives that explore the invisible scripts of power—the uniforms we wear, the selections we face, and the monsters we are taught to fear. His work has been described as "a mirrored labyrinth" where readers may feel "the chill of recognition."
Howell believes that the cages we build are often ornate, that the choices we face are often silent, and that the most important stories are told in the gap between the word and its echo. Everyday FluentForge English AND German is his latest exploration of duality, memory, and the cost of survival in a world designed to consume.
He lives and writes somewhere between languages, where he is currently working on his next descent.
