Cradle

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This article is about the book series. For other uses, see cradle.

"Unsouled" redirects here. For other uses, see Unsouled (disambiguation).

Cradle

Unsouled Soulsmith Blackflame Skysworn Ghostwater Underlord
Author	Will Wight
Language	English
Genre	Asian Myths And Legends, Fantasy

Download a book of the serie Cradle or buy them on amazon

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The Cradle series, by Will Wight, is a self-published series on the Kindle Store and Kindle Unlimited. It takes place in a multiverse commonly known as the "Willverse" among the fandom, but focuses specifically on one world "Iteration 110", or "Cradle". This world was influenced by the xianxia genre, which is why the series is listed as "Asian Myths and Legends" on the Kindle Store.

Setting

The multiverse that provides the foundation of the setting is comprised of many different universes, or "Iterations" which are all connected by the Way. Humans are anchors to the Way, so the more there are in a world, the closer to Fate and the Way it is. The Way is mostly controlled and ruled over by an organisation called the Abidan, which is led by Judges, who are the most powerful known individuals in the multiverse.
However, the series takes place predominantly in Cradle (Iteration 110).

Magic System

Every human in Cradle has access to this magic system.
These sacred artists have a core, which is their centre of power, and madra channels which spread through their body.
Madra and aura are the forces of the world - madra is the power in humans, and aura is in everything, of the rock aspect in mountains, of the earth aspect in the ground, fire and destruction in fire, etc. Over time, vital aura collects in an element, until it is refined and improved by the power it has collected.
Each sacred artists has madra of a different type, based on what aura they took in and cycled (To cycle is to push your madra in loops around your body). Depending on what type they have and how they use it to power actions called techniques, they follow a certain Path. Their objective is to advance on their path; there are many stages of advancement. This is the sacred arts.

Advancement Stages

Foundation	Each human starts on this stage.
Copper	When the sacred artist gains the ability to see vital aura, called Copper sight.
Iron	When the body is remade/enhanced.
Jade	When the spiritual sense develops (to sense spirits of others, called "to scan")
Lowgold, Highgold, Truegold	When a Remnant on the same Path as the artist is taken in and digested.
Underlord, Overlord, Archlord	The body is remade with stronger soulfire (vital aura condensed, it empowers a substance) at each stage of the Lord realm. Note: There is also a rank, a more powerful Archlord called a Sage, but seemingly you can advance past Archlord without being a Sage.
Herald, Monarch	Monarchs are the most powerful beings in the world.

Techniques

Techniques come in four different types.

• Striker

An attack using madra outside of the body (ex, a fireball for a fire artist)

• Enforcer

A technique using madra, usually within the body, to enhance, or enforce, yourself in battle. Has to be kept active to see effects.

• Forger

A technique that creates a stable object or substance out of madra, for example, a blade for a sword artist.

• Ruler

A technique using madra to take control of and manipulate vital aura. The more you use a technique, the better it gets, until it is a part of you.

Crafting

Soulsmith

Certain sacred artists whose madra works well with many aspects enter into training to become a Soulsmith. Soulsmiths are craftsmen, who make a variety of things using many materials. They get their resources mostly from Remnants. When a sacred artist dies, they leave their soul in the form of a spirit called a Remnant. These have the techniques they used in life within them in forms called bindings. Soulsmiths can harness the power of these bindings and build anything from a construct (one or more bindings in a shell of dead matter) to a sacred weapon or armor. Soulsmiths work in a foundry.

Refiners

Refiners create elixirs and pills to help advancement, purify madra, and much more. They use sacred herbs and other materials. Not much is known at this point in time. Refiners work in a refinery, and it is suggested these can have different grades.

Scripting

Scripts are the rune-language of Cradle. They alter the vital aura around, repurposing it to do different things. For instance, a script circle could protect the person inside from a Remnant.

Books

Unsouled

In Sacred Valley, each child takes a test to discover the affinity of their soul. But Wei Shi Lindon is ‘Unsouled’. His spirit is empty, and he will always be weak. In the course of his small tasks, he meets a more powerful member of the Wei clan, who causes a dangerous spirit to arise and then runs away, leaving Lindon to deal with it himself. Lindon returns home and faces the First Elder, where he is faced with a harsh truth: he is of absolutely no value to the clan. At a great festival, a man of great power, Li Markuth, descends from the sky, killing the Wei Patriarch and Lindon and declaring his intention to take over the valley. However, a celestial immortal called Suriel arrives to reverse the damage. She takes special interest in Lindon and shows him his fate, in which Lindon dies to a monster that tramples Sacred Valley. He does not want to die in this way, so she takes him to see individuals in his world that could save his home. Then she shows him his path out of the valley: a girl called Yerin from the world outside. Lindon uses trickery to make his way into the school where Yerin is hiding. Lindon finds her fighting off their elders after they killed her master, the Sword Sage. Although slightly distrustful, she agrees to take him out of the valley. At the place of the Sword Sage’s death, Yerin battles her master’s Remnant, while Lindon outwits a crafty elder, Elder Whitehall. The elder tries to destroy Lindon’s core, and to avoid this, Lindon splits his core in two. Yerin absorbs her master’s Remnant and advances to Gold; immediately after, the two leave Sacred Valley together.

Soulsmith

Yerin and Lindon make their way away from Sacred Valley with a treasure they stole from Heaven’s Glory. Lindon manages to advance to Copper. While sheltering in a script-circle, Lindon and Yerin notice the vital aura all around them being drawn away, and the Remnants chasing them leave, drawn to the aura. They arrive at a huge pyramid called the Transcendent Ruins and are met with bustling activity from five factions, clustered around the Ruins. They are told that the prize that everyone is searching for is a spear which can draw others’ power into yourself. Yerin has to defend Lindon, as he is the weakest for miles. We are introduced to Eithan Arelius, who ‘sees everything’ and doesn’t seem to be bothered by anything. Lindon manages to get taken in by a Soulsmith called Fisher Gesha. He is not a true disciple, however. We are then introduced to Jai Long, an outcast from the great Jai Clan, and Sandviper Kral, the heir to the sect. Yerin and Lindon are both captured and sent into the Transcendent Ruins to make scales (Cradle currency) for the Sandvipers. The miners, in the Ruins, are attacked, and in the confusion Eithan Arelius takes Yerin and Lindon into the pyramid proper. He shuts Lindon on his own, to defend himself against the beasts that haunt the Ruins, and begins training Yerin. They are suspicious but have no choice, as Eithan appears to be more powerful than them and the Ruins are dangerous. They advance Lindon to Iron, giving him an Iron body called the Bloodforged body through a grueling procedure which involves him being bitten by sandvipers and drinking their blood to slow the venom. However, he has a ‘flawless transition to Iron’. The group makes their way up to the top of the Ruins, where they discover a Soulsmith foundry with the Spear and plenty of other treasures within. Lindon takes the binding that produced the spear and the notes on the subject. However, the Sandvipers and Jai Long soon arrive. In a lucky strike, Lindon manages to kill Sandviper Kral. Jai Long is furious and Eithan has to step in to keep him from killing Lindon. Eithan reveals his power as an Underlord, which is much more powerful than anyone there, being the stage after Gold. Jai Long cannot oppose him; however, Eithan lets Jai Long take the spear and promises him that he can duel Lindon to avenge Kral in one year’s time.

Blackflame

Lindon, Yerin, and Eithan meet up with Cassias Arelius, who also has Eithan’s bloodline ability to sense what is going on around him. Bringing Fisher Gesha, the Soulsmith, with them, the group heads to Serpent’s Grave, a city. On the way, Lindon and Yerin train. When they arrive, Eithan presents a group of possible Paths to Lindon, as he still has pure madra and cannot use it to beat Jai Long, who is far above him.
He directs Lindon to the Path of Black Flame, which is a potent fire and destruction-focused Path. Eithan also takes Lindon to an underground chamber, where he meets Orthos, a sacred Blackflame turtle, and forms a ‘contract’ with the beast. Taking in Orthos’ madra, Lindon advances to Jade. Meanwhile, Eithan feeds the Sylvan Riverseed, a natural spirit Lindon picked up along the way. Eithan brings Yerin to the valley where Lindon is, and presents the Blackflame Trials to them: three courses that are intended to teach Lindon the Blackflame techniques and hone Yerin’s fighting skills on her Path of the Endless Sword. Cassias tries to stop Eithan, but the Underlord is too powerful.
Meanwhile, Jai Long uses the spear to grow and increase his madra by killing his clan members who kicked him out. Yerin and Lindon go through the Enforcer Trial, in which Lindon learns the Burning Cloak, and the Striker Trial, in which Lindon learns dragon’s breath. They also discover that the Sylvan Riverseed can heal the damage Blackflame does to Lindon’s madra channels, and name her Little Blue.
Jai Long is then caught by the Underlord of his clan, who triggers an all-out attack on the Arelius city. Jai Long and Sandviper Kral’s father, ordered by the Underlord, come to kill Lindon and Yerin early. However, Yerin advances to Highgold and forces Jai Long to retreat, while Lindon nearly dies but Orthos saves him. Lindon advances to Lowgold and together, they kill the Sandviper. During the attack, Eithan is caught by the Underlord, Jai Daishou, but he defeats and kills the Jai. Eithan reveals that his Path is also of pure madra. He shows Lindon that his Goldsign is black eyes with red rings. After Eithan leaves, Lindon is captured by the Skysworn, the police of the empire, because a Blackflame is too dangerous to run wild. Eithan discovers that the Jai Underlord survived, and so he convinces the Emperor to make sure Lindon still has to fight Jai Long.

Skysworn

Jai Daishou travels the land trying to find a way to get Eithan Arelius killed; however, he is thwarted at every turn. Frustrated, he opens a door to an ancient labyrinth and steals a treasure called the Archstone, running the risk of catching the attention of the Dreadgods. The Dreadgods are immensely powerful beasts that are drawn to the labyrinth. Lindon is still in Skysworn custody, but no matter how hard the Skysworn try, Eithan finds Lindon, bringing Yerin, Fisher Gesha, and Orthos along. They continue preparing for Lindon’s duel with Jai Long. Unfortunately, Jai Long is a Truegold and Lindon is still a Lowgold, so he is far out of his power range. In the duel, Eithan tries to stop it once it is clear Lindon has lost, and the head of the Skysworn, Naru Gwei, who also hates Eithan, refuses. Jai Daishou orders Jai Long, and although the Truegold does not want to kill Lindon, he is bound by a soul oath. Instead, he takes off Lindon's arm and the Lowgold blacks out. Eithan manages to manipulate Jai Daishou into using the Archstone, which lets him steal the madra from everyone around. It is then stolen from him using the spear, wielded by Jai Chen, Jai Long's sister. Her madra system was damaged as a child, and it had only recently been healed by Little Blue. The power, a chaotic mix of madra, almost overwhelmed her, and the strike to Jai Daishou finally killed him.
Lindon and Fisher Gesha attach a prosthetic arm to him, putting the hunger binding from the Transcendent Ruins within. Eithan tells the group about the Dreadgods and the risk that the closest one, the Bleeding Phoenix, will rise.
Said risk is amplified by Makiel, Judge of Fate, and Suriel, because Cradle has experienced a deviation from Fate and they need to accelerate Lindon's timeline.
Yerin and Cassias, returning to Lindon, experience the beginning of the Bleeding Phoenix's awakening. Yerin has had a Blood Shadow - one of its minions - trapped in her for years but this surge of power breaks its seal. It fights to take over her and every drop of blood either of them spill awakens another monster called a bloodspawn. They crash-land and Eithan temporarily seals the Shadow with an Underlord power called soulfire. The group are picked up by Stormrock, the floating city of the Skysworn. The Emperor meets all the Underlords and determines that they need a Monarch to fight the Dreadgod. He sends Eithan to seek an audience with Akura Malice, which is regarded as a suicide mission. However, it was not, as the Monarch agreed to fight and gave Eithan her blessing on his plans. Meanwhile, Yerin and Lindon want to fight the cult of the Bleeding Phoenix, Redmoon Hall, so they sign up to join the Skysworn. Being people Naru Gwei wants dead to simplify matters but have powerful family backing, he pairs them with Akura Mercy, an 'errant daughter' of the Akura. However, the Bleeding Phoenix itself rises, breaking the seal on Yerin's Shadow. She is thrown off the cloud by their new Skysworn mentors and Lindon and Mercy follow. The group shelters, fighting bloodspawn, while Akura Malice fights the Phoenix. When she has driven the Dreadgod off, Eithan finds the group and shows them that he also has a marble with a vision from the heavens (like Lindon) and that he wants to ascend past Cradle.
Last time the Dreadgods rose all together, the previous generation of Monarchs was destroyed. Now, the Dreadgods are stirring, and they are fated to rise soon.

Ghostwater

Lindon, Yerin, Mercy, and their two mentors, Bai Rou and Renfei, are sent to an island where a pocket world called Ghostwater awaits. They are going to scout for the Empire, as the world's anchor to Cradle is failing and it will collapse soon. Lindon and Orthos go in first with Renfei, where they realise they are not alone and there are six Truegolds there for a faction agreement between bigger powers than the Empire. Renfei is killed immediately by a cycling Akura Harmony, who was bothered by her talking. Outside, Bai Rou receives her emergency signal and Yerin hears it too, immediately trying to run into the portal. Bai Rou holds her back, and by the time she gets there, Lindon has destroyed it to keep her from danger. Angry, she turns on Bai Rou and fights him, with Mercy trying to break up the fight. Inside, Lindon has attracted the negative attention of the Truegolds for breaking the portal, specifically a half human, half gold dragon named Ekeri. He runs from her and, fighting his way through beasts called Silverfang Carps. Orthos and Lindon hide in a facility and Ekeri waits outside. They discover a well of purple water, and within, a construct which, after fifty years inside, has become sentient. He names it Dross, and Dross gives him information on Ghostwater. The well of purple water is called the Dream Well, and a sip is like 'a full night's sleep in a bottle'. Eithan and two other Underlords, the Emperor's sister (Naru Saeya) and Chon Ma, go to hunt down leftover members of Redmoon Hall with Blood Shadows. Yerin and Mercy, with Bai Rou, see that they were never alone on the island, as veils drop and the present factions show themselves. The Akura fortress is nearby, and Yerin and Bai Rou are taken inside, while Mercy has to stay outside as they cannot help her. Yerin meets Akura Charity, Sage of the Silver Heart. She gives Yerin a map to the other portal out of Ghostwater and sends Yerin and Mercy on their way; Bai Rou is sent home. Lindon, driven by desperation, goes outside to face Ekeri. He manages to injure her severely with dragon's breath, which is incredible given he is Lowgold and she is Truegold, and she uses a gatestone to immediately teleport out. He takes a key she had called a void key which is like a personal portable closet. Lindon moves on to the facility of the Spirit Well, which is a blue water. Here, Dross forms madra channels and a core. He is bonded with the Eye of the Deep, or the key to all Ghostwater facilities. Here, Lindon advances to Highgold and meets a depressed Truegold called Ziel, who helps him develop an Enforcer technique for his pure path, called the Soul Cloak. After eating more fish monsters, his physical capabilities are strengthened and his soul is as well, because the Spirit Well is a top-grade elixir. Yerin and Mercy meet the wrath of Ekeri's sister, an Underlord gold dragon. They barely survive and Yerin starts to train her Endless Sword technique to be more precise. Inside Ghostwater, Ziel clears the way for Lindon to go to the last well, where the portal is: the Life Well. He reinforces his lifeline with the water, but Orthos is completely changed. He becomes younger and more healthy, his spirit and mind already improved by the previous wells. Akura Harmony shows up and takes Lindon's Eye of the Deep/sentient mind called Dross, who has also been improved by the Life Well. Determined to get Dross back, and to get into the portal out of Ghostwater, Lindon persuades Orthos to give him enough madra to advance to Truegold. He confronts Harmony, and during the fight, Dross and Little Blue combine all the Well water, a substance called ghostwater, and soulfire to create a pool of ghostwater which Lindon funnels into Dross. Dross bonds to Lindon and presents him with a combat plan to defeat Harmony. This means he became the seed of a Presence, which the Abidan use to assist them and give them information. Lindon defeats Harmony and offers to take him back through the portal, to which Harmony responds with a threat. Lindon and Orthos leave Ghostwater and Orthos destroys the portal; they meet Yerin and Mercy on the other side.
In a final scene, Northstrider, the Monarch who created Ghostwater, steps in, notices Harmony, and leaves him to die, preventing the Sage of the Silver Heart from saving her nephew.

Underlord

Suriel is busy countering the attacks of the Vroshir, the Abidan’s enemies, because the Abidan are still missing their Destroyer, Ozriel, and are greatly weakened because of it.
Akura Charity, unable to save Harmony due to Northstrider's interference, mourns his death.
Meanwhile, Lindon, Yerin, Akura Mercy, Dross, and Little Blue take the Skysworn cloudship back to the Empire. However, on the way, their cloudship runs out of power and crashes, and they are cornered by a group of Skysworn with Naru Gwei, the Underlord, at its head. They fight the Skysworn and Lindon and Yerin are both impressed by Lindon's power, particularly Dross' effect on his mind. After returning to the floating city of Stormrock, Naru Gwei is convinced by Eithan to entrust them as a Skysworn squad to the Arelius Underlord's care. Akura Charity tells the Emperor that between the Blackflame Empire and a neighbouring Seishen Kingdom, she wants three worthy Underlords to compete in the Uncrowned King tournament who are under 35. Seeing that the two kingdoms are very weak for these requirements, she opens the Night Wheel Valley to them, a place of rich aura and natural treasures where it is easier to advance. She also tells two Seishen Kingdom Underlords, Prince Kiro and his obsessive ‘servant’ Riyusai Meira, about Wei Shi Lindon and encourages them to go after the Truegold. Eithan explains to Lindon and Yerin that the three steps to reaching Underlord are to open a soulspace at the peak of Truegold, weave soulfire from natural treasures, and find out why they practice the sacred arts to trigger the transformation. He takes them to the Night Wheel Valley, where they collect natural treasures, go on missions for the Skysworn, and try to advance. To speed it along, Eithan gives them all a Heaven’s Drop, which takes Lindon, Yerin, and Orthos to the peak of Truegold. Mercy refuses, feeling bad because if she returned to her family, they would ‘shower her with resources like this’. Yerin uses it to improve her Blood Shadow in a way that Eithan recommends, which is to make it a true clone of herself, equal to her in fighting power and independent. The drawbacks of this is that it could take over. Orthos, saying that sacred beasts have to ‘choose who they are’ to advance to Underlord, leaves on a journey to decide what form he wants to take. Lindon is confronted by Seishen Kiro, who he fights while Yerin fights Riyusai Meira, who is a life artist, with a weapon that damages Yerin’s lifeline. Lindon is amazed because Yerin and her Blood Shadow fight both the Underlords at once. The Underlords are driven off, but the Blackflame Empire is forced to retreat into their lands, through the portal, due to a coordinated attack by the Kingdom. Back in the Empire, Yerin is told that she has only months left to live because of the damage done to her lifeline. Her only way of fixing it is advancing to Underlord, but she can’t find her revelation. Mercy helps Lindon find his, however: he practices the sacred arts so he won’t be worthless anymore. Eithan helps upgrade Dross, and he is now able to simulate Soulsmith experiments for Lindon. The Underlords return to the Night Wheel Valley for a surprise attack but Akura Charity tells the Seishen Kingdom and it becomes a fight. Yerin, Lindon and Mercy head to an Akura vault under the cover of the battle. Kiro, Meira and the newly minted, fierce little brother Underlord Daji, face the group. Lindon incapacitates Kiro with help from Dross and advances to Underlord. He then kills Kiro with Harmony's stolen weapon. Mercy, still a Highgold, fights Daji, but he defeats her. Not content with simply winning, he injures her severely. She responds by throwing herself on his swords. As she is dying, Akura Malice shows up (Monarch, her mother). It is revealed that Mercy was always a Truegold and she left home with her power and Iron body sealed because she was ashamed of her Underlord revelation: she wanted her mother to be proud of her. Akura Malice reverses the damage and lifts the seal. Mercy advances to Underlord and easily incapacitates Daji. Finally, Yerin severely injures Meira, but then her lifeline fails. She discovers her Underlady revelation in the nick of time - she doesn't want to feel the pain of loss - and advances. The three, victorious, leave the vault, where Akura Charity informs them that because Lindon left Harmony to die, he will fight on the Akura clan's main team with Mercy, who has responsibilities binding her again. He is taken away. Yerin, Eithan, and Naru Saeya will make up the vassal kingdoms' team.
In a final scene, Suriel discovers a rift in reality that could only be made by Ozriel's weapon; meanwhile, Orthos meets Lindon's sister in Sacred Valley.

Uncrowned

By information provided by the author, expected to come around October 2019.

Reviews & Mentions

• Cradle has achieved multiple Stabby Awards on r/Fantasy.
• It has thousands of ratings on Goodreads.
• "I cannot commend Wight enough for the worldbuilding and magic system he created for Cradle."
• "I’ve been campaigning to get my friends to read the Cradle series for years now, so maybe this story will galvanize them to take action."
• "His last book, Underlord: Cradle 6, reached #5 in the overall Amazon Kindle store. That literally means it was the 5th best selling book at the largest book retailer in the world! Underlord has the best reviews I have ever seen for a popular book on Goodreads.com. Seriously, The Best Reviews I Have Ever Seen.

And you know what, Will deserves all of that."

Cradle

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