Cyrus A. Navale

Author, Art Commissioner

Specializing in character relationships and dialogue, Cyrus finds inspiration from platonic love, a form of affection often overshadowed by romance.

'Shroud of the Familiar,' 2026

Born on the island continent of Andavel, brothers Salven and Calid Deiser once did everything together. They chased imagined fairies through the snowy woods in the winter, searched for buried treasures within tepid rivers in the summer, and marveled at the shows of magic the mages of Andavel put on every year. The two were inseparable, and Calid loved his brother more than anything else in the world. But all that would change after Salven came of age to learn magic, and allowed his dreams to shape a life without his family in it.After years spent apart, tragedy has struck, and Calid has run away from home. Salven must now scour the woods for his brother as a stranger, and dare to hope that the bond they once shared can be salvaged, lest it be lost forever. But something else haunts the woods the boys once played in, something vindictive and festering, and it stands as a testament to everything still unknown about magic.'Shroud of the Familiar' is a drama/mystery novel with themes of magic, and follows two brothers and their at-odds relationship with each other after one of them makes a deadly mistake. It explores what trauma, anger, and forgiveness could look like when manifested within a world of magic.

Artwork by Tuna (gatodefranja)

Celebrating Platonic Relationships

Platonic love is often disenfranchised among men. There are cultural stereotypes, especially in the west that expect men to only pursue relationships of a sexual nature with women, and to never show affection or emotions to others lest they be seen as weak. In the US, physical affection itself is quick to be labeled deviant even among family and friends, with passes only given to women or parents with their young children.Shroud of the Familiar and its subsequent books challenge these stereotypes through a young adult's relationship with his teenage brother, as well as his female best friend. Cyrus Navale has been writing about brother relationships in-particular for two decades through varied fan works, a creative spark that's transcended fanfiction to create an entire world dedicated to showing the importance of affection, regardless of age or gender.

Artwork by soureggnog

Combining Science and Magic

In Andavel, the runic language, Lykill, is colloquially known as 'magic.' Learning this mysterious written language unlocks the ability to manifest sigils using thoughts to alter the speed and shape of molecules in order to manipulate matter. It is however limited to simple element compositions, i.e inorganic matter, as living tissue is too complex to manipulate. To be adept with Lykill, one must be able to maintain control over molecules even at high subatomic speeds. This relationship ties the forms of matter to a difficulty scale within Lykillian casting: Solids > Liquids > Gases.Lykill offers a unique take on the traditional concept of elemental manipulation. Andavel, or 'spirit well,' takes inspiration in its frigid climate and geography from Iceland, while its internal mythos inspires from Celtic mythology, found all across the Norwegian Sea.

Artwork by Tuna (gatodefranja)

Artwork by OLIVASHKO

'Shroud of the Familiar' is the first of a few planned books in a fictional universe I've had buzzing around in my head for a long time. It contains many different narrative ideas, tropes, and characters that I love and piles them together into one continuation. Hopefully you'll enjoy traumatized brothers in a magic and mystique setting as much as I do.SotF is planned for late early 2026. In the meantime, you can follow me on BlueSky where I commission artwork of my characters!