Title, Copyright Info, Description, Detailed Synopsis

Copyright

Draeme Saekyr/Lydia Michele Franks © December 23, 2021

Duran's Dilemma © December 23, 2021

DuransDilemmacovertitle.jpg © December 23, 2021

Description © December 23, 2021

Fifteen-year-old Duran Roma lives in a deceptively quiet countryside with an oversized family. Through hard work and excellent grades, he's managed to enter an exclusive educational institute. However, when he arrives, trouble finds him.

One of his former classmates, Adriana Gloria, happened to show up. They were, still are, rivals in grades. The only difference was, they never dated since he preferred men. Duran never hid the fact that he was gay. Adriana seemed to not care about that and still pursued him relentlessly.

Duran could only hope that Adriana would find someone else to focus her attention on in this new environment. Otherwise, he faced a difficult dilemma in rejecting her soundly that she wouldn't continue pestering him.

Meanwhile, someone new appears on the horizon, Arlon Milton. He's clearly interested in observing the two but only actively helps Duran get used to the area. Whether or not something develops, only time will tell.

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Duran Roma lived in the quiet countryside with an oversized family. He disliked the rural quietness because there was always an undercurrent of resentment and hostility that overrode the quaint, picturesque tranquility. Usually, it was either aimed at him specifically or some of his older siblings due to their suspicious activities in a nearby bustling city.

However, excellent grades, arduous work, and general unwillingness to give up the glimmer of hope for independence elsewhere. At sixteen, Duran would become an adult living in a city versus a village that restricted adulthood privileges until twenty-three. Provided, of course, that any males survived that long in their respective hometown, which most didn't.

Acceptance came quickly from Abalone Academy Higher Learning Institute when Duran lost hope. He packed his belongings and headed for Anemone Port City. He met up with several oddball people with whom he blended pretty nicely.

All was going well until an unwelcome rival from his hometown showed up. Adriana Gloria determinedly pursued him as a love interest. Duran being gay, wasn't interested and rejected her multiple times.

Strangely enough, this time, there was another student, Arlon Milton, who'd given Duran assistance in his first days at the Academy and in Anemone as well. He'd observed how Duran and Adriana interacted and finally interfered when it became apparent that she was a nuisance Duran couldn't handle right then.

With the new session at the academy beginning, Duran would also learn. Whether or not he'd succeed with equal learning peers or have to drop out and work in some other area of Anemone before reentering again. That and would Duran have a relationship with Arlon Milton that went beyond the parameters of friendship and mere fellow acquaintances? He also hoped that Adriana would find someone else to pick on later as a romantic interest. He tired of her shameless antics.

Locations:

Julienne Country is relatively small compared to those surrounding it and constantly under threat of annexation. However, due to its unique positioning and how it functions. It has managed to stay separate and neutral for a very long time. It holds power through its citizenry that is quite unique as well. They come from a mix of backgrounds and races. They're magical and elemental in nature and prefer to remain in Julienne and two other continents that are narrowly linked through portals and bridges connected to Anemone Seaport.

Nameless Alpine Town: The stronghold where Duran grew up all fifteen years of his life. It is a small grouping of buildings. A chamber of commerce, court, jail, general store, blacksmith, tramway and train station, an Inn, tavern, and a few other auxiliary stores. Lastly, there is an executioner's platform and graveyard nearby. Not long after his departure, it became the site of a horrific massacre. Nothing remains now except for the executioner's platform and the cemetery.

Midway Town: This place is where Duran gained his start as a crafter. It is where he also gained academic knowledge. It functions as a conjunction for other villages and towns to reach Anemone Seaport and other cities further below. It has a much bigger population, and its residents reside in cavern-side homes. They have outside facades, but the main areas are inside the caverns. Multiple stores, chambers of commerce, tram and train stations, and inns create a warm festive, and creative location for artisans of all kinds to flourish. This was also the hub for other towns to send their youngsters for education, from age five to twenty-one. Generally, though, children sixteen and older quit schooling to work in various types of mines, blacksmiths, and localized work.

Anemone Seaport is a bustling portal to several countries, kingdoms, and empires spread over a vast ocean. It is thought to be a centralized locale of an ancient empire, but no one is certain. It is believed that there were initially four enormous continents but, through catastrophic events, were further decimated in size. The seaport has five areas that compose its vast bulk. North, East, West, South, and Central. Within the central area is the Abalone Academy.

Central - the judicial, chamber of commerce, and other official buildings are clustered. This is also where the Academy resides, though it has satellites located in the north, east, west, and south portions.

North - The northern portion of Anemone has all the various crafts, museums, and historical areas for the amusement and entertainment of tourists. It is also where students of the Academy are most likely to hawk their wares under the watchful eyes of instructors within vocational aspects of the Academy. This is where the middle, working-class, and slightly lower economic people base their homes and workplaces in the same space.

East - has many financial buildings that aren't found in the Central location. Other museums are niches and not as eccentric that can be found in the north. This is where other official documents can be secured that aren't always available in the central area. It also contains some other aspects that the native population isn't so pleased about, as the West and South. They all have slums that're scattered around the Academy and central facilities. Therefore, they're practically intermixed when it comes to crime rates. In the following volume, the West and South sections will be clearly defined as to their specialties regarding the Seaport and the Academy.

Initially only an elite women's education center, the Abalone Academy focused on who and what it could teach. It went from sole elite women led to co-ed after a thousand years of existence. In other words, it lasted through a myriad of leadership changes and watched empires rise and fall. It maintained a stance of neutrality, along with the Anemone Seaport, in the neutral country of Julienne. It is this somewhat controversial Academy that Duran will be attending.

Characters

In order of appearance:

**Duran Roma **

15 years old, silvery-gray-white hair, pale crystalline eyes, and lightly tanned skin. He's scarred all over and lucky to have retained his eyes. He's still in the middle of a growth spurt, so he is almost 6 feet but might go taller. Thin as a rail due to unreasonable workloads despite having enough food to eat. He tends to wear too big for him and is always patched every which way with whatever material he could scrounge. Nobody looking at him would know his actual appearance because he can cast illusion magic that he's mastered to almost mythical status.

Lowell Roma

Age? maroon hair, green eyes, muscular and tall. Currently, the favored son bullies Duran by constantly blaming him for anything left undone. He believes he’ll remain the favorite until he rudely disabuses that notion when Andre Roma appears.

Sylvester Roma

Age? silvery blond hair, green eyes, and pale skin. He admires Duran. He’s always the first to challenge Lowell and others who would bully Duran. He’s a scrappy fighter and always getting into trouble. Unlike Lowell, he won’t let Duran take beatings for him. In fact, if he’s able, he’ll take over the responsibility to prevent multiple whippings issued to Duran.

Karl Roma

Age? odd one of the trio. He has slightly lighter maroon hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. He doesn’t have much to say except for Duran’s defense. Then he’ll reveal exceptional fighting skills.

Leonard Roma

Age? he has black hair and black eyes. He doesn’t care much about the household in general. Given his druthers, he’d run away as soon as possible. However, he has a few people he does care about. Duran, Sylvester, Karl, and sisters Ellie, Sina, and Rosie. He would lay down his life for those six and nearly has a few times.

Andre Roma

One of three older brothers of Duran. He's the oldest of them and considered exceptionally talented and brilliant. He was the apple of his parents' eye until Duran was born. Then he became viewed as an insolent, rebellious eyesore. That description, Andre reveled in and took it very far indeed. Now there's some doubt about whether he's actually a blood relative. Since it was revealed that the Roma parents - Matilda and Dougal, acquired and fostered children under their name who weren't even born to them.

Maribel Roma

Duran's eldest sister supposedly. She has similar coloration to him, but that is the only thing. She's wild, talented, and notorious for getting into trouble. Despite the knack for getting into trouble, she's a diplomat often mingling with the elite wealthy and royalty. Her parents often use her as an envoy to promote their businesses with other countries and curry favor.

Maurice Roma

An uncle helped Duran further his education and learn of different fighting types to stay alive in his parents' stronghold. Maurice often took him away from the highly fortified home of Dougal and Matilda to Midway Town so that he could continue learning and growing more intelligent. There he discovered Duran had unique skills above and beyond the typical kid. Maurice was pleased to see that Duran enjoyed tailoring, blacksmithing, wood-carving, and shoe-making. He had a knack for different kinds of magic as well.

Tallow Roma

Age? 6'4", golden blond hair, dark blue eyes, and dark skin. He's the oldest of the surviving males of the current Roma generation. He doesn't care much about anything except for the young siblings he rarely ever gets to see. He's an assassin and does his job correctly. Other times he's just a messenger. He might have a regular job but doesn't advertise it since if it were known, his ordinary life would get blown to bits.

Rafael Roma

Age? 6'2", he has long black hair, piercing dark grey eyes, and dark skin. His personality is surly and distinctly hostile to the world. He doesn't get along with any of his siblings. Despite that problematic attitude on his part, he still cares for them. He detests Matilda and Dougal because they are his biological parents; however, he knows there's something no longer humans possessing their bodies. If anything, what he'd do, if possible, is return their souls back to their bodies. He'd just kill them to end their misery if he can't.

“Ellie” Alessandra Roma

A miniature adult in attitude, manner, and appearance. She does her best to assist Duran in daily matters so that he suffers fewer beatings. Unfortunately, most of her efforts are hampered by other brothers who don't want to see him going without at least two-four whippings daily. As a result, she teamed up with Sylvester, Karl, and Leonard, along with Sina and Rosie, to foil the brothers and parents who routinely battered Duran and tried sabotaging him in every which way possible.

"Sina" Ambrosia Roma

A younger sister with a sensitivity hampers her ability to work around hourly problems. However, when the chips are down, she does her level best to keep a cheerful mask whenever Duran comes around to see if they need anything. She really wants Duran to have a good life somewhere else, where she and her sisters didn't cause him unnecessary grief.

"Rosie" Roselle Roma

The youngest of the trio of sisters do their level best to assist Duran whenever possible. She, Ellie, and Sina learned very quickly. How to run interference when Lowell or other jerks were on rampages designed to destroy whatever progress Duran might've made concerning getting chores done.

Trentham Folsom

Quite the character. Folsom is a craftsman, a proctor, professor, and many other titles within the Abalone Academy. He also witnessed Duran's frightening capabilities but knows the boy hides his true strength. He's going to do what he can to help Duran succeed. Even if it means helping him hide what might be a scarier talent that could upset the balance of Julienne's neutrality that it practices daily.

Adriana Gloria

15 years old, 5'6", and has golden-brown hair, dark blue eyes, and ivory white skin. She dresses flamboyantly and is always cheerful and friendly to everyone she considers her equals.

One of Duran's classmates and an over-exuberant admirer. She's a stalker of his from childhood. Born into a wealthy councilman's family, Adriana believes she should be the center of attention and have whatever she wants, be it an inanimate object or human. In Duran's case, she wants him as a breeder of her children, and he wants nothing to do with her.

Augustina Clements

An old friend of Maurice's. She often hosts him whenever he does business or leisure in Anemone Seaport. In this case, she's willing to temporarily host Duran until he's settled into the academy dormitories.

Arlon Milton

6', 18 yrs. old, and has crow-black hair, maroon eyes, and white skin. He's not the typical male that is known around the area. His origins are utterly mystifying to everyone around him. He's Duran's guide while he's settling into life at the Academy.

Chastain Claude

A crafter and museum curator and, as it turns out, one of Duran's uncles. He had a son who would've been Duran's age had he lived. Though now rumors circulate that he's actually been held in a very nasty part of Anemone Seaport this entire time. Chastain is willing to do whatever it takes to get his son Garou back.

Garou Claude

There is some mystery surrounding him. Is the boy only Duran's cousin, or could he be a twin? They're the same age and look identical. He was recently rescued from a horrific situation with a hostage against the Claude and Roma clans. Now that he's no longer a hostage, the two families, what remains of them, can live life freely with a few restrictions still in place.

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