Oh my goodness. This past week did not go the way I expected. Like, at all.

  I went into it thinking the reread of Chapters 1–27 would be relatively simple. I assumed I’d make a few minor tweaks here and there and then move forward into Chapter 28 without much delay.

  Instead, my brain decided otherwise.

  As I reread each chapter, I kept finding things to adjust, expand, clarify, or tighten. Some of those changes were small. Others snowballed. What started as a reread of 27 chapters ultimately expanded the structure significantly. Chapters were split, content was added, and the overall flow improved.

  That restructuring happened for two main reasons. First, I added a fair amount of new material where I felt it strengthened characterization, clarity, or pacing. Second, I realized too many of my chapters were drifting toward the 4,500–5,000 word range, which is longer than I want my “standard” chapter length to be.

  Rather than letting chapters sit at the higher end, I split several of those longer chapters into two.

  The result is that now a vast majority of chapters are under 4,000 words, which feels much better structurally and should make the reading experience smoother and more predictable.

  Because I didn’t want to post this update until I had fully completed the reread, I’m posting this on Tuesday evening rather than Monday. I sincerely apologize for the slight delay.

  Now, on to the actual progress.

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  Technically speaking, I haven’t made forward progress in the last nine days in terms of pushing deeper into the story. However, I feel significantly more confident moving forward. I’ve now gone through everything carefully, adjusted what needed adjusting, and ensured the flow and continuity are solid. I’m fully immersed in the story again, which makes it that much easier for me to keep track of the small but important details that need to carry forward.

  So while the percentage hasn’t moved this week, the foundation has been reinforced.

  Forward progress resumes now.

  What’s Next

  Tomorrow, I will be writing a brand new chapter (Chapter 36) and then rewriting Chapter 37, which was originally Chapter 27, before finally pushing forward once again into new territory in the story.

  Thank you all, genuinely, for your continued patience.

  Current Rewrite Stats

  Total Word Count:

  110,564 words

  Total Chapters:

  35

  Average Chapter Length:

  3,159 words

  Shortest Chapter:

  Chapter 17 — 1,439 words

  Longest Chapter:

  Chapter 5 — 4,715 words

  Chapter Length Breakdown

  Under 2,000 words:

  3 chapters

  (1,439 / 1,867 / 1,962)

  2,000–2,999 words:

  13 chapters

  3,000–3,999 words:

  12 chapters

  4,000–4,999 words:

  7 chapters

  Estimated Read Times

  (Assuming ~275 words per minute)

  Typical Chapter (~3,150 words):

  11–13 minutes

  Longer Chapters (~4,500 words):

  16–18 minutes

  Shorter Chapters (~1,500–2,000 words):

  5–8 minutes

  Overall, I’m very happy with this distribution. The chapters are far more consistent than before, and even the longer ones stay within a predictable range. My goal remains to make the reading experience smoother and more manageable while still delivering meaningful content in each chapter.

  Onward.

  ~ Viserra

  Next update will be Monday March 2nd. I won't miss it this time, I promise. See yall then.