Heavenly Chaos Series by Daniel Schinhofen

Benedict Aaron Rodney had a terrible life for eighteen years. His parents were dead, leaving him with his Uncle Skippy Rodney. Skippy was a bust-out drunk who could barely take care of himself. After being given a child he didn’t want, he took out the anger he had on the child. If that wasn’t enough for someone to deal with, things got worse for him. His one-time friends got tired of him, making him a target of their boredom and anger... moreBenedict Aaron Rodney had a terrible life for eighteen years. His parents were dead, leaving him with his Uncle Skippy Rodney. Skippy was a bust-out drunk who could barely take care of himself. After being given a child he didn’t want, he took out the anger he had on the child. If that wasn’t enough for someone to deal with, things got worse for him. His one-time friends got tired of him, making him a target of their boredom and anger. This left the growing child with no safe haven— at school or home, someone was hurting him every day. But then, something miraculous the Heavens stepped in, granting him a Sphere. Spontaneous manifestation of a Sphere was very rare, but it happened on occasion. Benedict, while being beaten unconscious and having his bones broken, was suddenly the Holder of a Sphere of Regeneration. A passerby broke up the attack on Benedict and got him whisked off to a clinic to see a Healer. The Healer not only found his newest injuries completely repaired, but also the long list of injuries Benedict had endured throughout his life. That examination turned up the fact that Benedict now had a Sphere, and as such, was bound for the Academy to learn how to deal with his new life. He was shown around by Agatha, his psychiatrist. She’d help him learn the things that his school had never told him about Holders. It was also on his first day that he’d met Atropos Rosaria Foxglove, his roommate, who had her own problems. He’d have to learn to coexist with a roommate who disliked him, all while trying to find his new place as a Holder of a Sphere. One of the few non-elite students, he would have an uphill climb. Benedict never backed down from a fight or pain, and he wasn’t about to start now. less

Life changed the moment the Heavens granted Benedict his Regeneration Sphere. Stepping out of the abusive cycle he’d known all his life, he entered the Gilfle Academy. Getting help from his therapist, Agatha Carper, Benedict was ready to try his new lease on life. It wasn’t without its bumps and setbacks, but he wasn’t going to give up on this second chance. Benedict’s first bump was his new roommate, Atropos Foxglove... moreLife changed the moment the Heavens granted Benedict his Regeneration Sphere. Stepping out of the abusive cycle he’d known all his life, he entered the Gilfle Academy. Getting help from his therapist, Agatha Carper, Benedict was ready to try his new lease on life. It wasn’t without its bumps and setbacks, but he wasn’t going to give up on this second chance. Benedict’s first bump was his new roommate, Atropos Foxglove. The young woman had her own painful past that’d colored her view of life, especially when it came to men. The two stumbled and even argued, but eventually, found their footing to coexist. That coexistence even turned into a friendship that grew as the semester went on. It was the second bump that almost ended Benedict’s new life prematurely. Ellen Rox had long hated Atropos, and she wasn’t above hurting others. Seeing Benedict with Atropos, Ellen chose to use him as her pawn and bring more grief into Atropos’ life. That all culminated in Benedict being accused of sexual assault, a fabrication put on by Ellen and her cronies. The false charges were stopped only with some help, but they also led Atropos and Benedict to become closer. Friendship forged through adversity— including their own past traumas— made for a bedrock to build on. They wouldn’t be building their friendship alone, though, as they’d both found peers who they could count on. Their best mutual friend was named Sadie Somnius, a slightly older woman who was also their gym coach. She might be brash and far more aggressive than either Benedict or Atropos, but she also helped bring the two of them closer. With the semester at an end, the three friends were separated for the tournament that the Academy held with its contemporaries. Benedict and Atropos would be facing the best of each Academy in a mock-war. After that, they’d strive to delve the Pockets and pull out more rewards than anyone else. Winning one or both could propel them farther along their path of ascending to the Heavens. less

Benedict and Atropos had gone into the mock-war as underdogs, being one person short of a full team. Even worse, someone paid people to try to get them removed or killed in the starting moments of the event. They hadn’t accounted for the amount of pain Benedict could handle or how determined he and Atropos were to win. By the time the mock-war was reaching its end, the pair had secured themselves enough points to be two of the top scorers... moreBenedict and Atropos had gone into the mock-war as underdogs, being one person short of a full team. Even worse, someone paid people to try to get them removed or killed in the starting moments of the event. They hadn’t accounted for the amount of pain Benedict could handle or how determined he and Atropos were to win. By the time the mock-war was reaching its end, the pair had secured themselves enough points to be two of the top scorers. The event was pushed to finish and ended up slanted against them, so they didn’t have a chance to earn the top spot on their own merits. However, when the dust settled, they’d still stolen the top spot through “wartime diplomacy. ” The top-place finish earned them a Sphere for Benedict and skills for Atropos that would help them during the next semester’s tournaments. In the pause before the delving tournament, the two of them reunited with Sadie to take a small vacation. The retreat was good for all of them, leading to them agreeing to try dating as a triad. It would have to wait until after their next semester started, but there was a lot of hope in their hearts. When the delving tournament came, Benedict and Atropos pushed as hard as they could, going after the Rank 4 Pocket— a Rank above their own. It was tough, but they excelled, overcoming injuries as they went. The Pocket was stingy with its rewards… until their very last delve, when a Death Sphere fragment dropped for them, something that Atropos’ bloodline desired. When everything was done, Atropos finally figured out what her bloodline Nid Root Dryad. Tied firmly to both Poison and Death, she was worried, but hopeful about her future. Benedict’s bloodline still refused to let itself become known, but his two Spheres were Regeneration and Blood. That information, along with his AI, Cell, were his only hints. Even with the tournaments being over, there was a week of celebration that they were forced to attend. It wasn’t all bad, though, as their friends Victor, Hanz, and Franz were there with them. More than that, they made friends with Rebba Terita and her friends, Hilda Coldshove and Dalia Lancer. They also found an old adversary in Vessa Coldtooth and her group, who wouldn’t let their loss in the mock-war go easily. Just before they headed back for their second semester, they had a two-on-two duel with Vessa and her ally, Skipper. Benedict pushed himself hard, taking wounds that would drop most people, but his Durability stat let him power through the pain. In the end, he was the last one standing, as even Atropos had been ruled out. With the points they’d accrued through the tournament and duel, they managed to not only get the Resistance skills they wanted, but also Atropos’ Sphere and a Might Sphere for Sadie. They were ready to return to the Academy, but even more than that, they were ready to start their relationship with Sadie. less

The second semester at the Academy was underway, and Benedict’s life was now even more complicated than it ever had been. His relationship officially expanded when Sadie joined him and Atropos, not just at their party, but as a girlfriend. That caused some bumps as old traumas resurfaced and cast doubts over their new relationship. All of them were determined to make it work, and because they were able to work through those moments, they grew closer together... moreThe second semester at the Academy was underway, and Benedict’s life was now even more complicated than it ever had been. His relationship officially expanded when Sadie joined him and Atropos, not just at their party, but as a girlfriend. That caused some bumps as old traumas resurfaced and cast doubts over their new relationship. All of them were determined to make it work, and because they were able to work through those moments, they grew closer together. If balancing a new relationship wasn’t difficult enough, the three of them also had to use Pockets to advance up the Ranks. Having delved up a full Rank during the last tournament, the now-expanded party decided to do it again, leaving the Rank 4 Pocket for the Rank 5. They weren’t alone on that dangerous course, either, as their good friends were doing the exact same thing. That pushed both groups into moments where a fraction of a second could’ve meant death for one or more of them. The worst instances came at the hands of different shamans. The blood ritualist almost killed Benedict on their first delve, but his Blood Healing had kept him alive. The worst was the warlord who nearly killed Benedict, Atropos, and Sadie at different points throughout their fight. They survived and reached Rank 5, advancing a step closer to the Heavens. At this Rank, their Spheres would allow them to augment themselves. It was normally a huge point in every Holder’s journey, but that took a backseat to what Benedict found out and received from his bloodline. Having been given a gift that would endanger him if it were known, he still used it to help Sadie break free of her family. They had a couple of weeks before the semester was going to end. Once it did, they— along with Victor’s group— would be ready for the Rank 5 tournament, which had been shrouded in secrecy. They were focused on not just entering that tournament, but emerging as the best of those who entered. The only thing left afterward would be graduation and then leaving the world behind, finding other worlds with Pockets that they could delve to keep advancing. less