Hallow London [Apocalyptic Urban Fantasy]

The year is 2004. In the decrepit ruins that were once central London, Henry Thompson is nearing the end of his rope. Practically overnight, a freak surge in magic encircled most of the city center, blanketing the homes of nearly a million people in a dense, hazy fog and plunging their world into darkness. With only the light of the full moon to navigate by, residents were forced to become survivors as werewolves took to the streets, tearing apart anything in their path. In the coming months, the dangers would only mount, as new creatures arose from the shadows and the remaining groups of humans, elves, and other former denizens of London City scrabbled to claim increasingly scarce resources for themselves. These events, colloquially known as the Witching Hours, have shaped the landscape of what is now called Hallow London. Their mere existence is enough to completely upturn the established laws of Domain magic, but more practically their repercussions have forced everyone into hiding in a small handful of heavily defended buildings strewn throughout the city. The only people who venture out from these settlements nowadays are either the desperate, or the singularly powerful. Given the circumstances of gaining his Exotic Domain powers, you might expect him to be in the latter category like the rest of the Devil's Dozen are. And yet, as time went on, he managed to trend closer and closer to the former. He's got a lot on his plate. He technically exists as a lost soul piloting a simulacra generated by the crystal in his chest, doomed to roam until he can reunite with his comatose body. Efforts to reclaim which have ruffled the feathers of most, if not all, surviving faction heads. And despite having powers of his own, everything out there still can and will knock him into next Tuesday if given the opportunity. It's time for a change. Henry wants to turn his life around. Will his cloning powers be enough to pick up the pieces of his broken hometown? Will he triumph over the threats mounting to subsume Hallow London? And perhaps most importantly... Will he finally make amends with his fellow survivor and sort-of crush, Layla? < -|- -|- > [April 2025 Writathon Winner] > Releasing Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday at 6pm CST < Commissioned cover art by VergilVonKarma on Newgrounds < -|- -|- > Welcome to my first work of fiction! This is an urban fantasy idea that started as a backstory for an open-ended RP character, but has long since spiraled into something much bigger. I hope you enjoy and bear with me as I work to improve my writing skills through this story! What to Expect: - Post apocalyptic setting with lots of magic and monsters, as well as a world that has been accustomed to magic for much longer than the events of the story - High PG-13 rating: Gore, fights and injuries to be expected, as well as swearing. - Action / Exploration first and foremost, with an occasional sprinkling of relationship drama. No sexually explicit content, no harem. - Male MC that individually is at the low / middle end of the story's power scale. To compensate, he will utilize his power in novel ways and try to avoid fights he can't win, but when backed into a corner he will fight tooth and nail to come out on top. - Light progression elements, roughly an even mix between improving personal relations and getting stronger. - Existing factions with their own interests and agendas that will be explored as the story progresses. With that said, thanks, and enjoy!