"Soulbound" Introduction and Background (revised 11/10)
Welcome to Soulbound, the fourth book in the ongoing adventures of Warren Worthington III, aka Archangel!
Soulbound takes Warren on a new journey in search of something he believed was impossible to obtain. It picks up immediately after Circle Complete ends and continues many of the unfinished story lines from the preceding books. Familiar characters return – Emperor Ztar, General Gtar-Cro, the Etagllot, and others, but we also have new friends to meet, as well as new foes.
If you haven't read the previous three novels, Sacrifice (part one), Esserru (part two, but actually an if quel), and Circle Complete, I encourage you to do so. That background will greatly assist in understanding fully some of the underlying storylines in Soulbound.
Should you choose to read this story without perusing the previous books, feel free to email me questions for clarification of background issues – I always happily welcome hearing from readers.
Warning: While Soulbound is NOT slash, it does refer to the previous male/male relationship between Warren and Emperor Ztar. Warren has always been straight both in mainstream Marvel-verse and my books.
Also know: The Archangel of my stories is pre-X-Force. In comic-land, he can now transform between Archangel and Death. My stories take place in the Marvel-verse past where Warren cannot manifest his darker side and is in his original form having moved past the blue skin/steel wings phase. However, I have taken liberties with the character in that he conjures a rather delightful energy that added some…shall we say, intensity to his love life in the earlier books. We learn more on his ability in this book.
(FYI for those who may not know – Warren was infected with nannites by the evil mutant called Apocalypse. They transformed Warren into a twisted version of himself called Death (one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), complete with blue skin, bio-steel wings, and deadly intentions. Nasty business all around. Thankfully, he later reverted to his true form, but it took a long time and the experience left him wounded to his soul.)
Brief summation of the three previous books:
In Sacrifice, alien Emperor Ztar, ruler of the Turzent Empire, forced Archangel into his service using Earth's freedom as the ax above Warren's head to ensure total submission to the Emperor's will. In Esserru, Warren's life with the Emperor continued to evolve. A horrific event became a turning point between him and Ztar, which culminated in a decision Warren never believed he'd make. When Circle Complete began, it was five months after Esserru ends and Warren had been Ztar's companion for five-plus Earth years. Warren faced new threats and revelations as to the mysterious energy he manifested. It is a story of healing from injuries to the soul in both men and Warren reaching a goal he dreamed of for five years.
Disclaimer:
I don't own Archangel or any X-man character, but rather borrowing them for a while for personal enjoyment. I do own all the other various characters and my version of our galaxy. I make no money from this story and never will.
Thank you in advance for partaking in my make-believe world for it's in the sharing the characters truly come alive.
Echo Dancer
"When you write from the soul, the pen moves itself."