Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune

John Hall had it all—a hard-earned degree, a dream job in process engineering—until he woke in a forest of a world steeped in Japanese myth. Hunted by fireball-wielding locals, he fled to the wilderness, claimed an abandoned fort, and taught himself magic from scattered tomes. Five years of isolation have forged him into a resourceful artificer, but solitude gnaws at his sanity. Then an injured kitsune staggers into his refuge. By saving her, John is thrust into a realm of warring factions and ancient grudges. His engineering mind and self-taught magic are his only weapons in a conflict where myths walk and fireballs fly. Now he must choose: hide forever or risk everything to reshape a world that fears him.