Sci-fi horror on a Pacific island breaks out in:

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KEITH HAYDENINDEPENDENT FICTION

A NOVEL IN PROGRESS · EARLY ACCESS

CEREUS & LIMNIC

Escape
from Okinawa

War returns to the island.
Something else has been waiting.

Read the evolving manuscript by Keith Hayden. Two narratives. One fractured archive. Begin with Type B, or enter Type A on its own.

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Cover of Cereus & Limnic: Escape from Okinawa, Type B, by Keith Hayden
TYPE B

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The manuscript

Escape from Okinawa Type B logo

Type B

The three-part narrative.

Escape from Okinawa Type A logo

Type A

The evolving case-file narrative.

Front matterDraft PrologueDraft Archivist’s NoteDraft Arrested Silence (Higa Bonta - 比嘉ボンタ)Draft Brothers in the BattlefieldDraft Archivist's Dictated Note: Review of field footage obtained from a helmet-mounter camera (presumably Shade’s)Draft Shade - DisappearanceDraft ScorchDraft Burned on the Beach (Bonta)Draft Sun’s ReasonsDraft Chinese MassageDraft Archivist's Note #2Draft Node 1Draft Ferry DriftDraft Zamami Infiltration - Village of VoicesDraft American AnalystDraft Cenotaph for the War Dead Who Wish for World PeaceDraft [CIPHER PUPPETS LOG - ENTRY #847]Draft **[Recovered Evidence Log - Digital Media]**Draft Boss Battle: CipherDraft # **Shade's Journal - Node 1 Encounter**Draft Node 2Draft Data DesiresDraft Brothers ErasedDraft CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT - DARE PROGRAM HISTORICAL ARCHIVEDraft Dr. ZELDA TORRES - DOCUMENT 2: PERSONAL MEMO**Draft ARCHIVIST FINAL NOTE**Draft Scorched SearchDraft Scorch to Shade CommunicationDraft The Ember LabDraft The Captain’s ConversationDraft [CASE FILE TRANSCRIPT - SUBJECT: SUN / SUBJECT: ZELDA]Draft [ARCHIVIST INTERPRETATION - FINAL]Draft Post Scorch AttackDraft Vs. Cinder (Shade’s Account)Draft Front matterDraft To Iheya - Shade POVDraft Archivist’s NoteDraft Bonta finds a cultDraft Arrival on IheyaDraft Bonta reunited with Meio, but…Draft Living hive betrayal: Shade POVDraft The Cult Channels the Monster to Destroy the 3rd NodeDraft RECOVERED DOCUMENT 847-G: Audio/Visual FragmentDraft [FROM THE BURNED SCRAPS OF NOTE] — SCORCH POV (COMBINED REVISION)Draft FILE 3.1: SUN BREAKS THE WORLDDraft FILE 3.2: THE BREATH BEFOREDraft FILE 3.3: THE ISOTOPE OF MEMORYDraft CHAPTER 1: THE FIREWALKERDraft Ch 2 Deep WaterDraft Ch.3 The Frequency (REVISED)Draft CH 4. The CrossingDraft Ch. 5 Jinhua Investigates CadenceDraft Zima and Scorch (Zima: POV)Draft Chapter 5: The ConvergenceDraft # Chapter 6: The MonumentDraft # Interlude / Chapter 7: The WallDraft # Chapter 8: Flotilla DestructionDraft Ch 9. Scorch vs. SunDraft Front matterDraft Node 5 - Jinhua Ma InterludeDraft # Chapter 1: The Mountain Hideaway (Timeera Koi POV)Draft Ch 2. Prisoner of Record (Sun’s perspective)Draft Ch. 3 Special Meeting - Intercepted IntelligenceDraft Ch 4. Captain Kita - Isolation from the log of Captain KitaDraft Ch. 5 Evasion to the Node (Shade’s journal)Draft Ch. 6 Trap (Shade’s journal)Draft CH. 7 An honorable end - (Secretary Sato POV)Draft CH. 8 - Sun on Spot (Scorch POV)Draft CH. 9 The Collar (Sun’s POV)Draft CH. 10 Jinhua - AM MusingsDraft Ch. 11 (Shade POV)Draft CH 12. Saved from the Waves (Scorch POV)Draft CH. 13 - Intercepted Intel from U.S. Pacific CommandDraft CH. 14 Statement from the Chura no Umi (Okashi POV)Draft Ch. 15 Facing the Father (Sun POV)Draft CH 16. Vanishing Sun (Sun’s POV)Draft CH 17 - Rivalry of the Chura no Umi (Jinhua POV)Draft CH 18. OKARI's Early Years (Jinhua POV)Draft CH 19. The Duel that Never Was (Rimay Shimabukuro POV)Draft Ch. 20 Romantic Succession (Rimay Shimabukuro POV)Draft Ch 21 Rising Sun (Okari POV)Draft Ch. 22 Beginning of the EndDraft Ch 23. Scorchin’ Sun (Scorch POV)Draft Ch. 24 Forward Deployment (Shade POV)Draft Ch. 25 Zane’s Visit (Jinhua POV)Draft Ch. 26 Kita’s Philosophy (Shade POV)Draft Ch. 27 The Last Raid (Shade POV)Draft Ch. 28 Brothers Reunited (Timeera POV)Draft Ch. 29 The Father (Sun POV)Draft Ch 30 Jinhua’s Last Interlude (Jinhua POV)Draft CH. 31 Final Battle - Part 1 (Shade POV)Draft CH 32. Final Battle Part 2 (Shade POV)Draft CH 33 Jinhua's Final NoteDraft Opening documentsDraft EXHIBIT 001 — DAWN INCURSION & INITIAL VISUAL CONTACTDraft EXHIBIT 002 — “RYU” ACTIVATION AND EXTRACTIONDraft EXHIBIT 003 — UNCREWED HEAVY AIRCRAFTDraft EXHIBIT 004 — INTELLIGENCE CABLE #01 -Draft EXHIBIT 005 — NIGHT OF EXTRACTIONDraft EXHIBIT 006 — POST EXTRACTIONDraft EXHIBIT 007 — AGENT 532-2025 DOSSIERDraft EXHIBIT 008 — “PARADISE LONG”Draft EXHIBIT 009 — WITNESS STATEMENTDraft EXHIBIT 010 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 011 — WITNESS STATEMENTDraft EXHIBIT 012 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 013 — INTELLIGENCE CABLE #02 -Draft EXHIBIT 014 — DOCUMENT REVIEW -Draft EXHIBIT 015 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 016 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 017 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 018 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 019 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 020 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft Exhibit 021 - SUPPLEMENTAL FIELD RECORDING #JK-2035-06-14-BDraft EXHIBIT 022 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 023 — DOCUMENT REVIEWDraft EXHIBIT 024 — MEDICAL REPORTDraft EXHIBIT 025 — A MEETING OF BROTHERSDraft EXHIBIT 026 — Phase SevenDraft EXHIBIT 027 — The Plan and the SurgeonDraft EXHIBIT 028 — A Flightless Bird on A MissionDraft EXHIBIT 029 — Emergency surgeryDraft Exhibit 030 - Boat Observation (Unknown Perspective)Draft Exhibit 031 - YonaguniDraft Exhibit 032 - Yonaguni NodeDraft Exhibit 033 - Combat Log Against Death Mecha (Unknown perspective)Draft Exhibit 034 - Kuina's ChoiceDraft Exhibit 035 - Marine Biologist Secrets - Part 1Draft Exhibit 036 - Marine Biologist Secrets - Part 2Draft Exhibit 037 - “Where does the Ocean End?” LyricsDraft Exhibit 038 - A Crown of ThornsDraft Exhibit 039 - A Crown of Thorns - Part 2Draft Exhibit 040 - Ishigaki Inn’s GranddaughterDraft Exhibit 041 - Maj T.’s Ishigaki BriefDraft Exhibit 042 - A Strange CommunicationDraft Exhibit 043 - To the Ishigaki NodeDraft Exhibit 044 - Running through the TunnelDraft Exhibit 045 - Ishigaki Node - Part 1Draft Exhibit 046 - Ishigaki Node - Part 2Draft Exhibit 047 - Ishigaki Node - Part 3Draft Exhibit 048 - Ishigaki Node - Part 4Draft Exhibit 049 - Waking up in the Ishigaki InnDraft Exhibit 050 - At the Ishigaki Inn - Part 1Draft Exhibit 051 - At the Ishigaki Inn - YukiDraft Exhibit 052 - At the Ishigaki Inn - Whale Shark and Orca BrothersDraft Exhibit 053 - At the Ishigaki Inn - RoseDraft Exhibit 054 - At the Ishigaki Inn - SharlaDraft Exhibit 055 - At the Ishigaki Inn - RyuDraft Exhibit 056 - La casa de GutiérrezDraft Exhibit 057 - La casa de Gutiérrez - Late NightDraft Exhibit 058 - La casa de Gutiérrez - Mission AssignedDraft Exhibit 059 - Topographical Perspective - Iejima FlyoverDraft Exhibit 060 - Proceeding to IejimaDraft Exhibit 061 - Major T’s Emergency BriefingDraft Exhibit 062 - Battle of Green Beach 伊江島Draft Exhibit 063 - Searching the Occupied IslandDraft Exhibit 064 - Encounter (Reunion) with Sharla ニャティヤ洞Draft Exhibit 065 - Island LegendDraft Exhibit 066 - Encounter With WeiDraft Exhibit 067 - Sharla and Li in the SchoolDraft Exhibit 068 - Mysterious IntelDraft Exhibit 069 - Twin WinDraft

FROM THE ORIGINAL NOVEL PAGE

About the novel

NOW IN EDITING

// Restricted // Internal Tracking Asset // Eyes Only //
Department of Otherworldly Affairs · Archive Division
Document Review
Status Report
DOMARE ULTRA · Editorial Pass · Active Case
File Designation
CEREUS & LIMNIC
Classification
Type B · Ultra
Status
● Under Review
FILE NO. DOA-OKI-2037-9341/B UPDATED: —
— Review Progress —
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0% 25 50 75 100%
Words Processed
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// reviewed
Total Document
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// Domare Ultra // Authorized Personnel Only // Restricted //

When war returns to Okinawa, three brothers confront experimental soldiers with stolen voices and a monster older than myth, forcing them to choose between surpassing human limits or losing what makes them human.

2026, Okinawa is under occupation.

The island goes dark, and the world hears rumors of geopolitical catastrophe. What survives is a fractured archive: field notes smeared with blood, villagers’ voices warped into testimony, and stuttered, contradictory transmissions. Yet in the gaps between fragments, another presence stirs— an old shape surfacing in the waters and forests, its outline etched in whispers and broken data.

Three brothers, Shade, Sun, and Scorch enter the battle on a Dare. Middle brother, Shade is caught between self-loathing and duty. Scorch, the youngest, burns with fury for vengeance. The eldest, Sun, a soldier remade by secret hands, is already half-claimed by something more than human. 

Across abandoned villages and weaponized myths, they confront enemies— prototypes that speak with stolen language, cults prepared for divine violence, and themselves.

But machines are not the only threat. The brothers’ path keeps circling back to the shadow the island itself seems to exhale—a monster neither wholly born of myth nor wholly made in labs, a force waiting to claim them if they falter.

Every encounter forces a choice: to preserve fleeting mercy or unleash a darkness that can never be contained. The Haven brothers’ struggle is more than survival. It is the question of what remains human when nations and nightmares conspire to engineer the future.

Part found-footage horror, part techno-thriller, Cereus & Limnic: Escape From Okinawa Type-B is a case-file novel of beauty and catastrophe, where every fragment points to a truth too dangerous to hold, too human to erase.


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日本語

沖縄に戦争が戻るとき、三人の兄弟は盗まれた声を持つ実験兵士と神話より古い怪物に立ち向かう。人間の限界を超えるか、人間性そのものを失うか——選択を迫られる。


2026年、沖縄は占領下にある。

島は闇に沈み、世界は地政学的破局の噂を聞く。生き残ったのは断片化されたアーカイブ——血で汚れたフィールドノート、証言へと歪められた村人たちの声、そして途切れ途切れの矛盾した送信記録。だが断片と断片の隙間に、別の存在が蠢いている——海と森に浮かび上がる古い形、その輪郭は囁きと壊れたデータに刻まれている。

三人の兄弟、シェイド、サン、スコーチは「デア」と共に戦場に入る。次男のシェイドは自己嫌悪と義務の間で引き裂かれている。末っ子のスコーチは復讐の怒りに燃えている。長男のサンは秘密の手によって作り変えられた兵士で、すでに半分は人間以上の何かに奪われている。

廃村と武器化された神話を横切りながら、彼らは敵と対峙する——盗まれた言語で語るプロトタイプ、神聖な暴力に備えるカルト、そして自分自身と。

しかし機械だけが脅威ではない。兄弟たちの道は、島そのものが吐き出すかのような影へと何度も引き戻される——神話から完全に生まれたわけでも、研究室で完全に作られたわけでもない怪物、彼らが躓けば奪い取ろうと待ち構える力。

あらゆる遭遇が選択を強いる:束の間の慈悲を守るか、決して封じ込められない闇を解き放つか。マ兄弟の闘いは生存以上のもの。それは、国家と悪夢が未来を設計しようと共謀するとき、何が人間として残るのかという問いである。

ファウンドフッテージホラーとテクノスリラーが融合した『セレウス&リムニック:沖縄からの脱出 Type-B』は、美と破局のケースファイル小説。すべての断片は、持つにはあまりに危険で、消すにはあまりに人間的な真実を指し示している。

Latest update

15 Oct 2026

Book Timeline

Idea - 2022

Begin first draft - Early 2024

Complete first draft - Feb 27, 2026

Begin editing - Mar 4, 2026

Wins Honorable Mention for the Spoken Audio - Novel Beginnings Competition - Apr 2026!

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