Character Art – Melas

Melas from The Hourglass

Firstly, I have to give credit to ObscureBeauty.Art (name of artist and their website are one in the same. Here is the link proper – https://ObscureBeauty.Art )

Where to begin with Melas? He is the buddy of Siru, the Master Thief, and he comes along to Ripples in the Pond, the antiques shop that our six main characters converge on in the beginning of the story; however, Melas has a secret – he has no memories and has been wandering the world for years without aging. Siru doesn’t know, and Melas doesn’t even divulge his secret when Kai’s loss of memory is brought to light early on. He travels often, seen the world, done odd jobs to get by. I’ll post an excerpt next time more about his earliest memory and where he finds himself at the beginning of the tale. To say the least, he has a strange, unexplainable hope that this journey might have answers for him.

While working with ObscureBeauty.Art, I discovered that I felt that clouds are a good symbol for him (in a dual way – he tells Kai a story about a cloudy night in a village that was meaningful to him, but also his past is shrouded in mystery, as if concealed by clouds waiting to clear.)

Please enjoy this thought-provoking work by ObscureBeauty.Art, and I hope their portrayal of Melas has you intrigued for The Hourglass‘ release on September 8, 2026!

First, I must thank the artist verdant (verdant.deviantart.com) for this their portrait of Melas!

Melas is very comfortable in his image of being a refined person who has it together. But is he? With his secret of no memories, there’s a lot that is going on beneath the surface. Will he be able to continue to keep this secret from everyone as they journey towards the Hourglass? Will he be able to keep up his persona he’s worked to build up all these years?

One tiny note about Melas – as Siru calls him, Melas is quite the culture nerd. He loves to learn about different cultures, customs, and history. This facet allows him to be an asset at times on their adventure.

Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of the book when we are introduced to Melas. He’s currently in Turkey, with a vantage point of Mount Ararat, as he reflects on his earliest memory:

Melas went over to a medium-size metal box with a lock. Upon opening it and peering within, he thought, My name, this passport, and some gold and jewels in my pocket—all I had that day I awoke on a plateau in what turned out to be France, surrounded by nothing, namely, any hint of how I had gotten there or where I had been.

He covered his face with one hand. So long ago. Wandering the world for what has seemed like time without end, not aging, all my adult life. Melas’s light-blond hair shifted forward around his face as he tilted his head down. So long.

I hope you have enjoyed the excerpt along with the second portrait by verdant of the character of Melas from The Hourglass, release date on September 8, 2026! Any questions, just ask – thanks so much!