The Nameless Sun
In a world where the Crusaders’ hubris unleashed hell upon the earth, humanity survives under a demonic shell that blocks out the sun. In this bleak world, names are power: demons are bound by their true names, and humans with powers are granted names as a mark of their worth. But the nameless—those without powers—are treated as less than animals, toiling in silence and despair.
The story follows the Nameless One, a laborer who has spent his life in the shadows, dreaming of a sun he has never seen. His existence is one of relentless toil. He is not called by a name, only by the tasks he performs: “Laborer,” “Carrier,” “Mute.”
His settlement, a crumbling fortress of mud and stone, is one of many where the nameless are worked to death under the watchful eyes of the named overseers.
The only light in the Nameless One’s life comes from the Builder, the oldest unnamed in the settlement. The builder told them about the sun—a blazing orb of light that once warmed the earth and lit the sky. The Builder claims these stories were passed down from his predecessors, who heard them from theirs, stretching back to the time before the shell. To the nameless, these stories are a fragile hope, a reminder that the world was not always dark.
One night, the settlement is razed by a demon horde. This Nameless One escapes, not out of bravery or skill, but because he is invisible—both to the demons, who see him as beneath notice, and to the named, who abandon him to die.
