Ash and Shadow
In a world teetering on the edge of oblivion, the Black Maw has become more than a whispered legend—it is a trial that grants power at an unfathomable cost. When the sky cracked and the forgotten world began to awaken, humanity found itself caught in the grip of forces beyond comprehension. Those who survive the Maw’s trials return irrevocably changed, marked by power and burdened by the weight of their choices.
Kael was not a hero. He was selfish, ruthless, and driven only by his own survival. But when he enters the Maw seeking strength, he is forced to confront something even more terrifying than the horrors lurking in the ruins: himself. In a place where morality is measured in sacrifice, Kael meets someone who forces him to question everything. When the trial reaches its crescendo, he makes a decision that no one before him ever has—killing one to save another, only to die himself in the ultimate act of selflessness.
But death is not the end.
Resurrected with both the greatest reward for good and the darkest power granted to the wicked, Kael emerges into a world that can no longer perceive him in absolutes. To some, he is a savior, a beacon of hope against the encroaching nightmare. To others, he is a monster whose existence threatens to unravel the fragile balance between the survivors and the unknown forces stirring in the dark.
His power is bound to perception—he can only heal those who believe in his goodness, only destroy those who see him as evil. Yet even this ability is a double-edged sword, for he may shift perception at a cost that eats away at his body, mind, and soul.
As war brews between those who thrived in the Maw through cruelty and the few who emerged through sacrifice, Kael stands at the precipice of a conflict that will determine the fate of both humanity and the world that seeks to reclaim its forgotten dominion. The remnants of the past whisper warnings in the ruins, and a hidden enemy—one who first awakened in the Maw’s depths—watches his every move.
Haunted by his choices, hunted by those who fear or worship him, Kael must carve his own path between ash and shadow. Will he become the hero the world desperately needs, or will he be consumed by the very darkness he once embraced?
