The Age of Man has begun. The "undesirable" creatures of legend have been driven from their lands, magic has been forsaken, the old gods reduced to myth.Now humans will rule the kingdoms of the island continent of Pentania. But they are not alone. Alson's king has been assassinated, its capital besieged by a malevolent wizard. The chaos and terror now sweeping the land have come to the remote village of Diln—sending young Jarom far from his home to seek aid against the nefarious usurper. But a mysterious council has decreed Jarom must find one of the mythical Swords of Asahiel—the divine talismans the elven avatars used to forge the earth—in order to save a quarrelsome, fledgling humanity. For a Demon Queen has awakened from the abyss—and humankind is about to discover its powerlessness in the face of the ancient terrors of the world.

In battle's fire, young Jarom became Torin, King of Alson, and now must forge his kingdom from the ruins of an empire. But by recklessly reclaiming the Crimson Sword of Asahiel, Torin reopened a dimensional realm no longer sealed by the power of the Obsidian Key. And now the Illysp have emerged from history's darkest hour—foul spirits that possess men's bodies and enslave their souls. With enemies advancing on all sides, Torin must undertake a perilous voyage to unearth the ancient secrets once used to overcome the vile interlopers. Yet even if Torin can somehow miraculously survive, it may already be too late for his devastated land.

To protect his people from the demonic Illysp, Torin, king of Alson, made the ultimate sacrifice. Now, as his best friend and his former love seek to salvage the shattered lands beyond their borders, a treacherous assault costs them their most powerful weapon—the fabled Crimson Sword. Hopelessly outmatched, Pentania's citizens must fight to flee their conquered homeland or else perish. Yet an even greater threat looms, for the Leviathan has been awakened, an unfathomable creature whose wrath could single-handedly destroy the entire world. Hope—if any remains—lies in the efforts of a lone elf, a mad witch, and a fallen hero charged with unraveling a series of divine riddles. Yet to do so they must first find a way to break the very bonds of fiendish possession...

It’s said that the first kill is the hardest... At the age of thirteen, fun-loving Kylac is already the most skilled bladesman among the vast halls of Talonar, the preeminent battle academy in all the lands of Pentania. But none of his prodigious talents seem sufficient to win the approval of his stern father, headmaster Rohn, who chafes at the mercy Kylac regularly shows his opponents. When Rohn himself is arrested under dubious circumstances for the murder of a prominent nobleman, however, it is Kylac’s sense of pity and fairness that sets him on course for his first true test—of skills and of principles—against corrupt officials, treacherous rivals, and clandestine forces long held as a blight upon his shores... From Eldon Thompson, author of the epic fantasy trilogy The Legend of Asahiel, comes the character origin story of a youthful hero and his quest for integrity in a cutthroat world.