ONLY THE FIRST 9 CHAPTERS ARE AVAILABLE. ***** An enslaved champion in the bloodsport of battleboxing, Imalroc has fought for years to try and regain his freedom. But when his fighting contract passes into the hands of Rerdas Toriem, a disgraced noble guarding a dangerous secret, Imalroc finds himself grappling with feelings that both bewilder and upset him. The two men couldn't be more different, but to avoid a political noose, an enemy empire, and a mysterious disease that threatens to upturn everything they know, they must find a way to overcome their conflicting alliances in the hope of securing freedom, safety, and a chance at something more than friendship. [[word count: 200,000-250,000 words]]

✾Highest Ranking: #73 in Adventure: 12/07/17✾ ✾Highest Ranking: #514 in Fantasy: 11/30/17✾ After humans nearly went extinct at the end of the thirtieth century - and almost took Earth along with them, they were devastated. Fearful. Alone. What should have been the start of their demise became proof of their legacy. Instead of being abandoned by the planet they were on the verge of killing, the entity at its core gave the remaining few a task and with it a gift of the four natural elements. Quintessence. They were to rebuild what they destroyed and redeem their ancestors for their volatile mistakes. Now, six hundred years later the Guild Association was created to maintain balance among what was now called Vita. Only those with the greatest influence and power were recognized as guilds. They harbored the purest form of quintessence, but only two were delegated as overseers of the planet. The Light Heathens Guild and their cursed counterpart, the Nightmares Guild. Their guildsmen reaped prestige and nobility, but not Aegis. Despite being heir to the Light Heathens Guild, Aegis is hidden and grows up in solitude with her younger brother, Somnus, on a mountaintop. If not for her adoptive brother belonging to the opposite authority, the Nightmares Guild, perhaps they could have wasted away together. But the recklessness of their caretaker leads them to the very place they're forbidden. The capital of the Two Authorities. The Little Sanguine's Awards 1st Place The Infinite Awards 1st Place The Golden Nuggets Award Best Death Winner The Golden Nugget Awards Best Cover Winner