34 parts Complete MatureSome destinies are inherited. Others are carved in blood.
Faye has always known two things: how to survive, and how to be alone. Living off-grid in the haunted fringes of the Black Forest, her only companions are the shadows, the whispers of something older than gods, and the magic she was never meant to learn. But when a traveler named Romero offers her food and company, her solitary world fractures-leading her into the heart of the Blackbanes, a reclusive noble family who claim she is more than human.
Meanwhile, Saul is a guilt-ridden ex-soldier lured back into the world by a promise of redemption. Hired by the Watchers to investigate a mysterious plague spreading through the countryside, he finds himself hunted by the Blighted-twisted beings with tragic eyes and ritualistic rage. Each mission brings him closer to madness, and closer to the truth buried beneath centuries of lies.
Their paths converge in the ruins of a crumbling kingdom, where a cursed river bleeds black, and ancient gods stir beneath the surface. Faye is caught between familial devotion and divine rebellion. Saul becomes a reluctant prophet of something darker than prophecy itself. And all the while, the world around them begins to rot-spiritually, politically, and physically.
What begins as survival becomes transformation. What begins as love becomes war.
This is not a tale of chosen heroes. This is the story of those cursed to carry power, of cults dressed as families, of demons dressed as brothers, and of gods who never forget betrayal.
In this first book of the Alterverse series, prepare to descend into a world where death is ritual, memory is sacred, and prophecy is a trap.