Kai is initiated into the "The Path," the Viking rite of passage. If he survives his rite of passage he will live amongst his Nordic brothers as an elite hunter and warrior; but if he fails this rite of passage he will never return.
Kai's journey becomes a quest for truth and redemption, as he navigates the complex theological and political landscape, facing difficult choices that challenge his most fundamental beliefs about power, sacrifice, and the nature of divine will. The story blends elements of historical fiction, fantasy, and adventure, exploring timeless themes of identity, loyalty, and the struggle between individual agency and the forces that seek to control one's fate. As Kai's odyssey unfolds, he is forced to confront the harsh realities of war, the allure of violence, and the transformative power of faith, ultimately wrestling with whether true strength is found in conquest or found in surrender.
Blader Thrym never meant to get into trouble, but it always seemed to find him. So when he is offered a chance between allowing his trouble to bring shame upon his family or enlist in the einherjar, thereby restoring his honor, Blader chooses the latter.
Each incoming einherjar must prove themselves worthy to join the ranks of the finest warriors, those belonging to the Reborn Cosmos' High King Baldor. The rite of passage, the Reenactment, sends all the new recruits into a reality that is a remembrance of the old Nine Worlds, of the worlds before Ragnarok, in order to test their courage, strength, honor, cleverness, and combat skills through a series of trials. The stakes are life and death. Only those good enough to survive have what it takes to be an einherjar.
But the wolves are beginning to sneak out of the darkness and talk of conspirators is increasing. When allegiances are called into question and suspicions of the Reenactment's effectiveness to select the best recruits for the einherjar start spreading, Blader must do his best to both survive and hold to the values he prizes.
He will have to pull on everything he ever learned about his reality's past in order to have any sort of a future in his world.
Cover created by @CelticWarriorQueen17