This is a somewhat unedited draft of my novel, "Bane of the Outcast", which I'll be posting excerpts of here and there. The description is as follows. Enjoy! - - - A thousand years ago, the rogue god known as the Outcast unleashed an ancient darkness upon the world, ushering in an age of war called the Sundering. The gods abandoned the world, leaving mankind to its own devices. A being of immense power rose up to vanquish the Outcast: a champion called the Breaker. The Breaker united the world under one Empire, but soon became mad with power, destroying himself in the process. It is prophesied that the Breaker and the Outcast will return, where they will meet on the field of battle that will determine the fate of the world. Now, war sweeps across the Empire, which has fragmented into three territories collectively known as the Sundered Kingdoms. As darkness spreads across the land one more, four young people are tangled up in the web of conspiracy consuming the Sundered Kingdoms: Alvor, a novice priest at the Temple of the Sun who begins to see the corruption of his Faith; Keiran, an aspiring surgeon who is cursed with the power to destroy; River, a musician and poet who longs to see the world beyond the walls of his village; and Jazen, whose dark past has come back to haunt him. Blades clash, loyalties are tested, and dark orders emerge from the depths of history as legend becomes truth and sleeping gods begin to stir . . .