Ashen Crest: Rise of the Soulborne

In a shattered world where skybound kingdoms drift above a vast ocean and eldritch "Gates" rip through reality, unleashing nightmare creatures known as Wraithborn, seventeen-year-old Kael Ryuu is the lowest of the low—a crestless orphan with no future in a society where worth is measured by strength and swordsmanship. Born without a Crest, the soul-bound mark that allows warriors to manifest legendary abilities and spirit-forged weapons, Kael is forbidden from training at the Sword Monastery of Yurei and forced to live as a servant, sharpening blades he’ll never wield. Until the day he dies. Struck down during a Wraithborn incursion, Kael awakens in The Abyss Library, an interdimensional realm that holds the records of fallen heroes. There, a disembodied voice offers him a pact: “Inherit the Will of Blades. Rise as my Soulborne.” Accepting, Kael is reborn with a forbidden ability—he can absorb the sword techniques of fallen warriors and evolve with every duel. With this comes his Soulblade: Kurozan, a living katana that feeds on Wraith essence. Determined to prove himself, Kael returns to the world bearing a mysterious black Crest and the first form of an ancient fighting style thought to be lost: Tenebris Kenjutsu, the Blade of the Eclipse. Setting out to conquer the Obsidian Tower—a deadly crucible of trials left behind by the gods—Kael assembles a fierce crew: a flame-scarred ronin wielding twin sabers, a rogue ex-knight who channels lightning through her rapier, and a silent monk who forges blades from pure spirit energy. Together, they battle rival sword clans, bounty hunters, and corrupted Soulborne across floating cities and sunken ruins, uncovering the truth behind the Soulweavers—a forgotten order of swordmasters who once bridged life, death, and the void between. But Kael’s power is not without cost. Whispers follow him in the wind. Shadows draw closer. And the deeper he delves into the secrets of his Soulblade, the more he questions: is he becoming the hero of prophecy—or the vessel of an ancient sword demon bent on returning? In a realm where mastery of the blade is everything, Kael Ryuu must carve his path—one duel at a time.