In a world reborn from fire and drowned in mana, survival is a rebellion—and power is a curse.

Born into ruin, Zyrex Drayke was never meant to be a hero. Orphaned by tragedy and forged by survival, he isn’t driven by hope or righteousness—only the promise of freedom, no matter the cost. A prodigy in combat but a misfit among men, Drayke’s recklessness lands him on the front lines of Fort Carson, where monsters aren’t the only things that bleed.

But as ancient horrors stir in the shadows and new gods whisper from beyond the veil, Drayke’s rise will shake the very core of the world. Allies will become enemies. Legacies will be written in blood. And from the ruins of the past, an empire will rise.

One man’s hunger for power.
One world’s last chance for order.
One story where fate is not a blessing—but a weapon.

This is not a tale of salvation.
This is how legends burn.

(Authors Note: Originally, I intended to write this story as something fast-paced and fully improvised—but honestly, by this point, I've started questioning a lot of my writing.I'm planning to go back and revise everything from chapter one. The revised version will focus much more on character development and world-building—two things I now realize have been lacking. I'm aiming to wrap this volume at like twenty chapters, which should be finished by the month. Then likely taking another week or two to fix the previous chapters, on a pause. Story will remain the same, but new details and more interactions will have occurred.)
