In a gothic world without a sun or moon, the execution of a young man named Atti is planned within the dystopian city of Aka. Branded by Tauro before the ritual, Atti miraculously survives execution and the attentions of the snakelike slvors. He embarks on a journey to identify his purpose, identity and source of happiness in a dangerous world filled with ghastly slvors, devious wind spirits, desert trolls, mangled birds and corrupted night nymphs.
Luthus, a young priest, seeks the truth after being indoctrinated with the ideals of the ominous Akarian religious order. After joining Atti they attempt to understand the intricacies of Aka by contrasting it with new cultures and environments outside the city’s walls. Eventually they will be asked to deliver the ultimate sacrifice to cleanse the old order and give way to new, pure society.
Elsewhere, Nesura, a girl of mesmerising beauty, craves solitude. She escapes from her town, Naru Thra, but is abducted by a strange force within the ocean. When she is returned home her society demands she never abandon the side of her ‘bounded’ named Trianna.
The powers of darkness gather under the influence of a mysterious ebony pebble. Towns are crushed, people are mutilated and human spirit is erased. Atti and his newfound companions must overcome their differences and either adapt to the new world or forcefully alter it.
This varied cast of characters intertwine and test Atti’s ethical, theological and emotional wellbeing with a string of unexpected, often fantastical, events that led him to discover where he belongs and the truth of what really governs Aka and the world.
