ARISE

Astraeus Ren is just another face in the crowd at the Arcanum Institute, a second-year student who can barely keep up. When a routine field trip to some ancient ruins goes horribly wrong, his life takes a sharp turn. Separated from his group, Astraeus comes face-to-face with something that should have stayed buried: Kha'Zul, a demon king sealed away for three thousand years.The encounter is over in a flash. Astraeus is killed without a second thought. But his story doesn't end there. In the emptiness between life and death, a mysterious power gives him a choice: come back to life with the demon king bound to his very soul, or stay dead and watch the world burn.Fueled by anger at his own weakness, Astraeus takes the deal. He wakes up in the ruins, with the demon's immense power now his to command. But there's a catch. Kha'Zul is furious about his new prison and makes one thing clear: he will do whatever it takes to be free again.