The Crimson Skin

A thousand years ago, Nimor watched his family die in an emperor’s square and realized some promises break the man instead of the world. Driven by a rage that burned away his humanity, he transformed into the Changed One—a shadow-wreathed monster who built an empire of blood and order. Now, the stars are aligning for his return. Nimora has been dreaming in the dark for six centuries, waiting for a vessel strong enough to hold his force. He has found it in Prince Razak, the empire’s greatest warrior. As the "Blood Song" begins to whisper in Razak’s mind, his brother Talak, a logical architect who trusts only what he can measure, must race to kill a god. Alongside a librarian holding forbidden scrolls and a mother with a lethal past, Talak must navigate a web of betrayal to reach the Broken Hall—the site of Nimor’s original binding. But Nimora’s greatest weapon isn’t shadow-claws—it’s the way he has rewritten his own tragic history to justify a millennium of slaughter. To save his brother, Talak won't just need a weapon; he'll have to force a monster to remember the man he used to be. In a world where magic is a burden and power is a theft, the rhythm of freedom is the hardest one to play.