by Seth.trethewey
At Blackreach Academy, every student awakens a weapon, bloodline, or supernatural ability. Kael Mercer awakens nothing. Branded Rank Zero, bullied, and treated as useless, Kael thinks his future is already over. But when a forbidden trial throws him into the deadly Eclipse Gates, the truth buried inside his blood begins to wake. Kael is not powerless. He is sealed. Hunted by monsters, betrayed by his academy, and renamed by a mysterious system as Kael Valcaryn, he discovers he belongs to an erased bloodline known as the Eclipseborn. His power is dangerous, rare, and forbidden: he can harvest essence from the enemies he defeats and turn it into strength. But every ability has a cost. Every secret pulls him closer to the monster Blackreach fears. Now Kael must survive strange realms, ancient ruins, blood-hungry creatures, and a broken team that should never work: a noble girl who should hate him, a dead commander bound to his blood, a brother who has already lied to him, and the memory of a lost sister who may still be alive beneath the academy. To uncover the truth about his parents, save his sister, and reach the Broken Spire, Kael must become stronger. But if the hunger inside him wins, the world may not need saving from Blackreach. It may need saving from him.
