Born under a curse, Momen is an Apis-stone-born and marked by a black mana stone. Branded a matricide for a death he never chose, he grows up despised in the slums and abandoned by his father, surviving sixteen years as something less than human in a city that wishes he were dead.
Everything changes when a chance encounter with the knight Thos offers him a glimpse of a different world-one of honor, pride, and purpose. From that brief act of kindness, Momen makes an impossible vow: he will rise from the filth and become a knight.

But the kingdom does not forgive cursed blood. To climb toward the light, Momen must wield the very power that marks him a monster, walking a razor’s edge between strength and damnation. Hunted by prejudice, exploited by the powerful, and feared for what he is becoming, he must decide whether he will break the system-or become exactly what it expects.

His power grows louder the more he listens—but the quietest voice might be the only one trying to save him.


Expiate