Kaleb grew up with one certainty carved into him: freedom only exists through control. Control of himself, of others, of the world around him. Never falter, never show weakness. From an early age he was bound to the imperial cults and their forbidden rites, raised in a world of dogma and sacred power. But something have followed him since childhood, silent at first, then growing closer. Caught between faith, political games, and dark forces he believes he can master, Kaleb slowly finds himself torn, between becoming the instrument of a kingdom rotten to its core, or something else entirely. Something older. Something that may be far worse.