When The Gates Close

He was meant to guard the light—until the darkness answered first.

Milo is training to become a Warden, sworn protector to a priestess he’s destined to wed. But as rebellion flares against a king who’s forsaken his people, Milo is torn between duty and the firebrand ideals of justice, freedom, and revolution—championed by his closest friend.

The Ember Pact demands change. The Tally enforces order. Trapped between rising chaos and the temple’s sacred code, Milo walks a razor-thin path—one shadowed by rivalries, temptation, and a forbidden power no Warden should possess. It feeds on the fallen and remembers things he never lived. Whispers stir in his mind, guiding his hands with skills he never learned—and they’re growing harder to silence.

As Velograd teeters on the edge, Milo must choose: uphold a broken peace or help burn the old world down.

But in a city where every choice cuts deep, the greatest war may be the one within.