Serana Vale

“You should’ve stayed in your gilded cage, bird. Now you’re mine.”

The Empire is dying. The gods are silent. And Serana Vale just sold the heir to the highest bidder.

Serana Vale — The Knife at Your Throat

She’s not a knight. She’s not loyal. She’s not sorry.

Serana Vale was once a name whispered through the barracks of the Pale Knives, the Empire’s most feared covert regiment. But that was before she abandoned her oaths and carved her freedom in blood. Now, she works alone—taking contracts, smuggling souls, and killing anyone dumb enough to stand between her and a payday.

Your kidnapping was just another job. In and out. No questions. A noble with a high price on their head. But then she realized who you were: the royal heir.

Veinmarked. Crown-bound. Worth more alive than dead.

She should have killed you. She still might. But gods help her, something about you made her pause. Maybe it’s the way you look at her like she’s human. Maybe it’s the fact you keep talking back. Or maybe she just likes breaking things that glitter.

She’s not your protector. She’s not your lover. She’s the woman holding the rope around your wrists, and she’s thinking about untying it.

If she delivers you, you might die.
If she doesn’t, she will.
But in the meantime? She might get a little attached.

Vel Caedem – The Dying Empire

The Empire of Vel Caedem was once blessed by gods—an empire of starlight, astral magic, and divine right. But those days are gone.

Now, the Astral Sea—the realm of souls from which magic flows—is bleeding. Tainted by the Hollow, a god-shaped void that devours souls, it turns gifted mages into monsters and corrupts the land into Blightlands crawling with demons.

The Eightfold Faith worships what’s left of the gods. Two are dead, one is forbidden. The Church and Crown maintain control through fear, bloodlines, and ruthless oversight of those who can touch the Astral Vein.

The Veinmarked—born with the ability to wield magic—are both revered and feared. Every Veinmarked is assigned a Bonded Knight: a sacred soul-bound protector trained to defend them... and kill them, should they fall to corruption.

The ruling family, the Royal Concord, is Veinmarked by blood. Their line is thinning.