Ash_Monarch

The Apocalypse is in full swing. 

Defiled - powerful creatures corrupted by the Great Collision - prowled the lands in search of prey. Unfortunately for them, the human race had long since retreated behind the secure walls of the Sanctuary of Everlast. 

During one of his regular excursions outside the Sanctuary, Alden is separated from Celeste. - his childhood friend and crush. In that moment, he came to regret never summoning the courage to confess. 

Somehow managing to survive thanks to some trickery, Alden awakens as a mage. 

Instead of receiving a normal power, he gains the ability to decay. What's more, during his ascension, he received a vision from his future self advising him not to trust the Asterons - celestial beings who had saved his race from inescapable doom.  

Normally... such a revelation wouldn’t faze Alden. 

However, there was only one major problem with the declaration, though. 

Celeste was bound with an Asteron. 

And not just any normal Asteron... 

She had made a pact with one of the Divine Sovereigns.
________ 

Cover is not mine. I found it on Pinterest.

The Inner Odyssey

Alistair's heart ached for his son.

The second time in as many days.

Seeing Alden so fragile, so vulnerable as he cried in his arms, it shook the Guildmaster to the core. He was a little irked at Morrigan for making his child go through something so awful.

However, he also knew that as the Keeper's successor, Alden could not be coddled. In fact, he would have to experience more suffering and hardship than most - not just to forge him into a resilient person, but also to give him the qualifications necessary to lead the Sanctuary in the future.

His son currently sat cross-legged in the centre of the garden, meditating. Snow slowly blanketed his figure, one small flake at a time. The Guildmaster kept a watchful eye over Alden. He was afraid something would disturb the tenuous peace his son had just achieved.

Three Steps