The Raven Thief
Born of the wastelands, Spheris Arnadel, a young skilled thief, finds himself subject to a twist of fate when he steals a powerful relic and becomes a Bearer — humans gifted with powers from the Gods. As a punishment for his theft, he is cast into an otherworldly realm alongside other Bearers, where he faces off against monstrous beasts and powerful enemies. Yet, in his determination to return to the Continent and save his dying mother, Spheris is hell-bent on surviving the abyssal world. Even if it means giving his body to the Dark God whose powers he had stolen... even if it means losing all of his humanity.
• Shadow Against Shadow
"Well then," Avira raised her Weapon to strike Akemi down. "Shame to the one who dies by a fool's blade."
"Then you will die with no shame at all!"
Avira immediately spun around to see Spheris speeding towards her like a shadow spear, vapors of Umbrage rushing behind him. She tried to bring her Weapon together to shield herself, but it was too late.
Spheris struck her midsection and drove her through one of her shadow colossi, shattering the being into a thousand fragments of Umbrage.
"Argh!" she cried. They collided against a thick wall, demolishing most of the strong ice. Spheris rose up, glaring down at her as the shadow smoke poured out of his Umbrage pulsing fists.
"You think us some kind of tool!" he growled. "Instruments with no emotion at all, just to be used to justify a nation's existence. Duty and power has clouded your mind that you do not even realize what it means to be human anymore."