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.
• Spheris Was Alone
He looked down at the fallen Demon and parted his lips to speak, making a simple, clear demand.
"Bastopher," was what he said. "Give him to me."
The Demon looked up at him, unsure at first of what he meant by this strange demand. It was Bastopher lying on the ground before him, was it not?
But he realized. It suddenly made clear sense that it almost made him laugh at how precise and vengeful the boy was.
Spheris knew in that moment that it was Belmiroth who was at the rider's seat, taking control of Bastopher's body. The Prince of the First Wing was merely locked away in the depths of his own body. Soon, it will be reformed and the true form of Belmiroth would reveal itself.
This meant that killing Bastopher in this state would be wasteful. Even though he would be dead, it wouldn't truly be Bastopher who felt the pain and suffering he wished to impose on him. It would be Belmiroth.