On a planet ruled by ancient cults and martial families, Kallen's life turns for the worse the day he is cursed with the mark. He, along with other children, is kidnapped and raised to serve under the infamous House Bathory as spies and assassins. Their mission? Infiltrate their eternal rivals and orchestrate the heist of the century: Stealing the Crown fragment that turned heroes into kings and nations into an empire. In this ruthless world, ambition and cunning are survival tools, whether you're in the wild, on the battlefield, or navigating royal courts. Secrets act as currency, and a seemingly simple power play can conceal a century-old plot that transcends space and time. Torn between his quest to protect his loved ones and his morality, Kal's humanity will be put to the test as he navigates through political struggles greater than himself. Immersed in a suicide mission that could disrupt the foundation of a society on the brink of implosion, he quickly realizes that failure goes beyond death. Hey I'm L:1. This is my first try at online writing and there is a short list of what to expect from this story. What to expect: - Character building - Martial art oriented action with a power system - Betrayals, schemes, and mysteries - Dark scenes - Worldbuilding - Slice of life including comedy and romance Notes: This world and story have been brewing for a long time. I can confirm that a lot of it comes from my love for heist and old martial arts movies haha. English isn't my first language but I trained hard to be able to be completely fluent and I'm happy to finally be able to write with minimal fears. The plot will take its time to truly kick in. To install the roots of key narratives properly, the story will start at Kallen's kidnapping. The goal is a coming-of-age/rise-to-power origin story from start to finish Oh and for my reincarnator aficionados, I decided to execute it with a little twist that should appear fairly early in the story. Feel free to tell me what you think and I hope you can have an enjoyable time. L:1 **Updating every Fridays**