Toren Daen was weak; crushed under the oppressive boot of the Vritra's strength-based society. But after the desperate last gamble of a failing deity imbues him with more knowledge than he ever dreamed of, he is forced to enter a proxy war between asuran clans that has lasted for untold generations.          Armed with knowledge of the future and the potential to change it, Toren will have to face highbloods, corrupt churches, dangerous beasts, and power-hungry asura to get what he needs. If he wishes to survive, he will have to alter the future in a way that will keep him and those he cares for safe from the approaching tide of war and death, all while hiding a burning secret in his core from the very leaders of the continent he lives on.          For Alacrya--and by extension, Toren himself--is a mere piece in a larger game between the gods. And when deities play chess with the lives of mortals as pawns, only bloodshed follows.          (Semi-SI into Alacrya. Updates Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. Crossposted on WN, SB, Wattpad, and Ao3.) (Cover art commissioned by @_aphora_)