When Sergeant Clare Kerrigan wakes up in a nightmarish demonic realm, her first realization is horrifying—she's no longer human. Horns crown her head, a tail lashes at her back, and talons glint like obsidian on her hands. In the realm of the Dark Legion, soul energy is everything. Souls are both currency and sustenance, without which demons risk losing their power and rank—or, worse, regressing into a Rabid: one of the mindless, feral demons spewing endlessly from the Pit of Rebirth into the sundered plains. Thrust into a brutal caste society governed by strength and the ancient, binding laws of The Contract, Kerrigan must climb the treacherous hierarchy of the Dark Legion for any chance at escape. As a Squire under a disgraced Knight and an unwelcome outsider, she’s mocked and scorned. But Kerrigan has a secret weapon: her human ingenuity and the military training that taught her to adapt and overcome. Her journey takes her to the Citadel, a ruthless military academy where aspiring Nobles master demonic magic, the art of war, and the craft of soul-binding contracts. Here, Kerrigan must prove herself against jealous rivals and the rigid traditions of an unforgiving system. Though she excels in combat and studies, her ingenuity sets her apart—and marks her as a dangerous threat to those who cling to the old ways. In the Citadel’s shadowed halls, betrayal is the currency of power, and alliances are forged in soul bound contracts With enemies at her throat, mortals summoning her for dark bargains, and a cryptic benefactor hinting at the sinister truth behind her transformation, Kerrigan faces an impossible choice. Will she rise through the deadly hierarchy of the Dark Legion to uncover the truth about her past—or succumb to the insatiable hunger, regressing into the fate of the mindless Rabid? In a world where the strong devour the weak, Kerrigan must decide: does she have what it takes to survive as a demon, climb the hierarchy, and escape the Legion—or will her soul be corrupted beyond repair? Or worse, fall to the Pit? The only way out is up.