Prologue

People always talk about thin lines. There’s a very thin line between love and hate. Between being a ruler and a despot. Between genius and insanity. Between being a hero…or a villain. That good and evil are dependent on perspective.

On Earth, people talked about how the real monsters are human. In Andara, the actual monsters were ONCE human. But it makes you think–just how thin is that line? The mesmer are essentially this world’s version of a cogent zombie. The vantyr are some horrible version of vampires. Sylfae and pyrfae are the nightmares of fairies. Dopplegangers are the skin stealers. Dragons are arrogant shapeshifters. And yet…all of them can appear human. According to lore, they were before the gods cursed them.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

But they’re not even the worst monsters. High above them all sits this so-called ‘Dark One.’ The big bad evil pulling strings in the background. The most powerful of all…and it makes me wonder. If they’re the best of the monsters…am I the equivalent best of the humans? They keep asking me to join them, and I can’t help but think of the possibilities.

Travelers don’t always appear in the best places. They’re not always protected. What if the worst happened because the gods tried to bring over the best? What if they were once the same as me? I’m not perfect. The question is just how much it takes to twist a traveler? After all, every villain is the protagonist of their own story…