In a secluded forest, Avalel, twelve years of age, was completely oblivious to the torment of the war. His backward village was a hidden safe haven, self sufficient on its own limited resources. Although there were occasionally contact from the "Outside", as they called it, the village remained its own world, isolated and in peace. Until he stumbled upon a girl, broken by the war, hardened by its cruelty. Four years later, the Outside comes to him. Witnessing the horrors around him, his fantasies shattered by the abhorrent ruthlessness of this orderless world, he only has a single goal: to protect the ones he considers his closest in the war. A mysterious sword accompanies him, a relic of the past strangely interested in his development. A kind friend supports him, looking out for each other. A leader pursues him, obsessed with his identity. A journey of life, of death; of friendship, of enmity; of courage, of cowardice; of loyalty, of betrayal; of power, of corruption in this eternal, unending war. Cover edited at Canva, using a photo taken by myself.