The City’s Ruin

The City of Cinders never truly healed.

Fires still burn without warning, and a living wall of shadow seals the city from the world beyond.

The King of Darkness rules through fear and soul magic, turning those who defy him into Defiers—hollow shadows bound to his will.

His deadliest weapon is Ellaryn, known as Ruin: his immortal assassin, bound to him by stolen magic that makes disobedience unbearable and escape impossible.

Ellaryn has accepted this fate. Until she meets the impossible.

Xander is an outsider who didn’t flee the city—he broke into it.

A rogue sorcerer determined to destroy the king, he believes the tyrant’s power leaves a trace, and Ellaryn may be the key to finding it.

As she hides him within the ever-burning streets, a dangerous connection forms between them, built on shared pain, fragile trust, and a hope neither can afford.

But when their plan begins to unravel, Ellaryn realises victory will demand a sacrifice she may not survive.

Will she rise against the king and save the city, or will she remain it’s Ruin forever?