Paragon Forgotten, the Lost Gods Book 1

Cohthel should have visited Father's grave sooner. Because now it's missing. His mother makes excuses for the absent grave, which Cohthel accepts, but his best friend won't. He convinces Cohthel his father must still be alive, and Cohthel runs away from school, family, and friends to find the truth. He needs the truth because Mother won't remarry and without a father's guidance Cohthel fears he'll never choose an apprenticeship, will live with Mother the rest of his life, won't fully grasp manhood, and all his friends will succeed in life and leave him behind. While away, Cohthel hears corrupting rumors that humans are breaking alliances to force the other eight races to worship humans as gods. He returns home to not only having found the truth about his once-thought-dead father, but that he now must choose: join the humans' war for godhood and erase his culture, identity, and humanity, or oppose the war and be forced to kill the only thing he's ever wanted: a father. An ageless human lurks behind the fabric of the universe, and she gives Cohthel a third impossible choice: stop the war. But he must find a way to live forever, first. AUTHOR'S NOTE: The ebook version of this novel does not include the fantasy map, the dedication page, or follow-on excerpt for The Lost Gods Book 2 at the end. All print versions of this book found elsewhere include those items.