The Path of Ash: Book One

In a world where magic is an addiction, power is the deadliest high.The Yan Empire is rotting from the inside, held together by intrigue and Shen-Hui-the divine Ash of dead gods, a substance that grants power at the cost of one's soul. Ren, a cynical smuggler raised in the mud of the Capital's slums, knows only one law: survive.His life changes forever on the infamous Path of Ash. After a monstrous ambush annihilates an imperial caravan, Ren seizes a legendary prize from the wreckage: the Tear of the God, a source of magic so pure it can topple thrones. But the dust doesn't just grant him strength; it awakens a dormant god-seed within his flesh, making him the living incarnation of Matter.As an ancient, abyssal entity stirs in his mind, Ren becomes the epicenter of a war he never wanted. From the gilded halls of the Summer Palace, the cunning First Concubine, Lady Suyin, unleashes her assassins to retrieve her stolen weapon. From the frozen mountains of the North, the relentless General Kaito leads his armies, determined to cleanse the world of the magical plague and all who wield it.To control his new power without losing his mind, Ren must navigate a web of lies where every ally is a potential enemy. But as the world burns around him, the greatest threat might be the voice whispering in his own head, urging him to embrace the chaos and become the monster everyone fears.

Pages: 210, Paperback, Independently published