Riku died saving a stranger. He awakens in Ashvale with a second chance—and a sword that moves before he does.
Its blue flame gives him the strength to survive. But every fight draws blood, and every borrowed memory makes it harder to tell whose instincts he is following.
When Riku frees Aira, a former noblewoman bearing a shattered crest on her wrist, he finds someone who understands what it means to fear your own power. Guided by the Sword Sage Kael, they follow a spreading curse through haunted woods, forgotten tombs, and the ruins of a kingdom that still answers to the Hollow King.
The king recognizes Aira’s mark. Riku’s blade remembers things he wishes it didn’t. And the closer they come to the throne, the more dangerous those connections become.
To free Ashvale, they must learn how to wield their powers without surrendering to them.
Rebirth of the Forsaken is the first novella in the Oath of the Forsaken dark fantasy series.