_______

  THE PRINCE

  Unknown

  Chaos and darkness were all the Prince had ever known. From his first awareness, he had been trapped behind an impenetrable shroud—a suffocating veil that might as well have been a mask of death, for all had long since abandoned him to it.

  Rage was all that remained, sharpened by an indescribable hatred for the light. The worst was the pain—the unending, grinding pain that eroded even memory. Some were able to numb it while others only managed to redirect it. But nothing soothed it; there was no end to the torment.

  Then, he crossed the Umbral Veil—or perhaps the Veil passed over him. With the crossing came clarity. With clarity came power.

  At first, the Prince desired only what had been stolen from him—and to hurt those who had taken it. Vengeance was simple, giving shape to the void he now occupied.

  The Knight of Ashes, after all, deserved to live in a world worthy of his name.

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  So I sent my facestealing shadow with one purpose—to extinguish the last fragile hope the Knight still clung to—to reduce his people, his kingdom, his legacy to cinders.

  But my shadow failed.

  It was in that failure that the Prince found something far more valuable.

  I found the offspring of the Pale One. Two Flames of the Dawn, burning like distant beacons upon a mountain spine.

  With new knowledge came new hunger, and with hunger, purpose sharpened into intent.

  The Prince of Darkness would claim the Children of the Pale One.

  Shadow would eclipse radiance.

  Then this time, the world itself would burn, leaving nothing but ash and shadow.

  END OF BOOK 1 of the Ashen Chronicles, The Bride and The Ashen Knight

  _____________

  BOOK II of The Ashen Chronicles, The Countess and the Ashen Lord, will begin release in MARCH 2026 on Royal Roads!

  Thank you, readers. The Bride and the Ashen Knight finishes at just over 207,000 words!

  If you've enjoyed the story, here is what you can do to help me:

  - Comment on what you would like to see in Book II below ??

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