On the world of Sinai, the last walls of the last kingdoms of Man crumble before the demonic armies of the East. Hope fades as casualties mount before the relentless onslaught of a trifecta of fallen angels. Gideon Halcyon is fearless and idealistic, but he lacks the training to truly make a difference. He believes his dreams of heroism unattainable, until he meets Ashkelon. Coming from the Void beyond the world, Ashkelon alone survives the ruined world of Avalon. Cynical and ruthless, he is a sorcerer of the Everlasting Dark, seething with millennia of bitterness, and his black sword shrieks with the last screams of a thousand failed heroes. Having failed to find a worthy champion of the Light, Ashkelon vows to forge Gideon into the hero Sinai needs, and the adversary he craves. As the last of mankind's strength drains away, a hero is born in Darkness.