A Novelette of the Paladin Series
The Last Paladin
In a world where corrupted divine beings walk as gods, Commander Seraph stands as humanity's last hope against the ne-giants—towering beings of terrifying beauty born from fallen angels. When the mysterious smith Aethelred brings two legendary weapons forged from godsteel, a divine metal that fell from the heavens, Seraph discovers his true destiny. These blades hold the power to end the decades-long war, but at the ultimate price. As Seraph journeys alone toward the ne-giants' magnificent city of Kor'azul, he confronts not only these false gods but also those who would kneel before their corrupted divinity. In a profound act of sacrifice, he becomes a vessel for divine power, transforming himself into pure light to cleanse the world of the ne-giants' corruption. The price of victory is the creation of the Wasteland—a vast desert scoured clean by divine fire—but it purchases a millennium of peace for humanity. Through Seraph's willing sacrifice, echoing the ancient "First Lights" who helped humanity escape tyranny generations ago, the story explores themes of divine purpose, willing sacrifice, and the courage to stand between darkness and light. His legacy lives on not just in the peace he purchased, but in the midnight-black steed Aethonar, whose bloodline will carry future champions when darkness threatens again.