Two superpowers - The Akalan Nation and the City States of Shaweh - are at war. The Akalan Nation is a brutal theocracy that believe the City States are evil for not following their beliefs, and both sides are decimated from the years of fighting. In a desperate move to try and win the war for his people and his faith, the king of the Akalans, Darius, enlists the power of a mysterious man with supernatural powers named Lialthas, who claims to be an angel sent to help the righteous win the war against the disbelievers. However, as Darius soon discovers, Lialthas is not who he says he is - and he has his own motives and aspirations to power. Written in verse, The Empty One is the first novel in the series The Fallen Conviction, which chronicles a tale of war, intrigue, and magic.