The Guardian of Decay and the Guardian of Earth are at war. Only when the Guardian of Earth forges a powerful sword, the Luzblad, is there a weapon strong enough to restore order to the Earth, but as the gods clash, the spirit of one of the Guardians becomes trapped within the godly blood used to forge the sword. Darkness falls, and the secret of the Luzblad becomes lost in time. Centuries later, the wayward son of a SangreLin prince must trace his past within the malevolent SangreLin Empire. When Tallic Shawen realizes that it is his SangreLin blood that allows him to harness the Luzblad's power, he must embrace his dark roots in order to restore balance to the world. Years of slavery and battles with beasts and men harden Shawen into a formidable soldier, but when confronted with the power that lurks within the Luzblad, he must also face his own weaknesses. Though he will encounter many friends and allies during his journey, even more enemies will stand in his way. Only Tallic can stop the SangreLin Empire from thrusting the Freelands into an even darker age.