Where Honor Clashes with Destiny - A Speculative Journey of Power, Politics, and Legacy The empire of Monde is the envy of its neighbors. While fleeing her war-threatened home, Nasrin finds refuge in Monde, where a fateful encounter with a mysterious being leaves her pregnant. Stranded in a foreign land, she must raise her son, Lucian, in seclusion. But as Lucian grows, he begins to manifest strange, terrifying powers that will change the fate of the empire. When Fabien de Vistré, Marshal of Monde, captures Nasrin, duty demands he punish her. Instead, he shields her and her child, threatening his standing with the king. The marshal knows his duty: serve His Majesty and enforce the law. Yet his preoccupation with Nasrin drags him into dangerous defiance. Lucian's gifts cannot remain hidden. As he grows, he defies his mother's warnings, drawing the attention of rival kings. When he reaches manhood, his powers shift. Something beyond himself begins to guide his path. And after a long-buried secret surfaces, the empire that once offered refuge may become a battlefield.